Chapter 114: Mr. Anding

Following Huang Haoyi along the way, Zhang Yue had not made much progress in other skills, but this particular ability had grown steadily.

After the group chatted for a while, a moment passed.

Suddenly, the sound of a cloud-plate rang out. Several officials entered the hall. Seeing them, everyone moved aside and bowed in unison, addressing them as "Master."

"No need for formalities. Let me see the demeanor of today's outstanding talents."

The old man in the center spoke, and the students to his left and right all raised their heads. It was clear at a glance that this elder was a profound scholar. Although his face showed signs of illness, his imposing manner was truly unforgettable.

*Could this be Hu Yuan, the Master of Anding?* Zhang Yue wondered.

At that thought, a surge of excitement welled up in him. He had not expected to encounter such a figure on this occasion.

It was said that although he was currently a Palace Secretary to the Crown Prince, a lecturer at the Tianzhang Pavilion, and the supervisor of the Imperial Academy, his health had long been failing. Apart from conducting examinations and overseeing academic regulations, he had not seen students for a long time. It was entirely unexpected that he would personally attend this student interview.

Zhang Yue watched the old man, his heart racing. This man was the teacher of great luminaries like Zhou Dunyi, Cheng Yi, and Fan Chunren. Even Fan Zhongyan and the later Wang Anshi held him in high esteem. Alongside Sun Fu and Shi Jie, he was known as one of the Three Masters of the early Song Dynasty, all of whom were key figures in Fan Zhongyan’s reform movement. With Fan, Sun, and Shi having passed away one after another, only he remained.

Although Fan Zhongyan’s Qingli Reforms had ultimately failed, he had still appointed Hu Yuan to head the Imperial Academy, and Ouyang Xiu, once Fan’s right-hand man, had served as the chief examiner for the imperial examinations in the second year of the Jiayou era. It was evident that while the reforms had failed, the Emperor had not abandoned the vision, tasking Ouyang Xiu and Hu Yuan with overseeing the Academy and the examinations to cultivate talent for the state.

However, Hu Yuan—hailed by the Emperor as the "True Master" and a mentor of sorts to Fan Zhongyan—was likely nearing the end of his life. That he would push through his illness to personally oversee the recruitment of students showed his profound dedication to selecting talent for the country, truly hoping to find capable individuals to become the pillars of the nation.

If this was not what it meant to "give one's all until one's heart stops beating," what was? Compared to this, the group of students Zhang Yue had just been with—acting as if they had been forced to attend the Academy against their will—felt rather shameful.

Hu Yuan surveyed the group and asked, "I am Hu Yuan, currently supervising the Imperial Academy. May I ask why you have come here?"

After a moment of silence, a student stepped forward. "Reporting to the Master of Anding: the country is currently in a precarious state. In the past, we paid tribute to the Khitan, which could be justified by the strength of the Liao. But now, even Western Xia receives tribute. A nation’s humiliation is the humiliation of its officials. We have reached this point because we cling to old ways and refuse to change, allowing corruption to worsen day by day. Minister Fan once exhausted himself trying to reform the country's ills, but... now, while the world seems peaceful on the surface, civil unrest and military chaos grow more frequent every year. If we do not prepare early, the consequences are unimaginable."

*That’s impressive,* Zhang Yue thought. *That’s exactly the level of a model student.*

Hu Yuan nodded. "Indeed, that is the very purpose for which I run this Academy..."

The student was overjoyed, but then heard Hu Yuan add, "Yet, that is not at all the intention of those of you who have come here."

The student’s expression faltered. Zhang Yue and Huang Haoyi exchanged a glance, secretly amused.

"Just now, in the adjacent study, I heard some saying they came to the Academy because 'the Academy is decent enough,' 'one can eat and live for free,' or 'the steamed buns are good.'"

The students below turned red with shame. *Good heavens,* Zhang Yue thought, *the Master of Anding is not a soft-hearted man; he was eavesdropping the whole time. It's over—our true colors have been laid bare.*

Among the students, many were embarrassed, while others secretly mocked them.

