Great Song Dynasty Writer

Chapter 232 The Imperial Academy and the National University
The faint morning light shone through the window paper, dispelling the darkness inside.

Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi returned to their residence and sat facing each other. On the table were two bowls of porridge and two sesame cakes, and they were having breakfast.

Cheng Hao picked up the bowl, took a sip of porridge, and said, "The more I think about what happened last night, the more I realize that Lu Beigu is truly a strange rock that stirs up a deep pool of water."

Cheng Yi munched on his biscuit without looking up until he swallowed the food in his mouth before speaking: "What you say is true, brother. Lu Beigu is not yet twenty years old, but his sharp thinking and broad vision are comparable to the great Confucian scholars of our time."

“In particular, his exposition on ‘contradiction’ was able to transform his uncle’s grand framework of ‘the void is qi’ into the pivot of the birth and death of the universe and the changes in human affairs. Furthermore, he used this to gain insight into the century-old problems of the dynasty and point out the failures of the Qingli New Deal. Ouyang’s eight words, ‘the vessel of a national scholar’ and ‘the talent of a king’s advisor,’ are not empty praise.”

Yes, Zhang Zai was related to the Cheng brothers.

Zhang Zai was the cousin of Cheng Xiang, the father of the Cheng brothers, and was about ten years older than them. That's why the Cheng brothers called Zhang Zai "cousin-shu" (brother-in-law).

The reason why Zhang Zai is considered to be from Guanzhong is because his father died in office in the first year of Tiansheng when he was serving as the prefect of Fuzhou. The family planned to bury him in Kaifeng. Fifteen-year-old Zhang Zai and five-year-old Zhang Jian escorted their father's coffin across the Bashan Mountains to Hanzhong. They traveled through Xiegu to Hengqu in Mei County. Due to insufficient funds and the chaotic situation in Guanzhong at the time, Zhang Zai buried his father on Mihu Ridge in Dazhen Valley south of Hengqu. The whole family settled there, and that's how he got the title "Master Hengqu".

Cheng Hao paused, then changed the subject, his worry deepening: "However, precisely because its brilliance is too exposed, its foundation needs to be investigated more thoroughly."

"From my observation, although his argument cites Lianxi's 'Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate' as its starting point, mentioning 'the Supreme Ultimate arising from the Limitless' and 'the interdependence of movement and stillness,' its core principle of 'contradictions' generating and restraining each other and transforming between primary and secondary elements differs considerably from Lianxi's path of self-cultivation, which begins with 'sincerity,' establishes the ultimate goal of humanity through stillness, and ultimately returns to 'moderation, righteousness, benevolence, and justice.' Furthermore, it differs significantly from his worldly sentiments of 'using literature to convey the Way' and 'aspiring to the ambition of Yi Yin and learning the teachings of Yan Hui.' It seems that he intends to break free from conventional thinking and forge a new path."

Hearing his elder brother's words, Cheng Yi nodded and said, "Yes, the way of Mr. Lianxi is like a spring breeze and rain, nurturing and harmonizing, while Lu Beigu's theory is like a sharp blade breaking through ice, determined to seek change. Their origins are by no means the same."

Before long, Cheng Hao finished eating. He wiped his mouth, got up and cleared the dishes, saying as he did so: "Since the mid-Tang Dynasty, Dan Zhu, Zhao Kuang, and Lu Chun first advocated 'abandoning traditions to seek the classics,' wanting to directly explore the intentions of the sages, which has set a precedent for a new trend. In our dynasty, during the Qingli era, Hu Anding advocated 'understanding the essence and applying it to practice' in Suzhou, Huzhou and the Imperial Academy, emphasizing practical learning for the world; Sun Taishan wrote 'A Brief Explanation of the Spring and Autumn Annals' on the Respect for the King, which strongly criticized the cumbersome commentaries of the Han and Tang Dynasties and pointed directly to the great principle of 'respecting the king and repelling the barbarians'; Shi Zulai, with his 'Strange Sayings' and other works, fiercely criticized Buddhism, Taoism and the Xikun School, advocating the Confucian orthodoxy. His writing style is magnificent and sharp, even leaning towards the bizarre, making him a pioneer of the new academic style of the Song Dynasty."

