NABC Chapter 146 Jinming Pond
Chapter 146 Jinming Pond
Chapter 146 Jinming Pond
Only those whose names are called out at Donghua Gate are true men!
Although the results of the provincial examination and the palace examination were essentially the same after the palace examination was cancelled, they only determined the final ranking.
However, the honor of being called out at Donghua Gate was still regarded as extremely high by scholars.
Even those who failed the imperial examinations did not rush to leave the capital, waiting to join the excitement when the names were announced at Donghua Gate.
The day for the names to be announced at Donghua Gate will be a few days after the palace examination ends.
Just as countless scholars were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the person to announce their names at Donghua Gate, a piece of news spread among them.
Ouyang Xiu, the Vice Privy Councilor of the court, and Hai Wenqing, the Vice Minister of Rites, were to jointly host a poetry gathering.
Those who passed the imperial examination were invited to participate, and some students who failed were also selected to participate together.
Upon learning of this, the emperor designated the Jinmingchi Royal Villa as the venue for the poetry gathering.
This news instantly brought immense joy to those who had failed the exams.
The reason why literati love poetry so much is largely because poetry is short and easier to spread.
The article is quite long, and under normal circumstances it would be difficult to spread quickly.
Unless someone is already very famous, a publishing house will not be willing to publish their articles and sell them to various places.
Or, like Su Shi, one can quickly gain fame by having their writings praised by highly respected figures in scholarly circles, such as Ouyang Xiu.
Even if an ordinary scholar writes a masterpiece like "Ode to the Goddess of the Luo River," it may take years or even until after his death for the work to be slowly disseminated.
Even if someone has read it and thinks it's well-written, during the dissemination process, they can only praise the article to the extreme, saying how well it's written.
He might be able to cite some of the best lines, but due to his limited fame, others will still be skeptical.
Scholars often look down on each other. If they haven't met the person in person and the person isn't famous, most scholars won't approve of them.
But poetry is different, because it is very short, and a scholar can memorize it after reading it twice.
When sharing with others, one can recite the poems aloud, thus spreading them very quickly.
Even some good poems could reach the emperor's ears.
Like Li Bai of the Tang Dynasty, who could not participate in the imperial examinations, yet wrote countless excellent poems and was admired by literati.
So much so that the news reached the palace, and even Emperor Xuanzong of Tang summoned him to the palace and bestowed upon him an official title.
It would be much harder to achieve this when writing an article.
The reputation and prestige of Ouyang Xiu and Hai Wenqing among scholars need no further explanation.
The two personally hosted the poetry gathering, and the emperor even provided the royal villa as the venue, indicating that he also paid attention to the poetry gathering.
Once they produce a good poem at the poetry gathering and win praise from Ouyang Xiu and his companion, they can quickly become famous throughout the land.
They might even win the favor of the officials and be directly granted official positions.
Suddenly, those scholars who had failed the imperial examinations began to inquire about how to participate in the poetry gathering, and those with connections even started to pull strings.
At the same time, they organized their poems that they had written down but had not yet published, in preparation for the poetry gathering.
Many scholars enjoy collecting poems and lyrics, but they don't usually share the poems they write down when they feel inspired.
It will be brought out at a crucial moment, so as to show its power in front of others.
Is there a better opportunity than this?
Therefore, they took out all their most treasured possessions.
Those who attended poetry gatherings before the imperial examinations and brought out their best poems were filled with regret.
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Hai Family Main Hall.
"Baekhyun, you have no idea how many people have come to me these past two days, asking me, both openly and subtly, to give them some pointers at the poetry gathering," Ouyang Xiu complained.
"I'm the same way."
Hai Wenqing said, "But they are destined to be disappointed."
"Too."
Ouyang Xiu smiled, then put away his smile and said, "However, this kind of trend is not good. Instead of focusing on learning, people are thinking about taking shortcuts."
Ouyang Xiu looked down on this kind of behavior.
"It's just human nature."
Hai Wenqing didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Wanting to become famous and hold an official position might seem vulgar, but most people are just vulgar.
"Let's not talk about that anymore. Let's set the poetry gathering for five days from now. You decide who to invite. As the chief examiner for this imperial examination, you know these people best," Ouyang Xiu said.
"Yes, I've roughly decided. I just need to send someone to inform them." Hai Wenqing nodded.
Ouyang Xiu looked at Wang You, who was sitting quietly at the lower seat, and smiled, "Ziqian, are you ready?"
"The teacher and Uncle Ouyang are the main force. The students will just share their personal experiences. There's nothing to prepare."
Wang You smiled.
"Don't let your guard down. Once the four admonitions are published as your own, there will inevitably be people who will make things difficult for you," Ouyang Xiu warned.
