Chapter 3 Hair and Beard Receive Long Life

  Zhao Xingde returned to the dormitory, Chen Dong smiled and said: "Yuanyi, during the Qingming Festival, all the students in our dormitory will gather for an outing. Would you like to join us?" Zhao Xingde replied: "I've already promised my father's elder brother to go out of town together to enjoy the spring scenery, thank you, Brother Shaoyang." Chen Dong smiled and said: "No problem," then sighed again, "Every year during Qingming, our outing is a grand event for all the students in Taixue. It's not about being sentimental or melancholic, but rather everyone plays the zither, composes poetry, drinks heavily, and sings wildly. Not participating would be a great pity indeed."

  "I heard Zhao Guangshi is going to propose to Dr. Li's daughter." "Really?" Zhao Xingde asked indifferently.

  "Absolutely true." Chen Dong said with a snort, "This matter has spread all over Bianliang. That fool actually came up with an excuse, saying that he was instructed by a fairy in his dream to propose to the talented girl." He paused and continued, "Not only is he the son of the prime minister, but also claims to have received divine guidance in his dreams. Li Doctor can't refuse even if he wants to. Alas, it looks like a beautiful flower has been inserted into cow dung."

  "I'm afraid not." Zhao Xingde didn't ask any more questions. He was just about to wash up and go to bed when he heard Deng Su and Zhang Biao still arguing in the courtyard, their voices growing louder and louder as they debated Confucianism.

  Only Zhang Bing said: "The highest good is like water, which speaks of following the Tao. Therefore, the sage follows the Tao to make laws, and thus the sage himself is also under the Tao. If law is the expression of the Tao, then the sage is also under the law."

  Deng Su said, "This statement is incorrect. The Way is the order of the world, and all things have their proper places. Therefore, there are higher and lower positions, yin and yang, before and after, and social relationships such as ruler and subject, father and son, elder and younger, husband and wife. Those in superior positions should be like water, and the law should also be like water, with its meaning flowing from top to bottom. The sage-kings established laws, and those below followed them, which is the original intention of the law. If it were not for the ruler being above the law, where would the law come from?"

  "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. The Nameless is the origin of heaven and earth. The Named is the mother of all things. Therefore, always desire to be without desires, so as to observe its subtlety. Always desire to have desires, so as to observe its manifestations. These two are the same but diverge in name. They reunite in sameness, which is referred to as 'mystery.' Mystery upon mystery - the gate of all wonders. Therefore, the ruler must follow the Tao. The law is the manifestation of the Tao; the Tao is the basis of the law. If you govern the world with the Tao, then all things will be under the control of the Tao, and everyone will be under the control of the law. Therefore, if a prince commits a crime, he should receive the same punishment as common people. Therefore, the ruler is also under the control of the law."

  The two of them were arguing over whether the king or the law was superior, and Zhao Xingde shook his head, complaining in a low voice: "Arguing all day and night, can't even let people sleep." Chen Dong said: "If the paths are different, they cannot be planned together. How can we argue about the same path? How can we govern the world with the path?"

  Zhao Xingde was originally humble and unassuming, but at this moment his mood was somewhat inexplicably annoyed, so he retorted: "Party same, different, isn't this just factionalism? The court's politics are in such a state of decline, isn't it precisely because of party struggles?" Chen Dong countered: "Then what do you think we read the classics for?"

  Zhao Xingde replied without hesitation, "Cultivate the atmosphere of justice, clarify the teachings of the sages, and understand the way to govern and bring order." This was a standard answer from the Imperial Academy. Chen Dong shook his head and sighed, "Pedantic." At this time, Li Ruo, who was lying in bed and had not yet fallen asleep, also spoke up, saying, "Indeed pedantic."

  Chen Dong glanced at Li Yu and walked with Zhao Xingde to the courtyard, only then saying: "If it's just for the three points you mentioned earlier, this school can be abolished. Can't studying in the countryside cultivate one's character? Can't one advance their studies? With historical books circulating throughout the world, isn't that enough to illuminate the way of governing the country?" Zhao Xingde didn't respond, and Chen Dong continued: "The imperial court established the Imperial Academy for the younger generation of scholars to discern right from wrong, form friendships with like-minded individuals, and become a community of gentlemen. Through studying and self-cultivation, they would mutually benefit each other, uphold their integrity, and never sink into the mire. When they go out into the world, they would work together in harmony, from beginning to end, making the country rich and strong, bringing peace to the world!"

