Chapter 359: Envoy Zhao is my teacher!

Lost to him... Gave him...

When Zhengyang said this in a calm tone, pointing at Zhao Duan, almost everyone present was stunned.

My brain went blank, my thoughts were intermittent, and I was confused for a moment.

"Mr. Zhengyang, you just said... what? You admit defeat? You lost to..."

Walking beside the pavilion, Mei Jijiu, the "host" of the Imperial College, almost stumbled and lost his composure. He stammered and asked, trying to confirm it, suspecting that he had just heard it wrong.

Zhengyang remained calm and repeated the two sentences he had said.

It’s true, you heard it right.

“Wow—”

As expected, the scholars around and some court officials who came to watch were moved and lost their composure, expressing great doubts and exclamations.

The expressions of several old acquaintances sitting next to Zhao Duan were particularly shocked.

"Brother Zhao? Zhengyang said he lost to Brother Zhao?" Dong Da was dumbfounded and stood up.

"Mr. Zhao? Is he pointing at you?" Han Zhou and other scholars lost their composure, not knowing what was going on.

The old supervisor, who had come to join in the fun and was sitting in a steady posture, also had his pupils narrowed and a wooden face, staring at his nominal subordinate beside him in disbelief, and was caught off guard by this sudden change.

As for Mo Chou, this "female prime minister" stared with wide eyes, and the makeup between her eyebrows was distorted...

You really did something secretly, and you still say you didn't do anything...

She stared blankly at Zhao Duan beside her, and suddenly gritted her teeth and blurted out:

"Did you secretly threaten him? Did you get hold of something against him?"

This was her first thought and also her instinctive guess!

This fits her stereotype of Zhao Duan as a sinister and cruel guy!

Not only her, many people present had the same guess after seeing the direction of Mr. Zhengyang's finger.

It must be Zhao Duan who is behind this. He must have used some method of coercion and inducement to force this great scholar to bow his head by "admitting defeat in public"!

The monk Bian Ji, who was sitting opposite the crowd, had a strange look in his eyes, and developed the mentality of someone who was just enjoying the show.

"Mr. Zhengyang, don't talk nonsense!"

Grand Tutor Dong was the first to be affected. After he came to his senses, he guessed this possibility and his face changed slightly.

If it was really Zhao Duan's threat, then when the news that Zhengyang was forced to admit defeat spread today, who knows what public opinion would be like.

Dong Xuan said sternly, "Today we are discussing academic matters. This is the capital of the Great Yu Dynasty. Many Confucian scholars are here. You can discuss academic matters with me without worrying about any interruptions."

He expressed his stance in an attempt to reverse the negative impact.

However, Mr. Zhengyang was unusually calm. He raised his hand to suppress the noise around him, then shook his head seriously and said,

"Grand Master and the others may have misunderstood. My surrender today is not a joke, nor is it out of anger. Nor is anyone forcing me. It is because I believe that even if I try my best today, I cannot win."

He seemed to smile, but it was more of a self-deprecating smile:

"I have lived in seclusion in Yunfu for ten years, devoting myself to writing books, interpreting the words of the sages and expounding on the orthodox teachings. I have gained a certain reputation, but the more I delve into this knowledge, the more fragmented it feels. Some ideas have sprouted in my mind, but they have not taken shape. Instead, I feel like I am lost in a fog, unable to grasp the key points.

This time I came down the mountain, not only because I was asked to do so, but also because I wanted to come to the capital in person to meet with the Confucian scholars of the world today, to discuss knowledge and see if I could dispel the confusion in my heart and resolve the doubts.

After listening to his story, everyone quieted down and realized that Zhengyang's appearance and attitude did not seem like he was being coerced.

Zhengyang suddenly looked at Zhao Duan with a complicated look in his eyes.

"After arriving in the capital, I also conversed with some renowned Confucian scholars, but I found that I gained nothing. The scholars in the capital were not concerned with learning itself. So I simply stayed indoors, waiting until today. Unexpectedly, my disciples sent word that I had met Envoy Zhao at the White Deer.

The philosophy of mind proposed by the envoy, or the "new school", seemed at first to be contrary to the orthodox learning we hold. But when I went back and thought about it, the more I understood it, the clearer it became. In fact, many of his ideas were vaguely consistent with what I realized in Yunfu.

However, I only thought of the 'heart is reason' in 'respecting virtue and nature', and had a slight grasp of the true meaning of 'reaching conscience', but I had never expected the four words 'unity of knowledge and action'..."

Zhengyang narrated calmly, his deep voice echoing in everyone's ears.

He did not explain the details of the debate with Zhao Duan, but started from this topic and publicly stated the theories of "Xinxue" that Zhao Duan had told him.

It was as if they were not debating at all, but rather preaching Zhao Duan's theory.

Dong Xuan was confused at first by the words "Xinxue" and "Xin is Li", but as Zhengyang explained in a simple and easy-to-understand way, this master of Confucianism could not help but frown and change color.

As a great scholar who firmly adhered to "Neo-Confucianism", he even wanted to interrupt and refute several times.

But remembering that these fallacies and heresies were proposed by Zhao Duan, he had to hold it in.

However, the other scholars around him did not share his concerns, and their expressions became more and more interesting as they listened.

Some people's eyes became brighter and brighter, attracted by this novel knowledge.

But this is still a very small minority.

Most people still subconsciously rejected it, but faced with Zhengyang's almost preaching style, they really couldn't say anything to refute it.

As for the disciples of the Zhengyang School, they were completely dumbfounded, like a group of abandoned children.

It feels absurd that a general has defected at the critical moment of battle.

