Time flies, and in a blink of an eye, it is March of the 39th year of Qianlong, the peach blossoms are beginning to bloom, and the spring water is in full bloom. On the shore of Slender West Lake, a piece of spring is full of joy. Ruan Chengxin took Ruan Yuan on this day, led the old horse at home, and went to the Slender West Lake area to play. There was an open area by the lake, and Nguyen Chengxin also taught his son some archery skills there.

"It's harder to shoot an arrow right away than to shoot on foot. But Yuan'er needs to remember that if the strength of the upper arm is ten, the strength of the lower plate is twenty points. If the lower plate is unstable, the arrow will not be shot accurately. Ruan Chengxin said to himself on the horse and demonstrated at the same time. After the demonstration, he let Ruan Yuan get on the horse, and led the reins of the horse himself, so that Ruan Yuan could exercise with peace of mind.

Ruan Yuan's arm strength was weak, and he shot several arrows, but he was already weak. In addition, he was on the horse, and he had to take care of the lower plate, even if the father held the horse, the horse would not run, and he was obviously in a hurry, insisting on the tenth arrow, and he was unable to support it, and he said to Ruan Chengxin quite dejectedly: "Daddy, the child is really not the material for martial arts." I'm afraid ...... I'm afraid that my grandfather's martial arts will not be inherited. ”

Ruan Chengxin also knew that Ruan Yuan was not talented in martial arts, so he taught him to practice archery, but in order to strengthen his body, and archery is one of the six arts of Confucianism. Seeing that Ruan Yuan was already difficult to insist, he did not force it. said: "If Yuan'er is tired, he will go back today." This archery is only for fitness, nothing else, if you are tired, go back today. After that, he turned over and got on the horse, hugged Ruan Yuan, and slowly returned.

Ruan Yuan felt a little sorry for his father, and while walking, he said to Ruan Chengxin: "Daddy, Yuan'er also wants to work hard, but it's really ......" Ruan Chengxin knows his son's temper, if he is not really physically weak, he will never give up. told him the truth and said, "Actually, my father taught you some ways to ride and shoot, and he didn't want you to inherit the ancestral business. Your grandfather was a martial arts exam, and later generations were also diligent and made it to the general. But at present, the world is peaceful, and those who take the martial arts test are actually inferior. Daddy has taught you to study the text for many years, and you will go to the Ming Sutra in the future. It's just that you haven't seen your grandfather, if your father doesn't teach you, I'm afraid that in the future, you will forget what the Ruan family used to be. According to the imperial examination system of the Ming and Qing dynasties, students should be selected in addition to the "Four Books" to answer a number of questions in one of the "Five Classics". Therefore, folk literati often borrowed ancient meanings and called the civil and official imperial examinations "Ying Ming Jing" to distinguish martial arts.

Ruan Yuan suddenly said: "Daddy, Yuan'er looked at Mr. Dongpo's military advice and was quite puzzled. Since Mr. Dongpo believes that there are so many disasters in the use of soldiers, he also said that good soldiers will die. That...... Then why does the grandfather still have to practice martial arts, and the father has to teach the child to ride and shoot? ”

Ruan Chengxin said: "This use of troops is not all a disaster. On the contrary, sometimes, the army will be used for some unavoidable things. Whether this use of soldiers is a good soldier or a last resort, it is only a word of 'righteousness'. ”

Ruan Yuan was still incomprehensible, so he quietly listened to his father talk about the difference.

Ruan Chengxin continued: "There is a distinction between 'righteousness' and 'injustice' in the use of soldiers, and the so-called injustice, the examples used by Mr. Dongpo in the article, are probably unjust. But where soldiers are used on the battlefield, it is the front-line soldiers who fight, who can transport grain, grass, and baggage, and provide labor, all on the people in the rear. If the war is unjust, the people will not know why they are fighting, and they will not be able to provide enough food and forage. As a result, it will be difficult for the front-line soldiers to hold on. ”

"Let's just say Qin Shi Huang, he ruled the six countries back then, the world was peaceful, if it ends here, it will be a righteous war. The people of the world are happy to be peaceful, aren't they? But after that, he had to send 500,000 troops to the south to Baiyue, using 500,000 soldiers on the front line, and millions of people were provided with supplies in the rear. The people of the world have just seen the end of the war, and they thought that they would live a peaceful life for a few days, but they still have to serve so many conscriptions, can they still bear it? Over time, the people's hearts were not attached, and the Qin Dynasty died. ”

But when Mr. Dongpo was born, the Song Dynasty was the reign of Emperor Renzong, although Emperor Renzong was not a genius, but he was also a diligent and loving lord. For a time, the people were happy and happy, and there was nothing in the world. At this time, Li Yuanhao raised troops in the west against the Song Dynasty, what morality is there? For Song Renzong, this is a righteous war. Therefore, Mr. Dongpo also said that although the imperial court lost several battles, it did not hurt the fundamentals, because of the people's will and righteous deeds. ”

"Did he fight that grandfather?" Ruan Yuan couldn't help but ask.

