The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 212 You Know Nothing About Human Power

"Escaping from the world...there's nothing wrong with that...that's really well said..." Wei Mou was furious. He had just been talking about how to govern the world!
The old man tried his best to look calm:
"Does Yingzi think that Zhuangzi's words are words of escaping from the world?"

Pointing to his chest, he said:
"Is Wei Mou's departure also to escape from the world?"

Hu Du, who was not very alert, noticed that the old man was angry and shook his head vigorously:
"Zhuangzi and Master both practice what they want in their hearts, and become free by eliminating the turmoil. How can they escape from the world?"

As Hu spoke, he winked at his master, reminding him to say a few words to Wei Mou.

He never doubted his master's wisdom.

If he could sense that Wei Mou was angry, how could his master not sense it?

But the reason he winked at her was because his lord was a gentleman.

A gentleman is honest and trustworthy.

Ying Chengjiao looked at Wei Mou with a calm expression and did not speak for a long time.

Not speaking is silence.

Default means default.

Wei Mou's mood became even worse.

Compared to facing the silent Ying Chengjiao, Wei Mou would rather have a big fight with Ying Chengjiao.

When Ying Chengjiao first came to the Jixia Academy, he was known as a debater and a tough guy who could debate with Gongsun Long.

A debater does not argue, either because he cannot win the argument or because he thinks there is nothing to argue about.

Wei Mou didn't think that Ying Zi could not argue with him.

He broke into a sweat after hearing the Twenty-one Debates on Form and Name.

So there's nothing to argue about?
Wei Mou leaned on the stone table with both hands, breathing heavier and heavier, like a cow:
"Zhuangzi's 'Tao' is the Way of Heaven, which is to follow the natural way.

“The reason why this era is so dark is that humans are interfering with nature!
“Artificial, fake.

“Follow the laws of nature and reject human intervention.

“Discard those false impurities in human nature, and be free and at ease.

“Thus one becomes one with heaven and earth, and does not violate nature.

“Real life happens naturally and does not need to be taught or prescribed.

“It’s about getting rid of it, forgetting it.

"The purpose of farming is to produce food to fill your stomach. If the king doesn't tell you to farm, will you not farm?"

"If this is the case, there is no need for political propaganda, ritual and music education, or persuasion of benevolence and righteousness.

“All this propaganda, education, and persuasion is artificial and fake.

“What I said are all Zhuangzi’s words. Aren’t they talking about how to govern the world?
“Does it mean that we must worship saints and wise men like Confucianism and Mohism and place our hopes on human efforts in order to govern the world?
“As long as the saints live, the thieves will never cease.

“This world doesn’t need saints.

“To honor saints is to divide the world into different classes, to separate saints from the people.

"This kind of artificiality is just like etiquette, it is just a means for the emperor to control the people.

“Zhuangzi’s proposal to abandon sages and wisdom does not mean to kill sages.

“It is to eliminate the differences brought by the saints and discard the seemingly wise remarks that are artificially created by later generations.

“From the perspective of Tao, all things are one.

“The so-called high and low are all man-made distinctions.

"When all the people in the world understand the principle of equality of all things, equality of right and wrong, equality of life and death, equality of nobility and inferiority.

"If everyone can reach the state of 'Heaven and Earth coexist with me, and all things are one with me', then isn't this a world of great virtue?

"How can this be considered as retreat?"

Ying Chengjiao twitched the corner of his mouth:
"Whether Zhuangzi's teachings are about governing the world or avoiding the world, we will discuss this later.

"At this moment, I will tentatively assume that what you said is correct, and Zhuangzi's teachings are a discipline for governing the world.

"Then let me ask."

The young man straightened up slightly:

"Sir, please resign and leave the Jixia Academy. Do you want to live in seclusion in the mountains like Zhuangzi? Are you going to tell snakes, insects, rats, ants, tigers, leopards, wolves and jackals how to govern the world?

“Since you said that if everyone in the world learns Zhuangzi’s teachings and understands the principles, the world will be in great order.

"The Zhuangzi of the past, the sir of the present.

"Shouldn't we travel around the world, preaching and making efforts to let everyone know to obey nature and abandon human efforts?"

