Chapter 356: Academy Discussion: Confucianism, yes, this is what I said (two in one)
If I volunteered, how would you feel, Zhenbao...
On the pavilion, Zhao Duan complained silently in his heart, his expression serious, without the slightest hesitation: "Of course it's Master Dong!"
He sneered and looked down on him: "That Zhengyang, a mere country bumpkin, only dares to bark in the capital because of his little reputation..."
Xu Zhenguan glanced at him with her beautiful eyes and said, "Tell the truth."
"It's a bit tricky." Zhao Duan restrained his arrogant villain attitude and said seriously:
"Although I have never met that Zhengyang, Prince Mu must have had the confidence to send him to the capital with such generosity."
Xu Zhenguan sighed softly, holding the railing with both hands. The delicate veins of pale blue appeared on the back of his delicate hands, and a look of worry appeared on his face.
"If we were discussing orthodox knowledge, the Grand Master would naturally not be afraid of this man, but... alas."
She understood that in order to maintain the legitimacy of the empress's accession to the throne, Grand Tutor Dong would inevitably have to uphold those hastily put-together ideas based on quotations from classics.
How can it compete with Zhengyang, which has the support of orthodox learning and a solid theoretical foundation?
Even if you have the advantage of location and half the support of people, you have lost the right time.
"If the Grand Tutor fails, the capital will be fine, after all, it is under my nose and it won't cause too much trouble. But I'm afraid that my reputation will be ruined again in the nine provinces and eighteen prefectures." Xu Zhenguan laughed at himself, as if he had anticipated this situation.
That's perfect, you're notorious, and so am I... Let's call them "bitches," like the "villain couple" in TV dramas, it's pretty cool, right?
Zhao Duan's mind was in a mess, and he could see that the empress had no confidence in the debate three days later.
What Xu Zhenguan is thinking about now is how to minimize the negative impact after losing the debate.
Zhao Duan thought for a moment and said:
"Your Majesty, the matter has not yet come to a conclusion, so we should boost morale. Perhaps Zhengyang is afraid before the battle even begins, afraid of death or something, and will admit defeat on the spot during the debate."
Expecting the other party to admit defeat on the spot?
Xu Zhenguan was at a loss for words, almost laughing at him. Naturally, he didn't believe him at all, thinking he was trying to comfort him. He smiled and said, "I hope so."
He said this, but he didn't expect anything in his heart.
There is no hope that the lackeys around him can do anything about this matter.
Zhao Duan fired a bullet yesterday, but there has been no feedback yet, so naturally he won’t say anything.
The emperor and his minister listened quietly for a while, and only left quietly after Master Dong finished his lecture.
…
…
On the same morning, outside the inn where Zhengyang was staying.
Lu Cheng rushed over again and asked the other disciples, "Is the master up yet?"
The disciple hesitated and said:
"He hasn't come out yet. Last night, after you went back, I saw that the light in the master's room was still on. Maybe he's catching up on some sleep?"
Lu Cheng's heart sank, and he had an inexplicable bad premonition and suddenly felt regretful.
When the academic discussion is approaching, if the teacher loses his mind or even falls ill, he will miss out on important things.
He hurried into the yard and knocked on the door.
"Knock, knock, knock...Sir? I'm Lu Cheng."
He knocked on the door a few times, attracting the attention of many fellow disciples.
Suddenly, the door opened inward and Lu Cheng was stunned.
I saw Mr. Zhengyang wearing a coat, with a tired face and bloodshot eyes. He looked listless, but seemed to be excited.
The beautiful beard under his chin was now frizzy and dull.
"Sir...you haven't slept all night?" Lu Cheng's heart trembled when he thought of this possibility.
Zhengyang frowned and did not answer. Instead, he glanced at the many eyes looking at him from afar, suddenly reached out, grabbed his arm, and dragged his disciple into the room.
Then he asked in a deep voice: "Where did those questions you asked last night come from?"
Lu Cheng stammered, "Junior Brother Song told me. He said he heard it from an acquaintance."
"Take me to find him!" Zhengyang made a quick decision, turned around, put on his outer robe, pulled Lu Cheng, and left the inn through the back door in a carriage.
When they arrived, many of the disciples in the inn where Mr. Song was staying had already gone out again. After asking people, they learned that Mr. Song did not go out with them today.
