Chapter Eight: The Legend Begins

  The main character appears

  Li Dongyang was by no means a sympathizer of Liu Jin, and the reason he hesitated was precisely because he noticed a factor that other ministers ignored - Zhu Houzhao's character.

  Jiao Fang's betrayal was just an accidental factor, Liu Jin was able to succeed in the end because of Zhu Houzhao. This emperor would not kill his own playmates, and the "Eight Tigers" would absolutely not sit back and wait for death.

  Li Dongyang is a thoughtful and deliberate person, with a more meticulous mind than Liu Jian and Xie Qian. He can see further and clearer that it won't be easy to deal with Liu Jin.

  Liu Jin is a formidable opponent, far more terrifying than imagined. To overthrow this powerful enemy, we must wait for a better opportunity.

  Yes, it's not time yet.

  However, other officials seem to think otherwise, and they are deeply grieved by the departure of Liu Jian and Xie Qian. They have submitted a petition to retain them, with more than 20 officials including Censor-in-Chief Bo Yanzheng and Nanjing Official Dai Xiang being the first batch to submit the petition. Liu Jin's handling of this matter was very decisive - court beating.

  More than twenty people were all flogged in court, with one stroke of the rod for each character written, and not a single one could be omitted!

  The worst was Dai Xian, a secretary from Nanjing, who was actually beaten to death. In order to save Dai Xian, many people submitted another petition, and Liu Jin treated them equally, punishing all of them with court beating.

  Among the batch of people who were dragged out to be flogged, there was a minor official named Wang Shouren. Compared with others who were flogged at the same time, he was not noticeable at all. However, this imperial flogging had an extraordinary significance for him. This 34-year-old minor official in the capital was about to step onto the central stage of history, and his legendary experience began from then on.

  The main officer of the Ministry of War's Wu Xuan Si, sixth-grade official Wang Shouren, his brilliance will surpass that of his contemporaries and shine for all eternity.

  Legend

  In 1905, Japanese Admiral Heihachiro Togo returned home, as one of the few geniuses in Japanese military history, he led the poorly equipped Japanese fleet to annihilate the Russian Pacific Fleet and the Baltic Fleet in the Russo-Japanese War, becoming a household name in Japan.

  Due to his outstanding performance in the war, the Japanese Emperor appointed him as the Minister of the Navy General Staff, recalled him to Japan and held a celebration banquet for him.

  At this banquet, facing the crowd's applause, Higashinari Heitarō remained silent, only taking out his own nameplate and showing it to everyone, with only seven big characters on it:

  I have spent my whole life bowing my head in reverence to Yangming.

  Wang Shouren, courtesy name Boyan, also known as Yangming.

  In the eighth year of Chenghua (1472), Wang Shouren was born in Yuyao, Zhejiang. Generally, those who achieve great things often come from humble origins, and from a young age, they have to go up mountains to chop firewood and down to the sea to catch fish, with several sick relatives at home, washing their faces with tears every day. This is almost the norm. Unfortunately, Mr. Wang Shouren's situation was completely the opposite.

  Wang Shouren's family was a well-known large landowner, very wealthy, and he also had a very famous ancestor - Wang Xizhi. Whether it is true or not, but with the conditions of his family, even if it is not surprising.

  The ancestors of the Wang family had all been officials, and it is said that their ancestor Wang Gang had once served as a follower of Liu Bowen, and had risen to the rank of fourth-grade official. The descendants of later generations were slightly inferior, but still managed to get by. However, things changed with Wang Shouren's father, Wang Hua.

  In the 17th year of the Chenghua reign (1481), ten-year-old Wang Shouren left Zhejiang and moved to Beijing with his whole family, because a green smoke emerged from their ancestral tomb, indicating that his father Wang Hua had passed the imperial examination as the top scholar.

  The Wang family was even more unstoppable, and Wang Hua's sense of responsibility was greatly enhanced. After all, the father is a hero and the son is a good man; he himself had already become a top scholar, so his son would at least be a good man in the future, and couldn't be an idiot. So he invited many teachers to teach Wang Shouren to read books.

  At the age of ten, Wang Shouren began to read the Four Books and Five Classics. He grasped them quickly and was able to infer three points from one example. His intelligence surprised even the elderly scholars, but soon after, his teachers discovered some bad tendencies in him.

