Unifying moral thought

Life at the academy followed a regular routine. After several days, Wang Gang's troubled mind settled down as well. Every day, he studied and practiced martial arts without ever slacking off.

Whenever he practiced, a crowd of students gathered to watch. Wang Gang deliberately showed off, doing whatever caught the eye and thrilled the senses, repeatedly drawing great waves of gasps and admiration.

Of course, things were not entirely harmonious. Liu Mo could not stand it! He thoroughly despised such crowd-pleasing antics! Whenever this happened, he would shield himself behind the others and say things like "the courage of a common brute" and "only a man whose name is called at East Hua Gate is a true man."

Wang Gang did not argue with him, either. He simply swung his fists. But what sort of man was Liu Mo? He read the books of sages and worthies, and learned that neither might nor force could make him yield!

Even after taking a beating, whenever he heard someone discussing Wang Gang's martial prowess, he would still scoff. "What martial prowess? He chased me for two li, and didn't I still get away?" Everyone roared with laughter, and the academy brimmed with merriment.

Life at the academy was regular but hardly peaceful, and even somewhat clamorous. Students often argued over a passage of classical interpretation until their faces and ears turned red, and coming to blows was commonplace.

Over the past few days, the students had grown agitated over the court's newly issued New Meanings of the Three Classics.

Had it merely been a commentary on the Rites, Poetry, and Book of Documents, everyone would have welcomed it and read it carefully. After all, stones from another mountain could polish jade.

But why had it provoked such a strong reaction this time? For no other reason than that this book was the officially designated textbook! Every interpretation in the imperial examinations had to follow it!

That stirred up a hornet's nest!

What sort of conduct was this? This was shackling their minds!

What were the students of the Great Song like? Push them hard enough, and they would dare curse even the emperor! Let alone a mere Wang Anshi!

Yes, Wang Anshi had overseen this book. He had personally written New Meanings of the Rites of Zhou, while his son and Lü Huiqing had served as chief editors of Meanings of the Mao Poetry and Meanings of the Book of Documents.

The students' furious denunciations and curses rang out without end. Even terms like "treacherous chief minister" were being thrown around!

They had no fear of some chief minister. In their collective outrage, they even began declaring that they would drag him from office! It was not as though they had never done such a thing before! And succeeded!

Sitting in his room, Wang Gang was also reading New Meanings of the Three Classics. However loudly they shouted, it would do no good. This was Wang Anshi's "unifying moral thought," intended to pave the way for his new policies by unifying people's thinking. As long as the new policies remained, this would not change!

What interested him more, however, was the fancy maneuvering of these great scholars!

From the warfare of the late Tang through to the Great Song, many book collections had been lost. These great scholars had therefore begun annotating the Six Classics anew. Yet as they went on, "I annotate the Six Classics" became "the Six Classics annotate me."

Zhou Dunyi had carried on Han Yu's legacy and come up with the Learning of the Way, then taught a few disciples. The two Cheng brothers had produced the Luo School, while Zhang Zai had established the Guan School.

They read the same books and were taught by the same teacher, yet their scholarship differed. By the time the tradition reached Zhu Xi, he looked back at New Meanings of the Three Classics and found inspiration, producing Collected Commentaries on the Four Books. It endured through the ages, with his commentaries still being used more than a thousand years later.

What an age of a hundred schools contending! Wang Gang thought. Should I get involved too? I have a piece on communis... forget it. I'd get beaten to death! Hmm, I could use Cheng Yi's idea that all things possess yin and yang to promote On Contradiction...

"Brother Yukun, come tell us what you think of New Meanings of the Three Classics!"

While Wang Gang was amusing himself inside his own head, a student pushed open the door and came in, pulling him along to join in denouncing the treacherous chief minister.

Wang Gang felt helpless. What am I supposed to do? My uncle and I are close kin! Even if we haven't met yet!

When Wang Gang was dragged into the gathering, the students were still arguing incessantly. Some said they should go through the motions and at least pass the imperial examinations first. More, however, believed that official success was a small matter, while losing one's integrity was a great one. They would resolutely boycott the new learning; as long as the court refused to dismiss the treacherous chief minister, they would refuse to sit the examinations!

"Quiet, everyone! Our great scholar Wang is here. Let's hear his lofty insights!"

