The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 135: The First Battle with the Masters, the Founder of the Yin-Yang School, Zou Zi Zou Yan

The old man introduced himself, and Ying Chengjiao's already serious expression became even more serious, and he bowed.

"I have not only heard of your name, but it is well-known to me."

This is not a compliment, it's sincere.

In Chinese history, whenever there was a great conflict, martial arts flourished and culture declined, except for the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, while the nations were constantly attacking each other, the culture was actually becoming more and more brilliant.

Many great masters and theories emerged like a blowout, which were later called the Hundred Schools of Thought.

Zou Yan is one of the philosophers and the founder of Yin-Yang School.

Zou Yan was surprised and his eyes widened slightly.

"According to the Qin calendar, you are no more than seven years old.

“It has been more than 30 years since I became famous, and only a few old people in this world still know me.

"Why are you so familiar with my name? Are you trying to trick me?"

The old man smiled and pointed at the scorching sun in the sky.

“The sun shines everywhere, it is extremely masculine and extremely strong.

"Let the ice melt, let the snow melt, let evil spirits have no place to stay, let lies stop deceiving people.

"Sir, please be careful with your words."

Ying Chengjiao looked up at the sky and stared at the sun.

Today's sun is not too scorching, allowing people to look at themselves straight in the eye, and it feels warm on people.

“I heard that when you came to Yan State, King Zhao of Yan personally swept the floor for you with a broom, fearing that dust would fall on you.

"Is it possible that I can tell this story to prove that I am not lying?"

Zou Yan pinched the beard on the side of his lips with the index and middle fingers of his right hand, twisted it gently, smiled faintly and nodded.

"can."

Ying Chengjiao retracted his gaze and looked at Zou Yan, his face serious:
"The gentleman asked the boy a question.

“It is impolite to come without returning the favor.

"Teacher, considering that I am young, let me ask one more question.

"I want to ask you two questions, okay?"

Zou Yan nodded, smiling even more:

"It's impossible."

The young man pointed to the sky with one hand.

"The gentleman said that when he was young, his name was Tan Tianyan.

“Now the gentleman is old, and when he talked with the boy he talked about the sun in the sky.

“Is it a habit that has been built over the years? Or is it a deliberate performance?
"Today the sun is warm and pleasant, showing its nourishing side, but you describe it as a bright and killing side.

"Was it intentional or accidental?"

Zou Yan's heart moved slightly, and the fingers that were twisting his beard stopped for a moment, then continued twisting.

He looked at Ying Chengjiao's expression for a moment, then smiled.

“I don’t know whether you are a gentleman or not, but I know that you must be very knowledgeable.

"I heard that you had a debate in the court of Zhao with Mao Sui, who was known for his 'three-inch tongue, more powerful than a million soldiers'. You won, and Mao Sui committed suicide out of despair.

"When faced with the assassination attempt on Lord Xinling, who was known for his noble virtues, the prince released Lord Xinling's retainers, demonstrating a higher virtue than Lord Xinling. Lord Xinling's reputation fell, while the prince's reputation rose.

"When he met me, Tan Tianyan, the young master responded by talking about heaven. I am an expert in yin and yang and the five elements, so he said that the sun has two sides and questioned me on the theory of yin and yang.

"How deep is your knowledge, sir? Do you like to use this method to deal with people? Don't you know that each of the five elements has its own strengths?
“Water is gentle, fire is blazing, metal is hard, wood is vigorous, and earth is heavy.

“To control it, we should follow the principle of the mutual restraint of the five elements.

"Water overcomes fire, fire overcomes metal, metal overcomes wood, wood overcomes earth, and earth overcomes water.

"My lord, you insist on defeating water with water and fire with fire. Isn't this giving up the easy and pursuing the difficult, and going against the principles of heaven and earth?

“Yan really doesn’t know why the young master would do this.

"Everyone spends their whole life studying, and you want to surpass them all at the age of seven? Isn't that a bit too arrogant?"

Ying Chengjiao smiled broadly and showed off wantonly.

"Because I want to win people's hearts as well as their words.

“The reason why I have such an idea is probably because I am a newborn calf that is not afraid of a tiger.

"If you are not a little arrogant when you are young, your youth will be wasted."

Zou Yan stared intently, as if he saw the bright moon in the dark night sky, illuminating the starless area for thousands of miles.

But he couldn't tell whether the color of the moon was neutral yellow or blood red.

From the moment the young man in front of him asked him the question, he felt a sharpness more compelling than the cold winter wind, as if he had seen the most incisive debater.

Those two questions come with traps, and no matter how you answer them, there will be consequences.

The young man’s later words, “Not only can you win people’s hearts, but you can also convince them with your words,” come from Zhuangzi.

Zhuang Zhou used his evaluation of Huan Tuan and Gongsun Long to extend it to the evaluation of the debaters as a group.