"However, Shi Zulai's 'dangerous and strange' writing style was originally a powerful tool for correcting overcorrection and awakening the deaf and dumb. However, it has been misunderstood and abused by later generations of scholars, especially a group of people led by Liu Ji in the Imperial Academy today. They merely imitate its 'dangerous and strange' form, pile up obscure allusions, and make the language obscure. They call it 'profound,' but in reality, it is barren and empty in thought. They have pushed the 'Imperial Academy style' to the extreme and have lost Shi Zulai's original intention of purifying the corrupt and upholding the orthodoxy."

Cheng Yi finished his pancake, then took a rag and began wiping the porridge stains on the table. He said disdainfully, "These people are obsessed with the strangeness of words, but when they explore the true origin of the Great Dao through 'understanding the essence and applying it,' they are going in the opposite direction."

“Exactly!” Cheng Hao snorted. “Not only the students at the Imperial Academy, but even the teachers, are known for their ‘dangerous and strange’ approach. They regard those in the Imperial Academy like Mr. Lianxi, who do not value empty words and devote themselves to exploring the fundamental principles of the universe and human life, as outcasts and criticize their doctrines as ‘mysterious’ and ‘close to the Tao’.”

He grew increasingly indignant as he spoke: "Little do they know that Master Lianxi entered the Dao through the Book of Changes, and with the Explanation of the Diagram of the Supreme Ultimate, he expounded on the creation of the universe from 'the limitless to the supreme ultimate' to 'the generation of all things.' His intention was to establish a metaphysical foundation for Confucian ethics. His doctrines of 'maintaining stillness to establish the ultimate human virtue' and 'moderation, righteousness, benevolence, and justice' directly point to the fundamentals of self-cultivation. This is the ultimate in 'understanding the essence'! How could they possibly comprehend the vastness and profundity of his teachings?" Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi's indignation on behalf of Zhou Dunyi was not without reason. As early as the sixth year of the Qingli era, their father, Cheng Xiang, the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, had sent Cheng Hao and Cheng Yi to study under Zhou Dunyi. Now, the two Chengs had been students of Zhou Dunyi for ten years, their relationship was deep, and most of their philosophical thoughts originated from Zhou Dunyi's theories.

"To put it bluntly, it's a dispute between the Imperial Academy and the National University. Now that the Imperial Academy is declining, you, as a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, are naturally being attacked."

After washing the dishes, Cheng Hao wiped his hands and said, "Last night I invited Lu Beigu to visit Mr. Lianxi for this very reason. His theory of 'contradiction' is sharp enough to refute the falsehoods of many people at the Imperial Academy; and its broad scope can also subtly echo Mr. Lianxi's direction of exploring the fundamental principles of the universe and human life."

Cheng Yi's expression was much more solemn than his brother's: "Lu Beigu is talented, I dare not deny that, but his arguments are too sharp and I am afraid that they are biased. In particular, his statement on 'using both benevolent and hegemonic methods' and using hegemonic methods as a strong medicine to break through obstacles is a good point. Although this argument is in line with the current problems, how can we grasp the 'degree' of hegemonic methods? If we are not careful, it will be like Shang Yang and Han Fei being reborn, and the social order will collapse!"

"Moreover, although he said last night that 'the goal is still to return to the way of the king and stabilize the social order,' how difficult is the road to this 'return'? Once the mouth of 'tyranny' is opened, the greed of people's hearts will be like a flood and a beast, how can it be easily restrained? I am worried about his talent, but even more worried about the danger of the road ahead."

Cheng Yi's concerns were not without merit. Human nature is always like this, just as the proverb says, "It's not easy to learn to be good, but it's easy to learn to be bad."

"How could I not know?"

Cheng Hao said, “Although his vision is grand, his foundation is not yet solid. It is precisely because his thoughts are like wild horses that he urgently needs a great Confucian scholar like Lianxi who is well-versed in the fundamentals of Confucianism and upholds the middle way to point out the right path and cultivate a spirit of moderation so that his magnificent talents will not go astray into extreme and dangerous ways.”

"Moreover, Mr. Lianxi is a man of profound learning and broad vision. Perhaps he can glimpse the opportunity for a new transformation of Confucianism in this young man."

Cheng Yi remained silent for a moment before finally nodding and saying, "Brother, you have thought things through. I'm just afraid that he might disappoint you. If he is too sharp in front of the teacher, it would be bad if something unpleasant happened. As the people who introduced us, it would also be difficult for us to save face."

"The way of learning is like carving and polishing."

Cheng Hao smiled slightly, his gaze profound: "Let's see. Perhaps Mr. Lianxi can help us, and even himself, see a clearer path."

(End of this chapter)