Chapter 345: Confucianism vs Legalism

“Yes, teacher.”

“Good! Everyone, please be seated!”

Zhang Fei nodded with a smile, signaling them to sit.

The group of students took their seats. The fierce, threatening glances they had worn just moments earlier had transformed into something deeply resentful, much like that of a neglected wife sequestered in a cold courtyard.

These emerging talents had actually already seen through Zhang Fei’s ploy. Yet they were powerless against it and had no choice but to obediently address him as teacher.

There was nothing they could do about it!

Because they desperately wanted to prove that Zhang Fei had no qualification to be their teacher.

Zhang Fei had exploited precisely this mindset to strike first.

According to Confucian learning, proper decorum was the most fundamental of all foundations. If they disregarded even these most basic rules of etiquette, then no matter how profound their scholarship might be, no one would hold them in high regard.

Yan Fu had just said as much.

Moral character is what matters most. A person of great talent but crooked intentions is the most frightening kind.

So the harder they tried to prove that Zhang Fei was unfit to be a teacher, the more they had to first establish that they themselves were good students who honored their mentors and upheld the Dao.

Otherwise, they would merely be morally unworthy.

This put Zhang Fei in a position of easy control.

The atmosphere was quite awkward!

Outside the door, Yan Fu offered a comment that sounded like praise but carried criticism: “This pen-in-cap skill is truly formidable!”

This was a psychological tactic commonly used by pen-in-caps.

Sima Guang glanced at him without saying a word, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders. Keeping this group under control was no easy task, especially someone like Zhang Fei who had no scholarly reputation at all. To his surprise, Zhang Fei had managed it with ease.

Even if it was just a pen-in-cap trick, that was no matter!

Zhang Fei scanned the group, noting how they wore expressions of defiance yet helplessness. A quiet satisfaction swelled in his heart. He moved to the lectern and leaned against it casually, his demeanor relaxed and easy. “That was just a joke earlier; please don’t take it personally. I know full well that you are all the pride of heaven, the future pillars of the state. Asking someone like me, a mere pen-in-cap, to be your teacher is indeed an insult to you. If I were in your shoes, I would be angry too.

“So, don’t think of me as a teacher, and don’t treat this as a class. Let’s consider it an academic exchange. Our ages are not that different, after all. What do you say?”

The students’ eyes lit up at once. They were overjoyed. This was exactly what they had hoped for. With the weight of the teacher-student hierarchy pressing down on them, they had found it difficult to perform to their full potential. Yet doubt remained. They exchanged glances with one another.

The looks seemed to ask: Is there a trap in this?

Zhang Fei had already held the upper hand, yet he suddenly took a step back, yielding that advantage. It was genuinely puzzling.

Even Yan Fu, Sima Guang, and Fu Bi were somewhat astonished.

Zhang Fei asked again, “Is that no good?”

Cai Jing suddenly cupped his hands and said, “As a student, I shall of course heed my teacher’s commands.”

The others followed suit, cupping their hands as well.

You are the one who said that.

If anything happened later that showed a lack of respect for one’s teacher, it would all be in accordance with your teaching.

Zhang Fei gave Cai Jing a look of approval and nodded. “Very good!”

“Excuse me!”

“Please step aside.”

The crowd turned to look in the direction of the voice. Two men dressed as servants were walking in, carrying a board made of wood.

They were Li Si and Long Wu.

What was this about?

Everyone, both inside and outside the room, felt curious.

“Put it down here!”

Zhang Fei pointed to the edge of the platform.

The two men set the board down and left.

Zhang Fei did not explain what it was for. Instead, he called out clearly, “In any case, I am here on orders to teach you legal studies. So today, let us exchange views on the subject.”

With that, he pulled a piece of charcoal from behind the board and wrote the character “law” on it.

Emperor Zhao Xu understood at once. “So this board is for writing on!”

Ye Zuqia suddenly asked, “Teacher, what character is this?”

Zhang Fei paused for a moment. “Law.”

