Imperial henchmen? My divine skills are all hacked versions.

Chapter 87 You Have Mastered Confucianism and Taoism

"Sir, Confucianism emphasizes self-cultivation, family harmony, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world. It connects the past and present, understands the relationship between heaven and humanity, harmonizes human nature, and benefits all under heaven. This is an unchanging principle, established by the sages of the past..."

Xu Xian then changed the subject, his voice unconsciously becoming a few degrees deeper, "But I think that most people in the world who study Confucianism are bound by its appearance, its form, its antiquity, and its rituals, only looking upwards and not downwards... On stage they discuss the way of the sages, but off stage they live their own lives..."

"The miners dig two hundred catties of ore a day and earn one hundred copper coins, not even enough to buy three bowls of meat noodles. The Confucian scholars in the academy study the classics, but how many of them have even glanced at the mines or said a word for them?"

Some people in the audience wanted to object, but Yan Ling suppressed their words and couldn't speak. Master Meng's expression changed slightly.

Xu Xian continued, "In my opinion, self-cultivation is not about sitting in isolation, suppressing one's true nature, nor is it about rigidly adhering to rules and confining oneself to ancient texts. It is about clarifying one's conscience, distinguishing between good and evil, rectifying one's thoughts, and upholding moral integrity!"

"If the heart is not upright, all rituals are false; if the nature is not clear, all learning is futile. This is the root of establishing the Way."

Mencius's shoulders jerked violently.

This sentence was like a knife, cleaving through the scriptures he had taught for forty years from beginning to end.

The old man nodded slightly, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, but he still didn't speak, only making a "please" gesture.

Xu Xian continued, "I believe that the so-called family harmony is not about suppressing the hierarchy and rigid rules, but about filial piety and brotherly love, harmony and moderation, leading by example, and educating one's relatives. When one person is upright, the family is upright; when the family is upright, the customs are pure. This is the beginning of practicing the Way."

"The so-called governance of a country is not about relying on royal power, blindly following the court, or controlling the people for the sake of the monarch. It is about governing with benevolence, transforming customs with propriety, educating the world with virtue, and securing the country with wisdom. It is about assisting the monarch without flattering him, upholding propriety without being bound by it, and maintaining the law while preserving the hearts of the people. This is the responsibility of practicing the Way."

Luo Shenglin pressed his hands against the edge of the judges' table, his heart pounding.

He served the ruler without flattering him, and he held a position in the court. He had never heard any Confucian scholar dare to say this in most of his life, but Xu Xian continued to do so.

"...The so-called pacification of the world does not mean unifying the territory and exclusively promoting Confucianism, but rather relieving the suffering of the people, helping all living beings across the land, repairing the shortcomings of the world, and ushering in an era of lasting peace!"

"When the world changes, the rules of etiquette and law should change; when people's hearts are renewed, the way of the sages should be renewed; cultivating oneself is establishing oneself; regulating one's family is establishing one's relatives; governing the country is establishing oneself in the world; and bringing peace to the world is establishing oneself for all living beings for eternity."

The magical power in the square had dissipated at some point, yet no one uttered a sound.

The disciples of Bailu Academy sat there blankly, their tea growing cold without anyone bringing it to them.

The seats at Yuelu Academy were deathly silent. The young Confucian scholar who had just scolded Xu Xian for being "nonsense" lowered his head.

They spent their whole lives reading the classics, but never considered who those principles were actually written for.

Du Ziteng stood in the crowd below the stage, holding the silk scroll, tears streaming down his face.

Xu Xian looked at the old monk in front of him who was in deep meditation, and then looked around. Everyone was stunned and seemed to be frozen in place.

"Cough cough..."

He coughed twice, chuckled, and said, "Old sir, I've said too much, please don't take offense. To put it simply, it boils down to four lines: observe the virtue of Heaven and Earth in their continuous creation, adapt to the changing times, carry on the unfinished principles of the ancient sages, and bring peace to the helpless people of the four seas!"

As soon as the four lines were finished, golden light suddenly shone from the old man's body.

His figure appeared and disappeared in the golden light, sometimes clear, sometimes transparent, sometimes young, with wide robes and sleeves, and a clear face, completely overlapping with the blurry young man in the monument of good deeds.

Xu Xian stared blankly at the three generations of sages, and he had already stood up.

Golden light swirled around him, and his face alternated between old and young, but his eyes remained clear as water.

He looked at Xu Xian, then suddenly burst into laughter. He straightened his clothes, bowed deeply to Xu Xian, and said, "Fellow Daoist, your heart is steadfast and your destiny is set, your knowledge is profound, and your Daoist mind is clear. You have enlightened me and resolved the confusion of Confucianism for thousands of years. You can be called a teacher and stand alongside sages!"

Xu was shocked and tried to move aside, but found that he couldn't move.

A gentle yet irresistible force held him firmly in place.

He could only watch helplessly as the old man bent down to him.

There was no one left sitting in the audience.

Luo Shenglin and Master Meng had already left their seats the moment the old man stood up, and were now standing at the edge of the main altar, bowing at the same time.

The old man bowed and rose, his figure gradually turning into golden light and disappearing.

Just as the golden light was about to dissipate, he flicked his finger, and a golden dot flew from his fingertip, passed through Xu Xian's robes, through his skin, and landed in his dantian.

