Chapter 60

The next day, Lin Yanchao got up from his dormitory, feeling that the weather had become much colder. Unconsciously, he had already been studying at the academy for a month.

The climate in Fujian is warm, and it is close to the sea. Generally, at this latitude, it rarely snows except in winter. However, it is now in the Little Ice Age, and after winter began, the weather became suddenly cold. He heard from his classmates that a light snow had fallen in the nearby mountains a few days ago.

Snow in the mountains indicates that the temperature is about to drop below zero. After getting up, Lin Yanchao put on another thick coat, tidied his clothes, and went to the water tank next to the dormitory to fetch a basin of water. He took the willow branch soaked in tooth powder from the night before, used it to clean his teeth, and then washed his face. The water was icy and bone-chilling.

In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. It was still dim outside, and the classmates in the dormitory had already put on their schoolbags and were walking out in twos and threes.

When Lin Yanchao arrived at the outer dormitory, he saw that most of his classmates had already put on their winter clothes. Two plum trees in front of the study were about to bloom, ready to face the cold wind. Truly, they are the three friends of winter.

These two plum trees are always with the classmates. Seeing that they are about to bloom, everyone stopped to admire them.

It wasn't until the cook brought breakfast that the classmates returned to the study. Lin Yanchao also stopped for a while, then stepped into the study.

Soon, Lin Liao arrived at the study and began to lecture on the Analects of Confucius.

Among the Four Books, the Mencius is the most difficult, and the Analects of Confucius has the highest status, recording the words and deeds of Confucius and his disciples.

Since the May Fourth Movement, the slogan "Overthrow the Confucian Shop" has been raised, and in the eyes of many post-80s like Lin Yanchao, Confucius is just an old man in history. However, in the era Lin Yanchao is in now, Confucius is the spiritual leader of scholars, revered as the Supreme Sage and Master.

The most famous part of the Analects is the phrase "The Master said." "Master" is a respectful term for a teacher, and the Analects was compiled by the disciples of Zengzi, so throughout the text, Confucius and Zengzi are referred to as "Master."

Before lecturing on the Analects, Lin Liao spoke highly of it and warned his students: "When you read the Analects and the Mencius, you must read them thoroughly and savor them. You should apply the words of the sages to yourself and not just treat them as a story. If you can truly apply these two books to yourself, you will benefit for life."

Then Lin Liao shared his own insights on reading the Analects: "I started reading the Analects when I was seven or eight years old. At that time, I already understood the meaning, but the older I got, the longer I read, the deeper the meaning became."

He then compared the Analects with the Mencius, saying: "The words of Confucius are natural, and the words of Mencius are factual. You must remember this."

Lin Liao's words were profound yet easy to understand, perfectly conveying the importance of reading the Analects, in line with the spirit of the academy, which emphasizes education and regards official careers as secondary.

Lin Yanchao sat upright, knowing that today they would study the first two chapters of the Analects. He had already reviewed them, and before he came to this era, he had read Nan Huaijin's "The Analects: A New Interpretation," so he was not unfamiliar with the Analects. However, at that time, he was both intimidated by the archaic language and unwilling to read books that claimed to be about the Analects but were actually selling self-help. Therefore, he chose to read this book by a master of Sinology.

At that time, he was only slightly interested in Sinology, but he never expected that after coming to this era, Sinology would become his means of livelihood.

Before coming to the academy, he had bought "The Analects with Commentary" and had consulted an old master. This time, he would use it to cross-reference with Zhu Xi's "The Analects: Chapter Sentences." After a long introduction, Lin Liao began to teach the first chapter of the Analects, "Learning and Progress." Zhu Xi's commentary states that this chapter is the gateway to the Way and the foundation of virtue.

Lin Liao lectured, and Lin Yanchao listened attentively, taking notes continuously.

The weather was cold, and Lin Yanchao's hands were stiff. He had to rub them from time to time, and his note-taking speed slowed down. The ink he had prepared also quickly cooled and solidified, requiring him to add water to dissolve it again.