  In the courtyard, Deng Su and Zhang Bing also stopped arguing and walked over. Chen Dong continued: "Have you not heard of Ouyang Xiu's 'On Factions', 'Generally speaking, gentlemen form factions based on shared values; petty men form factions based on shared interests. This is a natural principle.' What is wrong with gentlemen forming factions if it is for the public good?"

  He pointed to the building in the center of the Imperial Academy, where Confucian sages were revered, and said in a low voice: "In the past, Wang Wengong established new laws, with the intention of strengthening the country and benefiting the people. However, the lower officials did not share the same mind, and they arbitrarily manipulated the new laws, causing them to become laws that harmed the people instead. Wang Wengong expanded the Imperial Academy, advocating for the abolition of the imperial examination system and replacing it with schools. This was done so that students in the academy could unite as one, form a clique, and later use orthodoxy to drive out heterodoxy, making the court's systems and intentions consistent from top to bottom. Later, when Sima Wenzheng took power, the new laws were all abolished, but the scale of the Imperial Academy and the emphasis on scholars remained unchanged. From then on, successive famous ministers all regarded the Imperial Academy as the place where the court cultivated talent."

  Although Wang Anshi has been dead for many years, he is still a respected minister in the new party of the court. Even Chen Dong and other old-party scholars who consider themselves to be from the old party show some respect when mentioning him. When Chen Dong spoke like this, Deng Su and Zhang Biao nodded their heads in agreement. At that time, the Party People's Stele had just been demolished not long ago, and the court strictly prohibited factionalism. Zhao Xingde simply shook his head, too lazy to refute him.

  Chen Dong said, "There are only over a thousand prefectures and counties in the world, but there are 3,600 scholars in our Taixue. If we were to form a group of like-minded gentlemen to govern the world, those with high aspirations would make plans from within, while those who are practical and capable would take action on the outside. Then, stabilizing the country and bringing peace to the nation would be as easy as turning one's hand over, and a prosperous age of great unity could also be expected."

  Zhao Xingde retorted, "It's hard to unify people's hearts. We are only three or four people and yet we can't stop arguing. How much more difficult would it be for numerous Confucian scholars to become one party? Petty men gather together for profit and end up being simple and clear-cut. In the end, it is often the case that the party of gentlemen falls into the trap set by the party of petty men."

  "Not so." Chen Dong said immediately, "The human heart is unpredictable, the heavenly way is unique. The party of petty people easily gathers and disperses. Only the party of gentlemen, after a thousand twists and turns, will not follow the trend for personal gain, and must achieve the great governance of the world!"

  Zhao Xingde said: "Since the Tao is extremely mysterious, and the Heavenly Way is unpredictable, Brother Shaoyang, how can you be sure that what you know is true, and what others know is false? Perhaps what you are insisting on today is actually going against the Heavenly Way?" He steeled himself to question Chen Dong, hoping he wouldn't continue being so stubborn.

  Chen Dong said, "What I know may not be entirely correct, but what my heart deems good, even if I were to die nine times, I would still not regret it." He paused for a moment, then sighed and said, "Even if what I insist on is wrong, being able to interact with virtuous gentlemen and witness true understanding, I can die contentedly in the evening after hearing the Way in the morning." Chen Dong's tone was filled with a burning determination. Zhao Xingde, Chen Dong, Deng Su, and Zhang Biao stood facing each other, their Confucian robes dampened by the night dew, yet they felt no chill.

  A bright moon hung in the sky, its gentle light pouring down on the earth. The night was deep and silent, with no sound from the birds. In the courtyard, only the insects were softly chirping. Zhao Xingde returned to his room, lay on his bed, and felt a surge of emotions in his heart. Is this really what it means to be a scholar-official in the Song Dynasty, he thought to himself? Is it any different from those scholars in history? Or is everything that's supposed to happen bound to happen anyway? Before he knew it, he fell fast asleep.

  As the Qingming Festival approaches, nearly a million residents of Bianjing City, regardless of wealth or poverty, take advantage of the warm and clear April weather to go out of town and enjoy the blooming flowers. Zhao Xingde is invited to join Li Gefe's family, along with Master Chuang Bu, on an outing.

  "Originally, there's no need to be so formal. I'm having a great conversation with Uncle Wen here, why don't you go and have some fun with those young people over there?" Xiang Bu said with a smile, pointing his goose feather fan at Li Ruoxue and Li Ruoxu who were not far away, re-releasing their kite into the air.

