Chapter 68

Today, the Bitong Academy is quiet but a little restless, just like the last half day before every holiday in later generations. Students look out the window from time to time, and the teacher silently calculates the time in his mind.

A student took advantage of the teacher's inattention and looked outside quietly. Some servants outside were directing servants to move things back and forth.

All the equipment on the academy's martial arts field had been moved away, leaving a large area for students to come out and watch the show.

A platform in the martial arts arena was also temporarily requisitioned as a stage, with a curtain put up. Actors were doing their makeup backstage. Xu Yu was so anxious that sweat covered his forehead, and he urged his men to hurry up.

He came out from the backstage and walked to the stage, where he saw Lin Shuge and Lu Yuechuan leisurely drinking tea, and he became furious.

This man clearly promised him that he would publish the script as soon as possible, but in the end, he turned around and wrote the one about Bitong Academy first. If Lu Yuechuan hadn't given him the manuscript of the second play in time, Xu Yu would definitely fight to the death with that guy surnamed Lin and let him know what the wrath of a common man means.

He had finally arranged this performance at Bitong Academy and was so busy that he had no time to rest. When he came out, he saw that others were having some free time.

Xu Yu silently said to himself that the people should not fight against the officials, and then he suppressed the anger in his chest, "You two are in a good mood."

"I can't compare with you, Boss Xu, a busy man. Now everyone in Dingyuan, oh no, the entire Northwest, knows your name, Boss Xu." Lu Yuechuan said with a smile.

Xu Yu listened to his exaggeration and laughed instead of getting angry, "I'm just a businessman. If you talk about reputation, everyone in the entire northwest knows you, Lu Yuechuan."

Ever since Xu Yu failed to get the manuscript done, the two of them would push each other whenever they met. Seeing that they were about to quarrel again, Lin Shuge quickly came out to smooth things over.

"Everything is ready inside. The county magistrate and Principal Han will be here soon. The students in the academy can't wait to get going."

Xu Yu crossed his arms and replied, "It's almost done. The show will definitely start on time."

He sat down, poured himself a glass of water and took a sip. "When I passed by the teaching building, everyone was so absent-minded. It would be better to give them a day off today. They can't concentrate on their studies."

A cold snort came from behind, and they turned around and saw that it was Principal Han and Master Li.

After the two of them paid their respects to Lin Shuge, they stared at Xu Yu with burning eyes. Xu Yu was thick-skinned. Having already said what he wanted to say, he pretended not to see the murderous expression on Han Shanzhang’s face.

A burst of noise was heard coming from over there, and everyone looked over there. A large group of students were running towards this side. It seemed that the get out of class was over.

"The students have been dismissed, and the show is about to begin, right?" Master Li asked Xu Yu.

Xu Yu nodded, stood up and went backstage.

Students were rushing over here. The teacher in charge of discipline had a stern look on his face. With just a loud shout from him, the crowd immediately fell silent.

The students began to take their seats in an orderly manner according to the class order. Those who had no seats stood aside or squeezed into one seat.

After everyone was settled, the same man from last time came out to announce the show, and then a gong sounded, and the show finally began.

I saw a little boy coming out and learning Zhou Li with his father. The boy was smart and studious.

Everyone understood that this was the young Confucius.

Director Han looked at Lin Shuge, wondering if the performance started from Confucius' childhood?

Before Han Shanchang could ask, there was a burst of mournful music from the stage, and the next scene had already begun. The young Confucius grew up, but his mother passed away. Confucius buried his parents together and went to attend the family banquet of Ji Sun, a minister of the State of Lu, in mourning clothes. However, he was driven away by Yang Hu, a servant of Ji Sun.

The book does not record Confucius' deeds in chronological order, but selects several major events, including the warmth he felt when he founded a private school and interacted with his disciples, and of course the speechlessness and anger he felt when he quarreled with Zilu and Zaiwo. The music was cheerful and joyful, and the students in the audience laughed out loud.

What follows is the story of the hardships he faced when traveling around the countries with his disciples, his open-mindedness when people said he was "as tired as a dog that has lost its home", and his helplessness when his ideas were not adopted by the rulers of various countries. The actors' performances were very infectious, and the soothing music seemed to take the audience back to that era to witness this scene.

The sound of "Zheng" suddenly rises, and the melody begins to take a sudden turn. It was Confucius' old age at this time. After he returned to the State of Lu, his beloved son Kong Li died. Then Yan Hui, who was regarded as the successor of Confucius's mantle, died. Confucius was heartbroken and could not bear such a blow. He cried out, "Heaven has taken away my life, Heaven has taken away my life."

Some students had already started crying, and everyone was still in grief; the tune became soothing yet revealed a hint of sorrow.

The music is simple and sad. Confucius' ideals have not been realized. He has been lamenting that there is no justice in the world for a long time, but his ideals have still not been realized. Finally, Confucius ended his magnificent life and was buried on the Si River. All his disciples came to guard the tomb, and Zigong even mourned for Confucius for six years.

Just when everyone thought it was about to end, the last scene fell in this era. A Master was teaching his students "The Analects of Confucius", and the students were reciting: "The Master said, 'Is it not a pleasure to learn and to practice it from time to time? '" Outside, the birds were singing and the flowers were blooming, and spring was in full swing.

Master Li quietly wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his sleeve, "Mr. Lin, this..." He then burst into tears.

There were also many students not far away who were secretly wiping their tears. When all the actors came out to take their bows, the students immediately cheered and applauded, and the teachers couldn't stop them from cheering.

