Chapter 6 is quite poor and disorderly feelings 3

  The two brothers, Shi and An, respectfully greeted each other. Song An smiled and said: "After the autumn assizes of the Ministry of Justice, I was busy examining the clerks and handling miscellaneous documents, so I haven't had a chance to ask for your guidance, Master. Today is an opportunity, please don't let me return empty-handed." Although he was very polite, his demeanor was quite casual, obviously as Chai Fu's only indoor disciple, the two were very close.

  Xu Buzhi smiled at Zhao Xingde and said, "Your master has become an official in the Ministry of Punishment, but he hasn't made any progress in other areas. On the contrary, his habit of not wanting to suffer losses has grown stronger." He only taught poetry and literature at the Li Mansion, but now that Zhao Xingde had come to pay his respects and seek guidance, naturally what he sought to learn was no longer limited to poetry and literature. After a moment's thought, Xu Buzhi slowly said, "The Great Learning says, 'Things are investigated, and knowledge is extended; knowledge is extended, and the will becomes sincere; the will becomes sincere, and the heart is rectified; the heart is rectified, and the body is cultivated; the body is cultivated, and the family is regulated; the family is regulated, and the state is governed; the state is governed, and the world is at peace.'" Seeing that both Song An and Zhao Xingde were listening intently with serious expressions, he said, "Yuan Zhi has not yet established a household or taken office, so today we will discuss cultivating one's character."

  Song An and Zhao Xingde nodded in unison, and then Chu Bu said: "The way of self-cultivation is seen in the 'Great Learning' and 'Doctrine of the Mean'. Both of you are quite familiar with classical learning. As a teacher, I will only talk about my own experiences. If there are differences between you two, we can discuss and explore together, and whoever understands it better will be the teacher."

  Zhao Xingde did not expect his academic attitude to be so open-minded, slightly surprised, but saw Song An's expression as usual, apparently this was always the case, he listened attentively.

  The Master said, "If one cultivates oneself, the Way will be established." The Book of Changes says, "The way of Qian is change; each has its own correct nature and destiny." Nature refers to the innate quality given by Heaven, such as the differences between strength and weakness, slowness and swiftness. Destiny refers to what one receives from Heaven, such as the distinctions between nobility and humility, longevity and brevity.

  Xu Bu continued, "Cultivating oneself is self-governance. If one cannot govern oneself, how can one govern others? Therefore, in our Confucian school, we emphasize cultivating oneself as the foundation of governing others. Whether it is the gentleman being cautious when alone or sacrificing one's life for righteousness, all are part of the way of cultivating oneself."

  When he got to this point, Zhao Xianzhen saw that Song An had a look of doubt in his eyes, and indicated that he could ask questions. Song An asked: "What you said 'to abandon life for righteousness', even one's own life is gone, how can we talk about self-cultivation?" Zhao Xingde on the side also nodded slightly, Song An's question made him feel doubtful too.

  Chu Bo's faint smile asked: "What is the origin of the story of sacrificing life for righteousness?"

  Mencius said, "Fish is what I desire; bear's paw is also what I desire. If I cannot have both, I will give up fish and take bear's paw. Life is what I desire; righteousness is also what I desire. If I cannot have both, I will give up life and take righteousness."

  He nodded, indicating that Zhao Xingde should continue, and Zhao Xingde continued to recite: "Life is also what I desire, but there are things more desirable than life, so I will not attain it by any means; death is also what I hate, but there are things more hateful than death, so I am worried about being unable to avoid them." After many years of hard study, the original text was recited fluently, and in a moment, Zhao Xingde finished reciting this chapter of "Mengzi Gaozi Shang·Yu Wo Suo Yu Ye" (Mencius' Teachings on Human Nature): "In the past, I would not have accepted death for personal gain, but now I do it for the beauty of palaces; in the past, I would not have accepted death for personal gain, but now I do it for the sake of my wife and concubines; in the past, I would not have accepted death for personal gain, but now I do it for those who know me and are poor, is this also something that cannot be stopped? This is called losing one's original heart."

