Chapter 356: Academy Theory: Confucian psychology, yes, this knowledge is what I said (two in one)
If I recommend myself, Zhenbao, how should you feel...
In the pavilion, Zhao Duan complained silently, with a serious expression on his face and without any hesitation: "Of course it's Grand Master Dong!"
He sneered and disdained: "That Zhengyang, a mere country man, only relying on his reputation to bark wildly in the capital..."
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 come into contact with that Zhengyang, King Mu is willing to send him to the capital in a big way, so he must be confident."
Xu Zhenguan sighed softly, holding on to the railing with both hands. Light blue slender blood vessels appeared on the back of his delicate hands, with a sad look on his face:
"If the discussion is about orthodox knowledge, the Grand Master will naturally not be afraid of this person, but... alas."
She understood that in order to safeguard the legitimacy of the empress' ascension to the throne, Grand Master Dong must hold high the concept that was hastily cobbled together from scriptures.
How can we compete with Zhengyang, who is backed by Zhengxue and has a solid theoretical foundation?
Even if it occupies a favorable location, half of the people and the people, the time is lost.
"If the Grand Master is defeated, the capital city will be fine. After all, it will be under my nose and there won't be much trouble. But in the Nine Paths and Eighteen Houses, I'm afraid I will be notorious again." Xu Zhenguan laughed at himself, as if he already knew about the situation. Anticipate.
Isn't that just right? You have a bad reputation, and so do I... We are collectively called "dog men and women", the "villain couple" in TV dramas, etc. It's very popular...
Zhao Duan was running around with messy thoughts, and he could see that the empress had no confidence in the debate three days later.
Xu Zhenguan is currently thinking about how to minimize the negative impact after losing the debate.
Zhao Duan thought for a while and said:
"Your Majesty, the matter has not yet come to a conclusion, it is time to boost morale. Maybe Zhengyang is timid before fighting, is afraid of death or something, and admits defeat on the spot during the debate. It is not known."
Expect the other party to admit defeat on the spot?
Xu Zhenguan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and almost made him laugh. Naturally, she didn't believe it at all. She just thought that he was explaining it to comfort herself, smiled and said: "I hope so."
He said this without any hope 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 monarch and his ministers listened quietly for a while, and then quietly left after Master Dong finished his lecture.
…
…
The same morning, outside the inn where Zhengyang stayed.
Lu Cheng rushed over again and asked the other disciples: "Sir, are you up?"
The disciple hesitated and said:
"I haven't come out yet. After you went back last night, senior brother, I saw that the lights in your husband's room were not extinguished. Maybe you were catching up on your sleep?"
Lu Cheng's heart sank, he had a bad premonition for no reason, and suddenly felt regretful.
When the lectures are approaching, if the teacher becomes confused or even falls ill, he will miss something important.
He hurried into the hospital and knocked on the door.
"Dong dong dong...Sir? I am Lu Cheng."
He patted the door several 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, his face was tired, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was listless but seemed to be hiding excitement.
The beautiful beard under the chin is frizzy and dull.
"Sir...you haven't slept all night?" Lu Cheng's heart trembled when he thought of this possibility.
Zhengyang had a stern face and did not answer. Instead, he glanced at the many eyes looking at him from a distance, suddenly stretched out his hand, grabbed his arm, and dragged the disciple into the room.
Then he asked in a deep voice: "Where did those words you asked last night come from?"
Lu Cheng stammered: "Junior Brother Song told me. He said he heard it from an acquaintance."
"Take me over to find him!" Zhengyang made a quick decision, turned around and put on his robe, pulled Lu Cheng, and left the inn through the back door in a carriage.
When they arrived, many disciples in the inn where Song Juren was staying had already gone out again. After asking people, they learned that Song Juren had not followed them out today.
When the master and apprentice pushed open the inn room, they saw Song Juren bending over the desk, flipping through volumes of classics, in the same posture that he had stayed up all night.
"Sir? Why are you here?" Song Juren looked up, surprised.
Zhengyang didn't talk nonsense. He walked forward quickly, stared at him, and repeated the question.
