Moma Liangshan

Chapter 59 The Mohist School in the Mountains: Questions and Answers Across the World

Di Gongkao wanted to continue asking questions, but the prefect stopped him, saying, "You will know when the time comes. Wang Hao is about to enter the village. You and I should follow him." After saying that, the prefect and the others quickened their pace. When they arrived at the village entrance, Wang Hao looked around and noticed a white poplar tree not far away that seemed familiar, so he stopped and pondered. A moment later, the prefect and his entourage arrived and asked, "Why did you stop, young master?" Wang Hao smiled slightly and said, "Since the village is behind the woods after we descend the plank road, why did you choose to take a roundabout route instead of the shortcut?" The prefect smiled slightly and asked, "How did you discover that, young master?" Wang Hao pointed to a poplar tree not far away and said, "It's rare to see three bird nests on a poplar tree!" The prefect followed Wang Hao's gaze and indeed saw three bird nests on a poplar tree not far away. He said, "Your wisdom and insight are truly beyond my expectations, but the Mohist school has been in seclusion for many years. If we were to truly return to the world with you, young master, how could we not conduct a thorough investigation beforehand?" Wang Hao nodded, not pursuing the matter further, and said, "Please lead the way, sir!" The prefect nodded and said, "Please, young master!" The group entered the village along the gravel path. The houses in the village were all built against the mountainside, with foundations of bluestone, adobe bricks made of red clay, beams of mountain wood, and tiles of stone slabs. Not far away, the sounds of bells and cauldrons filled the air as a group of men, women, and children, dressed in long brown robes, lined up with bowls and chopsticks to get their meals. When the magistrate and his entourage arrived, they all turned to look at them. The magistrate looked up at the high platform and said, "Greetings, Your Excellency!" Di Gongkao and the others then bowed in greeting. Wang Hao looked up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Junior Wang Hao greets the Grand Master!" The Grand Master descended from the platform and came before Wang Hao, saying, "Greetings, young friend!" He then looked at the Prefect and Di Gongkao, saying, "Why have my second and fifth brothers arrived at the same time?" The Prefect replied, "Young Master Wang is the Emperor's appointed Magistrate of Laoshan County, in full charge of the reconstruction of the Jiaozhou Maritime Trade Office. My fifth brother and his father-in-law are already preparing to go to Jiaozhou to serve the country. I have come to the headquarters to select several suitable young men to send to Jiaozhou for training." Most of those getting food were young, with only a few elders. The young men, hearing about the matter of leaving the mountain, were all full of anticipation. The Grand Master said, "This matter is of great importance and must be handled with care. Let's discuss it inside!" Wang Hao smiled slightly and said, "I have traveled dozens of miles through the mountains and my stomach is empty. Could the Grand Master spare me a bowl of rice?" The Grand Master looked at Wang Hao and Yang Zhi and called out, "Bring two sets of bowls and chopsticks for our distinguished guest!" A moment later, a young man brought two sets of bowls and chopsticks. Wang Hao and Yang Zhi took the bowls and chopsticks and went to the back of the line to get their food. The Grand Tutor and the Prefect exchanged a glance and said, "Let's talk inside." The Prefect nodded and went into the adjacent house.

