Ji Renshou is not a fool.
He immediately found Chen Ying, who was acting as the chief steward in the mansion, and asked him about Chen Biao's whereabouts.
Chen Ying asked doubtfully, "Didn't you suggest that Biao'er and Mr. Zhu stay at the Marshal's Mansion temporarily?"
Ji Renshou clenched his fists in his sleeves: "My proposal?"
When Chen Ying saw Ji Renshou's expression, he immediately guessed that there might be some misunderstanding.
In order to prevent Ji Renshou from misunderstanding Biaoer, Chen Ying explained the matter in detail.
On the second day after Ji Renshou arrived at Chen Biao's house, Chen Biao and Ji Renshou's wife went out to purchase, and Zhu Yi began to ask Ji Renshou for advice.
On the third day, Ji Renshou and his wife stayed indoors to pack their luggage, and Zhu Yi continued to come to their house to ask for advice.
On the third night, Zhu Yi found Chen Biao and conveyed Ji Renshou's words.
Ji Renshou explained that after staying at the Chen residence, he noticed that Zhu Sheng had some confidential documents that were difficult to bring back to the Chen residence. Zhu Sheng and Chen Biao had to travel to the Marshal's Residence daily, which was a real burden. He suggested that Chen Biao and Zhu Sheng live there, and he himself would not need to be accompanied.
Ji Renshou also said that he got along very well with Zhu Yi and even had the idea of taking Zhu Yi as his disciple, so Chen Biao didn't have to worry about him at all.
After Zhu Yi said this, Chen Biao naturally believed it.
Ji Renshou had always refused to serve in the government. Chen Biao considered himself a semi-official in Zhu Yuanzhang's service, so it was understandable that Ji Renshou wanted to tactfully distance himself from him. The reason he asked Zhu Yi to deliver the message was probably because, if it were said in person, it might cause misunderstanding. With an intermediary, they didn't have to meet face to face, which would have reduced the awkwardness.
Furthermore, Chen Biao, following Zhu Sheng's reminder, did not have the documents brought to the Chen residence as usual. Instead, he had to go to the Marshal's Residence. Chen Biao was a lazy guy who would feel uncomfortable if he didn't get at least five hours of sleep, including his nap time. If he stayed at the Marshal's Residence, he could wake up later and not waste his afternoon playtime catching up on sleep.
Ji Renshou may have made such a suggestion because he saw his hard work and asked Zhu Yi to convey the message to Chen Biao, asking him not to refuse.
So Chen Biao obeyed Ji Renshou's kindness and went to the Marshal's Mansion with Zhu Sheng, packing his bags.
Seeing that Ji Renshou's expression was getting more and more angry, Chen Ying couldn't help but look at Zhu Yi with a puzzled look.
Ji Renshou also looked at Zhu Yi.
Zhu Yi took a few steps back, his face flushed: "I always listen to my father."
Anyway, don’t blame me!
Ji Renshou laughed in anger: "Your acting skills are really superb."
Zhu Yi blushed and smiled bitterly: "My admiration for you is genuine and not fake."
Ji Renshou was so angry that he could hardly breathe.
He understood that Chen Biao was absolutely right in this matter.
Zhu Yi had no grudge against him, and no one's interests were harmed in this incident itself. Who would think that Zhu Yi was spreading rumors?
Chen Biao was not familiar with him, so it was impossible for him to come and ask him whether what Zhu Yi said was true after hearing it.
Chen Ying finally became convinced that Zhu Yi had lied, and that Zhu Sheng had asked Zhu Yi to tell the lie.
Why? He had no idea!
Chen Ying frowned and asked, "Zhu Yi, why are you doing this?"
Even though he was a great sage recognized by his adoptive father, Chen Ying was a little angry because he fooled Biao'er and betrayed Biao'er's trust, which might leave a bad impression on Biao'er in front of another great sage.
If Zhu Yi doesn't come up with a reason that he can accept, he will definitely retaliate later!
Zhu Yi didn't say anything, he just sighed.
Ji Renshou had calmed down. He glanced at Zhu Yi again and said, "Such a crude scheme will be exposed soon. He didn't intend to keep it secret for long. His goal was to make me expose this matter and understand the purpose behind his crude scheme. I don't know whether to call this a conspiracy or an open conspiracy."
