Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

More than two hundred teachers and students in the school, and even some school workers, came to the square to listen to Chen Yuan's lecture.

The rules here are very strict. When the students arrived at the square, they spontaneously arranged the benches. And according to the upper house, inner upper, inner lower, outer upper, outer lower, they are divided into five grades and can be sat clearly.

The largest number of students are outsiders, with about a hundred people.

There are the fewest students in Shangshe, only twenty or thirty.

As an outside observer, Ju Ming could only sit with the lower-class students outside the school.

Min Ziran, the playboy of the Min family, did not care at all about the conflict between the principal and Ju Ming. Da Lelie sat next to him, with only a bench separating him from Ju Ming. From time to time he turned his head and talked and laughed.

After a while, the number of people on Shangsheng's side began to increase one after another.

"These students usually don't study in school," Fatty Zheng introduced. "They were promoted to the upper house several years ago. They have finished all they need to learn. They just have a name in the academy and don't even need to take the quarterly exam. I guess. I heard that a famous Confucian was giving lectures, so they returned to the academy one by one."

"Who is that person?" Zhu Ming saw a student who seemed to be very prestigious, and all the students stood up to greet him.

Min Ziran said with a smile: "That's my brother Min Zishun. He took the exam at the age of seventeen and ranked first in solving formulas. He passed the exam four times in a row, and he solved the yuan each time. It's a pity that he never got the Jinshi."

He ranked first in solving equations in Yangzhou four times, but he failed to pass the Jinshi examination.

Ju Ming asked curiously: "How many years has it been since Yangzhou produced Jinshi?"

Min Ziran said: "It's been more than twenty years. Not only in Yangzhou, but also in the entire Lizhou Road, there have been no Jinshi for more than twenty years."

His cultural background is poor. He has served successively as the academic envoy of Lizhou Luti. I am afraid he is very depressed about this.

Zheng Hong said with a smile: "That's why I'm too lazy to study. I failed the exam four times even though I was the first to solve the equations. How can we still pass the exam?"

Ju Ming smiled and said nothing.

Min Wenwei has been in charge of the academy for more than 20 years, which means that in the hands of this mountain leader, not a single Jinshi has been trained.

After waiting for a long time, Min Wenwei and Chen Yuan arrived hand in hand. The teachers and students present immediately shut their mouths.

Min Wenwei was the first to speak: "Today I am honored to invite Mr. Chen, a famous Confucian from Nanjian, to explain the study of saints at our Yangzhou Academy. Mr. Chen is the first disciple of Mr. Guishan, and Mr. Guishan also studied under Ercheng. It can be said that he is the master of Luoyang. The authentic teachings are passed down from direct descendants. Although Yangzhou is a place of great literary excellence, the cultural context has not flourished in recent years. Mr. Chen’s lectures here will definitely bring about a new trend... All students, please stand up and take the disciples to worship!"

All the students in the school stood up and collectively saluted Chen Yuan.

This was the first time I met Chen Yuan who was so formal and solemn when he was giving lectures in various places. It was inevitable that I was a little happy at first, but then I sighed secretly. The rules of Yangzhou Academy were too strict, and the students were all trained to be stupid.

Chen Yuan stood tall, facing more than two hundred teachers and students, and began to talk about his knowledge: "Excuse me, why do students study?"

There was silence, no one answered.

According to the rules of Yangzhou Academy, teachers are not allowed to interrupt casually when they are giving lectures.

Chen Yuan could only choose a student at random: "You tell me."

The student immediately gave the standard answer: "Cultivate oneself, harmonize one's family, govern the country, and bring peace to the world."

"Very good," Chen Yuan said with a smile, "Those who can cultivate themselves, manage their families, govern their country, and bring peace to the world can be called saints. Studying is to become a saint and learn to become a saint. It is difficult to become a saint, just like learning archery and having to be neutral in the field. A target is the so-called target. Being a saint is the target for our study."

