NABC Chapter 148 Debating with a Group of Scholars
Chapter 148 Debating with a Group of Scholars
Chapter 148 Debating with a Group of Scholars
"Vice Envoy Ouyang!"
A scholar stood up and said, "I am not questioning Vice Envoy Ouyang, but if I remember correctly, the Four Admonitions to the World appeared six or seven years ago. This outstanding student of Vice Minister Hai looks very young. He shouldn't have been that old six or seven years ago, right?"
To utter such profound and thought-provoking words at such a young age, enough to be remembered for eternity—could it be that some people are truly born with innate knowledge?
Questioning Wang You is like questioning Ouyang Xiu.
But they simply couldn't accept that the four admonitory sayings they always praised and frequently quoted were written by Wang You, a boy who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old.
Moreover, Confucius said, "Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me. I will choose their good points and follow them, and correct their bad points."
It means that everyone has something we can learn from; we can emulate their good qualities. If we also have the shortcomings of others, we should correct them.
This encourages learning from others, whether it's learning from their strengths or discovering your own weaknesses, both of which are beneficial.
Confucius also respected these people as his teachers, not in the sense of formally becoming their disciples, but because he felt that he had learned something from them and should be grateful and respectful to them as his teachers.
In other words, if they accept this arrangement, even if they are older than Wang You, they will have to lower their status and bow to him when they see him in the future.
They hadn't formally become Wang You's disciples, but they acknowledged his words and therefore had to respect his teachings.
Moreover, everyone present was a prodigy, and even those who failed the exam were among the elite scholars in the land.
Scholars have always held themselves in high regard, and even if they fail the exam, most of them believe it is due to bad luck rather than their own inferiority.
Wang You's four sentences are so short that if they were longer, they might have become a masterpiece in the future.
Compared to Wang You, they were worlds apart.
Sometimes, acknowledging someone else's success is actually harder than acknowledging your own failure.
"Not only do you find it hard to believe, but I find it hard to believe as well."
Ouyang Xiu smiled and said, "Ziqian's grandfather was the late Grand Tutor Wang. I once listened to Grand Tutor Wang's teachings, and our families have some old acquaintances."
When Ziqian came to the capital to participate in the prodigy examination, he came to visit me.
When I examined his academic abilities, I found that they far surpassed those of his peers. At that time, I asked him, since he was so talented, why didn't he wait until the future to take the imperial examinations, but instead took the exam for child prodigies?
He uttered these four sentences at the time, saying that this was the goal of a scholar.
"I am He Bin from Yizhou. I have just met Vice Envoy Ouyang."
In the crowd, a young man sitting at the front stood up, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, "This student has a question for Ziqian."
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Xiu nodded slightly and stepped back to the side.
"Please ask away, brother," Wang You said with a smile and a cupped hand.
He Bin returned the greeting and said, "Scholar Ouyang just mentioned that Ziqian participated in the prodigy examination back then. I wonder if Ziqian participated in the imperial examinations later?"
"I was granted the position of compiler in the Hanlin Academy by the grace of the emperor, and I never participated in the imperial examinations," Wang You said.
Upon hearing this, a hint of disdain flashed in everyone's eyes, and their hearts were filled with jealousy.
It should be noted that in the imperial examinations, only the top two scholars (状元 and 榜眼) were guaranteed entry into the Hanlin Academy; among the others, those ranked high in the second tier only had a chance.
However, Wang You participated in a prodigy exam and obtained an official position that many of them dreamed of.
As for the prodigy test, they didn't take it seriously at all; the prodigy test was child's play.
This is like a child defeating a group of children. In the eyes of adults, it's just children playing around, not that the child has any real ability.
If Wang Youruo was truly capable, why didn't he participate in the imperial examinations?
If they had the ability and skill, they would also choose to participate in the imperial examination.
Therefore, many people question whether those four sentences were actually spoken by Wang You.
Even if he said it, it doesn't represent Wang You's knowledge; in other words, he was not worthy of being treated as a teacher.
"I have also read Ziqian's four wise words and like them very much."
He Bin said somewhat discouragedly, "Unfortunately, I am not very knowledgeable and still do not fully understand its meaning, let alone know how to do it."
Since Ziqian can utter these four words, he must have already put them into action. Could you please tell me more so that I may learn something from them?
If it weren't for the inappropriate setting, those students would probably be applauding and cheering.
It has to be said that He Bin asked a very tricky question.
Since you said it, you must have done it.
But how difficult is it to achieve what these four sentences describe?