Wei Mou's arms, which were leaning on the table, were trembling, and his anger gradually subsided.

This time, it was Wei Mou's turn to remain silent.

This silence is not a tacit agreement, it is speechlessness.

Hu looked at his master with pleading eyes, hoping that he would stop talking.

Ying Chengjiao never stops:

"Let us now discuss whether Zhuangzi's words are about governing the world or avoiding the world.

"I cannot compare with you in discussing Zhuangzi's doctrine.

“I do not discuss Zhuangzi’s teachings themselves, but rather his life.

"call."

Ying Chengjiao looked at the guest and said without allowing him to be refused:
"Bring me the book about Zhuangzi's life in my study."

Hu, who was good at shouting, responded with a low "Yes" and went to look for a book, dilly-dallying.

After Hu left, Wei Mou's voice was hoarse:

"Why is there a book about Zhuangzi's life in Yingzi's study?"

Ying Chengjiao thought about the old man who had seen through the universe and possibly circled the earth before his death, and said in a daze:

“That’s not my book, it’s Zou Zi’s book.

"Zou Zi collected not only the life story of Zhuangzi, but the life stories of all the philosophers.

“Zou Zi’s learning seems to be about avoiding the world but not governing it.

"This person has never been born, and has spent his entire life looking for someone to govern the world."

When Ying Chengjiao saw the room full of bamboo slips, he realized how much effort was put into Zou Yan's simple words "looking for someone".

Wei Mou understood and fell silent again, with nothing to say.

After a while, Hu Cai came over with a scroll of bamboo slips and handed it to Ying Chengjiao.

Ying Chengjiao nodded and took it, without blaming Hu for his slow action.

The young man spread out the bamboo slips and looked at the inscriptions on them that showed a very old style.

It seems that we can see decades ago, when the young Zou Yan, holding on to hope, recorded Zhuangzi's life stroke by stroke on bamboo slips.

The boy's eyes fell on the first word in the first column, and he recited the article without punctuation or paragraphs in a low voice:
"In the seventh year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi studied Confucianism under the tutelage of Qiu.

"In the twentieth year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi married Zhongli.

"In the 21st year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi's eldest son Zhuang Bian was born.

"In the 22nd year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi was appointed as an official in the Lacquer Garden and was exempted from military service.

"In the 27th year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi went to Shangqiu to pay the lacquer tax of Mengyi and met Cook Ding.

"In the 30th year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi's second son, Zhuang Xian, was born.

"In the thirty-first year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi resigned from his post as an official at the Lacquer Garden.

"In the thirty-second year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi carefully managed the Jing Garden.

"In the thirty-fourth year of King Xuan of Zhou, Dai Ying went to Mengyi to meet Zhuangzi.

"In the 36th year of King Xuan of Zhou, Qu Yijiu died in Han. Zhuangzi's father Zhuang Quan missed his old friend and died of illness. Zhuangzi's mother Xi Wei also died of grief. Zhuangzi escorted his parents' coffins back to Chu.

"In the thirty-seventh year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi went to see King Wei of Chu. He then left Yingdu and returned to Mengyi.

"In the thirty-eighth year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi refused to accept the position of Prime Minister.

"In the 39th year of King Xuan of Zhou, Lin Qi, the son of Lin Tao, was eleven years old and became Zhuangzi's disciple.

"In the forty-fourth year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zisang and the four sons of Dongmen visited Zhuangzi.

"In the 45th year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi took Lin Qie to Daliang to meet Zihuazi, who was 57 years old. Huizi was worried that Zhuangzi would come to seek the position of prime minister, so he sent people to search for Zhuangzi.

"In the 46th year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi met with King Hui of Wei, who gave up his plan to attack Qi.

"In the 47th year of King Xuan of Zhou, Zhuangzi and Huizi, who had lost his position as prime minister, traveled on the Hao River and debated on the 'Yuqiao Music'.

"In the third year of King She of Zhou, Zhuangzi's wife died. Zhuangzi beat a basin and sang, while Huizi offered condolences.

"In the 29th year of King Nan of Zhou, Zhuangzi died."

