Chapter 290: Passing on the Torch In

the fifty-third year of the Xia Dynasty, the news of Wang Mang's death finally spread.

At the same time, the imperial edict he left behind was also spread.

The Xia Emperor, who had defended the Xia Dynasty for fifty-three years, was still thinking about the people of the Xia Dynasty on this land after his departure.

On that day, some people who received the news ran to the streets and cried loudly.

Most of them are elderly people.

These people may not have experienced the chaotic scenes of war and division among warlords in Dayue, but they have witnessed with their own eyes how the Xia Dynasty became prosperous step by step.

As an emperor, he bears the brunt of the world's evil, but he also naturally has a share of the world's good.

They were extremely sad to lose such a wise and virtuous ruler.

Some people may also regret having insulted Wang Mang when he first ascended the throne.

But no matter what, all this is over.

The dead cannot be resurrected.

Be it sorrow or joy, the world will function normally without anyone.

The same is true for the sages who are highly respected, or the wise kings who work hard and love their people.

In the face of death, all beings are equal, there is no difference.

Only those names that shine in history can vaguely give us a glimpse of their charm.

After Wang Mang's death, the new emperor ascended the throne.

It is his child with Xu Wanrong.

The new emperor did not disobey the edict left by Wang Mang and kept everything simple.

Faced with the national grief, the new emperor did not take any action. He did not even set up an altar to announce his ascension to the throne to the world.

From this perspective, he is quite sensible.

Fifty-four years of the Xia Dynasty.

The new emperor chose the reign title, Chengping.

Throughout his life, Wang Mang never established a reign title. He was very ambitious and hoped that when future generations mentioned the word "Emperor Xia", they would think of him first.

His children had to choose a reign title to distinguish themselves from their father and to indicate that the emperor had changed.

From then on, the new emperor was no longer called Emperor Xia, but Emperor Chengping.

Peace and prosperity will continue.

Emperor Chengping did not have as many wise men under his command as Wang Mang. In addition to Xun Ke, Wang Mang also had people like Gong Shangguo and Qin Lisheng at his disposal. It was almost impossible for him to accomplish a greater career than Wang Mang.

The word "Chengping" is both a recognition of the late emperor and an encouragement to oneself.

Times have changed, and things are very different.

Nowadays, Grandmasters are extremely rare in the mortal world, at least in the lands surrounding the Xia Dynasty, even if someone is promoted to Grandmaster, he will rush there immediately after hearing the news of the Buzhou Mountains. There is nothing in the mortal world that can attract Grandmasters.

Before, it was just because everyone was the same, so it didn't matter where the masters went. After all, it was hard to leave one's hometown, so many masters stayed in their own countries, lived a stable life, and enjoyed all the glory and wealth.

Now that I have higher goals and aspirations, my hometown is just a memory.

Asking means you like it, leaving means you can’t.

The master began to become "precious". Scarcity makes things valuable, and the same goes for people.

As a grandmaster, Xun Ke is naturally higher than all the masters, especially in the current situation.

Confucianism is growing rapidly.

New ideas were baptizing the Xia Dynasty. Xun Ke advocated education because he believed that human nature was evil, and to seek good in evil, one needed to learn good virtues.

Private schools and academies were set up in various places and became very popular.

The textbook used was written by Xun Ke.

It contains all kinds of fables, folk tales, and even stories about people you once knew.

For example, Mozi, Gong Shangguo, Qin Lisheng, and Wang Mang. Some of the stories of these people were included in his writings.

There are not only words of praise, there is even some subtle criticism, but generally speaking, it undoubtedly encourages people to be good.

If the person who wrote this book was not Xun Ke, he would probably have been denounced to the point of being expelled from the Xia Dynasty.

But he was Xun Ke, the leader of Confucianism, the disciple of Mozi, and the great master of the Xia Dynasty.

Therefore, he is qualified to comment on his predecessors, and even Emperor Chengping cannot say anything.

Only one person is qualified to express a different opinion.

"Mr. Gu, look."

In the increasingly quiet Gu family courtyard, Xun Ke handed his completed work to Gu Dan.

Gu Dan took it and read it slowly.

When I see the stories of familiar people, I can't help but smile. However, when I savor the true taste of them carefully, I find that some parts are debatable.

For example, when Xun Ke wrote the story about Mo Qiu, he mentioned that when Mo Qiu founded the Mohist school, the standards were extremely high. All the heroes in the world who wanted to join the school were forced back by the school's almost extremely harsh regulations, and only a few people remained.

Of course, this is also true.

Gu Dan also agreed with this point. The Mohist School did not do a bad job, but did it too well, so well that it had transcended this era. Even if it had a brief period of glory, it was inevitable that it would decline.

Qin Lisheng was a stubborn man. He continued to move forward along Moqiu's path firmly without any correction. Whether this was a good thing or a bad thing, even Gu Dan himself could not tell.

Should we be thankful that Mohism did not "degenerate" or should we be sad that Mohism, which transcended the times, would eventually be defeated by the times? I just hope that the words Qin Lisheng said before he left can give Qin Lisheng some inspiration.

