At the end of the Warring States Period, the State of Qi, Jixia School Palace.

Five miles south of the school palace, there are three acres of fields where the crops grow very well, green and lush, and are particularly conspicuous.

Qin Zhiyong was wearing coarse cloth clothes and was hoeing grass in the field.

It has been six years since he came to the Jixia School Palace, and Qin Zhiyong worshiped under the Jiuxia School Palace to study under the wine Xunzi Gate.

Therefore, Qin Zhiyong became the same disciple of Li Si, Han Fei, and Zhang Cang.

Qin Zhiyong's appearance is like that of a teenager and he is in his prime, but in fact, his real age is slightly older than Xunzi.

It's just that Qin Zhiyong has a lifespan of nearly 400 years, and the age of more than seventy years is indeed equivalent to a teenager compared to Shouyuan.

It was Qin Zhiyong's luck to come to the pre-Qin era and see the collision of ideas and wisdom of "a hundred schools of thought".

It's a pity that Qin Zhiyong didn't come decades earlier.

When Qin Zhiyong came here, Mencius had been dead for decades.

In fact, Qin Zhiyong wanted to worship Mencius as his teacher.

After all, Qin Zhiyong's cultivation is the "Haoran Qi", which has the most connection with Mencius. Of course, it is also a blessing to be able to worship under a sage like Xunzi.

In the past six years, Qin Zhiyong has concentrated on his studies and is very low-key and modest. He is in the Jixia School Palace, and he has the least sense of existence.

The rest of the people are very flamboyant, and as long as there is an assembly in the Jixia School Palace, they will promote their thoughts and ideas. Everyone has their own thoughts. The vast majority of people come to the palace to study and promote their thoughts, all in order to win the appreciation of the powerful and monarchs, so that they can smoothly step into the official career and become officials.

Only Qin Zhiyong is an exception.

Qin Zhiyong's purpose is clear, it is to embrace all rivers, absorb the essence of a hundred schools of thought, increase wisdom, and enrich the spiritual world, so that his state of mind can be improved.

If you want to really hide your knowledge, in the eyes of those who care, it is almost impossible. Those who didn't know Qin Zhiyong ignored him.

But Xunzi knew that his newly recruited disciple was extraordinary.

Zhang Cang likes arithmetic and is currently correcting "Nine Chapters of Arithmetic".

Li Si is scheming, and his main attack is the emperor's mental art.

What about Han Fei? It is that he has a soft spot for the ideas of Legalism.

Strange to say, the three best disciples of Xunzi did not really inherit the Confucian learning. On the contrary, it was the younger disciple Qin Zhiyong who studied Confucianism most profoundly.

Xunzi is very open-minded and does not interfere with the preferences of the students. As long as the student is willing to learn, no matter what kind of knowledge, as long as he understands it, he is willing to teach it.

Those rotten Confucians in the Qing Dynasty, compared with sages like Xunzi, can be said to be unworthy of carrying shoes.

Li Si and Han Fei came to the edge of the field and shouted at Qin Zhiyong, who was doing farm work, "Little junior brother, the teacher asked you to go back to the school palace." ”

Qin Zhiyong raised his head, took off his straw hat, and said calmly: "Two senior brothers, what is the matter with the teacher looking for me?" ”

When doing farm work, Qin Zhiyong's soul can always carry a trace of joy in peace. This joyful emotion not only nourishes the body, mind, but also the spirit.

By working in the fields, the harvest can be harvested in the fall. The joy was like water overflowing, making Qin Zhiyong's body and mind soaked in sweetness.

The saliva that came out of his mouth was as sweet as honey.

Lees said, "I don't know. The teacher just asked us to call you back. When you see the teacher, you know what's going on. ”

Qin Zhiyong picked up the hoe and said, "Then let's go." It just so happened that I was a little hungry and needed to go back to eat. ”

Han Fei said: "Little junior brother...... With your ability, as long as you want to be a good ...... Certainly...... Can be reused by King Qi. ”

Han Fei stuttered a little and spoke intermittently.

Han Fei and Qin Zhiyong had discussed the thoughts of Legalism before, and Qin Zhiyong's remarks were even bolder than those of him, who liked Legalist learning. However, Qin Zhiyong's understanding of "law" is almost to the level of the ancients.

