People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Zhao Yan was a little scared at this moment. He had personally witnessed how his father was scolded by Gongsun Long back then, just because he had been perfunctory with Gongsun Long.

But because Gongsun Long was a grandmaster and the head of a famous school, his father could only swallow his anger and turn his anger towards him.

He looked at Guo Kai, a cultured man.

Guo Kai knew, of course, that Zhao Yan was asking for help.

Although he was a cultured person, his culture was all about interpersonal relationships and social etiquette. He had absolutely no concept of these convoluted and pointless things.

Han Cang smiled faintly and said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister is always quick-witted. Why not let Prime Minister Guo speak to Gongsun Longzi on your behalf?"

Zhao Yan was about to say "okay," not caring whether Guo Kai knew it or not, as long as he didn't embarrass Guo Kai.

Guo Kai cursed Han Cang eight hundred times in his heart. Wasn't this just making him lose face in front of the Hundred Schools of Thought?

Although the overall strength of the various schools of thought in ancient China was generally average, they could not defeat the hundreds of thousands of troops of various states.

But in terms of influence, especially in scholarship, even stacking the prime ministers of the seven kingdoms together wouldn't be enough.

Not to mention that many prime ministers came from various schools of thought.

As a capable minister of the Great Zhao state, Guo Kai was the hope for the state's resurgence. How could he be allowed to have a bad reputation?

If someone were to say that Prime Minister Guo is an incompetent and ignorant person, would he still be able to hold the position of prime minister?

Guo Kai glanced at Cao Ze, who was resting with his eyes closed and looking quite content, and a thought struck him.

Zhao Yan wanted to shift the blame onto him, so why didn't he continue to do so?

"Alas, Your Majesty, I have always been concerned about the people's livelihood of my Great Zhao, and I do not know much about these white and black horses."

"However, as the teacher of Prince Qian, and the author of masterpieces such as 'On the Six States' and 'The Thousand Character Classic,' who was also highly praised by the great Confucian scholar Kong Chuan, Mr. Cao Ze should be extremely proficient in this kind of scholarship. Your Majesty, why don't you let Mr. Cao Ze..."

Zhao Yan rubbed his head. "What the Prime Minister says makes sense. I was also confused. I had forgotten that my Great Zhao had such a talent."

Gongsun Long frowned deeply; today was his first day of lecturing.

Zhao Yan promised to come and support us, so why is he silent now? Is he playing a trick on him?

Guo Kai lifted the curtain and bowed to Gongsun Long, saying, "Mr. Gongsun, His Majesty is not feeling well. If you have any suggestions regarding whether he understands, please let Mr. Cao Ze convey them on his behalf."

Cao Ze opened his eyes and looked at Guo Kai, who had a half-smile on his face.

Goodness, they never miss an opportunity to make things difficult for him.

As a junior, he offered advice and suggestions to Gongsun Long, a master of his generation and a third generation of renowned scholars.

If one thing isn't handled well, one of the following could be attributed to him: being disrespectful, overestimating his abilities, or something else entirely.

However, they don't even know who he is.

With countless powerful figures from the past two thousand years behind him, he is fearless!

Guo Kai looked at Cao Ze and said, "Mr. Cao Ze, are you willing to share the burden with the King?"

Cao Ze stood up and said, "Of course I'm willing."

At this point, even if he didn't understand anything, he had to agree and embarrass Zhao Yan.

If they don't agree, and things escalate, he can forget about working in Handan.

Gongsun Long said, "That's good. I also want to know if there's anything lacking in my theory of the white horse."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Of course there are, and the problems are big."

Upon hearing this, even Kong Chuan felt that Cao Ze was somewhat arrogant.

The disciples of the Hundred Schools were speechless. "We're all young people, how come you're so brave?"

Bai, the young master of Yin-Yang School, looked at Cao Ze with admiration in her eyes; he suited her taste perfectly.

I just don't know what my sister thinks.

Gongsun Long was able to write books and establish doctrines, and cultivated himself to the level of a grandmaster, so he naturally had his own magnanimity.

If it were someone of Kong Chuan's generation, he would have slapped him long ago.

What are you pretending for!

"Hmph! I'll hear what the problem is!"

"If you can't explain it, or if you explain it incorrectly, don't blame me for having a serious talk with you in front of everyone!"

Chapter 91 What is a Master?

Throughout history, few people have been said to have died.

But there are countless people who are described in a terrible and outrageous way.

As soon as Gongsun Long said this, everyone felt sympathy for Cao Ze.

Back in the day, the renowned scholar Deng Xi, dissatisfied with the existing laws, compiled his own set of laws called "Bamboo Law".

They made the dead seem alive, and the living seem dead, leaving the presiding judge's brain a complete mess.

So much so that when the chief judge of the Zheng state saw this man, he acted as if he had seen a ghost.

The state of Zheng was thrown into chaos by Deng Xi's persuasive words. King Zheng couldn't sit still any longer and pulled all his officials to confront Deng Xi. In the end, they were rendered speechless and completely defeated by Deng Xi's arguments.

And then... no more.

