Chapter 344: Great Scholars Give Lectures, the Crown Prince Enters the Capital

To the east of Binhai Road, adjacent to the East China Sea, there are green mountains towering into the clouds.

At the foot of the green hills is the city that was expanded from a small town over hundreds of years.

On the long official road, Chai Keqiao, who had just returned from a long journey, walked towards the place.

His hair was disheveled and he looked dusty.

Chai Keqiao stood at the city gate, raised his sunburned face, and suddenly grinned, revealing his snow-white teeth:

"I'm back!"

There was no grand welcome, and no one even paid attention.

Until Chai Keqiao stepped into the city, sat down in a familiar restaurant, had a meal, left a silver ingot, and left in a leisurely manner.

The martial artists in the city who had come from all over the world to make a pilgrimage to the foot of Qingshan Mountain heard the news and came to find to their disappointment that the city lord's personal disciple had already left.

Chai Keqiao passed through the city, arrived at the foot of the green mountain, and began to climb along the rugged and steep mountain path.

Along the way, he could still see warriors trying to climb the mountain.

However, as he climbed higher and higher, the number of people he met on the road decreased.

On the green hills, there are man-made platforms every few hundred steps along the long mountain path.

There were disciples practicing on the platform, oblivious to the surroundings.

There was a young man standing in a horse stance and punching, sweating profusely and looking like he was about to fall.

There was a young man who sat cross-legged in meditation, holding his chin with his hand, and after a long time he would suddenly jump up, pick up a branch on the ground, prick the air with a "whoosh" sound several times, then throw it away, sit cross-legged on the ground and continue to think hard with his head in his hands.

There was a middle-aged man with bare chest, who bumped into the giant tree again and again, and each time yellow leaves fell like heavy snow.

Every time he climbed higher on the green hill, he saw a new view. Chai Keqiao never stopped, and no one even looked at him.

In the martial arts world, the Daqing Mountain, which only exists in legends, seems to be completely defenseless.

Unconsciously, Chai Keqiao walked into the clouds. He could clearly feel that there were gazes coming from the clouds and then moving away.

He knew that it was his senior brother Shoushan, and after confirming his identity, he ignored him.

"How indifferent! They don't even come out to say hello."

Chai Keqiao sighed, and when he walked out of the clouds, he had already reached the top of the mountain.

Looking down from this height, the entire city is shrouded in a sea of ​​clouds, and the mushroom-shaped cloud pillars make people look as small as ants.

At the end of the sight is a cliff extending from the mountain towards the sea.

“Huahua——”

The sea breeze blows towards you, sweeping away the fatigue of the journey.

Chai Keqiao walked respectfully to the cliff and looked at the figure who was sitting cross-legged with his back to him, gazing at the East China Sea.

"Master, I'm back."

The man sitting alone on the cliff was as his name suggested, with a tall and sturdy frame. He was also dressed in coarse linen clothes, and his rough and messy hair was a mixture of black and white, casually tied behind his head with a ribbon.

Wu Xiankui had the face of a middle-aged man in his fifties. His features were not particularly special, except for a mark on his forehead the size and color of a fiery red date.

The only true martial arts grandmaster among the four "celestial beings" in the world today opened his eyes, without turning around, and asked calmly:

"Why are you back so late?"

Chai Keqiao scratched his head embarrassedly:

"I was very disappointed that I didn't get to fight with the young monk Tianhai on this trip. On my way back, I took a detour to find someone to spar with. I came back a little late."

Wu Xiankui said, "I heard from people down the mountain that it was the Dayu Priest who stole the limelight this time. His surname is..."

"His surname is Zhao, Zhao Du'an," Chai Keqiao thought for a moment and said, "I didn't expect that this person would win the championship. But he said he relied on the Tai'a Sword."

Wu Xiankui didn't care much and said:

"Victory is victory, why rely on fists, feet, or swords? It seems that the royal family has a successor. What about the empress?"