When the golden dot entered his dantian, Xu Xian felt something in his chest being gently stirred, as if something indescribable was awakening.

The old man had vanished, but his voice still echoed in the wind, somewhat mocking: "Fellow Daoist Xu, you do not study Confucianism, yet you have a deep connection with it. I will give you a piece of literary heart, plant it in your dantian. It does not need watering or fertilizing; as long as you are determined to learn the Dao, it will sprout."

"You first obtained the seed of the Way, and now you have acquired the literary mind; your understanding of Confucianism and Taoism is complete. You don't need to thank me!"

The golden light dissipated.

Where the old man disappeared, only a wisp of pale golden dust remained, scattered by the morning breeze across the square. Only Xu Xian remained on the platform, sitting cross-legged, the eight-sided sword resting horizontally on his lap.

As soon as Xu Xian stepped off the stage and his feet touched the ground, Luo Shenglin and Master Meng came to greet him.

The two men simultaneously straightened their clothes, clasped their hands, and bowed, their waists bending only slightly less than when they had bowed to the three generations of sages.

Mr. Xu was startled and quickly reached out to help him up. "What are you two doing? Don't joke around."

Luo Shenglin straightened up and looked at Xu Xian. "What the young master said on stage today is the first time in my 273 years of life that I have heard someone explain the root of Confucianism's thousand-year-old problems so thoroughly."

"Cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world—how many people have recited these eight characters their entire lives, turning them into official jargon? But the Master's single sentence, 'Assist the ruler without flattering him, uphold propriety without being bound by it,' is more effective than a hundred years of teaching at Liuzhai."

Xu Xian grinned, "Dean Luo, you flatter me. I was just speaking off the cuff, saying whatever came to mind. I was only on stage because the old gentleman was pressuring me, so I had no choice but to speak. If you really wanted me to give a proper lecture, I couldn't even recite a single scripture, haha..."

Mencius stroked his beard and smiled, "You think you can just casually say something and have the spirits of three generations of sages appear and pay their respects to you? I've been 'casually' talking for most of my life, and I haven't even seen a shadow of a sage."

He was joking, but his eyes were still a little red. The moment the three sages paid their respects, he felt that his life had been worthwhile because he had witnessed the Confucian tradition, which had lasted for thousands of years, being turned upside down by a lowly officer investigating a case.

At this time, several team leaders from Bailu Academy, Yuelu Academy, Songyang Academy, and Liuzhai Academy also came over one after another.

The leader of the White Deer Academy was a thin, elderly man. He approached Xu Xian and bowed slightly. "When you refuted Du Ziteng earlier, I was still unconvinced. I felt that you had only relied on clever tricks and that your arguments were not solid. But when you said, 'Examining external things is secondary, while understanding one's own mind is fundamental,' I realized that it wasn't that your arguments were weak, but rather that my perspective was too narrow..."

"If you have time in the future, Young Master, Bailu Academy will be ready to give lectures at any time."

The leader of Songyang Academy also squeezed over, saying, "The four lines from the Junior Master, 'Observe the virtue of Heaven and Earth in their continuous creation, adapt to the changing times, carry on the unfinished principles of the ancient sages, and bring peace to the helpless people of the four seas,' are truly thought-provoking. I have already had my disciples copy them down, and we will frame them in the main hall of the academy when we get back..."

"When will the young master come to Songyang to give lectures? Although Songyang is far away and the mountains are high, the library has several rare books. If the young master comes, I will personally take him to see them."

Xu Xian repeatedly returned the greeting with clasped hands, saying that he was unworthy to accept it.

In his previous life, when he was awarded for his meritorious service in the criminal investigation team, he had never been surrounded by so many people praising him, which made him feel very uncomfortable.

Just then, Yang Xu's voice came from outside the crowd, "Tsk... everyone, make way, make way, I am his superior, I am here on behalf of the Inspection Department to accept the commendation."

Yang Xu squeezed in and pulled Xu Xian aside, whispering in his ear, "The third floor of Taibai Tower, it's on me tonight. You've really made something of yourself this time. You've exposed the root of Confucianism's thousand-year-old problems at the book fair. When Lord Mo finds out, he'll definitely write a poem to celebrate."

Xu Xian shuddered at the thought of Mo Fei writing a poem to celebrate. "Don't tell Lord Mo."

At this moment, the leader of Bailu Academy returned, cleared his throat, and spoke in a much more polite tone than during the discussion earlier. "Young Master, tonight I am hosting a dinner at Taibai Tower. I would be honored to have you there. Several deans will be present, so we can ask you for some advice."

Xu Xian paused for a moment, then blurted out, "Going up to the third floor?"

The elderly scholars looked at each other in bewilderment.

The leader of the White Deer Academy coughed, a suspicious blush rising on his face. "Ahem... I meant discussing philosophy and drinking wine, not... not what the Young Master is thinking."

Xu Xian gave a somewhat disappointed "oh".

Master Meng, standing to the side, rubbed his forehead and whispered to Luo Shenglin, “The Junior Tutor is doing well in everything else in the capital, except that he often goes to Taibai Tower and is quite familiar with the proprietress there. Last time, he got into an argument with the disciples of Yuelu Academy at Taibai Tower and even wrote a poem, which is now framed in the center of the main hall of Taibai Tower.”

Luo Shenglin remained silent for a long while. "The young master is truly... a man of strong emotions."

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