Chen Ying: “…” I don’t understand.
Ji Renshou continued, "I thought he didn't care about Bowen's little tricks, but I didn't expect him to be so petty."
Chen Ying: "..." What tricks did Mr. Bowen have? How did Zhu Sheng get involved with Mr. Bowen?
Zhu Yi cupped his hands and said with a serious expression, "Father is not petty. It's just that there are some things he needs to explain to you, Master."
Ji Renshou sneered, "Yes, explain it to me clearly. He took Biao'er to the Marshal's Mansion. Wasn't it because I didn't want to serve in the government, so it was impossible for me to go to the Marshal's Mansion to find him and Biao'er?"
Chen Ying: "..." Why is he getting more and more confused? Didn't Mr. Ji come to Yingtian to escape the chaos and seek refuge with Mr. Bowen?
Although Chen Ying didn't understand, he kindly explained, "If Mr. Ji needs to find Biao'er, I can bring Biao'er back immediately. Even if Mr. Ji wants to go to the Marshal's Mansion and doesn't want others to know, he just needs to disguise himself. It won't cause misunderstandings."
Ji Renshou shook his head. "He wasn't trying to separate Biao'er and me, nor was it that I really couldn't go to the Marshal's Mansion. He was simply using the symbolic meaning of the Marshal's Mansion to tell me that this was a matter between him and Bowen, a matter between two of Zhu Yuanzhang's two great advisers. If someone like me, an outsider, didn't want to join Zhu Yuanzhang's army, I shouldn't get involved."
Chen Ying rubbed his temple unconsciously.
There's also this meaning? How did Mr. Ji come up with this? Is he overthinking it?
He barely understood that there might be some conflict between Mr. Zhu Yunsheng and Mr. Liu Bowen, and that this conflict might be related to Biao'er. Mr. Liu Bowen was unable to respond to the sky, so he asked Mr. Ji to come to the sky to do something on his behalf.
But he couldn't figure out what the conflict between Mr. Zhu Yunsheng and Mr. Liu Bowen could be.
Mr. Zhu Yunsheng was a semi-hermit who did not seek fame or fortune and did not pursue a bright future; Mr. Liu Bowen was a big shot in the eyes of his adoptive father and had a bright future.
Not only should there be no conflict in their status, they may not even have met each other.
Furthermore, why did taking Biao'er to the Marshal's Mansion have so many implications? Wasn't Mr. Ji really overthinking it?
While Chen Ying was rubbing his temples, Zhu Yi bowed again. "Father said that Mr. Ji would definitely understand his painstaking efforts. So, could Mr. Ji give in a little?"
Ji Renshou stared at Zhu Yi for a long moment before saying, "I'm certainly not going to be an official, but taking care of a child is just a matter of how it relates to whether I'm going to be an official or not. I don't care what conflicts he has with Bowen, or what they want to do with Biao'er, but have you ever asked Biao'er for his own opinion? I heard from Bowen that Biao'er is as mature as an adult and has strong opinions. I may be old, but my mind is not dim. I think your father is not only old, but also dim."
Zhu Yi listened to Ji Renshou scolding his father, but he didn't get angry. He continued, "Father doesn't look down on Biao'er. Today, father will tell Biao'er about this game. Father is just asking Mr. Ji about his choice. It has nothing to do with Biao'er."
Ji Renshou sneered: "Ask me if I will surrender to Zhu Yuanzhang? Zhu Sheng really thinks highly of me!"
Zhu Yi sighed and said, "Father didn't want to make this matter clear, so he used this method. If you have it in your mind, why do you want to speak it out? Can't you just solve it tacitly? Besides, as father said, you shouldn't have been involved in his affairs with Liu Bowen."
Ji Renshou's face was gloomy, and he remained silent for a long while. The scene fell into an unbearable silence.
Chen Ying racked his brains and managed to get a clue again.
Mr. Zhu did all this because speaking directly would have been too hurtful and disrespectful to Mr. Ji. So he went to such lengths, using subtle gestures that others might not notice, to convey his thoughts to Mr. Ji and allow him to make a choice.
But Mr. Ji's temper didn't seem as good as he appeared, and he questioned the outsiders directly.