"Of course, your grandfather was very brave on the battlefield." Ruan Chengxin said.

"Then, was the battle that my grandfather fought a righteous war or an unjust war?" Ruan Yuan asked again.

The story of the war that Ruan Yutang participated in that year is quite complicated. Ruan Chengxin couldn't tell whether the battle was a righteous war or an unjust war, so he told a lot of stories to Ruan Yuan. After speaking, he said: "Whether it is righteous or unrighteous, my father can't tell clearly, Yuan'er will read for a few more years, and judge it for himself." ”

Soon the two returned to Hongqiao, only a mile away from Yangzhou. Hongqiao is in the northwest of Yangzhou City, which is not in the city, but the world has been peaceful for a long time, and Yangzhou City is not big, so it is difficult to live in too many people. Many people simply settled in the north of the moat and the south of the Cao River, Hongqiao, Caohe, and Tianning Temple. Although it is not within the city walls, the prosperity is not inferior to that of the city.

Along the way, seeing the bustling city and wine shops lined up, it was noon again, and the Ruan family father and son were also a little hungry. Ruan Chengxin took Ruan Yuan, found a wine shop, ordered fried tofu and fried chicken, thinking that Ruan Yuan was always a little tired after practicing archery all morning, and he should comfort him. While he was eating, he suddenly heard someone upstairs laughing loudly:

"I hope that Prince Zhaoming will have a spirit in the sky, bless my two brothers, and they will not be starved to death today!"

Ruan Chengxin thought that it was just a poor scholar entertaining himself, and he didn't care at first. Ruan Yuan heard the words "Prince Zhaoming", but he was very happy, he read with his father, Hu Tingsen and others on weekdays, and he was quite familiar with the "Anthology", but there are not many readers who read the "Anthology" on weekdays, so it is never difficult to find a bosom friend. At this time, when I heard these four words, I suddenly felt that the drought had been in the rain for a long time, so I walked upstairs quickly, wanting to see who was on the other side.

When I went upstairs, I saw two people dressed as scholars sitting against the wall. One of them was in his early twenties, of medium stature, with a fair face, and quite amiable. The other man had a long body and a fire face, about thirty years old, and his eyes were shining, and many people did not dare to approach. But Ruan Yuan felt that the two should be confidants, and they were not afraid of life, so they went straight to the past and said: "After learning from Ruan Yuan, dare to ask the two gentlemen, what I just said about Prince Zhaoming, but the sage who edited the "Anthology"? ”

The two scholars were stunned, they didn't expect that a sentence of Prince Zhaoming would also attract friends. The white-faced man looked kinder, and at this time he also took the initiative to reply: "This little friend is so elevated, and the two of us are really ashamed." This "Anthology" is a classic for the ages, and it is really not uncommon to read the articles in it. ”

"Yes...... But apart from my father, I haven't seen a few people who read the Anthology......" Ruan Yuan replied.

At this time, Ruan Chengxin was afraid that something would happen to his son, so he hurriedly walked upstairs, and saw that it was two scholars, and his son should not be in danger, so he said: "In Xia Yi Zheng Ruan Chengxin, this is the dog Ruan Yuan, I read some books on weekdays, so I became interested." We don't have much contact with outsiders, so he was so interested when he heard the two of them talk about Prince Zhaoming. The two of them knew the origin of the Ruan family's father and son.

The white-faced humanitarian: "Sun Xingyan in Xiayang Lake, the word Yuanru, that brother is Yanghu Hong Liangji, and the word is childish." When the two of us heard that Mr. Higashihara had recently gone south, we came here and wanted Mr. Tohara's advice. Unexpectedly, this Yangzhou rice is very expensive, and it costs a lot of money. No, the two of us are worried about how to go back. Hong Liangji also returned the salute to Ruan Chengxin.

"Yanghu Lake...... Where is Yanghu? Ruan Yuan is only eleven years old this year, and he has not been out of Yangzhou Mansion, so he is quite unfamiliar with this name.

"Yanghu is the place of Changzhou government, and there are two counties under Changzhou City, one is Wujin and the other is Yanghu. The two of us are from Changzhou. Hong Liangji explained. Seeing that his eyes were quite energetic, he seemed to be difficult to get close to, but he replied very politely.

"Then if the two brothers said Changzhou Mansion, I wouldn't know." Ruan Yuan said with a smile: "But when it comes to Yanghu, it always feels strange. ”

"Little friend, you don't understand." Sun Xingyan said with a smile: "Although both of us are from Changzhou Mansion, you must know that there are eight counties under Changzhou Mansion, and each county has many students. Among them, there are not a few talented, young and promising, and the two of us are just two of them. Xiaoyou, think about it, there are so many scholars in Changzhou, when you get together, you are also from Changzhou, and I am also from Changzhou, so who can know where you are from Changzhou? Therefore, when I report my background, I will use the county as the basis, and only talk about Wujin and Yanghu. It is the same as Ling Zun who only says that he is a person who is a soldier, not a person who is Yangzhou. ”

Ruan Yuan Daqi, I don't understand that there are still these rules among scholars, and Ruan Chengxin doesn't mention it on weekdays, this day is an eye-opener.