Zou Yan, who had met Zhuang Zhou and considered him a friend, was very familiar with his friend's work "Zhuangzi".

He remembered the original text:

【Huan Tuan and Gongsun Long were among the debaters. 】

【To decorate people's hearts is to change people's intentions. 】

【Being able to win over people with words but not being able to win their hearts is the limitation of debaters.】

This was a counterattack against his previous theory of the five elements' mutual restraint. This young man wanted to defeat fire with fire and water with water.

Only by defeating the opponent in the theory that he is best at can you make him convinced.

The old man took a deep breath, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the boy who was smiling slightly but obviously unrestrained.

[Perhaps more than that, he seemed to have guessed that I wanted to test him with Zi Bing.]
[If this is true, then his heart is definitely not that of a gentleman.]
[How should I treat someone who behaves like a gentleman but has an ungentlemanly mind?]
[That's all.]
[I can’t tell this person’s character by observing his appearance or his behavior, and it’s also hard to tell this person clearly after meeting and talking to him.]
[Knowing a person by his words... For things like this, Zi Bing should be the one to handle them.]
The old man put his hands down and stopped twirling his beard.

"What you just said, young master, I have heard similar things from my friends.

“The debaters are whitewashing their words and making up their own arguments.

“You can only win people over with words, but you can’t convince them sincerely.

“I have never liked debaters, but I have to admit that their remarks are sharp.

“Even if he is known as a sophist, he can still make people speechless. His experience and knowledge are much greater than those of me who can only chat.

"I came here today to find out more about you and decide whether to join your sect.

“Although I have learned some information, I still cannot make a decision.

"I will wait until Zibing meets the young master before making a decision."

Ying Chengjiao bowed slightly:
“It is an honor for me to meet you today, sir.

“It’s just that I have answered three of your questions, but you haven’t answered my two questions yet.

"I am so brave, could you please teach me a little before I leave?"

Zou Yan laughed. The feeling at this moment was exactly the same as when he met debaters like Gongsun Long.

The old man flicked his sleeves lightly, looking very relaxed and carefree.

“You asked me whether chatting with you was intentional or a habit over the years.

"If I say I have an interest, you can say I am just talking for the sake of my name, and that I am a fake. If I say it is a habit, you can say I have not made any progress in more than 30 years, and I still cling to the name I had when I was young.

"You asked if today's sun was meant to be fertile, but I said it was meant to be murderous. Was it intentional or accidental?

"If I say I did it on purpose, then you can say I was wrong. If I say it was an accident, then you can say that I made such a low-level mistake, which proves that I don't understand yin and yang at all.

"I have been asked these questions many times by Zi Bing, which are wrong no matter how you answer them.

"Thirty years ago, I thought these were useless and meaningless, and I still think so now.

"This is also the reason why I dislike debaters." Since you asked, I will answer.

"Talking about the day is a habit we have had for many years, and the solemn and solemn tone of the day is intentional."

The young man listened to Zou Yan's words quietly, sighed helplessly, and spread out his two little hands.

"Zouzi.

“I just don’t understand, I don’t know, and I really want to learn, so I ask two questions.

"It's not as complicated as you think, sir.
"The boy is only seven years old."

Zou Yan clasped his fists and bowed slightly:

"Then just consider it as my petty thoughts.

“In the outer mountains, the old man greeted you with a heavy snowfall, and the young master came out of the mountains.

“The Prince of Changguo saw it but didn’t know it.

"This is the second time I have met you, young master. I am looking forward to the day when I will meet you for the third time."

Zou Yan left the posthouse.

He walked with a light body and no signs of old age at all.

The young man looked at Zou Yan's back, and even though he was already extremely alert, he couldn't hide the desire to get close to him that was growing in his heart.

It’s like seeing magnificent mountains and rivers and wanting to be among them.

"Sir," the young man called out, "King Yan is cruel and unjust. I won't stay here for long. Sir, do you know where to find me?"

The old man kept walking and pointed to the sky:

"I have observed the sky and learned that I can wait for you at the Jixia Academy."

Ying Chengjiao's heart sank, there was no smile on his face, but his words were filled with a relaxed smile.

"I have learned a little about observing the heavens and understanding human affairs.

“No matter how you look at it, this kid can’t understand human affairs.

“So I have always believed that this astronomical way is just a way of deceiving the people by pretending to be the will of heaven and doing the work of the nobles.

“Although you are a master of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory and are known as Tan Tianyan, I still want to ask you a question.

"Did you really see it, sir? Did the heaven tell you personally that I was going to the Jixia Academy?"

Zou Yan walked out of the courtyard and heard voices from afar.

“It turns out that the young master also has bad theories.

"You don't know how to observe the sky, but you attack with falsehood. This is inconsistent with your words and deeds. You should use the method of observing the sky to defeat the genius.

“Although I am old and not young, I have been influenced by the arrogance of the young master, and I will also be arrogant today.