The Grand Master and the Prefect sat facing each other. The Grand Master said, "I received your letter three days ago, but I didn't expect this Young Master Wang to be so young!" The Prefect nodded and said, "It is precisely because Young Master Wang is only fifteen years old that I am even more determined to cooperate this time!" The Grand Master asked, "Why?" The Prefect said, "I have been in contact with Young Master Wang for many days. Observing his words and actions and hearing his deeds, I can conclude that he is definitely not a Confucian scholar." The Grand Master seemed to understand and said, "No need to worry, speak frankly!" The Prefect continued, "Fifth Brother and his father-in-law went to Jiaozhou to build a seaport and shipyard. It was for profit, and there was no special favor involved. That's all. If Wang Hao achieves something in the future, at most he will have some goodwill towards the Mohist school, but he certainly will not wholeheartedly support the revival of the Mohist school." The Grand Master nodded and said, "Fifth Brother is right, but further cooperation may be difficult to control!" The Prefect said softly, " "I've pondered this for many days and come up with a perfect solution, but we need a suitable person to come out of seclusion!" The Grand Master's expression changed slightly, and he asked, "What method, and who should come out of seclusion?" The Prefect replied, "Send the Third Brother to Jiaozhou to serve as Wang Hao's teacher, and select several suitable disciples to accompany him!" The Grand Master's eyes lit up, and he shouted, "Quickly summon the Third Master!" Half an hour later, a refined and handsome man arrived and asked, "What is the Grand Master's urgent summons for?" The Grand Master said, "Ask your Second Brother!" The Prefect smiled and said, "Third Brother, please sit down!" The man sat up straight and asked, "What is it, Second Brother?" The Prefect thought for a moment and said, "Whether the Mohist school can be revived depends entirely on the Third Brother!" The man frowned slightly and said, "Please, Second Brother, stick to the facts and don't exaggerate!" The Prefect said, "My eldest brother and I wish to invite the Third Brother to come out of seclusion and go to Jiaozhou to serve as Wang Hao's teacher."

The man, displeased, said, "Second Brother, you know I'm only interested in organizing the Mohist classics and practicing the Mohist swordsmanship. As for taking on disciples, I've never considered it!" The prefect looked at the Grand Master, who said, "You've practiced the Mohist swordsmanship for thirty years and organized the Mohist classics for sixteen years. To this day, within the Mohist school, no one can rival you in either swordsmanship or scholarship. You've fulfilled the ambition you set at twenty; it's time to establish your next goal in life!" The man said, "My next goal in life, Di Chunqiu, cannot be teaching a sycophant!" The prefect, puzzled, asked, "How can Wang Hao be a sycophant?" Di Chunqiu snorted coldly and said, "The three of you should know that I traveled to Tokyo three months ago." The prefect nodded and said, "Third Brother, did you see Wang Hao in Tokyo?" Di Chunqiu said, "Wang Hao is extremely popular in Tokyo—at Fanlou..." "He's incredibly shrewd and charming, enjoying unparalleled imperial favor." The prefect, unconvinced, asked, "What do you mean?" Di Chunqiu continued, "He used Eight Immortals Wine to enter Fanlou, met Li Shishi there, and used her connections to gain the Emperor's favor. To compete with Cai Jing and Gao Qiu for favor, he didn't hesitate to spend 100,000 strings of cash to salvage the 'Flower Stone Tribute' from the Yellow River. Such behavior at such a young age—how can he be my student, Di Chunqiu?" The prefect, still unconvinced, argued, "You're in Dongjing, yet you're only seeing things through a fog, never having met Wang Hao in person. I'm in Mingzhou, but I've known Wang Hao for many days and know the truth!" Di Chunqiu said, "There's no smoke without fire, and one hand cannot clap alone! Wang Hao's actions are so high-profile, everyone has witnessed it." The prefect asked, "How are Wang Hao's actions high-profile?" Di Chunqiu said, "75,000 taels of silver were deposited in Erlibao, and hundreds of people carried the 'Flower Stone Tribute' across Dongjing." The prefect, unconvinced, had no words to refute. The Grand Master said, "Whether Wang Hao is good or bad, there's no need for us to argue endlessly here. A single meeting and questioning will reveal the truth!" The Prefect said, "That's for the best, but Third Brother shouldn't come forward directly. Just listen quietly behind the screen!" Di Chunqiu wanted to refuse, but the Grand Master stopped him, saying, "If Wang Hao wasn't pretending just now, he's certainly not a villain. Third Brother, it's best to listen quietly from behind to avoid embarrassment later." As the eldest brother, Di Chunqiu couldn't refuse the simultaneous requests of both the Grand Master and the Prefect, so he had to agree. While the Grand Master and the Prefect were arguing, Wang Hao sat among a group of youths, chatting and laughing.

