Zhao Rong glanced at the line of words for a few seconds, then looked at other places on the paper.

A blank.

The following papers were also blank.

This should be the only final question, accounting for more than half of the total score, and it is also where the gap between me and other classmates is widened.

Zhao Rong nodded, drank some water from the bamboo tube to moisten his throat, and began to solve the problem.

This question is very interesting, both the title and the person who set it.

Normally, the examination papers for the academy's major examinations were usually printed using templates, and the previous test questions were all in a unified public template font. However, this test question retained the casual and sloppy handwriting of the original question setter.

Zhao Rong guessed that the Mo Chi Academy must have invited a respected old gentleman in the academy to come up with the questions.

Zhao Rong had heard from Mr. Yan that in the Confucian Academy, above all the "teachers" and below the headmaster, there was a special level of people called the "Six Gentlemen", who were six special teachers.

The only thing he knew was that the current Deputy Principal Yuan, who was in charge of internal and external affairs, and the old chief academic officer of Mochi Academy were two of them.

This question might have been written by one of the "Six Gentlemen".

The academy printed it out exactly as it was.

However, the old gentleman can ask questions at will, but they, the students, cannot answer them at will.

Within a few breaths, Zhao Rong's mind was working extremely fast, and his hands were not idle either, spinning the pen rapidly between his fingers. This was a habit he had when he was a student. The few candidates around him who occasionally looked up were stunned and dazzled, always worried that the pen in Zhao Rong's hand would fly out and hit someone.

They also looked expectantly at the fat gentleman invigilating in front of them, hoping that he would take care of it. Unfortunately, the slightly plump old gentleman looked even less reliable than a certain candidate named Zhao. He sat there with his head supported by the back of his hands, his white eyebrows drooping, and looking drowsy.

Zhao Rong did not realize that his casual pen spinning affected several candidates who had some obsessive-compulsive disorder.

This question at the moment found him interesting.

Test questions on the meaning of the classics are generally divided into two categories. This one is obviously a "self-cultivation question", but it is not much easier to answer than the more professional question on governing a country.

Because if Zhao Rong remembered correctly, the sentence "Everyone has something in abundance, but I am left out" is not in the Thirteen Confucian Classics.

It comes from the Tao Te Ching!

If Zhao Rong remembered correctly, the original text of this sentence in the Daojing should be:

…Everyone has more than enough, but I am the only one who is left out. What a foolish mind I have! I am confused and muddled…

Zhao Rong nodded and whispered, "Interesting."

The self-cultivation test questions in the Confucian Academy were actually about the words of Taoist sages.

Fortunately, Zhao Rong was different from most students. He did not dare to say that he had read all the schools of thought, but he had always been very interested in Taoism and Mohism, which were vaguely parallel to Confucianism. He had spent a lot of time studying them in private. He even won a debate with a Taoist gentleman in front of hundreds of thousands of people in Mount Zhongnan.

Of course, this does not mean that he is more professional than the Taoist gentlemen, but with the advantage of his memories from his previous life, his understanding of certain Taoist thoughts is very unique and advanced.

In addition, he was also very familiar with the Daoist Scriptures. The two Eastern Purple Qis of "Qingjing" and "Wuwei" came from the first Daoist Scripture in Xuanhuang Realm. After Zhao Rong got it, he naturally read the 3,000-word Daoist Scripture several times with great interest, guessing what other interesting words and sentences would turn into Eastern Purple Qi.

Therefore, the question at the moment really suits Zhao Rong's taste.

"I don't know which gentleman it is, but it suits my taste..." His eyes sparkled with curiosity.

However, this unique question certainly reflects the knowledgeable spirit of the unknown old gentleman who set the question, but it also requires a very high level of vision and knowledge from the candidates.

Zhao Rong estimated that most of the students who saw this question in the examination room were probably confused, and maybe even muttering... Is this sentence in the Thirteen Classics of Confucianism? Where did it come from? Are the saints all talkative, saying so much nonsense all the time?

It is estimated that only a small number of students like Yu Huaijin who have read Confucian classics or have some knowledge of Taoist classics can notice something wrong.