Despite this, Lin Yanchao's focus on his studies did not diminish. Seeing this, even the other students could not help but admire his dedication to learning.

Chen Xinggui watched Lin Yanchao's back, pondering.

Among the second-generation students in the outer dormitory, Chen Xinggui had a deep background. Although his immediate family did not have high-ranking officials, his distant relatives included a censor and a governor of Yunnan, significant figures. By the time of his father, they had become a powerful clan in Fujian and Zhejiang, engaged in maritime trade. Those who knew the details knew that his family's wealth was as vast as the sea.

Studying was not important to him, as he did not need to rely on it like students from poor families. Even if he did not pass the scholar examination, it would not matter much.

After coming to the academy, Chen Xinggui did not plan to rely on his studies to advance. Instead, he intended to make many friends, valuable or not, as they could all be useful to his family in the future. He did not use money to win favor but still had excellent relationships and considerable influence in the outer dormitory.

Regarding Lin Yanchao, he always felt that this young man was different from others. Now, he was considering elevating his observation to a level where he could form a closer relationship.

By the end of the class, Lin Yanchao had memorized the first two chapters of the Analects, "Learning and Progress" and "Government." Lin Liao planned to teach the twenty chapters of the Analects in ten days, then spend two days each on the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean.

The importance of the Great Learning goes without saying. The Doctrine of the Mean is a chapter in the Book of Rites, written by Zisi.

In his preface, Zhu Xi states that when Yao passed the throne to Shun, he imparted the phrase "Hold fast to the center." Those who have visited the Forbidden City know this phrase.

When Shun passed the throne to Yu, he added three more sentences, making it sixteen characters: "The human heart is perilous, the Way heart is subtle; be precise and sincere, hold fast to the center." Yao's original phrase was enough, but Shun's addition made it more accessible to the people.

These sixteen characters embody the Confucian tradition of the heart-mind, the teachings of the ancient kings, and the wisdom of the sages.

Over the centuries, countless scholars have tried to interpret these sixteen characters, but Lin Yanchao felt that Zhu Xi's explanation was the most accurate. Zhu Xi said, "Even the most intelligent cannot be without the human heart, and none can lack the nature of the Way. Therefore, even the most foolish cannot be without the Way heart. If these two coexist in the heart and are not properly managed, the perilous will become more perilous, and the subtle will become more subtle."

This means that even the wisest sages, though intelligent, cannot lose their human nature, and even the most ordinary people, though foolish, must use their intelligence to restrain themselves. The heart-mind and true nature coexist in the heart, and if one is not careful, the sage in a high position will become more dangerous, and the ordinary person in a low position will become more insignificant.

After listening to Lin Liao's lecture on the Doctrine of the Mean, Lin Yanchao felt he had gained a lot. Such profound words made him wish he could hear them every day. Unfortunately, Lin Liao only lectured for two days, otherwise, the insights would have been even greater.

The first half of the month's curriculum included the Analects, the Doctrine of the Mean, and the Great Learning. During this period, there was one important event: the Winter Solstice.

In ancient times, the Winter Solstice was as important as the end of the year.

During the Winter Solstice, the academy students had a lively celebration. In the folk, the Winter Solstice is as important as the New Year. On this day, the emperor personally holds a suburban sacrifice, the officials present their respects, and the common people worship their ancestors. Regardless of wealth, people would borrow money to celebrate and prepare offerings.

In the academy, they paid homage to the Sage's birthday, which is the birthday of Confucius, and offered sacrifices to the sages. Lin Yuan and Lin Liao led the students in worshiping Confucius.

Confucius is the Supreme Sage and Master, so he must be worshiped first. The Winter Solstice is when ordinary families worship their ancestors, and scholars worship Confucius, with ceremonies as grand as Confucius' birthday.

During the worship of Confucius, Lin Yanchao couldn't help but think about how later, Zhu Xi and his disciples used the sixteen-character heart-mind to promote the Confucian tradition, believing that the tradition is like the Way of Heaven, passed down through generations.

