Chapter 20 Chapter 20 The Thinker

Not long after receiving Gu Xiancheng's passionate and impassioned long letter, Gao Panlong's entire emotions were still ups and downs in that surging tide, and the news of Gu Xiancheng's dismissal for the people had already spread to Wuxi. For a moment, his heart could hardly bear this heavy impact... "Loyalty but slandered, benevolence but not use-why do people with lofty ideals all through the ages end up like this?" He murmured to himself: "Could it be that right and wrong are confused and upside down in the world?" Doubt and pain alternately entangled his heart, and a sense of resentment was smoldering in his chest, which made him restless, and he could only pace back and forth in the study.

Gu Xiancheng has been a teacher for eight years—at that time, he was only twenty-five years old, and although he had won the Juren, he was not very diligent in learning; one day, the county magistrate Li Fuyang and Gu Xiancheng gave lectures to the school officials. After he went to listen to it, he knew the door of learning. From then on, he set his ambition and devoted himself to the study of the sage. For eight years, he asked Gu Xiancheng for advice from time to time. Even if he was not in the same place, he often communicated with him by letter. Lun Xue and Lun Zhi have not only received a lot of enlightenment in terms of knowledge, but are also closer in aspirations; Gu Xiancheng's strong sense of mission of "taking the world as his own responsibility" has long been integrated into his life and has become his own. mission; and Gu Xiancheng's deeds and encounters in his official career, he understands everything, and even empathizes with him.

"He is devoted to the country and the people, selfless and selfless. He has struggled in the officialdom again and again, but he has ended up like this - where is the so-called 'law of heaven'? Why is it that the more upright and honest a person is, the more he can't be tolerated? Yu is in power, the more he can't fulfill his wish of managing the world and helping the people?" He thought about it over and over again, the more he thought about it, the more painful and indignant he felt; in the end, he also thought of his own fate. That was last year, when I was demoted to Jieyang, a remote place in Guangdong, to do annotating classics and history. This was my second post after entering an official position; The king has the same heart, cherishes talents and stays away from the sycophants" to go up and tell all the private abuses of Wang Xijue and his henchmen; Dangguo, the selfish Wang Xijue and his henchmen have nothing to do, but he who has spoken honestly to the emperor has nothing to do with him. Days later, he was demoted.

When I first received the imperial decree, for me who had only been in the official career for a year, it was like being hit by a bolt from the blue, followed by a piercing pain in my spine. It was not because my official career was frustrated , the pain of being downgraded, but because of the injustice in my heart: "What is right and wrong? What is black and white?" He felt that his blunt words were based on his conscience and he did what he should do. It was for the future of the country and the well-being of the people. He pointed out the behavior of an incompetent official to the emperor, but he would be punished by demoting him Woolen cloth?

This sense of injustice raged in his chest for many days, until he traveled all the way south from the capital and returned to his hometown. It was not only because his emotions gradually calmed down with the passage of time, but also because of his own During this period of time, I constantly reflect on myself, so that my emotions gradually calm down; because the conclusion of this period of self-reflection is "a clear conscience". He clearly remembered that at the beginning of his official career, he secretly thought about it because he felt the complexity and unpredictability of the officialdom, and established a principle for himself to control himself; , all actions must be done according to conscience and shame, so that he can look up in the world and be ashamed-this belief is his self-encouragement, and after deep reflection, the conclusion he draws is "questioning the heart". No shame", his heart became brighter, and he told himself very openly: "Since what I did was what I should do, and I ended up being demoted, I am begging for benevolence!"

Unexpectedly, just as my mood was gradually returning to calm, another bolt from the blue struck... "Mr. Gu's moral knowledge is widely admired, but he actually resigned to serve the people—" He was so excited that his whole body was trembling slightly, and a few words that he had read in the early years unexpectedly flew across his mind, from "Bo Dan" by Qu Yuan to "Li Sao" by Qu Yuan, every word was engraved. With the heartfelt voice of an upright gentleman who is not tolerated by the real environment, his eyes became wet involuntarily, but he began to chant in a low voice: "The sun lives in the moon, and the hustle and bustle is small - the heart is worried. , like bandits washing clothes!"