Hu Yuan continued slowly, "In truth, both perspectives are flawed. One fails to grasp the essence, and the other fails to reach its application. One is an excess, the other a deficiency. Whether you come to the Academy or not, you must first seek the path of 'understanding the essence and mastering its application'."

The student from earlier straightened up. "Master, serving the country is like a minister serving the imperial court. Why can that not be called understanding the essence? My words just now were from the bottom of my heart."

Hu Yuan nodded. "Indeed..."

*If I don't step in, who will?* Zhang Yue thought. *I know the answer to this.*

Acting on impulse, Zhang Yue stepped out from the crowd. "Master of Anding, I would like to attempt an answer to this."

Hu Yuan glanced at Zhang Yue and nodded.

Zhang Yue said, "I believe that loyalty to the sovereign is rooted in filial piety. Thus, since the Three Dynasties, every benevolent ruler and sage ancestor has governed the world through filial piety. Therefore, loyal ministers and righteous generals must come from the homes of filial sons. If one is not filial to one's parents, how can one speak of total devotion to the nation or sacrificing one's life for the sovereign?"

The student retorted, "My filial piety is known throughout my hometown. In the past..."

Zhang Yue smiled slightly. "There is no need to speak of your filial piety, brother. I am not saying you are unfilial. I am saying, imagine an actor playing the role of a perfectly filial son; can one say he is the most filial person in the world?"

The crowd burst into laughter. It was a sharp rebuttal.

"This..." The student was momentarily speechless, then added, "If you put it that way, are the filial acts of our common people all false? Why then would the imperial court honor those who uphold such virtues?"

Zhang Yue, having anticipated this question, chuckled. "What you say makes sense, and this is precisely what the Supervisor meant by 'understanding the essence and mastering its application.'"

"As the saying goes: 'Judge by intent, not by action; if judged by action, there are no filial sons in poor families. Judge by action, not by intent; if judged by intent, there are no perfect men in the world.' Judging by intent is 'understanding the essence,' and judging by action is 'mastering its application.' To judge action by intent—that is the essence of 'understanding the essence and mastering its application.'"

After these words, Hu Yuan and the instructors of the Imperial Academy began to look at Zhang Yue with newfound interest. The other candidates were equally stunned; they had initially thought him a mere braggart, but how... how could his ability to brag be so formidable that even the instructors were taken aback?

The student had no further reply. The instructors whispered among themselves.

Hu Yuan looked Zhang Yue up and down. "A fine saying: 'Judge by intent, not by action; if judged by action, there are no filial sons in poor families. Judge by action, not by intent; if judged by intent, there are no perfect men in the world.' From which classic or chapter does this come?"

Zhang Yue smiled faintly. "Reporting to the Master of Anding: it has no source; it is my own composition!"

The crowd was in an uproar. Hu Yuan raised a hand, and everyone fell silent.

Hu Yuan smiled. "No matter. Zizhang once said that a gentleman is unreachable, but Confucius became Confucius by learning from others. We need not quote the Three Dynasties in every sentence."

"Using the concepts of judging intent and action to interpret 'understanding the essence and mastering its application' is truly refreshing. But you said filial piety cannot be the 'essence.' What, then, is the essence?"

"And where is the root of this filial piety?"

The others nodded in agreement.

Scholars studying the classics first learn the *Classic of Filial Piety*. When scholars offer advice to the Emperor, the first sentence is often that the sages governed the world through filial piety. The imperial examinations also include the *Analects* and the *Classic of Filial Piety* as auxiliary texts. While they seem lower than the Nine Classics, in reality, the Nine Classics are elective, while the *Classic of Filial Piety* and the *Analects* are mandatory.

Zhang Yue replied, "I believe that according to the *Great Learning* in the *Book of Rites*, one must cultivate the self, regulate the family, govern the state, and bring peace to the world. Regulating the family is the path of filial piety, but to regulate the family, one must first cultivate the self. Thus, Han Yu proposed that by rectifying the heart, being sincere in thought, cultivating the self, regulating the family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world, one progresses step by step."

