Literary Ripples, the Confucian Scholars Appraise Qiu

A few days ago, outside the Han Residence, Xi Muyuan met Qiu Yan for the First Meeting. When Qiu Yan mentioned entering the forest, Xi Muyuan was quite dismissive of him. After all, Xi Muyuan had been intelligent since childhood and did not think he was inferior to others.

However, what seemed absurd at the time has now come true, which makes Xi Muyuan somewhat incredulous. He knows the conditions required to enter the forest ahead of time. Although he was able to enter the forest back then due to his own literary talent, he also relied on external resources. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for him to make the trip.

Just moments ago, Xi Muyuan felt that he and Qiu Yan were of different statuses. The other man could only play chess with others outside, while he could listen to the gentlemen read their articles nearby. But in the blink of an eye, he was about to listen to someone read Qiu Yan's articles. The contrast was enormous.

Not only Xi Muyuan, but also Zhen Zhizuo, An Jin and the others heard these words and had different expressions, but none of them said a word.

Then, Zhou Dongyi picked up the article, unfolded it, and nodded. "So it's this ' Knowledge Through Effort, Practice Through Diligence. This one is good; although it's not in the top three, it could easily be ranked fourth or fifth."

This time, the articles that opened up the Heart Path are fewer than ten, but they are all written by the best writers in Eastern Capital. Being ranked in the middle is already quite remarkable.

"Oh?" The other gentlemen who were reading also became interested, and several of them got up and came over.

Literary Pavilion Appraisal would then write comments and annotations on the article, which would be passed on to Lin Zhong Zhonghun through the Sage Paper. However, these comments would only be written after everyone had read them through.

Right now, the article is still clean, with only lines of neat handwriting.

"Qiu Yan's calligraphy is quite good, upright and full, free yet not overstepping the bounds." Xu Shi walked over and took a look, and his first impression of Qiu Yan's writing was his impression of the characters.

Pang Chu also approached, and upon seeing the title of the essay, he smiled and said, "Knowledge Through Effort, Practice Through Diligence is the duty of a scholar. Without experiencing difficulties, how can one contemplate life? How can one enlighten one's mind? That He Shuchang has had a smooth journey, which has limited his understanding. He needs to experience setbacks and gain insights from the common people before he can achieve anything. Otherwise, it will take him at least three more years to cultivate his Literary Heart talent."

Junior Chen nodded in agreement. "Indeed, in this respect, Qiu Yan is the benefactor of the headmaster." He did not show any bias simply because the He Shuchang was a disciple of his academy.

Zheng Qiu raised his head shakily, his eyes sweeping over Qiu Yan's words. "History has long pointed out that adversity can enlighten one, allowing one to understand the workings of Celestial Person, and comprehend the changes of the past and present. Without any experience, how can one gain anything?"

His voice spread out and reached the ears of Zhen Zhizuo and the others, stirring their hearts and planting a seed within them. They immediately understood that the old man was intentionally giving them guidance, and their expressions turned solemn.

But these words, when they reached Xi Muyuan's ears, ignited a fire in his heart, and his face flushed. He felt a kind of torment, because in his heart, he had always been belittling Qiu Yan.

This was no accident. The two were about the same age, but Qiu Yan made a great name for himself as soon as he arrived in Eastern Capital, which naturally made Xi Muyuan want to compete with him and wanted to surpass him. However, things never went as planned, and he inevitably went to extremes.

"Qiu Yan simply happened to be in the right place at the right time. He wrote an article during a literary event, which is why it attracted the attention and discussion of many scholars."

That being said, deep down he also harbored the same desire, hoping to move many wise men with a single article. However, since this was happening to other people, he naturally felt resentful and instead felt disgusted.

In fact, commenting on articles is a matter of personal preference. Before Xi Muyuan and the others came in, several articles had already aroused the interest of many gentlemen, who discussed and appreciated them, and occasionally laughed. This was perfectly acceptable and not something that Qiu Yan enjoyed alone; it just so happened that others happened to be there.

The same thing can have different meanings depending on the person's perspective.

At this moment, in Zhen Zhizuo's view, the other gentlemen's evaluation of Qiu Yan was perfectly justified.

He gained a lot of insights and lessons from these comments. In addition, although he failed to successfully bring Qiu Yan into the Principle Sect Academy despite the opposition, Qiu Yan's reputation gradually rose, and along with it, Zhen Zhizuo's reputation also gradually grew, earning him a reputation for having a discerning eye for talent.

Today, the recognition of Qiu Yan by many gentlemen is undoubtedly an affirmation of his Zhen Zhizuo vision and broad-mindedness, which brings joy to my heart.

The gentlemen, of course, paid no attention to the thoughts of the younger generation; they were all savoring Qiu Yan's article, occasionally expressing their admiration.

Suddenly, Xu Shi noticed a sentence and frowned. "This sentence, 'When a thousand demons and monsters dazzle and change before you, they will naturally shatter upon contact and be resolved upon meeting,' is somewhat outrageous and seems to take advantage of others' misfortunes. It's not the righteous path."

"That's not quite right," Pang Chu shook his head and laughed. "There's nothing wrong with that statement. When two armies clash, the natural thing is to seize the opportunity and strike decisively. If victory is assured, what else is there to worry about? This principle applies everywhere."