  Zhao Xingde walked up to them, and Li Ruoxue turned around to look at him with a smile and nodded. Li Ruoxu was not yet fifteen years old, holding a large dragonfly kite in his hand, watching as the kite flew higher and higher, both Li Ruoxue and Li Ruoxu were excited beyond words. Suddenly, the wind direction changed, and the kite fell to the ground, entangled with another kite shaped like a skylark. The two kites were stuck together on the ground. The girl who was flying the skylark kite wore a light yellow shirt and green skirt, she was still young, but her face was very delicate and beautiful. Li Ruoxu climbed up an old tree, took down the kite, untangled it, and returned it to its owner.

  The woman thanked him and left, but Li Ruoxu still stood there for a long time, gazing at the back of her family's residence. He asked, "Brother Zhao, do you know whose family that was?" He pointed in the direction where the yellow-shirted and green-skirted girl had gone, and Zhao Xingde looked over, seeing a circle of about a hundred people surrounding a group of beautiful and delicate noblewomen, with servants holding various flags standing guard outside. He noticed that several of the guards were wearing the uniform of the Imperial Dragon Guard. He pondered for a moment before saying, "Perhaps it was some royal family." After a pause, he asked again, "Do you think she's pretty?" Li Ruoxu nodded and sighed, and Zhao Xingde patted him on the shoulder.

  "Just in time." Next to him, Li Ruoxue exclaimed, Zhao Xingde and Li Ruoxu looked over together, only to see that her kite was suddenly blown askew by a gust of wind, getting lower and lower. "Quickly reel it back!" Zhao Xingde hastily said, seeing that the two siblings seemed inexperienced, he took the kite string wheel from Li Ruoxue's hand and quickly reeled the silk thread back in.

  As the kite, which had been falling obliquely, was pulled by the silk thread and with the help of the wind, it slowly rose again and finally floated steadily. Li Ruoxue let out a breath and took the reel from Zhao Xingde's hand. At this time, the wind direction was stable, and the kite went higher and higher until the silk thread was exhausted, letting it drift far away, taking all the worries and troubles of the year with it.

  "Thank you, Yuanzhí." Li Ruoxue glanced at Zhao Xingde, Mrs. Wang had already told her that the engagement would be settled after Qingming Festival, but being with Zhao Xingde made her a bit unsure of how to behave, so she casually called him by his courtesy name according to their schoolmate rules.

  Soft spring light shone on her cheeks, highlighting the beads of sweat on her forehead that sparkled like crystals. Her face was delicate and beautiful beyond compare, with wrists as white as snow peeking out from her sleeves. This scene stirred up some uncontainable emotions in Zhao Xingde, his eyes unconsciously following the curve of her neck downwards, faintly visible was the soft rise and fall. Just as Zhao Xingde's heart was racing, he suddenly heard Li Ruoxue biting her silver teeth, scolding him in a low voice: "What are you looking at?"

  Zhao Xingde's face turned red and he didn't dare to look directly at the beauty beside him, his eyes gazing into the distance at the rolling hills, and inexplicably replied: "The dawn snow has just condensed on the mountain pass."

  He suddenly recited half a poem, Li Ruoxue didn't expect him to do so, and followed Zhao Xingde's gaze into the distance. At this time, it was already Qingming, and the accumulated snow on the hills had long since melted into spring water, nourishing the earth. What "塞上酥雪" (snow on the border) was there? She thought deeply about the meaning of the poem, and suddenly understood, feeling a little shy and embarrassed. She stretched out her foot and stepped heavily on Zhao Xingde's foot, the sharp teeth of the wooden clogs she wore especially for outing almost piercing through his foot. She didn't look at Zhao Xingde's pained expression, but walked away with a huff, thinking to herself that this person wasn't incapable of poetry, he just didn't use his thoughts in the right way.

  Zhao Xingde gazed at the beautiful woman's gentle back, feeling 40% regretful, 30% sweet and sticky, and 30% puzzled. Although his feet hurt badly, the beauty's reaction seemed to have a hint of affection. His heart was in turmoil, and suddenly he thought of the Crown Prince Zhao Guangyi's request for a marriage proposal through a dream. He pulled Li Ruoxu aside two steps and whispered: "Recently, there's been a rumor in the capital about a celestial being requesting a marriage proposal through a dream. Has your household heard anything about it?"

