Chapter 8 1. Wang Kaiyun’s three lessons: the study of fame, the study of poetry, and the study of emperors

Five days later, Yang Du came to Chuanshan Academy. He first found Xia Shoutian through the concierge.Xia Shoutian already knew everything.It turned out that as soon as Wang Kaiyun returned to the academy from Xiangtan the day before yesterday, he told him everything about meeting Yang Du at Shitangpu. "Xizi, do you know who the old man was talking to you a few days ago?" A pair of best friends reunited on Xiangjiang Dongzhou half a year later, they were very excited. After exchanging pleasantries, Xia Shoutian asked Yang Du. "Are you asking the old gentleman who talked with me for a long time at Shitangpu's house?" Yang Du asked in surprise.

Xia Shoutian nodded. "I don't know him. He said that he passed by my house on his way to the city, and asked about the letter on the capital bus last year. He is probably a gentleman in the city." "How about this old gentleman?" Xia Shoutian asked with a suppressed smile. "Extremely knowledgeable and insightful, I will visit him in Xiangtan City when I have free time." Yang Duji said seriously. "Don't visit Xiangtan City, he's in Chuanshan Academy." Xia Shoutian finally couldn't help laughing. "He turned out to be the teacher of Chuanshan Academy!" Yang Du was overjoyed, "No wonder he persuaded me to come here and join Mr. Renqiu."

"Xizi, you are such a fool!" Xia Shoutian knocked on Yang Du's forehead, "The old gentleman is Mr. Renqiu himself!" "It's really him?" Yang Du exclaimed. "Xizi, you are amazing. I mentioned your name that day, and the old man took the opportunity to go home and marry a daughter to find you in person." Xia Shoutian sighed, "Since ancient times, only disciples have gone to school to find famous teachers. Have you ever seen a famous teacher visit an apprentice in person? Xizi, don't disappoint the old gentleman's high expectations!"

Yang Du was very excited, and after a hasty dinner, accompanied by Xia Shoutian, he went to Ming Xingzhai where Wang Kaiyun lived to pay homage. Ming Xing Zhai is a row of three bungalows facing south behind the ginkgo tree in Ming Dynasty.One is a bedroom, one is a study, and one is a kitchen.The fourth generation Yi did not live with his father. He used to live in a big dormitory with other students and eat in a big kitchen. Recently, Xia Shoutian came and lived alone in a single room. He invited Dai Yi to live with him, and Dai Yi moved into Xia Shoutian's room. went.There is also a small kitchen in the academy for the gentlemen to eat.Zhou's mother thought that the food made in the small kitchen was not to Wang Kaiyun's taste, so she cooked three meals for the old man herself.The old man was very satisfied with Zhou's mother's thoughtfulness.

At this moment, in Ming Xing Zhai's study, Wang Kaiyun was sitting on a soft rattan chair, holding a shiny copper hookah, smoking and drinking tea, while chatting with Zhou's mother.After smoking a bag of cigarettes, Mama Zhou went to the old man, took the copper snuff pot, took out the movable hollow copper rod that held the cigarette, poured out the cigarette ash, picked it clean, and put another puff of fine yellow shredded tobacco on it. Pass it to the old man again. Wang Kaiyun is addicted to cigarettes. As long as he doesn't read or write, he just holds a cigarette bottle in his hand and talks to people, whether it's friends, students, or rich officials.Usually he picks the cigarette ash and packs the shredded tobacco by himself, but as long as Zhou's mother is free, Zhou's mother will take care of this, and she is willing to do it.It seemed that greeting the old man was a great pleasure for her.

