Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 100: Required Reading for Membership of the Yi Xin Hui Society - Journey to the West (Part )
"Isshinkai? Is that what I said?"

Haiyue was stunned.

Drinking really messes things up...

But setting up a school in the Imperial College? It's a good idea indeed, but the name is a bit awkward!
Yan Shifan was enthusiastic about establishing the academy. With its reputation on the rise, it seemed like the perfect time. However, he had been a little confused from drinking last night, and this morning, pondering the name again, he felt a bit worried: "Shisanlang, if we name the academy 'Yixinhui', you're not advocating that...Xinxue, are you?"

During this period, Yangming's philosophy of mind was struggling to survive on the edge under official suppression.

In the first year of the Jiajing reign, Zhang Qiao, a member of the Ministry of Rites, submitted a memorial to the emperor, calling the School of Mind a "heterodox school" and demanding that it be "sternly banned and abolished." The emperor approved the petition and ordered that "people should be selected according to the teachings of Cheng and Zhu." He defined the School of Mind as a "heretical book" and prohibited its dissemination.

However, it is difficult to say whether this national policy was proposed by Yang Tinghe or was Zhu Houcong's own opinion. After all, Yang Tinghe was in power during the first year of Jiajing, and Yang Tinghe hated Wang Yangming very much.

But Zhu Houcong had not yet come to power at that time. Perhaps he was influenced by Yang Tinghe, but to this day, the court still bans the School of Mind and regards it as heresy. Obviously, the emperor does not want to change.

The reason is very simple. During the Great Ceremony Debate, Zhu Houcong hoped that Wang Yangming, who was giving lectures in Yuezhong at that time and whose reputation was growing, would stand up and support him. However, Wang Yangming adopted a deliberately evasive attitude - ministers Huo Tao, Xi Shu, Huang Zongxian, Zong Ming and others "all asked about the Great Ceremony one after another, but Wang Yangming did not answer."

Afterwards, Wang Yangming and his good friend Huo Tao wrote letters to explain that they did not speak out because although they agreed in their hearts, they were not in a position to reply. In short, they did not want to intensify the conflict or cling to the imperial power.

Such character is admirable, but this attitude will naturally not be liked by the emperor.

You are great, you are noble, so continue to ban me!

Therefore, even though Wang Yangming's disciple Fang Xianfu was already the Minister of Personnel and was in charge of all the official positions in the world, he did not dare to promote his teacher's teachings openly. He could only help Wang Yangming deal with some of his funeral and family affairs.

However, among the people, Wang Yangming's other disciples used academies and private schools as their bases to preach, and deliberately avoided sensitive terms in their lectures. Although the imperial court banned them, it did not go so far as to carry out a literary inquisition and simply turned a blind eye.

It is a bit like the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism in the late Northern Song Dynasty. It is not officially recognized, but many people are studying it.

Not to mention others, Lin Daqin was a follower of the School of Mind. Historically, before going to Beijing for the exam, he participated in a gathering of more than 40 scholars of Wang's school, and they also had many academic exchanges on weekdays. Later, after resigning from his official position and returning to his hometown, he lectured in Huayan Mountain, and the content of his lectures was also centered on Yangming's School of Mind.

But Guangdong is Guangdong, and this is the Imperial College in Beijing. If you advocate banned studies under the nose of the emperor, you will just be asking for trouble.

Of course, Haiyue wouldn't do that. In fact, being of the same mind and the same heart is a bit taboo. She simply laughed and said, "The oneness I'm talking about is 'cultivating one mind to become a man, cultivating one mind to respond to the world'!"

"Oh?"

Yan Shifan was curious: "Tell me in detail! Tell me in detail!"

Hai Yue couldn't explain in detail at this stage. After thinking for a while, she went to her brother Hai Rui's bed and felt under the pillow. Sure enough, she pulled out a copy of Journey to the West and handed it to him: "Read it!"

