Scholar Zhou, a discussion of Confucianism

Ping'an County.

Zhao's Apothecary.

At the shop assistant's call, Xu Qingxiao looked somewhat surprised.

"The proprietor wants to see me?"

Curious, Xu Qingxiao carried his gifts inside.

"Yes! The proprietor has uncanny foresight. He said you would come today, and here you are."

The assistant took the gifts from Xu Qingxiao's hands and spoke respectfully.

"Where is the proprietor?"

Xu Qingxiao asked.

"He's upstairs recovering from his injuries. Please follow me."

The assistant led Xu Qingxiao upstairs.

Xu Qingxiao followed him.

Soon, they reached the second floor.

"Sir, Lord Qingxiao is here."

At the door, the assistant called out. A weak voice came from behind the tightly shut door.

"Please show him in."

The voice was very weak, making Xu Qingxiao feel even guiltier.

He pushed open the door, and Doctor Zhao came into view on his sickbed.

He lay weakly in bed with a strip of white cloth bound around his head, struggling to prop himself up.

"Doctor Zhao, please don't get up."

Xu Qingxiao hurried over to support him.

"It's all right."

Up close, Doctor Zhao's face was rather pale, and he looked terribly weak.

A closer glance revealed branding marks on Doctor Zhao's chest.

They were burns from a branding iron. Though bandaged, parts of them remained faintly visible. The white cloth was soaked with dark blood; it was easy to imagine what torture Doctor Zhao had endured.

In an instant, guilt and anger surged through Xu Qingxiao.

"Bastards."

Xu Qingxiao clenched his fists and cursed from the bottom of his heart. Doctor Zhao was a physician with an excellent reputation, who spent his days saving lives and tending the injured. Yet even now, past sixty, he had been brutally tortured.

How could Xu Qingxiao not be furious?

Hearing him, Doctor Zhao immediately pressed a hand over Xu Qingxiao's and shook his head.

"It's over. It's all over. Being alive is enough."

Doctor Zhao spoke weakly.

At those words, Xu Qingxiao calmed down a little.

"Doctor Zhao, I owe you for this. I will engrave this kindness upon my heart."

Xu Qingxiao spoke, his voice full of remorse.

"Don't feel that you owe me anything. In truth, I didn't give you up because I knew they wouldn't spare me even if I did."

"Shielding a criminal is no minor offense. A spoken promise is forever no more than a blank sheet of paper. I wasn't doing it for you so much as for myself."

"Besides, you did nothing wrong. Wanting to live is perfectly natural. Thankfully, we both weathered this calamity."

Doctor Zhao waved a hand. He took it in stride; surviving was a good thing.

As for not giving Xu Qingxiao up, that had mainly been for his own sake.

He was no three-year-old child. Naturally, he hadn't believed what the people from Southern Yu Prefecture had told him.

"Whatever the case, I still must thank you."

Xu Qingxiao understood his reasoning, but his gratitude was still heartfelt.

Soon, however, Doctor Zhao spoke again.

"Lord Cheng must have told you about the drawbacks of unorthodox arts?"

He suddenly brought up the matter.

Xu Qingxiao knew what Doctor Zhao meant. He gave no answer, remaining silent.

"Never mind. Everyone has their own calamities to face. You took this path to survive because you had no other choice."

"But Qingxiao, if a day comes when you truly cannot control yourself, you must make the right choice for the sake of innocent people. Otherwise, this will become the regret of my lifetime."

Doctor Zhao spoke, his heart deeply conflicted.

In truth, he had originally intended to give Xu Qingxiao up. Had it not been for his compassionate heart as a physician, and his fear of implicating more innocent people, he would already have spoken.

Especially after learning what truly made unorthodox arts so terrifying, Doctor Zhao had begun to struggle with his decision.

If one day Xu Qingxiao truly became a demon and fell into darkness, he would not be the only one to die.

Countless innocent people would die as well.

That was why Doctor Zhao had lain awake all night.