"Besides, if Yanghu people are out and only call them Changzhou people, if there are Wujin people present at the same table, they must sneer and say: 'Brother Tai, Yanghu people are Yanghu people, what are you talking about Changzhou people?' It has nothing to do with our Wujin'. Although this Wujin Yanghu is in the same Changzhou capital, it can be said that the talented people are famous and Confucian, and the Chinese people in the autumn are always more Wujin. Yanghu has also been out of Mr. Oubei in recent years, so he can be regarded as a little famous. Therefore, if Yanghu people only talk about Changzhou people outside, others will think that you are weak-hearted, and you only know how to use the momentum of Wujin to fill yourself with a façade. Sun Xingyan said with a smile. Mr. Oubei is Zhao Yi, a historian in the middle of the Qing Dynasty, and Qiu Yi is the township test in the imperial examination, many of the literati in Jiangsu are arrogant and arrogant, and they can't look down on other prefectures and counties, so every time they take the scientific examination, they also secretly compete, and they never want to lose face because of the small number of people in the local middle school.

Sun Xingyan imitated the words of Wujin people, which is the Changzhou dialect, and he learned it vividly. Hong Liangji couldn't help laughing when he heard this, and said: "Actually, you don't know, Brother Sun Xian said that Yanghu has produced some talents in recent years, which means himself. I, Brother Sun Xian, am usually proficient in "Shangshu", and no matter how difficult the words in the book are, when I come to him, I will walk on the ground as if I were walking on the ground, and there will be no suffocation. The villagers all said that if Brother Sun Xian was willing to make annotations for "Shangshu" in the future, then Kong annotated Cai Chuan, so he would abandon it and not read it, which is not impossible. Hong Liangji said that the Confucian annotation is the annotation of Kong Anguo, and the Cai Biography is the "Shuji Biography" written by Zhu Xi's student Cai Shen, especially the Cai Shen Shu Biography, which was used in the imperial examination in the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties. Therefore, his evaluation of Sun Xingyan is already a very high praise.

Sun Xingyan said with a smile: "Brother Hong has a good reputation. The younger brother is just getting a glimpse of the door, and these twenty-nine "Shangshu" are still far from being able to understand them. I also went to last autumn to Benben, but as expected, there was no name on the list! When it comes to the twenty-ninth o'clock, he obviously rereads it, in order to show that he keeps up with the times, and regards the popular fifty-eight editions of the Shangshu as a forgery.

Ruan Chengxin heard that Sun Xingyan deserved the township test, and he must also be a student, so he said: "Brother Sun Xian is weak in his age, and he has already won the show, and he will naturally have a bright future in the future." As for this provincial test, it is not easy, and there is no need to worry about the virtuous brother. ”

Hong Liangji sighed: "Brother Ruan doesn't know, my brother Sun Xian is much higher in terms of talent and knowledge than those who are in the middle of the lift." It's just that the righteousness is a ......"

Sun Xingyan said: "What is the system of righteousness and time, just say that the eight-strand text is good." I don't know who invented such a script back then, isn't this a pastime for us? The scriptures were originally to discuss the way of the saints. But when it comes to the scientific examination, it will become a day of 'fighting' and 'fighting', and I want to write poems against you. It's really annoying to discuss the words of the saints and keep talking about them. ”

Ruan Chengxin also nodded and said: "What Brother Sun Xian said is that how many people are trapped by this righteous time, and they have studied these all their lives, and after becoming an official, they have forgotten all about it. At the end of the day, nothing goes, and I've never liked that. Therefore, when he was a child, he often told him that reading books to learn useful knowledge, and if he blindly indulged in these eight battles, it would be harmful. ”

Ruan Yuan also responded. Since he was over ten years old, he had to consider entering the official school, and at this time it was inevitable that he would begin to come into contact with Baguwen, and he had never liked this kind of forcible confrontation format article, and his father did not force it. Sun Hong and the others laughed when they heard the tone of the Ruan family's father and son, who had the same temper as themselves.