Master Li was still moved. When he saw this scene, he was about to teach the students who took the lead in standing up and cheering, but was stopped by Han Shanzhang, "Just let them be happy for a while."

"Mr. Lin, Mr. Lu, thank you very much. For many years, scholars in the world have praised the saint's character and thoughts. Although I know his deeds well, I have never..."

Han Shanzhang's words came to an abrupt end, but Lin Shuge knew what he was going to say. Confucius, as seen by scholars, was a teacher for all ages, the founder of Confucianism, and a saint. His image was glorious and tall, as if he was born to save the world.

If Confucius had not been born, the world would have been in darkness forever.

This version of "Confucius" does not preach to students about Confucian ideas and the greatness of Confucius. Instead, it focuses more on the humanity of Confucius, the hardships he experienced in his childhood, his interactions with his disciples, his helplessness at not being valued, and his grief when his disciples passed away and his ideals were shattered.

The students in the distance were even more excited, talking about everything at once, so the teachers had no choice but to arrange for them to leave and go back.

There were no handsome men and beautiful women or immortal characters this time, so the students and some teachers were most impressed by the plot of the play.

Some students were still immersed in grief. "I didn't cry when Kong Li died, and I also held back my tears when Yan Hui died. But when the saint died, I couldn't hold back my tears while chanting 'The world has been without justice for a long time.'"

The classmate replied: "Actually, I cried so hard when Kong Li passed away, and later on..." As he spoke, he was about to cry again.

"The Confucius we knew seemed to be far away in the horizon, but when I saw him today, he seemed to be right in front of me," said a student.

"Your analogy is good. Let me tell you a secret. Someone in my family has seen 'Seeking Immortals'. It's said to be a story about love between a man and a woman and stories about gods. I thought we would also perform this play. As you know, the one that comes out is the young Confucius. I had..." He secretly glanced at the teachers in the distance, and said, "Actually, I didn't want to watch it, but it turned out to be so well performed." said a classmate.

"Who said it wasn't? We have learned so much about the teachings of sages in class. I thought we would have to listen to the teachings of sages after finally getting to watch a play. Wouldn't that have been a waste of our wait?" said another student.

The students who were eavesdropping around nodded in unison.

"You guys? What are you doing together?" The teacher's angry shout came from not far away.

Several people immediately scattered with laughter.

Lin Shuge saw Lin Qingyuan trying to run back and grabbed his clothes, "Why are you running? Didn't you see me?"

"Brother, please let me go. I'm in a hurry to eat." Lin Qingyuan watched everyone go to the dining hall. If they went too late, they would not be able to get food.

"No rush. Your headmaster Han said that he would let you take half a day off in the afternoon. I will ask for leave for you and you can go back for dinner tonight." Lin Shuge said with a smile.

Lin Qingyuan stopped moving immediately, "Really? Then I won't go." Anyway, the food in the academy is just average, so it would be better to go back and have a good meal.

After a while, Lin Qingyuan sat down with Lin Shuge with a look of despair, facing Magistrate Li and Principal Han.

I listened to Magistrate Li and Director Han talking about everything from the thoughts of sages to the philosophers of the pre-Qin period to the politics of the previous dynasty.

When he wanted to pick up his chopsticks to eat, he turned his attention back to today's play. He lowered his head and regretted in his heart that he should not have agreed to his brother's request earlier. He couldn't even eat his meal well.

Suddenly, there was an extra piece of food in the bowl. When I looked up, I saw my eldest brother winking at me, signaling him to eat quickly.

"Today's play was really great. It was like witnessing the life of a saint with our own eyes. I heard from students that what moved them most was the interaction between the saint and the students. It seemed like they were just like us on a daily basis. These brats finally spoke some human words." Principal Han was deeply moved.

Magistrate Li smiled and said, "When teachers and students get along for a long time, they will naturally develop true feelings. Haven't you seen how the sage usually gets along with Zhongyou? He always takes him with him wherever he goes. Later, when Zhongyou was involved in the civil strife in Wei and died, wasn't the sage also heartbroken?"

Master Li interrupted and said, "Yes, there are indeed some students who are disobedient but also smart, such as He Qingran who spoke wildly in front of County Magistrate Lin last time. To be honest, he is indeed talented, but he is young and not stable enough."

"Master Li, there is no need to worry about trivial matters. The library will not bother with a child." County Magistrate Li heard that he was trying to excuse He Qingran's rude behavior last time, and comforted him.

Lin Shuge smiled and nodded, and the topic turned to him again.

He also said that he was clever and could compile such an exquisite play, and that he was young and promising. He praised him so much that Lin Shuge felt embarrassed and quickly invited everyone to eat, otherwise A Yuan would almost starve to death.

Magistrate Li and Dean Han enjoyed the meal very much. Lin Shuge was already used to such occasions, so he didn't care.

Only Lin Qingyuan was like a frost-bitten eggplant from the moment he entered the cafeteria. He trembled among the big guys at first, then he had a blank expression, and in the end he was completely disheartened. He couldn't even remember what he had eaten. That dish, which he didn't know whether it was chicken or duck, was good, but why didn't they have it in the cafeteria where the students ate? Damn it!

After he and Lin Shuge returned home, Lin Shuge comforted him, "You've worked hard today. I'll make whatever you want to eat tonight."

Lin Qingyuan was instantly revived and was about to speak when he was interrupted by a sound outside the door.

Lin Shuge touched his head and went to open the door. Outside the door stood Xu Yu, who looked beaming and high-spirited.