Northern Song Dynasty: Starting from the son of Song Renzong

Chapter 29 Reading
The harem of the Song Dynasty.

Following Zhao Xin's extraordinary performance, Zhao Zhen couldn't help but run here whenever he had time.

Perhaps he felt that watching Zhao Xin grow stronger little by little could give him a sense of pleasure in nurturing him.

It's just like those idle games in online games. When the time comes, just click, and then your character will become very powerful.

Zhao Xin also quickened his reading pace.

It can be said that when he reads a book, he really just reads it once.

So much so that after Zhao Zhen saw it, he couldn't help but ask him: "How come you can remember the contents of this book?"

Zhao Xin then replied to his father in Miao Niang's arms: "Why are you here?"

Zhao Zhen's expression was almost tense for a moment, and he asked, "So you just asked Madam Miao to read it to you once?"

Zhao Xin replied: "Dad, you have read so many books, how can you remember them all?"

Zhao Zhen replied: "Of course this is impossible!"

Zhao Xin said, "That's it."

Zhao Zhen: "But I, your father, can at least say a few words."

Zhao Xin: "Then I can do it too."

Zhao Zhen stepped forward, took the book, and asked, "Then please say a few words about it."

Zhao Xin: "'Said', 'Mencius said', 'The King of Qi said'."

Zhao Zhen: "..."

Zhao Zhen's face suddenly turned ugly.

Seeing his father's stunned look, Zhao Xin also chuckled.

But after a while I couldn't laugh anymore.

Because he got beaten again!
While beating him, Zhao Zhen said, "I see you are just wasting your time here, not studying hard at all! It seems I have to send you to your teacher."

Although Zhao Xin wanted to refute, it was true that as he learned more and more, Miao Niang's limited knowledge was no longer enough.

The role of Miao Niang is just to read him some short stories from Mencius. Even explaining the sentences in the Analects seems a bit forced for her.

Maybe he himself knows more than Madam Miao.

Zhao Xin said, "Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! Isn't it enough for me to learn? Humph! Then you should teach me, Madam Miao doesn't know how to do it either."

then……

After Zhao Xin finished speaking, he went back to Madam Miao and asked his father to read it.

He closed his eyes and rested.

In order to avoid being beaten, Zhao Xin continued, "Just read it directly. I'm still learning. By the way, read it slowly, word by word. Otherwise, it's too fast and I can't hear it clearly. After you finish reading a sentence, remember to explain it again."

Immediately afterwards...

His father then read a very long passage.

After his father finished reading, in order to show that he really listened and did not fall asleep, he could not help but express his own views on what his father had just read, so he said: "It feels like what Mencius said is a mess."

Zhao Zhen also said: "What a mess, Mencius is an ancient sage."

Zhao Xin said, "King Xuan of Qi asked him if there was anything particular about interacting with neighboring countries. Then he told others that only a benevolent person can serve a small country with a big country. Isn't that a mess?"

Zhao Zhen: "What's so messy about this?"

Zhao Xin then asked, "What does this have to do with Ren De when it comes to dealing with neighboring countries?"

Zhao Xin stared at Zhao Zhen and asked him.

Zhao Zhen also tried to explain: "If a big country is benevolent, it can coexist peacefully with small countries."

Zhao Xin asked, "Why is Qi State gone now? Is it because Qi State was not benevolent enough, so it was destroyed? Or is it because Qi State was not wise enough, so it was destroyed?"

Zhao Zhen: "..."

"This is about how countries get along with each other."

Zhao Xin also said: "I am also talking about the way countries get along with each other. Why did all those countries disappear? Was it because they were not benevolent enough, so they destroyed other countries, or was it because the small countries were not wise enough, so they were destroyed by others, or destroyed others?" Zhao Zhen: "It must be that some of them were not benevolent enough or wise enough."

Zhao Xin: "Father, is the Song Dynasty benevolent? Is it wise?"