  Li Ruoxu was taken aback, he also had a group of friends around the same age in Bianliang, and this rumor had been heard to some extent. However, other members of the Li family neither consulted with him nor would they tell him that they had already rejected the marriage proposal from the Zhao family. He vaguely felt that his parents were inclined towards Zhao Xingde, so he nodded slightly and mustered up the courage to say in a low voice: "Brother Zhao doesn't have to worry." Zhao Xingde smiled and said: "Thank you." The two of them looked at Li Ruoxue who was standing two or three steps away, both feeling a bit guilty.

  After playing, the three returned to the grassy area near where Li's ox cart was parked. "Let's play a game of horse racing," said Li Ruo Xian. He took out a large chessboard from the ox cart and placed it on a silk mat on the ground, setting up the pieces. He then invited Chong Bo Zhi and Li Ge Fei to join in, while Madame Wang sat beside her husband to watch. Each person held 20 pieces called "horses" and took turns rolling the dice, moving their pieces from the starting point to the end point on the board. This game was complex and required a lot of thought, but Li Ruo Xian was an expert at it, having spent many idle hours in her boudoir calculating moves with precision and flair.

  In the meadow where Li's family was staying, there were many students from Taixue who had gathered for an outing. Some of them were still engaged in debates about righteousness, while others were playing games like touhu and bo. Some were drinking and toasting each other, while on the side, a large group of scholars were shooting arrows at willow branches as a form of entertainment. Several of them showed remarkable archery skills, which drew cheers from the crowd of onlookers. Nearby, vendors selling snacks and refreshments had also gathered around the area where officials and common people had come to pay their respects before returning to the city. The atmosphere was lively, with more and more people gathering, making it seem like a bustling marketplace. As everyone drank and enjoyed themselves, they also discussed current events, and in no time, the mood became extremely heated.

  Chen Dong raised his wine cup, standing on a temporary stage, first drinking the fine wine in one gulp, then shouting loudly: "Who is the master of the world, creating rituals and music, respecting the elderly and honoring the virtuous, using etiquette to educate the four directions?" The several scholars beside him responded loudly: "The Great Song!" The responses were interspersed with the giggles and echoes of the singing girls and dancing women, making the scene even more lively and extraordinary.

  Chen Dong nodded and asked again, "What was the origin of the Five Dynasties' chaos, and how did they bring peace to the world through governance and education, promoting moral virtues?" Deng Su rolled up his sleeves, raised his head high, and shouted loudly: "Great Song!"

  Chen Dong drained the cup of fine wine again and asked, "What dynasty has ever continued the governance of Yao and Shun, not punished the outspoken and reckless to encourage remonstrants, promoted the talented and virtuous, opened up the channels for speech, and made the hearts of all people under heaven turn towards good governance?" The students below and the common people were infected by this fervent atmosphere, raised their cups and drank in unison, shouting loudly the name of the Great Song. Even Gao Ze, a soldier from Xuanwei who sold pancakes, pounded his fist on the ground and shouted loudly with thousands of others: "Great Song!"

  Not far away, the prince Zhao Ke, dressed in plain clothes, gazed at Chen Dong in the crowd and muttered: "Chen Shaoyang is indeed a pillar of the country!" He turned his head to look at Zhao Guangshi who was following beside him and said in a low voice: "Such a talent, I must get him!"

  Soon, Zhang Biao raised his cup and stepped onto the steps, loudly toasting: "We scholars only wish for prosperity and peace, for all four seas to share in the great peaceful era!" More and more scholars cheered: "Great Song!" Next, scholar after scholar stood up to toast loudly, and the common people not far away were also caught up in the atmosphere, erupting into wave after wave of continuous cheers.

  Only one person, drunk and holding up his wine cup, climbed onto the high platform and loudly praised: "The current emperor is like Yao Shun reborn, Cai Xiangru is Yi Yin, Guan Zhong revived!" This time, however, there were only a few scattered applause, Chen Dong simply put down his wine cup, fell to the ground and pretended to vomit, causing the scholars around him to burst out laughing. The man was embarrassed and had to awkwardly leave the stage.

  Seeing the scholars' excitement, a middle-aged man sneered: "Liao, Song, and Xia are all powerful countries in their time. A group of bookworms here think they're superior, it's laughable." He had a rough short beard, a sturdy build, wore a coarse grey cotton shirt, with a bow and quiver on his waist, arms crossed, eyes full of disdain. Beside him stood a man in brocade clothes, who looked displeased at the remark, just about to speak up, but saw Chen Dong turn around.