Fang Yun continued, "Let me ask you this: when did Confucius ever say he founded the Confucian School?"
Mouse Tai King froze for a moment, then said, "Never."
"Then let me ask you another question. How many times does the word 'Confucian' appear in the entire Analects?"
"Only twice, and both in the same sentence. They are words Confucius spoke to Zixia: 'Be a gentlemanly Confucian, not a petty Confucian.'"
"In the Analects, Confucius spoke of benevolence, righteousness, government, gentlemen, Saints, and people more often than he spoke of Confucians. Why not say that Confucius taught the way of gentlemen, the way of Saints, the way of benevolence and righteousness, the way of governance, and the way of humanity? Why insist that he taught the way of Confucians? So, there is nothing wrong with saying that the Confucian School had the closest ties to court musicians. But saying that Confucius taught only the learning of court musicians is utterly wrong."
Mouse Tai King nodded vigorously. "Your student has learned from your instruction."
"Second, during the Spring and Autumn period, how much authority did the Son of Heaven of Zhou, or even the officials of the Zhou Dynasty, possess? What state was the Zhou Dynasty in when Sage Kong finally wrote his books and expounded his teachings?" Fang Yun asked.
"By then, the Zhou Royal House had already declined. The feudal lords were vying for supremacy, and chaos reigned," Mouse Tai King said.
"Then could the historians, court musicians, and judicial officials of that time really pass down everything they had learned?"
"Probably not."
"If you were Confucius, and you so revered the institutions of the Zhou Dynasty and wished to restore its former grandeur, would you pass down only the lineage of court musicians? Confucius did not call himself a