Top Scholar

Chapter 345 Counter-Poaching
Su Lu did not give Xia Bangmo a direct answer. Xia Bangmo thought that Su Lu was used to being in charge and that he would rather be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox, so he kept trying to persuade him along the way.

“Brother Hongzhi, I know you are exceptionally talented and have always been the most outstanding scholar in Luzhou, but there are always people more capable than you. Luzhou is too small. How does it compare to Chengdu or Chongqing?”

“That’s definitely incomparable,” Su Lu said with a smile.

After passing Yunfeng Pass, the post road became increasingly flat, and the rice paddies on both sides were turning golden, indicating that the harvest season was just around the corner.

"Of course, I believe that with your level, passing the imperial examination is no problem at all. But have you thought about it? Chengdu and Chongqing are nothing compared to other cities in the country." Xia Bangmo and Su Lu rode side by side, whispering to each other.

“Indeed.” Su Lu agreed wholeheartedly. “Not to mention Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Fujian in the south, even Guangdong, Huguang, Shandong and Henan are stronger than our Sichuan.”

"So we have to stick together," Xia Bangmo said in a low voice. "Right now, Grand Secretary Yang has been sent to Nanjing by Liu Jin, but his brothers are still in the court, and there are also scholars like Liu... If we Sichuan scholars unite and help each other, we might just be able to carve out a new world for the people of Sichuan!"

“Yes.” Su Lu nodded in agreement, “We must unite. A disorganized group can’t accomplish anything.”

But who he unites around is a big question... In any case, he certainly can't unite around Yang Shen.

Because he couldn't steal someone else's wife and act like nothing happened...

I believe Yang Yongxiu felt the same way.

Yang Shen's blind date was a closely guarded secret; even the person involved denied ever going to Luzhou for a blind date. Therefore, Xia Bangmo was unaware of the grudges between the two and happily said, "It's great that you think that way! When we get to Chengdu, I'll introduce you to the colleagues of the Lizhe Association!"

"..." Su Lu saw how persistent he was in recruiting people. He thought to himself that any organization would be in dire need of such talent, such as their Yangjiang Society.

He gave a vague answer at first, then asked, "Brother Shunyu, have you heard of Tongxue?"

"Uh... I think I've heard something about it." Xia Bangmo scratched his cheek and said, "I heard it's a kind of knowledge that Mr. Yangming realized in Longchang, and even the Guizhou Provincial Education Commissioner became his disciple?"

“Yes.” Su Lu nodded. Xia Bangmo was referring to what happened last month—when Longgang Academy was established, the Guizhou Provincial Education Commissioner had gone to cut the ribbon.

Xi Shu, as the provincial education commissioner, went to cut the ribbon for a private academy in the middle of nowhere for two reasons: first, because of Wang Yangming's great reputation; and second, because education in Guizhou was too backward, and he, as the education commissioner, hoped to use Wang Yangming to revitalize the literary atmosphere of Guizhou.

Thirdly, Xi Shu was from Suining, Sichuan, and a fellow townsman of Huang Bingxian. He was entrusted by Huang Ke to look after Wang Yangming.

In short, Xi Shu went to Longchang Post Station. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, they naturally sat down to discuss matters and weigh the capabilities of this "Old Eight".

He immediately brought up the age-old debate on the differences between Zhu Xi and Lu Jiuyuan to test Wang Yangming's academic stance.

Wang Yangming did not answer directly, but instead shared his enlightenment experience at Longchang, explaining the foundation of the "Three Unifications" philosophy.

Although Xi Shu was not convinced on the spot, the more he thought about it after returning home, the more deeply attracted he became by this powerful philosophy of 'knowledge and conscience'.

Not long after, he returned to Longchang to continue seeking knowledge from Wang Yangming and debating with him.

In the subsequent four debates, Wang Yangming was completely convinced by Xi Shu. He used the teachings of Master Yangming to verify the knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics, and the results were invariably correct! He also gained a sudden understanding of the current predicament of the court and the confusion in his own life, finding everything to be clear!
Xi Shu was so deeply moved that he prostrated himself in admiration and became a follower of the teachings of the Sage. With tears in his eyes, he declared, "Today I have seen the teachings of the Sage again!"

