Diqin Designer

Chapter 407 Tea and Philosophers
Master Moye glanced at everyone in the room and calculated in his mind that based on the number of people in the room, there would probably not be much tea left in his box of tea. However, he couldn't take back the words he had already spoken.

"The Qin people call this 'tea'. It is a drink in Qin. It is said to be made by Master Li Nian. Even in Qin, there are not many of them. I have had the honor to taste it several times. Its taste is particularly memorable. So when I left Qin, I asked the Qin people for some. As for what it tastes like, you have to taste it for yourself."

Was it something made by Master Li Nian? How many things could that person make? What should we say was what he could not make?

A monk from Tanmolidi said, "We must taste it carefully to see what is so special about this Qin tea that Brother Moye would never forget it."

Afterwards, Master Moye asked people to prepare cups and boiling water, and personally made tea for everyone.

It is said that today everyone gathered at the residence of the mayor of Tanmo Lidi City. The set of cups that the servant brought was a set of glass cups that were given to the mayor of Tanmo Lidi City when the Qin people came earlier.

Of course, in this world it is called the "Qionglin Cup".

Everyone saw Master Moye take out something that looked like dry leaves from the wooden box, put them into the Qinlin cup, and then pour boiling water into it.

As the boiling water was poured in, the originally dry and curled leaves rolled and stretched out in the cup. Although I haven't tasted it yet, I could feel a special charm just by looking at it.

Watching the unfolding yellow-green leaves rolling in the cup, a feeling of cleanliness, freshness and elegance came to my heart. Some monks in the room seemed to understand why Master Moye liked this thing. This thing is very much in line with Buddhism.

Master Moye said as he made tea: "In the Qin people's place, they don't brew tea the way I do. Brewing tea is an elegant etiquette. You need to prepare special tea sets, boil water yourself, and invite friends to drink tea together at a specific time and place. But today, I will just drink tea with you casually!"

As he was talking, Master Moye had already brewed the tea. After serving each cup of tea to everyone, he picked up his cup and invited everyone, "Everyone, drink!"

Everyone also picked up the tea in front of them. Before they put it in their mouths, they smelled a subtle fragrance that they had never smelled before. The fragrance was not strong, but very light, but precisely because it was light, it made people feel it more deeply.

This subtle and elegant fragrance matches its color very well. It is light and far away from the world, and yet it is out of this world and yet it is integrated into nature. It is only accompanied by the breeze and the bright moon. The smell of it makes people feel refreshed and peaceful.

This is the high-end drink used by the Qin people. It is indeed extraordinary. But after drinking it, many people frowned. The taste seems not very good and not very tasty.

I thought that something that Master Mahaye praised so highly must taste delicious. But after actually drinking it, I found that it was not as delicious as I thought. Instead, it tasted bitter. I should add some sugar or salt to eliminate the bitterness.

But soon, everyone discovered that in addition to the bitter taste, there was a faint fragrance that remained, which made people linger on it. It was precisely because of the bitterness that the faint fragrance became more obvious.

A monk put down his cup and exclaimed, "That Master Li Nian is so wise that he can make something as wonderful as tea. This tea is life!"

"Just now when Senior Brother Moye was brewing the tea, the tea rolled up and down with the water, just like the ups and downs of life, and its taste was bitter, just like the bitterness of life, but it also had a light and elegant fragrance after the bitterness, just like the joy in life, with an endless aftertaste. Even if life is full of bitterness, we must remember the joy of life!"

"Or maybe it is precisely because life is full of suffering that happiness is more precious. And the color of this tea is natural, fresh and pure, just like the Dharma and life we ​​seek."

The monk finally said: "If this tea is introduced into our country, it will be loved by many people."

His words revealed another purpose of Daqin's giving tea to Master Moye, which was to let him promote it in the Maurya Kingdom first, so that Daqin could sell the tea here in the future.

Tea, silk, and porcelain were the main commodities that China traded with other countries in ancient times. Even during the Qing Dynasty, they earned a lot of money for the Qing Dynasty.

Our Qing Dynasty was not actually poor, at least the upper class was not poor, but the money earned from foreign countries was not used for the right purposes. We had money to build a garden for an old witch, but we had no money to build a navy or develop industry.

Of course, from the perspective of the Qing Dynasty, this approach is not wrong. After all, what does the development of the country have to do with them? On the contrary, if the country develops, it may allow those lower-class people to rise up and threaten their status, which is really unacceptable.

