My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 103: Imperial College Regained the Game
Whether they were students or craftsmen and common people, they were all waiting for the academic conference to begin.

But compared with the students' confidence, the people seem more worried.

Finally, amidst the excitement or anxiety of the crowd, great scholars such as Lan Zhi and Wang Qiaoling, who initiated the academic conference, arrived.

The students immediately burst into warm applause and cheers, and made way for them.

After a while, Wu Daoxing, whom the students had been waiting for for a long time, finally arrived, surrounded by Qian Hongming, Hong Wenchang and others.

The cheers grew louder and louder. Lan Zhi and Wang Qiaoling stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Student Lan Zhi, nice to meet Mr. Wu."

"Student Wang Qiaoling, nice to meet Mr. Wu."

Although Lan and Wang are already famous scholars with many students all over the world, they still consider themselves students in front of Wu Daoxing, which shows that Wu Daoxing's status is extraordinary.

"Don't do this, you two. We are both scholars, and the wise one is our teacher!"

Wu Daoxing also returned the greeting respectfully.

Seeing that Wu Daoxing was humble and polite, everyone talked about how Wu Daoxing was indeed a world-famous scholar of the time and how impressive his demeanor was.

Qian Hongming stepped forward and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, how about we take our seats now so that the academic conference can begin?"

"What Priest Qian said is very true. Everyone, please come in!"

"Wu Daru, please!"

Several people came to the main seat behind the ring and sat down. Then, Lan Zhi came to the center of the ring, and the people below the stage suddenly quieted down.

Lan Zhi said loudly: "Today, we scholars gather together to discuss academic matters.

Confucianism is flourishing nowadays, which is a great blessing for us Confucian scholars. This conference aims to exchange knowledge and explore the essence of Confucianism.

We should step onto this academic stage with the heart of a Confucian scholar, express our own opinions, and speak freely. Let this conference gather the essence of the wisdom of hundreds of schools of thought and become a literary grand event that will be praised for thousands of years! "

As soon as he finished speaking, the students in the audience burst into warm cheers and applause. Then, Qian Hongming announced the rules of the academic discussion.

Before the debate officially begins, many students and Confucian scholars in the audience can come on stage to express their opinions. When the auspicious time comes, the debate officially begins.

The debate was divided into three rounds, with Lan Zhi and Wang Qiaoling debating respectively, and the last one to come out and end the debate was naturally Wu Daoxing.

As for who His Majesty would send to debate, Qian Hongming knew without guessing that it would be none other than Li Min, Yang Siyi and Fang Xiaoru.

Your Majesty can create momentum, and so can Qian Hongming.

Before the debate began, the Confucian students first built up the reputation of the literati, in order to overshadow Li Min and others in momentum.

In a debate competition, momentum is the most important thing that cannot be lost. Once one side has the upper hand in momentum, the pressure it brings to the opponent will be unimaginable.

At the same time, it also allows the peasants in the audience to see what real knowledge is!

After the rules were announced, many students were eager to go on stage. They also wanted to leave a strong mark on this literary event.

If he makes a big splash, maybe he can be noticed by the great scholars sitting in the main seats, especially Wu Daoxing, and be accepted as a disciple. His future will be limitless!
Not only that, it might even be recorded in history, which would be a real honor for the family!

The three immortalities of Confucianism are to establish virtue, to establish merit, and to establish words. Isn't now a great time to establish words?

The first person to step onto the stage was a student from the Imperial Academy. He bowed to the great scholars in the main seats, then cupped his fists to the crowd below and said:

"Everyone, my name is Ye Xing, and I am the current director of the Imperial College. Today, at such a grand literary gathering, I would like to come on stage and throw out some ideas to inspire others. I hope you will give me your guidance!"

When Ye Xing talked about his identity as the Supervisor of the Imperial College, he couldn't help but puff out his chest.

Jujian means to enter the Imperial Academy to study with the title of Juren, and can be regarded as a candidate official of the Ming Dynasty. "We students should follow the teachings of the ancient sages to understand the true meaning of learning.

