Achieving the Dao from the Hundred Schools of Thought

Half an hour later, the two of them handed in their answers.

Zhuang Weiyang felt a little guilty and handed in her paper first.

In this way, Zhao Qin's paper can be placed on top.

I'm just grateful that Confucius was able to read what I wrote with a calm and unconventional mind.

Zhao Qin, standing next to Zhuang Weiyang, glared at her resentfully and reluctantly placed her own test paper on top.

Confucius nodded in satisfaction when he saw that the two had handed in their answers, and that the papers were covered with dense, small writing.

Regardless of the content, at least the attitude is acceptable.

He's much better than Zilu.

Confucius picked up a sheet and examined it carefully.

Those who most enjoy taking on disciples are Confucian and Taoist people.

They were the ones who took on the most apprentices and taught them the most diligently.

Zhuang Weiyang felt a little guilty and kept glancing at Confucius on the podium out of the corner of her eye.

Confucius's expression changed from a smile to a serious one, and then to a deep frown.

Her fair face gradually turned red.

"Who wrote this?! It's utter nonsense!"

"Rotten wood! Rotten wood!"

broken.

Zhuang Weiyang's heart skipped a beat.

That's written too freely!

Zhuang Weiyang sighed, knowing there was no way to avoid it, and wanted to stand up and admit it.

But then Confucius continued:

"The weekly review! Which of you wrote it?"

Zhuang Weiyang: ?

I just wrote it down; etiquette is useless, it's mostly about superiors dominating subordinates.

This isn't a discussion about the past week...

Zhao Qin, standing next to Zhuang Weiyang, remained expressionless and stood up.

"Master, the Treatise on the Passing of Zhou was written by the people of Zhao and Qin."

"Please point out any problems!"

Confucius was spitting as he spoke, his fingers constantly pointing at the exam paper.

"What does it mean that the essence of Zhou rites is not about ordering human relationships, but rather about guiding human affairs in accordance with Heaven?"

"Furthermore, isn't this overemphasis on rituals and rites a generalization?"

"The application of Zhou rites encompasses all aspects of human life, from birth to old age, illness, and death. Why should Zhao and Qin focus their attention solely on the Heavenly Court?"

Zhuang Weiyang listened with considerable surprise.

The practice of offering sacrifices to Heaven by human beings is never recorded in the books of the academy.

It was mentioned in the game, but only as background information and mentioned only briefly.

Zhao Qin knows quite a lot.

When faced with Confucius's questions, Zhao Qin remained calm and answered fluently.

"Master, this is Qin's view on rites."

"The rites of Confucius are the rites of Zhou; in the early days of Zhou, they were mostly used for sacrifices to the Heavenly Court."

"In the past, when King Wen attacked the Shang, he invited them with courtesy. Half of the people were sent as hostages to the Heavenly Court. Thus, human destiny is determined by Heaven, and the Zhou rites were thus passed down."

"Therefore, what's wrong with Qin's response, 'It criticizes Zhou'?"

Zhao Qin's words were reasonable and well-founded. Confucius listened to them, pondered for a moment, and then said:

"In the past, when King Wu attacked the Shang, he did make some mistakes, but there were reasons for it."

"In the War of the Gods, King Zhou was like an egg striking a rock. If King Wen had not abandoned the path of the human king and accepted the position of 'Son of Heaven,' the human race would probably have become like dragons and phoenixes, reduced to food for dragon livers and phoenix gallbladders."

"The theory of the Zhou dynasty only speaks of its faults, but it does not mention how the human race should conduct itself in the future."

"Zhao Qin, think more about this in the future and complete this treatise as soon as possible."

Zhao Qin froze on the spot upon hearing Confucius's encouragement.

He hurriedly bowed before sitting down.

Seeing this, Zhuang Weiyang chuckled to herself.

Those who follow Confucianism and Taoism are often good teachers.

Confucius, the founder of Confucianism, would not have lost his teacherly demeanor because of a heated essay by Confucius.