Ye Zuqia said, “I see. I thought it was ‘low’”.

“Is my handwriting that bad?”

Zhang Fei could not help but step back a few paces and take a look. It was clearly the character for “law”!

He truly had little confidence in his own handwriting.

A roar of laughter instantly broke out.

Yan Fu and the other scholars shook their heads in disapproval. Was this really a lesson? It was a classroom at the College of National Scions, yet it felt as crude as a marketplace. What kind of propriety was this?

Wang Anshi, on the other hand, looked smug. “I told him long ago to practice his calligraphy. He just wouldn’t listen. He deserves the mockery.”

“Alas… is only a pen-in-cap. We shouldn’t expect too much.”

“Every pen-in-cap has better handwriting than him?”

“Xu Zun, your son-in-law writes like that, and you didn’t even teach him?”

“……!”

Xu Zun really was getting shot for a crime he hadn’t committed.

Little did they know that this was already Zhang Fei performing beyond his usual level. Though he had not used a brush, the characters were still fairly neat. But given that he was at the College of National Scions, in such a setting, his handwriting was indeed embarrassing.

One must understand that in the Northern Song, poor handwriting was even more despised than disheveled attire.

For example, Wang Anshi wrote excellent essays and had good calligraphy. Although he was somewhat sloppy, no one really criticized him.

Zhang Fei coughed lightly. “This wooden board is a bit uneven. Please bear with it.”

Immediately, a series of disdainful gazes shot toward Zhang Fei.

Blaming the uneven board was no excuse. Even if he had been writing on a stone, the result should not have come out this poorly.

Zhang Fei quickly changed the subject. “Speaking of law, what is the first thing that comes to mind for everyone here?”

“Han Feizi!”

“Li Kui!”

“Shang Yang!”

……

Hearing this string of names, Zhang Fei could not help but roll his eyes slightly. He thought to himself, so they are all just novices. Aloud, however, he said, “Han Feizi, Shang Yang, and Li Kui were all founders of the Legalist school. It seems the first thing you all think of is Legalism.”

As he spoke, he added the characters for “legalism” after “law” on the board, and then asked casually, “So what is your view on Legalism?”

Ye Zuqia immediately offered a critique: “It is cruel and unfeeling. Its harsh governance is like a fierce tiger. It is the way of barbarians.”

Outside the room, many people nodded in agreement.

Cai Bian frowned slightly and said, “Brother Ye, your words are too hasty. Every school of thought has its merits and drawbacks. Legalism also contains pearls of wisdom, such as the principle that law should not distinguish between kin and strangers or the noble and the humble, but judge all cases solely by law. It is a sound prescription for governing the state.”

Ye Zuqia snorted. “As the old saying goes, even a tiger will not eat its own cubs. If one does not distinguish between close kin and strangers, one is no better than beasts. Such a stance is a complete negation of human nature. As for not distinguishing between noble and humble—hah. In my view, not a single one of those Legalists could achieve that. Did Duke Xiao of Qin and the First Emperor of Qin not slaughter the innocent at will? And yet how did Shang Yang and Han Fei deal with that? It is merely a trick to keep the common people ignorant. How could it be called wisdom or a sound prescription for governing the state?”

Wang Anshi was displeased. His body tensed as he prepared to step forward, but Sima Guang grabbed his arm and whispered, “This is not the imperial court. This is a classroom. You cannot be so unrestrained here.”

Wang Anshi glared at him with fury. “I have never been unrestrained in court either.”

Emperor Zhao Xu heard every word clearly. He smiled but said nothing.

Whenever Legalism was discussed, someone inevitably brought up Confucianism. The debate between the two schools had never faded, and in the classroom, the argument raged on just as intensely.

Zhang Fei stood off to the side like an outsider. He was not listening to what they were arguing about. He simply watched them red-faced with anger, thinking to himself that being a teacher these days must be wonderfully easy. All one had to do was pose a controversial question and then wait for the class to end.

“May I ask the teacher what he thinks of this?”

Suddenly, someone spoke up.

