"Director Feng, do you really want to publish this article?" Shen Zengzhi said to Feng Xu with a cold face as soon as he entered the living room of Feng Xu's house. The weather was nice; sunlight shone straight into the living room from the balcony on the third floor, making the room bright. Coupled with the heat evenly released by the chimney connected to the coal stove in the room, despite his cold face, Shen Zengzhi's complexion looked much better in the comfortable warmth.

Feng Xu certainly knew that Shen Zengzhi's address of "Director Feng" was quite malicious. Ever since the Anhui Education College moved from Fengtai County to Anqing, the Literature and History Institute, which was once a "shelter for guilty officials of the former Qing Dynasty," also moved to Anqing. As the People's Party's liberated area became larger and larger, the high-pressure attitude towards former Qing officials also relaxed. The current Literature and History Institute was just a place where a few people who really liked literature and history work, as well as guys who really didn't want to go out to find ordinary jobs or couldn't find errands, muddled along for a living.

Shen Zengzhi was the deputy director of the Anhui Literature and History Institute. Although Feng Xu suggested several times that Shen Zengzhi serve as the director of the Anhui Provincial Library, and Shen Zengzhi also "concurrently" held the post of deputy director of the library, Shen Zengzhi insisted on setting his unit in the Literature and History Institute. Shen Zengzhi's own explanation for this was, "What qualifications does an old prisoner of a fallen country have to pick and choose?"

The People's Party didn't want to lower itself to Shen Zengzhi's level. Plus, Shen Zengzhi was smart enough never to say a word about politics in public. Only a few people who had a good relationship with Shen Zengzhi heard him compare himself to a remnant of the old dynasty. The People's Party had carried out constitutional popularization work in Anhui many times, and everyone had studied the article on "freedom of speech." Even if Feng Xu publicly declared this, it did not meet the conditions for conviction. Since the People's Party was so tolerant of speech, everyone was naturally less willing to gossip behind their backs.

Shen Zengzhi worked very hard in the library. After the People's Party conquered Beijing, Shen Zengzhi also went to participate in the index compilation work of the National Library. After returning, he sincerely praised the People's Party's emphasis on book work, believing that the National Library and libraries in various places truly respected culture.

Feng Xu knew that the People's Party firmly advocated the method of "engraving the craftsman's name on the object," and all book indexes had the names of the compilers. Shen Zengzhi did not think this represented "distrust" at this time, but felt a little complacent because his name was listed on it.

"Brother Shen, sit down for a while and let me finish filling out this housing survey form." Feng Xu took Shen Zengzhi back to the study and said after sitting down. Feng Xu had no savings, and after being captured, he accepted his fate. After regaining his freedom, he sold all his family property and distributed most of the money to his family. He only kept a little money for himself to buy a two-bedroom apartment in Anqing, which was more than sixty square meters. The People's Party was engaging in large-scale infrastructure construction in the liberated areas, and everyone had to declare their property status. What Feng Xu was filling out was the standard real estate registration form.

Wearing reading glasses to study the content on the form carefully, Feng Xu filled out the form with a fountain pen. Only then did he turn his head and ask Shen Zengzhi, "Brother Shen, have you finished filling yours out?"

Shen Zengzhi was a calligrapher with an income far higher than Feng Xu. He bought a three-bedroom, two-living room, two-bathroom apartment, the price of which was more than double that of Feng Xu's. Hearing Feng Xu ask this, Shen Zengzhi sneered, "How dare I not fill it out? The People's Party shows no mercy in killing its own people; how would they let me off?"

Feng Xu knew that Shen Zengzhi was talking about the People's Party's recent "Three-Anti Work." Just for anti-corruption, several officials were killed, and even more were imprisoned, shaking the entire government.