When the master and disciple pushed open the door of the inn, they saw Mr. Song hunched over the table, flipping through books, and it seemed that he had not slept all night.
"Sir? Why are you here?" Mr. Song looked up, surprised.
Zhengyang didn't waste any words. He walked up to him, stared at him, and repeated the question.
Mr. Song was also stunned. He had never expected that Zhao Duan's few words would lead the teacher to come and ask questions in person. He said with some fear:
"Indeed, I learned this from an outsider. The more I thought about it last night, the more confused I became. So I looked through the classics..."
Zhengyang interrupted him rudely and asked:
"Who told you this? Where is that person? Can I invite him to meet me?"
Mr. Song opened his mouth and slowly uttered the name "Zhao Duan", emphasizing his identity and how they met yesterday.
Zhao Duan?
The famous favorite of the empress in the capital? The domineering and ruthless court lackey?!
A... warrior?
Zhengyang and Lu Cheng were both stunned, with strong doubts.
After listening to Mr. Song's explanation, Zhao Du'an claimed that he had heard it from somewhere else. The two looked at each other and came up with a guess.
"Sir, could it be that Dong Xuan?"
Lu Cheng speculated:
"Dong Xuan came up with this statement to respond to the academic debate? Did Zhao Duan hear it? He's just a warrior, so it's no surprise he didn't understand, so he asked Junior Brother Song about it."
Halfway through his speech, he shook his head and said in self-denial:
"No! I'm afraid it's not that simple. Although this person's knowledge is shallow, he is said to be insidious and vicious. He wouldn't be so stupid as to deliberately find Junior Brother Song. I'm afraid he did it on purpose. Could it be that he is deliberately spreading a message and using such mysterious and vague words to ruin our desire to learn? Sir, if that's the case, please don't be fooled."
Zhengyang shook his head. The great scholar from the south said firmly:
"A few words won't ruin my knowledge. Can you find a chance to meet him?"
For many disciples, the academic discussion three days later is the most important and must not be disturbed.
But for a scholar like Zhengyang who could potentially be canonized as a saint, what he really cared about was the doctrine itself.
"If it is really Dong Xuan who is delivering the message, I would like to find out the truth." The great scholar wearing a square hat said firmly.
Mr. Song took a deep breath and volunteered:
"Sir, your status is special, so it's not easy to look for him. I'll go find him."
After saying this, the old scholar went out.
Seeing this, Lu Cheng sat in the room with his mentor and waited:
"I'll go get some breakfast."
When he came back from buying food nearby, the master and disciple had just taken a few bites when they saw Mr. Song coming back.
"So fast? What did you forget?" Lu Cheng was curious.
Mr. Song shook his head with a complicated expression and said:
"After I left the inn and just walked across a street, I was stopped by Zhao Duan's officers. They told me that if we wanted to meet, we should go to Bailu Academy at 3 p.m."
He was horrified and realized that they were being monitored by officials hiding in the dark.
And yesterday, Zhao Duan deliberately stopped him, and he indeed had some ulterior motive.
"Bailu Academy? Isn't it abandoned? Sir, if this person set an ambush and wanted to harm you..." Lu Cheng's face changed slightly.
Zhengyang shook his head, his eyes clear and sharp, with the demeanor of a Confucian master, and said calmly:
"If the court wants to kill me, why bother with so much trouble? Just go there at 3 p.m."
…
…
Bailu Academy is an academy-style building with a sense of age in a corner of the capital.
In its heyday, it was the brightest among many academies, but later it gradually declined.
Later, because of a case decades ago, the president of the academy was convicted and many students were implicated and imprisoned. This academy, which no longer had a great reputation, became deserted. Due to its special historical baggage, no one "took over" it for a long time.
It became one of the properties under the jurisdiction of the imperial court, and only the civilians were assigned to clean and repair it, and few people came.
"Brother, what are you doing here?"
Zhao Pan jumped off the carriage. The girl, holding up her goose yellow skirt, looked curiously at the main entrance of the academy in front of her.
There is a plaque on the doorhead of the front gate with four large characters "Dunhua Yucai" inscribed on it, but it is still mottled and falling off.
Over her goose yellow skirt, she wore a green jacket that wrapped around her slender neck, making her face look particularly round.
"Waiting for someone and picking some grapes."