"Old man, Dai Yi is twenty-one this year, it's time for you to make an appointment for him." When she loaded the shredded tobacco again and handed over the cigarette bottle, Mother Zhou changed the topic.She has been thinking about this topic in her mind for more than a year.She wants to marry her daughter Xiou to the Wang family and make Dai Yi his wife.If this is done, she will be married to the Wang family and become Dai Yi's mother-in-law. Her status in the Wang family will be greatly improved, and she will no longer be an ignorant and dubious servant. It's time to formally set up the hostess style.However, she also knows that accomplishing this task is not as easy as ascending to the sky.One is that her Zhou family has a humble status and has no connection with poetry and books. Can the old man think highly of it?The second is that her daughter is not beautiful, will Dai Yi like it?Therefore, this idea has been kept for a long time, and she has never dared to say it.Later, she saw that the old man loved and trusted her more and more, and gradually became more courageous.A few days ago, taking advantage of the old man's opportunity to marry his daughter, she asked her daughter to bring a gift to Yunhu Bridge to congratulate her.After the old man saw Xiou, he praised her a few words, and Dai Yi also said a few words to her. Mother Zhou felt like drinking honey in her heart, sweet, she felt that this matter had a certain possibility of success.Seeing that the old man was in a good mood today, he threw a stone to test the depth of the water.

Wang Kaiyun didn't realize this deep calculation in Mama Zhou's heart.He replied lightly: "It's time for Dai Yi to discuss marriage, but there is no suitable person!" "Why is there no suitable person? Old man, as long as you don't keep your eyes on the rich and official families, there are plenty of suitable girls!" Mother Zhou immediately reminded her. "You got it wrong!" Wang Kaiyun said disapprovingly, "I don't even choose a noble family for my daughter-in-law. Do you still talk about it when I ask for a daughter-in-law? Don't you think that Difang married Ding's family to climb a high branch. These days I’ve been regretting it for a long time now, if I didn’t agree back then, how could Difang get married to that wasteland in Guizhou!”

The old man was moved by his true feelings for his daughter, and his voice changed as he spoke.Zhou's mother listened, but she was very happy in her heart. She quickly picked up the teacup on the desk and handed it over, and said with a smile: "Don't feel bad, I know you miss Miss Seven again. I just slipped my mouth, I know You are the most enlightened person, and you never want to win over your in-laws." Wang Kaiyun took a sip of tea and continued: "When choosing a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law, the most important thing is his character and appearance. As long as a man is willing to study and is self-motivated, he will have a promising future; as long as a girl is gentle and virtuous, she knows how to respect her parents-in-law. , husband and son, is good. If you are not good, what is the use of your parents' wealth!"

Mother Zhou listened more and more to her heart, and complimented from her heart: "Old man, you are the most understanding person, no wonder you have such great knowledge. You should be a master of Futai, but the emperor doesn't have such eyes .” Wang Kaiyun laughed, and added: "Of course, the family must be clean." After hearing this, Zhou's mother felt that it was not quite right.After thinking about it, the old man never said that the Zhou family was not innocent.Just as he was about to say a few words, the servant came in and said, "Master Xia accompanied the new Juren Yang Du to see him."

Wang Kaiyun hurriedly got up, said "please", and walked towards the door.Zhou's mother was quite disappointed, she hurriedly retreated into the kitchen to clean up the dishes, and never came out again. Yang Du stepped into the gate with one foot, and took two steps forward in a hurry. When he saw Wang Kaiyun coming to welcome him, he quickly knelt down, knelt down and kowtowed three times to pay homage to the master, and said: "Students have no eyes, they offended many people at Shitangpu that day." , I hope my teacher will forgive me." Wang Kaiyun laughed loudly and said, "What's wrong with you! I prevented you from joining Kang Youwei, and advised you to come to my place, and you really did come. You should give my old man great face!"