The verses fit his heart - he felt that his heart transcended time and space, and overlapped with the hearts of every loyal and slandered person with lofty ideals for thousands of years - moreover, he was very eager to meet and talk with Gu Xiancheng, He believed that his teacher and student, who were very close in the spiritual realm, met in such a state and had a lot to say to each other. "If you count the days, Mr. Gu has already left for the south!" He was demoted. He should have gone to his post long ago. He returned to his hometown to be a council member because of the funeral. He was scheduled to leave for Jieyang in the next few days. Now, he has decided to postpone his departure—he will wait for Gu Xiancheng in Wuxi After returning to their hometown, they set off for the post, so that the two of them could have a good time for a long talk.

So, in the next few days, he simply passed the time by reading and sitting quietly, waiting for Gu Xiancheng's return. He was eager to learn since he was a child, and he could not put down the books. When he grew up, he was inspired by Gu Xiancheng, not only "study", but also developed the habit of "thinking". When he went to the Beijing Normal University, he was appointed as a pedestrian in the Department of Pedestrians. This position was "a low-level official with a small position", and he had a lot of leisure time, and there were many books in the yamen of the Pedestrian Department. It was just right for him to concentrate on reading and thinking; In the middle of the year, he carefully studied Ercheng, Zhu Ziquanshu, and Xue Xuan's "Reading Records" very carefully, and immediately made excerpts when he came across something he knew, so he accumulated several thick volumes of transcripts and compiled them into "Daily Records" "Provincial Edition" and integrated "Chongzheng Edition" - the reason for choosing this research direction is actually influenced by Gu Xiancheng; although Gu Xiancheng himself is Wang Shouren's third disciple, he does not agree with the current popular Wang Xue’s style of study, which is based on empty talk, believes that after decades of Wang Xue’s inheritance, the mind has been liberated to the extreme, and the abuse of “lost” has appeared. Xue Xuan, a great Confucian who advocated "practice" in the dynasty, especially asked him to study Xue Xuan's knowledge carefully.

And he benefited a lot from the process of studying these books and taking notes in abstracts. There is a passage in Xue Xuan’s writings that resonates with him from the bottom of his heart. This is: Don't take a word lightly, don't take a word lightly, and don't smile lightly at a fake person. This paragraph and his own "shame" from the heart are consistent, and it is a truth that neither word nor deed can violate the principle; If you want to reflect in your heart repeatedly, you must be worthy of these few words. As for Cheng Zhu's study, he also devoted himself to studying it, especially practiced the way of self-cultivation proposed by Zhu Xi "study for half a day, sit for half a day"-he was originally a person who practiced introspection, no matter what he read. He would not blindly follow any book, but would have to think over and over and verify it; therefore, he also began to develop the habit of sitting quietly, allowing himself to think with great concentration.

Once, he sat quietly for a long time, thinking deeply about the essence of "sincerity in leisure"; suddenly, his thoughts suddenly became clear, and he felt that his whole heart was crystal clear and sincere - so he realized that "sincerity" is What is in the heart of a person does not need to be sought outside; after figuring this out, his mind has been greatly liberated; since then, he has followed the way of self-cultivation of "half-day reading, half-day meditation", and is more accustomed to self-examination and thinking. method, thus making the knowledge more refined...

