The following afternoon,
In the central hall of Yan Song's mansion.
Gao Hanwen, Zhang Jing, and others had also arrived. Besides them, there was a scholar named Wei Liangbi, a master of Neo-Confucianism in Jiangxi, considered the foremost in the present dynasty. A few days prior, Yan Maoqing and Luo Longwen, tasked with completing Yan Song's writings, had sent for him.
As soon as they entered, Yan Shifan burst into laughter and exclaimed:
"Rare visitors, rare visitors! Mr. Wei's presence at my humble abode truly brings honor to Yan! Come, come, Mr. Wei, please take the honored seat."
Yan Shifan had significantly changed his ways. He rarely swore and was polite to everyone. He then said:
"Mr. Wei, Moqing, you should present your essays now. This is the most important task in the realm. We must first rectify the hearts of the people before we can govern the world..."
Wei Liangbi was a scholar who had served as an official for a few years before dedicating himself to lecturing. Although he disapproved of the Yan family, he was more concerned about Zhu Mo and the disruptive reactions to his reforms within the scholar community. Over the past few days, he had focused on writing with Gao Hanwen and others, believing he had exposed the absurdity of Zhu Mo's reforms from a Neo-Confucian perspective.
At this moment,
He began to read. His discourse started with the Way of the Sages, then moved to the Taiji Diagram, the principles of the *Book of Changes*, and finally the founding of the Great Ming and several subsequent dynasties, in a prolonged and tedious manner. In essence, his argument was:
The institutions of the Sages precede those of kings, and these institutions have existed for all time because the Heavenly Principle dictates so and remains immutable. Kings are kings precisely because they adhere to the institutions of the Sages. Those who do not follow the institutions of the Sages are rulers like Jie and Zhou...
Yan Shifan had almost dozed off listening, but as he heard a few sentences, he suddenly came to, stood up with a whoosh, and listened intently to every word:
"Therefore, it is said: Principle precedes Qi.
The Sages are latent kings. What does latent mean? It means pattern, model, rule, standard, and plumb line. Before the existence of Sages, there was the Way of the Sages. With the Way of the Sages, there were the institutions of the Sages. Before the existence of kings, there were also the traces of the Sages, such as Shennong and Fuxi. Those who become kings without following the traces of the Sages are the rulers like Jie and Zhou.
Therefore, the Way of learning must not deviate from the institutions of the Sages. What are the institutions of the Sages? 'Institutions' refers to examination, measurement, rules, and standards. Reflecting inward, we call it preserving Heavenly Principle and eradicating human desire, achieving innate knowledge, and expanding one's disposition. The Way of scholars today has been impure for more than a day. The seven schools of Wang Yangming each have branches, which are complex and divergent, confusing scholars throughout the land. The people take scholars as their model, leading to a hundred variations. Where can the people find solace?
Therefore, those who seek good governance must first know the institutions of the Sages, which is the principle of the Way. Those who seek prosperity must first understand the Way of the Sages, which is the principle of affairs.
Since ancient times, reforms have been enacted to strengthen the state. This is inevitable. What is there to be surprised about? However, when Sages enacted reforms, they always balanced the fundamental principles with expediency. What are fundamental principles and expediency? Fundamental principles are the institutions of the Sages. Expediency is the common principle of affairs. If an affair does not conform to the fundamental principles, it is made to conform. This is how sage kings reformed. It is not so now. If an affair does not conform to the fundamental principles, it is not made to conform; instead, it is expanded. Thus, the order of noble and humble, pure and turbid is overturned, and the principles of seniority and deference are scattered.
Your subjects also know that reforms are necessary for revival. However, when seeking the Way of the Sages and desiring reform, one must first grasp the main thread and find the key. The main thread is the Way of the Sages, the institutions of the Sages, and the learning of the Sages. Therefore, your subjects request the court to re-establish official schools, to expound the Way of unity between principle and mind, and to promote the learning of the convergence of Qi and principle, so as to prevent confusion among scholars throughout the land."
Yan Shifan had not read for many years, but today he found it quite engaging.