Ruan Chengxin suddenly remembered something and said, "The two gentlemen just said that Mr. Dongyuan is coming to Yangzhou?" ”

Hong Liangji said: "What he said is good, Mr. Dongyuan recently repaired the "Four Libraries" in the capital, but he has always loved the scenery of Yangzhou, and he came recently. I heard that this afternoon, Yangzhou Anding Academy is going to invite him to give a lecture. The two of us have always admired Mr. Higashihara, no, we set off from Jiangnan overnight. ”

The Mr. Dongyuan discussed by several people is the famous Confucian Dai Zhen of the Qing Dynasty, Dai Zhen is not only proficient in scriptures, but also proficient in calendar and arithmetic. Hong Liangji and Sun Xingyan are both juniors, so they will naturally come here. Ruan Chengxin also heard of Dai Zhen's reputation, but he didn't have a chance to see it. At this time, after listening to the words of the two, he said: "Since Mr. Higashihara is lecturing, my father and son will also go together, how about it?" ”

Sun Xingyan said with a smile: "This is not difficult, but before going to the academy, you also have to fill your stomach, if Mr. Dongyuan lectures, he was listless in the past, wouldn't he have swept away the interest of others?" When they heard his humorous words, they all burst out laughing.

Anding Academy is in the old city of Yangzhou, from Hongqiao all the way south, into the town of Huaimen all the way to the end. Ruan Chengxin and his entourage had lunch and rushed to the front of the academy. I saw that dozens of scholars had gathered in the area of the academy, and there were still people arriving one after another. asked the doorman, only said that the main lecture had not yet arrived, Ruan Chengxin and his party came early, and they also found a good position in time, ready to see the master's demeanor.

After a while, the surrounding scholars entered the academy one after another, Ruan Yuan roughly counted, there were hundreds of people, and when he was curious, he suddenly heard a familiar voice say: "Brother Ruan, are you also here to listen to Mr. Dongyuan's lecture today?" ”

Ruan Yuan was startled, and hurriedly looked back, seeing that it was a fairly familiar young man, and vaguely remembered that it was Jiang Fan that Jiang Fu had encountered. Although Ruan Yuan was bullied in Jiang Mansion that day, he remembered that Jiang Fan had helped him and had no hatred for him. Then he said: "Brother Jiang also knows Mr. Dongyuan? ”

Jiang Fan said: "Mr. Dongyuan is a generation of Confucianism, I don't know how many people admire Mr. Learning, Mr. is old, in recent years it is said that he has little interaction with outsiders, today can see it, naturally come." However, the reason why I got this news was also told to me by Mr. Orange. Ruan Yuanzheng was curious about the relationship between Jiang Fang and Dai Zhen, and saw a person slowly walking in front of him, it was Jiang Fang.

Jiang Fang made a gesture to the people in front of him, and he had done his best to pay respects, and the scholars knew Jiang Fang, knowing that he was the leader of the salt merchants, and he was a polite corporal on weekdays, and he was a respectable figure, so they all quieted down and listened to Jiang Fang's speech. Jiang Fang said:

"The gentleman who came here today must be known to everyone. It is the first Confucian in my Daqing Sea, Mr. Dai Dongyuan! Recently, Mr. majored in "Siku Quanshu" in Beijing, and last month I missed the scenery of Yangzhou, so I took a temporary leave of absence. Although he was only a shallow learner, when he was a teenager, he had some connections with Mr. Higashihara, so he kept in touch. Seeing that my husband is going south, isn't it a blessing for me to wait for future learning? So I wrote a letter to Mr. Higashihara, hoping that Mr. would lecture on my Anding Academy for a day, and Mr. was magnanimous, and for the sake of the little brother's thin face, he agreed. ”

This is modest, but what kind of character is Dai Zhen, Jiang Fang said that he was willing to go south to give a lecture for a day. For a while, there was a lot of discussion among scholars. Ruan Yuan was also quite curious, and he didn't know why Uncle Jiang was able to become close friends with the "No. 1 Confucian in China". Ruan Chengxin knew the story of Jiangfu quite well, so he quietly told Ruan Yuan the reason for the incident.

It turned out that when Dai Zhen was young, he was quite good at the scenery of Yangzhou, so he once came to Yangzhou and lectured on Xu Shen and Zheng Xuanzhi in the academy. The main place of the lecture is this Anding Academy. At that time, the imperial court sent two Huai salt envoys to Yangzhou, named Lu Jianzeng, was a person who was eager to learn and love talents. Hearing that Dai Zhen was staying here temporarily, he prepared a generous gift and invited Dai Zhen to the Yamen of the Salt Transport Envoy to be a guest of honor for several months.

Lu saw that he had a good relationship, and for a while he was a celebrity, and most of them had entered the Lu Mansion. He is also an official in charge of salt transportation, so he is naturally indispensable to deal with Jiangfu. At that time, Jiang Fang was still young, but with the friendship between his brother Jiang Changchun and Lu Jianzeng, he often came to Lu Mansion to consult with some famous people, so he met Dai Zhen.

Dai Zhen is quite proud, originally a big businessman like the Jiang family, he not only did not want to socialize, but often avoided it. But seeing that Jiang Fang had been here for a few days, he was humble, and he was also quite insightful in the scriptures, so he accepted his prejudices and talked to Jiang Fang about what he had learned all his life. Over time, the two became connected.