And because of this, he still maintains the habit of "studying for half a day and sitting quietly for half a day" even in his anger, and the injustice in his heart gradually subsides, and another thought arises instead: "Have no shame in your heart—" —We really have no shame in our hearts, since we have no shame in our hearts, it is not our own fault when we are bullied, and since it is not our own fault, why should we not be happy?" Then think about it again: "The ancient sages and sages said that they can't do what they want, but they ask for themselves-and they say, do what they want-this is to teach people that even if they are in the midst of rebellion, their wishes are not fulfilled, and their wishes are not fulfilled. No matter how much you don't belong, don't be angry, angry, complaining, or even go against your will—" He figured it out, and his whole spirit and character went up to a higher level, and the atmosphere of the whole person also improved; when Gu Xiancheng returned to Wuxi, when the two met, the content of the conversation changed again. It's a different scene. Gu Xiancheng never cared about his status as an official or a citizen. What he wanted to pursue was to benefit the people all over the world, not his own fame; He didn't mention a word at all, instead he told Gao Panlong eloquently: "I am going back to the south, and I have checked the people's conditions along the way, thought carefully, and know more about the current situation of the people; especially the disadvantages of the people, compared with those in Beijing. It’s too detailed when I’m an official and I’m not out of the city; let me think about it for a few more days, list out the ways to save the disadvantages, and then send a letter to Chen Yubi, who has just joined the cabinet, Master Chen!” At the same time, he told Gao Panlong that because the "Ting Tui" disobeyed Emperor Wanli's wishes this time, some personnel in the court had undergone drastic changes. Members of the Ministry of Officials, Huang Jin and Wang Tongxiu, and Zhang Jiazhen and Huang Zhongse, who were in charge, were all convicted; Shangshu Chen Younian repeatedly resisted and defended the matter, but Emperor Wanli did not respond, so he simply complained about illness and begged ; Emperor Wanli first responded with a warm decree, but reluctantly agreed after he joined the Fourteenth School, and Sun Piyang took over as Minister of the Ministry of Officials.However, the candidates for cabinet bachelors were still appointed by Emperor Wanli's "special letter". Assistant, Zhang Wei is the second assistant, Chen Yusheng and Shen Yiguan, who are new to the cabinet, are ranked third and fourth. "Zhao and Zhang needless to say, Shen is also an incompetent person; only Mr. Chen Yubi is upright and capable, and the government depends on him—" He spoke in detail. Before leaving Beijing, he visited Chen Yubi specially and told him many current chaos and suggestions for reform——Chen Yubi and Wang Jiaping were "the same year"—both Longqing's second sons. Jinshi in the first year of Wanli——in the early years of Wanli, he was also in charge of the records of Xiu Shi and Mu Dynasty, and served as the daily lecturer of Emperor Wanli; Last year, he was the Minister of worship. Chen Yubi was born in a family of officials and eunuchs. His father, Chen Yiqin, also served as a cabinet scholar and was responsible for compiling history; Therefore, he is not only a senior official in the court, but also a scholar with profound knowledge; when Gu Xiancheng was in the capital, because he admired his political achievements and knowledge, he often asked him He asked for help and was very enlightened in terms of history and world management; this time, Chen Yubi was "specially briefed" into the cabinet, which was finally an unsatisfactory thing due to the many willful actions of Emperor Wanli. "It's not that there are no upright and virtuous people in the court, it's just that Long Live Lord doesn't want to use them. Therefore, the court is full of treacherous villains-the state affairs must be done, but people with lofty ideals must vigorously promote it!" Gao Panlong listened intently to Gu Xiancheng's narration. After a whole afternoon, his mood fluctuated and turned along with Gu Xiancheng's conversation, which benefited him a lot; Respectfully and respectfully said to Gu Xiancheng: "When Jing Yi first heard that Mr. was demoted, he felt unjust in his chest. Mr. "Pursue benevolence and gain benevolence", although he is demoted, he will have no regrets; after hearing what he said today, he knows that not only does he not care about being demoted, but he still cares about the common people in his heart, and is still eager to save the world—— Mr. has this heart and this ambition, so that Jing Yi can be educated!" So, he bowed reverently to Gu Xiancheng, but he didn't know that at the moment when the two hearts met, a seed had been deeply planted...

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