But these were obviously not what Shen Zengzhi came to talk to Feng Xu about. Shen Zengzhi was referring to an article called "A Brief Analysis of Superior and Inferior" written by Feng Xu recently to participate in the cultural struggle. In the article, he elaborated on the two sentences "Punishment does not extend up to the great officers, and rites do not extend down to the common people" and "Only the highest wisdom and the lowest stupidity do not change." He believed that from the perspective of the view of punishment and rites in the pre-Qin bloodline clan society, in ancient times, all members of society, for the prosperity and development of their own bloodline clan and the reproduction of descendants, had to strictly observe the ritual system and criminal law followed by everyone, and no one could be special. During the time of Yao and Shun, Shun asked Gun to control the flood. Gun failed to cure it, so Gun received the death penalty. After Shun ceded the throne to Yu, Yu not only reused Gaotao who executed his father but also had a friendship better than old times. At that time, punishment and rites maintained justice and dignity, and even the leader was no exception. Therefore, "superior and inferior" did not emphasize discrimination and difference, but emphasized the consistency of superior and inferior.

Although Shen Zengzhi was far inferior to Feng Xu in administrative ability, he did have his own advantages in scholarship, especially in textual research. Hearing Feng Xu ask this, Shen Zengzhi replied: "Brother Menghua, those so-called primitive societies are all imagined by Chen Ke alone. Without textual evidence, how can we take it as accurate? Moreover, although your explanation makes sense, how can you be sure it is indeed the original intention of the ancestors?"

"We are all disciples of Confucianism. Confucianism has existed for two thousand years because what Confucianism has said for two thousand years is useful. Misinterpreting the words of the ancient sages has happened not just once or twice. As for those pedantic scholars, countless of them have completely misinterpreted it. What's more, mine may not necessarily be a misinterpretation." Feng Xu's voice was not loud, but his attitude was extremely firm.

This time Shen Zengzhi did not argue with Feng Xu. He pulled a chair, sat down, and fell into deep thought.

Feng Xu seemed to be talking to himself, "If those people engaged in Western learning could produce things the same as what Chen Ke produced, we naturally would have nothing to say and just obediently bow our heads and admit defeat. Brother Shen, you are also a great Confucian scholar of the current age. Is Cai Yuanpei's knowledge above yours? Apart from being able to borrow some words from foreigners, what has he created himself?"

While speaking, Feng Xu's hands didn't stop. He peeled a honey tangerine and handed it to Shen Zengzhi. The honey tangerine had been placed by the fire for a while, and it was still warm in Shen Zengzhi's hand. Breaking off a few segments and putting them in his mouth, it was truly full of sweetness.

"I wonder what Brother Menghua plans to do?" Shen Zengzhi said slowly.

"The theoretical pillars of the People's Party now are science and democracy. We don't understand natural science, so let's not interfere completely." Feng Xu took another honey tangerine himself and peeled it slowly as he spoke.

"What do you mean by not interfering completely?" Shen Zengzhi was relatively stubborn, or rather relatively straightforward, and was very puzzled by what Feng Xu said.

"We don't understand natural science, but we have read the Analects. The Master said: You! Shall I teach you what knowledge is? When you know a thing, to hold that you know it; and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it; this is knowledge." After Feng Xu finished explaining, he also ate a few segments of the peeled honey tangerine. The honey tangerines were produced in Hubei and transported by steamers on the river to almost every city along the Yangtze River. The sales were very good.

Shen Zengzhi somewhat understood Feng Xu's meaning now, and he looked excited. "The People's Party loves to say 'seek truth from facts.' Wasn't this phrase also first spoken by Confucian disciples?"

Seeing that Shen Zengzhi finally got the point, Feng Xu nodded repeatedly, "Exactly so. In fact, how much of what Chen Ke said is not what my Confucianism has already said? Since we encounter such a great opportunity, why don't we get to the root of the matter and restore order for Confucianism? Moreover, Brother Shen, you have also been an education commissioner. Do you like pedantic scholars? Borrowing a sentence from Chen Ke, expel them from the Confucian team!"