After Confucius on the platform encouraged Zhao and Qin, he picked up another scroll.

But his complexion looked even worse.

"Zhuang Weiyang—!"

Confucius slammed his hand on the table, startling Zhuang Weiyang so much that she instinctively stood up.

That's not right. Zhou Li wrote absolutely nothing about Zhao Qin's answer sheet.

I simply wrote it down according to my thoughts from my past life.

"Master, why go to such lengths..."

Zhuang Weiyang's question only added fuel to the fire, doing nothing to alleviate Confucius's anger.

"You, if you open the pages of traditional etiquette, every word is about cannibalism..."

"Explain yourself properly."

"How can etiquette be considered cannibalistic!"

Zhuang Weiyang knew that her reckless talk would only make Confucius angrier.

Under Zhao Qin's admiring gaze, Zhuang Weiyang took a deep breath and said:

"The principles of etiquette, though seemingly a product of our human race's progress, are in fact shackles that our human race has put on itself."

"In a city, the right to interpret etiquette rests with the city lord; in a country, the right to interpret etiquette rests with the ruler."

"It is a derivative of power; it is unrestrained."

"Most of the time, etiquette is simply a way for superiors to control subordinates!"

"If this continues, it will inevitably hinder people's progress."

Confucius was so angry at this answer that he laughed.

"Alright, alright, you two."

"One person speaks of the origin of ritual, arguing that ritual is useless."

"One person speaks of the future of propriety, saying that propriety should be abolished."

"The two of them, without prior arrangement, both avoided the area directly in front of Li."

The two people who were singled out for criticism looked at each other in bewilderment.

Zhuang Weiyang: Do you know what the positive aspects are?

Ying Zheng: I don't know, I did not molest Xiu.

As they looked at each other, they both realized that the remaining questions were beyond their capabilities.

Confucius patiently and earnestly continued to teach the two:

"You two are qualified in your views on propriety, but you have made the same mistake: you only point out its drawbacks without saying how to remedy them."

"I hope you two will give this matter much thought, and one day be able to submit a satisfactory answer to me."

"Why……"

Confucius shook his head as he spoke, and for a moment he even felt a headache coming on.

Of the three thousand disciples, only a handful could rival these two in intelligence.

But if we're talking about how difficult they are to deal with, out of three thousand people, there's probably not a single one.

Confucius felt at this moment that the greatest difficulty of his teaching career had arrived.

If I don't properly teach the two of them, my good reputation will be ruined.

Confucius carefully put away the two answer sheets, folded them up and placed them under the podium, then sat up and looked at the two people below the podium.

"Zhao Qin, your path is still uncertain. If you wish to cultivate my Confucianism and Taoism, I can impart all my knowledge to you in my dreams in the future."

"Even if you choose another path, my knowledge will still be of help to you."

Zhao Qin did not say anything explicitly, but simply nodded.

Seeing this, Confucius said no more to Zhao and Qin.

Confucius believed in teaching all students regardless of their background and tailoring instruction to their individual talents.

Then Confucius looked at Zhuang Weiyang.

"Zhuang Weiyang, your path is already set, you should study my ideas even more carefully."

"Each school of thought, though its path may differ, must invariably innovate upon existing traditions."

"For example, my Confucianism and Taoism. When I embarked on the path of Taoism and attained enlightenment, I realized that the world today was in a state of moral decay and the human race needed someone to stand up."

"Teach all beings, spread knowledge, enlighten the common people, and keep the king's heart benevolent."

"My supernatural powers, the Six Arts of a Gentleman, also come from my path of cultivation."

"The military strategists' archery and charioteering skills strengthen the Confucian system."

"The principles of politics, books, and mathematics enlighten the wisdom of Confucianism."

"The principles of rites and music govern the virtues of Confucianism."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Weiyang nodded repeatedly.

My own path seems to be becoming clearer.

Zhuang Weiyang knew that the path to enlightenment was the most arduous, so she asked:

"Master, may I ask, in establishing a hundred schools of thought, how does one cultivate a clear and tranquil mind?"