It's embarrassing.
Chen Ying felt that he shouldn't be here and shouldn't be involved in the intrigues among the literati.
And no matter how hard he thought about it, he couldn't understand what the point of this intrigue was! What on earth are you guys talking about?
After a while, Ji Renshou spoke first and said to Chen Ying, "Biao'er is the teacher of Yingtian Primary School and the dean of the academy of Yingtian Primary School, right?"
Chen Ying nodded: "Yes."
Ji Renshou asked, "Is Yingtian Primary School open these days?"
Chen Ying said: "Of course. No matter how busy I am, I can't delay my studies."
Ji Renshou asked, "Is the elementary school in need of a teacher of classics? I feel a bit uneasy living in the Chen family for nothing. I'm willing to teach at the elementary school for a few days to cover my living expenses."
Chen Ying wanted to say no, but when he heard Zhu Yi sigh, he caught a glimpse of something and immediately said, "Sir, you're too polite! A great scholar like you can teach in the elementary school, which will bring honor to the school! Are you only teaching the elementary students, or do you need us to open the elementary school to allow people from Yingtian to study?"
Ji Renshou said: "Don't tell anyone else, I will change my name and only teach elementary school students."
Chen Ying said: "Okay, I'll arrange it right away!"
Zhu Yi sighed deeply, touched his nose, and said, "Can I continue to attend the class?"
Ji Renshou cursed, "Get lost!"
Zhu Yi was depressed.
Dad, you have caused me so much trouble.
…
"Although I don't know much about Zhu Sheng, from the information my lord has collected about his life, I can tell that he's a man who likes to do things in a roundabout way," Liu Ji said proudly. "My senior brother is a man with a cold exterior but a warm heart. He appears calm, but in reality, he has a fierce temper. He hates people using tricks the most. He doesn't consider them euphemisms; he only considers them to be conspiracies that can't be put on the table."
Zhu Yuanzhang stroked his stubble and said, "Bo Wen's point is that Zhu Sheng will use subtle means to test your senior brother, and your senior brother will dislike such subtle means and will be aroused by Zhu Sheng to fight?"
Liu Ji nodded. "This is the method of provoking the enemy. If luck is on your side, Zhu Sheng will be deceived by my reputation and appearance, thinking that I am a gentle gentleman with a hidden agenda. I'm afraid he will suffer a great loss. Then, even if I don't serve the Marshal, I might stay in Yingtian and become the Marshal's second semi-reclusive advisor."
Zhu Yuanzhang nodded happily first, praising Liu Ji for his great control over people's hearts.
Then, Old Zhu spoke very frankly and honestly: "Bo Wen, are you using the little tricks that Mr. Ji hates the most?"
Liu Ji Liu Bowen: "..."
Song Lian covered his mouth with his sleeve and laughed uncontrollably, "My Lord, you are absolutely right. Before Bo Wen retired to the countryside, he was definitely Ji Shanfu's most hated fellow disciple."
Liu Ji waved his sleeves and said viciously, "Why? My lord, you don't like my little conspiracy?"
Zhu Yuanzhang scratched his head. "It's not that I look down on you. I just think that Mr. Ji is Bowen's senior apprentice, so he must be as smart as Bowen. Is it possible that he can see through Bowen's scheme and join the game, but when you return, he will sever our relationship as brothers?"
Zhu Yuanzhang said, and said happily: "Maybe it will really happen!"
Liu Ji looked at Zhu Yuanzhang in disbelief, who was smiling amusedly. "My Lord, I'm giving you advice, and you actually want to see me make a fool of myself?"
Zhu Yuanzhang waved his hands repeatedly: "No, no, hahaha, how could you think so? I just remind you to find a way to please your senior brother!"
Liu Ji took a deep breath and gritted his teeth: "Thank you for your concern, lord?"
Song Lian laughed so hard that he fell forward and backward, and he completely forgot the image of a great writer.
At this time, Li Shanchang, holding a pile of documents and looking sullen, kicked open the door of their temporary residence and roared, "You've abandoned your official duties to slack off here, and you're laughing so loudly?! Are you trying to piss me off to death?! I quit!"
