Top Scholar

Chapter 400 Enterprise-Level Understanding

Outside the gatehouse, a hundred soldiers stood back to back in two lines, one facing the street and the other facing inside the gate.

The local residents gathered around to see what was going on, but were reprimanded by the officer in charge.

"Get out of the way! This is a case handled by the Imperial Guards. All bystanders, leave immediately!"

Now even more people have gathered...

~~
Inside the main hall of the top scholar's residence.

Despite Qian Ning's blatant threat, Su Lu remained unfazed.

“Last time, I told Lord Sengoku that I can’t write a single word.”

"You still think I'm bluffing you this time, don't you?" Qian Ning walked to the table, took a betel leaf roll from Su Lu's hand, and put it in his mouth to chew.

Instantly, a strong, spicy sensation shot straight to the top of Qian Ning's head, almost making him snot come out of his nose.

"Ptooey!" Qian Ning quickly spat on the ground, pulled out a handkerchief, blew his nose vigorously, and mumbled, "What kind of stuff did you put in this?"

“Wasabi,” Su Lu said.

"Where can I find betel leaf rolled wasabi?" Qian Ning asked in a muffled voice.

“My grandfather has a particular fondness for this,” Su Lu said casually.

"Mmm." The old man picked one up and chewed it casually.

"You're ruthless..." Qian Ning was speechless for a moment, then asked, "Where were we?"

“This isn’t a bluff,” the bearded man behind him whispered.

“That’s right!” Qian Ning pointed behind him and said in a deep voice, “Do you see that? I’ve brought my troops back this time! Do you know what that means?”

"what?"

“This time it’s for real! The prison van is already prepared outside. I’m giving you one last chance…” Qian Ning said patiently.

"No need for further explanation." Su Lu remained unmoved.

"Then don't blame me for being ruthless!" Qian Ning said, slamming a two-foot-long, seven-inch-wide yellow document in front of Su Lu!

Su Lu saw that at the beginning of the document, the two characters 'Imperial Decree' were circled in vermilion, and next to it were the four characters 'Arrested by Imperial Decree' in small regular script!
The main text begins by listing his name, official rank, place of origin, and charges.

'Spreading rumors and misleading the public, slandering the emperor!'

The back of the document reads, "This warrant is issued by officers of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest suspects. All prefectures, counties, and garrisons along the route shall cooperate in the investigation and shall not obstruct the arrest."

On the left side of the body was a large vermilion seal, four inches square, which read "Seal of the Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial." On the right side were the words "Assistant Secretary of the Ministry of Justice," and the seal of the Ministry of Justice was also affixed.

Su Lu had already learned that the Embroidered Uniform Guard needed a warrant issued and stamped by the Directorate of Ceremonial, and the warrant signed by the Supervising Secretary of the Ministry of Justice before they could arrest someone.

The driver's pass that Qian Ning produced at least appeared to be in accordance with the rules and there was nothing wrong with it.

Su Lu looked puzzled and said, "May I ask, Commander Qian, how could I, a mere scholar, be accused of spreading heresies and misleading the public, let alone slandering the emperor?"

"You're not just a minor scholar; you're the top scholar in Sichuan, the most famous talent in the province. Your writings have a greater impact than official documents." Qian Ning sneered and slapped out another official document.

"Moreover, there's a provincial education commissioner who's abusing his power for personal gain and fueling the flames!"

Su Lu looked closely and saw that it was an order from the Provincial Education Office to all students in the prefectures, counties and cities of the province to study the article "If You Use It, You Will Be Effective," with the original text of the article attached at the end.

"Is there something wrong with this article?" he asked, puzzled.

"Of course there are, and they're incredibly grand!" Qian Ning pointed to the opening line, "The sage's conduct follows the Way and upholds virtue. He doesn't cling to anything, but speaks with the capable," and said with great seriousness:
"These first sixteen characters are a scathing slander against the Emperor and Eunuch Liu, enough to warrant your execution eight times over!"

"What makes you say that?" Su Lu asked calmly.

"Still playing dumb?!" Qian Ning sneered, pointing at the first line of the riddle and saying, "Then I'll make a fool of myself and explain the characters to the top scholar—I'll expose your filthy heart and rotten lungs!"

“I would like to hear the details.” Su Lu nodded. “Let’s start with these first four words, ‘the conduct of a sage’—in this world, only the Emperor can be called a ‘sage’! Do you agree with that?” Qian Ning then began his performance.

Su Lu nodded again. Throughout history, dynasties have liked to use "sage" to refer to the emperor, and this dynasty is especially so.

"‘Xingzang’ means to hide one's whereabouts! You openly say that the sage has a sense of propriety in his actions, but you are subtly implying that the emperor has been neglecting court affairs for a long time and indulging in pleasure. The court officials have not seen the emperor for months! Isn't this slandering the emperor for neglecting his duties?" Qian Ning continued, making a startling statement.

"Ah..." The men of the Su family all trembled and looked at Su Lu for confirmation, to see if that was what he meant.
Su Lu shook his head resolutely and said, "That's pure slander!"

"Don't get worked up. I'll assume your first sentence was a coincidence, then we'll look at the second!" Qian Ning smiled leisurely, his finger tracing the four characters 'following the right path and upholding virtue,' a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.
"To follow the right path and uphold virtue is exactly what the current emperor's reign title, 'Zhengde,' means. These are not metaphors, but blatant references!"

"..." The Su family members were sweating profusely; this accusation was far too harsh.

Su Man couldn't help but shout, "It's purely a coincidence! The two characters 'Zhengde' are the true essence of Confucianism; it's too easy to try and associate them with something else!"

"Still being stubborn?" Qian Ning sneered, pointing his finger heavily at the third sentence, "not clinging to what is essential."

