Ming Dynasty: Domination of the World from the Imperial Examination

Chapter 331 The rich tortoise sits at the table, the poor gentleman is a vulgar fellow!
Strong?
That's true.

But Xia Zhibai did not think that there was anything wrong with his assertiveness. If he continued to let Liu Sanwu and others do as they pleased, the book he compiled would probably not contain much scholarship, but would contain a lot of debate ideas. This was not the study of scholarship, but the study of debate.

He wanted teaching materials that were based on reality and were practical, rather than vague, beating around the bush, or making specious statements.

That kind of teaching material won’t produce any scientists.

There are already too many Confucian scholars in the world.

And if even compiling a basic textbook has to be influenced by Confucianism, why not just use the Confucian "Four Books and Five Classics" as the textbook? Why would he bother with this? But this is not what he wants.

Everyone in the hall looked at each other.

Liu Sanwu's sudden departure also caught everyone by surprise.

As the oldest person in the Hanlin Academy, Liu Sanwu holds a very important position in the academy. Even the current emperor sometimes has to ask Liu Sanwu for advice. His voice is very important. However, he can't stand Xia Zhibai's harshness and difficulties. If Liu Sanwu really impeaches him, although it is unknown what the result will be, the two of them will inevitably fall out completely.

No matter which side wins, it will become a hot topic.

but
Huang Zhang and others were naturally happy to see this.

They have also been dissatisfied with Xia Zhibai for a long time.

He always likes to put his own views above theirs, and Xia Zhibai's views are extremely dangerous. He even tries to dig out the Mohist and Taoist schools from the "pile of old papers". If Xia Zhibai really succeeds in this, wouldn't the world's knowledge be in chaos?
They don't want to return to the verbal and written criticism of ancient times.

What's more, just listening to Xia Zhibai's talk made them feel creepy.

Because there are too many conflicting concepts, who is right and who is wrong in the long run? Who can tell for sure? They have studied for so long, but in the end, won't all the knowledge become a decoration? Who can accept this? Who can tolerate this gap?
The whole audience was silent.

Huang Zhang, Dong Guan and others sneered and watched to see how Xia Zhibai would end up.

Xia Zhibai looked indifferent.

As if it wasn't affected at all.

He looked at the crowd indifferently and said calmly, "If anyone else disagrees, you can leave. My opinion will not change. The present does not have to be inferior to the past. In fact, after so many years of progress, many modern scholars have already surpassed the ancients in knowledge. Relying on generations of scholars' 'annotations' to forcibly maintain 'classics' and forcibly add 'new ideas' is a lack of self-confidence."

"As the inheritor of Chinese culture, the Ming Dynasty should not only inherit the Han regime, but also the confidence and composure of the Chinese people."

"Those who hold salaries for everyone must not freeze to death in the wind and snow."

“Those who pave the way for freedom should not be trapped in thorns.”

“Those who establish their mission for the people should not be allowed to perish in silence.”

“Those who manage water for the common people should not allow it to drown in lakes or seas.”

"To enlighten the ignorant, do not leave them confused in their ignorance."

“Those who strive for the present should not be buried in the dust.”

"For the future, the foundation should not be made narrow from the wide."

“Those who seek the welfare of the people should not let them fight alone.”

"I hope my flesh and blood will fall to the ground and pave the way for future generations."

"I hope my bones will grow into trees, to provide shelter for those who come after me"

"Scholars should set up great ambitions and take the world as their responsibility, instead of falling into a closed and conservative dead end. That would be a waste of time reading the books of sages. Confucius said: When three people walk together, there must be one who can be my teacher. Even the Confucian sages knew that they should keep learning and remain humble. Why do today's Confucian scholars regard what they have learned as the standard, and do not tolerate anyone to argue with them, let alone oppose them?" "Maybe."

"It's because of my lack of talent and knowledge."

"Once they touch upon other unknown areas, they will be exposed immediately. Then what use will such book-loving scholars have to the world?"

"Since we are talking about Confucian scholars."

"Then you should know that there are two types of Confucian scholars: gentlemen and villains."

"The Confucian scholars of noble character are loyal to the emperor and love the country, uphold justice, and denounce evil. They can benefit the present generation and leave a good reputation for the future generations. The Confucian scholars of mean character are different. They specialize in writing and prose, and can only do trifling things. They can be said to write poems in their youth and study classics in their old age. Although they have thousands of words in their pens, they don't have a single concrete good strategy in their hearts."

"It's just quoting from classics and repeating what others have said, which makes people laugh at it."

"To use a more vulgar folk expression."

"The rich bastards sit at the top, while the poor gentlemen are lowly bastards!"

"For hundreds of years, Chinese literature has not made any progress, but has been regressing and remaining stagnant."

“If you really have talent, you will not be buried anywhere. Only those who don’t have writing skills are so afraid of change, because once you change and remove the fig leaf, the true situation of many people will be directly exposed.”

“So some people became afraid and frightened.”

"No."

“You can be afraid, you can be scared, you can even regard it as a scourge, but you cannot make future generations afraid as well. Otherwise, each generation will be worse than the previous one, and then there will be no hope for the world. If it really comes to that, I’m afraid you will all become sinners in history, despised and insulted by scholars all over the world.”

"Editing a book requires fairness and objectivity."

"Don't be prejudiced, and don't be too selfish."

"Because the people you are going to teach are not your own students, but the young people of the whole world. They are the hope of the world and the future of Ming Dynasty. My words are indeed a bit too harsh, even a bit extreme, because I don't want these people to be delayed by these textbooks full of clichés."

“They shouldn’t accept this.”

"This is my last reminder. If you still cannot remain fair, I will dismiss all of you. There are many people in the world who can read and write, and you are indeed a small minority of the world's most talented people. Without your help, it will take a long time to compile these textbooks."

"But if it doesn't work, it's just a waste of everyone's time."

"If you scholars won't help, then I will ask for help from others. Local scholars, folk craftsmen, farmers, they can all be used by me. If a hundred people are not enough, then I will ask for a thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand. As long as the number is large enough, even if I let them write and study by themselves, I'm afraid it will be enough."

"I, Xia Zhibai, have plenty of patience."

"and"

"I am younger than all of you."

"I can afford to wait, I can afford to waste time, and I am willing to wait!"

Xia Zhibai's sonorous and powerful words echoed throughout the Hanlin Pavilion and in everyone's hearts.

Everyone could hear the firmness in Xia Zhibai's words, and also sensed his seriousness. He was not joking, nor was he exaggerating. He was really giving them an ultimatum: if they really didn't cooperate, he would replace them.

This is the answer Xia Zhibai gave them!

(End of this chapter)