Chapter 220 Education
Yes, Gu Jiayue’s knowledge is indeed good. During this period of time, they have indeed learned a lot of knowledge points that they have not learned before from Gu Jiayue.
But even so, it cannot change the fact that Gu Jiayue is a woman.
A woman who cannot even pass the imperial examination can only stay in this small mountain village no matter how knowledgeable she is.
Therefore, most students looked down on Gu Jiayue from the bottom of their hearts. They were even unwilling to tell others that they were studying in a school run by women.
What happened today was just the last straw that broke the camel's back. The high intensity of farm work made it impossible for them to suppress their true thoughts.
Most of the students looked up at Jiang Huaijin. They didn't expect that this brother was so brave and dared to say such words in front of Master Gu.
Su Yichen, who was punished by Jiang Luli to do farm work for a month because of similar words, quickly stood up and looked outside. It was very quiet outside, and Jiang Shanchang did not appear under the eaves as if out of nowhere.
He felt relieved but also a little disappointed.
Hey, why didn’t Jiang Shanchang hear it?
Putting away his disappointment, he glanced at Gu Jiayue secretly and saw that she was looking at Jiang Huaijin expressionlessly.
Gu Jiayue opened her mouth with her red lips. "Yes, I am a woman. I cannot participate in the imperial examination. But this does not mean that I am worse than you."
"I'm sixteen years old. The youngest among you is Fu Wenhan, but he's a year older than me. You're not as good as me in knowledge and strength. Besides weight and age, what else can you compare to me?"
Everyone thought about it, but couldn't find any words to refute.
They were indeed inferior to Gu Jiayue. Over the past two months, they had a profound impression of the Master's knowledge. If women could take the imperial examinations, the Master's achievements would surely be comparable to those of Jiang Luli, the headmaster.
Fu Wenhan was the first to stand up and bowed to Gu Jiayue. "Master, please forgive me. My students are ignorant."
The other students followed suit and bowed to apologize.
Only Jiang Huaijin stood there with his head tilted. The classmate next to him tugged at his sleeve, but he shook it off without any understanding.
He was right. Gu Jiayue was torturing them on purpose.
Gu Jiayue sighed. As expected, no matter where you are, there are always such difficult troublemakers.
She celebrated too early some time ago.
"I'm not deliberately trying to torture you. You will all become officials in the future. As officials, you must take it as your responsibility to contribute to the development of the country. And the development of a country is inseparable from agriculture."
"Some of you have already participated in two busy farming seasons, but have you ever used what you learned to think about how to make farm work easier?"
The students, who had originally looked unhappy, softened a bit after hearing this, but then frowned again.
Zhang Sheng shook his head. "Master, the words of the sages rarely concern agriculture and sericulture. And the imperial examination..."
"You mean to say that the imperial examinations don't test agriculture or sericulture?"
Most people nodded in agreement, but Gu Jiayue had a different opinion.
"You are wrong. Mencius outlined the blueprint for benevolent government and the way of kings to King Xuan of Qi, stating, 'A house of five mu, planted with mulberry trees, will enable men fifty to wear silk. Chickens, pigs, dogs, and pigs, raised without missing their season, will enable men seventy to eat meat. A field of a hundred mu, not deprived of its season, will allow a family of eight to have no hunger. Teach the children of filial piety and respect for elders in schools, and the elderly will not have to carry heavy loads on the road."
"The founding emperor of the previous dynasty mentioned in the "Farming Chapter" of the "Emperor's Model" that "food is the foundation of human life, and agriculture is the foundation of government..."
Although Jiang Gong did not specifically discuss farming in detail in his Six Strategies of Taigong, he did mention that "the people are civilized and follow the government. Thus, Heaven accomplishes things without intervention, and the people prosper without involvement. This is the virtue of a sage."
"Although the views and opinions of these saints are not specifically systematic articles on agriculture, they all reflect their emphasis on agriculture and their thoughts and opinions on how to develop agriculture."
"Okay, then let's get back to the topic of you thinking I'm deliberately torturing you."
Gu Jiayue took out her textbook. "Turn to page 185. There's a question about the meaning of the sutra here."
The Great Learning states, "There is a great way to make money: many produce it, few consume it; those who work it are diligent, those who spend it are at ease; then wealth will always be sufficient." The Book of Songs, Chapter 7, details the agricultural and sericultural labors of the ancient people throughout the year, with the following lines: "In the month of silkworms, the mulberry trees are being plowed. Take the axe and chop the distant mulberry trees, and prune the mulberry trees. In the seventh month, the cuckoo sings; in the eighth month, the weaving is being carried, carrying black and yellow. I, Zhu Kongyang, make clothes for the prince." The Book of Zhou also established numerous official positions to oversee agricultural and sericultural work, such as "Sui Ren, who is in charge of the fields of the state, maps the fields with land, and creates laws for the shapes of counties and villages. He surveys the people year by year, grants them farmland, equips them with weapons, and teaches them how to farm."
Based on classical texts, explain why agriculture and sericulture were considered fundamental to the state. Analyze the role of agriculture and sericulture in the ancient socioeconomic structure and its crucial role in national stability, population growth, and fiscal revenue.
"This was a question on the interpretation of classics from the Imperial Examination in the 12th year of the Jianyuan era, which is only a little over three years ago."
"Look at pages 190 and 203. The questions here are all original questions from past imperial examinations, and they all ask about agriculture and sericulture. Do you still think agriculture and sericulture are unimportant? Do you still think it's enough to just shut yourself in and memorize some Zhihu articles every day?"
Jiang Huaijin finally lowered his head.
He was in great torment at the moment. On the one hand, he felt that what Gu Jiayue said made sense, but on the other hand, he wanted to stick to his own opinion.
Fu Wenhan stood up and was about to say something, but Gu Jiayue stopped him with a wave. "Okay, I know you have your own ideas and your own beliefs. I'm not asking you to accept everything I think. But I hope you can calm down and think about what I'm saying today. Why do you study? Why do you want to become an official? If you become an official, what can you do for the country?"
Gu Jiayue's three consecutive questions made everyone start to think deeply.
"I have a question here. Please write it down and think about it slowly when you have time. Then give it to me when you leave Taohua Village."
"The Analects of Confucius says, 'Those who excel in learning will become officials.' It also says, 'If you wish to establish yourself, establish others; if you wish to succeed yourself, succeed others.' Therefore, I ask you to discuss the relationship between studying, officialdom, and the people. Based on these two statements, try to explain the connection between studying as learning and officialdom, and how officials should apply what they have learned to the people, thereby achieving the goal of benefiting the world. I ask you to include the busy farming season in this discussion, and quote from classics, provide precise analysis, and provide detailed arguments to illustrate the significance of Confucian classics in governing the country and caring for the people's livelihood."
All the students' faces froze, and they quickly took out papers and wrote down the topic that Gu Jiayue had just mentioned.
Gu Jiayue didn't continue to embarrass them. No matter how much you said, it wouldn't be as memorable as trying it yourself.
Now that everyone has written down the questions, today's class officially begins.
The May Day holiday is over. Ladies, are you getting used to your first day back to work? Just hold on a little longer, as Dragon Boat Festival is coming up at the end of the month.
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