"If you don't hit the target at first, don't be discouraged. Just practice diligently. One day, if you can hit the edge of the target, you are called a gentleman. If you hit the bull's-eye every time, you are called a saint. I am a scholar who can Hitting the bull's-eye once by chance will be enough for you in this life."

Min Zishun, the top student, couldn't help but ask: "Sir, can Er Cheng be called a saint?"

Chen Yuan shook his head: "No, the two Mr. Chengs only hit the bull's-eye once or twice. But they can not miss the target every time, and they are the gentlemen among gentlemen. Those who hit the bull's-eye time and time again have become one with nature and man, and have achieved the golden mean. The great road has never been seen in more than a thousand years.”

Most of the teachers and students in the school are descendants of Luoxue.

At this time, I heard that even Er Cheng could only hit the bull's-eye occasionally, and there was an uproar in an instant.

Chen Yuan continued: "How to practice archery? One word, sincerity. Another word, benevolence. Whether you are doing knowledge or being a human being, you must seek benevolence with sincerity. The way of benevolence is the way of human beings. There is a gentleman in the world, a If he is illiterate and cannot read a book, but he has benevolence in his heart, he can be called a great scholar. There is a villain in the world who is rich in knowledge and has read all the classics and history. If he has no benevolence in his heart, he has no knowledge at all."

Saying that, Chen Yuan glanced at all the students: "Do you have benevolence in your heart?"

Everyone was speechless.

Chen Yuan's words subverted their perceptions.

Isn’t studying more about reading more and understanding the ways of saints?

How to distinguish whether someone is knowledgeable or not based on benevolence?

Chen Yuan also said: "How to seek benevolence? What is benevolence? This requires understanding kindness. The method of understanding kindness lies in studying things to achieve knowledge. To do the best in physics is to seek from the outside; to reflect on sincerity is to seek inward. A gentleman should be cautious and independent. Studying things to gain knowledge and doing one good deed every day is the way to learn. Therefore, scholarship must be divided into three steps, namely, understanding the good, seeking benevolence, and becoming holy. Reading, literacy, and understanding the meaning of scriptures are only a means of understanding the good and seeking benevolence, not The true purpose of scholarship.”

While everyone was still confused, Min Zishun, the top student, seemed to suddenly realize something.

He stood up and came out of the queue, and bowed to Chen Yuan: "I have passed my thirties, and I am proud to have read all the saints' articles. Today I have learned the right way of studying. I am willing to follow the master, be virtuous and benevolent, and will not take the imperial examination for ten years."

This sentence made Min Wenwei lose face.

Min Zishun was his nephew. He had studied with him for more than twenty years, but was kidnapped by Chen Yuan's words. He also said, "Today Fang Xiao is teaching the right way." Could it be that what he taught before was not the right way?

Chen Yuan smiled and nodded, and asked Min Zishun to go back and sit down first, and then began to talk about how to study things to gain knowledge.

Ju Ming listened for a while and found that this person's knowledge was between Neo-Confucianism and Xinxue.

Not only can you explore your true heart inwardly, but you can also feel that your heart is the reason. It also studies all things outward, which is similar to Zhu Xi's investigation of things and Zhizhi, but it is only similar, because Zhu Xi's investigation of things and Zhizhi are separate.

Chen Yuan was still preaching there: "To be kind and to seek benevolence, you must not only understand the principles, but also practice benevolence and righteousness. Everyone will think about it, and everyone will say it. If you don't put it into practice, it will be in vain in the end. Four words, the world Apply it! If you cannot apply it in the world, learning will be in vain."

"If you want to be effective in the world, you can't just study, you have to learn some real skills."

"In ancient times, there were six arts of a gentleman. My teacher, Mr. Kameyama, added three more to the six arts. The first is water conservancy, the second is shipbuilding, and the third is military strategy."