Song Juren was also stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that Zhao Duan's few words would actually attract Mr. Zhao to inquire in person. He said with some fear:
"It is true that the disciple learned from outsiders that the more he thought about it last night, the more he felt that he couldn't figure it out, so he looked through the classics..."
Zhengyang interrupted him roughly and asked:
"Who told you this? Where is that person? Can you invite me to meet him?"
Song Juren opened his mouth, slowly spit out the name "Zhao Duan", and emphatically explained his identity and the process of yesterday's encounter.
Zhao Duan?
The empress' favorite who is famous in the capital? The domineering and ruthless court eagle dog? !
A... warrior?
Zhengyang and Lu Cheng were stunned at the same time, accompanied by strong doubts.
After listening to Song Juren's explanation, Zhao Duan claimed to have heard it from elsewhere. 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 deal with the theory? Did Zhao Duan hear it? This person is a martial artist. Isn't it strange that he didn't understand it, so he asked Junior Brother Song?"
Halfway through, he shook his head again and denied himself:
"No! I'm afraid it's not that simple. Although this person has shallow knowledge, he is said to be insidious and vicious. He would not be so stupid. He deliberately found Junior Brother Song. I'm afraid he did it deliberately. Could it be that he deliberately conveyed the message with such mysterious and vague words? ”
Zhengyang shook his head, and the southern scholar said firmly:
"A few words can't damage my knowledge. Can you find a chance to meet him?"
For many disciples, the discussion in three days' time is the most important and cannot be disturbed.
But for scholars like Zhengyang, who could vaguely be canonized, what they really cared about was the doctrine itself.
"If it is really Dong Xuan who is sending the message, I would like to find out more about it." The scholar wearing a square hat said firmly.
Song Juren took a deep breath and volunteered:
"Sir, you have a special status. It's not easy to find him. Disciple, please go find him."
After saying that, the old man went out.
Seeing this, Lu Cheng sat in the room with his mentor and waited:
"I'm going to get some breakfast."
When he came back from buying food nearby, the master and the apprentice had just eaten a few mouthfuls when they saw Song Juren leaving and returning.
"So fast? But what did you forget?" Lu Cheng was curious.
Song Juren shook his head with a complex expression and said:
"After I left the inn, as soon as I walked down the street, I was stopped by an official under Zhao Duan. The other party said that if we want to meet, let's go to Bailu Academy in the afternoon."
He was horrified and realized that their group was always being monitored by secretly serving officials.
And yesterday, Zhao Duan deliberately stopped him, and indeed he had an agenda.
"White Deer Academy? Isn't it abandoned? Sir, if this person sets an ambush and wants to harm you..." Lu Cheng's face changed slightly.
Zhengyang shook his head, his eyes were clear and sharp, with the demeanor of a Confucian and Taoist master, and he said calmly:
"If the court wants to kill me, why bother? Shen Shi can just go there."
…
…
Bailu Academy is an ancient academy-style building in the corner of Beijing.
When it was once glorious, it was the brightest among many academies, but then it gradually declined.
Later, due to a case a few decades ago, the academy's headmaster committed a crime, and many students were implicated in jail. This academy, which was no longer famous, fell into desolation. Because of its special historical baggage, it was later No one has ever "taken over".
It became one of the properties under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. Only private households were arranged to clean and repair it, and few people came.
"Brother, what are you doing here?"
Zhao Pan jumped out of the carriage. The girl held up her goose-yellow skirt and looked curiously at the main entrance of the academy in front of her.
There is a plaque on the hairpin of the first door with the four characters "Dunhua Yucai" written on it, but it is still mottled and peeling off.
Outside her goose-yellow skirt, there is a green jacket, which wraps her slender neck and makes her face particularly round.
"Wait for someone and pick some grapes by the way."
Zhao Duan got out of the car, took out two bamboo baskets, handed one to her, and said with a smile.
Then Xiao Wang, the coachman, was left waiting outside and led the girl into the academy.
Inside the academy, towering ancient trees, flying stone bridges, black tiles and white walls, stone tablets and couplets...we can vaguely see the cultural context of its glory days.
"Are there grapes here?" Zhao Pan blinked and didn't ask who he was waiting for.