Chai Keqiao thought for a moment and said:

"From what I have heard and seen, the Empress is extremely diligent in her government affairs. I think she wants to be a wise ruler."

Wu Xiankui said disappointedly:

"Humans are like mayflies, born from the heavens and earth, their lifespans and human strength are limited. I thought the royal family had produced another heir of exceptional talent, but instead he squandered his time on mundane things. What a pity."

Chai Keqiao blinked and said, "Then the hundred-year battle..."

Wu Xiankui closed his eyes and said, "I will do my best."

In the past, the "God of War" created by the Dayu royal family and the Qingshan inheritance competed with each other, imitating the Buddhist and Taoist fighting techniques, and agreed to a gambling fight once a hundred years.

However, it is different from the Buddhist and Taoist rules of sending young disciples to fight.

The gambling fight was a fight between two teams using their peak combat power.

In the last hundred years, the one who represented the royal family to attend the appointment was not the emperor, but Hai Chunlin, the first priest of the palace who was at the peak of his power.

In that battle, Hai Chunlin suffered internal injuries, and his realm regressed instead of improving, falling from the threshold of pseudo-celestial being back to the worldly realm.

In this century, only Xu Zhenguan can keep the appointment.

Now that the battle between Buddhism and Taoism has ended, the gambling battle between Qingshan and the Dayu royal family is not far away.

Chai Keqiao laughed and said:

"That empress hasn't reached the level of a true celestial being yet, so I don't think she's a match for Master."

Wu Xiankui said:

"That may not be the case. If he can advance to the Celestial Realm before the gambling match, and be blessed with the Emperor's Dragon Qi, it will be a completely different world."

Chai Keqiao wondered, "Didn't Master say that her involvement in government affairs delayed her cultivation? Can she still make further progress?"

Wu Xiankui suddenly said:

"In the past, the Great Yu Ancestor was truly a brilliant talent. Not only was he a formidable martial artist, bordering on the level of a human immortal, he also created a unique method of advancement for the emperor, gathering the emperor's dragon energy and imbuing himself with luck. He was only at the beginning. If he could achieve the Fengshan in Luoshan, he might be able to advance even further."

Fengshan Luoshan?

Chai Keqiao was stunned for a moment, and wanted to ask something else, but he saw the number one martial arts master sitting alone on the cliff waving his hand:

"Go ahead. Stay in seclusion in the mountains and travel around. It's time for you to enter the secular world."

…

…

One evening, Lin Feng Road.

On the official road to the capital.

Somewhere in a leeward valley, carriages stopped.

Mr. Song, a scholar in his fifties and seven feet tall, jumped out of the car and began loudly directing the servants to clean up the camp for the night.

Then, this scholar who had dealt with Zhao Duan in Taicang Prefecture that day walked to the team in an almost attentive manner, outside a simple but special carriage, and said respectfully:

"Sir, it's getting dark. We can't catch up with the villages and towns ahead, so we have to stay here for the night."

The servant boy in his twenties who was driving the carriage lifted the curtain, and a middle-aged man wearing a Confucian robe, a cloak, a square hat, and a beautiful beard under his chin stepped down from the carriage.

When the middle-aged man appeared, scholars of different ages who were walking behind him all saluted in unison: "Sir!"

Such a loud noise attracted the attention of strangers who were also preparing to camp nearby, and they couldn't help but ask what was going on.

When they learned that this was "Mr. Zhengyang of Yunfu Dao", they were all shocked.

Mr. Song was not surprised at this at all. He raised his head and looked behind the carriage.

Behind Mr. Zhengyang's carriage, there were dozens of carriages, many of which were carts pulled by donkeys or oxen. Several people could sit on a large cart.

This does not include those who followed on horseback, and those scholars who tried to keep up on foot and had not fallen behind.

There were so many people, at least hundreds of them.

Some days after Zhao Du'an left, Mr. Song learned that his mentor, Mr. Zhengyang, was heading north and passing through Linfeng.