Zhu Yuanzhang and Song Lian's laughter stopped abruptly, and Liu Ji quickly put on a flattering face and bowed frequently.
"Bai Shi, don't be angry. We have something important to do, really important things to do. We are not being lazy."
"Bai Shi, relax, take a deep breath, don't be angry, I will help you with the paperwork right away!"
"Mr. Li, believe me! We didn't leave you to work alone!"
Li Shanchang roared: "I don't believe you!"
After saying that, he threw away the document, rolled up his sleeves, and chased the three men alone. Even Zhu Yuanzhang ran away in fear, not daring to fight back.
Zhu Yuanzhang's personal soldiers guarding the gate dared not listen or look, and acted as if they were blind and deaf.
What a sin!
…
Chen Biao was correcting documents with a candied haws in his mouth. He looked up and took out the candied haws. "Is that so? Why is Mr. Zhu forcing Mr. Ji to make a choice? I'm afraid Mr. Ji will be angry."
Zhu Sheng helped Chen Biao wipe the sugar stains from his mouth and said sarcastically, "Liu Ji, Liu Bowen, thinks he has calculated everyone's hearts and minds. Given Ji Renshou and I's personalities, I'm afraid we'll clash and provoke Ji Renshou into the game. I'm only helping him out because we're both on the Marshal's staff."
Chen Biao blinked and said truthfully, "Mr. Zhu, you and Mr. Bowen are both a little scary."
Zhu Sheng laughed: "What's so scary about a little conspiracy? Biao'er, what's scary is the open and unavoidable conspiracy."
Chen Biao said, "Open plots are terrifying, and so are secret plots. One knows and is deceived, while the other doesn't. As far as the outcome is concerned, they are the same."
He bit off a candied hawthorn, which was sour and sweet, and frowned.
After swallowing the candied hawthorn, Chen Biao continued, "Perhaps Mr. Ji knew that you two were trying to trick him, so he was provoked into success."
"Routine?" Zhu Sheng pondered the word and smiled. "Maybe. So how is he going to break the deadlock?"
Chen Biao licked his lips and looked at the finished candied haws with a lingering look of satisfaction.
He was almost at the age of changing teeth, and always felt that his teeth might become loose at any time. He was afraid to eat snacks that were too sour or too sweet, and only rewarded himself with a string of candied haws every many days.
Chen Biao licked the candied haws stick with great care, and Zhu Sheng couldn't help but want to give him another one.
However, Chen Biao has great self-control. Many people feel sorry for him and want him to have some snacks, but he always refuses.
After throwing the candied haws stick into the trash can, Chen Biao continued, "Perhaps Mr. Ji doesn't want to break the game, but rather take advantage of it. Mr. Zhu, I want to teach at the elementary school today."
Zhu Sheng sighed and said, "Go ahead. I'll stay here."
Zhu Sheng patted Chen Biao's head and said, "You can play for a while before coming back. You are still young and shouldn't be so tired."
Chen Biao smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Zhu. I know my limits. If I'm tired, I'll definitely rest and won't force myself. For me, dealing with these things is much more fun than playing with my brothers."
Zhu Sheng watched Chen Biao leave and sighed again.
He understood what Liu Ji was thinking. Liu Ji was worried that he would use his experience and insights to influence Biao'er.
Just as Liu Ji thought, he wanted to try to influence Biaoer.
But after spending some time together, Zhu Sheng realized that both he and Liu Ji had underestimated Biao'er. No matter how modest Biao'er appeared, he possessed a bystander's coldness and pride, and his convictions were difficult to shake.
Perhaps only Biaoer's closest relatives can influence his thoughts.
Is this a wise ruler? A tyrant? Or a saintly ruler?
No one knows until the future.
Instead, he was gradually influenced by Biaoer and became confused about what he thought and learned.
Zhu Sheng looked at the document in his hand.
No, perhaps he was not influenced by Biao'er, but was influenced by the cheerful and happy atmosphere in Yingtian City that was incompatible with this chaotic world, and began to unconsciously lean towards Zhu Yuanzhang.
The doctrine of a sage is not created for the purpose of becoming a sage, but for the purpose of saving the world and the people.
This is true of Confucius, the sages in the Confucius Temple, and Zhu Xi and Cheng Yi.