At noon, Zhao Duan had dinner at home, and then said he was going out for a trip. If he was not going to the Yamen in the afternoon, Zhao Pan wanted to follow him out for some fresh air, so he simply took him with him.
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"Yes, there is a whole vineyard here. They are all very old vines. The grapes are the sweetest after the frost hits them. They have a unique taste and are cold and delicious."
As he said that, he and his sister followed the road signs and arrived at a vineyard as expected, but it had obviously been picked for many rounds. He was not the only one who knew that the grapes in this place were good.
The two of them didn't care. Instead, they felt happy about picking up missing treasures.
It was especially satisfying to find a bunch of purple grapes hidden under the cover of grape leaves. The two of them ate while picking and chatting about the history of this place.
"Brother, is the person you want to meet also a scholar, or someone very old?" Zhao Pan guessed with bright eyes, carrying a small basket.
Zhao Duan smiled and said, "Why do you say that?"
Zhao Pan said matter-of-factly: "There's nothing special about this place. It's just history. Probably only scholars care about it."
Zhao Duan smiled: "So be it."
He chose this place because of its secluded location. He didn't know what his chances of winning were this time, and he didn't want to cause too much of a fight. Besides, if he chose a densely populated area, Zhengyang might not be willing to come.
Secondly, it is indeed an allusion, but it is not an allusion from this world, but from his world, the famous "Goose Lake Meeting" in history.
It is also the most famous debate between Neo-Confucianism and Psychology.
At that time, there was the saint Zhu Xi who had not yet been canonized but was already famous, and the brothers Lu Jiuyuan and Lu Jiuling were on the other side.
Needless to say, the former is the founder of King Lu's philosophy, and Wang Yangming is also ranked behind as a century-old scholar.
In his previous life, Zhao Duan studied history diligently to please his superiors, so naturally he couldn't avoid such a well-known debate, and he had some understanding of the dispute between the two schools of thought.
The topic at that time was very similar to the debate topic three days later. They both talked about what it means to be a gentleman, a sage, and the methods and knowledge of learning principles.
There is no difference in the ultimate goal or general direction between Neo-Confucianism and Psychology. The only difference lies in the angle and method of starting.
"The Doctrine of the Mean" records:
"How great is the way of the sage! It is vast! It develops all things and is as high as heaven. Therefore, a gentleman respects virtue and learns about the Tao, reaching the broad and exhausting the subtle. It is extremely wise but the Tao is moderate, reviewing the past to learn the new, and being honest and upholding etiquette." It is the sages who taught this knowledge.
Among them, the gentleman's "respect for virtue" and "Tao wenxue" correspond to the psychology and Neo-Confucianism respectively.
Zhu Xi advocated "Tao inquiry and learning" and believed that one should study things to gain knowledge. People should read more, observe more, study more and summarize the principles of all things, summarize the essence from them, and then apply things to people. When people understand things, they will understand how to behave. Thereby becoming a gentleman and admiring the sages.
Lu Jiuyuan advocated "respecting virtue" and opposed reading a lot of books. He believed that we should be "people-oriented" and constantly cultivate our body and mind. We should first learn to be a human being and understand the principles of being a human being, and then do things. There will be no disadvantages and eventually become a sage.
Later, Wang Yangming inherited Lu Jiuyuan's theory and took it a step further before it became mature.
It requires clear virtue, and it is believed that people's good and evil, natural principles and human desires, and the original nature of the heart should be clear and clear. As long as one holds the mediocrity of the original heart, everyone can become a saint.
Always reflect on yourself, correct your daily behavior, nourish your night energy, gather your loyalty, ponder and practice in daily matters, and integrate knowledge and action...
In Zhao Duan's view, it is difficult to say which of the two theories is "right" and which is "wrong".
In other words, respecting virtue and learning Taoism must have both. As for whether to start with the heart first or start with the work first, it is just a different perspective.
If practical considerations are taken into account, he himself even prefers Zhu Xi's Neo-Confucianism.
But that's not important.
The important thing is that there is no superiority or inferiority between the two doctrines and they can be brought into the arena. This is enough.
