Chapter 78 A wake-up call
I see……

Inside the Minglun Pavilion, there were people who were deep in thought, but now they suddenly felt enlightened.

As expected, Fan Xianzu, the prince's guest, is extraordinary from the first move he makes. If this is the case, then it makes sense.

It should be noted that great Confucian scholars like Song Lian must have profound meaning in their writings, and every word and sentence of the disciples of such an authentic sage must conform to the orthodox Confucianism in the world.

He directly quoted from classics and actually used "civilization" as the entry point. Unless one is well-read and can recite the "Book of Changes" and "Book of History" by heart, one may not be able to understand the profound meaning of this word. Mr. Song's knowledge is so broad and profound.

Of course, Fan Xianzu's knowledge is also formidable. He can easily master things that ordinary people find difficult to understand, which shows how profound his knowledge is.

Deng Qianqiu didn't look panicked at all, and asked, "What's the explanation for this?"

Having made a good start, Fan Xianzu seemed to feel the burning gazes of the people around him.

Especially when he showed off his skills in front of His Majesty and the Crown Prince, his face was flushed.

He said with a nonchalant look, smiling, "The subsequent courtesy is easier to understand. The word courtesy comes from Mencius, Gaozi Part 2, which says: If courtesy is not declining, then it is discarded if it is not practiced. In fact, this also means respect and modesty. The words civilization and courtesy are the same, but... what makes Mr. Song so admirable is his ingenuity in this regard. Wonderful, wonderful, really wonderful."

Deng Qianqiu's body trembled and he looked at Fan Xianzu with admiration.

I have to say, this guy... is really a man of great learning. If he were sent to modern times, he would be able to get a thousand points for his composition.

Deng Qianqiu said: "What clever idea? You are talking nonsense."

As soon as this was said, many officials and guests around the prince showed disdain, thinking that Deng Qianqiu was really vulgar. In this way, Song Gong's article was exactly the opposite of the behavior of people like Deng Qianqiu. It is because of such people that there are so many things that are immoral in the world.

Zhu Yuanzhang listened carefully. At first he didn't understand what this crappy article was about.

This is also called an article? I can write it eight hundred times a day.

But after listening to Fan Xianzu's interpretation, I seemed to understand something.

Crown Prince Zhu Biao continued to listen attentively.

Only the King of Yan and the King of Zhou looked lazy, as if they had not yet woken up, with their heads drooping.

Fan Xianzu smiled slightly, revealing an unfathomable look, and said sarcastically: "Captain Deng is wrong. You don't understand this article."

Deng Qianqiu just said, "If you want to say something, just say it. Why are you talking so much?"

Ye Dianxian, who was accompanying Zhu Yuanzhang, heard what he was talking about and felt inexplicably familiar with it. Subconsciously, he glanced at Zhu Yuanzhang secretly.

Fan Xianzu said: "The article is about governing the country, and the two sentences, first about civilization and then about courtesy, have the same meaning, that is, humility and respect. From the perspective of the structure of the article, this is a repetition, or it can be called the theme. The main theme of this article is humility and respect, which is the most important thing."

Deng Qianqiu was surprised and asked, "Isn't this just making up words?"

Fan Xianzu now showed that he didn't care about Deng Qianqiu. He wanted to show his arrogance. The more he did so, the more he showed his contempt for Deng Qianqiu: "No, you are not well-educated and don't know the power of this article. Retelling it like this actually hits the point of the topic, and directly brings the way of governing a country to the way of a sage."

Deng Qianqiu was shocked: "The way of a saint?"

Fan Xianzu said in a clear voice: "Yes! The way of governing a country by a sage is first benevolence, second virtue, and third courtesy. The so-called benevolence is human, and loving one's relatives is the greatest; it is also said that governing a country with virtue is like the North Star, which stays in its place and the people's hearts bow to it. It is also said that governing a country is to be courteous. This is the sage's proposition, and it is the only way to govern the world."

Deng Qianqiu scratched his head, as if he was very puzzled, and said: "But what does this have to do with this article?"

Fan Xianzu smiled and said, "Captain Deng, I know you are anxious, but please don't be anxious yet."

He paused and continued, "Whether it is etiquette, virtue, or benevolence, they are actually inseparable from one thing."

Deng Qianqiu subconsciously asked, "What's the matter?"

Fan Xianzu said: "People!"

He spoke with finality and force.

At this moment, many people seemed to have suddenly become enlightened, their heads were buzzing, as if they had suddenly been enlightened, and many guests and civil officials changed their expressions.

They seemed to have realized something all of a sudden, and subconsciously looked at Fan Xianzu with admiration.

Mr. Fan is a very talented person.

But there are still a few stupid people in this hall.

For example, Zhu Yuanzhang was still listening in a daze. Although he thought what Fan Xianzu said was very impressive, he still found it a bit confusing.

Then there was Deng Qianqiu. Deng Qianqiu subconsciously asked, "Human? Why did it turn to a human again?"

Fan Xianzu looked at Deng Qianqiu deeply, with a mocking look in his eyes, but he smiled and said, "You have little education, this is not your fault."

Deng Qianqiu said angrily: "Why are you cursing?"

Fan Xianzu smiled and said, "Courtesy, virtue, and benevolence are inseparable from people, because these three points are all virtues of people, so... to govern the world, we must follow benevolence, courtesy, and virtue, and to follow benevolence, righteousness, courtesy, and virtue, we cannot do without a sage monarch." Huh...