Since the people are living well, why can't the sacred teachings change?
Is the sacred learning such an inconvenient thing?
…
When Chen Biao arrived at the primary school, Ji Renshou was teaching the students.
Ji Renshou looked at the elementary school students' last monthly exam papers and attended a few classes to estimate their learning progress.
Whether it was the comic book-like teaching materials or the simple blackboard chalk that no one had ever thought of, Ji Renshou was deeply shocked and couldn't put it down.
He held the curriculum of Yingtian Primary School in his hand and saw that the curriculum included not only civil and military courses, but also labor and practical courses. He couldn't help but sigh that this "primary school" was indeed a real "primary school" during the Shang and Zhou dynasties, and the content taught were all knowledge that children of aristocrats should learn.
If Zhu Yuanzhang had gained control of the world, these people would have been born nobles and could have directly become high-ranking officials and marquises based on the merits of their fathers.
Do people like this still need to study the classics, history, and literature?
Of course they need to learn how to think, but what they need more is to learn how ordinary people think.
At the same time, they should also learn how to "herd the people", skip the imperial examination, and directly learn how to be officials and do practical work.
After Ji Renshou understood the meaning behind the primary school curriculum, he deeply admired the foresight of those who developed the curriculum.
When he asked who was the talented person who designed these courses, the teachers in the primary school who called themselves "faculty members" laughed and said, "Of course it's Principal Chen, Chen Jiabiao."
Ji Renshou was so shocked that he couldn't speak for a long time.
At this time, he remembered what Liu Ji said about "friendship regardless of age", and finally understood a little.
Ji Renshou hid his shock and surprise and began to teach the first lesson for the elementary school students.
When he picked up the chalk and wrote on the blackboard, he felt an overwhelming surge of emotion for the first time, even though he had given lectures countless times before.
Ji Renshou taught the most basic science class, that is, what science is and what its uses are.
This should have been very boring, but Ji Renshou gave many interesting examples and drew on the blackboard with great interest, so the primary school students were able to listen to him.
Chen Biao quietly sat next to Zhou Ji while Ji Renshou had his back turned to write on the blackboard.
This scared Zhou Ji who was dozing off.
To foster friendship among the students, Chen Biao specially arranged a long table so that they could sit at the same table. Both the table and the seat were rotated every month.
Zhou Ji's deskmate happened to be on leave today, so Chen Biao slipped up to Zhou Ji and pretended to be Zhou Ji's deskmate.
Ji Renshou was so excited during his lecture that his face was flushed, and he didn't even notice that there was an extra person in the classroom.
Zhou Ji wiped the sweat from his forehead and wrote on his homework book with a thin charcoal pencil: "Little Master, why are you here?"
Chen Biao wrote: "Don't talk, shut up and listen carefully."
Zhou Ji immediately stopped being distracted, straightened his back, and took notes seriously in his poor handwriting.
Although Zhou Ji had been taught by Chen Biao to study more seriously, practicing calligraphy required a lot of perseverance, and Zhou Ji obviously had no perseverance at all.
Chen Biao looked at Zhou Ji's poor handwriting and thought of his own father's poor handwriting, and couldn't help frowning.
I hope that when his father comes back, his handwriting won’t get worse because of his military life.
Ji Renshou continued his lecture.
When teaching cultural courses, Chen Biao set a class time of 35 minutes, which is about 45 minutes in later generations. This is the time that people can concentrate their attention continuously.
Ji Renshou was able to finish his first lecture on time before the bell rang, and he even left time for questions.
Chen Biao raised his hand high.
Ji Renshou then realized that there was a little girl among the group of elementary school students. He couldn't help but smile: "Mr. Chen, what advice do you have for me?"
Chen Biao said, "Sir, you are not talking about traditional Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, but the School of Mind."
Ji Renshou shook his head and smiled, "Biao'er, the School of Mind and the School of Principle are both Confucian sacred teachings. The School of Mind began with Chengzi and can be traced back to Mencius. How can it not be a tradition?"
Chen Biao thought to himself, what a quibble.
When Zhu Xi was alive, the School of Mind and the School of Principle were also very popular.
However, the study of the School of Mind was indeed initiated by the Cheng brothers and further developed by Wang Yangming in the late Ming Dynasty. The source of all this is indeed Mencius.