Qin Zhiyong said with a smile: "Senior brother, I haven't finished learning the teacher's knowledge, and I don't plan to become a monk at present. What's more, even if I want to be a leader, I won't be in Qi Country. ”

Han Fei was surprised: "Little junior brother doesn't want to stay in Qi Kingdom? Then you...... Which vassal state do you want to go to? Chu or Zhao? ”

Qin Zhiyong said: "If there is a chance, I plan to go to the Qin State. ”

Han Fei asked, "Why?" ”

Qin Zhiyong said: "Because the Qin State is more promising. I'm more optimistic about Qin! ”

The atmosphere of the Qi State is very bad, and the magnates and monarchs do not have the slightest sense of progress. Qi has an academy like Jixia Academy, which can summon talents from all over the world for its own use. With talents, there is everything, and it stands to reason that Qi is the most likely to dominate China.

And what did the Qin State have at this time?

There are not as many talents in the Qin State as in the Qi State, but the generations of monarchs of the Qin State have worked hard, and in the generation of the Qin King Yiren, the foundation of the Qin State has been laid. After Yingzheng ascends the throne, he will be able to dominate China. It's just that Yingzheng is still a child, and he is still a proton in Zhao State.

Return to the Kinoshita Academy.

Qin Zhiyong met Zou Yan who was lecturing and promoting the theory of yin and yang and the five elements.

Qin Zhiyong saw the "Sword Saint" Cao Qiudao demonstrating swordsmanship to his disciples.

After putting down the hoe and washing his hands, Qin Zhiyong went to see his teacher Xunzi.

Xunzi is holding a pen and concentrating on writing on bamboo slips.

Xunzi has gray hair, there are not many wrinkles on his face, and his eyes are bright and bright, unlike the cloudy eyes of ordinary old men.

Xunzi's body has a peaceful atmosphere. Xunzi has no true qi and no martial arts, but his spiritual realm is a big realm higher than Qin Zhiyong.

Two years ago, Xunzi's soul reached the realm of "peace".

Qin Zhiyong learned a lot of things in Xunzi's body, but unfortunately, he really couldn't learn this thing of mood. Even if there is an example in front of him, Qin Zhiyong can't imitate it.

Xunzi has no utilitarian heart, just simply likes to learn and teach and educate people, and his heart is very pure, without a trace of impurities.

Xunzi has seen through life and death and fame and fortune.

"Life is like mustard to me, and money is like a floating cloud to me." is the current psychological state of Xunzi.

This is the real desirelessness and rigidity!

Qin Zhiyong's psychological state is actually very similar to Xunzi, but unfortunately he can't see through life and death.

It's just a little bit worse.

If you are afraid of death, you constantly want to break the limit of your lifespan and gain immortality, which is a disadvantage and constraint for improving the spiritual realm.

The longer you can live, the more you are afraid of death. The more afraid of death, the more you pursue immortality. It's an endless loop.

Xunzi is seventy years old, and he is rare in his seventies, and he has not pursued immortality and is not afraid of death.

If the mind is free from fear, it will find peace.

Xunzi did not deliberately cultivate his state of mind, but he only specialized in knowledge, and his state of mind unconsciously reached the realm of "peace" in Confucianism.

Qin Zhiyong stood in front of Xunzi, gave a salute, and said slightly respectfully: "Teacher." ”

Xunzi put down the brush, looked up at Qin Zhiyong, and said with a smile: "Is your field finished?" ”

Qin Zhiyong nodded and said, "The grass has been hoeed." In the fall, when the crops are harvested, you can make porridge for the teacher to drink. ”

Xunzi said: "The unity of knowledge and action you advocate is the most reasonable. And you did it. Your senior brothers are not as good as you in terms of mentality. You can put down your body to farm and plant crops well, Li Si and Han Fei may not be able to do it. ”

Qin Zhiyong said: "Students have not really achieved the unity of knowledge and action. Students know that as long as they see through life and death, and are not afraid of death, they will be able to reach the state of 'peace' in their spiritual realm. But I just couldn't. ”

Xunzi laughed: "You, you are too demanding of yourself." Zhiyong, the king of Qi wanted to select a few people in the Jixia School Palace and go with the envoy to the Zhao State. The old man recommended you. It is said that there is a Xiang Shaolong in Zhao State, who is a very interesting strange person. Would you like to take a trip to Zhao Kingdom? ”

Xunzi is a native of Zhao State, and he has not returned to Zhao Country for many years to have a look.

Qin Zhiyong hugged his fists and said: "Students obey the teacher's arrangement. ”