Questions and challenges

"Yes," Wang Yang said.

"The master is not receiving visitors." The Confucian scholar leafed through his book without so much as glancing at Wang Yang.

Seeing the scholar slight Wang Yang, Black Han stepped forward. "My young master is of the Langya Wang."

The scholar still did not look up. He merely said offhandedly, "Not even the Lanling Xiao Clan would be admitted."

Wang Yang was startled. The Lanling Xiao Clan was the imperial clan of Southern Qi! Such a remark could only pass in the Six Dynasties. In the Qing Dynasty, anyone who said something like "Not even the Aisin Gioro would be admitted" would certainly have been punished.

Indignant, Black Han said, "The Prince is of the Lanling Xiao Clan too."

The current inspector of Jingzhou was the reigning emperor's fourth son, Xiao Zixiang, Prince of Badong. Whenever the people of Jingzhou said "His Highness" without specifying which prince, they generally meant him.

The titles of imperial princes in the Southern Dynasties all represented "tax fiefs." A tax fief meant that its holder received tax revenue but had no right to govern the territory. His actual power depended on the offices he held.

Thus, although Xiao Zixiang was the Prince of Badong, he had little connection with Badong Commandery. He was now stationed in Jingzhou, and his uncle, the Prince of Yuzhang, had also once been stationed there. Moreover, Xiao Zixiang had been adopted as the Prince of Yuzhang's son. With all these ties, the people of Jingzhou felt a special affinity for the Prince of Badong.

What Black Han meant was: you boast that even the Lanling Xiao Clan would be refused, but if Jingzhou's foremost figure, the Prince of Badong, came here, would you really deny him an audience too?

The scholar said mildly, "In a place of learning, precedence is given to age and virtue, not rank."

Black Han did not understand that remark. In any case, he did not believe this bookworm would truly dare bar the Prince.

Wang Yang, however, knew this was a tradition among certain scholars. Giving no precedence to rank meant that people were not ordered according to the height of their official positions. In other words, these scholars honored age and virtue, not a prince's office or title.

Wang Yang had always been an able debater and could have refuted those words if he wished, but he had no desire to do so. He stopped Black Han from stepping forward to argue and bowed to the scholar with clasped hands. "I have a letter here. Please pass it to the Libationer."

The scholar neither looked at Wang Yang nor returned his bow, merely brushing him off. "I am not a messenger. Confucius said, 'Do not concern yourself with the affairs of an office you do not hold.' The Book of Changes says, 'The gentleman does not let his thoughts stray beyond his position.'"

He quoted the Analects first, then the Book of Changes, meaning that one should not meddle in matters outside one's duties.

Wang Yang answered at once, "Confucius said, 'The gentleman helps others fulfill what is good.' The Book of Changes says, 'With sincerity and a benevolent heart, supreme good fortune comes without question.'"

He likewise quoted the Analects first, then the Book of Changes, meaning that the sages taught people to help others.

Only then did the scholar put down his book and look up at Wang Yang. "Trying to use the Langya Wang name to plead someone's case?"

"What case?"

"If you aren't here to plead a case, why have you come to see my master?"

"To discuss scholarship."

The scholar gave a laugh. "You are not qualified."

Wang Yang did not get angry. He asked calmly, "Then what would qualify me?"

"I will give you three questions. If you answer them correctly, I will announce your arrival. But if you cannot answer, never set foot at our Commandery Academy Gate again!"

Wang Yang extended his right hand, palm upward, making a gesture of challenge often seen in television dramas. "Please."

"Come quickly! Senior Brother Yu has stopped someone at the gate!" Seven or eight students inside called to their friends and hurried over.

"The Xue Er Chapter of the Analects says, 'A young man should be filial at home and respectful to his elders abroad, prudent and trustworthy, loving toward all and close to the benevolent. If he has strength to spare after practicing these things, he should study the texts.' Thus, studying the texts comes last. Yet the Shu Er Chapter says, 'The Master taught four things: texts, conduct, loyalty, and trustworthiness.' Here, texts come first. Why?"

The scholar delivered all of this in one breath, then looked at Wang Yang, his eyes full of provocation.

The students nodded repeatedly, all finding the question fiendishly tricky.

Wang Yang considered it, then answered, "The former is the order in which a student puts his teachings into practice. The latter is the order in which a teacher instructs his students."

The scholar's smug expression instantly froze.

Wang Yang continued, "The texts are the classics of the ancient kings, and virtue is nurtured within them. One first studies the 'texts' to cultivate 'conduct'; once conduct has been cultivated, 'loyalty and trustworthiness' can take root. After these have taken root, a student should naturally make cultivating virtue his foundation: filial at home, respectful abroad, loving toward all and close to the benevolent. If he cannot accomplish any of these, what use is devoting himself solely to texts? Thus, among the four disciplines of Confucius, virtuous conduct comes first and literary learning last. Yet when teaching students, one must begin with texts. It is like fishing: because one wants fish, one relies on a fishing rod. What is there to question?"

So that was it!

