Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was the official orthodox ideology of the Ming Dynasty. Founded by the Northern Song great scholars Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi, it matured and solidified during the Southern Song under Zhu Xi. Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was not a new school of thought or philosophy; rather, it was a deep refinement and processing of traditional Confucian thought. It held that the Heavenly Principle was the origin of all things, emphasizing the proper order between father and son, and the distinction between sovereign and subject. It advocated preserving the Heavenly Principle while eliminating human desires, and upheld the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues.
Historically, Wang Fuzhi held that the Heavenly Principle existed within human desires, and that one could not speak of the Heavenly Principle in isolation from human desires. At the same time, he put forward the anti-autocratic political view that those who pacify the realm do so merely by equalizing it. In addition, he advanced philosophical ideas such as monism of *qi*, and the debate between mind and matter.
Looking at the terrified Wang Fuzhi, Emperor Chongzhen knew he dared not answer his question. The present Wang Fuzhi was only a twenty-seven-year-old young man; most of his ideas were merely momentary flashes of inspiration in his mind, yet to form a complete theory, let alone be written down, transcribed, and printed into books.
Chapter 548