Zhao Duan got out of the car, took out two bamboo baskets, handed one to her and said with a smile.
Then he left the coachman Xiao Wang waiting outside and took the girl into the academy.
Inside the academy, there are towering ancient trees, small bridges with flying stones, black tiles and white walls, stone tablets and couplets... one can vaguely see the prosperous cultural heritage of the glorious past.
"Are there grapes here?" Zhao Pan blinked and didn't ask who they were waiting for.
At noon, Zhao Duan had lunch at home, and then said he was going out for a while. Since he would not go to the yamen in the afternoon, Zhao Pan wanted to go out with him to get some fresh air, so he simply took him along.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Yes, there's a whole vineyard here. They're all very old vines. The grapes are sweetest after being hit by frost. They have a unique flavor and are delicious when cold."
As he spoke, he and his sister followed the road signs and arrived at a vineyard. However, it was obvious that the grapes had been picked many times. He was not the only nobleman who knew that the grapes here were good.
The two of them didn't care, instead they felt the joy of finding a bargain and treasure.
The most satisfying thing was to find a bunch of purple grapes hidden under the cover of grape leaves. The two of them picked and ate them while chatting about the history of this place.
"Brother, the person you want to meet is also a scholar, and a very old one, right?" Zhao Pan guessed with bright eyes, carrying a small basket.
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Why do you say that?"
Zhao Pan said as a matter of course: "There's nothing special about this place. It's just history. Maybe only scholars care about it."
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "I guess so."
He chose this place because it was secluded. He didn't know the chances of success in this attack and didn't want to make too much of a fuss. Moreover, if he chose a densely populated area, Zhengyang might not be willing to come.
Secondly, it was indeed to take advantage of the allusion, but it was not an allusion from this world, but an allusion from his world, the famous "Meeting at Ehu Lake" in history.
It is also the most famous debate between Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind.
At that time, one side was the sage Zhu Xi, who had not yet been canonized but was already famous, and the other side was the brothers Lu Jiuyuan and Lu Jiuling.
Needless to say, the former is the founder of Lu-Wang School of Mind, and Wang Yangming is a great scholar of all ages who is ranked behind him.
In his previous life, Zhao Duan studied history diligently to please his superiors, so he naturally could not avoid such well-known debates and had some understanding of the conflict between the two schools of thought.
The topic at that time was very similar to the topic of the debate three days later. Both were about what it means to be a gentleman, a sage, and the methods and knowledge of learning principles.
There is no difference between Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind in their ultimate goals or general directions. The only difference lies in the angles and methods of approach.
The Doctrine of the Mean records:
"Great is the Way of the Sage! Magnificent! It nourishes all things, reaching its highest point in the heavens. Therefore, the gentleman respects virtue and morality and pursues the Way of Learning, striving for the broad while exhausting the subtle, reaching the highest wisdom while following the doctrine of the Mean, reviewing the past to learn the present, and being sincere and respectful of propriety."
This is the knowledge that our ancient sages talked about.
Among them, the gentleman's "respect for virtue and morality" and "learning from the truth" correspond to the School of Mind and the School of Principle respectively.
Zhu Xi advocated "learning by following the way", believing that people should study things to gain knowledge. People should read more, observe more, study and summarize the principles of all things, summarize the essence from them, and then apply it to people. When people understand the principles, they will understand how to be a human being, and thus become gentlemen and pursue sages.
Lu Jiuyuan advocated "respecting virtue and morality" and opposed reading widely. He believed that one should "put people first" and constantly cultivate the body and mind. One should first learn to be a good person and understand the principles of being a good person before doing things. This way, one will be successful in everything and eventually become a sage.
Later, Wang Yangming inherited Lu Jiuyuan's theory and took it a step further, making it mature.
It requires the enlightenment of virtue, believing that human good and evil, natural principles and human desires, and one's original heart and nature should all be clearly understood. As long as one holds on to the mean in one's heart, everyone can become a saint.
Constantly reflect on yourself, correct your daily behavior, cultivate your spirit, gather your righteousness, ponder and practice in daily matters, and integrate knowledge and action...
In Zhao Duan’s opinion, it is difficult to say which of the two theories is “right” and which is “wrong”.
Or, in other words, respecting morality and pursuing knowledge require both. Whether to start from the heart first or from the work first is just a difference in perspective.