"Zhengyang and Dong Xuan, as well as the entire Dayu Confucianism, are still similar to Neo-Confucianism today. However, because this theory has lasted for too long, it is too tightly tied to etiquette and the words of saints, and it attaches too much importance to the principles in books, which is not conducive to the title of empress. Emperor... So, Dong Xuan has been trying to find a few words from the sage theory to rectify the name of the empress in the past two years..."
"But the route Dong Xuan takes is still Neo-Confucianism, which shows that he is distorting Zhengyang. It is difficult to defeat Zhengyang... Therefore, only by finding another way, abandoning Neo-Confucianism, and studying it with determination can we escape from disadvantages. situation……"
"Besides, if we look at the empress's ascension to the throne from the perspective of psychology, we can throw away the words of saints and dogmatic rules in books, and instead make people ask themselves. In this way, we can escape from the logical rhetoric of many scholars today..."
"Even if you can't win the battle, it doesn't matter. As long as you have a new set of rhetoric that can compete with the etiquette and dogma, it is already a big victory."
Zhao Duan was distracted while picking grapes, sorting out the entire logic in his mind.
He invited Zhengyang to meet and have a fight first, not only to test whether this theory is feasible, but also to prevent mistakes from being thrown out during the formal discussion.
It was also considered that it would undoubtedly be better for the empress if Zhengyang could be defeated in advance and forced to retreat.
"Brother?" Next to him, Zhao Pan couldn't help calling softly and said, "The basket is full."
"Ah, really?"
Zhao Duan came back to his senses, smiled, looked at the sky, and took out a metal stick with scales from his arms. The hour scale was engraved on it. It was a kind produced by Tianshi Mansion, which could judge the time. Special creation.
It's called "Time Ruler".
"Has it already been announced?" Zhao Duan frowned slightly, then picked up the basket and said:
"Go home first."
Zhao Pan was stunned for a moment and said: "We just applied for the time, why don't you wait a moment?"
In this era, there were no clocks. The time ruler in Zhao Duan's hands was expensive and the output was limited, so most people could not own it.
Therefore, it is easy to deviate from the agreed time, and it is normal to be late.
"No wait." Zhao Duan said calmly:
"I hate people who are not punctual."
…
"Drive... drive drive..."
When Lu Cheng drove the carriage and arrived at White Deer Academy, he looked slightly anxious.
When they came out, in order to avoid the sight of outsiders and keep a low profile, the group chose a remote route. They estimated that it was a little late due to the weather.
"Sir, we're here."
The curtain of the car was lifted, and Mr. Zhengyang stepped out, followed by Song Juren and two other young and strong students.
Zhengyang raised his head and looked at the plaque with peeling gold paint on the academy, his eyes filled with emotion.
He also studied here back then, and he returns to the same place today.
However, when a group of people knocked on the door, they saw the civilian guarding the academy saying:
"That adult has already left and said that you are late. If you want to meet, you can come here on time tomorrow."
After saying that, the people closed the door. They didn't know these scholars at all, and they were very disrespectful.
"This...this...it's only a quarter of an hour late, how can there be any reason to leave?" Song Juren was indignant.
Lu Cheng advised again:
"Sir, I'm afraid this person is deliberately teasing us. Otherwise, let's forget it. Debating with Dong Xuan is more important."
Zhengyang was silent for a moment, then turned around and returned to the carriage, saying:
"Come back tomorrow."
…
One day flies by, and it’s the penultimate day before the Meiyuan seminar.
Because Dong Xuan was lecturing in the Imperial College, more and more people in the city were paying attention to the discussion, but fewer and fewer people came to see Zhengyang.
Because everyone thought that Mr. Zhengyang would stay at home, calm down and prepare to go to war.
However, what no one expected was that Zhengyang once again led several disciples and quietly left the inn.
This time, he set off at noon. When he arrived at White Deer Academy, Zhao Duan had not arrived yet.
A full half hour in advance, leaving the young disciple outside to guard the carriage, he, Lu Cheng and Song Juren entered the academy together.
"Just wait here."
The people guarding the academy took them to a courtyard and left.
