The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

Confucius said: "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? Is it not delightful to have friends coming from afar? Is it not the mark of a gentleman to remain unperturbed when others do not recognize his merits?"

night.

With nothing else to do, Ma Wenyuan began giving lectures.

He gave a lecture to Zeng Qing and his sister.

Ma Wenyuan had already taught introductory texts like the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic.

Zeng Qing still hasn't memorized it, so Ma Wenyuan can only focus on Zeng Xiu's progress for now.

We are now teaching the Analects, Book 1, Chapter 1.

Ma Wenyuan reads a sentence, and Zeng Qing and Zeng Xiu follow along, reading a sentence in turn.

After a while, Ma Wenyuan asked,

"You should be able to recite it, but do you understand its meaning?"

"I don't know." That's what Zeng Qing said.

Ma Wenyuan was not surprised at all and looked at Zeng Xiu.

Zeng Xiu answered haltingly.

"Sir, it means that learning the teachings of sages and worthies and constantly reviewing them brings joy; having like-minded people come to you brings happiness; and not being angry when others do not understand you is the mark of a virtuous person."

Ma Wenyuan nodded and said, "You only understood the literal meaning, but you haven't grasped the underlying principles..."

Speaking of which...

Ma Wenyuan was reluctant to continue, feeling that it didn't matter who taught these things.

You could just grab any scholar off the street and they might teach just as well as he did.

After pondering for a moment, Ma Wenyuan suddenly asked, "Do you know why the sky is blue?"

Zeng Qing and Zeng Xiu didn't know why Mr. Zeng suddenly changed the subject, nor did they know why the sky was blue.

That's a bit beyond the scope of the curriculum.

Just then, a voice rang out from outside the door.

"Because the sky is formed from the rising of pure air, its color is inherently blue..."

A little girl's voice stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence.

They seem to have realized what was happening.

But before she could escape, she was caught by the agile Zeng Qing.

By the light of several candles, Ma Wenyuan could roughly make out the appearance of the girl in front of him.

She wore her hair in two low buns, a light-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), and had delicate features, fair skin, and a serene demeanor; she was quite lovely.

Ma Wenyuan couldn't resist pinching the other person's cheek.

Xu Miaoyun was pinned down by Zeng Qingxian and unable to move, so she could only grit her teeth and say...

"Who are you? How rude!"

Ma Wenyuan pinched it hard and asked in return, "And who are you?"

Xu Miaoyun twisted and struggled for a moment, but to no avail. Then she cried out, "Let me go! I'm going to find your parents!"

Ma Wenyuan released his grip, somewhat amused.

"I am the most important person here. If you really want to find my master, then you'll have to go to the palace."

Xu Miaoyun stopped struggling, her mind racing.

"Oh, it's Uncle Ma! I'm Miaoyun from next door! We're family!"

Xu Miaoyun started to try to get closer to him, because she didn't want Ma Wenyuan to drag her back to the Xu residence.

Especially before Xu Da left.

You'll get beaten up.

"Are you Xu Gong's daughter?"

Ma Wenyuan gestured for Zeng Qing to release his grip, then asked with a smile, "What is my niece's intention in breaking into my residence so late at night?"

Xu Miaoyun looked at her toes somewhat shyly.

"I have nothing to do in my spare time."

"Did you climb over the wall?" Ma Wenyuan asked again.

Only by climbing over the wall could they avoid alerting the guards and maids of the mansion.

The little thing nodded.

Ma Wenyuan found it even more amusing that the future Empress Xu, who would rule the world, would actually climb over walls at night to play when she was a child.

"What are you laughing at?"

Xu Miaoyun was somewhat unconvinced, "Your students are too strong, I'm not strong enough yet..."

"When one grows strong, things can change?"

Ma Wenyuan's smile faded, and he returned to the initial topic, "Why do you think the sky is blue?"

Xu Miaoyun hummed twice, as if she had arrived at her home turf.