If he takes the actual situation into consideration, he would even be more inclined towards Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism.
But that doesn't matter.
What is important is that there is no superiority or inferiority between the two theories, and they can be compared with each other, and that is enough.
"Zhengyang, Dong Xuan, and the entirety of Dayu Confucianism are still similar to Neo-Confucianism. However, because this school of thought has persisted for too long, it's too tightly bound to rituals and the teachings of sages, placing too much emphasis on bookish principles, which is not conducive to the Empress's claim to the throne... Therefore, Dong Xuan has been trying to find a few words from the teachings of sages to vindicate the Empress for the past two years..."
"But Dong Xuan's approach is still based on Neo-Confucianism, which makes him seem to be distorting orthodox learning. It will be difficult for him to defeat Zhengyang... Therefore, the only way to escape this unfavorable situation is to find a new path, abandon Neo-Confucianism, and study it with all my heart..."
"Furthermore, if we look at the empress's ascension from the perspective of the School of Mind, we can discard the words of sages and dogmas found in books and instead ask ourselves. This way, we can break away from the logical rhetoric of many scholars today..."
"Even if we can't win the battle, it doesn't matter. As long as we have a new set of arguments that can challenge the rites and dogmas, it will be a great victory."
Zhao Duan was picking grapes while distracted, sorting out the whole logic in his mind.
He invited Zhengyang to meet him and have a debate first, in order to test whether this theory was feasible, so as to avoid any mistakes when it was brought up during the formal discussion.
It was also considered that if Zhengyang could be defeated in advance and forced to retreat, it would undoubtedly be better for the empress.
"Brother?" Zhao Pan couldn't help but call out softly, saying, "The basket is full."
"Ah, really?"
Zhao Duan came back to his senses, smiled, looked at the sky, and took out a strip of metal stick with a scale from his arms. The scale was engraved with the time. It was a special creation produced by the Tianshi Mansion that could determine the time.
It is called "Time Ruler".
"Is it already 3 p.m.?" Zhao Duan frowned slightly, then picked up the basket and said:
"Let's go home first."
Zhao Pan was stunned for a moment and said, "It's just 3 p.m., right? Can't you wait a while?"
In this era, there were no clocks. The time ruler in Zhao Duan's hand was expensive and produced in limited quantities, so most people could not afford it.
Therefore, it is easy for the agreed time to deviate and being late is normal.
"No more waiting." Zhao Duan said calmly:
"I hate people who are not punctual."
…
“Gee…Gee…Gee…”
When Lu Cheng arrived at Bailu Academy in his carriage, he looked a little anxious.
When they came out, in order to avoid the sight of outsiders and keep a low profile, the group chose a remote route. Judging from the weather, they were a little late.
"Sir, we're here."
The carriage curtain was lifted, and Mr. Zhengyang stepped down, followed by Mr. Song and two other young and strong students.
Zhengyang looked up and glanced at the academy's peeling gold plaque, his eyes filled with emotion.
He once studied here and revisited the place today.
However, when the group knocked on the door, they saw the household guarding the academy said:
"That gentleman has already left and said that you are late. If you want to meet him, please come here on time at 5:00 PM tomorrow."
After saying this, the household closed the door. They didn't even know these scholars and were very disrespectful to them.
"This...this...it's only a quarter of an hour late, how can you leave?" Mr. Song was indignant.
Lu Cheng advised again:
"Sir, I'm afraid this guy is deliberately teasing us. Why don't we just forget about it? Debating with Dong Xuan is more important."
Zhengyang was silent for a moment, then turned around, returned to the carriage, and said:
"Come back tomorrow."
…
The day passed in a flash, and it was the second to last day of the Plum Garden Academic Discussion.
Because Dong Xuan was lecturing at the Imperial College, more and more people in the city were paying attention to and discussing him, but fewer and fewer people came to visit Zhengyang.
Because everyone thought that Mr. Zhengyang would stay at home and prepare for battle.
However, no one expected that Zhengyang would once again lead a few disciples and quietly leave the inn.
This time, he set out at noon, and when he arrived at Bailu Academy, Zhao Duan had not arrived yet.
He arrived half an hour early, left his young disciples outside to guard the carriage, and entered the academy together with Lu Cheng and Song Juren.
"Just wait here."
The household guarding the academy took them to a courtyard and left.