After finishing speaking, he helped Yang Du up with both hands, pointed to the stool next to the desk and said, "Sit down, sit down. Wu Yi, you sit too." After sitting down, Yang Du said: "The student left Xiangtan when he was young, and he was not greeted by his master. These years in other places, he has heard of his name for a long time and admired him very much. Two days earlier, he came to the humble house for advice. Yang Du was honored to receive this honor .From now on, I will be worshiped under the teacher's door and inherit the teachings for a long time." Xia Shoutian said: "It is his good fortune that Xi Zi is so favored by Mr. Wang Kaiyun smiled again and said: "Don't talk about the teachings of the long-term, you can stay in Dongzhou as a tourist for a few days, if you feel that this place is not safe, you can go to the South China Sea again." Yang Du hurriedly said: "Just now Wu Yi told me the general situation of the academy. He has only been here for half a month, and he already feels that he has benefited a lot. The students saw Dongzhou as an unsinkable giant ship sailing on the blue waves. On the rippling Xiangjiang River, there are only trees and wild flowers on the island, but no red dust; only apricot altars and palaces, but no Goulan tile houses; only numerous students, but no wealthy people; only the sound of reading books, but no hustle and bustle of the world; where is the world going? Looking for such a good place to study? The students don’t go anywhere, and if they don’t learn from the master, they will never leave Dongzhou!” Yang Du's impromptu confession made Wang Kaiyun very happy to hear it: quick thinking, very good at speaking, he is a piece of pure gold and uncooked jade.Is it a bit flashy?When Wang Kaiyun was happy, a thought like this suddenly floated over.But this thought passed quickly, and it did not affect his preference for this talented young man. "Sir, let Xi Zi share a room with me and Dai Yi!" "If you want, go talk to Zheng Shuwu!" Wang Kaiyun was very much in favor of his son sharing a room with Xia Shoutian. Now that he has added another talented person, it will only be more beneficial to Dai Yi.Those who are close to Zhu are red, and those who are close to ink are black. I hope Dai Yi will be smart and angry soon under their leadership. Yang Du saw that there was an unfinished piece of paper on the desk, and there was a large stack beside it. Knowing that Wang Kaiyun was busy writing again, he got up and said goodbye.Wang Kaiyun also got up and said to Yang Du: "Xizi, take a look these few days. Come to me on the evening of the ninth day of the lunar new year. I'll talk to you." On the evening of the ninth day of the lunar new year, Yang Du changed into a clean blue cloth gown, chose a black thin satin melon skin hat to put on, and walked towards Ming Xing Zhai excitedly.He guessed that the husband must have something important to say to him. Wang Kaiyun has always been unkempt and casually dressed.Tonight, he asked Mama Zhou to pick out a silk gown with maroon flowers and lining for him. He also asked Mama Zhou to untangle his braids and comb them out again.Although Wang Kaiyun is sixty-four, he doesn't have many gray hairs.Zhou's mother carefully clamped a little of his white hair into the braid, and tied it with a black cloth strip.Wang Kaiyun looked left and right in the full-length mirror, and felt that his complexion was healthy, his waist was strong, and his heart was at ease, so he said to Zhou Ma: "Come here, come here." Mother Zhou didn't understand what he was going to do, so she walked over obediently.Wang Kaiyun stretched out his right hand and said, "Take my hand." "Okay, why do you hold hands." She said so, but she still pulled it. "Look in the mirror, if the two of us walk into the city like this, others won't see that I'm more than 20 years older than you, and I'm a good match!" Mother Zhou's face turned red, she felt very embarrassed, she let go of her hand and walked into the bedroom.Wang Kaiyun was so proud that he couldn't stop laughing in the mirror alone. "Sir, why are you so happy?" Yang Du came in and asked with a smile. "It's nothing. I feel so much younger when I wear a good-looking dress. I think it's funny. People need clothes, and Buddhas need gold clothes. This is true. Even an old man like me needs good clothes to dress up." Wang Kaiyun said With that in mind, she left the mirror and walked to the desk, thinking to herself: Luckily, Zhou Ma let go and walked away, otherwise, someone would have read it. "Sir, you don't look old in the first place." Yang Du's words were half a compliment and half a fact. "Not old? Zeng Wenzheng has been dead for more than 20 years, and Zuo Wenxiang has been dead for more than ten years. How can I not be old?" "Zeng Wenzheng" and "Zuo Wenxiang" are the words that Wang Kaiyun often