The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Zhengyang, however, shook his head, as this great scholar from the south spoke with absolute certainty:

"Such words cannot harm this old man's scholarship. Is there a chance to meet with him?"

For many disciples, the scholarly debate in three days was of utmost importance and could not be disturbed.

But for someone like Zhengyang, who was on the cusp of becoming a Saint, what truly mattered was the doctrine itself.

"If it's really Dong Xuan sending the message, then I'm even more determined to find out," the great scholar, wearing a square hat, stated emphatically.

The Song examinee took a deep breath and volunteered:

"Considering your special status, it wouldn't be appropriate for you to seek him out. Let me go instead."

After speaking, the old examinee left.

Seeing this, Lu Cheng stayed in the room with his mentor, waiting:

"I'll go get some breakfast."

By the time he returned with food from nearby, the teacher and student had only taken a few bites when they saw the Song examinee return.

"That was quick. Did you forget something?" Lu Cheng asked curiously.

The Song examinee shook his head with a complex expression, saying:

"After I left the inn, I had just crossed a street when I was stopped by a government officer under Zhao Douan. He said if we want to meet, we should go to Bailu Academy at the evening."

His heart chilled as he realized that their entire group was under constant surveillance by the government officers lurking in the shadows.

It seemed that Zhao Douan's deliberate obstruction the day before was indeed part of some scheme.

"Bailu Academy? Hasn't that been deserted?" Lu Cheng's complexion slightly changed.

Zhengyang shook his head again, his eyes clear and sharp, with a hint of the demeanor of a Confucian Daoist grandmaster, calmly saying:

"If the court wanted to kill me, why would they need to go through such trouble? Let's just go in the evening."

...

...

Bailu Academy was a bookish architectural structure in a corner of the Capital, emanating a sense of the passage of time.

At its zenith, it was the most resplendent among many academies, but it gradually declined over time.

Later, due to an incident that happened decades ago involving its headmaster, numerous students were also implicated and imprisoned. This once-renowned academy had since fallen into disrepair. Due to its special historical burden, it remained unclaimed.

It became one of the properties under the court, manned by local householders who cleaned and maintained it, rarely visited by people.

"Big brother, why have you come to this place?"

Zhao Pan hopped down from the carriage, holding her goose-yellow skirt, looking curiously at the academy's main gate.

The plaque on the gate read "Cultivating Virtue and Talent" in large characters, yet it was still weathered and peeling.

Outside her goose-yellow gown, she donned a green jacket, wrapping her slender neck and making her cheeks seem especially plump.

"Waiting for someone and picking some grapes on the side," Zhao Douan alighted from the carriage, pulled out two bamboo baskets, and handed one to her with a smile.

Then he left the driver, Little Wang, outside and led his sister into the academy.

Inside, ancient trees soared to the sky, with flying-stone bridges, black tile walls, steles and couplets... The remnants of its former glory were faintly visible.

"There are grapes here?" Zhao Pan blinked, not asking who they were waiting for.

After eating lunch at home, Zhao Douan said he needed to go out for a bit, and since he wouldn't be going to the government office in the afternoon, Zhao Pan decided to accompany him for some fresh air.

Zhao Douan smiled and said:

"Yes, there is an entire grape garden here. All old vines, these grapes are at their sweetest after the first frost touch, with a unique flavor, refreshing and scrumptious."

Saying this, he and his sister followed the signs and indeed arrived at a grape garden. It was clear the place had been picked over multiple times and not only by him; other dignitaries knew of this place's excellent grapes.

The two of them didn't mind, instead finding joy in the treasure hunt-like experience. Especially finding a cluster of concealed purple grapes beneath the leaves was supremely satisfying. They picked and ate, idly discussing the place's history.

"Big brother, the person you're meeting is also a scholar, isn't he? The kind that's quite old?" Zhao Pan guessed brightly while carrying her little basket.

"Why do you say that?" Zhao Douan asked with a smile.

Zhao Pan stated confidently, "This place doesn't have anything special, only history. Probably only scholars care about that."

Zhao Douan chuckled softly and said, "That's right, you could say that."

His choice of this location was for its seclusion, as he himself was unsure of his odds in this venture and didn't want to create too much commotion. Besides, if he had chosen a crowded place, Zhengyang might not have agreed to come.

And secondly, yes, it was to reference an allusion, but not from this world. Rather, it was from his own world—the historically famous E Lake Conference, renowned for the philosophical debate between the proponents of Heart Learning and those of his own world.

At that time, one party was Zhu Xi, not yet a Saint but already very prominent, and the other was Lu Jiuyuan, along with his brother Lu Jiuling.

The former needs no introduction, while the latter were the founders of Lu-Wang Heart Learning, with Wang Yangming following behind as a great scholar of the future generations.

In his previous life, to please his superior, Zhao Douan painstakingly studied history, so he could not ignore such a well-known debate and had some understanding of the disputes between the two schools.

The topic then, similar to the debate in three days, revolved around what it means to be a gentleman, a sage, and the methodology of learning such principles.

While the ultimate goals, or general direction, of Heart Learning and Confucianism differed little, their divergence lay in the perspective and method of approach.

The "Doctrine of the Mean" records:

"Great indeed is the way of the Saint! Profound indeed is it and grand! It is prolific and permeates everything, supreme and unyielding. Therefore, the gentleman honors virtue and contemplates inquiry into learning, aiming for the vastness and achieving subtlety, reaching the height of brilliance through The Mean, venerating the past to understand the present, embracing virtue, and honoring propriety."

These principles are taught by the sages.

In this, the gentleman's "honoring virtue" and "contemplating inquiry into learning" correspond respectively to the principles of Heart Learning and Confucianism.

Zhu Xi advocated "contemplating inquiry into learning," believing that one should fully understand things and gain knowledge. A person should read extensively, observe carefully, and study to summarize the principles of all things, then deduce the essence from it. By understanding things, one can comprehend how to be proper and thus become a gentleman aspiring to be a sage.