As a "disciple of Zhengyang", Mr. Song immediately welcomed him with great fanfare. Only then did he learn that Mr. Zhengyang had come from Yunfu Road and was going to Beijing.

This man, known as the "No. 1 Hermit of Dayu", is almost as famous as Grand Tutor Dong Xuan in the literary world. His reputation in the south is even greater. Mr. Zhengyang, who is vaguely known as the "Nanyang and Northern Dong", is almost a saint in the Yunfu Dao.

He guarded his brother's tomb for many years, wrote books to organize and explain the words of Confucian saints of all ages, and even the imperial examination papers were graded with reference to his annotations to a certain extent.

It can be said that he is almost universally recognized by the entire Dayu as the only candidate to become the next generation Confucian master after Dong Xuan.

Although he lived in Yunfu, he attracted scholars from all over the country to come and pay him homage. He occasionally gave lectures, and his words were passed on to the imperial court through the mouths of his disciples.

Mr. Zhengyang, who had been guarding the tomb for ten years without leaving the mountain, headed north to Beijing as his first stop.

As soon as the news came out, it attracted the attention of countless readers.

When Zhengyang walked out of Yunfu Road, there was only a servant beside him.

When he met Mr. Song, he was surrounded by dozens of followers.

Mr. Song was fortunate enough to witness this great event. He could not resist the temptation of leaving his name in history, so he left his family business and followed his teacher north.

Now that the capital is in sight, he has hundreds of followers behind him.

There were countless scholars and literati watching and paying attention along the way. He could imagine what kind of sensation the group would cause when they arrived in Beijing.

"Let's all take a break."

Mr. Zhengyang bowed to everyone, and everyone returned the greeting as a disciple.

Then, everyone began to set up camp in a very orderly manner. Many scholars rolled up their sleeves and went to pick up dead branches and leaves nearby and gathered them into piles.

When the sky dims, the sunset fades away, night comes, and the sky is covered with stars.

In this valley, clusters of fires have been lit, centered around middle-aged people.

These disciples who had once listened to Zhengyang's lectures and were scattered all over the place, and now followed their teacher to gather together, took out dry food from their packages and boiled water to eat.

Because Mr. Song was wealthy, he brought servants with him, so he did not have to do chores himself and was able to serve his mentor.

He carried the hot meal, passed by the fires, and came to the carriage. He said to the middle-aged man who was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed in meditation:

"Sir, please have some food."

Mr. Zhengyang, who was wearing a Confucian robe inside and a cloak outside, and had a beautiful beard, raised his eyelids, looked at the disciple, and did not refuse his kindness.

He took the warm earthenware pot and picked up the chopsticks, but did not rush to eat. Instead, he said:

"In a few days, we will be entering the capital. You should send us here and then disperse."

Mr. Song was shocked: "Sir, you..."

Zhengyang, who was about the same age as Mr. Song but had a more distinguished demeanor than Mr. Song, smiled and said:

"After traveling a thousand miles, we must finally part ways. This time, I, your teacher, have come to the capital, entrusted by Prince Mu to uphold the orthodox teachings and debate etiquette with that naive female emperor.

Doing so would be extremely disrespectful. The capital is a den of wolves and dragons to me. You don't need to be implicated by me. I've sent you here with all my heart. The rest of the journey will be for me to walk on my own."

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Mr. Song, but also the group of scholars sitting nearby became anxious.

They all expressed their willingness to follow him until death and never leave.

Zhengyang shook his head helplessly, but said nothing more.

Seeing the atmosphere was dull, Mr. Song said, "Sir, please give us some more lectures on the doctrine of morality."

The eyes of the people around lit up. This was knowledge they never tired of hearing.

Zhengyang did not refuse. Although they were in the wilderness and gathered around the campfire, they did not hesitate to give lectures:

"What do you want to ask?"

One person said, "Sir, please explain more about investigating things and seeking knowledge. I still don't quite understand. The Great Learning says that learning should follow the order of investigating things, seeking knowledge, sincerity, rectifying the mind, cultivating oneself, regulating the family, governing the state, and finally pacifying the world."