But it is also possible... Many candidates did not have the doubts and worries that Zhao Rong had in mind, and directly regarded it as the words of sages in Confucian classics that they had never read. Anyway, there are so many words from sages, as long as they are not swearing... Hey, maybe there are swearing, so it is not surprising that they can say anything, and then everyone just "learned and answered" on the spot.

However, in the test, if you misunderstand the source of the question, you will inevitably ignore the test intention of the test setter and deviate from the correct direction of answering the question.

In just ten breaths, he finished reviewing the questions.

Zhao Rong, who was bent over the desk, leaned back tactically to stretch his muscles.

What does it mean for a top student to solve a problem?

A confident arc appeared on Zhao Rong's lips. He looked up and around to see other people's reactions to this question. However, he found that... he seemed to be writing too fast. Most of the students seemed to be still writing the first page of the scripture and carefully choosing their words.

This... I feel a little lonely.

However, Zhao Rong soon discovered that his pen spinning seemed to have accidentally affected several students nearby.

The latter gave him a look that was either resentful or dissatisfied.

Zhao Rong silently stopped the pen turning between his fingers, smiled slightly apologetically, continued to lower his head, and answered the questions quietly.

After understanding the origin and meaning of the question, the first step now is to solve it.

It doesn't mean that if the title is 'Everyone has something but I am left out', you can just use it as the title and 'repeat' its meaning throughout the article.

This kind of mindless use is a very bad move. The gentlemen who grade the papers give grades based on their mood.

So what Zhao Rong has to do now is to think about the proposition of the examiner, combine it with his own thinking, and come up with two or three concise and condensed short sentences as the first two sentences of the article, which will also serve as the central outline of the entire article.

This point is also known as the key point in the test of the meaning of the classics.

Confucian scholars of different levels have different depths and angles in solving problems.

According to Zhao Rong's previous observations, the most important thing is to grasp the preferences and tendencies of the person who sets the question.

Therefore, the essay questions on the meaning of the classics, like some of Zhao Rong's essay topics in his previous life, were, to some extent, meant to "flatter" the examiner.

But just betting on the right horse is at best a mediocre strategy.

The best strategy is to have the right direction, have some new and interesting ideas that will impress the test setter, then support it with wonderful writing, and finally have neat and beautiful handwriting. This way, you can produce a test paper that deserves a full score and will be circulated throughout the school as usual.

After sorting out these, Zhao Rong began to solve the problem.

Everyone has more than enough, except me.

On the surface, it seems to be saying that "I" am not as good as others, "I" am like a fool, it is a self-lament.

But don't be foolish enough to believe it.

I didn’t even know I was being scolded.

You can tell with just your toes that the Taoist saints are being humble.

To put it simply, you just need to listen to what he says in reverse.

What he actually wants to say is that you are the real fools, and you are not as good as him.

This is like 'he is the only one sober among the crowd'.

Think about it, if you compare a saint with a group of ordinary people, he will certainly appear to be out of place and like a fool.

Don't believe what he said later, 'I have the heart of a fool.' And please note that he said 'the heart of a fool', not 'the actions of a fool'. The saint does not do foolish things, but has a heart that seems foolish compared to others.

Tutu secretly praised himself, saying that his music was too high-brow and few people could appreciate it. Look, he seemed stupid in this muddy world.

If you understand this, you have understood half of it.

The key point that remains to be studied in detail is what is meant by "surplus" and what is meant by "if there is any loss".

The saint's "lost" is definitely good, and the common people's "surplus" is definitely denied by him.

What is the difference between ordinary people and saints that makes the former seem "more than enough" and the latter seem "lacking"?

What exactly these two things refer to is not clearly stated in these nine short words.

But Zhao Rong easily thought of the answer.

Taoism Taoism, what saints possess is of course "Tao", while ordinary people lack "Tao".

Zhao Rong thought of Tao Yuanran, a Taoist gentleman he knew. He had a noble status, but he wore cloth clothes and straw sandals all day long and lived a simple life, owning only the basic necessities.