First, when it comes to the skills of craftsmen, although they are needed by the world, they are not the foundation of knowledge.

This is because the skills of craftsmen focus on physical objects, which is the lowest level of skills, not the knowledge that explores the principles of heaven, earth and all things and exhausts the origin of human nature.

Therefore, the way of learning should be to explore the truth and fulfill one's nature, rather than indulge in the superficial skills. "

As soon as this student came up, he directly directed his criticism at the Craftsmen Academy across the street. Although the craftsmen in the audience only understood half of what he said, they knew that this student was calling them inferior!

The craftsmen were extremely angry but there was nothing they could do. In terms of workmanship, they thought they were no worse than others, but in terms of knowledge, there was a world of difference between them. There was nothing they could do.

At this moment, how much they hoped that His Majesty the Emperor would come and vent their anger for them, the craftsmen!
Then, Ye Xing continued:

"Secondly, those who respect the principles of heaven do so because they are the fundamental laws of the universe and the source of all things.

This is because the way of heaven and earth, from the yin and yang and the five elements on a large scale to every blade of grass and every tree on a small scale, all follow the laws of nature and nothing goes against them.

Natural principles are the heart of heaven and earth and the mirror of human hearts.

By following the principles of nature, one can understand the way of heaven and earth, comprehend the principles of human relations, behave in moderation, and be restrained in words and deeds.

If we do not respect the laws of nature, people’s hearts will be easily confused, society will be out of order, and the world will be in chaos.

As for the skills of craftsmen, although they have their uses, they are ultimately physical tools, not the knowledge of exploring the principles of the universe and all things, or exhausting the origins of human nature.

Man should follow the laws of nature to achieve the state of harmony between man and nature.

Scholars should take the principles of heaven as their criterion, distinguish right from wrong, behave in moderation, and use this to cultivate themselves, manage their families, govern the country, and bring peace to the world. The respect for the principles of heaven is not just empty talk, but the foundation of learning! "

These words are extremely brilliant, succinctly summarizing the way of heaven and explaining why we should follow the principles of heaven.

The students and scholars in the audience cheered and were fascinated by the performance.

The several great scholars sitting in the main seats also nodded in praise.

"Qian Jijiu, this student is from your Imperial College, right? His discussion of learning is reasonable and well-organized. Your Master Jijiu has taught him well!"

In the main seat, Lan Zhi admired Ye Xing's argument very much and praised Qian Hongming repeatedly.

Wu Daoxing also nodded in praise, "This boy is well versed in the principles of heaven and his arguments are rigorous, which shows his attitude towards learning!"

"You two, thank you very much."

Qian Hongming was humble in words, but extremely proud in his heart.

Ye Xing was a man of profound knowledge and eloquence. He was specially arranged to be the first to perform in order to make a name for the Imperial College.

If Ye Xing had been there during the siege of Jiangzao Academy that day, Fang Xiaoru would not have been able to silence all the students of the Imperial College.

The people in the audience, however, did not understand what was being said at all. They were anxious, but there was nothing they could do.

"Third, as for the investigation of things and the extension of knowledge, this is the essence of learning.

Scholars should exhaust all physical knowledge and explore the origin of things in order to seek true knowledge. The study of things is not limited to the form of objects, but also the principle of things.

To acquire knowledge is not only to increase the amount of knowledge, but also to understand the true principles. To acquire knowledge through investigation of things is the essence of learning, and scholars should strive for it diligently.

The pursuit of knowledge through investigation of things is the core of learning. Although craftsmanship has its uses, it is not the foundation of learning.

Scholars should focus on exploring the truth and fulfilling their nature, respect the principles of heaven, and focus on studying things to gain knowledge, so that they can reach the true meaning of learning. I hope all students will encourage each other! "

After Ye Xing finished speaking, the audience erupted in thunderous applause that lasted for a long time!
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(End of this chapter)