“Huh?”

Zhang Fei paused slightly. He turned to look and saw a young man. “You… what did you say?”

The young man hesitated for a moment before asking, “How does Teacher view the debate between Confucianism and Legalism?”

The question silenced the classroom instantly.

What had just happened?

Why were they attacking each other?

Hadn’t they agreed to present a united front?

Oh no! That pen-in-cap had used a sowing-discord trick on them. How audacious!

The students, now fully aware, immediately stopped their internal conflict and turned their attention to Zhang Fei.

Zhang Fei observed the young man, glad to find someone else who seemed to be on the outside looking in. “What is your name?”

The young man replied, “I am Cai Jing.”

“Cai… Cai Jing?” Zhang Fei blinked. Was he mistaken? He had just taken one class, yet he had already encountered a notorious villain whose name would be spoken with hatred for ten thousand years. Truly, the Xining era was full of famous faces.

“Yes.”

Cai Jing asked, “Does the Teacher know me?”

“Uh… I just think it’s a good name,” Zhang Fei said dismissively.

Cai Jing was completely baffled. He asked again, “How do you view the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism?”

Zhang Fei said, “I believe Legalism is superior to Confucianism.”

As soon as this was said, the classroom fell silent.

None of those who had been arguing earlier dared to claim that Legalism was superior to Confucianism. They had only argued that Legalism had some merits worth noting.

After all, Confucianism was very strong in the Song Dynasty. Legalism could be adopted implicitly, but it could not be openly stated.

Sima Guang was anxious. I asked you to teach legal studies, not to negate Confucianism. If you continue like this, you really can no longer serve as a teacher.

Cai Jing’s face brightened. “This student is dull and does not understand the principle behind that. I hope you will enlighten me.”

Zhang Fei said, “I am a pen-in-cap by. I do not know how to argue principles; I only know how to present facts. As everyone knows, Legalism flourished in the Qin Dynasty. After Shang Yang, only one great Confucian scholar entered Qin to spread his teachings. Do you know who he was?”

“Xunzi.”

“Exactly. And what was the result?”

“The result was that he failed.”

“Correct!”

Zhang Fei nodded and said, “In other words, in the Qin Dynasty of that time, Confucianism was on the verge of extinction. Have I said anything wrong?”

“Teacher is correct, but does that single point prove that Legalism surpassed Confucianism? And didn’t the Qin Dynasty fall?” Ye Zuqia asked.

“Don’t rush, let me finish,” Zhang Fei said with a smile. “Whether or not the Qin Dynasty perished because of Legalism, it undeniably swept across the six Warring States and unified the entire realm, relying entirely on Legalism. Remember, it was purely Legalism.

The counterpart to this is Emperor Wu of the Han, who dismissed the hundred schools and upheld only the Confucian arts. He too achieved great success, driving the Xiongnu kings’ courts beyond the northern desert. So the question is: when Emperor Wu made Confucianism the sole state orthodoxy, was Legalist scholarship within his realm also on the verge of extinction?”

The students lowered their brows and fell silent.

Outside the hall, the scholar-officials stroked their beards and pondered.

Zhang Fei waited a moment, then spoke directly. “Emperor Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of Han, one followed Legalism, the other Confucianism. Yet the Qin Dynasty dared to thoroughly eradicate Confucian learning. Whatever Confucianism supported, they opposed. Even the affection between father and son, which Confucians revered—oh, as you said earlier, this is human nature—Legalism dared to deny it all. They insisted on the sole exaltation of Law. The law was their father, the law was their mother, and yet they still achieved success. Do you Confucians dare to do the same?

Looking at history, in which dynasty, in which era, dared to solely exalt Confucianism as the Qin solely exalted Law? Emperor Wu of Han dismissed the hundred schools and honored only Confucianism. That was merely empty talk, a slogan. In reality, during his reign, he relied on Legalist thinking far more than on Confucian learning.

Confucianism cannot exist without Legalism, but Legalism can exist without Confucianism. Which is superior and which is inferior?”