Book of Disaster

"Boy, I can only take you here. The Wensheng Temple has a special status. Without a summons, even I cannot set foot in it."

The teacher looked at Bai Qi and said earnestly:

"Zhu Zi rarely summons outsiders, so he made an exception for you. Remember, to see Zhu Zi, you must go through many tests. Even if Zhu Zi summons you, if you cannot pass the test to enter the Wensheng Temple, you will probably return halfway without success. If the news gets out, it will be detrimental to your reputation and that of the Bai family. Your reputation will be ruined!"

The teacher looked extremely solemn.

Many people only know that being summoned by Zhu Zi is a supreme honor, but they don't know that it is a double-edged sword. As long as Zhu Zi meets Bai Qi and thinks that Bai Qi's character is not good and says "this boy has a bad heart", then Bai Qi and the Bai family will probably have no place to stand in the capital in the future.

This is the status of a Confucian spiritual leader.

"what!"

Bai Qi was stunned for a moment after hearing this:

"So troublesome?"

"Boy, how do you talk?"

The teacher patted Bai Qi on the head.

"Haha, I'm kidding. Don't worry, teacher. I know what to do and will never embarrass you or our Bai family."

Bai Qi looked relaxed and confident.

Is he that kind of person with bad conduct?

After all, he is a four-good youth of the new era, with five stripes on his shoulders. Does he look like that kind of person?

"Oh, and besides, Zhu Zi is devoted to studying and never leaves his house. He is respected by all Confucianists and Taoists. You must not be disrespectful."

The teacher didn't mind and continued.

Stay at home?

Bai Qi was shocked when he heard this. Isn't this the ancient version of otaku?

You can't do research in isolation!

As a modern man, he couldn't agree with this, but it was not easy to tell the teacher.

I could only hear the teacher's voice:

"In addition, the Wensheng Temple has its own rules. Meeting Zhu Xi also requires the approval of other great Confucian masters. Just treat it as part of the responsibility of summoning you."

"Ah."

Bai Qi nodded, and he understood what was said.

Confucianism and Taoism have always been cumbersome and extremely particular about rules and rituals, which is not surprising if you think about it carefully.

"In short, 'walk the right path and have a clear conscience', just remember these few words. The meaning of Confucianism and Taoism is no more than these few words."

"I believe that with your wisdom you will be able to pass it successfully."

The teacher reminded carefully.

The more he looked at this child, the more he liked him. Maybe he had misjudged him in his early years. This child might be the kind of person who would achieve success late in life.

The Wensheng Temple had a special status in the Yuan Dynasty and one was not allowed to stay in front of the temple for too long. After giving the instructions, the teacher left quickly.

Bai Qi took a deep breath, straightened his hat, and walked in calmly.

The Wensheng Temple is surrounded by tranquility, with a sacred, solemn, ancient and quiet atmosphere.

Almost as Bai Qi stepped over the threshold and stepped onto the wide square in front of the Temple of the Holy Spirit of Literature, majestic gazes immediately fell on him from all directions at the same time.

Bai Qi followed the line of sight and saw a three-legged bronze incense tripod larger than a calf standing on the wide square of the front hall. The tripod was engraved with many exquisite patterns and showed many signs of vicissitudes of life. It was obviously very old and precious. Inside, wisps of white smoke floated in the air and a faint, quiet fragrance was floating everywhere.

This is Wenxiang, a special incense made for the Wendao lineage, and it is very precious.

The teacher gave him one before. It smelled very comfortable and made people feel calm both inside and out.

Not far in front of this three-legged bronze incense tripod, an old scholar wearing a wide robe and sleeves, who looked very knowledgeable, was sitting cross-legged on a dark cushion on the ground.

These people lined up in a row, like a high wall standing in front of Bai Qi.

However, there were three people on the left and three people on the right, but there was an empty passage in the middle leading to the Temple of Literature.