Why does that sound so snide?

Wang Gang looked toward the voice. It was Liu Mo. Then never mind!

At those words, everyone fell quiet and turned to look at him.

"Like everyone else, I've only just received the book. What opinions could I possibly have?" Wang Gang waved his hands repeatedly.

"Your name made the prefectural examination list. How could you have no lofty insights? Or do you look down on the rest of us?"

Liu Mo stood behind the crowd, ready to take to his heels, but kept needling Wang Gang with his words. If Wang Gang refused to speak, he would prove Liu Mo's accusation true. If he did say something, Liu Mo could seize the chance to pick holes in it and mock his views as nothing special.

Wang Gang glanced at him with a smile, took a few steps out of the crowd, then turned to face everyone. "I really don't have any particular opinions. But compared with you, Black Dog Liu, everything I say is a lofty insight!"

"Good! Yukun, tell us!" Everyone had long since grown accustomed to the intimate exchanges between him and Liu Mo. Seeing that Wang Gang was willing to speak, they were all keenly interested.

Wang Gang raised a hand and pressed it downward. Only after the voices subsided did he say, "Gentlemen, criticism of this matter is boiling over today, but I wonder how many of you have actually read New Meanings of the Three Classics?"

Everyone froze. They had been furious upon hearing the news today. When had they had the time to read it?

"How could we read such a wicked, treacherous book?" someone demanded indignantly.

Wang Gang smiled. "If you consider it a wicked, treacherous book, all the more reason to read it. Otherwise, how would you know where its wickedness and treachery lie?"

He paused, then continued, "I was reading it just now! Judging solely by its contents, it certainly deserves to be called original in its insights and profound in its conception. I found no wicked or treacherous statements!"

"Ah... well..."

Whispers spread among the students, and someone else said, "It isn't that we don't acknowledge Chief Minister Anshi's scholarship. It's just that forcing us to use only his commentaries in the imperial examinations is far too overbearing!"

"Exactly!"

"That's precisely it!"

"Could it be that all the sages of ages past fall short of him, Wang Jiefu?"

The students began clamoring. That student's words had struck at the very heart of their dissatisfaction.

"That is another question altogether!" Wang Gang waited for everyone to settle down, then said, "Master Yichuan once said that all things possess yin and yang. I wholeheartedly agree. How could this matter be without its yin and yang?"

Wang Gang smiled. "You think this is far too overbearing, yet you haven't considered how much extra effort you spent catering to the chief examiners in previous examinations!"

Everyone fell silent. Admission through the imperial examinations was naturally determined by the chief examiner's preferences. Whenever the chief examiner's identity was announced, great numbers of people rushed to collect information about him and study his scholarly preferences! Some even went wild with joy over obtaining a manuscript in an examiner's own hand.

For the sons of high officials in the capital, that was one thing. Their fathers served at court alongside the chief examiner and knew something of his scholarship.

But for people like them, it was difficult. They could only rely on hearsay and desperately read more books, hoping to chance upon some luck.

Seen this way, having standard answers for the imperial examinations really was a good thing!

Seeing that everyone had stopped objecting, Liu Mo grew anxious and sneered, "Ha! You make it sound so fine. Since when could chasing quick success and immediate gain be dressed up in such high-sounding words?"

"Of course I can speak in high-sounding words!" Wang Gang looked down his nose at him. "The imperial examinations were always an important undertaking for selecting talent for the state. This measure puts students throughout the realm on the same track and cuts off the advantages of those relying on their family backgrounds!"

"For the state, it allows truly worthy talent to be selected. For us, it allows fair competition! Why shouldn't I speak in high-sounding words about something that benefits both the state and the people?"

Wang Gang cast Liu Mo a sidelong look and asked meaningfully, "Could it be that you, Liu Mo, Liu Zi'an, have family connections and want to fish in muddy waters?"

At those words, everyone turned to look. Liu Mo panicked. "I'm not! I don't! He's slandering me!"

Not far away, the academy head and Wen Zheng watched the scene.

The academy head asked, "What do you think?"

Wen Zheng answered with a smile, "Yukun is clever and talented!"

"Cleverness and talent aren't important! What matters is having a viewpoint!" The academy head turned and left. After a few steps, he added, "The prefectural academy will visit in three days. Make your preparations!"

"Yes!"