The students nodded, inwardly marveling at his ingenious reasoning.

The scholar was startled too. So it could be explained that way!

He had intended to use this question to stump people, and did not even know the answer himself. Yet this young gentleman had actually answered it-and with sound reasoning and evidence! The Langya Wang's family learning was truly extraordinary!

The scholar immediately abandoned his contempt and asked gravely, "How many instances does the Spring and Autumn Annals record of feudal lords moving their capitals on their own initiative?"

Wang Yang closed his eyes and began tallying them in his head. The students also began discussing the question in low voices.

After waiting a while, the scholar sneered. "If you cannot think of the answer, go home. Our Jingzhou Commandery Academy is not a place just anyone can enter."

Black Han said, "My young master has not answered yet. How do you know he cannot think of it?"

"If he thinks until nightfall, am I supposed to wait until nightfall too?"

Seeing Wang Yang standing silently with his eyes closed, Black Han worried that he had been stumped. "Having you set the questions was unfair to begin with! You prepared them beforehand, while my young master has to think on the spot! If my young master were setting the questions, I guarantee you could not answer a single one!"

The scholar did not dispute this. "If I were visiting him, he could set the questions too. But now-"

"Seven," Wang Yang said, opening his eyes.

Startled, the scholar pressed him. "Which seven?"

Wang Yang smiled. "Is that the third question?"

"Of course not. Asking how many there were means you must explain which ones they were. What if you merely guessed-"

Without waiting for him to finish, Wang Yang answered, "Xing State moved to Yiyi, Wei State to Diqiu, and Cai State to Zhoulai. Xu State moved first to Ye, then to Yi, a third time to Baiyu, and a fourth time to Rongcheng."

A flash of horror crossed the scholar's eyes, and all the students fell silent!

The scholar regrouped and asked another question. "The Zuo Commentary records Jin State moving to Xintian, and Chu State moving first to Zhu, then to Yi. Why does the Spring and Autumn Annals omit these three instances?"

In scholarship, it had always been "easy to explain presence, difficult to explain absence." Explaining why something was there was simple; explaining why it was not was much harder.

When asked why the Spring and Autumn Annals did not record something, whether one answered that it "might have forgotten" or pleaded that "there were too many events to record them all," it was all personal conjecture and could not count as authoritative. That was why the scholar had chosen this thorny question as his final challenge, determined to keep Wang Yang firmly outside the Commandery Academy!

This time, Wang Yang answered without even pausing to think. "In fact, the Spring and Autumn Annals never records states moving their capitals of their own accord. It only records those compelled to move by external forces. Xing State moved to Yiyi under pressure from the Di tribes; Wei State moved to Diqiu for the same reason; Cai State moved under pressure from Wu Kingdom. Of Xu State's four moves, three were ordered by Chu State. Only its move to Ye was intended to escape pressure from both Zheng and Chu, but even then, it dared act only after obtaining Chu State's approval."

Wang Yang glanced at the stupefied scholar and students, then continued, "None of these seven moves reflected the feudal lords' own wishes. The Spring and Autumn Annals records the moves without explicitly calling them 'forced relocations' for two reasons. First, it disapproved of feudal lords moving their capitals without reporting to the royal court. Second, it did not wish to let the barbarians of Wu and Chu have their triumph. This is precisely the principle of 'venerate the king and expel the barbarians' that runs throughout the Spring and Autumn Annals-what is called 'subtle words and profound meaning'!"

Everyone stood rooted to the spot, silent for a long while. Wang Yang did not hurry them, merely waiting quietly.

Black Han felt more certain than ever that he had chosen the right man to follow. Looking at Wang Yang's tall, graceful figure and fluttering white robes, he thought, With the young master's learning and character, he ought to wear clothes this fine!

Note: The titles of imperial princes in the Southern Dynasties represented tax revenue from their fiefs, but they were not entitled to all the taxes those fiefs produced. In the Western Jin, they "received one part in three," with the remaining two parts going to the court. By the Eastern Jin, the realm had shrunk by half, and powerful enemies lay to the north, so they could only "receive one part in nine." Do not think that "one part in nine" sounds meager. In fact, taking a ninth was already enough to support an exceedingly lavish life, even without counting the princes' other income.

Princely tax fiefs in the Southern Dynasties generally comprised around two thousand households. Naturally, actual income could vary considerably depending on how rich or poor the allotted territory was. Emperor Wu of Southern Qi doted on his youngest son and once, because "all the good commanderies had already been allotted, enfeoffed him with Xuancheng." This meant that all the good fiefs had already been granted, so he wanted to grant Xuancheng Commandery to his son.

Xuancheng lay within Yangzhou, and Yangzhou was the province containing the Capital. In other words, he wanted to carve out a commandery from the great metropolitan province as a fief. Thus, when reading histories of the Southern Dynasties, one can actually tell whether a prince was favored by looking at the place named in his title. To avoid reducing state tax revenue, emperors generally granted princely fiefs in remote, undeveloped regions such as the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze. Badong Commandery, for instance, was hardly a good fief.