We would rather give advantage to our friendly countries than to those domestic slaves. Our friendly countries may at most ask for some land and some benefits, but they will not drive them out of power. Our Qing Dynasty is big and powerful, so we can afford to cede, but we cannot afford to give advantage to those low-class domestic slaves, and we must guard against them at all costs.

At this time, everyone in the room also understood the intention of Master Moye taking out the tea and asking them to taste it. He was using tea to tell them that the cultural etiquette of the Qin State was no inferior to theirs.

If their cultural etiquette is not good, how can they make this tea?

This also further proves that Qin's strength is all-round, from military to knowledge and skills, to the two countries' people, systems and policies, and cultural customs, all of which are superior to their Maurya Kingdom.

Another monk asked, "Brother Moye, you said that when you were in Qin, you had exchanges with the scholars of the various schools of thought in Qin?"

Master Moye nodded: "Although the Qin people strictly restrict us from traveling, they sometimes allow us to communicate and debate with scholars of various schools of thought. The Qin people built a Hundred Schools Palace in Xianyang and invited scholars of various schools of thought to study there. The scholars of various schools of thought who communicate and debate with us most often..."

Master Moye recalled: "There were scholars from Confucianism, Taoism, Mohism, Legalism, Nameism, and Yin-Yang School, but few scholars from other schools were seen."

Recalling the debates with famous scholars, many unpleasant scenes emerged in Master Maya's mind. Those famous scholars would often leave them speechless in arguments that they had never expected.

Master Moye said: "Confucian scholars are quite graceful, Taoist scholars are naturally unworldly, Legalist scholars are rigorous and meticulous, Mohist scholars are serious and solemn, and the famous scholars... have unique insights."

The monk asked again: "Did the Qin State really produce a saint like the Buddha?"

Master Moye said: "From what we know, it is true. When we were in Qin, although we could not obtain the most advanced knowledge and skills of the Qin people, we were able to read the classics of the Qin people. Even when we returned, the Qin people allowed us to bring them back."

"The Qin people are willing to let us take the scriptures back because they actually want to use us to pass on the classics of the various schools of thought of Qin to our country." This is the power of the Qin people. You know what his intentions are, and he also knows that you know his intentions, but you can't resist and can only follow the path given by the Qin people.

Even if they knew the purpose of the Qin people releasing them back to their country, they still had to return and tell other people how powerful the Qin State was.

Master Moye continued, "The various schools of thought in Qin were different and had their own ideas. Confucianism advocated benevolence, righteousness, and propriety. Confucianism included Confucius, Yan Zi, Zeng Zi, Mencius, and Xun Zi. Among them, Confucius was the founder of Confucianism, like the Buddha to us. Yan Zi and Zeng Zi were Confucius' disciples, Mencius was Confucius' second-generation disciple, and Xun Zi was the successor of Confucianism..."

"Among them, Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi had the greatest influence on Confucianism. Among the three, Confucius and Mencius were the most influential, and they are collectively known as 'Confucius and Mencius'. The time when Confucius lived was very close to the time when Buddha was alive."

The Qin people who went to Tamolidi had told them this, but many people at that time thought that it might have been made up by the Qin people. Now it has been confirmed by Master Moye.

Upon hearing this, an official sighed and said, "In this regard, Qin and us are somewhat similar. During the same period, both countries had saints and wise men born."

Master Moye said: "But the Qin State did not produce only Confucius at that time. The Taoist Laozi also lived at that time. Before Confucius, there was Guanzi. After Confucius, there were Mozi of the Mohist school, Sun Tzu of the military school, Liezi of the Taoist school and other great sages."

Although there were saints and wise men in the same period, Qin had more saints and wise men at that time and before and after, and their numbers were greater than theirs.

After saying this, Master Moye continued: "The learning of the various schools of thought in Qin is profound and cannot be fully described in a few words. I can only briefly explain it to you."

Master Moye did not choose to show the classics of the various schools of thought that he brought back to the public, because even if he did, these people would not be able to understand them for a while, and they had not yet finished translating the classics of the various schools of thought.

Although the classics of the various schools of thought seem to be limited to a few books, they contain profound meanings. It is extremely difficult to accurately translate the principles contained in them into a version that the Chinese people can understand.

Therefore, the first person in history to translate a foreign work will often leave his name in history, such as Yan Fu who translated "Evolution and Ethics".

