Generals of the Great Song Dynasty.

Summary

Ouyang Xiu's sons welcomed him home after his case was resolved, but he was not in the mood to celebrate. He invited Wang Ning An into his study, where he expressed his frustration and exhaustion. Wang Ning An suggested that they analyze the situation and figure out why Ouyang Xiu was being slandered. Ouyang Xiu realized that the root of his troubles was not the slander itself, but the fact that his moral reputation was being attacked. He understood that if his reputation was tarnished, his words would lose credibility. Wang Ning An agreed, explaining that the goal of the slander was to ruin Ouyang Xiu's reputation and make his words less believable. Ouyang Xiu then began to ponder the nature of Confucianism and its flaws. He realized that Confucius had fabricated ancient history, beautifying emperors and creating myths about harmonious relationships between rulers and ministers. Ouyang Xiu understood that Confucius had done this to promote his idea of morality as the key to a better world. However, Ouyang Xiu also saw the flaws in Confucianism. He noted that the governance of the Three Dynasties was not as ideal as Confucian scholars made it out to be. He pointed out that many monarchs had achieved success through deception and trickery, rather than morality. Ouyang Xiu also discussed how Qin Shi Huang's burning of books and burying of Confucians had actually helped Confucian scholars by allowing them to create an idealized version of history. He noted that Confucianism had become a unified ideology, but it was built on a false foundation. In the end, Ouyang Xiu realized that he needed to fight to maintain his reputation before he could challenge the idea that morality dictates everything. He found it amusing that he had to do this, but he was determined to expose the flaws in Confucianism.

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