Whether it is the School of Mind, the School of Principle, or the School of Practical Affairs, they are all internal disputes within Confucianism.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Confucianism was divided into different schools, and eventually many representatives such as the Legalists, the School of Diplomacy, and the School of Yin and Yang emerged. Even the ideas of Confucianism's arch-enemy, the Mohists, were integrated into Confucianism's later thoughts.
In the future, Confucianism will continue to integrate other ideas and practice "harmony but not uniformity", "seek common ground while reserving differences", and "there must be a teacher among three people".
Chen Biao's eyes flickered, and he continued to probe, "From what I heard, sir, you're not adhering to the theory of human nature being good or evil, but rather the idea that there is no good or evil. After being educated in good things, one becomes good, and after being educated in evil things, one becomes evil?"
Ji Renshou's smile widened as he said, "That's right."
Chen Biao said, "There is no good or evil, it's all chaos. Isn't this the idea of Zen Buddhism?"
Ji Renshou suppressed his smile and said sternly, "What is Zen? Can't we Confucians have some of the ideas that Zen has?"
Chen Biao looked at the smile in Ji Renshou's eyes and sighed slightly in his heart.
Well, he discovered that this was indeed a direct descendant of Cheng-Zhu, a very typical successor of Chengzi's thought.
Unfortunately, what he inherited was Chengzi's philosophy of mind.
Those great scholars in Yingtian were all direct disciples of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, and each of them was proficient in Neo-Confucianism, but they were not only proficient in Neo-Confucianism.
Chen Biao understood that a great sage must learn many theories and choose the ideas that he approves of.
Is this what they call “It is better to have no books than to believe in them blindly”?
Even if you are a saint, can I secretly express different opinions from you even if I don't refute you publicly?
Is Confucianism quietly resisting the rebellious spirit?
Chen Biao finally bowed, and when the bell rang, he ended the brief Q&A session with a famous quote from the yet-to-be-born Wang Yangming: "Master, you are absolutely right. The sage is one with heaven, earth, and all things. Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Zhuangzi are all useful to me. This is what we call the Great Way. I am obsessed with appearances."
Ji Renshou clapped his hands and laughed, then quickly walked up to Chen Biao and picked him up.
Chen Biao: “…”
Ji Renshou lifted Chen Biao up towards the sun.
Chen Biao: “???!”
Ji Renshou sighed, "Biao'er, are you a natural born sage?"
Chen Biao Tuzki eyes.
If you want to praise me, just praise me. Why are you praising me?
Chen Biao said slowly, "As long as one has a conscience, everyone can become a saint. Of course, I was born a saint."
Ji Renshou laughed dumbly: "That's the truth. Everyone can be a saint!"
He squinted his eyes and looked at Chen Biao, who had merged into the light. Then he took Chen Biao into his arms and touched his head with great care and affection. He said to the puzzled elementary school students, "You must also remember that as long as you have a conscience in your heart, everyone can be a saint. You are also saints. get out of class is dismissed."
After saying that, he hugged Chen Biao and left.
Zhou Ji slammed the table and said, "The young master was kidnapped?!"
The other elementary school students were shocked.
"How can this be! You're taking our husband away right in front of us?"
"Get it back, get it back!"
"you go?"
" I'll shout slogans for you, and you go."
Then the indignant primary school students dispersed, cherishing the short break time. Some went to the toilet, some read extracurricular books, and a few made an appointment to go to the playground to play football.
Chen Biao was confused and didn't know where Ji Renshou was going to carry him.
Ji Renshou got on the carriage and took Chen Biao back to the Chen Mansion.
Chen Ying came to greet them, and was speechless when he saw Biao'er nestled in Ji Renshou's arms.
Why does Mr. Ji look like he just snatched a child back? Is this also some tacit conspiracy among the scholars?
Chen Ying thought that he would never be a scholar in his life.
Watching Ji Renshou carrying Chen Biao back to the yard where Ji Renshou was temporarily living, Chen Ying waved her hand and said that Biao would definitely sleep at home tonight, so she should add a few more dishes that Biao liked to the kitchen.
