Chapter 104 The Real Test Has Arrived
The Tang family residence was some distance from the Duke of Chu's mansion, and it took Jiang Yu and the Duke of Chu about half an hour to arrive by carriage. Upon arrival, they saw several men standing at the gate, some around forty years old and others about the same age as Jiang Yu.
Seeing this lineup, Jiang Yu sighed inwardly. Was she destined to be surrounded by men from now on? With that thought, she made a silent decision: if possible, she would fight for more rights for women in this era.
With these thoughts in mind, Jiang Yu helped the Duke of Chu out of the carriage. Then, the Tang family patriarchs and young masters who were waiting at the door came forward. First, they greeted the Duke of Chu, then Jiang Yu's uncles, cousins, and other relatives greeted each other. After that, the group walked inside and arrived at the Tang family's hall.
A family steeped in scholarship is naturally different from other families. The Tang family's hall is adorned with many calligraphy and paintings, creating a harmonious atmosphere while exuding a strong scholarly ambiance.
Seated at the head of the hall was an elderly man of similar age to the Duke of Chu, thin but with very bright eyes. After exchanging pleasantries with him, the Duke of Chu asked Jiang Yu to step forward and recognize him, "This is your maternal uncle from the Tang family, please pay your respects."
Jiang Yu lifted her robe and knelt down to kowtow. It was their first meeting, and he was her grandmother's own brother, so naturally, she had to perform the grand ceremony. She had learned all these etiquettes, and she did them smoothly and without the slightest awkwardness.
Tang Huai-ren nodded inwardly and then said, "Get up."
Jiang Yu stood up and handed her a small, antique-looking box. "This is my father's inkstone, which he has used for many years. Take it."
Jiang Yu quickly stepped forward and accepted the gift with both hands; it was an incredibly valuable present. Although the great Confucian scholar from the Tang family had passed away many years ago, his words and writings were still considered treasures. Not to mention his frequently used inkstone, even a single used piece of paper from him was likely treasured by someone.
This also shows that although the Duchess of Chu had passed away, the Tang family still valued this marriage alliance.
Tang Huai Ren waved for Jiang Yu to sit down, and then asked Jiang Yu what books she usually read. Jiang Yu sat up straight and answered seriously, also sharing many of her own opinions and insights in an attempt to impress him.
Upon hearing this, Tang Huai-ren's stern face softened considerably, and he even cast a glance at the Duke of Chu, praising the boy's abilities. The Duke of Chu's face instantly lit up with pride, prompting Tang Huai-ren to give a light snort.
"Confucius said, 'A gentleman takes righteousness as his essence, practices it with propriety, expresses it with humility, and completes it with trustworthiness.' What do you mean by that?" Tang Huai-ren asked Jiang Yu.
The real test has begun.
Jiang Yu knew that the Tang family, especially Tang Huai Ren, adhered to Confucianism, and that if she answered entirely according to Confucian principles, she would likely be correct. However, when faced with academic questions, she didn't want to "curry favor," so she said:
"Righteousness, propriety, and trustworthiness are the moral bottom line of a gentleman, but different people have different understandings of this bottom line. I believe that as long as it does not harm others, harm the country, or violate public order and good customs, it should be respected."
When Tang Huai-ren heard such remarks for the first time, he frowned slightly. Even the Duke of Chu's expression turned serious upon hearing her words.
He had assumed that, given Jiang Yu's emotional intelligence, she would surely "cater to his preferences" and answer the question according to Confucian principles. But he never expected that Jiang Yu would utter such a strange idea.
“Tell me in detail,” Tang Huai-ren said.
Jiang Yu nodded respectfully, then said unhurriedly, "For example, a beggar has two steamed buns, while another beggar who often begs with him has no steamed buns at all, and the other beggar is about to starve to death. The beggar with two steamed buns doesn't share one of his two buns with the other beggar, right?"
“Of course not,” Tang’s youngest son, the eighth son, immediately said. “If he has two steamed buns, he should give one to the other beggar to save his life. That is what a gentleman does.”
Jiang Yu nodded after listening, "Yes, sharing two steamed buns with someone to save a life is the act of a gentleman, a good person. But he is also a beggar, he is afraid that he will starve to death tomorrow if he doesn't get any food, he is afraid that if he gives another beggar a steamed bun, the other beggar will have the strength to snatch the other steamed bun from him. He wants to give his steamed bun to another female beggar he likes, or there is no reason why he just doesn't want to give it to her."
This only shows that he lacked a sense of righteousness, but he shouldn't be condemned because he didn't harm another beggar, break the law, or endanger the public. His ideas may be disagreeable, but they shouldn't be condemned.
A silence fell over the room, everyone seemingly deep in thought. Then, Young Master Tang stood up and looked at Jiang Yu, saying, "His actions go unreproached. If everyone acted like him, where would justice be?"
Jiang Yu also stood up, looked at him calmly, and said, "Cousin, would you do that?"
“Of course not,” said Tang Ba Gongzi.
“You would share your steamed bun with another beggar; you are a good person, a gentleman. You should be widely praised so that everyone can learn from you.” Jiang Yu said with a smile, “However, I don’t share my steamed bun with others, and I don’t intentionally harm anyone, so I should also be respected.”
"What if that beggar starved to death because you didn't give him a steamed bun?" Tang Ba Gongzi asked again.
Jiang Yu: "His death was not caused by me. I may feel some regret, some self-blame, or I may not have any thoughts at all. I didn't kill him, I didn't turn him into a beggar, and I didn't cause him to not get any steamed buns, so his death cannot be blamed on me."
Jiang Yu then looked at Tang Huai Ren and said seriously, "The example I gave was a bit extreme. What I want to say is that everyone has their own thoughts and their own code of conduct. We cannot use righteousness to demand things of everyone. Righteousness and gentlemanly conduct should be promoted and advocated, but those behaviors and thoughts that do not harm others, the public, or public order and good customs should also be respected."
Actually, Jiang Yu wanted to say that everyone's thoughts should be respected, and women are no exception. But now is not the time to say that.
The room fell silent again. Tang Ba Gongzi wanted to argue with Jiang Yu again, but was stopped by Qi Gongzi. After a while, Tang Huai Ren said, "You girl are quite bold, daring to say anything."
Jiang Yu laughed, "Actually, if I were the beggar with two steamed buns, I would also share them with the other beggar who is about to starve to death."
Tang Huai-ren also smiled, "Each school of thought has its own ideas, and we should indeed respect the ideas of others."
He then turned to the Duke of Chu and said, "This child is quite good. You want her to take some books back to read, is that right?"
The Duke of Chu nodded, "It's always good to read more books."
Of course, his main purpose today was to get Tang Huai-ren to accept Jiang Yu, so that he could help Jiang Yu's career in the future. However, he couldn't say this too explicitly, but everyone was smart enough that Tang Huai-ren understood his meaning even without him saying it.
The Tang family was a scholarly family, but they weren't just bookworms; they also needed resources and connections in the imperial court. In a sense, they were also a community of shared interests.
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