Xu Shi shook his head again. "This text is interpreted in terms of military Military World and ranks, but that is the mindset of Military School. We scholars aim to spread this knowledge throughout the world and establish a standard for all generations. How can we engage in secretive practices? Human hearts are inherently fickle, and the etiquette of setting an example cannot be complicated or unpredictable, otherwise loopholes will arise, and it will instead foster demonic and unscrupulous thoughts."

Seeing that the two relatively young Grand Confucian were about to start arguing because of Qiu Yan's words, Zhen Zhizuo and the others exchanged glances, knowing that it was not something they could get involved in. However, they could discern some truth from their argument. Some thought Xu Shi's words made sense, while others agreed with Pang Chu's proposition.

Upon Xi Muyuan snapped out of his slump and felt a surge of joy. He thought that Qiu Yan's words might have offended one of the gentlemen. At the same time, he noticed that the other gentlemen were all deep in thought, clearly judging the merits of Qiu Yan's words.

"Confucian Way Doctrine of the Mean Daoism advocate moderation and profound meaning in concise language. Many things should be left unsaid and unrevealed, otherwise it will leave people with the impression of carelessness. Qiu Yan has already written this sentence."

Just as Xi Muyuan was making his judgment, Han Yi, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up, "You two must not quarrel, and must not forget the matter between Geng Lei and the King of Wei?"

Upon hearing this, everyone's hearts stirred. Even Zhen Zhizuo and Zheng Yi were secretly moved. In a flash, they understood what Han Yi meant.

This occurred before the Ancestral Dragon unified China, during a time of warring states. The two names might be difficult to understand, but if we change them, people will be more familiar with them.

<A bird startled by the twang of a bow>

It is said that the ruler of the Wei Kingdom and Geng Lei Ying were standing on a high platform. Looking up, they saw a bird flying by in the sky. Geng Lei then said that he could shoot the bird down without shooting an arrow, but only by drawing his bow.

King Wei naturally didn't believe it, but the result surprised him greatly. Geng Ying picked up his bow, and Geng Lei the string was pulled, the bird fell.

King Wei sighed deeply, Geng Lei said, "This is a wounded lone goose. Because of its injury, it flies slowly. Being separated from its flock, its cries are mournful. It has been living in fear. Upon hearing the bowstring, it tried to fly high, which caused its wound to tear open, and that's why it fell."

Being separated from the group due to sorrow, besieged by loneliness and fear, and having one's will worn down is the root of being easily frightened.

However, this incident also demonstrates Geng Ying's Geng Lei, showing that he is good at observation and has superb skills, which enabled him to seize the opportunity and strike successfully.

Han Yi brought this up at this time, partly to prove that the sentence Qiu Yan wrote was not limited to the military, but was applicable to other industries as well, and could even be used in daily life.

Besides...

"The old prime minister is right," Pang Chu nodded. "Seizing the opportunity and winning in one fell swoop does not demonstrate quick wit or cunning, but rather deep accumulation and a mindset of being prepared at all times. In this way, one will not miss the opportunity when it comes, and that is the honorable way."

Upon hearing this, the other gentlemen nodded slowly, while Xu Shi remained silent.

Zhen Zhizuo and the others felt enlightened, while Xi Muyuan had a gloomy expression. Although he had some feelings, he was unwilling to think about them deeply, and his mind was completely controlled by his emotions.

At this moment, a gentleman suddenly said, "Judging from these few sentences, this essay should be ranked in the top three. Why did the Duke of Zhou only say that it could only achieve the fourth or fifth place?"

Upon hearing this, the others also felt puzzled. Suddenly, Xi Muyuan had a sudden realization and a thought struck him, "Could it be that there is something wrong with the later part of Qiu Yan's article? That it does not conform to the teacher's intention?"

Thinking this, he suppressed his thoughts and looked back at the paper. The others did the same. Pang Chu, who was reading, continued reading, but when he read the sentence "With roots, one can live; without roots, one dies," he frowned and stopped.

At the same time, those who heard this sentence felt a strange sensation, sensing that it was slightly out of sync with the overall tone of the article.

Xi Muyuan was already very attentive and his heart was pounding. At this moment, a thought suddenly occurred to him, and he understood the reason.

"I see. The first part of Qiu Yan's article reflects a spirit of not being afraid in the face of difficulties, accumulating knowledge diligently, and being ready to seize opportunities at any time. It is a bold and enterprising attitude. However, the sentence 'If it has roots, it will grow; if it has no roots, it will die' interprets a mentality of being content with one's lot, which is out of sync with the spirit of the whole article and makes the thinking seem chaotic. It is enough to lower the evaluation by one level."

As Zhou Dongyi's disciple, Xi Muyuan possessed insightful views and scholarly knowledge. Although he had been State of Mind uneasy lately, his Literary Thought remained strong. He was pleased with the strange phenomenon and quickly figured out the cause of this eerie feeling, and couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

"I thought Qiu Yan was quite remarkable, but now it seems his thoughts are still incomplete, even somewhat contradictory. He's not invincible; in fact, he's just a lucky guy."

This immediately relieved the pressure he felt from Qiu Yan's words, and he gradually felt more at ease.

Zhen Zhizuo and the others had also figured it out by now. Some felt it was a pity, while others shook their heads and remained silent.

However, the gentlemen all frowned, seemingly deep in thought.

At the same time, Duolu, who had been watching downstairs for a while, knocked on the door of Prince Yan's room. Prince Yan came out to greet him, but his expression was not very good.