I have to say, secluded reading really helps you gain insights.
After reading Lei Li's collected works, Xu Yan discovered that this great master Lei was indeed a loyal believer in Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind.
In fact, the period during the Ming Dynasty when the imperial examinations were based on Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism was mainly concentrated before the Zhengde Dynasty.
After the Jiajing period, Yangming's philosophy of mind rose to prominence, and its status in the imperial examinations gradually surpassed that of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.
This became even more so from the Wanli period to the end of the Ming Dynasty.
Xu Jie highly praised Yangming's philosophy of mind and gave lectures in the capital. Later, Li Chunfang was even more so, even writing an essay on the subject while serving as the chief examiner for the imperial examination in the second year of the Longqing reign.
This article interpreted the classics using Wang's philosophy and incorporated the words of Zhuangzi into the text, which caused a sensation at the time.
Just like the leader of the Tang and Song School, Tang Shunzhi, one of the three great writers of the Jiajing period, proposed the "theory of originality", advocating that "only those who cleanse their hearts, are independent in appearance, and have a unique perspective on the past and present" can create excellent works, and advocated that writing "simply speak from the heart and write freely. Although there may be omissions, as long as there is absolutely no worldly habits, then it will be the best text in the universe." Otherwise, even if the "rules and regulations" are strictly followed, "it is just a few old-fashioned words repeated over and over again", without "true spirit and indelible insights for all time. Although the writing is good, it is inevitably of inferior quality."
These views are essentially consistent with Yangming's philosophy of mind.
During the Wanli period, the left-wing Wang school, represented by Li Zhi and Yuan Hongdao, advocated that articles should seek heart, novelty, difference and interest, and integrated the thoughts of Zen Buddhism, Laozi and Zhuangzi into the imperial examinations, which was another great innovation.
Yuan Hongdao even proposed: "The purpose of selecting talents lies in finding wit. If it is not timely, it will not be witty. If it is not innovative and extremely changeable, it will not be timely. Therefore, even if there are three orders and five supervisions, the trend of literature cannot be stopped. It is a matter of time."
In general, although Lei Li's views on imperial examination articles were not as radical as those of Li Zhi and Yuan Hongdao, who were leftists of Wangxue, he generally belonged to the same type as Xu Jie, Li Chunfang, and Tang Shunzhi, that is, the moderate Wangxue.
There are many types of Wangxue, and there are great differences between different factions.
But no matter how things change, the root remains Wang Yangming's Zhejiang Wang School.
The representatives of Wang School in central Zhejiang are Qian Dehong and Wang Ji.
Wang Longxi belongs to the bold and casual school, emphasizing the word "Xuan".
Qian Xushan belongs to the mellow conservative faction, emphasizing the word "real".
In Xu Yan's opinion, whether it is Tang Shunzhi, Li Chunfang, Xu Jie or Lei Li, they should all advocate Qian Xushan's Wangxue school.
This is simply a case of searching for something unsuccessfully but finding it without any effort.
Very, very good, very good!
Xu Yan had to restrain himself strongly to avoid laughing like a pig.
If there is anyone among Wang Xue’s students who values 'return to oneness' more than Qian Dehong, Xu Yan really can’t think of one.
With such a good teacher to guide him, Xu Yanwen was able to bring the literary style of the "Return to Oneness" school of Wang Xue in central Zhejiang to its fullest potential.
Xu Yan would practice and write whatever type of articles Lei Li preferred. By catering to his preferences, he didn't believe that Lei Li would dislike it!
Of course, Mr. Qian’s guidance is not in vain. A few jars of Ningbo liquor seem to be indispensable.
However, compared with successfully passing the academy examination and obtaining the title of scholar, what are a few jars of liquor?
"My dear disciple, why are you grinning like an idiot? Have you become stupid from writing?"
Qian Dehong appeared behind Xu Yan at some point, which really scared him.
Xu Yan tried hard to calm himself down, thinking to himself that it was really a relief that someone would hand him a pillow whenever he wanted to sleep.
"My dear teacher, I have a favor to ask of you."