The latter part is easy to understand, but why must we first investigate things and gain knowledge before we can be sincere and upright in our hearts? In the ancient sage texts, the phrase "investigate things and gain knowledge" only appears once and is not explained again. How should we interpret it?

Another person next to him said:

"This gentleman has explained many times that everything in the world has its own principles. If we cannot fully understand these principles, we cannot know everything. Therefore, as students, we should explore the principles of all things and explore the root of things. If we do this day by day, we will suddenly gain enlightenment, integrate everything, and become close to a sage."

The first person said in confusion:

"But I've read what the ancient scholar Zheng Gong said: 'Ge' means 'come,' and 'wu' is like 'events.' Yingda's theory also has a similar view: good things come when people do good, and bad things come when people do bad...

It seems to be saying that if my heart is kind, good will approach me, and if my heart is evil, evil will gather around me, just as gentlemen approach gentlemen and villains approach villains... This is different from what you said, and I don't understand."

For a moment, a group of disciples started arguing with each other.

Mr. Song was helpless and coughed lightly: "Let's ask the master."

Zhengyang met the eager gazes of his disciples, but remained silent for a moment and did not answer immediately.

The four words "investigate things and extend knowledge" can be regarded as a major case of Dayu Confucianism. Confucian scholars in all dynasties have different opinions and tried to restore the true meaning of the sage.

Zhengyang annotated classics and studied them for many years before he came up with the above-mentioned insights into the "deep exploration of principles".

If Zhao Duan studied his theories, he might be able to taste some of the meaning of "preserving the laws of nature and eliminating human desires."

But in the past two years, Zhengyang began to waver, always feeling that his knowledge of ethics and morality was not solid enough, but he had no new direction.

When facing the disciple's question, he was about to answer when he suddenly heard the sound of horse hooves neighing.

Everyone in the valley turned their heads and saw another convoy coming on the dark official road, but it was coming from the east.

The convoy was low-key and luxurious, far beyond the reach of a group of scholars.

A moment later.

Servants in the convoy were carrying lanterns, escorting several dignitaries. Before they arrived, their voices were heard:

"Haha, is that Mr. Yunfu Zhengyang up ahead?"

Zhengyang and others stood up and, with the help of the campfire, saw three figures walking towards them, surrounded by a group of powerful slaves.

The leader was a young man in his thirties dressed in fine clothes, with red lips and white teeth, but his eyes revealed an unpleasant look.

Beside the young master, there was an old man with his hands reaching his knees.

He walked like a monkey. If there were any practitioners present, they would be able to see at a glance that this old man was always in a position to suddenly attack and hurt people.

Next to the master and servant, one step behind, was a woman in her thirties.

Her hair was adorned with white jade pearls, and she had a face that reflected peace and prosperity. She wore a dark blue silk horse-faced skirt with embroidered patterns, and a shawl wrapped around her upper body, but her eyebrows were lowered as she walked.

"May I ask your names?" Mr. Zhengyang frowned.

A servant holding a lantern said arrogantly:

"This is His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of Qingzhou Hengwang. He is traveling to the capital with the Patriarch of the Donghu Xiao family and Madam Xiao. On the way, he heard that Mr. Zhengyang was here, so he made a detour to meet him."

Prince Heng?

The first female widow of Yu State from the Xiao family of Donghu?

Mr. Zhengyang, who also has the title of "First Hermit", was stunned for a moment with a strange expression.

…

…

Time goes back.

Capital, Zhao family.

Zhao Duan returned from the yamen. After fooling his stepmother and sister by saying that he was busy with official business last night, he returned to his bedroom impatiently.

He closed the door and poured the jade-white, sparkling leaf-shaped treasure from the palm-sized "Taixu Scroll" into his palm.

——

Plot preview:

That’s right, Yangming’s philosophy of mind is about to be shamelessly plagiarized by the protagonist again.

(End of this chapter)