  According to the teachers' feedback to Wang Zhuangyuan, Wang Shouren was not a good student. He didn't sit in the private school, but liked to dance with guns and sticks, read military books, and ask strange questions. He also liked to write some inexplicable things. There is a poem as evidence:

  The mountain is near and the moon is far, so it seems that the moon is small; then say this mountain is bigger than the moon.

  If one's eyes were as large as the sky, they would see mountains high and the moon even broader.

  In the eyes of the gentlemen, this was a ridiculous and absurd poem. However, Wang Hua pondered over it for a long time after reading it, called Wang Shouren over, and asked him a question:

  "Is the study very stuffy?"

  Wang Shouren nodded.

  "Come with me to take a stroll outside the city."

  What Wang Hua said was Guanwai, which is Ju Yong Pass. He keenly felt a kind of inexplicable mystery from this poem and realized for the first time that his son was not ordinary. The study room could no longer hold him, so Wang Hua decided to take him out of the pass to broaden his horizons.

  The name of this poem is "Mountain Lodge for Escaping the Heat", written by Wang Shouren at the age of 12. This was also his first poem to be passed down through the ages.

  This poem seems to be naive in words, but it has a lot of the charm of a oil-splashing poem. However, there is profound subtlety within it. Which one is bigger, the mountain or the moon? This twelve-year-old boy gave an ambiguous answer with his unique way of thinking and observation.

  This way of thinking was later called dialectics by some people.

  Wang Hua made an unusual promise. At that time, the area outside the pass was no longer what it was like during Zhu Di's era, and Mongolian cavalry often came and went. Taking a teenager out of the pass was extremely adventurous. However, Wang Hua considered it and ultimately fulfilled his promise.

  He soon regretted this decision.

  Outside the Ju Yong Pass, young Wang Shouren saw the vast grasslands and deserts for the first time, experiencing the thrill of galloping horses, the great achievements of the Hongwu era, the divine martial arts of Emperor Yongle, and those stormy years deeply imprinted in his heart.

  A seed began to sprout in his heart.

  Wang Hua had originally just wanted to take his son out for a stroll, but Wang Shouren's next move left him utterly astonished.

  One day soon after, Wang Shouren suddenly became serious and solemnly walked up to Wang Hua's father, saying:

  "I have already written a memorial to the Emperor, and if I am given several tens of thousands of troops, I am willing to go out of the pass and bring peace to the country, and exterminate the Tatars!"

  According to investigation, the speaker Wang Shouren was 15 years old at that time.

  Wang Hua fell silent, and after a long time, he finally came back to his senses and reacted.

  He was so excited that he picked up the book beside him (temporarily unable to find a suitable object) and hit Wang Shouren on the head, saying while hitting:

  "Go wild! Go wild!"

  Mr. Wang Shouren's dream of serving the country for the first time was shattered, but he didn't lose heart, and soon after, he had a new life plan, a more grandiose plan.

  Wang Hua's intestines were all green with regret. He never thought that his precious son would really dare to think and do anything.

  Perhaps after a while, he will forget these foolish ideas. Wang Hua had once naively thought so.

  Perhaps his prayers had an effect, and soon Wang Shouren came to find him again, this time to apologize.

  Wang Shouren said calmly:

  "My previous idea was unrealistic, thank you for your father's teachings."

  Wang Hua was overjoyed and said with a smile:

  "Don't worry, having ambition is good, as long as you work hard and study in the future, it's not impossible."

  "No need, I won't go to war anymore, now I have a new ambition."

  "Oh, what do you want to do?"

  "Be a sage!"

  This time Wang Hua did not remain silent, he quickly made a response - a loud slap in the face.

  It's all over, it's all over, a lifetime of honor and reputation is going to be ruined by this little brat.

  Wang Hua finally reached a consensus with the teachers that if they didn't take care of this kid, the whole family would be ruined by him in the future. After careful consideration, he decided to arrange a marriage for his son. He thought that as long as this kid got married and had a wife to manage him, he wouldn't do anything out of line again.