The difficulty he was referring to wasn't about causing trouble, but rather that some people would humble themselves and ask questions in a humble, inquiring tone.
If we can stump Wang You, wouldn't we immediately become famous?
After all, almost every scholar in the world knows the four admonitions, and many regard them as guiding principles.
Once Wang You is stumped, one can use his fame to gain recognition.
"Thank you for the reminder, Uncle Ouyang. I am confident that I can handle it," Wang You said confidently.
Ultimately, it's just a debate. Regardless of whether you're right or wrong, your words must sound reasonable.
Having lived two lives, he might not be able to out-argue those scholars when it comes to orthodox discussions of the Four Books and Five Classics.
But in a simple debate, he was still quite confident.
"It's a pity my daughter is much older than you, otherwise I would really like to marry her to you."
Ouyang Xiu looked at Hai Wenqing and smiled, "Hasn't your daughter come of age? How about I act as a matchmaker for them?"
"Uncle Ouyang."
Wang You said, "The student's marriage has been arranged."
"It's settled? Which girl? I've never heard of her." Ouyang Xiu asked in surprise.
"She is my uncle's daughter, and she hasn't come of age yet, so it hasn't been announced to the public," Wang You said.
"I see."
Ouyang Xiu nodded slightly, but did not discuss the topic further.
Five days passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, Wang You changed into a light blue wide-sleeved robe and wore a turban, looking like a scholar.
We traveled by car to Jinming Pond outside the city.
Jinming Pond, also known as West Pond or Teaching Pond, is located outside Shuntian Gate in Bianjing (Kaifeng).
It was an artificial lake ordered by the Later Zhou dynasty to be dug in order to conquer the Southern Tang, which was located in a water town, and to emulate Emperor Wu of Han in digging Kunming Pool in Chang'an to train a navy.
It was expanded again during the reign of Emperor Taizu, and he often watched naval training here.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Later, after the country was unified, only enemies remained in the north and northwest. The navy became useless and gradually fell into disuse.
It was renovated during the reign of Emperor Taizong and converted into a royal villa.
Therefore, the Jinmingchi Royal Villa covers a very large area to accommodate a gathering of five or six hundred people.
When Wang You arrived, many invited scholars were already waiting outside the side gates on both sides.
Upon seeing Wang You being led in through the side door, people immediately began pointing and whispering, speculating that Wang You was the son of some powerful and wealthy family.
The Jinmingchi Royal Villa was originally used as a training ground for the navy, and it has a huge troop-summoning field inside.
This poetry gathering was held at the military parade ground.
At this moment, rows of tables and desks had been set up on the parade ground, and a group of palace maids and eunuchs were busy at work.
These people are responsible for the daily management of the villa. As it is a royal villa, Hai Wenqing and his family cannot send their servants to do this work.
Wang You glanced at it a few times and then went into the pavilion next door.
At this moment, there were more than twenty people sitting in the pavilion. These people were all friends and students of Ouyang Xiu and Hai Wenqing.
Such a grand event naturally calls for inviting friends to attend.
"Teacher!" Wang You stepped forward and bowed.
Hai Wenqing, who was chatting with someone, introduced Wang You to everyone.
Wang You bowed in turn, and then stood beside Hai Wenqing.
"Uncle Yong, you and Baekhyun have never liked these things, so why did you suddenly hold a poetry gathering and make such a big fuss about it?"
"Yes, now that we're here, it's time for them to tell us the truth."
1
Immediately, everyone began to speak.
They were very familiar with Ouyang Xiu and Hai Wenqing. Even though Ouyang Xiu greatly admired Su Shi back then, he only invited a few close friends to recommend his articles.
The two of them usually disliked such superficial things, so their sudden poetry gathering was clearly unusual.
"You may have heard that Sheng Yu spent several years before his death working on a book, but no one knows what that book was."
Ouyang Xiu clapped his hands, and an attendant came in carrying a tray full of books.
"This is the book written by Sheng Yu. Before he passed away, he entrusted me and Ba Xian to promote this book," Ouyang Xiu said.
When everyone heard Ouyang Xiu mention Mei Yaochen, their expressions turned somewhat sad.
Although they were not as close as Ouyang Xiu and Hai Wenqing to Mei Yaochen, they were still friends.
It's not surprising that Mei Yaochen wrote a book.
As Ouyang Xiu said, they had all heard about it to some extent before.
As for Mei Yaochen's dying wish to entrust the two of them with promoting the product, everyone else was no exception.
A scholar can achieve three things that lead to immortality: establishing virtue, establishing merit, and establishing words.
Lide refers to establishing high moral character, which requires "creating laws and regulations and widely benefiting the people," that is, achieving spiritual immortality by formulating norms and educating the people.
