"What a lesson! What a lesson indeed!"
In the Chen estate, the gathered literati looked radiant, their faces flushed as though they had discovered a great treasure.
And in truth, they had. Chen Cuo's words had opened their eyes. His language had been plain and unpretentious, without a hint of feigned profundity. He had made deep ideas easy to grasp: once they heard them, they understood. By tracing his argument from beginning to end, they could see its every connection and cause. They knew not only what had happened, but why. The knowledge had become their own.
From now on, whether they entered noble houses or attended grand banquets, they could display that learning in conversation. Even telling their elders about it when they returned home would count as a great gain. How could they not be satisfied?
Such treatment was usually reserved for the disciples of sages and worthies!
More exciting still, Chen Cuo intended to continue!
"We understand the first kind of spread now, and we know its causes and consequences. May I ask, sir..." It was Xia Jing who spoke up again. Excitement and fear that the answer might slip away made his voice tremble. "What is the second kind? What drove the flourishing of so many schools side by side today?"
"The second kind?"
Chen Cuo looked over the people before him but did not answer at once.
His silence left them anxious. Surely he wouldn't stop here and leave the rest unsaid? Even Li Si, who had harbored a prejudice against him, now felt an urgent desire to know.
But Chen Cuo meant to make these people seeds that would spread his teachings on Rise and Fall. Why would he hide what he knew? Only when his ideas traveled far and wide could they help