  When Zhao Xingde finished reciting the last sentence "This is what is called losing one's original heart", a thought flashed in Song An's mind, as if he had suddenly realized something. He smiled slightly and asked: "Do you understand?"

  Song An suddenly grasped a principle and his face showed a look of surprise, saying: "The disciple seems to have understood something."

  Chuang Bu smiled and said: "Let's talk about it?"

  Song An smoothed out his thoughts and said in a low voice, "As the Master said, 'If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die in the evening.' The way of cultivating oneself is nothing more than one's nature and destiny. Those who reach great accomplishment will attain the realm where they can do as they wish without transgressing, as the Master said, 'At seventy, I follow what my heart desires, without transgressing.' Nature refers to the innate quality given by Heaven, directly pointing to the original mind. If one loses righteousness for the sake of survival, it is equivalent to being ignorant of one's original mind, causing damage to one's nature and destiny, losing the opportunity to pursue the Way, and thus being inferior to sacrificing life for righteousness."

  Song An saw many officials imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. In the midst of severe punishment, some were calm and composed, while others wailed like ghosts and wolves. He had always wondered why scholars with similar backgrounds could have such vastly different moral integrity. Now it seems that it is precisely because their self-cultivation efforts differed.

  He nodded slightly and said, "There's some truth to that." Suddenly his expression changed, and he asked again, "You say that for the sake of survival one loses righteousness, becomes muddled in mind, and misses the opportunity to follow the Way. Then I ask you, what is meant by 'righteousness'?"

  After Song An explained the principle he had grasped, he was originally delighted in his heart, but he also vaguely felt that something was not quite right. The smile on his face gradually faded away. Just as he was thinking about it, he was suddenly shouted at by Xu Bu, and his mind became confused again. For a moment, he couldn't respond.

  Zhao Xingde saw Xu Bugui looking over, and his mind quickly went through the classics he had read. Subconsciously, he replied: "The Doctrine of the Mean says, 'Righteousness is what is appropriate.' The Spring and Autumn Annals say, 'Righteousness is the foundation of benefit.' If we store up benefits and let them grow, can't we make them last?"

  He nodded and looked at Song An, who finally let out a sigh of relief and said, "I understand. Living is just a benefit, but righteousness is the foundation of that benefit. To give up righteousness for the sake of living is to abandon the root and pursue the branches." He paused, glanced at Zhao Xingde, and continued, "It's like being in a great prison, where one may be subjected to severe torture and death, but if one randomly confesses in order to temporarily avoid punishment, not only will it not save one's life, but it will also make death worse." His original intention was to speak of the righteousness of ruler and minister, father and son, and national affairs, but unexpectedly, Zhao Xingde's previous quote from the Zuo Zhuan commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals was more direct and clear. He thought to himself, I'm a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Justice, known for "deciding cases according to the Spring and Autumn," but my grasp of the Spring and Autumn classics is actually not as good as Yuan's.

  "The Tao is like the direction of south and north. Rituals and righteousness are like the guiding needle. Destiny is like mountains, rivers, and streams. When faced with obstacles, one can take a detour, but cannot abandon the guiding needle. In times of chaos, one can adapt, but cannot follow the flow. Human life is short, like a white horse passing through a gap. If one cannot hold on to goodness and guard it, losing the Tao and righteousness, they will become muddled and confused. Everyone's nature is different, just like how Master An Ding's disciples were all talented in their own way. Qian Zao was profound, Sun Jue was pure and bright, Fan Chunren was straightforward and warm, and Qian Gongfu was simple and understanding. The reason for these differences lies in the uniqueness of each person's heart. As a teacher, one can only point out the general direction, but the actual cultivation depends on individual effort. If one loses their original heart, it will be difficult to find it again."

