Zhengyang, however, shook his head, as this great scholar from the south spoke with absolute certainty:
"Such words cannot harm this old man's scholarship. Is there a chance to et with him?"
For many disciples, the scholarly debate in three days was of utmost importance and could not be disturbed.
But for soone like Zhengyang, who was on the cusp of becoming a Saint, what truly mattered was the doctrine itself.
"If it's really Dong Xuan sending the ssage, then I'm even more determined to find out," the great scholar, wearing a square hat, stated emphatically.
The Song examinee took a deep breath and volunteered:
"Considering your special status, it wouldn't be appropriate for you to seek him out. Let go instead."
After speaking, the old examinee left.
Seeing this, Lu Cheng stayed in the room with his ntor, waiting:
"I'll go get so breakfast."
By the ti he returned with food from nearby, the teacher and student had only taken a few bites when they saw the Song examinee return.
"That was quick. Did you forget sothing?" Lu Cheng asked curiously.
The Song examinee shook his head with a complex expression, saying:
"After I left the inn, I had just crossed a street when I was stopped by a governnt officer under Zhao Douan. He said if we want to et, we should go to Bailu Academy at the evening."
His heart chilled as he realized that their entire group was under constant surveillance by the governnt officers lurking in the shadows.
It seed that Zhao Douan's deliberate obstruction the day before was indeed part of so sche.
"Bailu Academy? Hasn't that been deserted?" Lu Cheng's complexion slightly changed.
Zhengyang shook his head again, his eyes clear and sharp, with a hint of the deanor of a Confucian Daoist grandmaster, calmly saying:
"If the court wanted to kill , why would they need to go through such trouble? Let's just go in the evening."
...
...
Bailu Academy was a bookish architectural structure in a corner of the Capital, emanating a sense of the passage of ti.
At its zenith, it was the most resplendent among many academies, but it gradually declined over ti.
Later, due to an incident that happened decades ago involving its headmaster, nurous students were also implicated and imprisoned. This once-renowned academy had since fallen into disrepair. Due to its special historical burden, it remained unclaid.
It beca one of the properties under the court, manned by local householders who cleaned and maintained it, rarely visited by people.
"Big brother, why have you co to this place?"
Zhao Pan hopped down from the carriage, holding her goose-yellow skirt, looking curiously at the academy's main gate.
The plaque on the gate read "Cultivating Virtue and Talent" in large characters, yet it was still weathered and peeling.
Outside her goose-yellow gown, she donned a green jacket, wrapping her slender neck and making her cheeks seem especially plump.
"Waiting for soone and picking so grapes on the side," Zhao Douan alighted from the carriage, pulled out two bamboo baskets, and handed one to her with a smile.
Then he left the driver, Little Wang, outside and led his sister into the academy.
Inside, ancient trees soared to the sky, with flying-stone bridges, black tile walls, steles and couplets... The remnants of its forr glory were faintly visible.
"There are grapes here?" Zhao Pan blinked, not asking who they were waiting for.
After eating lunch at ho, Zhao Douan said he needed to go out for a bit, and since he wouldn't be going to the governnt office in the afternoon, Zhao Pan decided to accompany him for so fresh air.
Zhao Douan smiled and said:
"Yes, there is an entire grape garden here. All old vines, these grapes are at their sweetest after the first frost touch, with a unique flavor, refreshing and scrumptious."
Saying this, he and his sister followed the signs and indeed arrived at a grape garden. It was clear the place had been picked over multiple tis and not only by him; other dignitaries knew of this place's excellent grapes.
The two of them didn't mind, instead finding joy in the treasure hunt-like experience. Especially finding a cluster of concealed purple grapes beneath the leaves was suprely satisfying. They picked and ate, idly discussing the place's history.
"Big brother, the person you're eting is also a scholar, isn't he? The kind that's quite old?" Zhao Pan guessed brightly while carrying her little basket.
"Why do you say that?" Zhao Douan asked with a smile.
Zhao Pan stated confidently, "This place doesn't have anything special, only history. Probably only scholars care about that."
Zhao Douan chuckled softly and said, "That's right, you could say that."
His choice of this location was for its seclusion, as he himself was unsure of his odds in this venture and didn't want to create too much commotion. Besides, if he had chosen a crowded place, Zhengyang might not have agreed to co.
And secondly, yes, it was to reference an allusion, but not from this world. Rather, it was from his own world—the historically famous E Lake Conference, renowned for the philosophical debate between the proponents of Heart Learning and those of his own world.
At that ti, one party was Zhu Xi, not yet a Saint but already very prominent, and the other was Lu Jiuyuan, along with his brother Lu Jiuling.
The forr needs no introduction, while the latter were the founders of Lu-Wang Heart Learning, with Wang Yangming following behind as a great scholar of the future generations.
In his previous life, to please his superior, Zhao Douan painstakingly studied history, so he could not ignore such a well-known debate and had so understanding of the disputes between the two schools.
The topic then, similar to the debate in three days, revolved around what it ans to be a gentleman, a sage, and the thodology of learning such principles.
While the ultimate goals, or general direction, of Heart Learning and Confucianism differed little, their divergence lay in the perspective and thod of approach.
The "Doctrine of the an" records:
"Great indeed is the way of the Saint! Profound indeed is it and grand! It is prolific and perates everything, supre and unyielding. Therefore, the gentleman honors virtue and contemplates inquiry into learning, aiming for the vastness and achieving subtlety, reaching the height of brilliance through The an, venerating the past to understand the present, embracing virtue, and honoring propriety."
These principles are taught by the sages.
In this, the gentleman's "honoring virtue" and "contemplating inquiry into learning" correspond respectively to the principles of Heart Learning and Confucianism.
Zhu Xi advocated "contemplating inquiry into learning," believing that one should fully understand things and gain knowledge. A person should read extensively, observe carefully, and study to summarize the principles of all things, then deduce the essence from it. By understanding things, one can comprehend how to be proper and thus beco a gentleman aspiring to be a sage.
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