Section 9

It is almost incomprehensible that Tang Di and others were so cautious regarding Shi Yue. They lived in a relatively relaxed environment, where since the reign of Emperor Ren of Song, the scholar-officials had been treated with exceptional leniency. The political struggles triggered by Wang Anshi's reforms had only just begun and had not yet affected those Confucian scholars who had not yet entered officialdom, which is why they could not understand the need for such caution. Li Dunmin exaggeratedly stated: "Once this book is published, every scholar of the 'Analects' will surely place a copy of 'Zhengyi of the Analects' on their desk, and every literate person in the world will have to read the 'Analects', thus every literate person will have to read 'Zhengyi of the Analects'." What they saw did not extend to those Confucian scholars who had not yet entered officialdom, so they could not comprehend the necessity for such carefulness. Li Dunmin exaggeratedly stated: "Once this book is published, every scholar of the 'Analects' will surely place a copy of 'Zhengyi of the Analects' on their desk, and every literate person in the world will have to read the 'Analects', thus every literate person will have to read 'Zhengyi of the Analects'." What they perceived was merely the immense prestige they would enjoy, and although this book was the work of Shi Yue, they also took pride in the arduous efforts they had made for its publication.

The content of this book, on one hand, caters to the mainstream scholarly thought of the time, which emphasized the responsibility of the gentry to govern the world in partnership with the emperor, highlighting personal moral integrity and the distinction between the Chinese and the barbarian cultures. On the other hand, it introduces many new concepts and places particular importance on the status and role of the populace. Although this was already mentioned by Mencius, during the time following Wang Anshi—especially represented by the "Jing Shu School"—there was great reverence for Mencius, with Wang Anshi even likening himself to him. However, the propositions made by Shiyue are notably clearer, thus making them particularly prominent. In certain matters, such as the three years of mourning, Shiyue further proposed the idea that "the essence lies in heartfelt sorrow, rather than in formality," which is likely to provoke significant discussion.

The candidates expressed their confusion regarding the apparent "lack of seriousness" of these individuals. Although they recognized Shi Yue's talent, they could not help but mock him for aspiring to write a book in his twenties, deeming it an overestimation of his own abilities. The six individuals working in seclusion on the "Commentary on the Analects" became a source of amusement among the candidates during a banquet in November of the second year of the Xining era. Almost everyone was eagerly awaiting the publication of this "masterpiece," anticipating an even greater joke, with only a very few cautiously believing that Shi Yue might indeed possess extraordinary talent. The six individuals working in seclusion on the "Commentary on the Analects" became a source of amusement among the candidates during a banquet in November of the second year of the Xining era. Almost everyone was eagerly awaiting the publication of this "masterpiece," anticipating an even greater joke, with only a very few cautiously believing that Shi Yue might indeed possess extraordinary talent.

In early December, Shi Yue invited a dozen or so elderly gentlemen to specifically review whether there were any taboo subjects in this book. He then engaged in repeated discussions with Tang Di and others, hoping to grasp the emotional boundaries that people of that era could accept regarding certain matters. Ultimately, a revision was made, removing the critical portions from content such as the three-year mourning period.

However, after the draft was completed, Shi Yue was still reluctant to finalize the manuscript.

It can be said that although the content expressed by Shi Yue is limited to the teachings of the Analects, he almost explicitly or implicitly conveys modern political thought, even suggesting that the establishment of the Son of Heaven is meant to serve all the people of the world, rather than to rule over them.

This book also has a minor side effect, which is that Shi Yue has completely established his position in the minds of Tang Di and the other four individuals

Before the formal completion of "The Justice of the Analects," the reputation of this book had already quietly spread. Tang Di and others suddenly disappeared from the social gatherings of the candidates, prompting inquiries among them. The only one privy to the details, Chen Yuanfeng, replied in a teasing tone: "Tang Yifu and others are assisting Shi Yue in writing 'The Justice of the Analects' at the Sang residence, intending to replace He's 'Collected Explanations' as the essential reading for scholars across the world"

Based on this judgment, the Sang and Tang families spared no effort in supporting Shi Yue. At that time, the industrial and commercial sectors were quite prosperous, and it was not uncommon to find merchants with fortunes in the billions. Although the Sang and Tang families could only be considered middle-tier among merchants, their financial resources were still quite considerable