"'Holding power' means wielding authority and governing the country! Yet you say 'not holding power is essential,' isn't this a blatant satire of the emperor for being a mere figurehead and neglecting state affairs? What an outrageous and treasonous statement!"

"..." The Su family's faces grew even uglier, the accusations becoming increasingly harsh.

Su Lu, however, laughed in anger and said, "I didn't expect that you, Commander Qian, are such a master of far-fetched explanations. I can't wait to hear how you'll come up with the last four words."

"I won't let you down." Qian Ning leaned closer to Su Lu, his fingertip pressing firmly on the last four words:

"The phrase 'the capable speak' might not seem problematic to the average person, but it's immediately clear to those with discerning eyes—who doesn't know that our ancestor, Eunuch Liu, changed his surname after entering the palace?"

He slammed his hand on the table, revealing a knowing smile, and said, "His surname is Tan—'Tan' means 'speaking'! Your 'the capable speak' is nothing but slander against the Emperor for being incompetent and handing over power to the capable Eunuch Liu! It's an attack on Eunuch Liu for issuing orders and exercising power on behalf of the Emperor!"

“Your sixteen characters are all jabs at the dragon’s scales and violate heavenly laws! You slander the emperor for neglecting his duties and accuse Eunuch Liu of usurping power—isn’t this just the same rhetoric as Han Wen and Li Mengyang’s gang of traitors back then? It’s the same old story, nothing new!” Qian Ning said, his spittle almost hitting Su Lu’s face.
"And look at your status. Wang Shouren, ranked eighth on the list of traitors, is your teacher, and Zhu Liu, ranked thirty-second, is your headmaster. What good can these big traitors teach? They can only teach you, a little traitor!"

Having said that, he crossed his arms leisurely, a look of victorious pride on his face, and said, "You little traitor, what else do you have to say?"

“Of course I have something to say.” Su Lu couldn’t let him throw mud at him, so he said loudly, “Has the Commander finished speaking? Then it’s my turn!”

He stepped forward slowly, pointed to his article, and said firmly:
"First of all, Lord Commander, you probably don't know that this essay, 'When Used, It Will Be Effective,' was my essay on classical texts when I took the imperial examination! The eight-legged essay speaks on behalf of the sages, and every word and sentence must strictly adhere to the original meaning of Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi, without any personal opinions!"

"Therefore, when writing, one must forget oneself and transform into a sage in order to expound the way of the sages! If we follow what you, Commander, say, is it that Confucius and Mencius are slandering the current emperor? Who gave you the audacity to desecrate the sages and distort the meaning of the classics in such a way?!"

"I..." Qian Ning didn't expect Su Lu to slap him on the back and also put him on a big accusation!

"Your misinterpretation is the greatest disrespect to the sages!" Su Lu became more and more indignant as he spoke, slamming his fist on the table and angrily rebuking, "Do you want to be regarded as an enemy by all scholars in the world and be nailed to the pillar of shame forever?!"

"..." Qian Ning also gave Su Lu a fright, and he stammered, "I didn't say that, how could I have that kind of knowledge..."

"No matter who said it, it's a blatant distortion of the truth and utterly treasonous!" Su Lu raised his voice.

"My explanation of this question is to answer the exam question—'Confucius said to Yan Hui: "When employed, act; when dismissed, retire. Only you and I possess this quality!" This is a dialogue between Confucius and Yan Hui in the Analects!'

He paused for a moment and then said in a deep voice, "Therefore, the 'sage' in my article is definitely not the emperor, but Confucius!"

“That’s right. The ‘sage’ mentioned in the eight-legged essay has always referred to the virtuous men of the past, not the monarchs. This is common knowledge among scholars all over the world!” Su Man echoed loudly.

"You say '行藏' (xingcang) alludes to the Emperor's whereabouts? That's utter nonsense! '行藏' comes from '用之则行，废之则藏' (yong zhi ze xing, fei zhi zang), meaning advancement and retreat. What kind of ignorant fool could interpret '行' (xing) as whereabouts?!" Su Lu continued:
"Therefore, 'the conduct of a sage' means that when a sage is successful, he promotes the Great Way; when he is unsuccessful, he cultivates himself. This is the way of a gentleman in the world, and it has nothing to do with whether the emperor attends court or not! Yet you dare to misinterpret Confucian classics as slander against the emperor. How despicable!"

Su Jieyuan was eloquent and quick-witted; how could Qian Ning, a mere warrior, possibly withstand his sharp tongue?
"I already said it wasn't me who said it, I was just following orders to arrest people..." Qian Ning could only keep trying to defend himself.

"Quiet! Let me continue to clarify the matter!" Teacher Su slammed her hand on the table and then lectured him.

"Let me reiterate 'following the Way and upholding virtue'! 'Following the Way' means conforming to the Way of Heaven and harmony with human relationships; 'upholding virtue' means upholding the integrity of a gentleman! These are the fundamental principles of Confucian conduct and the basis for whether a sage should advance or retreat! What does this have to do with the reign title of this dynasty?"

"As for 'not being attached to anything'! It means that a wise person should act in accordance with the trend and not be stubborn or rigid. It has nothing to do with who holds the power of the court! You people have misinterpreted 'not being attached to anything' as 'not holding the power of the court,' which is purely ignorant and a case of calling a deer a horse!"

"Finally, 'Speak to the capable!' This phrase is adapted from Mencius's 'Speaking with those who can speak is a joy without end,' meaning that these principles can only be explained to those with understanding! They cannot be explained to fools!" Su Lu said in a deep voice:

"To actually associate 'Yan' with Liu Jin is such a far-fetched and outrageous connection!"

(End of this chapter)