Book of Disaster

"of course can."

Bai Qi answered generously.

Theoretically, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Confucius's words "there is no distinction between classes in education", but an old scholar on the left quickly shook his head:

"It is said that people have no intention to harm tigers, but tigers have the intention to hurt people. The Confucian and Taoist teachings of "tigers, leopards and jackals" are like a hunter in the mountains saving a wounded tiger. Tigers and leopards are wounded, so they will naturally be close to the hunter. However, when the wound heals, if the tiger is released back into the mountains, it will cause trouble to the village, devouring people and livestock. What should the hunter do? How should the hunter deal with it? When the vicious tiger becomes a nuisance, isn't the hunter no different from an accomplice?"

On the right, an old scholar also asked:

"Tigers are evil by nature. Eating people is their nature. At first, they eat their neighbors. When there is no food in the wild, they eat the hunter's wife and daughter. Finally, when there is nothing to eat, the hunter will also be eaten by them. - Is it good or evil for the hunter to save the tiger?"

"Excuse me, Mr. Bai, do you still insist on the idea of ​​teaching everyone?"

The last sentence was sharp and pointed directly at Bai Qi in front of him.

Bai Qi didn't say anything, but frowned. This level was more difficult than he had imagined.

"It is said that raising a tiger will bring harm, and 'there is no distinction in education'. If we accept tigers, leopards and jackals as well and include them in our sect, wouldn't that be helping the tyrant to commit atrocities? This would go against the original intention of Confucius, the sage, to educate the people."

On the right, an old scholar said with a serious face.

They were originally asking and answering questions and reciprocating each other, but now they have united and are targeting Bai Qi together.

Bai Qi didn't say anything, he needed time to think.

It was quiet all around, and in the dark, there seemed to be a powerful pressure in the void sweeping towards Bai Qi.

"Do you know about the recent shadow incident in the Ministry of Justice?"

An old scholar suddenly spoke.

"I heard something."

Bai Qi nodded and answered casually, but the next moment, Bai Qi's heart was shocked and he raised his head suddenly.

He got it!

The shadow incident!

My eldest brother once mentioned it at home.

In fact, on the way here in the carriage, Bai Qi had asked the teacher out of curiosity.

The reason why the black shadow incident caused such a sensation in the capital and attracted so much attention was because of his teacher "Kong Xuan", because - Kong Xuan was not an ordinary Confucian master, but a descendant of Confucius!

Although from ancient times to the present, the descendants of Confucius have not necessarily produced saints from generation to generation in Mengyin, and Kong Xuan did not reach the high level of Zhu Xi, and cannot be called a literary saint, but just because of the surname Kong, he has an extremely transcendent and special status in Confucianism and Taoism, and he has a large number of followers.

It can be said that his reputation is not much worse than Zhu Xi's.

After all, he represents Confucius!

According to the information Bai Qi had learned, Heiying was born into a poor family and was an orphan who suffered from bullying and torture. Kong Xuan took pity on him and took him in as his disciple when he was detained in the yamen.

But unfortunately, Black Shadow's childhood experiences filled his heart with hatred, and Kong Xuan's teachings did not influence him. However, the teachings of Confucian scholars allowed him to read and write, which enabled him to successfully stand on the same starting line as ordinary people, and laid the foundation for him to eventually become Black Shadow, who was offered a large reward by the court.

Eventually, Black Shadow rebelled against his master and became a demon leader.

This is a case in the Confucian community. What should we do if the "teaching without distinction" advocated by Confucius is used to teach the wrong people and eventually leads to raising a tiger to cause harm?

This involves the threshold issue of Confucianism and Taoism.

That is, what kind of people should be taught and what kind of people should not be taught?

If the discussion in the past was just purely academic, then the "Dark Shadow Incident" is a living example of theory shining into reality.

"A great man changes like a tiger, a villain changes his face, and a gentleman changes like a leopard." Everything mentioned before is related to this.

"What virtue and ability do I have to allow the Confucian scholars to embarrass me with such a case?"

Bai Qi understood the whole story and couldn't help but sigh deeply.

He finally understood why the teacher had told him in the carriage that this level was difficult. Even if he failed, it was normal not to see Zhu Zi, so he should not feel any psychological burden.

"how?"

The six great Confucian masters looked cautious and serious. They stopped communicating and all looked at the young man in front of them, waiting for the final answer.

Only if Bai Qi's answer satisfies them can he meet Zhu Zi.

If not—

I'm afraid he has no choice but to go back home.

It's not that they are deliberately making things difficult for him. It would be fine if Bai Qi was an ordinary person, but it happened that when Bai Qi presented poems at the Lantern Festival, he turned words into scriptures. Now, many people in the Confucian and Taoist school have called him the Little Sage of Literature, but he has not yet received Zhu Xi's approval.

The Wuhun Valley crisis also earned Bai Qi great prestige and fame. If Bai Qi did good all the way, everyone would be happy and he would definitely be a pillar of the Yuan Dynasty. But if he did evil,... it would be a misfortune for the world and would inevitably affect Zhu Zi's reputation.

After all, with the "Black Shadow Incident" as a precedent, they had no choice but to consider it carefully.

The incident between Kong Xuan and the black shadow sparked a debate among the entire Confucian community. Using this incident to test Bai Qi was also a way of clarifying his true nature and seeing what kind of moral character this talented young man from the Bai family, the "little literary saint" of the Confucian community, had.

This is what they really care about.

"Master Bai, do you think that the black shadow... did Master Kong accept him back then? Did he teach him or not?"

"If he hadn't been taken in, he would have ended up on the streets and would have most likely died."

How could an old Confucian Taoist, who is surrounded by Confucian scholars, bear such a situation?

"But if we accept it, his character will be hard to change, leading to the disaster today. Isn't that just helping the tiger and putting the cart before the horse?"

Another old scholar followed suit.

Everyone was talking at once, attacking and urging Bai Qi on, not giving him any time to think.

"Mr. Bai, please answer."

The six great Confucian masters said in unison.

Only the shortest possible time and the most instinctive answer are the true thoughts and ideas in your heart.

The eyes of the six great Confucian masters were so sharp that if Bai Qi was pretending, he would not be able to hide it from them. The whole square was silent. An invisible pressure condensed into substance, extremely powerful, sweeping towards Bai Qi in front like a huge wave.

At the same time, on the official road outside the Temple of the Holy Spirit of Literature, Bai Qi's teacher did not leave. Instead, he drove his carriage and stopped in the distance, looking up in the direction of the Temple of the Holy Spirit of Literature, with a hint of uneasiness in his eyes.

"I wonder if this kid can answer this question. I heard that even Master Zhao is here. With so many great masters and scholars, this is really too much of a scene."

Confucianism and Taoism emphasize the ability to cultivate calmness. It's not that he can't keep calm, but that he is distracted by worrying too much.

Those great Confucian and Taoist masters have always been very demanding. How easy is it to pass their tests?

After all, even he himself was not sure he could pass.

Besides, Bai Qi is too young.

As the saying goes, "young people are full of vigor." What he is afraid of now is that Bai Qi is too hot-tempered and might say something wrong, thus offending all the great masters and scholars.

At that time, it would not be a question of whether or not one could meet Zhu Zi, but the entire Bai family might be implicated.

But now, he could only wait silently and could do nothing.