This was the former lecture hall of White Deer Academy. Although it is relatively clean now, the building is old and dilapidated.
There are towering ancient trees overhead, most of which are now withered, and the ground is covered with leaves that have not yet been swept away.
Zhengyang sat down at the stone table, with a plate of grapes placed in front of him. He closed his eyes and waited for a while before hearing the sound of carriages and horses coming from outside.
Then, a young figure in gorgeous clothes floated over.
Next to him was a pretty girl wearing a yellow skirt and green jacket.
"Master Zhao," Song Juren spoke first, revealing his identity to his mentor and several fellow apprentices.
Lu Cheng was surprised that the rumored empress' appearance was indeed very good.
Mr. Zhengyang, wearing a square hat, a Confucian robe, and a large cloak, stood up, put his hands behind his back, and looked calmly at King Zhao Yan, who was feared by everyone in the capital, without any fear or timidity.
The autumn wind blew by, and his beautiful beard was fluttering. Zhao Duan's eyes lit up and he praised:
"Is this Mr. Zhengyang who was famous in the Yu Dynasty and guarded the tomb in Yunfu for ten years?"
Zhengyang? The person the eldest brother wants to meet is the scholar who has caused a sensation in the city recently?
Zhao Pan was taken aback and looked at this man curiously with his dark eyes, like purple grapes struck by autumn frost.
"It's me," Mr. Zhengyang nodded, with a subtle expression:
"I've heard about Ambassador Zhao's reputation for a long time, but I didn't want to, but you used me as a student to invite me here. What do you mean?"
Zhao Duan smiled in surprise:
"What the old gentleman said is wrong. Could it be that you didn't take the initiative to find me?"
Zhengyang said calmly:
"What I'm looking for is someone who speaks from his heart and understands what he means."
Zhao Duan Shi Ran sat on the stone bench opposite the stone table, while Zhao Pan stood curiously behind him.
For a moment, in the late autumn wind, withered leaves were rolling on the ground. In this quiet academy, the Zhao brothers and sisters and Master Zhengyang, separated by a stone table, had a vague sense 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 Song Juren were stunned for a moment. The former frowned and the latter looked blank.
Of course, the two of them didn't believe that someone who could say the words that made their mentor come to look for him twice could be such a martial artist.
Even if he is a legendary warrior who understands poetry and political affairs.
But learning is ultimately a completely different field from the first two.
Mr. Zhengyang said with a restrained expression on his serious face:
"Mr. Zhao, I am here with sincerity. I want to discuss something with the scholar who speaks his mind."
Zhao Duan still smiled and said: "Old sir, do you think I'm joking?"
"Isn't it?"
"Of course not."
Mr. Zhengyang frowned slightly. Even with his knowledge, he felt displeased at this moment, and his expression became a bit colder:
"So, that rhetoric was made by you? Your Majesty has also studied the knowledge of saints?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said: "I know a little bit about it, and I do think about it, but few people discuss it."
Mr. Zhengyang snorted, slightly annoyed, and said simply:
"Okay, I don't want to ask you where you heard those words. Whether it was Dong Xuan who said it or it was really what you thought. Since you said yes, I would like to ask you what you said to my disciple. Why exactly?
The heart is reason, which leads to conscience. How can we understand the unity of knowledge and action? Does your Majesty have different views on our Zhengyang School and the knowledge of ancient and modern saints? "
He is not entangled in who the original author is. In his opinion, these words were probably spoken by Dong Xuan through the mouth of Zhao Duan.
What he cared about was the Confucian's teachings hidden behind Zhao Duan.
"You have some insights?"
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"I have been reading recently, and I have gained some insights, so I wrote a short poem."
He recalled briefly and calmly said:
A child knows love and a person always knows love. Ancient sages and modern people share this sentiment.
Most of them have a base to build a house, but it is unheard of that there is no site and it suddenly becomes a cen.
Pass the notes mercifully and turn over Zhen plug, paying attention to the subtle details.
Cherish your friends and care about them, and know that your greatest happiness lies in the present.
End of poem!
The wind stops!
Mr. Zhengyang suddenly changed color.
(End of chapter)