All Things Are of a Lower Grade (Part 1)

  As soon as the words were spoken, everyone in the room was shocked.

  The seven girls kneeling on the ground were full of surprise and excitement, with runny noses and smiling faces; Mr. Shen sitting above also looked at Shen Mo with a surprised expression, feeling that he needed to re-recognize this young man. As for the fourth young master, he was also nodding secretly behind Shen Mo's back, his lips opening and closing as if saying "good kid, quite righteous".

  He silently bore the gaze of everyone, his heart very clear... even if he drove Seventh Sister and her family out of the mansion, and father and son occupied a building alone, it would not change their situation as dependents. No matter how big a house they lived in, as long as they were dependent on others, they could not avoid being questioned condescendingly like today, and being controlled at will, which was simply too terrible.

  Yes, the unintentionally revealed high and mighty attitude of Mr. Shen just now deeply hurt Shen Mo's self-esteem. If he had a choice, he would rather return to the thatched cottage by the river than live in this grand mansion again.

  It's just that he is mentally mature and knows what should be shown and what shouldn't be shown, so he won't make a scene.

  "Hurting others for one's own benefit isn't being a scoundrel; hurting others without benefiting oneself is the real scoundrel!" This was Shen Mo's motto.

  How could he bear the reputation of being narrow-minded and unable to tolerate others, doing such despicable things?

  After a moment of stunned silence, it was Old Master Shen who first regained his composure, gazing at Shen Mo with an ambiguous smile: "If what you say is true, then both families are at fault and should be punished."

  Shen Mo said calmly: "The great lord is fair and kind, no matter what punishment, Shen Mo is willing to accept."

  "Haha……" Old Master Shen was amused by Shen Mo's words. Although this young man wasn't very old, he spoke with great cunning. A big hat of "fairness and kindness" was placed on his head, making Old Master Shen feel both relieved and speechless. He had to put on a serious face and say: "Among neighbors and relatives, we should be friendly and supportive of each other. This time, I'll let you off since it's your first offense, and won't use family law." Then he turned to Seventh Young Lady and said: "You go back and clean up the room for them, and don't be so petty in the future," saying this while glaring at her: "There won't be a next time, got it?"

  The seventh girl had long since given in, where was there anything she didn't dare to do? She nodded repeatedly like a chicken pecking at rice: "I know, I know."

  "Go ahead." Old Master Shen shook his wide sleeves and said calmly: "Do as you wish."

  The seventh girl first kowtowed to Old Man Shen, then looked at Shen Mo with gratitude, before hastily fleeing the grand hall that made her feel extremely oppressed.

  After those seven girls left, there were only Shen Mo, Old Master Shen and Fourth Young Master in the Zhonghe Hall.

  Mr. Shen's expression also softened a lot, and he smiled at Shen Mo: "Seventh girl is an unrefined person, can only be punished with physical labor. But you are a scholar, we have to do something more civilized."

  The sweat came down with a brush, and he thought: 'You can let me clean up the Shen family's mansion, but don't let me recite poems, write books or do anything like that.' But at this time, how could I show weakness? I had to go up with a hard scalp!

  "Whatever you say, sir." Shen remained calm and still, his legs tensed up, ready to make a quick escape.

  "I'll ask you a question," said Old Master Shen with a chuckle. "If you answer correctly and well, not only will I not punish you, but there will also be a reward. If you answer incorrectly, however, you'll be punished by having to sweep the entire front gate of the Shen family estate."

  It's really a hero's sight, Shen Mo almost shouted "Can't I just admit defeat?" Fortunately, he had a grudge against Old Man Shen and didn't want to give in... Also because a kind of self-confidence burst out in his heart, as if he wasn't afraid of this game-like situation.

  "Very well, sir; pray proceed."

  "Good." Old Master Shen nodded and said: "Since you've taken the county exam, I suppose you've already read the Four Books?"

  "I've read it." Shen Mo said quietly.

  "Very well." Old Master Shen pointed at the plaque on his head and said: "Explain to me the origin of these four characters."

  "What does it mean?" Shen silently cursed and a string of words flashed in his mind, and he couldn't help but say: "This sentence is from the first chapter of 'Zhongyong', 'Reach the middle and harmony, heaven and earth are established, all things are nurtured.'"

  "Not bad, what does it mean?" Old Master Shen nodded and smiled.

  "These four characters are the essence of the entire Zhongyong. The Zhongyong Fen Zhang explains: 'With middle harmony, it clarifies the unity of substance and function; with position nurturing, it clarifies the ultimate achievement of benevolence and sincerity.' Shen fell into deep thought, no longer surprised, and opened his mouth to speak fluently: 'In other words, "middle harmony" is the goal. When interacting with people and things, establishing words and deeds should all be unbiased and moderate; how can we achieve this? "Position nurturing" is the method.'"

  "How does one 'cultivate'?" Old Master Shen asked with a serious face, as if he were discussing academic matters with a peer.

  "Zhu Zi said: 'Position is to settle in its place. Nurture is to follow its life.' According to Zhu Zi's interpretation, 'position and nurture' means 'settling in and following one's nature'. As a scholar, I should discipline myself, follow the heavenly way, and thus achieve 'position and nurture', and thereby attain 'centrality and harmony'."

  After finishing speaking, Shen Mo stood quietly in the hall, quietly savoring what he had just said, as if he had gained some insight.

  Mr. Shen also closed his eyes slightly, saying nothing, as if he too had gained some insight.

  Only Shen Siyou didn't understand anything and felt extremely bored, yet he didn't dare to leave on his own accord. He stood there, scratching his ears and cheeks, feeling uncomfortable all over.

  Fortunately, the two men's trance-like state did not last long. Shen Lao Ye clapped his hands and laughed with joy: "Good! You have adhered to your own body, followed the heavenly way, and already deeply understood Zhu Zi's three flavors."

  "Your student merely recites from books and adds a bit of personal understanding, you're overpraising me, sir."

  "No prize." Old Master Shen twirled his mustache and smiled: "How old are you this year?"

  "Thirteen." Shen Mo said softly.

  "At the age of thirteen, you have already reached such a level, it can be seen that your talent is high and your hard work is deep. Rare, rare! " Old Master Shen sighed: "If the fourth child had half of your intelligence, he wouldn't be like this now..." He glanced at Shen Si Shao, his face turned cold and hard again: "Neither literate nor martial, idle and useless, a waste!"

  "I knew it, you're not letting me leave for no good reason."

  Shen Mo thought to himself, "Now we're getting to the point." Sure enough, he heard Old Man Shen turn his head around and say with a smile, "Shen Mo, I said earlier that answering correctly would be rewarded. What kind of reward do you want?"

  He silently rolled his eyes in his heart and thought to himself, "Is there even a choice?" Then with a sincere smile he said: "I dare not decline the elder's gift, nor do I dare choose."