Chapter 1244: Debate On Equality
Whether the Confucian School was powerful or not was a rather interesting topic.
On the battlefield with blades and bloodshed, the Confucian School would certainly rank last among the Three Religions, perhaps even to the point of being negligible. But in terms of doctrine and influence, the Confucian School was exceedingly powerful. After all, it had set the rules of the world for 2,000 years.
This time, Zhang Yuelu stirred up a grand debate on the spirit of equality. Her original intention was merely to divert attention, and the scope of discussion was limited to the civilians.
What she did not anticipate was that Qin Lingge and others from the Confucian School harbored ulterior motives, seizing this opportunity to shift the focus directly from “what is equality” to “should equality exist at all.” This went beyond her control, as it was enough to shake the foundations of the state.
Zhang Yuelu had no choice but to offer a corresponding rebuttal. Otherwise, the fault would lie with her.
Qin Lingge then composed another essay, further elaborating his views based on his earlier arguments. “People do not need this false equality. They need rules, protection, and order. To uphold such rules and order, people will inevitably be divided into ranks. This is the moral hierarchy. A snake cannot move without a head. After establishing rules and order, there must also be a sovereign to provide protection and restraint for the people.”
Afterward, Zhang Yuelu publicly wrote an essay in the gazette of the Qingping Publishing House to refute Qin Lingge. “Equality is, in fact, a manifestation of fairness and also part of human nature. Are kings and nobles born of a different kind? The inner core of this statement is equality. Are those kings and nobles necessarily more noble than us?
“Within the Confucian framework, moral hierarchy justifies a sovereign and officials oppressing the people. Only the people’s rebellion is unjustified because it disrupts the hierarchy and is deemed a great act of treason.
“This is precisely why the Daoist Order proposes equality. Though there are countless arguments, they all boil down to one thing: rebellion is justified. Thus, the Confucian School labels all acts of rebellion as cosmic obstruction and disorder that violates moral norms. However, we Daoists call it uprising, changing the old ways and going with the Heavenly Dao.
“Perhaps uprisings are accompanied by chaos and various errors, but it cannot be denied that an uprising itself is an act of desperation by the common people when they can no longer survive. This is the people’s right that cannot be denied. This is the origin of equality. We are all equal, so when others oppress us, we may resist. That is justice.
“But with moral hierarchy, parents and the sovereign are always seen to be correct, so oppression becomes natural and justified, while resistance becomes wrong. It then turns into the idea that people were born to be oppressed.
“For nearly 200 years, the Daoist Order has sought to instill the concept of equality into the people. To break such a moral hierarchy is to grant everyone the right to resist oppression. Could that possibly be wrong?”