In his view,
This entire string of rambling nonsense was naturally like a stinking, long foot-binding cloth. But this was how things were in the Great Ming. Without understanding these things, one could not pass the imperial examinations, and without passing the examinations, one could not become an official... Therefore, in every village across the land, there were people studying diligently all night.
It was the same for Yan Shifan. If he wanted to bring down Zhu Mo, he had to make these points clear. Listening today, he had a general grasp of the situation: all scholars in the land, upon reading this essay, would understand a crucial point – the interest of all scholars in the land lay in the four words 'institutions of the Sages'! And Zhu Mo's reforms would render all their studies useless!
The strength of Wei Liangbi's argument lay in its ability to hold the emperor accountable from above and to suppress the common people from below. Anyone who did not adhere to the institutions of the Sages was an enemy of all gentry and scholars.
These principles were originally simple, but to explain them clearly and thoroughly was still not easy, and to speak of them in a grand and dignified manner was even more difficult. The most brilliant aspect of this essay was the four words 'Principle precedes Qi.' With this as the guiding principle, all key points were thoroughly explained.
Clap! Clap!
Clap, clap, clap~
Yan Shifan clapped his hands incessantly, repeatedly exclaiming:
"Good! Good, marvelous... Mr. Wei, what a fine essay! The beauty of this essay lies in its thorough explanation of 'principle' and 'mind'! Indeed... The hearts of all people should return to principle, only then can there be good governance! I think Mr. Wei's proposal to re-establish official schools is feasible. I will mention it to the Grand Secretariat the day after tomorrow and arrange for a court discussion to finalize this matter...
Ah, someone! Bring me my set of Song Dynasty Classics! I must thank Mr. Wei! Hahaha, Mr. Wei, please do not disdain it. This is like presenting a fine sword to a hero and beautiful silks to a lady!"
...
Several days later,
Zhu Mo also returned to the capital.
At the first opportunity, he went to Chaotian Temple to find Zhu Qi.
At this moment,
The three were reunited at a stone table under a banyan tree outside Chaotian Temple, feeling a sense of having passed through different eras.
Having been apart for nearly a month, seeing Xiaoxiao Sheng again, Zhu Mo felt a great sense of familiarity and said with a smile, "I was too rushed this time. I should have brought you some local specialties..."
Xiaoxiao Sheng laughed heartily, "Young Master Zhu, your exploits in Datong are now known throughout the land. I heard even Altan Khan suffered losses at your hands...?"
Zhu Qi laughed and said, "That's natural. Young Master Zhu seems to have an extra pair of eyes; he sees everything so clearly... Ah, truly a divine person..."
Zhu Mo had matters on his mind. After some pleasantries, he took out a jade buckle and some stationery and said,
"Old Ding, you are knowledgeable and experienced. Do you recognize this?"
Xiaoxiao Sheng handled it for a while and pondered, "This, naturally, is from the Prince of Jing's estate, but I don't know if it's from the Anlu Prefecture or the former residence in the capital... However, I quite like this poem... Young Master Zhu, you mentioned earlier that the prostitute's name was Song Yin'er?"
Mm-hmm,
Zhu Mo smiled and said, "You know her too?"
Haha,
Xiaoxiao Sheng chuckled and said,
"How could I know someone so exalted? It's just that it suddenly occurred to me that I have a friend named Wang Shenzhong, who particularly enjoyed erotic poetry from the Hua Jian collection, especially writing sensual poems in five-character verses... This poem's style is very much like Old Wang's. And Old Wang, many years ago, did indeed frequent the capital, and many young dandies liked to learn to write erotic poetry from him... He only returned to his hometown to live in seclusion later. Whether he knew Prince Jing, I don't know... But I can write to him and show him the poem? And ask him if that Yin'er is a maidservant in Prince Jing's estate?"
Mm-hmm,
Zhu Mo felt he was getting somewhere. As a master like Xiaoxiao Sheng, he was extremely sensitive to words and rarely spoke incorrectly. It seemed the clue was most likely here...
At this moment,
Seeing Zhu Qi engrossed in drinking, he said,
"Old Qi, help me inquire about someone. An old nanny who used to work in Yan Shifan's mansion, named Nanny He..."