Not long ago, Xi Shuyi resolutely converted to Buddhism in Longchang, becoming another disciple of Master Yangming.

The provincial education commissioner actually took the post station clerk as his teacher! Such an extraordinary event naturally spread quickly throughout Guizhou and also reached the officialdom of neighboring Yunnan and Sichuan, thus initially establishing Wang Suzong's reputation as a scholar!
~~
Su Lu was pondering how to pique Xia Bangmo's interest when he was surprised to find that the other party had actually heard of the Sogaku school. He couldn't help but sincerely praise, "The Lizhe Society is indeed well-informed."

"Of course," Xia Bangmo said with a smug smile. "The members of our association are all very capable, and they share everything with each other without holding anything back."

Then, he asked Su Lu curiously, "Brother Hongzhi, what is so magical about this Zongxue that it can make a great master lower himself and convert to Longchang... I heard that the Provincial Education Commissioner Xi wants to invite Mr. Yangming to give lectures in Guizhou so that all the students in Guizhou will take him as their teacher?"

"Hey, you've come to the right person." Zhu Zihe leaned over and interjected, "Do you know what the full name of Sogaku is?"

"What's your name?" Xia Bangmo asked. Liu Henian and the other Chongqing scholars also looked over curiously.

"Wang Suzongxue!" the scholars from Luzhou exclaimed in unison.

“Wang is naturally Wang Yangming’s Wang, and Su is?” Xia Bangmo asked, “Could he be an elder in Brother Hongzhi’s family?”

“No, it’s Su Naihong’s brother himself!” the scholars from Luzhou said with pride.

"What?!" Xia Bangmo, Liu Henian, and the others were so shocked they couldn't close their mouths. In their view, Su Lu was the same age as them, and should also be at the age of seeking knowledge and learning. How could he have grasped the Dao first? And actually comprehended a whole field of knowledge... Although he was the second author, who can say that Zengzi wasn't a philosopher? Or that Mencius wasn't a philosopher?
It's like you're still studying and dating, while your peers have already won the Nobel Prize, and not even in the humanities... You're just amazed...

So even though the young people didn't know what Su Lu was, they all felt that Su Lu was amazing and was on a completely different level from them!

So for the rest of the journey, Xia Bangmo and the others humbly sought instruction from Su Lu.

Su Lu also enthusiastically taught them the three principles of learning, gradually guiding them to clarify the core concept of "knowledge and conscience," so that they could accept the principle that "knowledge is the boat to success, and conscience is the rudder to action; without a boat but with a rudder, things are difficult to accomplish, and without a rudder but with a boat, one is prone to evil."

Of course, not all scholars could accept this theory. For example, Xia Bangmo was troubled by the dilemma of the separation between "knowledge" and "conscience" and worried that it would deviate too far from Confucianism.

It wasn't until Su Lu cited the original meaning of "extending knowledge lies in investigating things" from the *Great Learning*, pointing out the essential meaning of learning that "investigating things is both verifying principles and seeking knowledge, and also calibrating one's conscience," that Xia Bangmo finally had a sudden realization:

"It turns out that knowledge and conscience are like two wheels of a cart, and selfishness and prejudice are the root cause that separates the two!"

"Excellent, Brother Shunyu, you've finally seen through this mystery!" Su Lu clapped his hands in praise.
"Knowledge and conscience both reside in the heart and are put into action; they are inherently one. It is only because people's hearts are blinded by selfish desires and hindered by prejudices that they separate the 'ability to do things' from the 'principles of being a person'."

“How can this be considered a deviation from Confucianism? It’s clearly a twisting of the old principles of ‘investigating things to acquire knowledge, and cultivating sincerity and rectifying intentions’ into a single, unified whole!” Su Lu said this at Jin Guan Post Station, the first post station in Sichuan. Not only Xia Bangmo, Liu Henian, and other scholars from Chongqing, but also scholars from several other prefectures who had come to take the imperial examinations, filled the courtyard, listening attentively to his lecture.

