northernbook Chapter 58 "On Teachers"
Chapter 58 "On Teachers"
Chapter Fifty-Eight: On Teachers
Wang Ren's words gradually diminished the murmurs in the room, eventually fading completely. Everyone looked at Wang Ren with a hint of disdain in their eyes.
The expressions on Chen Sijun's and the others' faces also turned extremely gloomy.
In such a short time, let alone writing an article, even writing a poem or prose would take half a day.
The other party's actions were undoubtedly an attempt to embarrass Ye Ru by any means possible through this lecture.
The group made up their minds that they would thoroughly investigate the Wang family after the lecture.
Even the great scholar Chen Changfeng looked at Wang Ren, his eyes slightly narrowed.
They all knew that Wang Ren was using this as an excuse to launch an attack.
Ye Ru looked at Wang Ren with a meaningful expression.
Under the spotlight, Wang Ren swallowed hard and then spoke again:
"When I was studying abroad, my father and younger brother praised Ye Tongsheng's poetry and prose. Today, I attended a class taught by Ye Tongsheng and found it very beneficial. I would like to humbly ask Ye Tongsheng to write an article today so that we can commemorate this event."
All eyes turned to Ye Ru again, this move putting Ye Ru in the eye of the storm.
Surrounded by onlookers, Ye Ru raised his head and slowly said:
"Since Brother Wang has made a request, I will humbly offer this article as a token of my appreciation, so as to avoid any gossip from others."
“I have pen and ink here, so I will read the article on behalf of Ye Tongsheng today.”
With a flick of his sleeve, Chen Changfeng conjured up a brush and ink on the podium. He stared at Ye Ru with expectant eyes, for the latter's poetry and prose were unparalleled, but he wondered if his essays were equally exceptional.
Everyone was taken aback. To have a great Confucian scholar personally read aloud a student's essay was priceless.
Fang Zifeng and the others clenched their fists, feeling uneasy.
If Ye Ru does well, that's fine, but if he doesn't, the Wang family might use this opportunity to attack him.
If Ye Ru suffers even one blow, all the literary fame he has gained will be destroyed.
Ye Ru picked up the pen, and an extremely fierce power, accompanied by the roar of a tiger, resounded around him, startling him. He then glanced at Chen Changfeng.
He knew this pen; it was made from the hair of the Tiger Demon King, capable of making words as sharp as knives and intentions as powerful as swords, killing with a mere flick of the wrist—a deadly weapon for slaying demons.
If you add talent, you can take someone's life instantly.
Chen Changfeng nodded and then prepared to recite the mantra.
"On Teachers"
"In ancient times, every scholar had a teacher. A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, instructs in skills, and resolves doubts. No one is born with knowledge; who can be without doubts? If one has doubts but does not seek a teacher, those doubts will remain unresolved. Those born before me, whose understanding of the Way is certainly prior to mine, I follow and learn from them; those born after me, whose understanding of the Way is also prior to mine, I follow and learn from them. When I learn the Way, why should I care whether they were born before or after me? Therefore, regardless of rank or age, wherever the Way exists, there the teacher exists..."
After the first paragraph was finished, a sliver of rosy light suddenly appeared on the Xuan paper. The next moment, the rosy light shone brightly, completely dispelling the darkness in the corner.
Chen Changfeng then infused his talent into his voice, and the content of the article immediately spread far and wide!
Moments later, thunder began to rumble across the sky, and bolts of lightning, like angry dragons, struck down and crashed onto the paper.
The thunder caused everyone's inner energy to tremble, as if it were about to burst forth.
"Wandering clouds and startled dragons... This is a phenomenon that only appears when a piece of writing reaches the level of a sage..."
"This text is blessed by lightning, so it probably possesses extremely strong power."
This startled everyone, followed by thunderous applause and exclamations of surprise.
Wang Ren's expression changed drastically in an instant.
Ye Ru pondered for a moment, then wrote again:
"Alas! The tradition of teachers has been lost for a long time! It is difficult to expect people to be without doubts! The ancient sages, who were far superior to ordinary people, still sought out teachers and asked questions; yet the common people of today, who are far inferior to the sages, are ashamed to learn from teachers. Therefore, the wise become wiser, and the foolish become more foolish. Is this not the reason why the sages are sages and the fools are fools? They love their children..."
As the second paragraph was written, the sounds of metal all around suddenly began to play in a melodious rhythm. Although it looked extremely eerie, after everyone listened to it, their minds went completely blank.
"The second strange phenomenon... a golden and jade-like sound..."
A subtle look of shock appeared on Chen Changfeng's face, and he murmured to himself.
Ye Ru seemed oblivious to what he had heard and continued writing "On Teachers" by Han Yu, the famous Tang Dynasty writer.
He revised some parts of it, and finally deleted the ending, replacing it with his own and the stories of his predecessors' diligence in learning to encourage everyone to study hard and not to underestimate themselves.
"I composed a poem to express my feelings and presented it to him..."
As the last word fell, this essay, "On Teachers," once again burst forth with eight feet of brilliant talent. Instantly, the talent of heaven and earth surged towards it, eventually converging upon each person's study.
His writings are renowned worldwide! A talent that rivals eight feet tall!
Every scholar felt an extremely powerful force.
boom!
To everyone's astonishment, the characters on the Xuan paper seemed to come alive, and eventually began to flutter and dance.
After these words appeared, they shot straight into the sky, causing the entire sky to suddenly darken. Only those characters appeared in the sky, like dazzling stars, exceptionally bright.
Whether they were students in the preliminary stage, successful candidates in the provincial examination, or graduates of the imperial examination, all who read this article gained something, as if Heaven were teaching them to study diligently.
"The third extraordinary phenomenon: writing and painting... This... there really are people in Qingyun County who can rise to prominence so quickly..."
Chen Changfeng couldn't help but exclaim in admiration. First, his lectures brought about a revival of the barren trees, a flourishing of a hundred flowers, and a tremor in the sacred temple. Then, he presented an inscription on an ancient stele. After that, his long essay "On Teachers" attracted a multitude of visitors, with its golden voices and jade-like sounds, and the flourishing of literature and calligraphy. These seven achievements were something that a scholar or a graduate could hardly attain in a lifetime.
The student in front of him had only taken one day!
"The opening sentence, 'Ancient scholars must have teachers,' begins with the words 'ancient,' which not only shows that the ancients valued the teacher-student relationship, but also addresses the present by using the past to satirize the present. Many people today are fond of being teachers, but only to elevate their own sagehood, completely disregarding the greater good of humanity. I'm afraid Master Ye's essay can awaken millions of scholars."
"The reasoning behind this is worth pondering. If I had been born a few years later, I would not be who I am today. Perhaps I would have already become a successful candidate in the imperial examinations."
Countless people discussed it amongst themselves, a look of enjoyment appearing on their faces.
“I am not as good as him... I will apologize to him in the future. You don’t need to follow me anymore. Our relationship is over.”
Wang Ren's teacher sighed, then with a flick of his sleeve, he left.
This made Wang Ren's face turn pale instantly. Finally, with a thud, he slumped to the ground. Then, his body suddenly trembled, and a muffled groan, as if his gall bladder had collapsed, echoed softly here.
Click...