Yan Shifan took it, puzzled, and flipped open the book: "Journey to the West? Another new version?"

Haiyue looked at the two empty beds and asked, "Are they going to class?"

"Mr. Cui's class, the case has come to an end. It's time to put your worries aside and study hard to prepare for next year's autumn exam..."

Although Yan Shifan said this, he was actually not interested in the courses at the Imperial College.

Haiyue asked, "Donglou, aren't you planning to take the imperial examination?"

"Ah...ah? I'm taking the imperial examination?"

Yan Shifan then raised his head and asked, "Why do you ask that, Shisanlang?"

Hai Yue said, "Donglou is extremely intelligent, and his family has inherited his learning. Although passing the imperial examination is not as easy as taking something out of a bag, it is certainly not a problem. One day, he will be very proud of himself at the Qionglin Banquet. Isn't it wonderful?"

Yan Shifan's expression was a little complicated for a moment: "Shisan, you think too highly of me! Scholars all over the world study hard just to get their names on the imperial examination. If it were really that easy, why wouldn't I do it? To be honest, I originally wanted to enter the Imperial College because of my father's influence..."

In fact, he is still relying on his father's influence. Yan Shifan was not among the ten places previously added. He was able to come in because of Yan Song's face.

Hai Yue could tell that Yan Shifan, at this stage, held Yan Song in great esteem, so she brought along the incorruptible Minister Yan once again: "Did your father ever mention the path to officialdom through the imperial examinations?"

"Of course I've mentioned it! How can one not envy the Yang family, with three successful Jinshi scholars in one family?"

Yan Shifan was talking about Prime Minister Yang Ting and his son Yang Shen, who was the top scholar in the imperial examination. Then he felt it was a little unlucky. After all, the ending of this father and son was not very good. Yang Shen is still eating poisonous mushrooms in Yunnan. He smiled bitterly and said, "My father said that I am unstable and not suitable for studying hard. If I encounter any setbacks on the road to the imperial examination, I will stop. I am the only son in the family, but I have to rely on my father's influence..." As he spoke, his tone became a little unwilling.

In fact, no one knows a son better than his father. Yan Song saw it right. Yan Shifan was definitely not the kind of person who could control his temper and take exams repeatedly. However, no son wanted to live entirely under the favor of his father, especially the more capable the son was, the more he wanted to make a career for himself. Yan Shifan had also imagined that he would be the best and famous like Yang Shen. He turned over in bed when he thought of it.

Forget it, I’ll just rely on my father to get promoted!

Now when I talk about the past, I always feel a little lost, feeling that I have been looked down upon, but then I hear Haiyue say: "Donglou and I are of the same age, and now we are both students of the Imperial Academy. Why don't we work hard together and strive to have a good story of being classmates?"

Yan Shifan's eyes flashed. After experiencing the murder in the Imperial College, he valued the other party's talents more. Compared with following Gui Zai, who would not gain any benefits but would be implicated and beaten by Guo Xun, making friends with this person might catch his eye. It was really worth it.

But people are always moving up. What if the other person passes the Juren exam next autumn and the Jinshi exam the year after spring? Wouldn't that widen the gap between the two? It's really time to prepare for it: "Okay! Okay! Let's go to the lecture!"

Hai Yue washed up quickly, ate the breakfast prepared by Hai Rui, and followed Yan Shifan to the school.

Last night, the students of the Imperial College were celebrating. The teaching assistants and the principals all participated. Many of them drank alcohol and have not woken up yet. It is very quiet now. When passing by the dormitory, you can hear snoring from inside.

When Hai Yue and Yan Shifan arrived outside the school and looked inside, they saw that most of the seats were empty. Even those who arrived early, except for Hai Rui who was in high spirits, even Lin Daqin looked a little listless. It was obvious that he had drunk some last night and his head was still a little dizzy.

