Chapter 93

No wonder ancient students were so hardworking. Before the morning drum had even sounded, Xia Hongsheng yawned and left the house, heading to the Hongwen Pavilion. He didn't need to bring Qi Yong along, so he wandered there alone. By now, Xia Hongsheng and his sister-in-law should have already arrived in Chang'an, but Qu Tongs's remaining twenty or so personal guards showed no signs of returning to Luoyang. Xia Hongsheng didn't feel right asking about it. After all, this house belonged to Qu Tong, and he and his sister-in-law were just staying here temporarily. They would move to the house in Jingyang once it was completed. And it was said to be almost finished. A few days ago, someone from the Office of Works came to the Hongwen Pavilion to find Xia Hongsheng, saying that the exterior was basically complete, and only the interior decoration remained. They asked if he had any specific requirements. Although Xia Hongsheng didn't understand the current regulations, he knew that ancient houses couldn't be built just as one pleased, as it could easily lead to overstepping the rules. No one understood these rules better than the people from the Office of Works, so Xia Hongsheng didn't mention any personal requirements, only saying to follow the regulations.

After calculating, he realized that it had already been two months since they arrived in Chang'an.

When he reached the Hongwen Pavilion, others were also arriving one by one. When they met, they walked together. Xia Hongsheng had good relations with everyone at the Hongwen Pavilion. Without mentioning anything else, which of the familiar wealthy families didn't have a barbecue grill, and weren't using the seasoning recipes given by Xia Hongsheng?

The morning class began, and the students returned to their respective classrooms, reciting with swaying heads and bodies. There was no need for the teacher to patrol; everyone was reciting diligently. If they were asked a question by the teacher and couldn't answer, they would be punished with copying, and even worse, a beating on the palms. These old scholars didn't know what it meant to hold back, regardless of whether you were a prince, princess, or noble's child. Once you were under the iron ruler, you would receive a solid beating. Finally, the morning class ended, and everyone left the classroom. As soon as he came out, Xia Hongsheng saw a familiar face.

"Brother Liu?" Standing at the door was Liu Fang, the head servant of Yan Shigu.

"Oh no, you're scaring me to death!" Liu Fang was startled and quickly approached. "I greet Your Excellency, Lord Yan has come to the Hongwen Pavilion and asked me to invite Your Excellency for a chat."

"Yan Shigu?" Xia Hongsheng was surprised. In the two months since arriving in Chang'an, he had visited Yan Shigu several times, chatting and cooking for him. Yan Shigu's home was very simple, clearly that of a man of integrity.

Xia Hongsheng turned to his classmates and said a few words, then hurriedly followed Liu Fang.

When they reached the back, he was announced and entered. Inside, he saw two old men. One was Yan Shigu, and the other, who looked even older, was unfamiliar.

"Student greets Master Yan and this elder." Xia Hongsheng bowed respectfully. These old scholars valued propriety the most, and any slight breach could offend them.

Yan Shigu nodded, and the other old man stroked his beard and smiled, saying, "I am Li Gang, please sit down."

Xia Hongsheng was taken aback. Li Gang? Wasn't he the famous "Prince Killer"? This old man was a legend, having been a teacher to three princes since the Sui Dynasty. First, he was the teacher of Yang Yong, the crown prince of the Sui Dynasty, who was later killed by his brother. Then, during the Tang Dynasty, he became the teacher of Li Jiancheng, who was also killed by his brother. Finally, he became the teacher of Li Chengqian, who also met a tragic end. Meeting such a historically famous figure, how could he not look at him a few more times?

Xia Hongsheng bowed again and sat down obediently. He thought to himself, one day, he would make sofas and chairs popular in the Tang Dynasty, so people wouldn't have to kneel and sit everywhere, which was really uncomfortable!

"Yesterday, Jing Shi really made a big impression!" Yan Shigu stroked his beard and smiled. "Your interpretation of the phrase 'the people can be made to follow, but not to understand' from the ancient sages is indeed more appropriate. Your spontaneous discussion on the role of a teacher was also deeply convincing and admirable. I believe, with your talent, there is no one in the Hongwen Pavilion who can surpass you."

Hmm? Starting with flattery? Xia Hongsheng bowed forward and said, "Student's arguments are just sophistry. To receive Master Yan's praise, I am deeply moved. Master Yan's guidance is excellent..."

