Chapter 79: The Small Clan Bullies the Big Clan, Shooting the King in the Shoulder
Chapter 79: The Small Clan Bullies the Big Clan, Shooting the King in the Shoulder (First Order Request)
In the Chongjiao Hall, all the scholars who gave lectures for the six days sat in the front center at the bottom, a distance away from the people listening at the back, to highlight their status.
At the top of the central government, there is only Li Chengqian.
Two cushions and a desk.
Amid the cheers, Li Chengqian walked out slowly.
After a period of treatment, others may not be able to tell whether the prince's lameness has changed.
But Li Chengqian was very clear that the lameness symptoms had been slightly alleviated.
This shows that Sun Simiao's medical plan is effective.
"Meet His Highness the Crown Prince."
"No need to bow, gentlemen!"
Li Chengqian sat down, facing the group of wise men, and said, "I have been preparing for today's questions for a few days."
"I would like to ask all the wise and famous people to help me solve my doubts."
The wise men said: "Of course it is so."
Li Chengqian nodded and spread out the booklet. Chang Sunchong, who was sitting next to him, immediately understood that the booklet contained all the notes made by His Highness.
"You are really serious." He muttered to himself.
Li Chengqian smiled and asked, "The Zhou Dynasty established rites and granted titles to the whole world."
"I wonder what the difference is between a big clan and a small clan."
"What is a major clan and what is a minor clan?"
Li Chengqian didn't know what a big clan or a small clan was, but he knew it.
But he had to find a beginning, lay the groundwork, and then proceed from the shallow to the deep before he could ask questions in a logical manner.
"Your Highness."
Yu Zhining cupped his hands and said, "The great clan..."
As soon as he opened his mouth, he saw a eunuch appear with a respectful bow, come to Chang Sun Chong's side and whisper. He couldn't help but frown.
"Your Highness!"
Chang Sun Chong leaned over and whispered in Li Chengqian's ear, "Your Majesty is here."
"Behind the screen."
Li Chengqian understood and couldn't help but chuckle in his heart. He waved his hand to show that he understood.
Chang Sun Chong sat back.
"Master Yu, please continue."
"Yes!"
Behind the screen.
Li Er did not come alone.
There were also Fang Xuanling, Zhangsun Wuji, Wei Zheng, and Li Ji accompanying them.
They were behind a screen and couldn't see what was in front of them, but they could hear the sounds clearly.
"The major clan and minor clan are divided according to the clan law. The first thing to do is to establish the relationship between the legitimate and illegitimate children."
"The Zhou emperor was called the great clan of the world. Apart from the Zhou emperor, the rest of the princes were called the minor clans."
Yu Zhining said loudly: "To the Zhou emperor, the princes are minor clans, and to the princes, the Zhou emperor is the major clan."
"The smaller clans must respect and obey the larger clans."
"Except for the eldest son, all other sons of the Zhou emperor were enfeoffed as princes and included in the list of minor clans."
"The eldest son will inherit the main clan and continue the family line. His sons, except for the eldest son, will also be enfeoffed as smaller clans."
"It is the same for the princes. The princes are the main clans, and the eldest son inherits the main clan. The rest of the sons are divided into smaller clans."
"That is to say, there is an order of seniority and distinction between the big clan and the small clan."
"Big batches are always big batches, and small batches are always small batches."
"The eldest clan is the legitimate wife, and the younger clan is the concubine."
No one else objected to his words.
Li Chengqian nodded and said, "If a small sect joins a big sect, is it feasible?"
"Your Highness."
Yu Zhining said loudly: "There is no such saying."
"How can a small clan inherit a large clan?"
"This is against etiquette and will cause chaos in the moral code."
Li Chengqian said: "Now that's the case, I understand."
"The minor clan is not eligible to inherit the major clan, but what if they are both legitimate sons, even though they are not the eldest, but the legitimate eldest son died early?"
As soon as these words came out.
There was a roar in the hall.
Even Li Er, who was behind the screen, had a cold expression on his face.
He knew it.
This bastard is definitely not that simple. What does it mean that the eldest son dies young?
Doesn't this mean that something unexpected will happen to him, Li Chengqian?