A young man was called into the room. Di Chunqiu said, "Di Qinyang, go and ask Wang Hao whether the relationships between ruler and subject, father and son, and husband and wife are eternal or ever-changing." Di Qinyang accepted the order and asked Wang Hao the question. Wang Hao looked towards the room not far away and said, "The principles of loyalty between ruler and subject, affection between father and son, and harmony between husband and wife seem eternal, but are actually ever-changing. If the ruler is unwise and the subject is disloyal, the world will be in turmoil. At that time, the ruler should be deposed and the subject dismissed. If husband and wife have no love, they will surely sleep in the same bed but dream different dreams. Life is short, why suffer in vain? The blood ties between father and son are such that when children are young, parents educate and raise them; when parents are old, children support them. This is the natural order of human relations and cannot be changed. However, the father's role as the guide for the son is temporary, not permanent. When children are young, parents should be strict with themselves and set an example. At this time, children's minds are not yet fully formed, and they should take their parents as their guide. When children grow up and parents are old, children should take on the heavy responsibility of the family and the country, and parents should retire behind the scenes and enjoy their old age." After Wang Hao finished speaking, he looked at everyone, and everyone fell silent in thought. Di Qinyang exchanged a glance with Wang Hao and turned to report. The room where Di Chunqiu was located was very close to Wang Hao's. Through the half-open cotton gauze window, Wang Hao's speech reached the ears of Di Chunqiu and the others. Di Qinyang came to the door, and Di Chunqiu said, "Summon Di Chuxiang."

A few breaths later, Di Chuxiang arrived. Di Chunqiu said, "Go and ask Wang Hao how to interpret loyalty, filial piety, brotherly love, forbearance, and kindness." Di Chuxiang obeyed and asked Wang Hao. Wang Hao pondered for a moment and said, “When the ruler is devoted to the nation, the ministers are loyal and dutiful; when the ruler is incompetent and tyrannical, the ministers plead for the people. Rulers and ministers govern the world together, suppressing personal feelings and upholding the law. Fathers and sons are blood relatives, brothers are like hands and feet; elders should be benevolent, and the young should be filial and respectful. They must not turn against each other, nor should they be estranged—this is the natural order of things. This natural order is based on blood ties and the importance of kinship. Husbands and wives, once married, should treat each other with respect, distinguishing between inside and outside the family, without regard to rank or status. The husband is the backbone of the family, and the wife is its flesh and blood. A family cannot live without a backbone, nor can it survive without flesh and blood. The five virtues are benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness; the five actions are gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility. Virtue is rooted in good intentions, goodness resides within, and virtue manifests outwardly.” After Wang Hao finished speaking, Di Chuxiang turned and left, going outside the door. Di Chunqiu said, “Summon Di Jinxing.” A moment later, Di Jinxing arrived. Di Chunqiu said, "Go and ask Wang Hao, why is it that Confucianism and Mohism were both prominent schools of thought at the end of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty, yet Confucianism, after less than a century following Qin Shi Huang's burning of books and burying of scholars, was able to rapidly revive during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, and subsequently dominate China for a thousand years, while Mohism, after generations of arduous practice, could only find refuge in a remote corner of the mountains?" Di Jinxing was surprised and said, "Isn't such an inquiry too radical?" Di Chunqiu looked at the Grand Master and said, "Whether it's too radical or not is for the Grand Master to judge!" The Grand Master sighed and said, "We don't..." "We are willing to face the decline of the Mohist school, but the facts cannot be denied." Di Chunqiu sneered, saying, "Facts speak louder than words! Outside these mountains, in the eyes of millions of people, the Mohists are merely country bumpkins." Di Gongkao suddenly said, "In the eyes of the world, it would be more accurate to say that the Mohists are skilled craftsmen!" The Grand Master said to the door, "They have the ambition to govern the world, yet they can only perform the work of skilled craftsmen with the body of country bumpkins. They are ashamed before their ancestors! As the Third Elder said, inquire about this matter with Wang Hao." After speaking, Di Jinxing left to inquire with Wang Hao.