Ying Chengjiao bowed his head, closed the bamboo slips, and said:

“This is what Zhuangzi did throughout his life.

"Education, he accepted a disciple - Lin Qie.

“In the reign of the King of Wei, he persuaded King Hui of Wei to attack Qi.

“I admit that Zhuangzi was a man of profound learning and a great man.

"But his knowledge is to redeem himself, not to save the world."

After the bamboo slips were rolled up, the young man looked up at Wei Mou and asked earnestly:

"Does Wei Mouzi really believe that the world can fully understand Zhuangzi's teachings?

“Can people who know all of Zhuangzi’s teachings really do what Zhuangzi said?”

Wei Mou looked gloomy.

The old man could have discussed Zhuangzi's teachings again and told Ying Chengjiao how Zhuangzi believed the world should be governed. Zhuangzi's teachings were profound and the old man could not finish talking about them even if he talked for three days and three nights.

But the old man said nothing.

The old man had actually met Zhuangzi and spent some time with him.

Zhuangzi did not like to debate for the sake of debate, and he was always disgusted by debaters who only thought about winning or losing.

Debate is to seek truth.

What the boy said is true.

Ying Chengjiao handed the bamboo slips to Hu and asked Hu to take them back to the study.

After the call was gone, the young man smiled and said:

“Zhuangzi said that human efforts are false and that we should follow nature.

"You know a lot about the power of Heaven, but you know nothing about the power of man."

The old man looked into the boy's eyes and could see extremely strong self-confidence.

No, that's already conceited.

The old man swallowed.

I don’t know where the boy got the confidence from, how he was so sure that he could end this worst era.

The old man thought that the person the boy was talking about was the boy himself.

The old man was wrong.

The people the young man was talking about were all the people in the two thousand years of Chinese history.

The confidence of the young people comes from the rapidly developing modern society two thousand years later.

The power of heaven can keep people alive.

Human power enables people to live.

Let everyone spread the message thousands of miles away and travel ten thousand miles a day.

Witness the moon being grabbed in the sky and turtles being caught in the five oceans.

The old man let out a long sigh and smiled with relief:
"The last person who said something similar was Xunzi, who served as the chief priest of the Jixia Academy three times.

"Xunzi said of Zhuangzi that he was blinded by heaven and did not know man.

"I have met three Jixia Academy chief priests, Xunzi, Zouzi, and Yingzi.

“None of you will promote Zhuangzi’s teachings, and each of you has great expectations for governing the world.

"It turns out that to be the chief priest of the Jixia Academy, one must not only be knowledgeable, but also have hope for the world..."

The old man laughed and shook his head, no longer worrying about whether the Jixia Academy could still have Zhuangzi's teachings:

"In my opinion, among the three, Yingzi is the most promising one.

"You are young, well-born, and confident..."

Wei Mou took a step back and bowed deeply:
"Wei Mou sincerely hopes that Ying Zi can put an end to the chaos of the past five hundred years."

Ying Chengjiao quickly stood up, supported Wei Mou, and held Wei Mou's arm tightly:
"Sir, are you willing to lend a hand?"

The young man told so many truths and provoked an old man who was very fond of him, just to make the old man stay.

Revolution is not about treating people to a meal, writing articles, or painting or embroidering.

It cannot be so elegant, so calm, so refined, so kind, courteous, frugal and modest.

Revolution is an insurrection.

It is a violent action in which one class overthrows another class.

The boy's future opponent is the ruler of the world today and all the nobles in the world.

Ying Chengjiao had an idea of ​​how powerful the enemy was, but he also knew that his guess was definitely not enough.

As great as Qin Shi Huang was, he could only suppress the remnants of the nobles of the six kingdoms while he was alive, and he couldn't even allow the Qin Dynasty to continue for two generations.

Compared with what Ying Chengjiao was going to do, Qin Shihuang, who was known for his radical reforms in history, was still too conservative.

Before the real revolution, when bayonets were drawn and life and death was at stake.

The boy will prepare with all his strength and grab every bit of strength.

Wei Mou patted the boy's hand and said with a smile:
"Are there any bamboo slips of Wei Mouzi in Zou Zi's study?"