Establishing merit means creating meritorious achievements to benefit the world, requiring "rescuing from calamities and eliminating difficulties, and benefiting the times," emphasizing solving major social problems during times of crisis.
To establish a legacy is to put forward words that will be passed down through generations. It requires that "the words are essential and the reasoning is sufficient to be passed down," and that the ideas have universal applicability and lasting influence.
For most scholars, establishing a literary tradition is the simplest thing.
The most important aspect of establishing one's words is transmission; it is not only about disseminating but also about passing them on.
Otherwise, what's the point of writing a book for your own amusement, only to have no one know about it a hundred years from now?
Mei Yaochen had been writing books for several years before his death, and naturally he hoped that his books would be accepted and passed down.
Each person took a book in turn and eagerly began to read it.
Mei Yaochen's dying entrustment is one thing, but if the book were just mediocre, Ouyang Xiu and his friend wouldn't have made such a big fuss for their friend.
This is not to say that the two were untrustworthy, but rather that if Mei Yaochen's book could not be accepted, it should at least be controversial.
Only in this way can his books be passed down.
Otherwise, although their actions would allow the book to spread, Mei Yaochen would also be condemned even after his death.
At first, no one's expression changed, but as the content became more in-depth, many people frowned and became serious.
Generally, when Confucian scholars write books, they are writing down their own insights and understandings of the classics, histories, philosophical works, and literary collections.
While schools of thought like Neo-Confucianism and Neo-Confucianism are extensions of Confucianism, they can also be understood as refinements.
Since it is about improvement, some shortcomings or defects of Confucianism must be pointed out.
This deficiency and imperfection does not mean that the thoughts of Confucian sages are flawed.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be an extension or improvement, but rather heresy.
The shortcomings and deficiencies here refer to the fact that Confucianism is not comprehensive enough.
Even the sages of the past were human beings, and it was impossible for them to construct a completely comprehensive system of thought.
Even the most comprehensive works have varying degrees of importance.
Therefore, schools of thought such as the School of Mind and the School of Principle must first point out the incompleteness or lack thereof before elaborating on their own viewpoints.
Therefore, they are easy to distinguish.
Most of these books are short; Mei Yaochen's perfected philosophy of mind is less than seven thousand words.
It's not that these few words can form a new academic discipline, even if it's based on Confucianism, it's not enough.
The philosophy of mind quotes many words from Confucian classics. These don't need to be written in too much detail; any scholar can understand their meaning at a glance.
This is like giving a problem involving one or two linear equations to someone who has studied it; there's no need for much explanation, they'll understand it at a glance.
However, if you're showing this to someone with a basic understanding of mathematics, you'll need to start by teaching them the simplest addition.
Essentially, books on the philosophy of mind and reason are not elementary education books.
It was less than seven thousand words, but everyone read it very carefully.
It wasn't until the eunuch came in to announce that the appointed time had arrived that everyone hadn't finished reading.
Ouyang Xiu and Hai Wenqing did not disturb them, and instructed the eunuchs to bring the scholars in.
Soon, the scholars who were waiting outside entered Jinming Pond one by one and took their seats under the guidance of the eunuchs.
After everyone had arrived, Ouyang Xiu went out and told them to write poems freely and discuss them with each other before leaving.
This left a group of scholars completely baffled.
In their view, Ouyang Xiu and Hai Wenqing should set the questions, and they should write poems based on the questions and then submit them to the two for comment.
Among them were some clever ones who had already sensed something was amiss.
Actually, this poetry gathering itself seemed a bit off because there were too many people.
Three hundred scholars failed the imperial examination, while more than three hundred were admitted this time.
The poetry gathering had over six hundred people in total. Even if those who failed the exam were just there for fun, the more than three hundred who passed each wrote a poem.
Ouyang Xiu and his companions watched and commented on the content; a whole day wasn't enough time for them.
They also noticed that the upper area had more than twenty seats, which were currently empty.
Although they sensed something was wrong, they didn't make a fuss or get nervous.
This is right under the emperor's nose, and Jinming Pond is a royal villa. Do you really think we're worried that Ouyang Xiu and his gang will try to steal our money and kill us?
Inside the attic, another half hour passed before an old man closed his book, looked at Ouyang Xiu and Hai Wenqing, and said, "This book is very well written; I have benefited greatly from reading it."
"Yes, I have also benefited a lot from this book, but I need to read it carefully before I can comment on it."
Everyone chimed in with their own opinions.
Out of respect for the deceased, they couldn't very well belittle Mei Yaochen's dying words.
Although this book is based on Confucianism, it differs greatly from the current mainstream ideology.
They found it difficult to accept, let alone approve of, it was not easy for them.