Lu Cheng and Mr. Song looked at each other in silence, both noticing the shock in each other's eyes.

Zhao Duan's expression was also a little strange. This was better than the best case scenario he had expected.

According to his original plan, he would snipe Zhengyang once. Today, Grand Tutor Dong was on the stage, and he was below.

If Zhengyang defeats Dong Xuan, he will appear.

Unexpectedly, after two days of debate, Zhengyang voted directly.

Not only did he vote, but he also changed his appearance and preached the theory of "Xinxue" in public, leaving the original "debate" aside.

and……

He explained it very well, more thoroughly than Zhao Duan.

Not surprising.

Although Zhao Duan adopted the theory of psychology, in terms of understanding, he could not be compared with Zhengyang.

Now Zhengyang has mastered it, and the philosophy of mind he speaks of is more comprehensive and easy to understand.

"…Thus, the fog in my heart has dissipated. Last night, I sat alone in the inn all night, waiting for the dawn. When the light of dawn came, I saw the faint light of morning illuminate the dark room. My heart was bright, and I no longer wanted anything."

Mr. Zhengyang's eyes became brighter and brighter, his face flushed with color, and he felt a kind of sincere joy after enlightenment.

He looked around at the scholars present and said seriously:

"Therefore, I know that if I continue to argue today, even if Envoy Zhao doesn't take action, I will inevitably lose, because my heart has changed its flag and has a new direction."

He pointed to his chest and bowed to Dong Xuan:

"I've been in Yunfu for so long I didn't realize how vast the world is. The capital is full of hidden talents. Envoy Zhao alone has enlightened me. I believe Grand Tutor Dong is even more knowledgeable, so I won't humiliate myself any more."

"Sir, you are too modest..." Dong Xuan looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak.

Zhengyang ignored him, turned around and looked at Zhao Duan, bowed again, and said:

"Your words have been quite inspiring to me. You deserve the title 'teacher'. They have also allowed me to see the inner world beneath the fur coat. After today, I will return to Yunfu and return to the mountains to devote myself to writing a book expounding the principles of the School of Mind. When the book is completed, I will send it to the capital. I hope your attention will be appreciated."

Zhao Duan smiled and said, "No problem, no problem..."

This sentence put Zhao Du in the position of division commander.

A great scholar calls a sycophant his teacher?

Zhengyang turned around again, his eyes sweeping across the almost frozen faces present, and sighed meaningfully:

"It's easy to defeat a thief in the mountains, but it's hard to defeat a thief in one's heart..."

He didn't say anything else, turned around, and walked out of the pavilion step by step.

Lu Cheng and other disciples made way to both sides in confusion, watching their teacher walk out with his chest held high and his head held high. After a moment's pause, they took a step forward to chase after him.

…

The autumn wind blows through the plum garden.

Everyone watched quietly as the people from the Zhengyang School left.

People were still in shock and had not yet recovered. Some were immersed in the theory just said, while others found it difficult to accept the dramatic development of the situation.

"Sir... Hey... Grand Master, look..."

Mei Jijiu stood there, looking left and right, not knowing how to end it.

Is this the end? Or is it not the end?

Grand Tutor Dong just stood there, still in a daze. He had been preparing for several days, putting all his energy into it.

As a result... the theory that could have easily shaken the legitimacy of the empress's succession to the throne was just... gone?

The smiling face of the white-robed monk Bian Ji had already frozen. He slowly turned his head to face the opposite side and looked into the eyes of Zhao Duan, who was also smiling.

Zhao Duan moved his lips, but no sound came out.

Bian Ji understood his lip movements, which were: "Master, are you satisfied?"

Bian Ji had a blank expression on his face, closed his eyes, and quickly moved the Buddhist beads with his thumbs to calm his mind.

"Leaving now?"

Dong Da stood there in a daze, and turned his head to see the complicated faces of Han Zhou and other scholars.

Then, a group of people looked at Mr. Zhao, who had been sitting in the chair from beginning to end, with a lazy and leisurely posture, as if the major events in front of him had nothing to do with him at all.

"What about the philosophy of mind..." Sun Lianying asked hesitantly. The old eunuch didn't understand the subject either.

Mo Chou stared at him with a stern face and a dark look in her eyes: "I need an explanation."

After a pause, she quickly added, "To His Majesty."

Zhao Duan faced these faces with an innocent look, and then found that many people in the garden turned their heads and looked at him, as if they were about to pounce on him and ask him for a thorough understanding.

Oh no... I seem to have disturbed a hornet's nest... Zhao Duan patted his butt and got up and ran away:

"I still have something to do, you guys continue."

Now that the matter has been resolved, he doesn't want to stay and be watched by a group of scholars.

It should be noted that the School of Mind challenged the old theories. These Confucian scholars did not dare to refute Zhengyang, but they had no burden in refuting Zhao.

trouble.

"Hey, wait a minute..."

Hearing the shouting behind him, Zhao Duan didn't even turn his head, only hearing the voices of people outside the high wall of the Plum Garden.

He pulled the corners of his mouth, his eyes full of resentment:

Zhengyang, ah Zhengyang, the scholar is mean and mean. Today, he is afraid that he will provoke hostility from many old-fashioned Neo-Confucianists.

Fortunately, if there are too many lice, you won’t be afraid of itching.

…

As Zhengyang and Zhao Duan left one after another, everything that happened in the Plum Garden spread like the autumn wind through the streets and alleys, blowing towards the countless people inside and outside the capital who were watching from afar and waiting for the results of the academic discussion.

(End of this chapter)