talks about. Sometimes his tone is respectful, and sometimes he is ridiculed, as if Zeng and Zuo are puppets he plays with at will and only serve him. "Xiezi, sit down wherever you want." Wang Kaiyun pointed to the empty stool in the study, then turned to the bedroom and called, "Mother Zhou, pour some tea." Maybe it was the wrong time to come last time, which interrupted the important discussion between Zhou Ma and Wang Kaiyun. Zhou Ma had an indescribable dislike for Yang Du, which was in stark contrast to welcoming Xia Shoutian. After coming out, it took a long time to bring Yang Du a cup of cold tea, but he never smiled or said a word.Yang Du didn't notice anything, he sat upright opposite the soft wicker chair, and waited earnestly for Mr. to speak. "Xizi, I have nothing else to call you tonight. I want to hear your choice." Wang Kaiyun had already sat on the rattan chair, and habitually picked up the copper hookah.After saying this, he stuffed the spout into his mouth and sucked a few times, but there was no smoke, only the sound of water.Seeing Yang Du staring at him with wide eyes, he knew that the student hadn't fully understood what he said, so he continued, "I have three subjects here, it depends on which one you focus on." "Please tell me, sir, what are the three subjects in the academy?" Yang Du asked respectfully. "It's not determined by the academy. This is my own method of teaching." Wang Kaiyun smiled slightly, squeezed a fine shredded tobacco the size of a broad bean with his right finger, stuffed it into the depression on the head of the movable rod, and then blew on the paper to twist it. , lit the cigarette, and then there was a gurgling sound in his throat.After the sound, he half-closed his eyes, and gently exhaled the smoke, looking at the complacent expression, as if he was tasting the elixir of wine.Uncle is strict, and Yang Du has never touched a hookah yet. Seeing his husband smoking so happily, he felt itchy in his heart. He thought, if the academy does not allow students to smoke, he will also buy a hookah tomorrow and enjoy it. . "Teaching according to the person is an effective teaching method handed down by the old master Confucius. I have been doing this intentionally for decades, but I have not gained much. The key reason is that there are not many high talents." Wang Kaiyun took another puff of light smoke and said , "My three subjects, one is the study of fame, one is the study of poetry and prose, and the other is the study of emperors." Yang Du found it very fresh and interesting: "Sir, what is the study of fame and fame?" "The so-called study of fame and fame, as the name suggests, is to study for fame and fame." Wang Kaiyun said unhurriedly, "These people come to study under my door, and their purpose is to be admitted to the Imperial Academy, which is a lifelong honor. This Waiting for others, the old man only taught him to be familiar with the four books, to be proficient in stereotyped essays, to write test post poems, and to write strategic theories. Being an official is his goal, and poetry is just a brick to knock on the door of fame. There is no need to delve into the essence of sages. The principle of being a man does not need to be practiced personally. Once the fame and fame are obtained, the bricks and stones can be thrown away. At that time, it is only necessary to win the favor of the superior, and there is no need to be responsible to the conscience of the world. Check one by one. This is the first homework of this old master, but it is not easy to really learn it well." Yang Du listened to it, nodded secretly, and asked again: "What about the study of poetry and prose?" "The study of poetry and prose under my family," Wang Kaiyun put down the hookah, held up the teacup, and said slowly, "is designed to explore the ancient and modern as the true meaning of learning. Or spend a lifetime studying classics and history, dialectical To correct mistakes, to make a faint note; or to climb to the top of the group books, to see the gains and losses of the past dynasties, to study the time between heaven and man, and to form a family's words; .In a word, its learning is not based on strength, but on words.” Yang Du was very happy and wise after hearing this, and asked again: "Excuse me, sir, how is the learning of emperors?" "The study of emperors is like this." Wang Kaiyun put down his teacup, stood up, left the rattan chair, and walked a few steps in the study with his hands behind his back.He straightened his back, his eyes shot out a rare light like that of a middle-aged man, and he said in a loud voice, "This old man's study of emperors is based on Confucian classics, with historiography as the mainstay, with pre-Qin scholars as branches, and with Han Wei Shiwen is a leaf, understand the way of Confucius and Mencius, reach the opportunity of