"Therefore, the investigation of things and sincerity should be one. The 'separation' that you were worried about before is precisely what the study of learning is trying to fill—it will not leave you with empty conscience but no strength to even kill a chicken, nor will it leave you with superb skills but have lost your moral conscience."

"From now on, whether in scholarship or in business, boldly act according to the principle of 'conscience determines direction, cognition yields methods, and practice verifies right and wrong,' only then can one cultivate oneself, regulate one's family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world." Su Lu concluded solemnly.

"In this way, it not only aligns with the principles of Confucianism but also allows us to adapt to worldly affairs and keep pace with the times. This is the true meaning of the teachings of Zongxue!"

Su Lu's lectures were profound yet easy to understand, containing timeless truths that had been thoroughly tested. Most importantly, he pointed out the way and illuminated the path forward for scholars who were struggling and confused during Liu Jin's tyranny!
Su Lu didn't need to explain in detail; as long as they had listened attentively to the lectures, they would know what to do in this situation.

Use conscience as the yardstick to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, and uphold the bottom line. Never compromise your principles because of power, nor lose your will because of hardship!
Use knowledge to practice, cultivate practical learning, be considerate of the people's sentiments, and do not become a corrupt scholar who talks about morality in vain!
We must take practice as our guide, proceed steadily and surely, and calibrate our knowledge and actions in every practical matter to prepare ourselves for shouldering our responsibilities!
A sudden realization dawned on everyone present; they were no longer confused by the presence of treacherous officials, nor disheartened by the suffering of loyal ministers. They firmly identified their direction, focused on their own tasks, and prepared themselves to shoulder their responsibilities on the day they would take on those duties!
All the scholars present were deeply enlightened, and eight or nine out of ten became believers in the teachings of the school.

Xia Bangmo and Liu Henian, as Su Lu's key tutors, naturally also succumbed to his influence and began calling him "Senior Brother" at Jin Guan Post Station outside Chengdu...

"My two junior brothers, we are about to enter the city." After finishing his lecture, Su Lu said to the two of them, "From now on, I will focus all my energy on the imperial examinations and will not be lecturing for the time being."

"Understood." Xia Bangmo and Liu Henian nodded hurriedly, saying, "Senior Brother, you must focus on the key points. Only by passing the imperial examination can we better promote our school of thought!"

“That’s right.” Su Lu smiled and said, “So I won’t see the people from the Lizhe Association for now. We’ll talk about everything after the provincial examination.”

"Yes, sir." Xia Bangmo naturally had no further questions.

“Then I won’t see them either,” Liu Henian said. He was another person Xia Bangmo was planning to introduce to the association.

“If Grand Secretary Yang were still in office, you wouldn’t have to see him. But Grand Secretary Yang is sidelined now, and if you don’t see him, people will gossip about your Liu family.” Su Lu shook his head.

“Okay, then I’ll listen to my senior brother.” Liu Henian readily agreed.

"Then let's part ways here," Su Lu said. "You go into the city first, and we'll set off later."

"Yes." The two then bid farewell to their fellow disciples and led the scholars from Chongqing toward Chengdu.

Jin Guan Post Station, as the main waterway post station in Sichuan, was located outside the city gate, only three miles away from Chaoyang Gate, the east gate of the provincial capital.

Therefore, not long after Xia Bangmo and his group set off, they encountered the Yang brothers who had come to greet them.

"Haha, Brother Shunyu, it's been a long time! I've missed you terribly!" Yang Shen was as dashing as ever and had regained his confidence.

After exchanging greetings, Yang Shen smiled at Liu Henian and said, "Welcome, Brother Weixin, to our Lizhe Society."

“I’m sorry, Brother Xiu.” Liu Henian shook his head apologetically and said, “I have already joined another society.”

"What meeting?" Yang Shen was taken aback and blurted out the question.

"My senior brother's Yangjiang Society," Liu Henian said proudly.

P.S. I felt today's writing was really great, so for the new week, I'm asking for your monthly votes!!!
(End of this chapter)