Mr. Cui, who was giving the lecture, didn't take it seriously. Seeing Haiyue and Yan Shifan bowing and greeting at the door, he just waved his hand and motioned them to take a seat.

This normally cold, tall, and thin teaching assistant, however, burst into passion when it came time to lecture. He even walked to the window and pointed at the bamboo in the courtyard: "Look at that bamboo! It's naturally straight. This is its nature. The human heart is the same; it's inherently bright and upright. But why are so many people biased? It's because selfish desires obscure it, like a mirror covered in dust. The Doctrine of the Mean says: 'Nature is Heaven's mandate; following nature is the Way.' We must remove this layer of dust and return to the clarity of our original hearts..."

"Huh? That seems to be true..."

As Haiyue listened, she felt something was wrong.

Isn't this about the idea of ​​Yangming's philosophy of mind, with "attaining conscience" as its core, and interpreting "The Great Learning" and "The Doctrine of the Mean"?
Of course, what the other party said was not so direct, but anyone who paid attention could definitely hear it.

For example, Hai Rui, who was more inclined to Neo-Confucianism, listened attentively but frowned occasionally.

Lin Daqin was fascinated and quickly immersed in it.

Yan Shifan was the least interested. He blinked at him from time to time. After a while, he simply took out Journey to the West from his sleeve and began to flip through it.

Haiyue shook her head silently and listened carefully.

In ancient times, courses did not have a fixed time, and it all depended on the performance of the lecturer. Although Assistant Professor Cui was passionate about teaching, he also realized that everyone's condition was not very good today. He only taught for half an hour and then let the students go.

Yan Shifan came over excitedly, not listening to a word in the lecture, enjoying his reading: "Shisanlang, is this 'Spiritual Platform Square Inch Mountain, Slanting Moon Three Stars Cave' a metaphor for the word 'heart'?"

Haiyue nodded slightly: "Yes."

Yan Shifan continued, "Sun Wukong's study of Taoism is actually to cultivate his mind. No wonder he is called 'Monkey Heart'!"

I have to say that this person read very deeply. Hai Rui and Lin Daqin only started to discuss the deeper meaning with Hai Yue after reading the latest chapter. Li Yuying and Lu Bing were more interested in the fantasy plot. Only Yan Shifan realized the literary projection of the central theme when he saw Wukong learning skills.

The further I read, the more frightened I became.

Just as Haiyue thought when she visited Xixing Temple in Guangzhou Prefecture, what each school of thought has to do with cultivating the mind.

Confucianism focuses on ethical practice and integrates self-cultivation into governing the country and managing the family; Taoism pursues natural transcendence and achieves unity of body and mind through introspection; Buddhism emphasizes compassion and enlightenment, and purifies the mind through meditation.

In Yan Shifan's view, Journey to the West superficially promotes Buddhist principles, but in fact it conveys the core of psychology through the "convergence of three religions", such as "cultivating the mind is cultivating the Tao" and "the beauty of the mind". To put it bluntly, it is Wang Yangming's statement that "Confucianism, Buddhism, Laozi and Zhuangzi are all for my use."

The content of Journey to the West is profound and extensive. It is a classic. Everyone can find the path of cultivation they want from it. When Yan Shifan finished reading Qin Wang's Journey to the Underworld, he was already amazed: "This man is truly a genius, and he is also a disciple of the unparalleled learning of the mind!"

"Yi Xin Hui! Yi Xin Hui! If we promote the School of Mind as our goal, we will definitely be vigilant and suppressed by the court. Even Gui Ge Lao doesn't like the School of Mind!"

"But this Journey to the West will definitely be a huge hit. Using this work to promote the theory, and then bringing together this group of scholars who admire the School of Mind but cannot spread it openly, this power...hiss!"

Yan Shifan thought of this, secretly took a deep breath, and silently clenched his fists: "I absolutely cannot miss this opportunity! I will concentrate on it, I am in a state of meditation!"

(End of this chapter)