Many people breathed a sigh of relief, and those who had been intoxicated seemed to be beginning to wake up from their dream.

Fan Xianzu's voice began to rise, and he continued in a melodious voice: "So what is a sage monarch? Duke Song has given the answer... civilization and courtesy!"

Deng Qianqiu: “…”

Holy shit, holy shit…good guy…

Deng Qianqiu looked at Fan Xianzu in disbelief.

Fan Xianzu no longer cared about Deng Qianqiu. This place seemed to have become his stage. He began to speak in a loud voice, "Song Gongxin used the key words of the Book of Documents and Zuo Zhuan to solve the problem of governing a country, and derived the idea that a gentleman should cultivate virtue and govern the world. He regarded humility and respect as the greatest virtue of a monarch. With such virtues, then... governing the world and achieving a prosperous era like Yao and Shun will not be far away. The first four words of this article alone are enough to enlighten people and clear away their doubts..."

After a pause, he continued, "The most amazing thing is that if you only look at the surface of this article, it is really ordinary, but its meaning is thought-provoking, like a wake-up call. Reading Mr. Song's article is like drinking clear spring water, which makes people feel clear-headed and enlightened. It really makes people admire it."

At this moment, even the dumbest person seemed to understand.

Zhu Yuanzhang couldn't help but think that Fan Xianzu was really amazing. It was something that was puzzling, but after he said this, it suddenly became clear.

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyebrows were originally furrowed, but they slowly relaxed.

The rest of the people, while admiring Song Lian, of course, also couldn't help but admire Fan Xianzu, whose literary wit was so quick and extraordinary.

You know, writing articles is not easy, but interpreting articles is not easy either. Without profound knowledge and the foundation of reading thousands of books, there are some articles that you will never understand.

"Captain Deng, you lost. You are too ignorant. You should not argue with Mr. Fan. Mr. Fan's brilliant remarks just now are enough to make people applaud. This time, Mr. Fan will not argue with you. Just admit defeat."

The person who spoke was another guest of the prince. He knew that the prince hoped to keep things peaceful. It was obvious that Fan Xianzu's performance was too dazzling, so he gave Deng Qianqiu a way out and let Deng Qianqiu back off the situation.

"Wait a minute." Deng Qianqiu remained calm and said, "Mr. Fan, is this article really that amazing?"

Fan Xianzu couldn't help but feel proud, but at this moment, he seemed to think of Song Lian's article. Civilization and politeness are not only the way to govern the country, but also the code of conduct for scholars. Only those who are humble and polite can be called gentlemen.

At that moment, he put on a tone that didn't bother Deng Qianqiu: "Of course it's great, the more such articles are, the more great they are. Song Gong's work is of course extraordinary. Although I am also educated, I can compare with Song Gong. Although I have some ink, I don't have such ingenuity. I am really ashamed. Song Gong's article alone is enough to make me ashamed. I am willing to admit defeat. If I can become his running dog, I will have no regrets in my life!"

After hearing this, Deng Qianqiu and Zhu Gang looked into each other's eyes.

Zhu Gang looked greatly shocked.

Deng Qianqiu looked at Fan Xianzu with a strange look.

"Is what Mr. Fan said serious? I don't believe it!"

Fan Xianzu glared at Deng Qianqiu and said in feigned anger, "You are such a rude boy. Why don't you wake up?"

The others couldn't stand it anymore. This guy Deng Qianqiu was simply being unreasonable.

Deng Qianqiu asked: "Do you really want to take the author of this article as your teacher?"

Fan Xianzu said contemptuously: "If I hear the truth in the morning, I can die in the evening. What do you know..."

Deng Qianqiu scratched his head: "Actually, if you really want to be my disciple, it's not impossible, but my tuition is very expensive."

Fan Xianzu's face suddenly changed and he was about to yell.

But Deng Qianqiu said, "That...that...I mean...this article...this article...I wrote it."

"..."

All of a sudden, the whole scene became unusually quiet.

Fan Xianzu was slightly stunned, then the corners of his mouth curled up slightly and he laughed: "You? You are the only one who can write such an amazing article? It's simply... it's ridiculous! This article was written by Mr. Song. Captain Deng, please stop talking nonsense here."

"Yes." Deng Qianqiu said, "This was indeed written by Lord Song. My handwriting is not good, it looks like dog's crawling, so I feel ashamed of myself, so I wrote an article and asked His Royal Highness Prince Jin to find Lord Song last night and asked him to copy the article. This article was indeed copied and written by Lord Song himself, but... the article was written by me. If you don't believe it, you can ask His Royal Highness Prince Jin. If even the Prince Jin cannot be trusted, you can just ask Lord Song."

Fan Xianzu: “…”

Inside Minglun Pavilion.

One by one, people began to suffocate.

At this time, a harsh voice was heard saying, "Yes, I personally went there and asked Mr. Song to help copy the article. This article can be regarded as written by Mr. Song, but the article was indeed written by Qianqiu. This is correct. I will guarantee it with my life. If it is not enough, I will guarantee it with the lives of my entire family!"

…………

After a year's rest, I am now writing 12,000 words every day. I am so tired. Please support me.

(End of this chapter)