Later, Lu Jian was unjustly imprisoned because of the shortage of salt, and died of illness in prison. This is the middle of Qianlong, the sensational salt case. At that time, Jiang Fu felt that he was lenient and benevolent, and he had been actively contacting the imperial court, and strongly advocated Lu Jianzeng's innocence. After persisting for several years, the scholar Liu Tongxun collected all the evidence and explained the facts to Qianlong, and finally rehabilitated Lu Jianzeng. Jiang Chun also ran with all his might, and for a while all the businessmen in Yangzhou returned to their hearts and became the unshakable head of the general merchants. Dai Zhen was no longer in Yangzhou at that time, but he was also very moved when he heard about Jiangfu's righteous action. regarded Jiang Fang as a close friend, and at this time, Jiang Fang took the initiative to invite, and it was not easy to refuse.

Ruan Chengxin's father, Ruan Yutang, also had a relationship with Lu Jianzeng back then, so Ruan Chengxin heard some of his stories. It's just that Ruan Yutang has been dead for a long time, and he is not in Yangzhou on weekdays, and the two families do not have a particularly close relationship, so after a long time, they will no longer be in touch, and they only remember some stories from that year.

Jiang Fang greeted him for a while, then bowed to the place where he came from, and invited Dai Zhen to come to the stage, while he went out and waited on the side, as if he didn't want to disturb the real Mr. Teaching because of his identity. Ruan Yuan saw Jiang Fang's pointing, and slowly walked past an old man of medium stature. Listening to his father, Dai Zhen is only in his early fifties, but looking at the old man in front of him, his eyes are peaceful, and he seems to have endless heritage, but the look in his eyes is even darker than that of ordinary people in his fifties. The faintly visible braids are also mostly pale. Dai Zhen has inspected the books of the four libraries of the school over the years, exhausted his efforts, and collected many lost classics from ancient books such as "Yongle Canon", and a "Ten Books of Arithmetic" is to let young students re-see the ancient arithmetic classics. But for these, Dai Zhen also spent most of his energy.

Dai Zhen came to the stage and gave a little gesture to the students in the audience, and many juniors stood up and returned the salute. I only heard him say slowly: "Thanks to Mr. Chengli's love, I returned to my hometown, passed through Yangzhou, and lectured here, if I don't come today, I can't oppose you." Ruan Yuan listened to him, full of energy, and quite modest, and his words turned freely. As everyone knows, Dai Zhen often debated Confucian "sexuality" and other issues with others in his early years, and when he got older, Fang naturally became proficient.

Dai Zhen said: "After learning Dai Zhen, I am quite willing to think about this sage's learning and rational things, and some of the words of the family have compiled three thin volumes of booklets, which is really not a university question." After studying in the field for many years, he has only won a lift, so he must have some academic shortcomings. However, since you are willing to listen to the words of the post-learning, the post-learning will talk about what the post-learning thinks today, what is the origin of the word 'reason', and how to explain it. Dai Zhen thought a lot about "reason" in Confucianism, and the first part of his three-volume "Mencius Character Meaning Proof" was to discuss the meaning of "reason".

Dai Zhen saw that there was no objection in the audience, so he gradually got to the point: "I am waiting to read the book of sages, and the word 'reason' cannot be bypassed, but how to explain the word 'reason' has been divided for thousands of years, and there is no consensus. After learning and tasting the pre-Qin classics, I realized that the word 'li' has a lot of meaning. There is texture, there is texture, there is literature, and there is organization. Mencius said, 'Those who begin to be rational are also wise.' It can be seen that when this person has a mind, he can see all things in order, which is what we often call 'reason'. This "orderly" is also interpreted as "to be orderly." Zheng Kangcheng also said, "Reason, divide also." What does that mean, that is, to distinguish between things. Knowing the difference between things is 'knowledge'. Naturally, if you know the difference between things, you should also know the essence of things. ”

Dai Zhen spoke about the word "reason" of Confucianism, the language was simple and easy, and the detailed explanation did not lose the basis, Ruan Yuan listened to it and gradually became convinced. I heard Dai Zhen say slowly: "Although there are many meanings of the word 'Li', it seems that it is not common in ancient scriptures. The reason why you think it is common is because of Song Confucianism's 'reason'. But what did Song Ru say? 'If there is anything, it is in heaven and in the heart.' According to Song Confucianism, this "principle" comes out of heaven, and since people have hearts, they exist in their hearts. But is that really the case? After learning to be presumptuous, I realized that this 'principle' was outside the human heart, and it was only when people saw all things in the world that they understood the truth of all things. ”

"Everyone is going to ask again, what is the basis for Dai's words? After learning not to be talented, try to cite the words of Yasheng Mengzi to explain it to you. Meng Fuzi once said that everyone's mouth is different, but when they taste food, the taste is the same. Each person's ears are different, and they can hear the sound and have the same rhyme. It can be seen from this that although each person's heart is different, they can always recognize some of the same things, and these same things are 'reason'. ”

