The next few days were uneventful; he went to class and left work as usual. After bringing Qiu Xiaogong into the hospital, Duanmu Ci secretly observed her for a few days. He was almost pleasantly surprised to find that she was alright, and no one else was injured because of Qiu Xiaogong. He was slightly relieved and called Wei Yue, who was far away in Tokyo, to let her know that she was safe.
Wei Yue didn't say much on the phone, only reminding the teacher that Qiu Xiaogong might not be as safe as she seemed, and that the teacher should not let her guard down.
Duanmu Ci recalled the scene when he first met Qiu Xiaogong, remembering the line, "I can cut off his head with one sword," and thus deeply agreed...
It's only been a few days since I returned to school that it's May Day. According to the instructions of the General Office of the State Council, the whole country will have a three-day holiday during this period, and Haishan University is no exception.
During the three-day May Day holiday, Duanmu Ci neither wanted to go out nor do anything; he just wanted to quietly mourn.
Having been back in China for so long, Duanmu Ci has never visited Qufu to pay homage to his teacher, Confucius. This is certainly not because he doesn't want to go, nor because he has forgotten, but because Qufu is no longer the Qufu of yesteryear.
In the sixteenth year of Duke Ai of Lu, Confucius died in the State of Lu and was buried on the north bank of the Si River north of the city of Lu. His tomb was no more than a hundred acres in size, his fief was no more than three mounds, and his shrine and hall were no more than three rooms. Although it was not as magnificent as it was later, it was ultimately the purest intention of his disciples.
Duanmu Ci still remembers the scene vividly to this day. In the desolate autumn, the sage passed away, autumn leaves falling, summer insects dying, and heaven and earth mourning him. The Master regarded "rites" as his life's purpose, perhaps even above life itself. He especially valued funeral rites, considering them the foundation of the patriarchal system. Therefore, when arranging the funeral rites, his disciples specifically gathered the rituals of the Xia, Shang, and Zhou kings. Although the process was simple, the ceremony was extremely solemn, presided over by Gongxi Chi, a master of rites, and the atmosphere was dignified. It even attracted the attention of many people from various states.
He also recalled that Zixia had said to the Yan people who had come to watch, "The burial of a sage is no different from the burial of a commoner; why are you all watching?"
After the funeral, the disciples, each carrying a handful of soil, built an oval-shaped tomb for their Master. Each handful represented their deepest sorrow. The Master's tomb at that time covered a hundred acres, ten paces wide to the north, thirty paces wide to the east and west, and twelve feet high. Its scale was small and could not compare with the tombs of the feudal lords and nobles of the various states at that time. However, this did not matter. The Master's greatness did not require a grand tomb, a magnificent mausoleum, or lavish burial goods. His greatness lay in his unparalleled wisdom and compassion.
If Heaven had not given birth to Confucius, the world would have remained in perpetual darkness.
Later, history changed drastically, and the environment transformed. War and chaos ensued, and when Emperor Gaozu of Han's army besieged the Lu region, it left it in ruins. At that time, Duanmu Ci was in Chang'an and unable to stop the unrest in time. As a result, when Duanmu Ci returned later, he could no longer find the exact location of Confucius's tomb. Fortunately, after the policy of "suppressing all other schools of thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism," Confucius's tomb received attention from the imperial court.
In the third year of the Yongshou era of Emperor Huan of Han (Liu Zhi), Han Yu, the Chancellor of Lu, ordered the repair of Confucius' tomb. A spirit gate was built in front of the tomb, and a dormitory was constructed to the southeast. Several households were allocated to support the cleaning and maintenance of Confucius' tomb. Upon hearing the news, Duanmu Ci traveled a thousand miles from Luoyang to the site, weeping profusely. He was certain this was Confucius' tomb, for there stood a tree in front of it—a Chinese scholar tree he had personally planted.
After Confucius died, his disciples planted trees from their hometowns around his tomb. Duanmu Ci planted a Chinese scholar tree there, its trunk sparse yet unyielding, upright and strong, to symbolize Confucius's character.
This Chinese scholar tree was protected by successive dynasties, and steles were erected to commemorate it. It flourished for a thousand years until it withered and died during the Ming Dynasty. The remaining trunk was struck by lightning in the eighth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, leaving only a charred stump. Upon hearing the news, Duanmu Ci came from overseas, wept while leaning against the tree, and knelt before the grave for three days.
There is even a "Kai Pavilion" there, erected in the 51st year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. Inside the pavilion stands a stele with a picture of a Kai tree carved on it. Behind the tree is another stele, inscribed with a poem by Shi Runzhang, a famous poet of the early Qing Dynasty, praising "the Kai tree planted by Zigong": "It is impossible to tell when it was planted, but the broken stele remains to this day."
Gazing upon the solitary tree's shadow, one still sees the heart of the ancients. Having weathered countless storms, the vast天地 (heaven and earth) are now shrouded in gloom. Passing the site of the dwelling, a thousand years have passed, and tears well up in my eyes.
It tells a story full of heartache.
To this day, the tree and the pavilion still stand in front of Confucius's tomb in Qufu, but Qufu is no longer the Qufu of yesteryear.
During the "Ten Years of Catastrophe" described in history textbooks, Confucius was unjustly denounced as a so-called "heretic." In an instant, a massive "Criticize Confucius" movement swept across this land that had been diligently nurtured by Confucianism for thousands of years. Confucius's tomb was desecrated, and the thousand-year-old holy land suffered an unprecedented calamity. Qufu escaped the devastation of the Japanese, but could not escape the swords of its own people.
Having suffered such a great humiliation after Confucius' death, Duanmu Ci naturally refused to go to Qufu again. Even Kong Decheng, the last Duke Yansheng of Confucius' descendants and the sacrificial official of the Great Sage Confucius appointed by the Republic of China government, refused to return to Qufu to worship his ancestors for the rest of his life, only offering sacrifices from afar on Taiwan every year. Duanmu Ci was naturally the same.
Before setting off for Japan, Duanmu Ci instructed Bu Tongxun to prepare a large room on the second floor and furnish it properly. He said he wanted to set up a shrine at home to worship his ancestors. He then handed over the shrine, which he had personally carved, to Bu Tongxun so that he could place it properly. The characters on the shrine were from the State of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. They had been lost for a long time, but he was not afraid that anyone would recognize them.
The spirit tablet of the revered teacher Confucius.
...
...
After class that day, Duanmu Ci took a bath and sat in the tea room to calm his mind and reflect on his actions. Then he went to the room on the second floor. He had already informed Bu Tongxun and Qiu Xiaogong that he would be meditating in the room for the next few days, and no one was allowed to disturb him, go upstairs, or make any noise.
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