Ji Renshou carried Chen Biao back to the study in the small courtyard where they were temporarily staying, put Chen Biao on the desk, and took out a book from the bottom of the bookcase with his butt sticking out, and handed it to Chen Biao.
When Chen Biao flipped through the book, he found that it contained content related to Chengzi's philosophy of mind.
Ji Renshou said, "The sage's teaching is to transform everyone into a sage. My teacher once said that excessive pursuit of the nature of reason while neglecting the heart and mind will lead Neo-Confucianism astray."
Chen Biao nodded. "Yes, Neo-Confucianism is overly dogmatic. Zhu Xi would probably be very disappointed to see his later students burning other people's works in order to defend his doctrine."
When Zhu Xi encountered a theory that he disliked, he would always "knock on the door" and go directly to the other person's home base to give lectures.
Zhu Xi was indeed very powerful at that time. He was originally from Fujian School, but after his lectures, people in Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces came to follow him, and Neo-Confucianism flourished.
Even though Zhu Xi and Tang Zhongyou were enemies, Zhu Xi did not resort to extra means to prevent the dissemination of Tang Zhongyou's academic works while he was alive. Instead, after his death, Zhu Xi's followers burned Tang Zhongyou's works, and they also spent a large sum of money to buy up and burn the works of those who spoke on Tang Zhongyou's behalf.
Seeing Chen Biao nod, Ji Renshou asked happily, "Do you think the School of Mind should be the orthodox one?"
Chen Biao, however, shook his head at Ji Renshou's expectant gaze. "I believe that any doctrine can become orthodox, and no doctrine should become orthodox. What becomes orthodox should be a positive and progressive thought. Any doctrine that benefits the people and civilization is orthodox. Their dregs are unorthodox."
Chen Biao didn't understand why Ji Renshou was trying to "sell" him the School of Mind, but he didn't want to become his disciple, so he said honestly, "The knowledge in books is dead, but people are alive, and their thoughts are alive. As time progresses, corresponding thoughts will also change. You can see this by looking through history books. For example, one of the reasons why King Zhou was punished was that he used livestock instead of human sacrifices in sacrifices to the gods, which was disrespectful to the gods. However, this is the behavior of a wise ruler today."
The main reason why King Zhou was destroyed was similar to that of Emperor Yang of Sui. Both of them were ambitious and waged wars year after year, which led to deep resentment among the people.
But in that era of slavery, while public grievances were the primary cause, they were not the most important reason for rebellion. Disrespect for the gods was the most important reason.
However, after the Zhou Dynasty was established, it quickly banned the use of human sacrifices in the service of the gods. Therefore, the parties involved were actually very clear about what was good and what was bad; they simply wrote the conquest documents in accordance with the prevailing trend, which does not mean they agreed with it.
Chen Biao cited the examples of the Shang and Zhou dynasties to prove that the mainstream ideas of society will change over time.
Chen Biao looked at Ji Renshou's gradually dimming eyes and looked away awkwardly. "I... don't understand why we have to divide it into different schools of thought. Can't we just learn all the good ones? In fact, the knowledge of the sages is based on the strengths of many schools. It's the later generations who have to divide it into different schools of thought in order to unite and exclude the dissidents. They think that whatever school they support is right, and whatever school they don't support is wrong. How can thinking be that simple?"
Ji Renshou put away the enthusiasm in his eyes, thought for a while, and sighed softly: "What you said can also be regarded as a theory."
Chen Biao: “Ah?”
What kind of doctrine could possibly encompass all the nonsense I've said? It can't be Marxist philosophy, can it?
Ji Renshou patted Chen Biao's head and changed the subject: "Since you want to learn from many people, then does the study of the mind count as one of the many people's strengths?"
Chen Biao said: "To cultivate conscience is to become a sage. The sage is not in the court, but in the hearts of the people."
Chen Biao pointed to his heart and said, "This is certainly the strength of the School of Mind."
Ji Renshou asked, "Then can I continue to teach Xinxue in elementary school?"
Chen Biao said, "Of course! But Mr. Ji, I might also invite scholars who practice a completely different doctrine from the School of Mind to teach. Is that okay?"
Ji Renshou said, "You should learn from the best of many schools and let those students think for themselves. They will naturally choose different theories. You want to build a school like the one in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period."