"You have to ask again, what is the difference between this and Song Confucian's words? Later learning felt that the truth of this thing could not be seen or touched, so everyone had doubts. But the voice of the outside world, everyone can always hear it, right? Think about it, is there a sound first, and then it is heard by the ear, or is the ear first aware of the existence of the sound, and then the sound appears? Naturally, it's the former. Since this is the case when the ears hear the sound, and the mind thinks about things, it should be the same way. ”

But some people who don't learn and don't know how to listen to Song Confucian's so-called remarks in their hearts, they think that what they do is all based on what they think in their hearts. If you feel right in your heart, it is reasonable, and if you feel wrong, it is unreasonable. Over time, they became stubborn and self-serving, not listening to people's words, but taking these as the teachings of saints! Alas, this great life has been ruined like this. To know the truth of this thing, we should start from external observation in order to form an understanding in our hearts. If you do what you want and don't observe external things, what is the difference between you and those unruly gentlemen? ”

"Song Confucianism is not only the word 'Tianli' is biased, but the word 'human desire' is the same deviation. In the music record, there is a saying that 'destroying heaven and the poor desire', how is it biased? You must know that when this person's desire comes to an end, the heavenly principle will naturally be destroyed. But in order to maintain the principles of heaven, must human desires be annihilated? Human desire is like flowing water, sex is like a ravine, water flows in a ravine, what's wrong? If the water does not move according to the ravine, it rushes in all directions, it is wrong! Song Ru looked at this reason, as if he were dealing with good and evil, either/or. But this heavenly reason and human desire are not good and evil, they are absolutely opposites......"

What Dai Zhen said is a common "distinction between heaven and human desire" among Confucian scholars, but it is actually quite complicated, and it has been explained very shallowly in order to give lectures. But Ruan Yuan was only eleven years old this year after all, and it was difficult to understand much of these profound truths. I only feel that what Dai Zhen said is concise and concise, but he also cites scriptures and classics, which is very convincing, at least much stronger than the so-called "Song Confucian" and "Song scholars".

Ruan Yuan didn't know that this remark was the most fiercely debated "Han and Song controversy" among scholars in the middle of the Qing Dynasty. After the Qing Dynasty replaced the Ming Dynasty and established it, many scholars who regarded themselves as the relics of the Ming Dynasty learned from the pain and seriously reflected on the lessons of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, since Gu Yanwu and Huang Zongxi, they have vigorously called for "practical learning" and opposed "empty words".

However, the so-called "practical learning" itself is all-encompassing, and there are different approaches to each thing. In the study of Confucian classics, Gu Yanwu has repeatedly conducted research to explain the original meaning of words. In the middle of the Qing Dynasty, scholars mostly admired Gu's family, and for a time the study of evidence was prosperous, and even more radical scholars, in order to verify the original meaning of a word, actually had to find all the circulating works of the pre-Qin and Han dynasties. However, there are not many ancient works left in this period, otherwise scholars would have exhausted their lives, and I am afraid they would not have been able to read so many books.

These scholars tend to believe that the closer we are to the era of Confucius and Mencius, the easier it is for the interpretation of the words to conform to the original meaning. Therefore, the great Confucian Xu Shen and Zheng Xuan of the Han Dynasty became the objects of admiration of these scholars. Because these scholars often quoted Han Confucian interpretations of the classics, this school gradually became known as the Sinology School, and the scholars who still admired Cheng Zhu Lixue became known as the Song School.

In fact, the official imperial examination of the Qing Dynasty did not directly recognize Han Confucianism, and the official mention of the imperial examination clearly stated that the Four Books should follow the annotations of Zhu Ziji, and the Five Classics also had corresponding commentaries on science. During the reign of Emperor Kangxi, the early Holy Ancestor, he vigorously promoted science. Therefore, in the middle and early Qing Dynasty, Song studies accounted for the absolute mainstream. However, the Qing Dynasty entered the middle period, on the one hand, the theory of Song studies gradually became ossified, and there was a lack of successors to the school. On the one hand, the literary network is quite dense, and if a folk reader's words and deeds are not in line with his wishes, as long as he is exposed, it may be a crime of great rebellion. Therefore, many scholars do not say anything openly, but secretly compete with the imperial court, you use Song Studies, and I will promote Sinology. There are also Hui Dong, Dai Zhen and others, who have devoted their lives to the scriptures. Therefore, outside the imperial court, Sinology scholars have become more and more high.

Emperor Qianlong, who reigned at that time, was not unaware of these. But Qianlong was quite skilled, and knew that these Confucians did not really have any "great rebellion" intentions. Therefore, the crime of speech is mostly aimed at some infamous students and people in the township, and for Dai Zhen, who has become famous at home, not only does not add the crime, but resigns it to it. Dai Zhenben was also reluctant to participate in politics, but actively participated in the revision of the "Siku Quanshu". As a result, a delicate peace was formed between the emperor and the scholars. Over time, many Sinology students in the early Qianlong period had become officials in the academic administration and the official examination, and later students quoted Sinology scholars such as Huidong and Jiang Yongzhi in the imperial examination, not only would they not fall off the list, but they would easily get higher rankings.

