"The combination of Yin and Yang? But the lunar and solar calendars are different from each other except for the spring equinox, summer equinox, autumn equinox, and winter equinox. How can it be a combination of Yin and Yang? "Wu Meiniang asked in surprise. She was the one who asked the question.
"Of course it's to seek common ground while reserving differences. All we need to do is to combine these four days and the other days will operate separately without interfering with each other." Meton nodded.
"Seek common ground while reserving differences!" Li Chunfeng's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Meton in disbelief. With his intelligence, he could understand the philosophy behind these four words.
"Then how are we going to celebrate the Spring Festival?" A Taoist priest frowned.
"Of course we'll celebrate the lunar calendar. It's the same for the other festivals. The lunar calendar focuses on traditional festivals and guides the farming season. The solar calendar focuses on holidays and accurately keeps track of the year. The two don't conflict with each other." Meton answered.
The Taoists' faces relaxed a little.
"Also, to show our sincerity, I have a big gift for you." Meton waved his hand. Wu Meiniang took out an exquisitely made cardboard and a thick stack of palm-sized papers from her backpack.
"What's this?" Wu Meiniang was surprised. She didn't know that her master had prepared so many things.
Meton picked up the delicate cardboard and answered, "I call this a hanging calendar. For ordinary people, we only need to know what day it is today, how many days are left, and the 24 solar terms are enough. Therefore, most people only need a piece of cardboard to fulfill their needs. That's how the hanging calendar came into being."
This time, Meton didn't ask Wu Meiniang to do it. Instead, he wrote down the lunar calendar in Chinese on the blank space that he had left on the paper. Then, he lined up every ten days to mark the days of rest. Next, he wrote down the solar calendar in each blank space. Soon, an exquisitely made hanging calendar appeared in front of everyone.
"A hanging calendar!"
Li Chunfeng looked at the exquisitely made calendar and thought back to all the yellow paper calendars that he had seen before. Not only was the calendar sufficient for the daily needs of the common people, it was also easier to understand and popularize.
"As for this, I call it a calendar. Each piece of paper displays the calendar of the year, and each piece of paper contains the calendar of that day. The sunrise time, the sunset time, the calendar of the heavenly stems and the earthly branches, the ominous and auspicious taboos, the 24 solar terms, and any calendar that can be used for each day are all written down. There are a total of 365 pieces of paper. Every day that passes, one piece will be torn off. It's simple, practical, and clear at a glance." Meton wrote down yesterday's calendar on a piece of paper, tore it off, and handed it to Li Chunfeng.
Li Chunfeng looked at the calendar in his hand. Although it was only a thin piece of paper, it covered all kinds of calendars. Unlike the previous calendars, which required people who were proficient in calendars to calculate good and bad luck, even ordinary people knew the calendars like the back of their hands.
"It seems like Merton is well prepared. What if the Taoist School doesn't agree to cooperate?" Li Chunfeng asked jokingly.
Meton smirked and said, "If the Taoist School doesn't agree, the School of Mo will also publish calendars. However, at that time, the calendars published by the School of Mo will be based on the Solar Calendar. They will use simpler numbers at the front and the fonts will be the largest."
Li Chunfeng looked down and saw that both calendars were based on the Lunar Calendar. Moreover, Chinese characters were placed at the front and the fonts were the largest.
Although Chinese characters were the mainstream language of the Tang dynasty, numbers were easy to recognize and learn. Moreover, there were Chinese characters to assist them, so it didn't affect the common people's use of them.
Meton continued, "At the same time, the School of Mo will give up on the ten-day break. Instead, they will use the Seven Planets system. The sun, the moon, and the five major stars of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth will be compared to each other. Seven days will be a week, and every Monday will be a rest day. This will be fully implemented in the Village of Mo and the School of Mo.
"The Seven Planets will be a week!" Li Chunfeng frowned. The Seven Planets was another astronomical constellation in the Tang dynasty. The Seven Planets represented the sun, moon, metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. According to the Taoist School, it took seven days for the moon to turn from a half moon to a full moon. It took another seven days to turn from a full moon to a half moon. It took seven days to turn from a half moon to a full moon. It took another seven days to turn from a full moon to a full moon. Seven days was also the cycle of the moon's waxing and waning. The Seven Planets as a week was very popular in the Tang dynasty. It was possible to compete with the ten-day break system, not to mention that the seven-day break system was much more popular than the ten-day break system.