Sun Wu, know astronomy from the top, and geography from the bottom. For assistance, let the princes and nobles communicate with each other." The more Wang Kaiyun talked, the more excited he became. Thinking of how he lived from the age of twenty to thirty, he couldn't help feeling excited and high-spirited.At this moment, Yang Du's heart was moved by hearing it, and he fell in love with it. "At this time, you have the ability to do great things. Then, you may take the fame calmly, come from an official career, go to the temple in the toilet, offer big plans to move the ninefold, make grand theories to reach the heavens, participate in political affairs, assist the emperor, and be a generation of virtuous ministers , build a great cause for thousands of years; or watch the government and the public with a cold eye, look for extraordinary people, come up with strange plans, write clever strategies, take advantage of the right time, take advantage of the geographical advantages, attract people's hearts, and work together to do a very great cause. Hou, his reputation is shocking all over the world, and his achievements have a long history." It wasn't until Wang Kaiyun stared at him with burning eyes and stopped talking for a long time that Yang Dufang recovered from his admiration.To be a gentleman in commoner clothes and a scholar, this is the ideal that Yang Du has dreamed of since he was young, but he doesn't know what conditions he needs to realize this ideal.Listening to Wang Kaiyun's high-level remarks now, I really feel deaf and enlightened, and I also have the enlightenment to see the sun behind the clouds.He hurriedly left the stool, straightened his blue gown, then raised his front, knelt in front of Wang Kaiyun, and said reverently and solemnly: "Mr. Yang Bo: Mr.'s reputation is as bright as the Big Dipper in the sky, and as majestic as the town of Mount Tai. The students are ignorant, and fortunately my teacher pointed them astray, so they were able to go to Dongzhou to study in the academy. Although the students admire the nobleness of Hanyuan, Founding a government with power, but also wanting to be famous in the literary world, and then assisting a generation of famous masters, becoming a hundred years of career, is what the students dream about day and night. It is not the students talking big in front of the husband today, the students have urinated since childhood I think I have the talent to lead and shepherd the world. The more important things I do, the more energetic I am, the more difficult I am, the more interested I am, and I am stubborn by nature. I will never give up until I achieve my goal. Sir, please put fame and poetry aside, teach me The students seek the well-being of the people of the world with the university of the emperor and Mr. Jing's unfulfilled ambitions when he was young." Wang Kaiyun was originally a person who was arrogant and dared to speak big. Tonight, when he saw this student who had just passed the weak crown, he dared to think of himself as extraordinary in front of him and spoke rudely. He seemed to see the shadow of his youth from Yang Du.Not only did he not blame Yang Du for his arrogance, but he believed that this young man was ambitious and ambitious, and he was a material for great things.He was about to agree, but after thinking about it, he stared at Yang Du and said: "Although the study of emperors is a great learning, since ancient times, it has been a great way to attract people, and its achievements are easy to slander. There is only a thin line between great virtue and great kindness and great crime and great evil. They are the ones who entered the Lingyan Pavilion and were awarded the Marquis List, and they are the ones who cook the knives and saws in oil, and even destroy the family. After all, it is not as stable as the study of fame and fame, and the study of poetry and prose is noble, you have to think about it clearly!" Yang Du replied without hesitation: "On the side of the Qing emperor, there are many ministers who punish power. There are many people who have come to do great things by the side of the road. The students are not sensitive, but they already know it well. The students have made up their minds. If Mr. Meng teaches , can achieve a great cause, even if it does not end well, but also willingly." This last sentence reminded Wang Kaiyun of the scene in his dream that night.What a coincidence, didn't the young man who studied with Song Lian also say this sentence?It seems that this son is undoubtedly his heir!Thinking of this, Wang Kaiyun said happily: "Well, from this month on, every night of the fifth, fifteenth, and twenty-fifth day of the lunar new year, you come to Ming Xingzhai, and I will give you a class on the study of the king alone. Ruo Xia If you are very interested, you can also invite him to listen to it.”