  Wang Hua was the top scholar and had even been a lecturer for the emperor, with high status and great power. Although Wang Shouren liked to cause trouble, he was still quite handsome (I've seen his portrait, I can vouch for it). So when news of the Wang family's intention to form an alliance through marriage spread, many families rushed to offer their daughters in response.

  Out of caution and not wanting this young man to continue causing trouble in the capital, Wang Hua chose an official's daughter from Hongdu (Nanchang) in Jiangxi. He then called for 17-year-old Wang Shouren, telling him to pack his bags immediately and go to Jiangxi to get married, and to stop hanging around himself.

  Wang Hua arranged this marriage for Wang Shouren, thinking that he could have a peaceful life, but he did not expect that his actions would bring him even more trouble.

  Wang Shouren was driven out of the house in a daze and ran to Hongdu, Jiangxi. Fortunately, his etiquette was still decent, and his father-in-law was very satisfied with him. After some back-and-forth negotiations, the engagement was settled, and the wedding date was set.

  This father-in-law probably doesn't often come to the capital, and hasn't heard of Mr. Wang Shouren's exploits, but that's okay, because soon he will find out how formidable his son-in-law is.

  The wedding day has arrived, and the official wedding is being held at the government office. The groom is the son of Wang Zhuangyuan, so it's only natural that the ceremony should be grander than usual. The bride's father's household was bustling with activity, but just as everyone had finished their preparations and were about to pay their respects, they realized that one crucial person was missing - the groom.

  This is no laughing matter, whether or not they get married is secondary, but if something happens to her, how can I explain it to Wang Hua?

  His father-in-law was sweating all over, sending all his men out to search for him, but no matter how hard they looked, they couldn't find him anywhere. The whole family was so anxious that they were on the verge of collapse. It wasn't until the next morning that they finally found Wang Shouren in a Taoist temple on the outskirts of the city, and everyone was extremely excited.

  But Wang Shouren, who had been missing for a day, was not excited at all. He looked at those sweaty people in surprise and asked his question:

  "What do you want from me?"

  It turned out that this brother went out for a stroll on his wedding day, saw a Taoist temple, and went in to chat with the Taoist priest. The more they chatted, the more excited he became, and he started learning from the Taoist priest how to meditate. He sat there for a whole day until someone reminded him that he still had something to do yesterday.

  Anyway, Wang Shouren still successfully got married and had a wife, his anecdotes also spread throughout Hongdu from this, everyone thought he was a strange person.

  Wang Shouren is not a weirdo, those who mock him do not know that this seemingly strange young man is a person with a firm will, who says and does things. The Four Books and Five Classics have already made him feel tired, and he doesn't care about the imperial examination or being an official. At the age of 17, he set his only goal in life - to become a sage.

  Having an ideal is good, but the ideal that Brother Wang has chosen is really not very operational. After all, apart from a few madmen and mentally ill people who claim to have achieved this ideal, there are only two or three people who are widely recognized, such as Confucius and Mencius.

  Wang Shouren himself was also at a loss, so he came and went from Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries, hoping to find inspiration for becoming a sage from the monks and Taoist priests. But apart from learning to chant scriptures and meditate, he didn't even see the shadow of a sage. He didn't lose heart, but continued to pursue the path of sainthood.

  In the end, there will be a way out, Wang Shouren firmly believes this.

  Perhaps it was his sincerity that finally moved heaven, and soon after, it pointed out the only correct path to Wang Shouren.

  In the second year of the Hongzhi era (1489), eighteen-year-old Wang Yangming left Jiangxi and returned to his hometown of Yuyao with his new wife. During the journey, he met a scholar and they traveled together, chatting idly to pass the time.

  During their conversation, he raised his inner doubts:

  "How can one become a sage?"

  The scholar thought for a long time and came up with a four-word answer:

  "Exhaustively investigate the principles of things."

  "What does it mean?"

  The scholar smiled:

  "Go back and read Zhu Shengren's book, you will naturally understand."

  Wang Shouren was overjoyed, thinking he had finally found the answer.

  The Avenue of Sages

  Zhu Shengren is actually Zhu Xi. As for this brother, he can be said to be known by everyone on earth, with an unparalleled reputation. Even his ancestor Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to change the family tree to make him his grandson.

