Cao Cao, played by the old drama bone Bao Guoan in "Lantai", is actually a product of the times. In the Eastern Han Dynasty society in which he lived, Confucianism penetrated into every corner of society, and it can be said that it was the first era of Confucianism.
In this era, the emperors of the Eastern Han Dynasty were well versed in the Confucian classics and used Confucianism to regulate people's hearts. Liu Xiu, Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty, is a typical example, who, after unifying the country, decided to emphasize the study of scriptures and promote Confucianism.
He personally studied the "Book of Shang", and would rest in the morning and evening, and invited the ministers, langs, and generals to discuss the Confucian classics many times. His crown prince, Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty, was also very good at Confucian classics, and his teacher Huan Rong even considered him the most proficient prince in Confucianism since ancient times.
In general, the Eastern Han Dynasty in which Cao Cao lived was an era in which Confucianism flourished, and Confucianism became an important force influencing the operation of society.
Although Emperor Ling of Han was known for his mediocrity, he himself had a high level of attainment in Confucianism. Although he twice initiated a party campaign against "scholars" and killed and imprisoned many "scholars", this does not mean that he did not respect Confucianism.
In fact, in 169 AD, Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, at the suggestion of Cai Yong, Yang Ci, Ma Riyan and others, engraved the Confucian classics on the stele for the students to correct the proofreading, and as the standard scriptures to teach to the students.
He also edicted the Confucian Zheng "Five Classics" text, carved stone outside the Taixue Gate. As for how Confucianism interfered with the administration of justice in the Eastern Han Dynasty, we can look at an example. During the Eastern Han Dynasty and Emperor period, the minister Lu Gong saw that the government across the country violated the spirit of the Spring and Autumn Prison Break, and interrogated a large number of prisoners during the hottest time of midsummer, resulting in many prisoners dying in prison before the sentence due to torture and climate reasons.
Lu Gong therefore submitted an appeal to Emperor He, clearly stating that this behavior violated the spirit of the Confucian Spring and Autumn Prison Break. He also suggested that, in accordance with the spirit of the Lunar Order, only minor offenders should be tried in the middle of summer, and that felons should be tried in the cooler autumn.
The emperor accepted Lu Gong's suggestion and issued an edict that the trial of felons should be held in the autumn. It can be seen that although Emperor Ling of Han may have been accused of mediocrity in some respects, he still valued Confucianism and respected the opinions of Confucian scholars.
At the same time, Confucianism also influenced the administration of justice in the Eastern Han Dynasty, making the trial more in line with the spirit of Confucianism.
The Book of Rites and the Order of the Moon played an important role in the Eastern Han Dynasty, and if Lu Gong and his descendants could study it in depth and become authoritative interpreters, they would be able to obtain a part of the judicial power of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
This is the reason for the emergence of "scholars" and "clans" in the Eastern Han Dynasty, who refer to Confucian scholars and families who have the right to interpret Confucian scriptures. On a par with medieval Europe, scripture is equivalent to theology, and Confucianism and the family are akin to bishops, cardinals, and popes, holding the supreme power of interpretation.
The only difference between medieval European theologians and medieval Europe is that the medieval Vatican served a statue that could not speak, while the Eastern Han Dynasty had a living "son of God", that is, an emperor.
What if the "Son of God" contradicts the "theologian"? The "Son of God" naturally relied on his other group of servants, namely the eunuchs. In a society where Confucianism rules everything, the emperor wants to balance these Confucian scholars who hold the power of interpretation of the scriptures, so he can only rely on the people who are completely excluded from Confucianism, what is more suitable than eunuchs?
Because Confucianism naturally despises the act of self-harm, from the moment he becomes a eunuch, it means that eunuchs and Confucianism will never merge. The body is skinned, the parents who receive it, dare not destroy it, and the beginning of filial piety - such a group as the "Book of Filial Piety" is the emperor's favorite "tool man", and when the emperor needs to "make peace" with the Confucian family, the eunuch has become the best "gift".
Therefore, we can see that although the eunuchs of the Eastern Han Dynasty were often "powerful", unlike the Confucian scholars, as a family of eunuchs, few eunuchs could be prominent for more than two generations.
For example, Hou Lan, who set off the first disaster of the party, was easily regarded as a "gift" by Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty and pushed out to vent his anger to the "scholars"; And Hou Lan's younger brother Hou Shen directly asked the "scholars" to give a "suicide".
In the middle of the Chang Hou Lan brother ginseng for the Yizhou assassin history, tired of Zang crimes, tyrannical abuse of a state. Next year, Bing impeached the senators, and the chariot enlisted the court lieutenant. Panic and suicide. Of course, although the eunuchs of the Eastern Han Dynasty were "tool people", they were living people after all, and of course they would not be willing to be the emperor's "tool people", so they also began to adopt fake sons, reuse their relatives, and strengthen their own power, so that the emperor and scholars would be afraid when dealing with them.
In the Eastern Han Dynasty, eunuchs were both the "tool men" in the hands of the emperor and the protectors of their own families, and they had both power and pressure.
In the last years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, it was very common for eunuchs and their relatives to carry each other. For example, Cao Cao was able to enter Zhang Rang's bedroom without notice at a young age, which of course had something to do with the fact that he was Cao Teng's grandson.
Although the Cao family is known as the Eastern Han family, because Cao Teng and Cao Song both relied on the power of eunuchs to become **, they were actually despised by scholars. In Cao Cao's hometown of Peiguo, the Cao clan was also not accepted by Confucian scholars.
At that time, another famous scholar, Zong Shilin, was reluctant to associate with Cao Cao when he made many overtures to him. This phenomenon is not accidental, scholars generally expressed contempt for the eunuch group, just like Zhang Rang, one of the ten permanent attendants, although he was usually powerful, but after his father's death, no famous Confucian scholar appeared in his funeral, which made Zhang Rang feel very ashamed.
Although the Cao Cao family was a powerful family in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, at the time when Confucianism was dominant, it was regarded as a "poor family" because of its lack of "family learning", which could not be compared with the family of classics.
Therefore, Cao Cao tried to associate with Yuan Shao and other children of scholarly families, and regarded himself as a "ranger". However, his status did not change the scholars' opinion of him, and he was greatly disappointed when he wanted him to serve as the northern lieutenant of Luoyang, who was one level lower than Luoyang Ling.
However, it was Dong Zhuo's chaotic government that gave Cao Cao a chance to turn over, and he was able to get rid of the label of "eunuch remnant", and eventually became the general of Han Zhengxi.