Take the simplest example of continuing the legacy of the sages: it is not only about learning the words of the sages, but also about applying what we have learned and passing it down to future generations.
No matter how old Wang Youcai is, even if he started studying from the womb, his knowledge wouldn't be much better than theirs.
However, this is not enough to ensure its transmission.
Needless to say, the others are even more obvious.
Why are these four-line admonitions so beloved by scholars? Many even use them to encourage themselves.
It's not that they particularly like it, but rather that these four sentences have a certain elegance.
When you mention it in casual conversation, it makes you seem like you have lofty and noble aspirations.
Isn't this much better than the idea that studying is for the purpose of serving the country?
But if Wang You himself can't do it, then he naturally doesn't deserve their respect.
"This is just a reading goal I set for myself. A goal doesn't necessarily have to be achieved, but rather we should keep striving forward on the path to achieving it."
Wang You smiled and said, "I never expected that these four lines would spread and be liked and recognized by so many people."
However, this is enough to show that the scholars of the Song Dynasty had lofty aspirations.
Even if he had made some achievements in these areas, he wouldn't have said so.
These people don't approve of him to begin with, so no matter how well he does, he's not good enough in their eyes.
Moreover, there is no standard for measuring this kind of thing.
Take Confucianism as an example. Since the Han Dynasty, when Confucianism was exclusively promoted as the state ideology, it has always been the most prominent school of thought.
Almost all other schools of thought from the Hundred Schools of Thought period have disappeared.
However, there are still many who are not orthodox Confucian disciples.
The term "non-orthodox Confucian disciples" here does not mean that they do not study Confucianism, but rather that they study Confucianism and also learn about other schools of thought.
In their eyes, Confucianism is no more noble than other doctrines, but merely a tool.
They would not regard it as the ultimate truth, like those Confucian scholars.
Therefore, no matter what Wang You does, he will still be questioned after he speaks out.
He was not foolish enough to fall into the dead end of self-justification; instead, he defined these four sentences as his own goals and aspirations.
It's like a child saying, "I want to be a prime minister when I grow up," or "I want to be a great general when I grow up."
You may not agree with my dream, but please don't laugh at someone who has a dream.
At this moment, everyone suddenly realized that they seemed to have fallen into a misunderstanding.
Wang You never publicized these four sentences from beginning to end, and he even kept his identity a secret for so many years.
If Wang You were to spread the word himself, they could question him and ask him to explain how he did it.
Then they would find fault with it to damage Wang You's reputation.
However, Wang You did not publicize it. Ouyang Xiu had previously mentioned that Wang You himself said it when he asked him about it.
This is like someone saying they want to make a lot of money and become the richest person in the world.
But as long as the other party keeps trying, even if they are still penniless, you can only laugh at them for overestimating their abilities, not for having such a dream.
"I misunderstood, thank you Ziqian."
He Bin remained silent for a moment, then clasped his hands and sat down.
"My name is Wang Zhiqian!"
Wang Zhiqian stood up, smiled, and cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Speaking of which, Ziqian and I are from the same clan. I have a few questions I'd like to ask."
Wang You returned the greeting and smiled, "Brother Wang, please speak."
"After Ziqian participated in the Divine Abilities Test, he never participated in the imperial examinations again."
Did Ziqian believe that since he had already obtained an official position, it didn't matter whether he participated in the imperial examination or not, or did he disdain the imperial examination and consider it insignificant?
Although Wang Zhiqian claimed they were from the same clan, the questions he asked were anything but polite.
Instead of debating the four admonitions, he focused his argument on Wang You's failure to participate in the imperial examinations.
Wang You's decision not to participate in the imperial examinations is fundamentally different from the later practice of not taking the college entrance examination and being directly admitted to prestigious universities.
Those who were able to be recommended for admission in later generations were either already outstanding in academics or had exceptional talent in a particular area.
Such a person's grades are not bad, and since everyone is the same age, it is natural to accept it.
However, Wang You participated in the prodigy test, not the imperial examination.
This is similar to a junior high school competition where someone who performs well gets directly admitted to a prestigious university.
Anyone who hears this will think there's something wrong with it.
His question also contained a trap, and no matter how Wang You answered, he couldn't get the better of him.
He said he thought the official position was good and that there was no need to take the imperial examination.
It makes me seem too calculating and also shows that I lack confidence.
Because those who held official positions had to give up their positions to participate in the imperial examinations.
If he answers like this, it's tantamount to admitting that he has no confidence in passing the imperial examination.