  What he said, Zhao Xingde could understand. In the situation where the truth is hard to be revealed, choosing good and being stubborn is not a simple but effective option. Many talented people, once they lose their direction, sink deeper and deeper, unable to extricate themselves, and finally leave a stench for thousands of years, it's because they lost the pointer of morality and the reason for losing direction.

  Seeing Song An and Zhao Xingde nodding, Chuang Bu continued to say to Song An: "What you just said, cultivating one's body is only the study of life and death, but it's a bit narrow. The way of cultivating one's body is not limited to the study of life and death, from inside to outside, nature, physical function, power, all can be reached, in order to become an inner sage and outer king."

  At that time, other Confucian schools only talked about the study of nature and life in Xiuzhen's body, but Xiang Bu took it further. He combined what he gained from his travels to Xia Guo with Buddhist and Taoist teachings, thoroughly integrating his own self-cultivation with practical applications for governing the world.

  He believed that nature is the fundamental temperament, which distinguishes humans from animals and oneself from others. The Taoist concept of "yuan shen" refers to this nature. Destiny (ming) is what one is born with, such as intelligence, physical strength, etc. Nature and destiny are interdependent; while nature is fundamental, destiny is not insignificant. Buddhist ascetic practices that harm the body in order to clarify the mind and see into one's nature are also biased. Extending outward from nature and destiny, we have form and function, power and influence.

  "The debate between substance and application, people often separate them and emphasize the former while belittling the latter. However, this is a great mistake. Substance and application are not comparable things, how can they be separated?" Zhao Xingde heard this and suddenly thought of the popular saying in later generations "Chinese learning as substance, Western learning as application". But then Xu Bu heard him take out a small knife for dissecting letters and said to his two disciples: "This is substance." After finishing speaking, he took out a white paper, cut it in half, and said: "This is application." He paused for a moment, and solemnly said: "Only having the learning of nature and destiny, but not being able to apply it, is like the current corrupt Confucians who only engage in empty talk about nature and destiny, viewing economics and technology as inferior knowledge. They don't know that these inferior studies are useful for the country, the people, and oneself, so they should be incorporated into the main body of learning. Without application, one cannot distinguish true knowledge. Emphasizing substance while belittling application will inevitably lead to self-satisfaction, narrow-mindedness, and arrogance, which is not the way of Confucius' self-cultivation, governance, and peace. Knowing is difficult, but doing is easy; knowing is easy, but doing is difficult. Having both substance and application, being able to know and do, is the true accomplishment of self-cultivation."

  Zhao Xingde and Song An were both people who had a strong interest in miscellaneous studies, frequently nodding their heads. Xu Buzhi continued: "The four aspects of nature, life, substance, and function are all the work of one's own body. As for power and influence, they are an extension of substance and function."

  At that time, people admired hermits. When Wang Anshi was offered a position by the emperor three times and refused, his reputation became even greater. At this moment, Xu Buji clearly proposed the two words "power" and "influence". Zhao Xiangde and Song An showed some strange expressions, but did not dare to question him. Xu Buji smiled slightly and said: "Power is in my hands, making external things serve me. Influence is not in my hands, if I can follow it and borrow from it, I can also make external things serve me."

  Song An nodded and said, "For example, when I was in charge of the judicial department, I examined the clerks in the Ministry of Justice every year. This is power. The pure discussion among the students in the Imperial Academy where Yuan Zhi is located makes the scholars in the imperial court have something to be afraid of, this is prestige. If there is no use for power and prestige, it is indeed impossible to govern the family, govern the country, and pacify the world."

  Zhuo Bu Zhi smiled and said: "Yuan Zhi, what's your understanding?"

  Zhao Xingde pondered this and replied, "The actual territory and external influence of Go, are just like the power and influence you spoke of. Those who possess power, are like occupying the edges and corners, those who gain influence, are like directly taking the central plains. In the story, the whiskered guest and Li Shimin played a game of Go, the whiskered guest first placed his piece on the four corner star points, saying 'I have occupied the four directions with my four pieces', Li Shimin however only placed his piece on the heavenly origin point, saying 'I have secured the central plains with one piece'. It turns out it's also about power and influence."