Ying Chengjiao forced a smile and nodded:

"some."

"Did Yingzi see the mistakes?"

"Observe."

"Then do you remember, Yingzi, my origins?"

"Prince of Zhongshan."

"Where is Zhongshan State now?"

"..."

"I can't protect my home, I can't protect my country. My home and country are all lost, my old friends are all gone, and my world is left with only the learning of my old friends. What can the world do for me?"

"Sir, you just wished me to end the chaos, which shows that you have not really given up the world as you said."

"You are worthy of being the debater who replaced Zi Bing. You are really quick-witted." Wei Mou said admiringly: "But for some things, not being able to let go does not mean you can pick them up. Do you understand? You definitely understand."

The old man chuckled and squinted his eyes as he recalled:
"Zhuangzi was from Song.

"The state of Song has always been coveted by Wei and Qi.

“The reason why Song State can exist is not because of how powerful it is.

“It’s because no matter which of the two states, Wei or Qi, annexed Song, its national strength would increase greatly, and other states would unite to attack it.

“So although the State of Song still exists, it will be destroyed in an instant. It all depends on whether the neighboring Wei and Qi dare to risk the wrath of the world.

“Zhuangzi lived in such a country and he loved his country very much.

"When he was an official, he sought ways to strengthen the Song Dynasty, and found that his colleagues were all greedy people.

“He was angry and wanted to report it, so he met with the King of Song, but he found that the source of the oppression of the people was the King of Song.

"Zhuangzi knew that the State of Song was rotten to the core.

“If you cannot find what you want within, then look outside.

"Wei and Qi, which are neighbors of Song, have long wanted to annex Song. Zhuangzi has no good feelings towards these two countries, so he will not go there.

"At that time, the great powers were Qin, Chu, and Zhao. Zhuangzi considered for a long time between these three countries and decided to go to Chu.

"Because the Chu State had always been at odds with the Central Plains, it called itself a barbarian.

"As for Song, the most orthodox state in the Central Plains granted by the Zhou Dynasty, Zhuangzi believed that the ruler of Song was not worthy of being a ruler.

“Then perhaps, those who call themselves barbarians are not barbarians, but virtuous rulers.

“With this expectation, Zhuangzi went to see King Wei of Chu and found that the barbarians were barbarians.

"Zhuangzi was greatly disappointed, so he refused to accept the position of Prime Minister and returned to Song.

“He lay on the green grass, looking at the starry sky, with a wealth of talent but no idea of ​​how to save the country.

“Since I can’t save the country, I can only save myself.

"He pondered the relationship between nature and man, delved into Laozi's teachings, and found the answer in the Tao that Laozi had given it.

“He proposed to eliminate the sway, but he himself could not do it.

"He had a long sleep and dreamed of butterflies.

"But I don't know whether it was the butterfly that dreamed of him, or he that dreamed of the butterfly.

“You said Zhuangzi avoided the world, and I can’t refute that.

“But Zhuangzi also entered the secular world, and he first studied Confucianism.

"The year Zhuangzi died was the 29th year of King Nan of Zhou, the year the State of Song was destroyed.

“When he heard that Song was destroyed, he also died.

"I am not as noble as Zhuangzi, and I cannot sacrifice my life for my country.

“But I have the same obsession as Zhuangzi.

“I can’t even save my own country, so forget about the world…

"Isn't it despicable? Hahaha!"

The young man, who had given up hope, held the old man's arm again and said seriously:
“Not mean.

"What Wei Mouzi can't let go of is the people of the world, not the world."

The old man stopped laughing for a moment and then burst into tears.

Even if I die now, I will have no regrets...

It had been nearly a month since Wei Mou left the Jixia Academy, and nothing had happened in the academy.

The old man's departure seemed to have no impact on the Jixia Academy.

Today is the twenty-sixth day since Wei Mou left the Jixia Academy.

It was the first day of the first month in the seventeenth year of King Jian of Qi.

Say goodbye to the old year and celebrate the new year.

According to the Qi calendar, Ying Chengjiao was eleven years old.

The young man talked about the past and prepared to celebrate the Qi New Year.

(End of this chapter)