Therefore, this "Tao" also causes a superficial phenomenon, that is, the saints who have the Tao are lonely and poor, while the people without the "Tao" are rich and have more than enough.

So the meaning of this sentence of the saint in the "Tao Te Ching" is roughly: Everyone is rich and has more than enough, but I am alone and poor. My heart is really ignorant and poor, and seems chaotic compared to others.

After thinking all this through and looking back at the proposition, Zhao Rong suddenly felt enlightened and full of inspiration.

It doesn't mean that he agrees that to attain enlightenment and become a saint one must live a simple life without desires, but that he sees the essence of the "Tao" contained in these appearances.

Why do the masses have more than enough? Because they have many desires, so they pursue much and gain much.

However, these are all superfluous!

But a sage looks directly to his own heart, does not pursue too much, and only takes what he needs, which is enough for him.

Therefore, he seems to have nothing. In the eyes of people who have everything, if a saint does not "get" these things, it is equivalent to "losing" them and he is a fool.

but……

"How foolish everyone is..."

Zhao Rong sighed.

He thought of the world of his previous life again.

Some people have a thousand expensive and beautiful clothes in their wardrobes, all of which they love. However, every time they go out, they can only choose one of them. It takes them half an hour to choose and choose before they can go out. And no matter which one they finally choose, they will always regret not choosing the other clothes in their wardrobe after they go out.

Some people keep up with the times and buy a lot of electronic devices, all of which are powerful and good. However, they can only play with one at a time. Every day, they finally have free time to choose the most fun one from a lot of fun devices. Over time, the desk is filled with new products, and many new devices that have not been played with in time are thrown away to collect dust.

I wanted this and that, but in the end I found out it was terrible because everything was unnecessary.

And it is hard to regain the carefree feeling when you were a kid with only one set of clothes to wear, and go out to play every day without any worries; it is hard to regain the joy and tirelessness of reading in bed, and surfing the Internet with only an electronic device in your hand whose buttons are not working and which is prone to jamming.

So, when they grow up, they get many of the things they always longed for. Are they happy or miserable?

Zhao Rong thought to himself:

"So, 'If I lose everything' is the way of the Taoist saints. The common people want to 'gain day by day', while the saints 'lose day by day', losing again and again until they have nothing left. In the eyes of the common people, it seems that he has lost a lot of things, but he can still live a normal life and be at ease. This just means that he actually has everything and has enough things... It turns out that the things he lost before were all redundant."

He shook his head gently. "So the Taoist saints do nothing, do not seek or contend, and after losing everything, they gain their true self... This is the complete connotation of this sentence. As long as you solve the problem around its idea, it will be fine. Hiss, I think I can use 'do nothing' to answer it again..."

Zhao Rong suddenly paused and fell silent.

Without blinking, he stared at the eight spirited and sloppy words on the paper: 'Everyone else has more, but I am left out'.

"Is what the old gentleman who set the question wants to test... really the Taoist concept of true self and inaction?"

The Confucian scholar who was talking to himself was quiet for a long time.

In the examination room, the sounds of writing, grinding ink and turning pages were intertwined.

Zhao Rong sat in the back row near the lake and slowly turned his head to look at the calm and peaceful lake.

He shook his head slightly.

"This is another trap, a trap used by the test setter to target students like me who are familiar with the classics of hundreds of schools of thought and want to get high scores. This test setter, who I have never met, did give a question from the Tao Te Ching, but he is a Confucian scholar, and I am also a Confucian student. He certainly cannot support Taoist thought, and I cannot use Taoist teachings to answer the question, otherwise I will be deceived."

Zhao Rong said silently in his heart, "So the original intention of the person who set the question is very simple. He may have read all schools of thought and admired this sentence in the Tao Te Ching. He felt that it was great goodness, so he used it in the question without any restrictions. However, his appreciation and his belief in great goodness must not be the Taoist thought contained in it, but... his understanding after integrating our Confucian thought."

After completely solving the problem, Zhao Rong suddenly realized what was going on. He cursed inwardly, "What a cunning old fox."