Due to his cautious nature, Shi Yue did not dare to easily publish this book until he could accurately assess the situation. He needed this book to bring him great reputation rather than significant controversy. New ideas could only be introduced gradually, and it was essential to first gain the acceptance of the distinguished members among the gentry, which was one of Shi Yue's principles

Shigeo listened quietly

Shigeo is quite perplexed by this progress

The work "The Justice of the Analects" is based on the later interpretations by Qian Mu's "New Explanation of the Analects" and Cheng Shude's "Collected Explanations of the Analects," and was written from memory by Shi Yue. Although the entire book primarily draws from the interpretations of these two scholars, it also contains a considerable amount of Shi Yue's own understanding and explanations. Furthermore, Shi Yue has handled many of Qian Mu's modern thoughts with greater subtlety, thus it is fair to say that this book also reflects Shi Yue's own wisdom. At the time, Zhu Xi had not yet been born, and since this work is based on the teachings of Qian and Cheng, it naturally encompasses the insights of many scholars that followed Zhu Xi. In that context, the entire book can be regarded as an exceptionally innovative academic work.

In recent days, Tang Gannan has primarily focused his attention on cotton spinning machinery, so Shi Yue went to find Sang Yuchu to discuss the acquisition of a movable type printing house to improve the printing technique. Sang Yuchu immediately agreed, although he knew that the profits from a movable type printing house were not high—its hardware costs are lower than those of woodblock printing, but in terms of software costs, since woodblock workers do not need to be literate while movable type workers do, the costs of movable type printing are significantly higher. However, this matter can no longer be viewed purely from a business perspective, as it is something that Shi Yue values, and perhaps the profits may exceed expectations.

There is also a dramatic saying regarding this book

This rumor thus quietly spread in the capital

He asked the workers: "I have heard that a person named Bi Sheng invented movable type printing, which is superior to woodblock printing in both cost and typesetting speed. Why do you still use woodblock printing?"

He certainly knew that movable type printing must exist in the world at this time. It is important to note that Shen Kuo was in his prime when he recorded this matter. If he had not seen it, he would not have written about it indiscriminately, and moreover, this is not something that can be written about casually. He pondered: "Movable type printing must be superior to woodblock printing, at least suitable for large-scale production. However, the Gutenberg printing press and typecasting machine cannot be created overnight, and the oil-based ink for metal type is also a challenge. If we use the wooden movable type printing invented by Wang Zhen, employing a rotating type frame, and manage it with a more modern production process, the efficiency can certainly be improved many times over. Later, we can gradually develop towards lead-tin alloy type as well." However, the Gutenberg printing press and typecasting machine cannot be created overnight, and the oil-based ink for metal type is also a challenge. If we use the wooden movable type printing invented by Wang Zhen, employing a rotating type frame, and manage it with a more modern production process, the efficiency can certainly be improved many times over. Later, we can gradually develop towards lead-tin alloy type as well.

In this work "The Justice of the Analects," through the interpretation of the sayings of Confucius and his disciples, not only is the concept of "people-oriented philosophy" clearly presented for the first time, but also the ideas of "seeking truth from facts" and "investigating things to attain knowledge" are introduced. Furthermore, Shi Yue emphasizes the significance of "logic." Regarding the political system, Shi Yue clearly proposes the balance of power and the equality of all individuals beneath the emperor. By discussing Guan Zi, he further introduces cultural chauvinism, pointing out that the greatest goal of "benevolence" is to allow the various tribes to share in the moral transformation and to accept the thoughts and culture of the Huaxia. He repeatedly emphasizes the role of the state and the aspirations of the scholar-officials, asserting that the aim should be to enable all people to lead equal and prosperous lives. He stresses in the book that Confucius believed in the rights and obligations of the populace to receive education, considering it one of Confucius's lifelong pursuits to ensure that everyone receives education equally and understands propriety and righteousness.