The six old scholars were holding books in their hands, looking like they were studying and meditating, but the moment Bai Qi appeared, they seemed to be disturbed, and the six of them frowned slightly and looked over at him.

Bai Qi smiled and understood what he meant.

This is a stumbling block, we need to give him a warning.

The six people quickly retracted their gazes and continued to focus on the books in their hands. Everything seemed so normal.

Bai Qi didn't point it out, just pretended he didn't see it, and walked straight towards the front door of the Wensheng Temple.

The aisle in the middle was left empty, which showed respect to Zhu Zi and no one would stop him, but whether he could pass through here depended on his ability.

The surroundings were quiet and peaceful. The six old scholars with stern faces lowered their heads and no one looked at him again.

However, just as Bai Qi walked into the middle of the six people and was about to step over, an old and mellow voice suddenly reached his ears:

"Ask, how do gentlemen change? How do villains change? How do great men change?"

Is this the beginning of the test?

Bai Qi's heart moved and he stopped.

On the left, an old scholar sat upright and answered:

"A great man changes like a tiger, a villain changes his face, and a gentleman changes like a leopard."

The two of them asked and answered each other, completely ignoring Bai Qi, as if he didn't exist.

"This is the content of "Zhou Yi·Ge"..."

Bai Qi's heart moved.

Confucius wrote "Yi Zhuan" in his later years. From this point of view, Zhouyi and Confucianism and Taoism are also closely related.

However, Bai Qi still could not understand the true intentions of the great Confucian masters and did not dare to interrupt rashly.

Bai Qi remained calm, watched the situation develop, and continued to listen.

"Question: Some students are stupid, some are smart, some are fast, some are slow, some are good at literature, some are good at martial arts, what should we do?"

On the right, another old scholar spoke.

"Teaching students in accordance with their aptitude and tailoring their education to their needs is the way it should be."

On the left, another old scholar replied.

On the right, the third old scholar continued to ask questions:

"I ask, there is a little boy who is sincere and eager to learn, quick-witted and curious, and we should teach him attentively and guide him carefully. There is a wealthy businessman who is eager to learn, but he is already fifty years old and has a dull talent, so it would be a pity to abandon him. There is a countryman who is a mediocre person and speaks in a vulgar way, so should we abandon him?"

This time, the great Confucian masters on the left were all silent, not saying a word, as if they were waiting for something.

Seeing this, Bai Qi laughed in his heart.

This is asking me to answer, but... I am familiar with this.

Bai Qi laughed in his heart and answered without any scruples:

"The Master said, 'There is no distinction in teaching. That is all.'"

The voice was clear and loud, echoing in the square in front of the hall, confident and calm.

Swish!

The next moment, the six old Confucian scholars looked up almost at the same time, and their eyes all fell on Bai Qi.

The test officially begins.

Bai Qi was also full of fighting spirit and fearless. If an enemy comes, I will fight him; if a flood comes, I will block it with earth. I have knowledge of another world. What is there to be afraid of? Come on!

"Question: People are good or evil, beautiful or ugly, rich or poor, but there are also great men, gentlemen, villains, tigers, leopards, and jackals. Even if there is no distinction between the great, the gentlemen, and the villains can naturally be taught, then can tigers, leopards, and jackals also be taught?"

On the left, an old scholar with a serious expression suddenly attacked.

Bai Qi was stunned when he heard this.

what are you talking about?

Confucius said!

Education without distinction!

"The Master said," "The Master said," these are what Confucius said!

As a great Confucian and Taoist master, he actually questioned the thoughts of Confucius!

This is simply outrageous.

If Bai Qi hadn't heard it with his own ears, he would have doubted whether he had heard it wrongly.

However, looking at the serious expressions of the six great Confucian masters, Bai Qi finally determined -

They are serious!

"What do they want to do?"

Bai Qi's mind was full of thoughts.

He was the one who answered before, "The Master said, there is no distinction between classes in teaching," so he could only continue to answer this time.