Kong Yingda?

The 32nd generation grandson of Confucius and one of the 18 great scholars in the early Tang Dynasty.

This was a famous educator during the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Speaking of which, this person has quite a connection with Zhuang Zhou.

I remember when Taibai Restaurant first opened.

Zhuang Zhou then took Kong Yingda to drink a few glasses of wine.

He also asked Kong Yingda to write a calligraphy for him.

After that, Kong Yingda became a regular customer of the restaurant.

Zhuang Zhou also specifically instructed Zhao Facai to give Kong Yingda a discount every time.

I didn't expect that he would stand up today.

It seems that he also disagrees with me being the Prince's Junior Tutor.

Li Er's eyes were also slightly stern, but this man was a great scholar and a role model for scholars.

Even though Li Ergui was the king of a country, he still treated this person with great respect.

"Mr. Kong, please speak!"

Kong Yingda held the tablet in his hand and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, I think it's inappropriate to let Zhuang Zhou serve as the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor."

As soon as these words were spoken, whispers suddenly broke out in the court.

You know, Kong Yingda is only the prince's right son now.

Zhuang Zhou frowned slightly and looked at Kong Yingda, feeling a little confused.

As the Minister of Education of the Tang Dynasty, Kong Yingda has always admired Zhuang Zhou.

The two had had a lot of communication before, and Zhuang Zhou thought he supported him.

Even if you don’t support it, at least you won’t oppose it!

But I didn't expect it.

Today he actually stood up to oppose his position as the Prince's Tutor.

Zhuang Zhou couldn't help but feel curious about what reasons Kong Yingda would give to oppose him.

"Mr. Kong, if you have anything to say, just say it!"

"good!"

Kong Yingda looked at Zhuang Zhou and said in a deep voice:

"May I ask, Lord Zhuang, what classics do you study on a daily basis?"

Zhuang Zhou was stunned for a moment and blurted out:

"What does Zhi He Jing mean?"

He really didn't understand.

At this time, Ural had already projected the information onto Zhuang Zhou's retina.

Only then did Zhuang Zhou understand that in ancient times, the measure of a great Confucian scholar was to see what unique insights he had in ancient classics.

Moreover, this classic must be one of the Han Confucian classics.

The teachings of Confucius and Mencius have always been the epitome of Confucian literature and are most respected by scholars of this era.

For example, Zheng Xuan was a great Confucian scholar who taught the classics, Han Yu was a great Confucian scholar who taught the truth, and Lu Zhi was a great Confucian scholar who practiced the truth. They relied on their governance achievements that were in line with Confucian ideals.

To put it bluntly, it means to put forward your own ideas based on the teachings of Confucius and Mencius.

A bit like the later generations of Redology researchers.

This is really a bit too much to ask Zhuang Zhou.

He had no knowledge of Confucian literature.

But Zhuang Zhou's question now confused Kong Yingda.

"Zhuang County Master Lian Zhi doesn't even know any classics, yet he dares to agree to be the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor?

Isn't that too arrogant? "

Zhuang Zhou smiled faintly and said:

"Mr. Kong, it's not that I don't understand, but I don't bother to answer."

"What do you mean?"

Upon hearing this, Kong Yingda couldn't help but sneer on his face.

"County Master Zhuang, do you know what it means to govern the classics?

This is the foundation of my Confucianism. If you don't even understand this, how can you be the Prince's Junior Tutor and teach His Royal Highness?"

His words were righteous and many ministers in the court nodded in agreement.

In their view, although Zhuang Zhou had some talent and learning, he was still young and did not come from a famous Confucian family. His understanding of Confucian classics was probably not deep enough.

Zhuang Zhou smiled slightly, shook his head and said:

"Mr. Kong, you misunderstood me.

It’s not that I don’t understand studying the classics, but I believe that studying the classics is not just about interpreting ancient texts, but also about understanding and applying them to the real world.”

As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar in the court.

Kong Yingda also frowned and said in a deep voice:

"Zhuang County Master, what do you mean by this?

Are you trying to deny my Confucian classics?"

Zhuang Zhou waved his hand and said:

"Mr. Kong, you misunderstood me again.

I am not denying Confucian classics, but I believe that the reason why classics become classics is that they can transcend time and space and provide wisdom and enlightenment to future generations.

However, we cannot just stop at interpreting ancient books, which is what nerds do.

Instead, we must combine the ideological essence of ancient classics with the current real world to truly realize their value.

Isn’t this the true meaning of studying the classics?”

Upon hearing this, Kong Yingda fell into deep thought.

He had to admit that although Zhuang Zhou's words were a bit unorthodox, they were not without reason.

Classics do provide wisdom and enlightenment to future generations.

But if these classics are only interpreted rigidly without being integrated with the real world, then they will lose their due value.

This obviously had a great impact on Kong Yingda's thinking.

"Mr. Zhuang, although your words make sense, you are still young and your understanding of Confucian classics is not yet profound enough."

Kong Yingda said in a deep voice:

"I still insist that it is inappropriate for you to serve as the Crown Prince's Junior Tutor!"

Zhuang Zhou smiled slightly:

"Mr. Kong, I don't mean to argue with you.

But I think that there is no necessary connection between a person’s knowledge and age.

Although I am young, it does not mean that my understanding of Confucian classics is not profound enough.

Moreover, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is young, promising, and open-minded. I think he would also like to hear some new and different voices."

As soon as these words were spoken, a burst of discussion arose again in the court.

Many ministers began to nod in agreement, thinking that what Zhuang Zhou said made sense.

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