"Old man does not take credit where it is not due, and you need not be so formal." Yan Shigu smiled and shook his head, interrupting Xia Hongsheng. "I have always said that I will not impose my understanding on you, to avoid interfering with your own studies, which could lead to a mix of styles and confusion. I called you here today because I was deeply moved by your discussion on punctuation yesterday. The words of the ancient sages have been passed down to today, with many interpretations. Among the many, misunderstandings and distortions often occur, due to the long passage of time and errors in transmission, making it difficult to discern the true meaning of the sages. When I heard you mention 'punctuation marks' yesterday, I was struck by a sudden insight, but I didn't fully understand. So I called you here to explain in detail."

Hearing Yan Shigu's words, Xia Hongsheng couldn't help but admire the old man's broad-mindedness. He knew what he knew and what he didn't, without any concern for his reputation as a great scholar, asking questions openly. This was the mark of a true wise man, as Confucius once said, "To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge."

So, Xia Hongsheng bowed again and said, "Student is dull, how can I claim to explain? But indeed, there is a method of punctuation, which I will present to my teachers for guidance."

"Go ahead, if we don't understand, we will ask for clarification. What's wrong with calling it an explanation? As the saying goes, 'the one who understands can be a teacher.' Yesterday, you also said, 'A student does not have to be inferior to the teacher, and a teacher does not have to be more virtuous than the student. Knowledge is acquired at different times, and expertise lies in different fields, that's all.'"

"Student will comply!" Xia Hongsheng stood up and said, "Please allow me to write it down."

Xia Hongsheng fetched paper and a brush, walked to the middle of Li Gang and Yan Shigu, and wrote some punctuation marks on the paper. He then explained, "These marks I call punctuation. Different punctuation marks represent different pauses, stops, and tones. When we speak, there are pauses and different intonations before and after a sentence, which, combined with the words we say, convey complete meaning and emotion. When a sentence is spoken, it has different pauses and tones, but when written in a book, how can we accurately reproduce the speaker's pauses and tones? Throughout history, many ancient texts have been misinterpreted due to incorrect punctuation, leading to distortions of the sages' original meanings and misleading future generations. My system of punctuation can avoid this problem, allowing people hundreds or even thousands of years later to understand the true meaning of the words spoken. This comma-like mark is called a comma, representing a pause in the middle of a sentence. This small circle is called a period, indicating the end of a sentence and a complete thought. This stick-like mark is called an exclamation point, used at the end of a sentence to indicate both the end of a sentence and a highly emotional tone... If we all use punctuation in our writing, even after hundreds or thousands of years, future generations, who also understand punctuation, will know the true meaning of the words spoken long ago!"

Yan Shigu and Li Gang didn't speak, but from their excited expressions and the way they stroked their beards, it was clear that they understood the potential impact of Xia Hongsheng's method. Just imagine, if Confucius had used such a system of punctuation in the "Analects," people today would see the text with correct punctuation, naturally understanding Confucius' meaning of "the people can be made to follow; if they cannot, they can be made to understand." There would be no misunderstandings or misinterpretations that have misled people for thousands of years!

Thinking of this, both Li Gang and Yan Shigu became excited.

Xia Hongsheng wrote a few sentences on the paper and added punctuation marks. Yan Shigu and Li Gang listened carefully as Xia Hongsheng explained the different uses of the punctuation marks. Xia Hongsheng taught for half the morning, and Li Gang and Yan Shigu practiced for the other half, finally mastering the use of punctuation.

"Wonderful! Wonderful!" Li Gang held the paper with the punctuation marks and praised, "This method of punctuation is truly ingenious. Once you understand the use of punctuation, you no longer have to worry about misinterpreting written words. At a glance, you can understand how the speaker said it, what they meant, and their emotional state... This method is unparalleled. If it is widely adopted, future readers will no longer suffer from misinterpretations and misunderstandings! Great virtue! This is a great virtue!"

"Indeed, this method should be promoted as soon as possible..." Yan Shigu's eyes sparkled, holding the paper tightly, as if afraid it would fly away. He said to Li Gang, "Lord Li, we should first visit the National University and discuss this with Lord Kong..."

"Agreed, I was thinking the same thing." Li Gang nodded, and the two exchanged a glance, then burst into laughter.