What followed was even more ruthless: he said the imperial examination was very important, but he himself had never participated in it.
But if one were to say that the imperial examination was not important, one would not only offend the scholars in front of him, but also the officials in the court who had entered officialdom through the imperial examination and the scholars across the country who aspired to participate in the imperial examination.
"Then does Brother Wang think that studying is only for becoming an official?" Wang You asked in return.
The answer is impossible; these people truly deserve to be called the elite of the younger generation of scholars in the Song Dynasty.
They've mastered the art of setting traps to get him caught in a vortex of self-justification.
As the saying goes, the more you say, the more mistakes you make. When you need to prove yourself, it reveals a lot about the situation.
"I was asking Ziqian, but he avoided answering and instead asked me. What's the reason for that?" Wang Zhiqian said with a smile.
"Because my answer lies in this question," Wang You said.
"So, Ziqian means you're not studying to become an official? If that's the case, why did you participate in the prodigy examination?"
Wang Zhiqian believed he had found a loophole in Wang You's words, and his excitement was written all over his face.
He stood up to argue with Wang You, not because of the four admonitions, but to gain fame.
Most of the people present did not agree with him. If he could win the argument against Wang You, he would naturally become famous.
"It's because of my parents' high expectations."
Wang You said solemnly, "The imperial examination system is excellent; it is a very great system. Although the imperial examination was implemented during the Sui and Tang dynasties, it was still very difficult for ordinary people to study because education was not widespread."
However, Emperor Taizu was wise and consistently promoted education, as did subsequent emperors.
This gave ordinary people the opportunity to get ahead through education.
If one studies solely with the goal of becoming an official, and is too utilitarian, even if one becomes an official, can one truly become a good one?
Of course, I'm not saying that all those who participated in the imperial examinations were driven by ulterior motives. But there were certainly some among them.
The reason I didn't participate in science and technology after taking the prodigy test is because I didn't have any utilitarian motives.
Although I was granted the position of Hanlin Compiler, I have not actually taken office yet due to my age. In fact, I have been studying all these years, just like everyone else.
If I were truly ambitious, I would definitely participate in the imperial examinations to obtain a better position.
""
Everyone was speechless upon hearing Wang You's almost shameless remarks.
Wang You said he participated in the prodigy exam because of his parents' expectations.
If that's really the case, then who among them isn't like that?
This involves filial piety, and unless Wang You's parents come forward and say that this is not true, they have no way to refute it.
After all, what parent wouldn't want their son to become an official?
But Wang You turned around and said that some scholars participated in the imperial examinations with utilitarian motives.
They had no way to refute this, since Wang You only mentioned some, not all.
If anyone were to refute this, wouldn't that be tantamount to admitting that they are one of those people because they have a guilty conscience?
Wang You's last words were even more disgusting.
They say he hasn't officially taken office yet, but even if he can't officially take office, his resume from his time at the Hanlin Academy is there, right?
This will be of great benefit to my future career.
Wang You also said that if he really had ambition, he would have taken the imperial examination.
This statement makes sense at first glance. If you have such a position, why choose to give up taking the imperial examination? Isn't it because you want a better position?
When newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) are granted official positions, are there any better positions than Hanlin Academy compilers?
Yes, there are definitely some. Top scholars in the imperial examinations are usually appointed as compilers in the Hanlin Academy.
But you have to pass the exam first.
Even the top scholars of previous years, if asked to give up taking the imperial examination again, none of them could guarantee that they would pass, let alone become the top scholar.
Because the exam questions will change again, and they may not be in the areas you are good at.
The examiners' evaluation criteria also differ.
Just as someone was about to get up and argue with Wang You, Hai Xuewen stood up and said, "It's about time, let's call it a day."
No matter how much you argue about it, there will never be a result.
He gave Wang You ample preparation, not so that Wang You could convince these people with his arguments.
Instead, he had to accept some criticism. If he announced the end of the poetry gathering immediately after introducing Wang You's identity, no one would be happy.
Although they still won't have good fortune, after this debate, at least they won't look down on Wang You so much.
Moreover, doing this would not give people the impression that he and Ouyang Xiu were carrying Wang You's sedan chair again.
When Hai Xuewen announced the end of the poetry recital, even those who were unwilling dared not say anything.
"My good friend Mei Yaochen, who was also a member of the Hai family, passed away recently, but he left behind a posthumous work."
"I'll give each of you a copy today as a gift for the poetry gathering," Ouyang Xiu said with a smile.