In order to strengthen the full-time centralization of the monarch, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty adopted Dong Zhongshu's Confucian thought of "ousting a hundred schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone". Confucianism advocates that filial piety is the foundation of the people, and honesty is the party for officials to govern.
Based on the above ideas, Dong Zhongshu recommended the inspection system of selecting officials by Ju Xiaolian to Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. Ju Xiaolian became the most representative subject of the inspection system in the Han Dynasty, and selected a number of famous ministers and military commanders for the Han Dynasty, which influenced the development of the regime in the Han Dynasty.
However, by the end of the Han Dynasty, the procuratorial system was developed, parties monopolized local forces, and local gentry held quotas to support filial piety and honesty, and there was a situation of making up the numbers.
The Cao Wei regime adopted the "nine-grade" system in selecting officials, and the gentry gradually became stronger. Especially in the Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the gentry reached its peak, controlled the state affairs and seriously restricted the imperial power. At this time, the procuratorial system became the biggest stumbling block to imperial power.
In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, in order to strengthen the autocratic monarchy, weaken the influence of aristocratic men, and create the imperial examination system to select talents, it was announced that the check-up system had been implemented for 800 years.
The Importance of Filial Piety During the Western Zhou Dynasty, the system of "Shi Qing Shi Lu" was implemented, and the titles and salaries of ruling nobles were inherited by the family. Official positions are handed down from generation to generation, and they have a high degree of control over the power of state affairs.
After Shang Yang's political reform, Qin abolished the Shi Qing Shi Lu system and implemented the bugle system.
Shang Yang broke the long-term monopoly of aristocrats, no matter rich or poor, they can be knighted through meritorious military service.
The political reform of the ancient dynasty not only involves the adjustment of the policy of governing the country, but also involves the redistribution of aristocratic interests, which is the direct reason why the reform of the ancient dynasty was blocked.
After the Qin Empire unified the six countries, it promoted legalism and ruled the country according to law in an attempt to establish a new social order. As a result, the social contradictions in the state of Qin became more and more serious, which led to the rapid demise of the state of Qin.
After a period of exploration, the rulers of the Han Dynasty began to choose "Confucianism" to rule the world.
Among them, "ruling the world with filial piety" is the most important part of Confucianism, and "three cardinal guides and five permanents" have been brought into the feudal ruling system and become the ruling thought of feudal monarchs.
"Filial piety" and "being a monarch" are linked and complement each other, which has become the dominant moral consciousness in the social and political field of traditional China.
As a Confucian book devoted to filial piety, The Book of Filial Piety has only 2,000 words, but it repeatedly mentions the theory that filial piety can rule the world. It can be inferred that the filial piety advocated by Confucianism has a strong political color.
According to the Analects of Confucius, Confucius believed that "man can make it happen, but not make it known". The filial piety culture in China's history emphasized the thought of "Three Cardinals and Five Permits" to imprison people's thoughts, which was feudal in nature. It was by vigorously propagating filial piety that the rulers of past dynasties realized the stability of feudal rule.