At this time, Ruan Yuan had not yet participated in the dispute between the Han and Song dynasties, but Dai Zhen's remarks also made Ruan Yuan have one more person to admire in his heart. Ruan Yuan never saw Dai Zhen again, and three years later, due to the compilation of the four libraries and his dedication to academics, Dai Zhen died of illness at the age of 55.

At this time, Dai Zhen's lecture was finished, Jiang Fang returned to the hall and invited Dai Zhen back, and the rest of the scholars also went home. Ruan Chengxin and his son said goodbye to Sun Xingyan and Hong Liangji, and were about to leave. Suddenly, Jiang Fang said from behind: "Can you stay for a while?" ”

Ruan Chengxin heard Jiang Fang call him, so he had to turn around. Although Ruan Yuan didn't want to enter the Jiang Mansion again, Jiang Fang was his uncle after all, and he also respectfully bowed. I only heard Jiang Fang say to Ruan Chengxin: "It's been two years since Dezhong left my Jiang Mansion, and I mentioned that incident earlier, I don't know if I can think about it clearly?" ”

Ruan Yuan was quite puzzled, and he didn't know what Jiang Fang was talking about, Ruan Chengxin said: "Since my uncle made a statement, I should have go, but I just ......" looked at Ruan Yuan, and it seemed a little inconvenient. Jiang Fang didn't force it, and said, "If it's inconvenient, it's good to go back and discuss it with your wife." Ruan Chengxin took Ruan Yuan away.

Ruan Yuan didn't know what his father had discussed with Uncle Jiang, but after returning home that day, Ruan Chengxin mentioned it to the Lin family, and Ruan Yuan listened quietly outside the house to know the reason. Originally, the Jiang family's business spread throughout the provinces in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and the two lakes in the west were all places where the Jiang family sold salt, so outside Yangzhou, there was often a lack of people to manage it. When he left Jiangfu, there was an empty account office in the Hubei branch, Jiang Fang thought of Ruan Chengxin, so he mentioned to him that if he made an account office, he could make more money on weekdays, and Ruan Chengxin made a living outside, and the family could save some expenses.

But Ruan Chengxin never agreed before, because Ruan Yuan was still young at the time, and he felt that once he left Yangzhou, Ruan Yuan would lack someone to discipline him, and he was afraid that he would miss his studies. Jiang Fang made up for someone else to go to Hubei at that time, but who knew that the news came back recently that the person unfortunately drowned. Ruan Yuan was two years older and didn't need to be particularly intimately cared for, so Jiang Fang mentioned this matter to Ruan Chengxin again.

After hearing the reason for Ruan Chengxin's incident, Lin already knew why Ruan Chengxin was reluctant to go to Hubei with his own understanding of her husband. There are three reasons, one is that Ruan Chengxin is a scholar and does not want to do the accounting business. The second is that I am worried that even if I go, I will not be able to cope with it. The third is worried about Ruan Yuan. On second thought, these three things are not difficult to solve. Then he said, "Master, calm down first, in my opinion, there may not be many difficulties in this accounting matter. Previously, the master said that Mr. Chengli mentioned to you many times about going to Hubei, if this errand is really difficult, the Jiang family will not cut off all the financial routes for you alone, and will definitely send a competent person over immediately. Since Mr. Orange has been waiting for you for a long time, I think I just want to help you make a living. ”

Ruan Chengxin thought about it and felt that it made sense, the Jiang family had a wide range of connections, so they would definitely not lack manpower. But I always feel that it is a little indecent to engage in business. He replied: "Madame's words are indeed reasonable, but I have never known about businessmen in my life, even if I don't care about weekdays, I am only afraid of ......."

"Master thinks that as a scholar, he loses his identity to do the things that go in and out of the accounts, right?" Lin knew that Ruan Chengxin would not admit it at this point after all, so it was better to break it directly, so that Ruan Chengxin could face up to this contradiction. "But has the master ever thought that if our family goes on like this, I'm afraid it won't last long. Yuan'er is still far from adulthood, so he can't be allowed to subsidize the family, right? What's more, the master will eventually hold his grandson. ”

When he said this, Lin was also afraid that Ruan Yuan would hear it outside, so he lowered his voice in the last few words, and at the same time leaned his body slightly to the left, and his eyes glanced to the left. The door of Ruan's house is to the south, and the Lin family is slightly moving to the left at this time, which is pointing to the east side, and the Jiang Mansion is just in Kangshan, southeast of Yangzhou City.