  However, the controversy surrounding him has not subsided for hundreds of years. Those who scolded him said he was a loser, while those who praised him said he was a sage, but in any case, both sides acknowledged one thing: he was a man who influenced history.

  What kind of person was Zhu Xi?

  Supporters think he is a symbolic figure of Song-Ming lixue, and a great philosopher.

  Opponents consider him a symbolic figure of Song-Ming Confucianism and the chief culprit of shackling thought.

  Actually, Mr. Zhu Xi is not as complicated as people say, in my opinion, he is just a person with pursuits, but his goals are somewhat special.

  He pursued the deepest secret in this world.

  (Note: The following content will describe some philosophical issues that are relatively difficult to understand. I believe that by explaining it in my own way, everyone should be able to comprehend it. If not, then go read a book.)

  Since ancient times, there has been a group of monks who follow the precepts, do not eat meat, do not drink wine, and recite scriptures and Buddha's name all day. What is different from other monks is that they often sit still for decades, and some even whip and torture their bodies, suffering but still being themselves.

  There is a group of martial artists who have been tempered for many years and their martial arts skills are already very strong, but they still work harder to practice and persevere.

  There is a group of book lovers, some of whom have already become rich in knowledge and achieved great success, yet they still read day and night, regardless of the weather.

  They are not mentally deranged fools who go out of their way to look for trouble, but rather they are searching for something with great effort.

  It is said that in this world there exists a mysterious thing, it has no shape or form, yet it is everywhere, as light as nothing, yet as heavy as Mount Tai. If one can comprehend this thing, they will be able to understand all the secrets of the world, see through all disguises, and possess all knowledge, with all things in the universe at their command!

  This is not a legend, but an objective fact.

  This thing is called "Tao".

  The so-called Tao is the sum of all laws in the world and the most fundamental principle. As long as one can understand the Tao, one can clearly see everything in the world.

  This is indeed too great a temptation, so for thousands of years, it has been attracting countless people to pursue one after another. More importantly, the fact proves that the Tao not only exists but can also be grasped by humans.

  For different types of pursuers, the Tao has different forms of expression. For monks, the name of the Tao is "enlightenment", and for scholars like Zhu Xi, its name is "principle".

  The "enlightenment" that monks dream of pursuing is not an ethereal and elusive thing, but a kind of extremely subtle pleasure that far surpasses all the joys and spiritual stimulants in the world. Those who reach this realm see all things as nothing, without worries or cares, without joy or sorrow, with a sense of delight always residing in their hearts. Buddhist teachings call it "enlightenment".

  The most famous "enlightened" one is the "Sixth Ancestor" Hui Neng, and later De Shang Monk and Lin Ji Monk are also well-known in the world.

  Exhausting all subtleties, it's like placing a single hair in the vast emptiness; depleting the world's machinery, it's as if pouring a single drop into an enormous ocean.

  This is what is called the Way of the Buddha.

  As for the way of the warrior, it can be roughly explained with a story like this:

  According to the saying in martial arts, the longer the weapon is, the better it is, which is called "one inch longer, one inch stronger".

  But it is said that during the Five Dynasties period, there was a master who used a sword, but the more he used it, the shorter it became. By the time he was fifty or sixty years old, his swordsmanship had reached an extraordinary level, and yet he no longer used a sword. Every time he fought, he would charge forward with bare fists, and never lost a fight.

  When I saw this story, I really started to believe a common saying:

  "Though I have no sword in hand, I have a sword in heart."

  Zhu Xi's Dao originated from Confucianism, also known as "Li", which is neither enlightenment nor martial arts practice. This thing is read from books and can be used in practice. Once you understand the principle, you will know all things under heaven, have a broad mind, be unperturbed by honor or disgrace, fearless and dauntless, cultivate oneself, govern one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world!

  Only the utmost sincerity under heaven can fully develop one's nature; able to fully develop one's nature, then able to fully develop the nature of others; able to fully develop the nature of others, then able to fully develop the nature of things; able to fully develop the nature of things, then can assist in the transformation and nourishment of all under heaven; able to assist in the transformation and nourishment of all under heaven, then can form a trinity with heaven and earth!

  This is the way of Confucianism.

