Chapter 67: Su Wang solves doubts, Laozi becomes a saint
No one knows where it came from and no one knows where it went.
Ji Zhao slept quietly here. There was no up or down, left or right. Time never flowed and all the rules were in chaos.
Ji Zhao was sleeping, and the whole world was sleeping with him.
Then he woke up.
There was light in this world, and chaos turned into order. He opened his eyes and saw fragrant peach blossoms all over the mountains. There was a wooden house under the peach forest.
"Laozi? A person who is close to me!"
This was the first time that Ji Zhao woke up because of someone other than the Luo clan. He had never thought that his existence would be observed. This was unreasonable, but maybe it was reasonable.
Ji Zhao looked at the powerful luck that he had accumulated over two hundred years. Apart from using it to bless his ancestors, it had not been used for a long time. Now that he met Laozi today, it was worth using it.
"Luo Yan." Ji Zhao called softly.
Luo Yan suddenly heard this and knelt on the ground, bowed his head and said, "Ancestor."
Li Er's body trembled, and endless waves rose in his heart. He felt that the truth of the world was about to unfold before him.
The King of Su!
Are you really an immortal god who lives as long as the sky?
If you really exist, can Haotian still be ruthless and desireless?
Even if Haotian is really just the law of nature, what about you? How many times have you interfered in human affairs?
“Heaven and earth are not benevolent, they treat all things as straw dogs; sages are not benevolent, they treat the people as straw dogs.”
Li Er raised his head and murmured.
Heaven and earth are selfless and do not favor anyone. The way of heaven is inaction. Only by following the way of heaven can things last long.
Heaven is not a god, and Tao is not a god either. Learning the selfless way of heaven and using the way of heaven to replace the way of man is the foundation of his theory. The appearance of King Su made Li Er doubt his own theory and life.
If the Way of Heaven is not selfless, then what is the difference between the Way of Heaven and the Way of man?
"Lord Boyang, you asked whether Haotian has emotions. Would you be willing to explain your understanding?"
Li Er came back to his senses and realized that it was King Su who was asking him a question.
"There are heaven's way and human's way in the world. Heaven's way is selfless, while human's way has desires. Heaven's way is eternal, while human's way is short-sighted..."
Ji Zhao listened quietly. This set of theories was actually very different from his previous life and was full of divisions.
Li Er was a man who was close to the Tao. He saw the operation of the Tao, he saw the operation of the rules, and he grasped the key to thought.
Then he saw that King Su was standing between heaven and man!
This confused his mind. The King of Su should not appear, but existence is the truth, so he thought that there was something wrong with the world he observed.
As Li Er's voice gradually disappeared, Ji Zhao began to explain the "Tao Te Ching" to Luo Yan through his mouth.
This is a world without Ji Zhao. This is Li Er's understanding of heaven and earth, and of the real world.
"Sui Wang!"
As Ji Zhao talked more and more, Li Er couldn't help but sigh: "So that's how it is. Heaven and earth are not kind, only you are special."
What Ji Zhao said was similar to Li Er's in eight aspects, but the core was completely different and had not been affected by any divine power at all, which cleared away all the doubts in Li Er's mind.
This was the answer given to him by King Su.
Haotian is ruthless!
The great way is selfless!
This is the principle of heaven and earth, but the existence of Su Wang is another principle. You use the principle of heaven and earth to observe Su Wang, which is a contradiction.
The principles of heaven and earth are there, but the principles of the King of Su are changing all the time and are unpredictable.
A smile finally appeared on Li Er's calm face. His eyes became deeper and his expression became calmer, like a mountain.
If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening.
Ji Zhao left here and returned to his own world. He was looking forward to what version of the Tao Te Ching Li Er could perfect.
Seeing the old ancestor leave, Luo Yan immediately said: "Mr. Boyang must have some realizations. You have been the keeper of the treasury for decades.
I believe that these books have been read and can no longer help you. There are far more books than these in Luo Country.
From the oracle bones that have existed since the Shang Dynasty to the records of wise men in the academies of all dynasties, it is a treasure trove of the world's wisdom and is sure to have what you want.
If you are willing to serve as the chief priest of the academy, I am even willing to promise you to take out the classics of the Su Wang for you to read. "
This was what Li Er originally wanted. He wanted to read more of Su Wang's classics and Ming Gong's classics. Only in this way could he create better classics.