  Song An nodded and said, "Yuan Zhilei's analogy is quite apt. Those who are cunning and deceitful often prioritize power over influence, and are fond of benefits while forgetting righteousness. However, a wise and capable ruler like Emperor Taizong of Tang would rather contend for influence than power. In the past, Crown Prince Jiancheng held the position in the Eastern Palace and also had military power, but Li Shimin was suspected by his father and brother, and instead took advantage of the situation where he was not rewarded despite his great contributions to launch the Xuanwu Gate Incident, ultimately obtaining the imperial throne." He glanced at Zhao Xingde, hesitating for a moment before continuing, "In today's situation, although Chancellor Cai has overwhelming power in the court, the officials have already begun to harbor suspicions and fears. Moreover, there are rumors and criticisms outside, so from the perspective of influence, it is indeed somewhat troublesome."

  "You should be well aware of the situation in the imperial court. The struggle between the Crown Prince and the Third Imperial Son, the changes in official positions, the grudges between the old and new parties in the court, all these are making the situation increasingly complicated. You two also need to be careful. Power and influence may not be the essence of things, but they are an extension of it. Although they are not the ultimate goal, they can be used to govern the country and bring peace to the world. It is not something that can be ignored or taken lightly. A true gentleman's way is not only to cultivate himself, but also to benefit the world. Therefore, he cannot ignore the importance of power and influence in his self-cultivation, otherwise, he will be no different from those petty and selfish people, and will not become a great man with a broad vision."

  Three people surrounded the self-cultivation academy and discussed for half a day. Zhao Xingde gradually put down his reserve and joined in the discussion, later, he even asked to visit the Hanlin Academy with the excuse that he was interested in miscellaneous studies.

  Xu Buzhi originally had some dissatisfaction with the scholars and artisans of Song Dynasty, seeing that Zhao Xingde truly understood the meaning of Ti Yong, without despising miscellaneous studies and strange skills, he felt relieved in his heart, nodded his head, and said to Song An: "This afternoon I have an old friend coming to visit, your senior brother will take you to Taishi Bureau, and also go to the four bureaus of Tianwen, Book Art, Painting, and Medical Officials, as well as the Military Equipment Warehouse and the Eight Works Office. He turned his head to look at Zhao Xingde, and reminded him: "Although our dynasty selects scholars with classical studies, there are many miscellaneous studies such as astronomy, medicine, and mathematics in the Hanlin Academy, which are considered to be inferior, but among them, there are indeed many people who have great abilities. When you go to the Hanlin Academy, if you encounter something you don't understand, you must put aside your pride and humbly ask for guidance, and cannot show a proud and arrogant attitude."

  Zhao Xingde immediately responded with respect and bowed to Song An, saying: "Thanks for your trouble, Taihe Shixiong."

  Song An slightly bowed, with a smile on his face, and politely thanked him. Xiang Bu had very few disciples, and to this day, the only formal disciple who could be called a fellow apprentice was Zhao Xingde. Song An was quite skilled in observing people, having seen many who were arrogant outside but became timid and lacking in dignity once they entered the Ministry of Justice. Today, he secretly observed Zhao Xingde, and found that this young man had a dignified demeanor, a calm expression, and elegant manners, without any pretentious or flattering words or expressions, nor any vain or showy air about him. Song An was quite satisfied with this new fellow apprentice, thinking that in the official world, having fellow apprentices to rely on and assist each other was very important for one's career path, and thought that if the opportunity arose, he could promote one or two of them.

  Xu Bu smiled slightly and said, "Both you and your fellow disciple have a good grasp of these miscellaneous studies, it's as if you're connected by the same breath." Later, Zhao Xingde came to know that this senior brother, due to his position as the head of the Ministry of Punishment, inevitably had to deal with complex and unclear cases. The miscellaneous studies of medicine, arithmetic, and so on were quite useful to him, and he was also familiar with the technical officials of the Hanlin Academy.

