Chapter 19

Do not doubt Zhu Jun's words. Based on Zhu Jun's scholarly evaluation, at least seventy percent of it is convincing.

"Er Lang, you're exaggerating," You Tao asked suspiciously.

"Not at all. It's almost dusk, you won't be leaving today."

"We brought tents with us." It seemed they were treating it like a vacation.

"Then follow me, I'll show you his notes."

"Alright."

A few people walked towards Wang Ju's house.

Li Wan Yuan turned to Zhu Qing and asked, "Zhu Manager, how did the Zhu family come to know this young man?"

"By chance," Zhu Qing laughed.

In fact, he was also curious.

The Analects aside, this young man has only had the Five Classics Commentary for about a month. What could he have learned in just a month?

A few people entered Wang Ju's house.

It was a simple thatched cottage, with nothing but the Five Classics Commentary that Wang Ju had bought and the stationery Zhu Jun had brought, all placed in a simple bookshelf that Wang Wei had made for Wang Ju.

So Wang Ju didn't even bother to lock the door.

Could Wang Family Village produce a book thief?

Zhu Jun took out a stack of papers from the bookshelf and pulled out one sheet.

On it were Wang Ju's insights on studying the Doctrine of the Mean.

At this time, the Doctrine of the Mean had not yet been separated from the Book of Rites.

As for the classics, there were the Five Classics, the Nine Classics, and the Thirteen Classics, and they often changed. However, the main classics of Confucianism were the Yi, the Book, the Odes, the Zhou Rituals, the Book of Rites, the Record of Rites, the Spring and Autumn Annals with the Commentary of Zuo, the Commentary of Gongyang, the Commentary of Guliang, the Analects, the Classic of Filial Piety, the Erya, the Mencius, and the Book of Documents. These classics changed in terms of their importance, but the core content remained the same. As for the Laozi, Zhuangzi, Guanzi, Guoyu, Xunzi, Mozi, and Hanfeizi, they were not highly regarded in Confucianism. At this time, the Doctrine of the Mean and the Great Learning were still part of the Book of Rites.

On the paper were some of Wang Ju's own interpretations of the Doctrine of the Mean.

However, the first line caught everyone's attention.

"Your plans and thoughts should be in harmony, each setting the right path in your heart, so there will be no misfortune or deviation... Do not leave any room for growth, do not allow different seeds to grow in this new city. 'Zhong' means 'center' and 'righteousness,' 'righteousness' means 'center.'"

"Grasp the extremes and apply the center to the people. 'Yong' means 'use.'"

"Heaven and earth have yin and yang, hardness and softness, light and darkness. The Doctrine of the Mean means to use the center. If there is too much yin, use yang; if there is too much darkness, use light; if there is too much softness, use hardness. This makes the hard and soft complement each other, the yin and yang harmonize, without bias, to govern the country and transform the people. This is the way of the Doctrine of the Mean."

The Doctrine of the Mean was not written by Confucius but compiled by his descendants. The latter part of the Doctrine of the Mean is vague, so most people think it is about being mediocre and not being too clear. Later, many Confucian scholars made annotations, but no one clearly pointed out that the Doctrine of the Mean is actually a method of maintaining balance!

Such novel views continued to appear on the subsequent pages.

Everyone was speechless.

Yang asked doubtfully, "He really learned this on his own?"

It was hard to believe.

These annotations, though the writing was a bit rough, were still impressive for a young boy. However, with a bit of refinement, they could be considered innovative interpretations of the classics.

"Absolutely on his own. Almost no one in Wang Family Village can read. Even if his stepfather could, he treated Wang Ju poorly in Baoan Army. Even the scholar Jiang, who has limited knowledge, couldn't have such profound thoughts," Zhu Qing said.

But looking at these annotations, despite considering Wang Ju a prodigy, he now saw him as even more exceptional. He put down the paper and said solemnly, "Er Lang, if you can endure hardship in Wang Family Village, do so. If not, go back. Don't offend him, and the same goes for you all."

"I've endured hardship," Zhu Jun said with a worried look. He showed his hands, which were more blistered than Wang Ju's, making the young lady Zhao's heart ache.

