Chapter 461: Debating with Confucius!
Confucius looked at him and asked, “What role do you play in all this?”
A sudden gust of wind swirled in the study, almost imperceptible.
Even the flames of the candles on the table and the gauze curtains by the window remained still.
But Li Mo sensed it keenly.
Then he felt a wave of intense sincerity surge within him.
It was as if hiding something from the person before him would burden him with guilt for a lifetime.
Li Mo furrowed his brow.
This was the spirit of righteousness!
Confucius’s spirit of righteousness was evidently deeper than what Xun Kuang had currently grasped.
Even Li Mo felt an impulse to reveal all his secrets to him completely.
“What a terrifying power,” Li Mo thought to himself.
He tightened his resolve, raising his head to meet Confucius’s gaze and forcibly suppressing the impulse within.
“I am merely a commoner, not a commander, nor a soldier. I only talk a lot, which does nothing.”
“Mm?”
Confucius sensed the ambiguity in his words and realized his spirit of righteousness had not affected him.
He felt a sudden surprise.
Someone who could withstand his righteousness couldn’t possibly be as insignificant as Li Mo claimed!
“Hmph!”
Suddenly, he huffed coldly.
His face grew serious as he said, “The Qin State is a barbarous land at the western frontier, lacking in decorum and morals, knowing only how to engage in violence.
If they unite the world, wouldn’t the citizens of this land also become just as savage and boorish?”
Hearing this, Li Mo immediately felt something was off.
Such words did not sound like those of a sage.
Li Mo retorted, “Why not?”
He stood up and said, “The I Ching states, ‘As heaven’s movement is vigorous, a gentleman should continually strive for self-improvement; as the earth’s terrain is receptive, a gentleman should cultivate virtue to carry others.’
“A gentleman should be resolute and work hard to advance—that’s what you’ve said.”
“Now, warring monarchs constantly fight each other.”
“The path of kings is tragic, righteousness is disregarded, governance fails, and families deviate from customs. It’s a situation where rulers are not rulers, ministers are not ministers, fathers are not fathers, and sons are not sons; all decorum has been lost, and the world is in chaos.”
“Although the ancestors of the Qin were frontier barbarians, they labored tirelessly to forge a strong state.”
“When others only sought pleasure, they reformed and strengthened the nation.”
“When others only knew internal strife, they sent troops to fight the Xiongnu.”
“When others were degenerating, they were progressing.”
“It’s only natural for such a nation to grow strong.”
“And you’ve also said, ‘Education is open to all.’
“If you want to teach, you cannot categorize people.”
“People of Jin are people, people of Qi are people; does that mean the people of Qin aren’t people?”
“And how do you know that the world won’t become better under the unification of Qin?”
Confucius did not expect Li Mo to counter him with such words. He calmly inquired, “Is the world good now?”
Li Mo spoke passionately, “It’s changing; at least it’s better than your time, better than when the lords were standing tall!”
“Now, the Qin State has established schools, set up universities, and opened the imperial examination, allowing everyone to study and giving everyone the opportunity to hold positions.”
“Selecting the virtuous and capable, promoting trust and harmony, seeking ways to lessen the burdens on the citizens.”
“Isn’t this what you wanted to see?”
“The great unity of the world sounds nice, but if people are left without food and clothing, how can there be unity?”
“Oh, Sage Confucius, as you claim to be the utmost sage, do you not realize that beyond decorum and morals, there exists human nature?”
Li Mo became increasingly fervent, almost pointing at Confucius to argue with him.
Yet Confucius remained calm, slowly responding with, “At the beginning, human nature is good.”
People are born good; where could human nature go bad?
Li Mo sneered, “But there’s also a saying: human nature is inherently evil!”
Confucius frowned, “Who said that?”
Li Mo replied, “Your Confucian disciples, or perhaps one of your most esteemed disciples.”
This was something Master Xun had said.
But he couldn’t betray Master Xun.
Confucius asked him, “Then what is your view?”
Li Mo pondered for a moment before replying, “Human nature begins with neither good nor evil.”
“Oh? How do you figure that?”
Confucius was intrigued by his answer.
Li Mo said, “When a child reaches the age of seven, the father chooses a bright teacher, selects good friends, preventing them from exposure to evil, gradually guiding them towards goodness, ensuring the child learns well from a young age.”
“Teaching a child (good behavior) is primarily about harmony in the family, followed by the selection of a teacher.”
“Parents are at fault for not educating their children, and teachers are lazy for not training rigorously.”
“What kind of family produces what kind of child; what kind of teacher yields what kind of student? If teaching fails, that’s the parent’s responsibility.”
“Among your later disciples, there’s one called Meng Ke, revered as the Second Sage, just below you.”
“In his youth, his mother moved three times—do you know why?”
Confucius asked, “Why?”
Li Mo replied, “Because even she, as a woman, understood what kind of environment would shape a child’s character.”
“Learning from butchers promotes a trade in meat; learning from weavers promotes weaving; and attending school fosters culture.”
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