  The above roughly explains the meaning of Tao. If some classical Chinese texts are hard to understand, there is no need to look for translations. In summary, as long as you understand three points, it will be enough:

  Tao is a rare and precious thing, it's what many people pursue their whole lives.

  2. Regardless of profession or occupation, there are many benefits after gaining enlightenment.

  Three, enlightenment is very difficult, people who can enlighten are very powerful.

  It doesn't matter anymore, as long as you can understand it.

  After saying so much, there is still a crucial issue that has not been resolved. If the Tao is so good, how can one attain enlightenment?

  Still classified according to profession, if you go ask an enlightened monk, the answer will be very interesting.

  For this question, Shou Chu and Shang's answer is: Ma San Jin.

  Danhua's answer was: Burn the Buddha statue for warmth.

  The answer of Qingfeng monk is: The fire god comes to ask for fire.

  The answer of Master Deshan is: Manjusri and Samantabhadra are dung carriers. (Sin! Sin!)

  They are not talking nonsense. If you have enough insight, you can feel the true meaning of "wine and meat pass through the intestines, and the Buddha sits on top of the heart". The so-called "no Buddha in the eyes, but Buddha in the heart" is indeed the most essential part of Buddhism.

  The only way for Buddhists to attain enlightenment is also hidden in these seemingly absurd languages, which can be summed up in three words - rely on yourself.

  They answer your questions with all sorts of astonishing words, just to tell you that understanding the truth is something that can't be taught and even if it could, no one else can help you but yourself.

  But the answers of the high monks are really not strong in operability, ordinary people can't do it, and it's hard to satisfy us. Let's take a look at the martial artist.

  For those who practice martial arts, the answer to this question is even simpler. Give you a sword and slowly practice it. As for how long it takes to reach the highest state of having no sword in hand but a sword in heart, don't ask your master, don't ask yourself, only ghosts know.

  After all, in a long martial arts novel of several hundred thousand words, there are usually only one or two top masters. If you haven't cultivated it, that's also very normal, so everyone must adjust their mentality.

  Now all our hopes are pinned on Zhu of Confucianism, hoping to find the key to the path of sainthood here.

  Zhu Xi indeed did not disappoint everyone's expectations, using four words to point out a golden path for us: Investigate things and exhaust their principles.

  Now that we've finally returned to the starting point and are standing on the same starting line as Mr. Wang Shouren, what kind of magic do these four characters have, and what do they mean?

  Zhu Xi was still very patient, he told us that "reason" is hard to understand, but it exists universally in all things and matters in the world. The yellow cow on your farm has reason, the broken boxes in your backyard have reason, and the private money you hide under your bed also has reason.

  Reason is everywhere, but to grasp it, one must "frame" it.

  As for how to frame, it's up to you, whether you're stunned or take action, willing to frame however you want, Zhu Shengren doesn't charge tuition fees, and can even help you dominate the world?

  So when can "ge" reason out?

  Well asked! On this question, another great master of Song-Ming Confucianism, Cheng Yi, gave a clear answer:

  "Today I understand one thing, tomorrow another, suddenly it all becomes clear, and in the end, I know the principle of nature."

  Got it? As long as you keep "ge", concentrate on "ge", focus your mind on "ge", work overtime to "ge", you will suddenly understand.

  So when can we " suddenly understand" ?

  Sorry, the instructors haven't mentioned this question before and I don't know either. But just go ahead and "ge" boldly, trust me, when you reach the point of " suddenly understanding", you will suddenly understand.

  Well, our philosophy class has come to an end. In today's class, we discussed some basic concepts of Buddhism, Zen, Confucianism and Song-Ming Neo-Confucianism. I believe that this way of lecturing is understandable for everyone.

  In fact, I am reluctant to talk about these things, but if I don't, it will be difficult for you all to understand the strange behavior of Wang Shouren later on, and you won't be able to appreciate his courage and wisdom that surpasses all ages.

  The path of the sage is a completely different road, it has a starting point, but seems to never see the end. It's mysterious, strange and profound, more arduous than the path of fame, on this road, there are no helpers, no mentors, you don't know when you will succeed, don't know when you will fail, even don't know when should give up.

  At the age of eighteen, Wang Shouren resolutely embarked on this path and ultimately succeeded in that place, that night, that historic moment nineteen years later.