The teachings of the ancient kings were passed from Yao to Shun, from Shun to Yu, and from Yu to Tang. Yao, Shun, and Yu passed the tradition orally. After several hundred years, the teachings were inherited by the Zhou dynasty, from Tang to King Wen of Zhou, King Wu of Zhou, and then to the Duke of Zhou, and finally to Confucius. However, due to the long gap, the tradition could only be passed through the heart-mind, similar to a spiritual connection.

After the Duke of Zhou, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the rites and music collapsed, and the Zhou emperor's rule was lost. Confucius' state of Lu was the fief of the Duke of Zhou, and Confucius inherited the tradition of the Duke of Zhou.

Lin Yanchao, having just studied the Analects, deeply understood this. Confucius said, "The Zhou dynasty, observing the two previous dynasties, is rich in culture! I follow the Zhou." This means that the Zhou dynasty's culture was prosperous, and he followed the Zhou.

He also said, "I am old, and it has been a long time since I dreamed of the Duke of Zhou." This means that he was old and had not dreamed of the Duke of Zhou for a long time.

After worshiping Confucius, Lin Yuan and Lin Liao led the students to worship the Second Sage, Mencius.

Mencius said, "From Confucius to the present, it has been more than a hundred years. The time since the sage's era is not long, and the place where the sage lived is not far." This statement indicates that he considered himself a successor to Confucius.

After Confucius and Mencius, who inherited the Confucian tradition?

Han Yu promoted Yang Xiong, saying he could continue the Confucian tradition, but the scholars did not agree. Yang Xiong served Wang Mang, which was considered a loss of integrity, and in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang called him a petty Confucian.

After the headmaster Lin Yuan worshiped Mencius, the next to be worshiped was Zhou Dunyi. Zhou Dunyi's teachings connect Confucius and Mencius with Cheng and Zhu.

Next were the two Chengs. Cheng Yi praised his brother Cheng Hao, saying, "After the Duke of Zhou, the Way of the sages was not practiced; after Mencius, the teachings of the sages were not transmitted... Since Mencius, there has been no one else."

After the two Chengs, they worshiped Zhang Zai, who said, "To continue the interrupted learning of the sages, to open up peace for future generations."

After Zhang Zai, the last to be worshiped was Zhu Xi, who said, "Since then, the sages have passed down the tradition."

This lineage is the tradition promoted by the Neo-Confucianists, with Confucius and Mencius at the beginning, followed by Zhou, Cheng, and Zhang, and then Zhu Xi.

After worshiping the sages, the students felt the solemn atmosphere and were spiritually uplifted. Lin Yanchao walked out of the dormitory, thinking that the tradition seemed prestigious and could boost his reputation, but it also felt like clinging to the achievements of the ancients.

The students then bowed to their teachers and to each other, completing the ceremony. In ancient times, with no entertainment, the festival was the biggest form of entertainment. The students were all in high spirits, free from the usual monotony of daily studies, showing some youthful vigor.

In the evening, the academy held a banquet. According to custom, on the Winter Solstice, northerners eat dumplings, southerners eat tangyuan, and in Fujian, they eat rice cakes, which are said to bring good luck and improve one's fortune. For scholars, it is a way to seek good fortune, hoping for good results in the monthly exams.

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The students felt that the tradition was prestigious and could boost their reputation, but it also felt like clinging to the achievements of the ancients. After the ceremony, the students bowed to their teachers and to each other, completing the celebration. In ancient times, with no entertainment, the festival was the biggest form of entertainment. The students were all in high spirits, free from the usual monotony of daily studies, showing some youthful vigor.

In the evening, the academy held a banquet. According to custom, on the Winter Solstice, northerners eat dumplings, southerners eat tangyuan, and in Fujian, they eat rice cakes, which are said to bring good luck and improve one's fortune. For scholars, it is a way to seek good fortune, hoping for good results in the monthly exams.