“I will never be wrong!
"Pingyuan Jun has been dead for several months, but Zibing has not come to seek revenge on you because he believed what I said.

"Zi Bing arrived at Jixia a long time ago and has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Then thank you very much, Zou Zi!" the boy shouted.

The wind was faint and brought back no news.

The boy frowned.

Zou Yan's answer solved a long-standing doubt in his heart.

Gongsun Long, whose courtesy name was Zibing.

One of the philosophers and a representative figure of the famous school.

The term "famous scholar" was given by later generations. Nowadays, people like Gongsun Long who are eloquent are called debaters.

Gongsun Long was famous for his theory that a white horse is not a horse. No one in the world could convince him to his face. He was once the most courteous and respected guest of Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng.

Later, Zou Yan entered Zhao and severely criticized debaters like Gongsun Long. Gongsun Long then left Pingyuan Jun and Zhao State, and his whereabouts became a mystery.

The reason why Gongsun Long left was not made public, but it was definitely not because he was speechless. Gongsun Long had never been weaker than anyone in words in his life.

Ying Chengjiao persuaded Pingyuan Jun Zhao Sheng to die.

His words convinced King Zhao more than Mao Sui's, so that Mao Sui committed suicide in despair because he was unable to avenge his lord.

Before his death, Mao Sui said that if Zi Bing were still alive, the situation would definitely not be like this.

The young man took note of it at that time, and waiting for Gongsun Long to come to him has always been a knot in his heart.

Just as he broke the golden body of Xinling Jun Wei Wuji, he was afraid that Gongsun Long would break his golden body.

The words "morality" and "righteousness" on him cannot be lost at this time.

However, it had been almost half a year since the boy last saw Gongsun Long, and the boy thought he was dead, so he felt relieved.

I didn't expect to hear about Gongsun Long from Zou Yan today.

To be precise, the young man was also surprised to meet Zou Yan today.

As his fame grew, the people he met seemed to be higher and higher... so high that he had no idea what was going on.

[It turns out that the flute player in the mountains that day was Zou Yan...]
[Is he also in the Changguo Palace? Didn’t Gai Nie notice it? Why is he targeting me?]
[How did he know I was going to the Jixia Academy? Was he really going to observe the sky? Why don’t I believe it?]
[Why did Gongsun Long listen to Zou Yan and wait for me at the Jixia Academy? Don’t they have a grudge against each other?]
[Can't you just come to me? My whereabouts have always been public, and I have never hidden them.]
[…I understand. He wanted to step me down when I was at the peak of my powers. The higher I stood, the harder I would fall. How vicious!]
[Gongsun Long, Gongsun Longzi... Damn, who can beat him!]
Each of the philosophers has earned his reputation for nothing, and Gongsun Longzi is famous for his debates.

When Bai Wuxia was talking to his apprentice and the old man named Zou Yan, he only brought his eyes and ears, but not his mouth.

The girl put the mouth back on after the old man left.

“This person’s heart is dirtier than yours.

“The questions he asks are pure questions, while the questions you ask are full of traps.

"According to you, what should we call such a person?"

The girl tilted her head and thought for a moment, then raised her head slightly and tapped her fingers twice in the air.

"Double-standard dog!"

There was a hint of excitement in her voice, as if she was happy that she had thought of these three words.

The young man rolled his eyes at the girl and smiled helplessly:
"You really haven't made any progress, that's what I really think.

"How can I say it out loud now that he has exposed me?"

The girl looked annoyed and picked up a big rock from the ground and threw it into her apprentice's arms.

"Hold! Do horse stance!

"I haven't made any progress in political tactics, and neither have you made any progress in martial arts!"

The boy is holding a stone.

With the heavy object in hand, all the complicated and heavy thoughts in the mind are temporarily suppressed by the pressure of the body.

The girl put her delicate hands on the boy's shoulders, with a cold face, and pushed him down little by little.

The boy tried hard for a moment at first, but like countless previous attempts, it was useless.

So he bent his legs resignedly, squatted to a level that satisfied the girl, and muttered:

"Public revenge, corporal punishment..."

"What are you whispering about?" the girl demanded.

"I think teachers are really beautiful. They always win people over with their virtue." The young man was most aware of the current situation.

The girl snorted coldly, picked up her big stone, and stood in horse stance next to the boy.

As the boy continued to do the horse stance, his body became hotter and hotter, and his legs became more and more numb.

There is no time to think about anything else except persistence.

The girl glanced at her apprentice and breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

Having been with the boy for so long, how could she not know what he was thinking? She had always described him as treacherous.

I just saw that the boy was in distress, so I pretended to be stupid, hoping to make him feel more relaxed...

Two days later, someone came to the courtyard again.

King Xi of Yan came in person to welcome Prince Chengjiao of Qin out of the inn.

(End of this chapter)