Qin Yue gave him a resentful look, wanting to ask him, "Are you sure you're trying to comfort someone?"
Fortunately, Qin Yue is a very cheerful person and quickly put those worries aside.
"Brother, that poem you just recited was quite powerful. What's it called?"
The poem I just recited was something I heard by chance a long time ago. I thought it was quite powerful at the time, but as for the name of the poem, I'm sorry, I don't know it!
"It was just something I said offhand, where did the name come from?" Qin Mu, determined to keep up the act, waved his hand dismissively, as if it were a trivial matter.
"I must say, it suits you quite well, brother. You shone brightly from the moment you were born," Qin Yue said with a wistful smile.
Although stealing poems was a matter for scholars, Qin Mu still felt a little ashamed. He changed the subject and asked, "Brother Lingyun, your family has a long history. Could you tell me about some ancient stories?"
"Ancient times? How long ago?" Qin Yue asked blankly.
"It's about things from the past. Just say whatever you know, whether it's true or just a rumor."
"No, you have to come up with some general direction, right?"
"Then let's talk about orcs? It's said that orcs existed since the beginning of time?"
"That should be true. It is said that when the world was first created, apart from plants, all the creatures in the world were beasts, and there were only a very small number of us humans."
As time went by, the beast race also diversified. We humans, based on their habits, called them divine beasts, ferocious beasts, spirit beasts, wild beasts, and beastmen who looked similar to humans,” Qin Yue explained.
"What about the legendary immortals? Why didn't they appear and wipe out the beast race?"
"How would I know? Legend has it that the gods helped the human race and drove out the beast race, but the beast race was too powerful, especially those ferocious beasts. It is said that many gods perished as a result."
Qin Mu wanted to understand the pantheon of this world, but it seemed to be a waste of time; this guy didn't know anything about it either. No! He hadn't even bothered to learn about the myths and legends; he'd only heard a few things from others.
"Let's talk about something more recent, like the Shang and Zhou dynasties. Were there any major wars or secrets?"
"Hehe, our Qin family only started developing on weekends. Back then, we were still weak. How many secrets do you think we could know? What we did know was just what the rumors outside said." Qin Yue said with a sullen smile.
"You must know something about the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, right?"
"I do know some of that, after all, our Confucianism was founded by the most revered teacher Confucius at that time."
"Then tell me about it."
"Do you take me for a storyteller?" Amused by Qin Mu's attitude, Qin Yue smiled and continued to explain, "Really, as a Confucian scholar, you don't even know about your own ancestor. Don't you feel ashamed?"
Of course! Qin Mu didn't feel ashamed and listened attentively to Qin Yue's story.
"As you know, the Central Plains were in great turmoil at that time. In order to resist the beastmen, many great sages worked hard, recruiting disciples and spreading their doctrines, hoping that the human race could produce more talents."
Faced with the powerful beastmen, a large group of strong individuals, led by Confucius, launched a counterattack, drove out the beastmen, and then Heavenly Gift appeared.
"You really know how to tell a story!"
"Nonsense, how would I know the truth? The Qin family couldn't have brought much out of Xianyang to begin with, and those historical books certainly weren't among them," Qin Yue replied.
"Can't you just tell me something you know?"
"Alright then, I'll tell you what I know. You know the Great Wall was built by various countries to defend against the beastmen, right?"
"Of course I know!"
"Initially, it was guarded by soldiers. Later, the Taoist sage Laozi Li Er descended upon Yanmen Pass and blessed the entire pass with his supreme divine power, making Yanmen Pass a nightmare place for the orcs."
Subsequently, the State of Zhao sent troops to guard Youzhou, and the State of Qin guarded Longyou, thus protecting the people of the Central Plains from the ravages of the beastmen.
"That's not right. I heard it was a Great Wall formed by Confucian scholars and other schools of thought?" Qin Mu asked.
"That was in the early Han Dynasty. When the Han Dynasty was first established, guarding the border was extremely difficult. Orcs would invade from time to time. The masters who were alive at that time had no choice but to join forces. The great Confucian scholars reinforced most of the Great Wall, while the masters of Taoism and Mohism set up formations at various passes. Only the three passes did not have enough people to set up, so our Qin family continued to guard them."
"So that's how it is!"
"Yes, this peace was bought with the lives of our ancestors. It's a pity that so many traditions have been lost because of this," Qin Yue sighed.
"Has the tradition been broken?"
"It's not that it's completely severed, but rather that much has been lost. Do you know why no one in the Qin family has chosen to become a Confucian cultivator?" Qin Yue asked.
"Why?" This was also something Qin Mu couldn't understand. Confucian methods were extraordinary. Since they could enhance the Great Wall, why didn't anyone in the Qin family cultivate them? If they could enhance the three passes, wouldn't defense be much easier?
"There are many reasons. The first reason is that they don't want us to lose our fighting spirit and always keep us vigilant. Another reason is that Confucianism has completely changed. Many great Confucian scholars have fallen, but only the great Confucian scholar Dong Zhongshu had the last laugh. He took the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals as the main text, integrated other schools of thought, and made it his own."
"Today's Confucian scholars each stick to their own learning, but in reality, they are only inheriting a portion of what their ancestors did," Qin Yue said with some disdain.
"Isn't it normal to have some omissions? After all, much of what the sages said has been lost."
"Hehe, that's because you haven't seen those old fogies. For the sake of orthodoxy, they all insist that they are right and hold onto their own opinions."
"This may not necessarily be a bad thing; competition leads to progress."
"Yes, brother, you're right. There are indeed many great scholars who have no prejudices, but they are a minority after all," Qin Yue said with some disappointment.
Qin Mu had no say in this matter, since he didn't understand the people of this world. However, Dong Zhongshu's ideas were indeed unappealing.
From Qin Yue's words, it is not difficult to infer that after a large number of great Confucian scholars had passed away, Dong Zhongshu used a series of methods to eventually become the dominant figure.
With the court's attention, later students would certainly study and learn his methods, which inadvertently changed many aspects of Confucianism.
"Confucianism cultivates a noble spirit, and nowadays it mainly involves studying the Four Books and Five Classics. But it was different before."
The sage Mencius said, "The vast and righteous spirit is difficult to describe. This spirit is supremely great and strong; if nurtured with uprightness and without harm, it will fill the space between heaven and earth. This spirit is aligned with righteousness and the Way; without these, it will wither. It is born from the accumulation of righteousness, not something acquired by force. If one's actions do not align with one's conscience, then one will wither. Therefore, I say, Gaozi never truly understood righteousness because he considered it external. There must be something to do, but do not force it; do not forget it in your heart, but do not encourage its growth."
"In the past, Confucian scholars all traveled the world to study and cultivate a noble spirit," Qin Yue said, shaking his head with a sigh.
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