"Agriculture is the foundation of all industries and the foundation of a country. My teacher, Mr. Guishan, must build water conservancy projects wherever he goes to serve as an official. In Liuyang, our teacher built dams to protect the people from floods. In Xiaoshan, our teacher The water is stored in the lake, which can be drained during floods and irrigated during droughts. You can also catch fish, shrimp and water shield in the lake. So far, it has become a lake of 37,000 acres, and can irrigate more than 146,000 acres of farmland."

"Why bother building ships again? Waterways are the best way to transport food and wealth. After dredging the canal, we should develop more shipping, which can not only transport money and grain, but also salt. In this way, food and salt can be transported quickly to various places by ships. , to stabilize local prices and give the victims a chance to breathe. Today’s government shipyards have neglected management and deducted work and materials. At least half of the ten government ships are substandard!"

"There is also military strategy. Since the founding of the Song Dynasty, border troubles have arisen all over the world. Scholars must not know about soldiers. Civil servants may not know how to fight in battle, but they must be familiar with military strategy, know how to transport money and food, and know how to train troops and select generals. Otherwise, how to unite the army and defeat the enemy? enemy?"

The more Min Wenwei heard, the more something was wrong. As the headmaster of the academy, he usually asked students to concentrate on studying and not to be disturbed by worldly affairs.

But the famous Confucian scholar he invited asked the students to learn the Six Arts of a Gentleman, as well as water conservancy, shipbuilding, and military strategy.

What's the use of learning this?

If you delay studying, you will not be able to pass the Jinshi examination, and you will not be able to display your talents no matter how much you have.

Min Wenwei's face was gloomy. He didn't want Chen Yuan to continue talking, otherwise he would lead the students astray.

But it's hard to expel people directly. After all, he is a second disciple of Er Cheng. In terms of status, Chen Yuan belongs to the direct lineage, and he, Min Wenwei, is not even a branch.

However, the more Ju Ming listened, the more he liked it. His understanding of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism mainly came from Zhu Xi's lineage.

But Zhu Ming knew very little about the earlier Yang Shi and Chen Yuan. When he heard about it now, Yang Shi and Chen Yuan were more in line with his wishes.

As he was talking, Min Wenwei couldn't help it anymore and interrupted: "Mr. Chen, let's talk about how to do knowledge."

Chen Yuan said doubtfully: "I am talking about the way of scholarship."

Min Wenwei said: "Sir, you are familiar with the meaning of the scriptures, so you can explain them in detail."

"The scriptures are there, and the meanings are also there. Don't the academy teachers understand?" Chen Yuan said, "The meanings of the scriptures can be explained by the teachers. I only talk about how to understand the meanings of the scriptures and how to use them." . I’m here to give lectures, not lectures on the scriptures. Of course it’s okay to lecture on the scriptures, but before you can lecture on the scriptures, you must first give lectures!”

Min Wenwei said: "Lectures on the classics are lectures, and lectures are lectures on the classics."

At this moment, Chen Yuan was stunned and didn't know how to respond.

Taking a deep breath and sorting out his words carefully, Chen Yuan said patiently: "Let's use the archery target analogy again. The scriptures are just bows and arrows, and the scriptures are the horns, tendons, wood, and feathers used to make bows and arrows. The real knowledge is how to shoot arrows. How to make the arrow shoot more accurately. If you don't study the scriptures, you won't even have a bow and arrow. But if you only study the scriptures, you will become a craftsman of bows and arrows. This is really to abandon the basics and pursue the last!"

Min Wenwei said: "Only by passing the Jinshi examination can you shoot arrows. The most important thing is to make a good bow and arrow."

Chen Yuan was going crazy after hearing this. He couldn't believe that a mountain leader could be so stupid. Not only are they ignorant, but they are also arrogant. Instead of seeking true knowledge, they seek the meaning of a few words in the scriptures.

"Doesn't it mean that Confucian scholars will not engage in learning if they cannot take the imperial examination? How stupid!" Chen Yuan finally got angry.

Min Wenwei said: "Of course you have to learn knowledge, the great road is in the book."