Shiyue, together with Sang Chongguo, wrote two prefaces: one introduces the structure of the entire book and the author's intentions, while the other advocates for the use of punctuation marks and provides a detailed explanation of the various uses of punctuation. Although ancient modal particles such as "者也" functioned similarly to punctuation marks and there were simple punctuation marks in use, their application was not widespread and even faced resistance from some scholars. Consequently, the ambiguity arising from inconsistent punctuation has always existed. In this work, "Lunyu Zhengyi," Shiyue's punctuation of certain phrases later sparked a significant debate among scholars, with a notable example being "民可使由之不可使知之". Throughout history, the phrase has been punctuated as "民可使由之，不可使知之", while Shiyue adopted Qian Mu's method, reading it as "民可使, 由之; 不可使, 知之", which completely reversed the meaning of the entire sentence! Thanks to the immense academic reputation of "Lunyu Zhengyi" and the shocking impact of such debates, punctuation marks were soon officially recognized and became widely adopted.

In the middle of December in the second year of Xining, the complete set of cotton spinning technology and equipment had basically been successfully trial-produced. At the same time, Shi Yue began to finalize the manuscript of "The Justification of the Analects." As soon as a volume was agreed upon, the engravers immediately began their work. Sang Yuchu and Tang Gannan, in order to ensure the best printing quality for this set of books, spared no expense. In addition to the workers already in the engraving workshop, they also specially invited dozens of the best workers from Bianjing, using only the finest blocks and paper. However, despite these efforts, carving out over 200,000 characters for the book was no easy task. If a single character was mistakenly carved, the entire plate would have to be redone. The book plates filled more than ten rooms in the printing workshop, with hundreds of workers toiling day and night. By the end of December, only a quarter of "The Justification of the Analects" had been completed.

At that time, Tang Di and others were completely immersed in the compilation process. They knew that by participating in the creation of this book, they had already secured their place in history—such an honor was a tremendous reward for scholars of that era. Sang Yu Chu and Tang Gan Nan were simultaneously preparing for the production of cotton spinning equipment while also investing in the outright purchase of a woodblock printing workshop, waiting for the final draft of the book to be completed so that it could be printed and published immediately.

The authenticity of this matter is now unknown, as no one has admitted to having mocked the "Analects of Justice" afterwards

In the first half of this book, Tang Di and others would occasionally pose difficult questions and express doubts. By the second half, Shi Yue increasingly spoke with familiarity, and the five of them had almost come to regard him as a reincarnation of a sage who was born with knowledge.

Sang Yuchu is an efficient person in his work. Before the New Year's Eve, he purchased a movable type printing house for five hundred guan and changed the sign to "Sang's Bookstore"

The workers, however, were perplexed and did not know who Bi Sheng was. They only informed him that there were indeed people using clay movable type printing, but it was mainly in the Hangzhou area and not widespread. It was rarely adopted in Bianjing. This was because the quality of movable type printing was inferior to that of woodblock printing, and clay movable types could not be used many times. The improvement in efficiency was not significant, and the cost reduction was minimal.

From October 26 to November 26, for a full month, under the primary narration of Shi Yue, Tang Di, Li Dunmin, and Sang Chongguo took turns compiling the notes, and finally, the final draft was written by the Chai brothers. The six of them worked tirelessly and managed to complete the first draft of "On Proving Justice" within the planned timeframe. Due to excessive mental strain, Shi Yue lost a significant amount of weight.

Only Tang Gannan and Sang Yuchu secretly admired Shi Yue's maturity and steadiness, which in turn increased their trust in him. With their combined life experiences, they firmly believed that Shi Yue could elevate the Tang and Sang families to unprecedented heights. The essence of a businessman lies in investment and return. After initially ruling out the possibility of being involved in a rebellion, they had decided to make a political investment, allowing their families to shed the reputation of merchants. Starting from the next generation, the Sang and Tang families would become renowned officials and scholarly families. In a letter to Tang Di's father, Tang Gannan stated: "Our Tang family now has a rare opportunity in a hundred years. With the help of this person, not only can Yifu's nephew easily attain a high official position, but it would also be quite easy for the two of us to receive a title from the court. This business is certainly worth pursuing..." In a letter to Tang Di's father, Tang Gannan stated: "Our Tang family now has a rare opportunity in a hundred years. With the help of this person, not only can Yifu's nephew easily attain a high official position, but it would also be quite easy for the two of us to receive a title from the court. This business is certainly worth pursuing..."

The stone tablet "On the Justice of the Analects" comprises over 200,000 words, written in vernacular similar to the Zhuzi Yulu, and follows the structure of earlier texts. It begins with a collection of explanations and then elaborates on the main principles of the Analects. The most distinctive feature of this book is that Shiyue employs a complete set of punctuation marks in this work