Zhao Zhen: "Our Great Song is naturally benevolent and wise."

Zhao Xin: "Then why did the Western bandits attack the Song Dynasty? Were the Western bandits a small country or a big country before?"

Zhao Zhen: "A small country."

Zhao Xin: "So its attack on Song Dynasty shows that it is wise, so it is right for it to attack Song Dynasty?"

Zhao Zhen: “Uh…”

Zhao Xin: "And the benevolence of the Song Dynasty did not attack the Western bandits because of the benevolence of the Song Dynasty. Then, the benevolence of the Song Dynasty eventually led the Western bandits to attack the Song Dynasty. Then Mencius also taught people that when a big country treats a small country, it should be benevolent."

Zhao Zhen was a little confused by what he said.

After thinking for a while, he said, "No! Mencius did not say that big countries should be kind to small countries. Mencius only stated the way for big countries to get along with small countries."

Zhao Xin: "Then what he said is not right!"

Zhao Zhen: "What's wrong?"

Zhao Xin: "Are big countries really only kind to small countries? Big countries can also be brutal to small countries. I can open a book and see countless big countries destroying small countries."

Zhao Zhen added: "Mencius said that if you are a big country, you should treat small countries with kindness, and if you are a small country, you should treat big countries with wisdom. In this way, you can keep your own country."

Zhao Xin: "I have no objection to small countries treating big countries with wisdom, but I have doubts about why big countries should treat small countries with benevolence."

Zhao Zhen: "What questions do you have?"

Zhao Xin: "Why must we be kind and virtuous?"

Zhao Zhen: "If you are not kind, people will attack you."

Zhao Xin: "Then father, you believe that the Song Dynasty is benevolent, why did the Western bandits also come to attack you?"

I can't talk anymore today.

Let’s give him a beating!

Fortunately, Zhao Zhen finally found another explanation: "Because Mencius was in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, if King Xuan of Qi attacked other small countries at will, he would be attacked by other big countries."

Zhao Xin said, "That means Mencius is lying. He said he was benevolent because he was afraid of being beaten. Dad, you also want to fight the Western bandits, but you can't beat them. So, you say you are very benevolent."

"So in my opinion, Mencius' words, to put it simply, are that if you have the ability, destroy the opponent, if you don't have the ability, just endure it. It's much simpler to put it this way."

"This benevolence, wisdom, etc., it feels like I'm just deceiving myself."

"But I think I know why Mencius said that!"

Zhao Zhen frowned slightly. If Mencius knew you said that to him, he would probably be mad to death. So he asked, "Why?"

Zhao Xin replied: "Because Mencius thought that the Kingdom of Qi Xuan was not good, and that the Kingdom of Qi Xuan would definitely not be able to defeat others, but he was embarrassed to say that your country was not good, so he advised the other party, Your Majesty, Qi should be benevolent to small countries."

"The purpose of doing this is to ensure that Qi will always be invincible, because if we don't fight, we will never lose."

Zhao Zhen: "Nonsense! We don't fight because that's the spirit of a king! A king has to consider the whole world."

Zhao Xin: "So Daddy, you didn't fight against the Western bandits before, but now you're being beaten by them, and you're losing. How can you still be so kingly? To put it simply, you just can't beat them. Not only can you not beat them now, you couldn't beat them before either."

Zhao Zhen took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

If you keep talking about this, he'll piss you off to death!
No!

He needs to find a well-read person to check out this article and then come back to debate with him!
Thinking of this, his father stood up to leave, and before leaving, he did not forget to glance at him.

Seeing him like this, Zhao Xin also said to Madam Miao: "Madam Miao, look, if Daddy can't win the argument, just leave."

Madam Miao also slapped him on the butt immediately.

Zhao Xin: "Ah! Madam Miao, why did you hit me?"

Madam Miao: "Who told you to drive your father away?"

Having said that, he hurried out.

(End of this chapter)