"Of course, I know that once the two calendars run at the same time, it will definitely add to the troubles of the people of the Tang dynasty. Therefore, I have decided to take the initiative to cooperate with the Taoist School. We will use the lunisolar calendar as the main calendar and the solar calendar as the supplement. We will combine the yin and yang calendars to respect the customs and benefit the people's lives," Meton said seriously.
Li Chunfeng frowned and pondered. The yin and yang calendars could avoid the disputes caused by the differences between the solar and lunisolar calendars. Not only was the solar calendar unique, but Mo Jiazi's wall calendars and calendars would also help to promote the calendar. The benefits were obvious. If the Taoist School did not agree, the School of Mo could also ignore the Taoist School and implement the solar calendar alone. They might even come up with a calendar that could compete with the lunisolar calendar. By then, the School of Mo would be in a more passive position.
"Seeking common ground while reserving differences, Merton's talent makes me feel ashamed. This time, I, Li Chunfeng, will represent the School of Taoism and agree to cooperate with the School of Mo. In this calendar reform, the School of Mo and the School of Taoism will work together to promote the yin and yang calendars." Li Chunfeng laughed and agreed heartily.
Although Li Chunfeng looked straightforward, he had no choice. Although the yin and yang calendars of the School of Taoism and the School of Mo were mainly supported by the School of Taoism, it was not as glorious as the School of Taoism. If they rejected the yin and yang calendars, the legislative reform could not avoid the solar calendar. Even if the School of Taoism rejected the yin and yang calendars, the School of Mo would not lose much.
When the School of Mo came up with the solar calendar, it did not matter if it failed because calendars were not the School of Mo's main business. If it succeeded, the School of Taoism would be in an awkward position. If the School of Taoism and the School of Mo worked together, both sides would benefit. No, only the School of Taoism would suffer losses. Li Chunfeng naturally knew what to choose.
"Thank you, School of Taoism! I will take my leave. "Outside the Taishi Bureau, Meton thanked the School of Taoism.
"Take care, Merton!" Li Chunfeng returned the greeting.
Then, the carriage slowly drove away from the Taishi Bureau. In the carriage, Wu Meiniang looked at the yin and yang calendars that the School of Taoism and the School of Mo had agreed on. She could not help but feel excited.
"Seeking common ground while reserving differences, Master is indeed brilliant. If not for this, those cowards would not have agreed to the yin and yang calendars of the School of Mo." Wu Meiniang said with a smile. Although the yin and yang calendars of the School of Taoism were mainly based on the School of Taoism's lunar calendar, the School of Mo already had a place in the calendar.
Meton shook his head and said, "Seeking common ground while reserving differences is not only targeted at the School of Taoism. It is also a guideline for the School of Mo to get along with the other schools. In the future, if there are any conflicts with the other schools, we will use this to resolve them."
"A guideline for the School of Mo to get along with the other schools?" Wu Meiniang's eyes lit up as she pondered.
"Also, do you know that calendars have always been exclusive to the School of Taoism? This time, why did the School of Taoism agree to seek common ground while reserving differences and allow the School of Mo to participate in the yin and yang calendars?" Meton asked.
"It's all because of Master's great ability to come up with a solar calendar that can be used for ten thousand years." Wu Meiniang said with a smile.
Meton shook his head and sneered, "That's because the School of Taoism would have suffered a greater loss if they had refused. You have to be strong enough for others to seek common ground while reserving differences. Otherwise, who would want to let others have a share of their cake?"
Wu Meiniang's face turned serious as she nodded solemnly.
Meton shook his head and said, "You only know one thing and not the other. The calendar is just a side branch of the School of Taoism and the School of Mo. Even if we give up on it, it won't hurt the foundation. It's impossible to have differences with the core philosophy of the School of Mo. I believe it's the same for the School of Taoism. This is the true meaning of seeking common ground while reserving differences. "
"I understand!" Wu Meiniang was enlightened.
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