On the contrary, it was Xun Ke, who seemed to be a heretic, who was doing something that could truly change the Xia Dynasty.

Educate the people and seek goodness and truth.

This is something that requires taking root in one place and working hard.

"not bad."

In the end, Gu Dan nodded and didn't think there was any need for modification.

It was compiled into a book.

From then on, this book will become one of the must-read books to enlighten countless people of the Xia Dynasty. From this book, they can learn about the founding of the Xia Dynasty and how the predecessors before the establishment of the Dynasty sacrificed their lives and shed their blood in exchange for the peaceful and stable situation today.

The Xia Dynasty was not the only one that was passed down from generation to generation, but also the ideals of our ancestors.

Isn't this also a kind of passing on the torch?

Time continues to move forward, never stopping.

The Gu family courtyard fell silent.

There are very few visitors now. Xun Ke is very busy now, and Xiaoying also has things to do at the Imperial Hospital and the Tianxia Medical Clinic.

The person who often visited this small courtyard before was the kid Wang Mang.

After Wang Mang passed away, the courtyard seemed to be detached from this world.

One day, Gu Dan went to the Xia Dynasty's Sutra Library to get books to read.

But he was surprised to find that he had read all the books on the Taoist Canon and could recite them by heart.

There will come a day when I will finish reading all the books.

If you count carefully, he has been rooted here for seventy-five years.

Seventy-five years, this is really a long period of time, so long that his contemporaries have already passed away.

Only Master Moqiu could theoretically accompany him longer, but he had been sleeping for a long time and showed no signs of waking up.

But Mo Qiu's flesh and blood were intact, his face was rosy, and he did not lose the vitality that the master had lost after his death. It did not seem like he was really separated from his master forever, but more like he was immersed in an indescribable sleep.

Every time Gu Dan made progress in the Qingmu Huasheng Jue, he would run to the Bailian inheritance site to check on him and replenish his Qingmu Liquid.

"Brother Mo, if you don't get up now, when you wake up, I'm afraid you won't see anyone familiar except me."

Gu Dan patted the coffin lid gently and sighed.

The cave was empty, and his voice echoed throughout the cave, layer upon layer, as if countless people were speaking at the same time.

However, there was no answer.

Gu Dan sat beside the coffin all night.

The time came to the 59th year of the Xia Dynasty.

Nothing major happened in the past five years, and everything was lackluster.

Emperor Taiping never did anything big and was very honest.

It's just that a new group of officials have been replaced in the court, which is quite normal.

It is worth mentioning that Xun Ke's Confucianism became more and more prosperous. After all, even the textbooks in private schools and academies were written by Xun Ke. Most of the scholars used his textbooks, and naturally they would also accept Confucian ideas.

This is the benefit of invisibility.

It was also for this reason that in the 59th year of the Xia Dynasty, Xun Ke announced that he would preach in all the academies in the world, and the time was set in the 60th year of the Xia Dynasty.

The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!

The last time they sat down and discussed philosophy was in the 25th year of the Xia Dynasty.

In the blink of an eye, thirty-five years have passed.

But this time, it was preaching rather than just talking.

Many people felt that this was Xun Ke's attempt to promote the "hegemony" of Confucianism. Confucianism's former competitor, Mohism, had fallen into decline following the departure of its great figure Qin Lisheng.

The few Mohists who remained had no talent at all to compete with Xun Ke.

The textbooks used by students all over the world are all Confucianism. How can they compete with Xun Ke? Looking at all the countries, apart from Confucianism, no one can fight now.

Even the master is almost impossible to see, as if he only exists in vernacular novels.

At this time, who can still confront Confucianism or pose a threat to Confucianism?

Probably not.

Therefore, what Xun Ke’s preaching at this time meant is probably self-evident.

He wanted to declare that Confucianism had become the preeminent school of thought in the world, and he wanted to rule the world with rituals.

It seemed like no one could stop him.

The sixtieth year of the Xia Dynasty came quietly.

In the imperial capital, whether it was restaurants or inns, they were all packed with people.

Not only that, even the prices of pens, ink, paper and inkstones rose sharply, and paper was extremely expensive in the imperial capital for a time.

Many students and talented people traveled thousands of miles to the imperial capital to pay their respects to the Confucian leader.

They also took the opportunity to write down their own strategies for governing the country and loving the people. They did not seek to be heard directly by the emperor. As long as they could be appreciated by Xun Ke and excel, they would naturally have a bright future waiting for them.

This is a carnival within Confucianism.

Naturally, Gu Dan did not miss this grand event.

Although Xun Ke, the real protagonist of this event, has not yet appeared on the stage, it has actually begun.

However, those who took the stage to debate at this time were all Xun Ke's disciples.

They learned from each other and discussed with each other, laying the groundwork for this grand event. After all, how could Xun Ke be the most powerful among all the other players right from the start?

Gu Dan has been here for quite some time and has found quite a few talented people here. It is no exaggeration to say that the place is thriving.

Not all talents need to be honed through hardship. These young people who have been cultivated with great effort also have their own ideas. Although some of them are inevitably unconventional and fanciful, they are still truly talented scholars.