So he replied, "I will do as the prince said and serve as the chief priest of the academy. I just don't know whether the scholars in the academy are willing to do so."
Luo Yan smiled and said, "Your talent is unparalleled, your wisdom is unrivaled, you are the bright moon in the sky, and they are just fluorescent lights the size of rice beads.
If I were really blind enough to meet you, I would probably bow down to you in worship without even turning my hands. "
Luo Yan praised Li Er generously; this was the truest feeling in his heart.
The Luo family has been passed down for five hundred years, and many family heads could only see King Su before they died. This is why Luo Ci is not afraid of death.
Duke Wen of Luo, Duke Xuan of Luo, and Duke Ming of Luo, who had met King Su during their lifetime, were all the most outstanding patriarchs of the Luo family.
This shows how high Li Er's wisdom is.
After returning to Luo State, Luo Yan brought Li Er to the storage room of Luo State.
When the door opened, even Li Er, a saint who was not easily affected by fame or disgrace, had ripples on the calm surface of his eyes.
"Prince, all the learning in the world belongs to Luo!"
Luo Yan smiled when he heard this and said, “Before today, everything belongs to Luo.
Only after meeting Lord Boyang did I realize that there are always people better than you.
If there is no classic of yours in the Luo Kingdom's treasury, how can we dare to call it a collection of all the knowledge in the world?"
Li Er walked into the storage room, and Luo Yan immediately went to see his father, told Luo Ci about the matter, and brought both versions of the "Tao Te Ching".
After reading for half a day, Luo Ci sighed: "It's only a few thousand words, but it can explain all the principles in the world. This book is enough to be the principle of all things!
No wonder King Su is willing to meet him, he is a true saint, not comparable to us mortals."
The principle of all things.
What a high evaluation this is!
Even Luo Minggong's "Ways of Kingly Domination", which is capable of bringing peace to troubled times and prosperity to the world, did not receive such an evaluation.
After all, what Luo Minggong wrote was the art of ruling, which was summarized from the classics of King Su. Perhaps the monarch would like it very much and regard it as a treasure, but to Luo, it was nothing special.
But what Li Er wrote now was the source of truth, the embodiment of the way of heaven, and even pointed out the path from man to heaven. Even in the text, they saw the shadow of the King Su.
After Li Er arrived in Luo State, he plunged into the storage room of the Luo State royal family. He stayed there for three months before he finished reading the classics written by King Su.
He walked out of the storage room and went to the academy to serve as the chief priest.
This is the army of Luo State.
The position of Chief Priest of Luo State's Imperial Academy was a very special one.
He did not hold direct political power like the ministers, but no one dared to ignore him because Jijiu was the teacher of all the students in Luo State.
In the State of Luo, no matter whether they are members of the royal family or the noble family, they will go to the public school to study. If the knowledge of the chief priest can conquer everyone, the terrifying political power is unimaginable.
There were once three chief priests who became the prime minister of the State of Luo, becoming important figures second only to the emperor and above everyone else.
Li Er was an outsider, but everyone knew that he was specially invited by the prince from the royal capital.
This must be a great sage!
This is the common idea of everyone. The royal office has never made a mistake in the selection of the chief priests. So far, all the chief priests are nobles with wisdom and talent.
But everyone wants to see what this great sage is good at.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Li Er came to the Imperial Academy. After two hundred years of expansion, the area of this Imperial Academy had become as large as a palace.
Luo Yan personally brought Li Er to the academy, where hundreds of noble sons were seated. They were dressed in the same black clothes, all with their hands lowered in a solemn manner, wrapped in wide robes.
Luo Yan said with some pride: "Lord Boyang, among these hundreds of students, 50% are descendants of the royal family of Luo State. They are all pillars of society, but they are unwilling to serve as officials. They only want to study the ultimate truth of heaven and earth here."
The royal family of Luo State was famous for its many talented people. Many monarchs of other countries liked to invite talents from the Luo State Academy, but many children of the royal family were unwilling to serve as officials.
Most of those who served in government were scholars from various countries who came to study. Their wish was to learn the art of slaying dragons, and then be valued by the monarch and realize their ambitions.
Many members of the royal family of Luo State spent their entire lives studying classics in order to annotate the "Luo Yu" and countless academic classics, hoping to become saints.