"Your student is really stupid; he doesn't even know this. Turbid yin energy condenses to form the earth, which is mostly yellowish-black in color; clear yang energy rises to form the sky..."

Seeing this young girl speak fluently and knowledgeably in classical Chinese, Zeng Qing and Zeng Xiu felt ashamed.

"I don't want to listen to Zhu Xi, nor to the Cheng brothers or Zhang Zai."

Ma Wenyuan shook his head, interrupting her, "I want you to think of it yourself."

Xu Miaoyun was stunned. She had read many books since she was a child, from the Three Hundred Thousand Character Classic to the Four Words on Appearances, the Ancient Thousand Character Classic, and now the Reflections on Things at Hand, the Annotated Four Books, and even the Admonitions for Women.

No one ever asked her what she was thinking.

Because the answers are all in the books, the sages have already said them, and the wise men have already commented on them, she only needs to memorize them and then answer the questions verbatim.

Xu Miaoyun was stumped by the question.

After a long pause, he stammered, "I...I don't know."

"Excellent!"

Ma Wenyuan smiled broadly, "Being able to admit that you don't know is a good thing."

Xu Miaoyun frowned slightly.

"Is Zhu Xi wrong?"

"Of course not."

"How could the sages of the past be wrong?"

"Even the sages were human, and humans are bound to make mistakes."

Xu Miaoyun chuckled.

"You mean even the current emperor makes mistakes?"

Unexpectedly, Ma Wenyuan did not hesitate at all.

"Of course, in the ninth year of the Longfeng era, the current emperor's rescue of Anfeng nearly destroyed the foundation. In the same year, the current emperor decided to attack Luzhou, almost losing the western front barrier. Aren't these all mistakes the current emperor has made?"

This left Xu Miaoyun somewhat at a loss for words.

In her long-held belief, the sages were the sages, revered by countless people, and their words were the truth; how could they possibly be wrong?

Ma Wenyuan, however, spoke slowly and deliberately.

Confucius said, "I am fortunate that if I have made a mistake, people will surely know it."

The so-called "using magic to defeat magic".

The results were remarkable, leaving Xu Miaoyun speechless.

Ma Wenyuan then asked, "Was Xunzi considered a sage of the past?"

Xu Miaoyun thought about it for a moment, and seeing no problem with it, she hesitated before nodding.

"Calculate."

Is it true that human nature is inherently evil?

Xu Miaoyun remained silent.

Was Mencius considered a sage? Who is right, the theory that human nature is inherently good or inherently evil?

Xu Miaoyun remained silent.

According to the mainstream view today, human nature is inherently good.

The views of Xunzi and Han Feizi, such as "human nature is inherently evil," are unorthodox and unorthodox, and should not be shared with outsiders.

But Xu Miaoyun dared not say that human nature is inherently good.

She felt that her younger brother was not good; he was so young and already knew how to steal her things and how to tattle.

This is simply a case of being born with a love of profit and a dislike of evil and a tendency to harm others. Without being taught propriety and righteousness, one will lack courtesy and loyalty. Goodness is cultivated through education, not innate.

Isn't this exactly Xunzi's concept?

Xu Miaoyun's little head was filled with great confusion as she asked, "Why was it blue that day?"

Ma Wenyuan was quite pleased to encounter students with some education.

"This brings us to science."

He finally understood why teachers liked smart children.

He likes it too.

Xu Miaoyun found it hard to understand what Uncle Ma was saying, "The imperial examinations don't cover this kind of knowledge."

"It is not the kind of knowledge used for the imperial examinations, but rather genuine knowledge that is categorized, evidence-based, and verifiable."

Ma Wenyuan patted Xu Miaoyun's head.

"Tomorrow I will prove to you that Zhu Zi's words are wrong, and why they are wrong."

Xu Miaoyun nodded, seemingly confused.

"Sir, I'd like to learn too."

Zeng Qing said enthusiastically.

"sure."

Ma Wenyuan did not discourage the other person's thirst for knowledge, but said, "Please complete the homework I gave you before you learn science."