"Enduring hardship is worth it. You should know that he only read the Analects before. He got this Five Classics Commentary by chance, and it's been only about a month."

"Wow." The three young men were stunned.

...

By night, the weather turned cold.

Beauty is good, but the body must also be able to endure it.

Xiang Yu put on a flower-patterned jacket, which was a bit small, making her ample chest stand out.

Three parts beauty, seven parts dressing. A virtuous woman would never dress as boldly as a courtesan.

But at this moment, the beauty's face was full of worry. She looked at the slender scholar across from her and said softly, "Song Lang, are you well?"

"The officials are searching tightly, I dare not come out. How is the investigation going?"

"I heard some things. The officials said it was the Imperial City Bureau that acted, but they were careless and let the people go."

"How could that be? And they lost a young maid."

"I don't know."

In fact, the Prefect of Yanzhou, Cheng Kan, pressed the Imperial City Bureau officer, who said the young lady was from a noble family. Cheng Kan didn't pursue it further to avoid more controversy.

Cheng Kan couldn't ask further, but he never imagined it was the Princess of Yanguo.

Song Ji never thought of it either. If he had, he would probably be fleeing instead of gathering information.

"Something is strange. Is there any other news in the city?"

"Cheng Xiang is forcing the constables to search for you everywhere and has already executed three junior officers from Qingjian City."

"If he doesn't stop..."

"Song Lang, don't."

Being a bandit on the border was one thing. Even in other places, there were bandits and tribes openly acting as bandits. But Cheng Kan had once been a high-ranking official. If he were eliminated, it would be a major event.

At that time, not only Song Ji's group, but the state machinery would be activated, and even the heroes of Jingxi and Shan'nan, like Zhang Hai, Guo Miaoshan, Dang Junzi, Fan San, and Li Zong, would be suppressed.

"Let's endure a bit longer."

"Song Lang, we should leave Yanzhou as soon as possible."

"Xiang Yu, don't worry. We three brothers made a vow, not to be born in the same year and month, but to die in the same year and month. Meng Er was killed, and I must avenge him."

"Revenge begets more revenge, and the officials are searching for you like mad."

"Don't worry. I have a plan. Soon, the Yanzhou officials won't have the time to look for us. Besides, where can we run now? We have to wait for the imperial amnesty before we can leave Yanzhou. Then, the world will be our oyster, and we can go anywhere."

The Song Dynasty had many amnesties. The emperor would grant amnesty upon ascending the throne, changing the era name, appointing a queen, appointing a crown prince, during major natural disasters, or during national celebrations. These amnesties would pardon criminals or stop the pursuit of fugitives, giving them a chance to "redeem" themselves.

Therefore, some habitual criminals would immediately flee after committing a crime and wait for the amnesty. Once the amnesty was announced, they would return to their hometowns and live freely. This was a flaw in the Song Dynasty.

Song Ji and his group would not be included in the amnesty, but once the amnesty was announced, as long as they didn't commit more crimes, the officials would consider the case closed.

"What plan?"

"Yu'er, don't ask. You'll know when the time comes. Then I can take you away and give you a life of luxury."

"Luxury is fine, but Song Lang, you must be careful. Not only Cheng Gong, but also the Imperial City Bureau," Xiang Yu was initially unclear about the Imperial City Bureau but later found out, which frightened her.

Song Ji's face darkened.

"Don't worry, Yanzhou will soon be in turmoil!"

PS: I arranged for a princess, and no one objected. It seems everyone is more resilient than I thought.

In fact, this book has not been doing well, so the new book is more cautious. After discussing with the editor Cang Cang, Li Shou, and Hu Ya, I revised nearly a hundred chapters five times, deleted over ten thousand words, and spent over a month, almost to the point of exhaustion. If I followed Li's advice, I would have written it more boldly. But I still didn't dare to completely loosen the pace, fearing it would shock everyone. Therefore, the first volume has only a few climaxes, and the pace is slightly slow. The second volume will be more intense. Please support me and help me nurture this book. Your support is my true motivation.

One more update, please add to your collection and recommend it.