This was the former lecture hall of Bailu Academy. Although it is relatively clean now, the building is old and dilapidated.
There are towering ancient trees above my head, but most of them are now withered, and the ground is covered with leaves that have not yet been swept away.
Zhengyang sat down at the stone table. In front of him was a plate of grapes placed by the villagers. He closed his eyes and waited for a while before he heard the sound of carriages and horses outside.
Then, a young man in gorgeous clothes came floating over.
Next to him was a pretty girl wearing a yellow skirt and green jacket.
"Master Zhao," Mr. Song spoke first, indirectly explaining the other party's identity to his mentor and several fellow disciples.
Lu Cheng was surprised. This rumored concubine of the empress really had a very good appearance.
Mr. Zhengyang, wearing a square hat, a Confucian robe and a cloak, stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked directly at Zhao Yanwang, the king feared by everyone in the capital, without any panic or fear.
The autumn wind blew, and the beautiful beard fluttered, making Zhao Duan's eyes light up and he exclaimed in admiration:
"Are you Mr. Zhengyang, the famous tomb-keeper in Yunfu for ten years?"
Zhengyang? The person Big Brother wants to meet is the great scholar who has recently caused a sensation in the city?
Zhao Pan was greatly surprised, and looked at the man curiously with his dark eyes, which looked like purple grapes hit by autumn frost.
"It's me," Mr. Zhengyang nodded, his expression subtle.
"I've long heard of Envoy Zhao's reputation, but I never expected him to invite me here through the mouth of a student like me. What's the reason?"
Zhao Duan smiled in surprise and said:
"What you said, old man, is not right. Could it be that you were the ones who took the initiative to find me?"
Zhengyang said calmly:
"What I'm looking for is someone who says that the heart is the truth and that knowledge and action are one."
Zhao Duan sat leisurely on the stone bench opposite the stone table, while Zhao Pan stood behind him curiously.
For a moment, the withered fallen leaves on the ground rolled and tumbled in the late autumn wind. In this quiet academy, the Zhao brothers and sisters and the Zhengyang master and apprentice, separated by a stone table, seemed to be in a state of confrontation.
Zhao Duan smiled and said seriously:
"That's right, I was the one who said that."
Is that you?
As soon as the words came out, Lu Cheng and Mr. Song were both stunned. The former frowned and the latter looked confused.
Of course, the two of them didn't believe that the man who could say such words that made his mentor come to look for him twice could be such a warrior.
Even if he is a legendary warrior who is knowledgeable in poetry and political affairs.
But learning is ultimately a field that is very different from the first two.
Mr. Zhengyang's serious face showed a reserved expression as he said:
"Envoy Zhao, I have come here with sincerity, hoping to discuss something with the scholar who said that the mind is the truth."
Zhao Duan still smiled and said, "Old gentleman, do you think I'm joking?"
"Isn't it?"
"Of course not."
Mr. Zhengyang frowned slightly. Even with his knowledge and cultivation, he felt unhappy at this moment, and his expression became a little colder:
"So, that set of rhetoric was yours? Has the envoy also studied the teachings of the sages?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "I know a little bit, and I do think about it sometimes, but I rarely discuss it with anyone."
Mr. Zhengyang snorted, a little annoyed, and said simply:
"Well, I won't ask where you heard that from, whether it was Dong Xuan who said it or whether it was really what you thought. Since you said it was, I want to ask you, why did you say this to my disciple?
The heart is the principle, which leads to conscience. How can we understand the unity of knowledge and action? Does the envoy have a different view on my Zhengyang School and the learning of ancient and modern sages?
He did not dwell on who the original author was. In his opinion, these words were most likely spoken by Dong Xuan through Zhao Duan's mouth.
What he cared about was only the teachings of the famous Confucian scholar behind Zhao Duan.
"Insights, I do have some."
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"I've been reading recently and have some insights, so I wrote a short poem."
He recalled briefly and then calmly said:
Children know love and grow up to know respect. Saints of ancient and modern times share this feeling.
Generally, houses are built on foundations, but I have never heard of a hill being built without a site.
The affectionate annotations are passed on to the lush and blocked, and the subtle details are turned into the sinking.
Cherish your friends and remember that the greatest happiness is in the present.
The poem is finished!
The wind stopped!
Mr. Zhengyang's expression suddenly changed.
(End of this chapter)
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