"I almost fell into a trap, but I'm sorry. I'm also in the atmosphere."

Zhao Rong chuckled, picked up the brush with a smile, supported his wrist with one hand, and began to write.

I saw him write the opening words in the first line of the scroll: A gentleman has things he should do and things he should not do.

Why write it?

Just think about the Taoist saint who has lost again and again until he has almost nothing left. What is he seeking?

What we seek is the One! After eliminating all desires, the only One that remains.

Therefore, the saint's "If I am left behind" is actually "If I am one".

The person who set this strange test question admires the Taoist saints' method of self-cultivation by seeking "oneness", rather than appreciating the Taoist "oneness".

What is this 'one' that Taoist saints seek?

It is lonely and inaction.

So what about the 'one' of the Confucian saints?

Of course, it is the righteousness and action that everyone in the world knows!

If Zhao Rong had not seen through this, and instead written "The boss is right, yes, yes", and then foolishly answered the question in the direction of completely agreeing with the Taoist saint and his "one", he would have been lighting a lamp in a toilet.

Therefore, Zhao Rong was going to start the topic with "A gentleman should do what he should do and should not do what he should not do", and he agreed with the Taoist sage's method of self-cultivation of "as if leaving behind", but he clearly stood on the Confucian "one".

It roughly means:

It is true that I have suffered a lot in these aspects of my personal life, doing nothing and not competing, like a fool. However, when it comes to such important matters in the world as 'Heaven and Earth establish their minds and the people establish their destiny', I must do my best and contribute my all!

Therefore, a gentleman has things he should do and things he should not do.

Zhao Rong suddenly took out an erasure tool and erased the sentence.

"Not good, too broad, not bright enough... Got it! Try this."

He changed to a new answer sheet, picked up his pen and wrote again: A gentleman does not seek to be full when eating, does not seek to be comfortable when living, is quick to act and cautious in speech, and has the right way.

Pause the pen.

Zhao Rong took a closer look, thought about it, and suddenly folded the answer paper and threw it away.

"It's still not good, too straightforward, not outstanding enough."

He muttered to himself, squinting his eyes, as if thinking about something, while casually glancing at the fat gentleman who was dozing off in front of him and the candidates around him who had just finished reading the test paper and were all looking worried.

Finally, Zhao Rong's eyes suddenly opened, and he quickly bent over his desk, writing quickly on the brand new answer sheet.

This time, he only wrote a few words to start the topic:

With a wooden bowl for food and a gourd for water, you will be happy instead of worried.

The person who sets the question uses the words of the sages in the Tao Te Ching, so he also uses the words of the sages in the Confucian Classics.

The opening words come from a story about a saint: How virtuous! Hui is! With only a bowl of rice and a gourd of water, living in a humble alley, the people are worried, but Hui does not change his joy.

You have your eight characters, and I have my eight characters too; you write about the Taoist saint and the masses, one left behind and one remaining; I also write about the Confucian saint and the masses, one happy and one sad.

Whatever you leave behind or have left over, that is what makes me happy or sad.

Moreover, the opening line of the title is also an exquisite allusion.

This time, there are four twos with a pair of kings, it's amazing!

Zhao Rong smiled knowingly, and he had finished preparing the most difficult part of the title, just like the finishing touch of a dragon. He was familiar with the next part, "drawing the dragon's body", and his pen moved smoothly...

About half an hour later, Zhao Rong finished writing everything and called it a day.

After checking the paper from beginning to end and making sure there were no typos, Zhao Rong put it aside to let the ink dry, and then he packed up his things and prepared to leave.

Up to this moment, only half an hour had passed since the exam started.

As for the main course, the examination on the meaning of the classics was less than halfway through. In the ten examination rooms of the academy, from A to G, no one had left their seats. The students in the six halls, even Yu Huaijin, who was the most watched in the G hall, was concentrating on the last question and was anxiously thinking about how to solve it. The sky above the lakeside corridor was filled with silence, with only the occasional invigilator passing by...

However, someone has already started to worry about how to leave.

…