  After the lesson, the three of them chatted for a while about the morning's events. The maid came to report that lunch was ready, and Xu Bu then led Song An and Zhao Xingde to the flower hall. At this time, in Bianjing, it was customary to have separate dishes, and on the table, each of the four places had four or five meat and vegetable dishes and soups arranged before them, filling the air with fragrance. These were all delicious foods personally cooked by Mistress Li, who was already smiling and waiting inside the flower hall.

  Li was a member of the prestigious Li family from Chang'an, and Xia Guo had always placed great emphasis on miscellaneous academic skills. After following her husband to Song Guo, she didn't pay much attention to the worldly prejudices against Hanlin Academy officials. Seeing that her husband and two disciples were already seated, Li smiled at Zhao Xingde and said, "I heard that Doctor Li's extraordinary daughter is going to be betrothed to Yuan Zhi, what a wonderful thing."

  "Thank you, Master and Mistress." Zhao Xingde thanked, his heart also feeling a little sweet. After his parents passed away, he originally had no close relatives in this world. Today's visit to pay respects to his masters, the master and mistress, along with his senior fellow disciple whom he met for the first time, all made Zhao Xingde feel a warm and intimate feeling deep down.

  Xu Bu waved his hand to let him not be too formal, and asked Zhao Xingde: "The Li family hopes that Yuan Zhi and Ruo Xue will first settle their names, go to the mansion to study quietly. After next year's imperial examination, they will get married. What do you think?" He hoped that Song An and Zhao Xingde would be closer as master and apprentice brothers, so at this time when talking about Zhao Xingde's marriage, he did not avoid Song An being present.

  Zhao Xingde naturally agreed hastily. Going to the Li residence to read books, he would naturally be able to get close to the water tower and get the moon first. Song An didn't expect that the famous talented woman of Bianliang, Li Ruoxue, would actually be engaged to this unknown and unnamed younger brother who hadn't even taken office yet, and couldn't help but reveal a look of surprise.

  Chu Buzhi smiled and said, "Since Yuan Zhi is the only one in Bianliang with no other relatives, it's best if you, as his teacher, take care of the matters related to exchanging betrothal gifts and sending the three golden tea gifts to the Li family. Choose a good day and time, send the betrothal gifts to the Li family, and settle the engagement." He paused for a moment, looked at Zhao Xingde with a smile, and said, "Although your foundation is not bad, you still need to work harder on the orthodox techniques used in the imperial examinations. Although being a student of the Imperial Academy can also lead to an official career, I think your future father-in-law's intention is that you should have the status of a jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest level of the imperial examination). Moreover, Li Yu is a talented woman who is not inferior to anyone else, and the eldest son of the Li family is also one of the most outstanding young men in Bianliang. You must not be too careless about your skills in poetry and literature, lest people say 'Between heaven and earth, there is actually Yuan Zhi'."

  The so-called "teacher is like a father", and Zhong Bu treated Zhao Xingde as his own son, scolding him. He borrowed the allusion of Eastern Jin's talented woman Xie Daoyun, who was dissatisfied with her husband Wang Ningzi's lack of talent, and complained to her mother, saying "Between heaven and earth, there is actually a Wang Lang", letting him not lose face in front of his own family. Zhao Xingde couldn't help but smile awkwardly, and quickly stood up, saying: "Disciple will definitely work hard to study, and will definitely not disappoint the teacher's and teacher's mother's good intentions."

  He saw his master was going to prepare the betrothal gifts for him, although he was embarrassed about his poverty, he still felt quite uneasy and declined several times. Finally, his master's wife, Li, scolded him sternly, only then did he stop. The eldest son of the Xu family, Xu Shaofu, was a judge in Hebei, and his daughter, Xu Xuan, had married into the Su family in Sichuan several years ago. These two years, the Xu family's mansion was quiet and deserted. Seeing that Xu Buzhi's new disciple had good news, marrying a famous talented woman from Bianjing, Li naturally wanted to take charge of everything.