Everyone knew the *Four Books* were compiled by Zhu Xi, but the concept was first proposed by Han Yu. He took the *Great Learning* and the *Doctrine of the Mean* from the *Book of Rites* and placed them alongside the *Analects* and the *Mencius*.

However, mainstream Confucians at the time still did not recognize this view, favoring the *Classic of Filial Piety* as the foundation. This involved the question of what constituted the "essence." Before Han Yu, everyone believed filial piety was the essence. From birth, children love their parents. Because of this love, they learn to love their siblings, their extended family, and eventually, this extends to their clan, their village, and finally, loyalty to the sovereign and country.

Thus, until the Northern and Southern Song dynasties, Confucians studied the *Classic of Filial Piety* first. But filial piety is only one human emotion; it cannot represent the whole. This is why Zhu Xi, following Han Yu, proposed "rectifying the heart and being sincere in thought" as the essence.

Centering on "rectifying the heart and being sincere in thought," Ming Dynasty Neo-Confucianism and the School of Mind argued for a long time. The School of Principle argued that one must "investigate things to extend knowledge," learning the principles of all things. This was to "preserve Heavenly Principle and extinguish human desire," where Heavenly Principle was the essence.

Wang Yangming spent a long time investigating bamboo, only to realize that a principle he did not recognize, no matter how sound, was not his own principle. Thus, Confucianism split into the School of Mind. Wang Yangming finally told his two disciples at Tianquan Bridge: those with sharp roots (the intelligent) understand themselves, while those with dull roots (the simple) understand the world. But regardless of roots, the true essence must encompass both Heavenly Principle and human desire. If you were the only person in the world, Heavenly Principle would be human desire, and there would be no right or wrong, good or evil.

However, Zhang Yue exercised restraint. Bringing the essence to the level of "rectifying the heart and being sincere in thought," while not entirely aligned with the mainstream, was at least Han Yu’s proposal; if they wanted to object, they could go argue with Han Yu. If he had thrown out Wang Yangming’s concepts directly, he would likely have been kicked out on the spot.

Hu Yuan said, "I see you have more to say. Please, continue."

Zhang Yue bowed. "Thank you, Master. Understanding the essence is understanding the heart. Filial piety is one aspect, but can the seven emotions and six desires of man be summarized by the word 'filial'? For instance, if you were the only person in the world, how could one speak of filial piety?"

"Therefore, we Confucians should take 'rectifying the heart and being sincere in thought' as our foundation!"

Hu Yuan looked at Zhang Yue repeatedly and asked gently, "What is your name? Where are you from?"

Zhang Yue bowed. "Reporting to the Master of Anding: I am Zhang Yue from Pucheng, the third in my family."

"Oh? The Zhang family of Pucheng? Are you a clansman of the current top scholar, Zhang Ziping?"

Zhang Yue said, "Indeed, I am."

*In terms of seniority, I am actually his uncle, but unfortunately, he refuses to acknowledge it.*

Hu Yuan smiled happily. "A descendant of the Zhang family—no wonder you have the bearing of a scholar’s family. Who was your teacher?"

Zhang Yue replied, "My first teacher was Mr. Guo of the village school, and later I studied under Mr. Boyi."

Upon hearing that Zhang Yue was a student of Zhang Youzhi, everyone noticed that Hu Yuan's smile faded slightly.

*Oh no,* Zhang Yue thought. *Does my teacher have a grudge against Hu Yuan?*

It was not impossible; Li Gou and Zhang Youzhi were at daggers drawn, and Li Gou was on good terms with Hu Yuan, both being key reformers under Fan Zhongyan. If this caused trouble for him, what was he to do?

But Hu Yuan smiled slightly. "I see, I see."

After saying this, Hu Yuan did not ask anything more. Zhang Yue felt a lingering sense of unease.

After Hu Yuan said a few more words and left, the group immediately began the examination in the Academy hall.