Deng Xi was dragged out and executed by the enraged King Zheng.

Learning from Deng Xi's experience, various countries began to attach importance to the compilation of laws, meticulously studying each word.

Deng Xi's two-way argument—that is, taking what is wrong as right and what is right as wrong, with no limit to right and wrong, and that what is permissible and what is impermissible is called change—is the very basis for Gongsun Long's argument that a white horse is not a horse.

Cao Ze remained unmoved by the sympathetic looks he received from the crowd.

To gain fame, you need to project an aura and maintain your momentum.

Let alone Gongsun Long, even if it were the scholar Xunzi, who was not skilled in martial arts, he would have to show the proper imposing manner.

If one is truly humble, then one should consider oneself a junior and not treat others as equals.

Even if what he said was reasonable and well-founded, and what he did was good, it would only result in others saying after dinner, "This kid is nice, polite..."

Rather than, "A son should be like Cao Cao."

How can one become famous without making a fuss!

This isn't the time to bide our time and conceal our abilities.

"The theory about the white horse is extremely insightful."

"The big problem I'm referring to is that Mr. Gongsun has made a simple problem too complicated, so that few people can grasp its essence."

"It is easy for such talk to be labeled as sophistry when it is circulated."

"Mr. Gongsun, do you think this problem is serious?"

Gongsun Long glanced around and saw that many disciples of the Hundred Schools had expressions of smugness on their faces. He couldn't help but feel angry. They were all a bunch of idiots.

"Are you saying that my theory about the white horse is wrong?"

Cao Ze said, "No, it is not only correct, but also very correct in Mr. Gongsun's opinion. However, I think it can be made more precise and concise to make the reasoning clearer so that most learned people, even those who can read, can understand it."

Gongsun Long was stunned, Kong Chuan was stunned, Li Si was stunned, and all the representatives of the Hundred Schools of Thought on the Hundred Schools Forum, as well as the disciples of the Hundred Schools of Thought below the Hundred Schools Forum, were stunned.

Even Zhao Yan, who had just woken up from a nap, and Guo Kai, who had just shifted the blame to Cao Ze, were stunned.

To put it more precisely and concisely, anyone who understands the theory of the white horse can do it with a little effort.

But to reach Cao Ze's level, even if you brought in Hui Shi, the second-generation successor of the School of Names who once debated with Zhuangzi, you would have to shake your head.

It's like talking to a brick wall, or playing the lute to a cow.

The differences between people have remained unchanged since ancient times. With each step down, the closer one gets to "illiterate," the more difficult it becomes, even more difficult than a master breaking through to the heavens.

At least in ancient times, there were those who broke through the barriers between heaven and man.

However, if, as Lao Tzu said, "governing a large country is like cooking a small fish," then anyone who can cook sweet and sour fish can govern a country, which is only theoretically possible.

Gongsun Long took a deep breath. "Speak, I'm listening!"

The disciples of all schools of thought admired Cao Ze immensely.

For a renowned master of eloquence to say "You speak, I listen" is truly exceptional; even Xunzi might not have received such respect.

This is, of course, because Xunzi criticized the founder of the School of Names and its second successor, Hui Shi.

Cao Ze did not expect Gongsun Long to give him such face.

Could this old geezer be doing this because of his granddaughter?

"First of all, before we proceed, I would like to ask you all, what is meant by a master?"

Gongsun Long said, "Rectifying names and realities is the essence of name debate!"

The great Confucian scholar Kong Chuandao said: "If names are not correct, then language will not be proper; if language is not proper, then affairs will not be carried on; if affairs are not carried on, then rites and music will not flourish; if rites and music do not flourish, then punishments will not be just; if punishments are not just, then the people will not know where to begin. The rectification of names is the work of the School of Names."

Elder Mu Xuzi of the Taoist Family Sect said: "The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the constant name. Names are constantly changing, therefore, they need to be called by constant names."

Li Si remained silent; most of those present were big shots, so it wasn't his turn to speak.

He wanted to say that Taoism and Confucianism only valued "name" and neglected "reality".

The term "master" is actually a term for "masters of names and realities," as Gongsun Long said, referring to the principle of rectifying names and realities.

A name is a name for a language.

"Real" refers to tangible facts and facts.

To rectify names and realities means to separate “words” from “facts”, dissolve the definite relationship between them, recombine them, and define the true existence of things.

Therefore, it is not hard to understand why Gongsun Long proposed the saying "a white horse is not a horse".

It can be said that the School of Names and the School of Legalism are almost inextricably linked. A single word or a change of intention can mean life or death, justice or injustice, and shake the very foundation of the law.

This is why he was passing through Handan, delaying his journey to Qin, but still came to listen to Gongsun Long's lecture.

Cao Ze took a light breath. After the great Zhuge Liang debated with the Confucian scholars, now he, the little Zhuge Liang, debated with the Hundred Schools of Thought.

From a modern perspective, the School of Names is a school of thought that focuses on precisely defining concepts.

The idiom "a white horse is not a horse" illustrates the loophole of ambiguity between a noun and its definition.