"I won't teach you this lesson anymore, and the money I collected will be refunded to you!" Chen Yuan walked away with a puff of his sleeves, trembling with anger.

The teachers and students looked on dumbly. The scene seemed very familiar. It had happened once last year.

At that time, Lu Tixue returned from Xixiang County and was invited by Min Wenwei to give lectures in the academy. It was just like this, they broke up halfway through the talk, and Lu Tixue even had a big quarrel with Min Wenwei.

Zhu Ming quickly caught up with him, smiled and bowed: "Sir, why should you be angry? We have different views and don't work together. Just don't talk about it."

Chen Yuan said: "My anger is not for myself, I am angry that he has misled others!"

Ju Ming suggested: "In that case, it is better to go to the mountains to give lectures. It can be done in a busy city or by the Han River. Scholars can come and listen, and people can come and listen. Even officials can come and listen. This is not better than giving lectures in a busy city. Is it better to give lectures on the mountain?”

Chen Yuan thought for a while, nodded and said: "This method is feasible. But those stupid men and women who don't know a few Chinese characters can really understand it?"

"Sir, didn't you just say that as long as you have sincerity and benevolence, you will be ignorant and a common man is also a great scholar," Zhu Ming said. "Sir, as long as you explain the truth in a simpler way and use more metaphors from everyday things, the foolish men and women will naturally understand. "

Although the style of lecturing was prevalent in the Song Dynasty, and academic works became more and more colloquial, there were really no lectures on the street.

It was not until the middle of the Ming Dynasty that lectures were directly addressed to the people at the bottom, and even beggars could listen to the Dao.

Chen Yuan was a little unsure: "You can try it."

Ju Ming added: "Sir, as long as you are sincere and benevolent, everyone can be a saint. If this is the case, where is the way to rise up against the common people?"

This stopped Chen Yuan. He said that everyone can become a saint. It was just a theory, and it was mainly aimed at the scholar class. But ordinary people are also human beings. Humanity is the way of benevolence. Where is the way of ordinary people? How should the benevolence of the common people be reflected?

"Success is quite rare. I should think deeply about it." Chen Yuan discovered a new way of doing research. He wanted to find out where the common people's path lies.

Ju Ming said: "My father once said that the common people's daily use is the Tao. The younger generation is less talented and less knowledgeable. I don't know if my father is right."

Chen Yuan was dumbfounded when he heard these words. He was stunned on the spot for a long time. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense, and he murmured repeatedly: "The common people's daily use is the Dao, and the common people's daily use is the Dao..."

Ju Ming stood silently, waiting for Chen Yuan to digest it slowly.

Chen Yuan began to pace back and forth. Just seven words opened a new academic door for him.

Ju Ming did not throw out this point of view randomly, but combined it with the content of Chen Yuan's lectures. He found that Chen Yuan's academic thoughts were somewhere in the middle between Neo-Confucianism and Xinxue, and they also included some thoughts on meritorious service. They could fully absorb the Taizhou School of Xinxue's "Everyday use of the common people is the Tao".

The more Chen Yuan thought about it, the more excited he became. These seven words were in line with the meaning of the sage scriptures and were an expansion of the avenue of sage learning.

At this time, Chen Yuan's academic ideas all came from Yang Shi, and he didn't have much new stuff of his own.

If he started from "the common people's daily use is the Tao", he could create a new school of thought.

Chen Yuan suddenly grabbed Ju Ming's hands and said excitedly: "Where is your father now? I should ask him in person."

Ju Ming said: "My father is farming in the countryside, and my father's knowledge has been passed down to the younger generations."

"Let's find a place to talk in detail." Chen Yuan pulled Zhu Ming and ran away, just like a lustful man meeting a peerless beauty, he was already impatient.

Ju Ming had a proud smile on his face. His idea was very simple, which was to use Chen Yuan to become famous and to be recognized by the scholars who paid attention to the practical affairs of the world.