Where did the accident come from?
No need to think about it, it's almost there.
Wei Zheng and the others looked at Li Er. They couldn't see his expression, but they could imagine how great an impact the prince's words had.
Seeing everyone present react so strongly, Li Chengqian probably thought that Li Er behind him must be annoyed as well.
He smiled and said, "I am also hypothetical."
"Things like this have happened before in every dynasty."
"Some eldest sons died of illness. How to properly handle the inheritance issue?"
Yu Zhining finally realized that once he jumped into the pit of the patriarchal system, he couldn't get out.
What else can I do? I can only stick to my own opinion.
"What your highness said does exist."
"In this situation where it is beyond human power and the big clan has no one left, the small clan can inherit the big clan."
"The heir apparent is chosen based on age, not virtue; the son is chosen based on nobility, not age."
Yu Zhining said: "The elder is more important than the virtuous, and the noble is more important than the elder."
"Regardless of whether one is virtuous or not, the elder is more important than the virtuous; regardless of whether one is old or young, the noble is more important than the elder."
"If the eldest son dies young, the successor should be chosen from among the other sons according to the age of the legitimate and illegitimate sons."
Li Chengqian asked: "What if the small clan is stronger than the big clan?"
“Can we replace it, turning large quantities into small quantities, and small quantities into large quantities?”
He raised this question.
Let the hall be quiet again.
Yu Zhining thought about it and didn't speak immediately. The others also frowned.
The issues involved are not simple.
They were guessing what the prince was thinking.
Li Chengqian didn't give him any chance to think about it.
"Master Kong, do you think it's possible that he will appear?"
Kong Yingda said solemnly, "Absolutely impossible."
"The big clan is always the big clan. No matter how strong the small clan is, it can only be a small clan. It puts the cart before the horse and disrupts the social order and etiquette. It will not last long."
“Even if the great clan is incompetent, the small clans dare not disrespect and covet the great clan’s status.”
Li Chengqian said: "So, I don't understand why the Zhou emperor conferred titles on many princes and why he attacked Zheng during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period."
"But he was shot in the shoulder by an arrow from the men of Duke Zhuang of Zheng."
"The king was shot in the shoulder. Isn't this a small clan bullying a big clan?"
"In the end, the Qin State unified the nine provinces and replaced the Zhou Dynasty's major clan with a minor clan. Isn't this the same logic?"
Hearing this, everyone fell silent.
The audience was also discussing in low voices.
Shoot the king in the shoulder.
Anyone who reads knows this story.
The prince used this analogy, which seemed to ignore the situation at the time, but it also fits the issue of major and minor clans.
Because the Zhou emperor was the head of the clan.
When a small clan becomes powerful, it can bully a large clan.
Isn’t that the case during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period?
The Qin State unified the nine provinces and the Zhou Dynasty was overthrown, which was an act of a small clan replacing a large clan.
This is all set in stone and recorded in history books.
Zhang Shiheng said, "Your Highness."
"It is precisely because of this that the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period were led to the collapse of rituals and music, the loss of social order, and the constant wars and frequent conquests."
"Zheng was eventually destroyed because it disrespected the Zhou royal family."
"The same thing happened when the Tian family replaced the Qi family and the three families divided the Jin Dynasty..."
"Without rituals and music, moral principles will not exist, morality will collapse, and the world will be in chaos."
"So, as long as everyone respects and obeys the great clan, there will be no day when etiquette and music will collapse, and there will be no war."
He paused, and seeing that the prince was listening attentively, he continued, "The Qin Dynasty replaced the big clan with the small clan, and eventually the second emperor perished, precisely because they did not abide by the rites and laws."
"The eldest son Fusu committed suicide and made Hu Hai the emperor. This is not right and the people do not have support. This has led to instability in the country. This is their own fault. How can they not perish?"
"The clan system is to ensure orderly inheritance and maintain the order of the family."
"Only by strictly following the patriarchal etiquette and upholding a stable order can we prevent such phenomena from happening again."
"Once you disobey, there will be endless troubles. People will not be loyal to you and will have their own thoughts. How can the world be stable?"
(End of this chapter)