The temptation of establishing one's reputation is so great that it far exceeds the opportunity of becoming a doctor or prime minister in a country.
When Luo Yan and Li Er walked in, all the teachers and students stood up and bowed, saying, "May the Crown Prince be well."
Luo Yan bowed deeply in return, "Everyone is well."
He pointed at Li Er and said, "Everyone, this is Lord Boyang, a great sage. The saint that King Su talked about is no more than this!"
The entire hall seemed to be silent for a moment.
Sage?
What a compliment this is!
Etiquette cannot be abolished, especially in the Luoguo Academy. No matter what everyone thought in their hearts, they all said in unison: "Lord Boyang, I wish you good health and happiness!"
As Li Er returned the gift, everyone was looking at this old man who was called a sage by the Crown Prince. Everyone who looked at Li Er was involuntarily attracted by his eyes.
His eyes are like mountains and seas, but his temperament is gentle yet tough.
It’s really extraordinary, everyone thought to themselves.
Luo Yan couldn't wait to see the scene where Li Er convinced everyone.
As soon as the two men sat down, a student immediately stood up and asked Li Er, "Lord Boyang, you are a sage invited by the monarch and the crown prince. You must be a virtuous person. What do you think of virtue?"
Virtue is emphasized in "Luo Yu". Luo Xiu believes that it is very simple for a country to become strong, but if a country wants to become strong and its people to be happy and healthy, it must rely on the power of virtue.
Laws are made to make all people virtuous, so that those without virtue should be punished and those with virtue should be commended.
So how to become a virtuous person is the most important thing, so he asked Li Er how to be a virtuous person. This was not out of embarrassment, but he really wanted to ask.
Li Er's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "Noble virtue is like water, which benefits all things but does not fight against them."
The highest good is like water!
This was an argument that had never been heard before, but as Li Er explained it, everyone in the academy found themselves easily convinced.
Because this concept shines with the light of wisdom, anyone who hears it will feel that it contains truth.
This is the strongest point of the Tao Te Ching; its language is beautiful and persuasive.
Another student stood up and asked, "Mr. Boyang, you are a sage, so what should a sage do?"
Li Er replied: "The reason why beautiful things are beautiful is because of the existence of ugliness; the reason why good things are good is because of the existence of evil.
The existence of saints and sages is due to the existence of unvirtuous people. If there were no unvirtuous people, everyone would be a saint and sage. Don't over-praise virtuous people, as this is not in line with the principles of heaven and earth."
This statement was truly earth-shattering. Virtuous people have always been respected, especially in the various annotations to "Luo Yu", which are full of debates between the virtuous and the unvirtuous.
These students have been receiving this kind of education, and some of them find it hard to accept Li Er's remarks, but Li Er naturally would not just express his opinions.
Through his numerous examples, students discovered that Li Er did not disrespect sages, but rather believed that the pursuit of sages should not be excessive.
Once it exceeds the normal limit and accords saints too high a status, power and reputation, it will become a trend in society.
The pursuit of saints and sages will transform from the sublimation of thought into the struggle for power and profit in reality, which is not conducive to social stability.
From early morning till late evening, maids switched the food back and forth, and hundreds of people asked Li Er questions tirelessly.
Li Er knew everything. He could always make a logically consistent statement, which vaguely included the principles they had learned in the past.
The highest good is like water!
This Lord Boyang practiced this truth in his own life. His thoughts embraced everything and his wisdom saw through everything.
Everyone was full of admiration for Li Er. Luo Yan asked the waiter to record today's conversation. He got an original annotation of the "Tao Te Ching" for free. He couldn't help but be happy.
"Lord Boyang, you are a true sage. Is there anything in this world that you don't understand?" A student said with some emotion after asking a question.
Li Er was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I wrote the Tao Te Ching, which is five thousand words long, and explored the ultimate truths of the world, but I don't know how to explain everything about King Su."
As soon as these words were spoken, the place suddenly became noisy, and then suddenly returned to silence.
The wisdom of the King of Su is like that of a saint and like that of heaven.
The character of the King of Su is supreme and noble.
Everything about King Su is as it should be, there is no need to think about it.
As the bell rang, Li Er's name as a sage spread to all the countries along with some fragments of debates, and countless scholars who were confused about the world came to the Luo State Academy.
A new era has begun.
There are still 2000 words in the afternoon
(End of this chapter)
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