For a long time, Confucianism was enshrined as orthodoxy and became the main guiding principle of social morality and institutions. Just like any theory of thought, Confucianism also has the possibility of being abused and distorted, especially in a certain historical period, when some Confucian scholars deviated from the original will of Confucianism due to personal desires or other reasons, leading to some negative social problems.
During the Ming Dynasty, when Confucianism was dominant, the words and deeds of some Confucian scholars fully exposed the negative impact of Confucianism when it was abused, and also provided valuable historical reference for us to know and understand the essence of Confucianism.
Zhang Juzheng: A hypocritical and righteous person
In the history of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Juzheng was undoubtedly a controversial figure. As a Confucian scholar, Zhang Juzheng has advocated the benevolence and righteousness morality in Confucianism all his life, and he has repeatedly mentioned in his own that "the benevolent love others, and the righteous govern people", and when he was the first assistant of the cabinet, he actively promoted a series of reform measures, trying to revitalize the country and improve the lives of the people through these measures.
Just when people thought that Zhang Ju was a true benevolent man, he was exposed for corruption, which eventually led to the failure of his career, and also caused the reform measures he promoted to be undermined, and the country's financial situation deteriorated even more. It can be said that Zhang Juzheng's life was to cover up his selfishness and selfish desires in the name of hypocritical benevolence and righteousness, and his various behaviors fully exposed the hypocrisy and deception of Confucianism when it was abused, and also left a profound reflection on future generations.
Donglin Party: The "Clear Stream" of Hypocrisy
In addition to Zhang Juzheng, in the long history of the Ming Dynasty, there was also a force called the "Donglin Party", they called themselves "Qingliu", and in the public opinion at that time, they did have a high prestige, and were considered to be exemplary figures in Confucianism.
Through the observation of a series of words and deeds of the "Donglin Party", people soon discovered that their so-called "clear stream" was not just a verbal expression, in fact, deep in their hearts, they were filled with an extremely strong desire for power, and they did not hesitate to engage in various factional struggles to satisfy their own selfish interests, and it was precisely because of this hypocritical behavior that they carried out that the chaos and turmoil of the entire country and the heavy suffering of the ordinary people were also burdened.
It can be said that the "clear stream" represented by the "Donglin Party" is actually a true portrayal of Confucianism when it was abused, and their hypocritical behavior has brought great disasters to the country and the people, and has also put forward a major reminder to future generations to understand Confucianism.
Yan Song: Hypocritical benevolent and righteous
Yan Song was also a controversial Confucian scholar throughout the Ming Dynasty, having held important positions in the cabinet of chief assistants, a position in which he had always verbally touted himself as a loyal and righteous man, and repeatedly emphasized that the series of policies he pursued were for the benefit of the state and the people. Through the observation of a series of specific actions carried out by him, people soon found that his so-called "benevolent" and "righteous" were nothing more than empty slogans, in fact, behind him, there were all kinds of corruption and greed, and he used his position of power to recklessly oppress the people, which led to the collapse of social morality and the hardship of people's livelihood.
It can be said that the Confucian scholar represented by Yan Song is a typical example of hypocrisy, and his life fully exposed the hypocrisy and hypocrisy of Confucianism when it was abused, and also posed a major challenge to the understanding of Confucianism by future generations.
epilogue
Through the observation and conjecture of these Confucian scholars during the Ming Dynasty, it is not difficult for us to find that there is a huge deviation between the Confucianism they represent and the true intention of Confucianism, and they hold high the banner of "benevolence, righteousness and morality" on the surface, but in fact they are full of hypocrisy, corruption and oppression of the people, and their words and deeds fully expose the negative impact of Confucianism when it is abused.