Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

On the ridge of the field, after giving his instructions to the group, Jia Jing remained silent for a moment, then asked:

"You have been studying in the reorganized clan school for almost a year now. In literature, you are taught by professors who are from famous families and have passed the imperial examinations, and in martial arts, you are guided by military instructors."

"But do you know why you study?"

Jia Jing invested a great deal of resources in the clan school. Not to mention hiring several famous teachers to provide guidance, the expenses for various venues, accommodations, horses, etc. were considerable.

This time, Jia Cong straightened his clothes and answered first in a firm voice:

"The purpose of reading is to understand principles! To know what is right and what is wrong, what should be done and what should not be done!"

"Follow the right path, uphold righteousness and benevolence."

The phrase "follow the right path, uphold righteousness and benevolence" is a concise summary of the Confucian way of governance by Neo-Confucian scholars of the early Song Dynasty.

It is directly derived from the famous proposition of Zhou Dunyi, a great scholar of the Song Dynasty, and is also deeply influenced by the thoughts of Qi Song and others of the same era.

Its ideological roots are deeply embedded in the core concepts of pre-Qin Confucianism.

This sentence roughly means that whether governing the world or cultivating oneself, one must adhere to the principle of impartiality and righteousness, and use this as a foundation to practice the moral principles of benevolence and righteousness.

In his "Notes on Reading by Mr. Zhen Wenzhong of Xishan", the Confucian scholar Zhen Dexiu further elaborated on this point.

He believed that "moderation and righteousness are the whole of Taiji, while benevolence and righteousness are the divisions of Taiji," and pointed out that the sage used this to educate the world so that the people would "only follow moderation, righteousness, benevolence, and righteousness."

The imperial examinations of the Han Dynasty today test the dominant schools of thought, with Neo-Confucianism as the primary focus.

During the reign of Emperor Chengzu, the officially compiled "Complete Collection of the Five Classics," "Complete Collection of the Four Books," and "Complete Collection of Human Nature and Principles" were promulgated throughout the country and became the standard textbooks for all scholars to study and take the imperial examinations.

Therefore, Jia Cong's theory on why he studied was most likely learned from Qin, a scholar from the clan school!

Jia Jing nodded and said:

"Indeed, moderation and righteousness are the foundation of the kingly way and the guiding principles of benevolence, righteousness, and morality. They are quite useful in personal moral cultivation and the practice of education!"

"And you, Lan-ge'er!" Jia Jing looked at Jia Lan.

Jia Lan thought for a moment, remained silent for a while, and then said softly, somewhat unsure of herself:

"To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations!"

The four lines of Zhang Zai also existed in this era and were widely circulated, regarded by contemporary scholars as "the highest standard for conduct and work".

However, Jia Lan was still young and obviously could not fully grasp the spirit of "inner sage and outer king" contained in these four sentences.

So he lacked confidence, perhaps because he felt he was exaggerating!

However, Jia Jing also gave his approval, nodding and saying:

"Although grand, it has been the foundation upon which virtuous and ambitious people have lived for thousands of years, and some of the ideas of Guanxue are still quite good."

The Guan School refers to the lineage of the Guanzhong school of thought represented by Zhang Zai, who proposed the "Four Sentences of Hengqu".

The Guan School, founded by Zhang Zai, along with the Lian School of Zhou Dunyi, the Luo School of the Cheng brothers, and the Min School of Zhu Xi, are known as the four major schools of Neo-Confucianism in the early Song Dynasty.

The "pragmatic and worldly" academic style that the Guan School continuously developed and promoted during the Han Dynasty is particularly valuable in the context of today's Neo-Confucianists' empty talk about human nature and morality.

This is somewhat similar to Jia Jing's philosophy of "not valuing empty talk but focusing on practical work," so Jia Jing rarely praised him.

"And you?" Jia Jing pointed at Jia Huan, who hadn't spoken until now.

Jia Huan's eyes darted around, a hint of fear in his heart, but he still forced himself to speak:

"I don't like studying. I want to learn martial arts so that I can become a great general and hero, just like you, Third Brother!"

Then perhaps I can learn from my third brother and beat Baoyu with a stick, scold my wife, and question the old matriarch.

He even rebelled against the Heavenly Gang, making his third sister call him "Third Master Huan," and he held absolute power in the mansion!

Of course, Jia Huan could only think the latter part in his heart and dared not say it out loud.

Jia Jing remained silent for a moment, then said gently:

"You still need to read books. You don't need to understand them thoroughly, and you don't need to aim for passing the imperial examinations, but you should learn some useful knowledge!"

"You want to be a great general, but you don't study military books or learn strategies. How can you win battles on the battlefield?"

"Even if one wins battles, without studying and possessing the moral character to discipline oneself, one may very well end up unworthy of one's position and suffer misfortune instead!"

After Jia Jing finished speaking, he glanced at the slender, composed Jia Cong and the small, ramrod straight Jia Lan, thought for a moment, and continued:

"When it comes to reading, you may have different aspirations and different ideas nowadays."

"But in my opinion, you young people have only recently entered school, and right now you should only be focused on one thing."

"To become an official?" Jia Huan blurted out, a phrase he often heard his grandmother and wife use.

Jia Cong's expression shifted slightly, and he quickly cupped his hands in greeting, saying:

"Please enlighten me, Third Brother!"

A true word is passed on, and a thousand volumes of books are falsely passed on.

To receive such profound life experience from a living hero like Jia Jing was priceless to them.

Jia Jing had no intention of holding back; he had brought these people out today with the intention of teaching them. He slowly said:

"It's a very simple phrase: 'cultivate knowledge and store up skills.' It means learning various kinds of knowledge and accumulating practical abilities to do things and handle situations."

"You may pursue helping the people and making contributions in the future, or you may pursue understanding the principles and establishing virtue, but these are too far-fetched and too broad."

"In the present moment, to be realistic, it means to study and accumulate knowledge."

"Cultivating knowledge and accumulating skills is the first lesson you learn on your path of studying, and it is also the learning goal that I, your elder brother and uncle, set for you."

Confucius said, "When substance prevails over refinement, one becomes rustic; when refinement prevails over substance, one becomes pedantic. Only when substance and refinement are in perfect balance can one be a gentleman."

"That is to say, if a person is only good at doing things but lacks moral character, he will not be able to control himself, and his ability will easily become a wild and destructive force that harms himself and others."

"Conversely, if a person only focuses on academic knowledge and self-cultivation from books, but lacks practical skills in doing things, then..."

"If one only talks about morality and ethics without putting knowledge into practice, then the knowledge in books becomes dead knowledge, and learning becomes pseudo-learning."

"Such a person will inevitably be rigid and inflexible, utterly useless to the country and the family. Therefore, I am giving you these four words today so that you will remember them well."

"In your future studies, you must develop both learning and knowledge accumulation in a balanced way. These are two indispensable aspects of your academic journey."

"This is also the reason why I brought you to Liangxiang today to see the 'suffering of the people'!"

"Cultivating and storing energy..." Jia Cong's expression shifted slightly as he murmured to himself thoughtfully, then asked:

"Nowadays, the teachers in the clan schools only read the Five Classics and the books of Confucius and Mencius, and only teach the teachings of Lian, Guan, Luo, and Min."

"So how should we learn various kinds of knowledge and acquire various skills?"