Master Moye said: "Confucianism advocates that people should cultivate themselves, that is, cultivate their personal character, then manage their families and build their careers, and then govern their countries, and finally make the whole world what they want, which is to 'pacify the world'. Confucianism advocates 'benevolence' and 'righteousness', and believes that the world should achieve great harmony..."

When it comes to "Great Harmony", Master Moye specifically explained: "The highest ideal of Confucianism is the Great Harmony of the World, and the Great Harmony, in the words of Confucianism, is 'People should not only love their own relatives, not only love their own children, but also ensure that the old have a place to live, the strong have a place to work, the young have a place to grow, the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, the lonely, the disabled are all taken care of, and men have their share and women have their home.'"

"'Goods are not worth the effort of being thrown away, so they are not worth keeping. Strength is not worth using, so it is not worth using. Therefore, plots are not made, thefts and robberies are not committed, and the doors are not closed. This is called great harmony.'"

Master Moye used the language of the Peacock Kingdom to explain in detail to everyone what the world of great harmony was. It was also a world that was described very well. Although it was different from the Pure Land of Buddha that they pursued and yearned for, it was not inferior at all.

"Confucianism believes that in order to achieve a harmonious world, one must practice benevolence and righteousness. A country can survive long-term with benevolence and righteousness, and a person can gain a foothold in the world with benevolence and righteousness."

"However, 'benevolence' and 'righteousness' are only part of Confucianism. It also talks about 'propriety', 'wisdom' and 'faithfulness'. Although I have read Confucian classics, I dare not say that I have understood Confucianism."

"Confucian scholars must practice the 'Six Arts', which are 'ritual', 'music', 'archery', 'charioteering', 'calligraphy', and 'mathematics'..."

Master Moye talked about the six arts of Confucianism, and then said, "This also shows the brave and martial nature of the Qin people."

That's right. If you don't learn to speak Chinese well, how can you teach others the Analects? In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, how could you travel around the world without some military power?

Although Master Moye's introduction was brief, everyone could tell that the thoughts and doctrines of Confucianism were no less profound than their Buddhism and Jainism. If Confucianism existed in their Maurya Kingdom, it would most likely become a major religious sect and attract many converts.

Thinking of this, many people in the room became serious. Although Confucianism was not a religious sect, it definitely had the ability to become one. They began to think: it would be best not to allow Confucianism to be introduced into the country, otherwise it might endanger their Buddhism.

No, it is not just Confucianism. All the schools of thought in Qin State may be the same as Confucianism and they should all be banned.

The sectarian pie is only so big. If one sect gets more, that sect will get less. There are already quite a few people in Peacock Country who get some, so how can they allow foreign sects to come in?
Master Moye didn't know what some people were thinking, so he continued, "Taoists worship the 'Tao' and believe that the laws governing the operation of all things in the universe are all contained in an entity called the 'Tao'. The 'Tao' is everything, the principle of the birth of everything, and the principle of its death."

"It's just like when we look at a flower. The flower itself is the Tao. The blooming is the Tao, and the withering is the Tao. It's the same for us!"

"So, we should follow the Tao and obey the development of the Tao, naturally and without action, just like the water of a great river. 'The highest good is like water: water benefits all things without contention, and stays where people hate...'"

In fact, due to the different thinking patterns he developed since childhood, Master Moye did not really understand what the Taoist sayings of "the highest good is like water" and "purity, tranquility and inaction" meant. Many of the things he told the people of Tammo Lidi now were what he heard when he was in Daqin and debated with scholars from hundreds of schools of thought.

"The Taoist school includes Laozi, Zhuangzi, Liezi and other scholars. Laozi wrote the Taoist classic Tao Te Ching. Although it only has a few thousand words, it contains great meaning. Unfortunately, we have not yet completed the translation, so we cannot let you have a look."

It is not easy to translate the classics of the various schools of thought of Qin into the Peacock version. When the various schools of thought of Qin recorded, they used short words, but they contained extremely complex meanings. It was not easy for the Peacock people to understand, let alone translate it into a version that others could understand.

If there were scholars from the Qin State to help, perhaps things would become simpler, but unfortunately there are no scholars from the Qin State today.

Master Moye continued, "And this Zhuangzi is a very wonderful person. He once wrote a classic called "On the Equality of Things", in which he said that he once dreamed that he turned into a butterfly in his dream. If you were the one, how would you interpret it?"

Faced with the question raised by Master Moye, everyone fell into thought: This great Taoist sage of the Qin State named "Zhuangzi", who dreamed of himself turning into a butterfly, must have had insights different from ordinary people.

(End of this chapter)