After all, he could heal the body, but not the heart.

"Doctor Zhao, rest assured. If that time truly comes, I won't harm the innocent."

Xu Qingxiao nodded.

He understood what Doctor Zhao feared.

But if one day he truly lost control, he would not simply let himself become a demon.

Harming innocent people was something Xu Qingxiao could never do.

Hearing his answer, Doctor Zhao nodded. Though he did not know whether Xu Qingxiao meant it, that answer was enough for now.

Soon, however, Xu Qingxiao spoke in turn.

"Doctor Zhao, may I ask you something? Do you know much about Confucianism?"

Xu Qingxiao put the question to Doctor Zhao.

The Heaven and Earth Literary Palace within his mind might be able to suppress the demonic seed, but he did not know how to open it.

Xu Qingxiao suspected that it had something to do with Confucianism, which was why he asked.

"Confucianism?"

Doctor Zhao looked curious.

"Yes, Confucianism."

Xu Qingxiao nodded.

Then Doctor Zhao shook his head and said,

"I don't know much about Confucianism, but the teacher at the county's private school should. He's a well-known scholar in our county, after all. Though he never passed the provincial examination, he's still a learned man."

"Why do you ask?"

Doctor Zhao asked curiously.

"Doctor Zhao, the demonic seed of an unorthodox art is inside me. It's an evil presence, while Confucianism cultivates righteous Haoran qi. Perhaps that could suppress the demonic nature within me. Of course, that's only my guess."

Xu Qingxiao did not lie to Doctor Zhao. He told him the truth.

At those words, surprise flashed in Doctor Zhao's eyes. After a moment's thought, he slowly said,

"Now that you mention it, that really might work. I've often heard Scholar Zhou say something about scholars nurturing qi that keeps a hundred evils at bay."

"Here's what you should do. Ask my shop assistant to prepare a packet of qi-replenishing medicine. Scholar Zhou's wife suffers from a qi deficiency. Deliver it for me, and ask him while you're there. I won't charge you for the medicine. Consider it your tuition."

Doctor Zhao was quite excited and immediately worked out everything for Xu Qingxiao.

"There's no need for that. I'll pay for the medicine. Doctor Zhao, you've already helped me so much."

Xu Qingxiao did not want to owe Doctor Zhao any more. He rose and took out his remaining silver. Though there wasn't much, it was a gesture of sincerity.

"Ah."

Doctor Zhao understood his intentions. He said nothing more, only letting out a soft sigh.

"Doctor Zhao, please rest well. If there's anything you need me to do, just say the word."

After a little while, Xu Qingxiao rose to take his leave, not wanting to disturb Doctor Zhao any longer. His words were entirely sincere.

"Mm, go on."

Doctor Zhao nodded, then watched Xu Qingxiao leave.

Before long, Xu Qingxiao walked out of Zhao's Apothecary carrying a packet of medicinal herbs.

Ping'an County was small, with nine villages and twenty-four streets. Scholar Zhou did not live far away, either. With his newly ranked physique, Xu Qingxiao reached Scholar Zhou's home in less than a quarter of an hour at a brisk pace.

It was a simple courtyard, with a low, plain house.

A woman of about forty was sweeping outside the gate.

"May I ask if Master Zhou is home? I'm Xu Qingxiao, a runner from the county office. Doctor Zhao asked me to bring him some medicine."

Xu Qingxiao approached with the medicine and asked.

"An officer?"

Hearing that Xu Qingxiao was an officer, the woman looked surprised. But after hearing the rest, she immediately gave him a warm smile.

"He's inside reading. Please come in and rest, my lord."

The woman invited Xu Qingxiao inside.

Under both the old dynasty and the New Dynasty, the people of the Great Wei Dynasty held government officers in awe. Even a mere runner had to be respectfully addressed as "my lord," especially one like Xu Qingxiao.

As the saying went, the King of Hell was easy to deal with, but his little devils were hard to shake.