At the mention of Chen Ke, Shen Zengzhi got angry. Ever since being "pitted" by Chen Ke into participating in the writing team of "The Life of Cixi," Shen Zengzhi had no good feelings for Chen Ke anymore. He sneered again, "Brother Menghua, Chen Ke talks about equality, but our Confucianism talks about the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues..."

"Did Confucius say the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues?" Feng Xu interrupted Shen Zengzhi, "I have read in the Book of Rites: They hate to see goods lying on the ground, but do not necessarily wish to keep them for themselves; they hate not to exert their strength, but do not necessarily wish to exert it for their own benefit."

Shen Zengzhi knew that this was a passage where Confucius talked about "Great Unity" in the "Book of Rites." The general idea was that people cherish labor products but have no selfishness and will not take them for themselves; people are ashamed of not exerting effort or exerting less effort in joint labor, and can work with all their might, but without the idea of "getting more."

Even though Shen Zengzhi was knowledgeable and had a good memory, it was only after hearing Feng Xu's words today that he remembered Confucius had such writings. But after savoring it carefully, he asked, realizing it was actually somewhat similar to the socialist system mentioned by the People's Party.

Having lost the thought of confrontation, Shen Zengzhi asked Feng Xu: "Brother Menghua, are you actually planning to abandon the Cardinal Guides and Constant Virtues and only talk about the Book of Songs and the Book of History?"

Feng Xu replied calmly: "The Master said: In the Book of Songs are three hundred pieces, but the design of them all may be embraced in one sentence—'Having no depraved thoughts.' what's wrong with only talking about the Book of Songs and the Book of History? Since Chen Ke has established new Cardinal Guides and Constant Virtues, we should avoid the old ones like the plague. Why impose the Cardinal Guides and Constant Virtues of later generations on Confucius?"

This bold idea made Shen Zengzhi feel extremely excited but also uncomfortable all over. With Shen Zengzhi's intelligence, he fully understood Feng Xu's ambition. Feng Xu wanted to be the "Dong Zhongshu" under the rule of the People's Party. Such a bold move to completely sever the various extensions accumulated by Confucianism over nearly two thousand years from the "Book of Songs and the Book of History" and re-attach them to the system proposed by the People's Party—just thinking about such an action drained all of Shen Zengzhi's strength. The firm belief and effort required to do such a big thing made Shen Zengzhi's body tremble slightly.

Using almost all his strength, Shen Zengzhi said with a dry throat: "But the 'Analects' also talks about hierarchy."

Feng Xu immediately replied: "To borrow a phrase from the People's Party, that is the historical limitation of the sages. Xunzi also said that the movement of heaven follows a constant course, and one should control the mandate of heaven and use it. Chen Ke praised it greatly as naive materialism. We cannot ask people two thousand years ago to be the same as us; doing so is not seeking truth from facts."

This time Shen Zengzhi no longer had the mind to feel unhappy about Feng Xu bringing up Chen Ke's words. He asked Feng Xu with a hoarse voice and trembling body, "Brother Menghua, what exactly do you want to do?"

"I want to restore the ancient ways!" Feng Xu replied frankly, "And restore it all the way back to two thousand years ago in one go!"

At this point, Feng Xu couldn't help standing up from his seat because he was too excited. "Among the things accumulated over these two thousand years, there are good and bad, and most of them are outdated. Then let's throw them all away. We absolutely cannot let the far-fetched interpretations of later generations stain the reputation of the ancient sages. If this still cannot save Confucianism..."

"If it cannot save Confucianism, what then?" Shen Zengzhi asked closely.

"Then I'll just go and die!" Feng Xu answered loudly.

Looking at Feng Xu's determined eyes and hearing his decisive tone, Shen Zengzhi shuddered greatly.

