Kong Yi rose to his feet, walked over to Zhu Wenxi, crouched down, and said solemnly, "In my view, every person pursues something different. Some pursue the pinnacle of power, some pursue the pinnacle of prestige, some pursue the pinnacle of benevolence and righteousness. There are countless such pursuits."
"Wenxi."
"What I asked was not which of the things I taught you was most important. It was for you to understand, in the future, what is most important to you. When the day comes that you realize it, you will have truly grown up."
Kong Yi spoke earnestly.
It was clear.
He had not forced his own beliefs upon Zhu Wenxi. Instead, with the heart of a good teacher, he allowed Zhu Wenxi to comprehend things for himself—to understand true propriety, righteousness, integrity, and shame; to understand true morality and ethics, rather than having them forcibly instilled in him.
Listening to Kong Yi's words,
Zhu Wenxi might have looked young, but he was thinking deeply at that moment, as though he had gained some understanding.
After pausing for a moment,
Zhu Wenxi asked curiously, "Then what has Teacher come to understand? And what does Teacher pursue?"
Hearing this question,
Kong Yi took another sip of wine, then answered without hesitation, "Spirit and loyalty."
"This student has heard that the court once invited Teacher to serve as an official, but Teacher refused. Is loyalty to one's ruler and service to one's country not the loyalty Teacher pursues?" Zhu Wenxi asked in confusion.
At that,
Kong Yi smiled and said, "The loyalty I pursue is not merely loyalty to the Zhu family, to one family and one surname. The loyalty in my heart is to the realm, to the Huaxia Han people."
"This is also the loyalty pursued by my entire clan."