Besides, Xu Qingxiao had come to deliver medicine, so she naturally had to be more courteous.

"As it happens, I have a few questions for Master Zhou. Please forgive the intrusion."

Xu Qingxiao followed the woman inside.

"Not at all, my lord. You're being far too formal."

Taking the medicine, the woman led Xu Qingxiao into the courtyard. A middle-aged man was holding a book there, reading it closely.

The man was also around forty, somewhat thin, and dressed very simply in blue. A strip of blue cloth bound his hair, and as he read beneath the tree, he exuded a scholarly air.

"Zhou Ling, we have a guest."

The woman called out, drawing Zhou Ling out of his reading beneath the tree.

"A guest?"

Zhou Ling raised his head and looked curiously at Xu Qingxiao, but immediately stood to show his respect.

"This is an officer from our county. His name is..."

The woman spoke, only to forget Xu Qingxiao's name.

"Xu Qingxiao."

Xu Qingxiao supplied it. She gave an embarrassed chuckle, then continued, "Old Zhao sent him to bring us medicine."

The woman explained.

Hearing this, Zhou Ling understood at once and smiled warmly at Xu Qingxiao. "Ah, you're from the government office. Come, come, please step inside and rest."

Zhou Ling was very amiable, though not because Xu Qingxiao was an officer. He was a scholar of Great Wei and ran a private school in Ping'an County, giving him a respectable standing. Even constables had to address him as Master Zhou when they met him.

Xu Qingxiao did not dare put on airs.

"You're too kind, sir. I'm only a lowly runner."

Xu Qingxiao replied.

Zhou Ling smiled and led Xu Qingxiao into the main room.

Then he spoke directly.

"Young Qingxiao, I imagine you've come to see me about something else as well?"

Though a scholar, Zhou Ling was no bookworm. He could tell Xu Qingxiao had another reason for coming.

"It's nothing major. I only hoped to ask you a few questions, sir."

Xu Qingxiao smiled.

"Mm, go ahead."

Once inside, Zhou Ling poured Xu Qingxiao some tea.

"Now that Great Wei has entered the New Dynasty and the empress has taken the throne, officials face increasingly strict oversight, and learned men are being entrusted with important positions. Though I'm only a lowly runner, I have a few dreams of my own. If I become a constable someday but lack even a little learning, wouldn't I seem far too mediocre?"

Xu Qingxiao gave a slightly sheepish smile, making him seem honest and simple.

At those words, Zhou Ling immediately smiled.

"Good. Very good."

"You're absolutely right. Now that the empress has ascended the throne, she places great importance on learned men. Though you work as a runner, your thinking is entirely sound. If you hope to rise in office, you must have literary qi within you."

Xu Qingxiao's blend of praise and flattery pleased Zhou Ling greatly.

Xu Qingxiao took the opportunity to ask,

"Then may I ask, sir, how are the ranks of the Confucian Dao divided?"

He asked directly.

"The Confucian Dao?"

Zhou Ling began slowly.

"Like martial practitioners, those who follow the Confucian Dao are divided into ten ranks. But advancing through its ranks depends neither on meditation and cultivation nor on strengthening the body and bones. It depends on literary qi."

Zhou Ling answered.

"Literary qi?"

Xu Qingxiao was curious.

"Mm."

Zhou Ling nodded.

"Then how can one acquire literary qi?"

Xu Qingxiao continued asking.

"There are three ways for a Confucian scholar to acquire literary qi. The first is reading. That's what the saying 'read ten thousand volumes' means."

"The second is writing essays, poems, lyrics, songs, and rhapsodies. However, they must be read and appreciated by the people of the world, so generally one must publish books. Of course, there's another place where literary qi can be accumulated: the Imperial Examination Grounds."

"As for the third method, it is quite profound: comprehending the Dao. With sudden enlightenment, one can become a half-sage in a single morning. Without it, one remains where one is for a lifetime."

Zhou Ling explained the system of the Confucian Dao.

Xu Qingxiao began to understand.