Chapter 105: It has been many years since a Confucian sage appeared.
All new students at Bailu Academy need to attend large classes at the beginning.
Once you have made some progress in your studies, you can study with the teachers in the academy.
Xiao Mo felt that this was a bit like the university he attended in his previous life.
Undergraduate students take large classes, while graduate students follow the teacher.
Xiao Mo would get up at half past the hour of Mao every day.
By this time, Bai Ruxue had already woken up, boiled hot water for Xiao Mo to wash up, and prepared breakfast.
After breakfast, Bai Ruxue would escort Xiao Mo out of the courtyard.
It was not until Xiao Mo disappeared at the end for a long time that Bai Ruxue slowly withdrew her gaze, returned to the yard to do housework, and waited for Xiao Mo to come back.
The place where Xiao Mo attends his lectures is located in the 19th School of "Sansheng Peak".
There are about twenty new students in each classroom.
They came from different countries, and Xiao Mo even met a scholar dressed in Beimang style.
There are both male and female new students, but there are fewer females and more males.
However, what puzzled Xiao Mo was that some men and women did not seem to have a serious attitude towards learning. They talked and laughed all day long, and sighed about the homework assigned by the teacher, as if they were just visiting Bailu Academy for fun.
Later, Xiao Mo learned that most of these men and women were royal children of secular dynasties.
In addition to the Confucian Academy, the four major academies will give additional places to the ten human dynasties so that the children of princes and nobles can come to study.
They will only stay here for four years at most and then leave.
If someone has a certain level of attainment in Confucianism and wants to stay and continue studying, it is not impossible.
But there are very, very few such people.
Perhaps it was because Xiao Mo was good-looking and had an outstanding temperament, and the news of "Xiao Mo becoming Mr. Qi's apprentice" gradually spread, so many princes and nobles wanted to make friends with Xiao Mo.
Especially many noble women, they looked at Xiao Mo with a kind of beautiful eyes.
Xiao Mo was neither distant nor close to these people. He was just polite to them and kept a certain distance.
The teacher who taught Xiao Mo in the academy was named Wang Quan.
Wang Quan was a good friend of Qi Daoming and the director of the Imperial Academy.
Afterwards, he came to Bailu Academy as a teacher.
After Wang Quan learned that Xiao Mo was Qi Daoming's last disciple, he would call on Xiao Mo's name every day in class to examine his knowledge. He was also stricter with Xiao Mo than with other disciples.
Fortunately, Xiao Mo always answered questions fluently, which made Wang Quan very satisfied.
As for Mr. Wang, although Xiao Mo felt that he was a bit stubborn, even a bit of an old fogey, his knowledge was impeccable.
Moreover, Master Wang Quan’s research on “investigating things and seeking knowledge” is extremely profound.
But one day three months later, Xiao Mo seemed to have completely pissed off Wang Quan.
In class that day, Wang Quan suddenly felt inspired to explain to his students his understanding of "investigating things and seeking knowledge."
Mr. Wang emphasized that "investigating things and seeking knowledge" is to understand the universal principles of nature through outward exploration, learning and rational thinking.
Talking about "preserving the laws of nature and eliminating human desires."
It states that Confucian ethics such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and wisdom are the core content of "reason", and nature is reason.
From the study of things to the pursuit of knowledge and enlightenment, to sincerity and uprightness of mind, inner transformation, and finally to self-cultivation, family management, governance of the country and peace in the world.
After he finished speaking, Wang Quan saw that Xiao Mo was frowning, and thought that Xiao Mo was confused, so he asked Xiao Mo to raise questions, and he answered Xiao Mo's doubts on the spot.
But what Xiao Mo raised was not a question.
Xiao Mo put forward his own different point of view.
Xiao Mo believes that the objectivity of "reason" may lead to the externalization of moral practice.
In class, Xiao Mo talked about the concepts of "nothing exists outside the mind, no reason exists outside the mind", "conscience" is the law of nature, and all things are one.
After hearing this, Mr. Wang became furious and started a heated debate with Xiao Mo.
Most of the students only had a vague understanding of the debate between the gentleman and Xiao Mo.
Not to mention those noble children, they just felt that Xiao Mo seemed to have touched Mr. Wang's bottom line and made him so angry.
"Xiao Mo, without extensive knowledge gained through the study of things and a deep understanding of the principles of heaven, your so-called actions are blind and lack basis. What you said today is nothing but empty talk about the mind and nature!"
“But Master, knowledge is the beginning of action, and action is the completion of knowledge.
True cognition must include the direction and motivation for action.
True action is the natural realization and completion of cognition.
The two are inseparable.
Knowing but not doing is just ignorance.
If you know something but don't act, it means that your knowledge doesn't come from your heart, but is just superficial knowledge or hearsay.
Xiao Mo retorted.
“You you.”
Mr. Wang pointed at Xiao Mo and didn't say anything for a long time. Finally, he just waved his sleeves angrily.
"That's all for today's class, Xiao Mo, you don't need to come tomorrow."
Mr. Wang left the classroom angrily. The students hurriedly stood up to see him off, and Xiao Mo also bowed.
After Mr. Wang left, everyone in the school looked at Xiao Mo.
That afternoon, Wang Quan came to Qi Daoming's courtyard.
As soon as he entered the yard, Wang Quan snatched the teacup from Qi Daoming's hand and drank it all.
"You really have a good disciple!" Wang Quan sat next to Qi Daoming and said angrily, "In class today, he almost pissed me off to death!"
Qi Daoming smiled and looked at his friend: "Really? But why do I see you are so happy?"
"Is that so?" Wang Quan glared at Qi Daoming.
Qi Daoming nodded: "Yes, yes!"
Wang Quan and Qi Daoming looked at each other.
Half a cup of tea later, Wang Quan stroked his beard and laughed out loud, "Hahahaha. Xiao Mo, that kid, actually proposed in class that 'human nature is the law of nature, and knowledge and action must be unified.' To be honest, I really hadn't thought about it before. It's so interesting."
"Then why were you cursing at other people in class, saying they were evil?" Qi Dao understood his friend at a glance.
Wang Quan shook his head and sighed, "Daoming, Xiao Mo's concept has a significant impact on contemporary Confucianism. If he succeeds, he might be able to create a new school of thought and develop a different Confucianism.
But this road is too difficult to walk on.
If he can't hold firm to his resolve, and I just say something and he gives up, how will he be able to withstand the overwhelming attacks in the future?"
Wang Quan looked at his friend and said, "Today, I will write this matter into a letter and send it to the academy. As for Xiao Mo, I have nothing to teach him anymore. It's useless for him to come to the academy again."
Qi Daoming smiled and poured a cup of tea for his friend: "Do you think he can succeed?"
"Who knows?"
Wang Quan gathered his sleeves and looked up at the sky.
"It's just that our Confucianism has not produced a Confucian sage for many years."
(End of this chapter)
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