While Feng Xu, a Confucian believer, was planning how to save Confucianism in the new era by abandoning the Cardinal Guides and Constant Virtues and such stuff, the great scholar Chen Duxiu, also in Anqing, felt in his heart that the husband being the guide of the wife in the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues might be a very good thing.

Within the political system constructed by the People's Party, there was the signboard of the Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), but the enthusiasm of the People's Party to form the CPPCC was even lower than that of the Party in history. Chen Ke rarely formed such a political organization with a very negative attitude. The reason for forming the CPPCC was firstly that the CPPCC ran through the entire history of New China after all. Even if Chen Ke didn't know what the CPPCC was for, Chen Ke would feel very uncomfortable without the existence of the CPPCC. Secondly, Chen Ke originally thought that there might be some so-called "democratic parties" existing, and stuffing them into the CPPCC would be an appeasement at any rate.

So in many provinces, the CPPCC was a signboard that no one even remembered. Even in Anhui, where the CPPCC was run best, and Chen Duxiu changed from the Vice Chairman of the Anhui CPPCC to the Chairman, the group of pedantic scholars under him added up to no more than six hundred people. The scale of each plenary session was not even as large as the gathering of the Women's Federation in those few large factories in Anqing.

As the Chairman of the CPPCC, Chen Duxiu certainly knew the current status of the CPPCC. Factually speaking, Chen Duxiu supported "women's liberation." It was just that listening to the voices of protest from a group of female laborers blocking the outside of the CPPCC, Chen Duxiu really didn't feel that "women's liberation" was a gospel for men.

A few years ago, because the editor of "Tongcheng Night Talk" published articles opposing women's liberation, it became a thorn in the eyes of women. When the CPPCC tried hard to recruit people, it recruited some people from "Tongcheng Night Talk" into the CPPCC. These people and the conservatives in the CPPCC both held a stance opposing women's liberation, so the Anhui CPPCC became a thorn in the eye of the Anqing Women's Federation. Over the years, there were dozens of small conflicts and several large conflicts between the two sides. Once, thousands of female workers carrying various fighting tools besieged the CPPCC and almost smashed it. Facing that intense situation, the police comrades were sweating profusely and dared not intervene easily. It was the comrades of the Anqing Municipal Committee who came forward and managed to calm things down with difficulty.

Female workers sang the worker's song "We Workers Have Strength" loudly, their arrogance rushing straight to the sky. The female representatives at the very front of the array used electric megaphones to tell the representatives hiding inside the CPPCC to "come out and die"! In the CPPCC venue, the group of mainly middle-aged and elderly representatives, their beards black mixed with white, gray beards, and white beards were all trembling slightly due to anger and fear.

Chen Duxiu originally wanted to invite the women representatives in for an open debate, but after peeking at the formation outside, he was also scared. Not afraid of the opponent's large numbers, but worried that the women would rush in and beat these CPPCC representatives to death. At that time, Chen Duxiu even rejoiced that Qiu Jin was not in Anqing. If Qiu Jin were in Anqing, she might have attacked the CPPCC with a drawn katana.

And this conflict was a continuation of the previous conflict. The Women's Federation held grudges, and the CPPCC gang held grudges even more than the women. In the action initiated by the CPPCC to rescue Cai Yuanpei, those guys responsible for propaganda in newspapers actually attacked women's liberation with sarcasm and insults.

The Women's Federation had gained the upper hand in several struggles, so naturally, they refused to show weakness this time, and the door-blocking protest broke out again. This time, however, Chen Duxiu did not simply think that the Women's Federation was reasonable. It wasn't because the articles involved saving Cai Yuanpei, and Chen Duxiu genuinely wanted Cai Yuanpei to live.

Nor was it the CPPCC people having a fit of "a dog can't stop eating shit." The real reason for this struggle was the housing problem caused by the urban renovation of Anqing. In this matter, Chen Duxiu believed that the People's Party was really too partial to the laborers this time, partial to the point of being almost unreasonable. So the CPPCC's counterattack could not be said to be unreasonable.