Ruan Chengxin and his wife have been together for more than ten years, both of them are from a scholar's family, have similar temperaments, and have a lot of tacit understanding when they talk. On the other hand, he also knows his wife's intentions, and when he looks at his wife's actions, he understands it. When the wife said that she was holding her grandson, she turned to the direction of Jiang Mansion, and the implication was that she hoped that when Ruan Yuan got engaged in the future, she could choose a daughter from the Jiang family to tie the knot. Ruan Chengxin's biological mother was born in Jiang Mansion and has long been related, and the Jiang family has been a cousin since Jiang Fang's father, and there are not a few cousins. If Ruan Yuan marries the daughter of the Jiang family, as long as he does not lose his family in the future, it will not be difficult to live without worrying about food and clothing.

But the relationship between Ruan Chengxin and Jiang Fu is not particularly close, if Ruan Chengxin goes to talk to Jiang Fu about Ruan Yuan's marriage like this, Jiang Fang is certainly generous, but he can't find a suitable reason to agree to Ruan Chengxin. But if Ruan Chengxin is willing to accept Jiang Fang's invitation and do things for the Jiang family for a few years, the Ruan family and the Jiang family will have close ties. And at that time, Ruan Yuan is old enough to go to the examiner's school, once Ruan Yuan enrolls in school, and then proves his strength and marries the Jiang family, there will be great hope.

Ruan Chengxin already understood, thinking of his life, he was afraid that it would be difficult to reverse the decline of the Ruan family. But Ruan Yuan will soon grow up, and if he has an accident at that time, Ruan Yuan's future life will only be more difficult than now. Ruan Yuan is not like he has the title of Guozisheng, and when the time comes, he can only be reduced to a commoner, and there is no preferential treatment such as being exempted from servitude and sitting in the court. Thinking of this, I am indeed sorry for my son, if I hold on to the façade again, I am afraid that it will be a little hypocritical. said: "Yuan'er will have a few years to grow up, and he always has to survive these few years." This trip to Hubei seems to be a must-go, but Yuan'er's academic ......"

"Daddy, don't worry, Yuan'er will continue to work hard and never let Daddy down." Ruan Yuan listened to his parents' words, and couldn't bear it anymore, so he simply walked out and said, "Father, mother, your words, the child has heard them." Although the child can't understand everything, the child knows that his father is also considering going to Hubei for this family and Yuan'er. Yuan'er is still young and can't do much, but I can work hard now, and after seven years, Yuan'er will be an adult, and I will be able to support this family! Speaking of this, although Ruan Yuan was brave, he couldn't help but feel a little weak-hearted. Hu Tingsen parted from Jiangfu, and although he also instructed him later, Hu Tingsen's own affairs were also busy, and it was difficult for him to help Ruan Yuan all the time, and he didn't know what to do when he studied and studied later.

Lin said with a smile: "Yuan'er has filial piety, my father and mother already know, but Yuan'er, you are still young, and you should do it before you finish your schoolwork." I suddenly remembered that in Chen Ji's house, it is said that there was a new gentleman who had recently arrived, and he was quite talented and learned, and his lectures were concise and to the point, which made people easy to accept. If Ruan Yuan went to Chenji to study with this gentleman, he would not miss his studies. He said to Ruan Chengxin and his son: "In fact, if the master goes to Hubei, it may not delay Yuan'er's studies. Yuan'er, there is no father who can teach at home, and I am a mother who can teach. ”

Ruan Chengxin was puzzled for a while, and Lin continued: "A few days ago, Chen Ji's cousin wrote a letter, saying that Chen Ji has recently come to our Lin family's school, and a gentleman surnamed Qiao, whose name is probably ...... Qiao Chunling, said that Mr. Qiao is knowledgeable, and he is also humble, and on weekdays, all the children in the family have to ask for advice, Mr. Qiao patiently answers them one by one. Is Yuan'er willing to go to Mr. Qiao's study? Ruan Yuan heard his mother say that Qiao Chunling was a good person, and he didn't know any other gentlemen except Hu Tingsen, so he nodded.

Ruan Chengxin said with a smile: "I don't want to be smart with my wife, when Mr. Chengli told me about this today, I still had a lot of difficulties, and I didn't think that Mrs. would mention it, but it was all solved." It seems that this trip to Hubei, I can rest assured. He said to Ruan Yuan: "Yuan'er, my father knows that your mother is virtuous and knowledgeable, even if your father is not at home, with your mother here, it will always be wrong to listen to your mother in everything." Can Yuan'er remember? ”

Ruan Yuan nodded, and Ruan Chengxin said again: "Daddy has taught you "Zizhi Tongjian" in the past two years, and hundreds of stories have been told. In the future, let's read more books by ourselves, and we must remember that we study in order to learn useful knowledge, and we must not be delayed by scientific examinations. Ruan Yuan also agreed, in fact, at this time, he had heard too much about Ruan Chengxin's historical stories, and he had already read some of the "Zizhi Tongjian" by himself, and his father recognized it very much, and of course he was more confident.