This event actually provides an opportunity for these new generation of young people to showcase themselves.

As for whether you can catch everyone's eyes, it all depends on your performance.

Finally, when the appetizer was almost over, Xun Ke arrived here.

The audience was already packed.

The Tianxia Academy has been expanded several times over the years, and the area of ​​this forum is now very large. It is no problem to seat more than a thousand people around it - don't think that more than a thousand people are too few. If they are not the masters, the people behind them need to pass notes if they want to hear the speech of the person in the front.

The even more unfortunate ones can only listen to others repeating it, which is bound to be somewhat distorted.

In order to get a good position, some people even came in the middle of the night to try to get a good position, and then they were surprised to find that they did not come early enough and the good places had already been taken. Some people even just spread a piece of cloth on the ground and lay there.

However, Gu Dan did not have this worry. He had his own seat, right at the front, and closest to the podium. To be precise, there were several very special seats left on the podium.

These places were almost all reserved for the dignitaries of the Xia Dynasty. They were both listeners and judges. If one could gain their appreciation, it would not be an exaggeration to say that he would rise to a high position in the world.

On such days, even Emperor Chengping would come here to show his importance, just as Wang Mang had come here to observe.

As everyone took their seats, a bell rang outside.

Xun Ke walked over, facing the countless complicated gazes below, with a calm expression, and said leisurely: "Today, I will tell you about the Tao."

In the Xia Dynasty, he no longer had any rivals.

He did not come to debate, but to declare victory.

After decades of his consistent polishing, Confucianism is now advanced enough to be on the stage.

Even the idea that "human nature is evil" that countless people despised in the past is now rarely picked on by anyone, because for so many years, they have been defeated in debates by Xun Ke and have been humiliated. How can they dare to challenge him? From any perspective, Confucianism is a foregone conclusion.

"I speak of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and law."

Xun Ke said simply and directly without any nonsense: "Following human nature and human emotions will inevitably lead to competition, chaos and violence. It takes the rule of a sage king and the education of rites and laws to change nature and improve personality."

The story, told 35 years later, seems to be old-fashioned.

After all, Confucianism is not a fledgling school; its skeleton has already been established and there is almost no room for change. The remaining more subtle flesh and blood and veins simply need to be slowly filled in and verified by generations.

The difference is that this time Xun Ke no longer needs to explain word by word, but simply and straightforwardly proposes how to "transform nature and create falsehood", how to eliminate evil and retain good, and how to reach the realm of a sage.

In Xun Ke's concept, anyone has the opportunity to become a sage, and the difference between the wise and the foolish is due to the "accumulation of wrong customs."

The acquired environment and experience play a decisive role in the transformation of human nature. Through people's subjective efforts, "the rites and morals, the establishment of laws and regulations", people's "evil" nature can be transformed, and then "people in the world can become saints."

A sage is what people achieve through accumulation.

Xun Ke's narration was quick and concise, and with the strength of a grandmaster, his voice could be heard everywhere, so there was no need to worry about someone not being able to hear him clearly.

During his talk, both the students and the people on the stage looked very serious.

But what was inappropriate was that there was suddenly some noisy sound coming from outside. Even though it was very faint, it could not escape Gu Dan's ears.

Gu Dan turned his head to look, wanting to see who dared to make trouble at this time.

But he was surprised to find that it was an old man. To be more precise, it should be an old man who was completely unable to walk and could only be carried in by two servants with sad faces.

He was probably very old, and his hair had a dull color like weeds. The dry white hair was not carefully groomed, but instead hung down naturally like a bunch of duckweed gathered together.

Behind him, the guards of Tianxia Academy seemed a little at a loss. They didn't dare to attack the old man at all. They could only wave their arms in the air, looking quite helpless and frustrated.

After so many years of development, the Xia Dynasty's tradition of respecting the elderly has been imprinted in all aspects. Elders over 70 years old do not need to perform formalities when seeing the emperor. If they can live over 100 years old, they are real centenarians. Not only do they not need to worship the emperor, the emperor even has to pay them a visit himself.

The old man's cheeks were covered with age spots and his face was covered with horizontal wrinkles. He looked very old and even walking was a problem for him. The guards were naturally worried that if they tried to stop him, they would kill him. There was no way to explain why they actually rushed here.

Of course, there is no need to worry about the safety of the venue. If such a person can be an assassin and can successfully assassinate under the nose of the grandmaster, it is better for the Xia Dynasty to change the dynasty as soon as possible.

Fortunately, the officials of the Xia Dynasty reacted quickly. When they came in, one of them immediately came over, bent over and asked a few questions. His originally solemn expression relaxed a lot.

Then he took out a piece of brocade from somewhere and spread it on the ground so that the old man, who could no longer move freely, could have a place to stay.

The old man stared at Xun Ke in the stands without blinking, and a huge light suddenly burst out from his almost dim eyes.

Then he looked around and finally met Gu Dan's eyes.

Tears actually flowed from his cloudy eyes, and his lips moved, making an inaudible sound.

Gu Dan had good hearing and he heard it.

"You are still here!"

(End of this chapter)