No one knows a disciple better than his teacher. As soon as Xu Yan opened his mouth, Qian Dehong knew what he was thinking.
Mr. Qian curled his lips and said, "If you have anything to say, just say it. When has your master ever treated you unfairly?"
Xu Yan was delighted to hear this and bowed, saying, "Please teach me how to incorporate the style of Yangming's philosophy of mind into my essays for the imperial examinations."
Qian Dehong stroked his short beard and said with a smile, "Not bad, not bad. You figured it out after just one day of observation. I was right about you."
Xu Yan quickly flattered him: "If you can't even figure this out, it would be a disgrace to you, old man."
"Well, since you are so sincere, I will come and give you some personal guidance. If we talk about the successor of Wang's school, I am second to none. No one dares to claim to be the first."
Qian Dehong said confidently.
Xu Yan thought that there was nothing wrong with this statement. It was no problem for Qian Dehong to be ranked first among Wang Yangming's many disciples.
The rich old man gave me special tutoring, and my writing skills improved rapidly.
"Pick up any article and read it."
Xu Yan hurriedly handed over the article he had just written.
Qian Dehong only took a glance and found the problem.
"There's nothing wrong with your idea, but your writing is too contrived. It's obvious you've read too many Cheng and Zhu Xi essays. This kind of essay is too rigid and formal. It might be considered good for county or prefecture-level exams, but it's going to be harder to stand out the higher you get."
Xu Yan thought to himself that he was indeed a great man, as he could see the problem very clearly.
In fact, Qian Dehong is a conservative in Wang's studies. Even he thinks the article is too impartial, which is really too rigid.
"You can be bolder in solving the problem."
Qian Dehong continued, "Don't be afraid of going off topic. At least that's the norm during the college entrance exam."
The chief examiner of the college examination was undoubtedly Lei Li, and Qian Dehong knew Lei Li's temperament and writing preferences very well.
In this case, boldly solving the problem will naturally bring the highest benefits.
"But you can't be too casual, you have to be able to take it back."
Qian Dehong said slowly, "Writing is like cooking. Controlling the heat is very important. If you want to learn my writing style, you can't do it without practicing dozens or hundreds of articles."
Upon hearing this, Xu Yanzhi's face was filled with black lines.
Dozens or hundreds of articles?
This was more than he had imagined.
He originally thought that with the guidance of Mr. Qian, he could find the true skills by practicing three or five articles. Now it seems that he was too naive.
But he decided to give it his all for the college entrance examination!
Isn’t it just the tactic of doing a lot of questions? It’s not like he hasn’t experienced this before.
What's more, this time it is more targeted, and we can just practice with a certain writing style.
"You've read my articles, and my style should be very obvious. Next, it's time to practice. Okay, I'll give you the questions, and you practice three articles a day. You should be able to master it in a month."
Xu Yan didn't dare to refuse, and quickly bowed and said, "Thank you, Master."
Qian Dehong squinted his eyes and chanted:
Zhizhang rides a horse like riding a boat, and falls into a well and falls asleep at the bottom of the water.
The three buckets of Ruyang begin to face the sky, and when I see a koji cart on the road, my mouth drools.
The left prime minister spends tens of thousands of dollars every day, drinks like a whale sucking up hundreds of rivers, and holds his cup in his mouth, rejoicing as a saint and being called a wise man of the world.
Zong Zhi is a handsome and elegant young man. He raises his cup and looks up at the sky with his eyes wide open, as bright as a jade tree in the wind.
Su Jin often meditated in front of the Buddha statue while fasting, and often liked to escape from meditation when drunk.
Li Bai wrote a hundred poems after drinking a bowl of wine, and slept in a tavern in Chang'an.
I refused to board the ship when the emperor called me, claiming that I was a wine immortal.
Zhang Xu drank three cups of wine and became the master of cursive script. He took off his hat and exposed his head in front of the king, and his brushstrokes fell on the paper like clouds and smoke.
Jiao Sui became outstanding after drinking five cups of wine, and his eloquent speeches amazed the people around the table.
"My dear disciple, why don't you pour me some wine?"
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