Chapter 312
Zhan Feiyu, who was diligently writing in the study, stopped her brush and looked at the solemn Qiu Zongxi, speaking weakly, "Sir, if you have something to say, just say it. The way you're looking at me is making me creeped out."
Harrumphing with great force, Qiu Zongxi examined the fair-faced Zhan Feiyu. In a few more days, she would be another year older, at the prime age of budding youth. Yet, this girl before him still had plump cheeks, her skin like congealed fat paired with dark pupils, making her look like an innocent, naive child of six or seven at first glance.
"What does 'Near vermilion, one gets stained red; near ink, one gets stained black' mean?" Qiu Zongxi stroked his beard and directly began to test Zhan Feiyu's studies.
No matter the time, as soon as she was tested, Zhan Feiyu immediately got into character. "Near vermilion, one gets stained red; near ink, one gets stained black. When the sound is harmonious, the echo is clear; when the form is straight, the shadow is direct."
This sentence comes from Fu Xuan's "Admonition to the Crown Prince" from the Jin Dynasty. It means that by being near cinnabar, one turns red, and by being near ink, one turns black. It implies that associating with good people will make oneself better, and associating with bad people will make oneself worse.
Qiu Zongxi did not speak, his eyes half-closed, waiting for Zhan Feiyu to continue. But his sudden mention of this saying, coupled with the fact that Madam Zhang was rescued from prison, and the prime suspect was Yang Shoucheng, made it clear who the "bad person" was.
Not wanting to bear the stigma of a bad reputation, Zhan Feiyu quickly organized her thoughts. "The Master said: 'When you see a worthy person, think of emulating him. When you see an unworthy person, reflect on yourself.'"
The great sage Confucius said, "When you see a worthy person, you should think of emulating him. When you see an unworthy person, you should reflect on whether you have similar faults."
Zhan Feiyu first established her stance. Even if she had some bad habits, Uncle Yang was a military man and had also studied. If he turned bad, it would not be because he was near vermilion, but because he failed to emulate the worthy.
Zhan Feiyu once again invoked the words of the great sage Confucius. "Sir, Uncle Yang was once a mighty general who commanded armies on the battlefield. His willpower was so firm that external factors could not move him. If Uncle Yang made a mistake, the first thing he should do is self-reflection, not shift the blame to others."
"So, you're saying that Yang Shoucheng's jailbreak was not your idea?" Qiu Zongxi looked meaningfully at the sophistical Zhan Feiyu, who indeed knew how to extricate herself.
Grinning, Zhan Feiyu straightened her small body, intending to have a good debate with the elder Mr. Qiu. "Historical records state that when Su Shi was young, his mother, Madam Cheng, taught him to read the 'Book of the Later Han'."
When they read the "Biography of Fan Pang," Su Shi was moved by the righteous spirit of Fan Pang and his mother. He asked his mother, "If one day I become an official like Fan Pang, what will you do, Mother?"
Madam Cheng replied, "If you can be as loyal to the country as Fan Pang, can I not be like Fan Pang's mother?"
Fan Pang was a famous scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty who offended powerful figures due to his integrity and uprightness. During the second wave of the "Party Prohibitions," the Ten Eunuchs falsely accused Fan Pang and ordered his arrest. Many people advised Fan Pang to flee, and quite a few local officials even intended to let him escape.
However, Fan Pang's mother urged him to emulate Li Ying and meet his fate with dignity.
This conversation between Su Shi and his mother is a classic example of emulating the worthy. It was precisely because of this cultivation of self-reflection and pursuit of goodness that Su Shi later became a virtuous scholar. Madam Cheng replied, "If you can be as loyal to the country as Fan Pang, can I not be like Fan Pang's mother?"
Fan Pang was a famous scholar of the Eastern Han Dynasty who offended powerful figures due to his integrity and uprightness. During the second wave of the "Party Prohibitions," the Ten Eunuchs falsely accused Fan Pang and ordered his arrest. Many people advised Fan Pang to flee, and quite a few local officials even intended to let him escape.
However, Fan Pang's mother urged him to emulate Li Ying and meet his fate with dignity.
This conversation between Su Shi and his mother is a classic example of emulating the worthy. It was precisely because of this cultivation of self-reflection and pursuit of goodness that Su Shi later became a virtuous scholar.