Chen Biao immediately became alert and immediately shifted the blame: "It's not me! It's Marshal Zhu! Marshal Zhu taught me all this!"
Ji Renshou sighed: "Marshal Zhu had never read the books of sages before, but his thoughts were not constrained and were more free."
After Ji Renshou finished speaking, he recited a passage from "Xiao Yao You", his eyes full of longing for Dapeng and Dakun.
Chen Biao's mouth twitched slightly. So this scholar also studied Taoism?
Ah, yes, yes, yes, how can the knowledge of sages be so inconvenient ?
Ji Renshou chatted with Chen Biao about academic matters for a while.
In later generations, the new society businessmen who called themselves Confucian businessmen loved to read books such as the study of practical affairs and Wang Yangming's philosophy of mind.
Regardless of why, Chen Biao didn't know. Wang Yangming's books had always been a favorite in the business world, and he even attended lectures during employee training.
So whatever Chen Biao said would touch Ji Renshou's heart.
Seeing Ji Renshou's deeply touched look, Chen Biao guessed that Ji Renshou would probably stay in Yingtian for a long time.
In this chaotic world, Zhu Yuanzhang's base camp, Yingtian, was the safest place. Ji Renshou finally found a safe place to "retreat" and probably wanted to write a book about it, right?
Will Ji Renshou follow Wang Yangming's path and leave Wang Yangming with no way out?
I believe that if Wang Yangming knew about this, he would not be sad, but very happy.
Moreover, with Wang Yangming's inclusive thinking, if Ji Renshou had reached the place where he died, he would surely be able to go further from this point.
In the evening, Chen Biao gulped down a cup of hot milk, then kicked away his third brother who kept throwing himself at him, feeling very emotional.
After expressing his feelings, Chen Biao began to scratch his head.
So what on earth was Mr. Ji doing when he carried me back? I just couldn't understand.
Could it be that he simply wanted to "sell" me the philosophy of mind and take me in as his disciple?
But he didn't feel like it.
At night, Ji Renshou's wife lit the oil lamp for him and asked, "Why did you take the book out and put it on the bookshelf?"
Ji Renshou said, "I'm going to live here permanently from now on. If I don't take out the book, it will be troublesome to look for it."
"Permanent residence?" Ji Renshou's wife's heart was pounding, and confusion was on her face. "Why? You want to live in Yingtian? This is Zhu Yuanzhang's place."
Ji Renshou cursed, "That bastard Bowen has screwed me over so badly! We can't leave now!"
Ji Renshou's wife was puzzled: "Although Bowen is a bit naughty, why would he deceive you? He respects you the most."
Naughty... Ji Renshou's expression is hard to describe.
"It's nice to stay here." Ji Renshou said, "Madam, you like it here too, don't you?"
Ji Renshou's wife said, "Even if the people on Yingtian Street are in rags, they still have smiles on their faces. I really like this place. But wherever you go, I will go there."
Ji Renshou held his wife's hand and said, "Then I will stay where you like. We will settle down here. I have already told Biao'er that I will be a teacher in an elementary school in the future."
Ji Renshou's wife nodded vigorously, a blush appearing on her cheeks.
Ji Renshou couldn't help feeling a little shy.
Both of them are almost sixty years old, and they look so affectionate, as if they have returned to the time when Ji Renshou just lifted the bride's red veil with his wedding name, and the two of them looked into each other's eyes for the first time.
…
When Chen Biao went to the Marshal's Mansion to work again, he muttered to Zhu Sheng about the strange experience he had yesterday.
When Zhu Sheng heard that Ji Renshou was studying the School of Mind, he showed no emotion. He himself also studied the School of Mind. Which Cheng disciples didn't study the School of Mind?
But after hearing the latter part, Zhu Sheng's eyelids twitched wildly, and then he slammed the table, scaring Chen Biao.
Chen Biao stammered, "W-what happened?"
Zhu Sheng stopped slapping the table and his expression returned to the calmness of an old monk in meditation. "It's okay. You don't need to come to the Marshal's Mansion to handle paperwork anymore. Just handle it at home."
Chen Biao: “Oh.”...Does that mean they will stop fighting?
I really don't understand the subtle thoughts of literati.