Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 22 The Holy Voice Resounds, the Star of Literature Shines!

Chapter Twenty-Two: The Holy Sound Resonates in the Ears, the Star of Literature Shines Brightly!

"Profound meaning in concise words? Inner sage, outer king?"

The so-called profound meaning in concise words refers to the essential sayings in the classics of the saints. These sayings often have great power and can enhance one's saintly path and strengthen one's literary reputation.

When demons and monsters invaded the world, Confucius used only one word, "benevolence," to kill millions of demons and monsters. He was then made a saint by virtue of "benevolence" and his name has been remembered for thousands of years.

Mencius, the Second Sage, relied on the concept of "righteousness" to lead his troops into battle, slaying the commander of the demon army. In the end, he was honored as the Second Sage because of his "righteousness," serving as a model for the world.

Although it consists of only one simple character, it contains extremely obscure ideas, which later scholars interpreted as:

Profound meaning in concise words!

"Isn't this kind of test a bit excessive?"

"First came arithmetic, then astronomy, and then they tested us on profound meanings."

"Even among those who passed the provincial examinations or the imperial examinations, very few could grasp the profound meaning in such concise words."

"Moreover, this is a profound and subtle statement from Taoism, which makes it even more difficult to understand."

Countless people disregarded the fact that this was now a fake imperial examination system and began to discuss it amongst themselves, all looking at Ye Ru once again.

"This is your last chance."

Wang Xiaoyang said coldly.

"To try to break a rock with an egg is to overestimate one's own strength."

Liu Zhi also made a sarcastic remark without any politeness.

"Quiet down, all of you! I am now the examiner. If you make noise in public, it will be considered disrespectful to the three holy houses. Get out!"

Master Li scolded him.

"Master Li! How can you so distort the truth like this? Aren't you afraid of incurring the wrath of the semi-saint and suffering retribution?"

Zhao Cheng shouted angrily.

“How dare you, a mere student, interfere in my affairs! I am acting on behalf of Heaven to eliminate the most wicked and evil people! Ye Ru’s actions have proven that he is worse than a beast!”

"Wang Xiaoyang, although we are both from aristocratic families, your aggressive behavior has led me to sever all ties with you today! From this day forward, we shall have nothing to do with each other!"

A student suddenly tore off a piece of his cloth, threw it on the ground, and said righteously.

One person's action inspired dozens to follow suit, all siding with Ye Ru.

"If Ye Ru is falsely accused today, we will smash our heads against the gate of the Arbitration Institute of All Saints to clear Ye Ru's name!"

Qian Wei's face flushed red, his fists clenched tightly, and he was extremely agitated.

Master Li, however, did not look at them and breathed a sigh of relief. Not everyone can make profound statements, and Ye Ru must have lost his confidence and talent this time.

At that time, this kid will be no threat.

"Let me try."

Ye Ru remained calm, head held high, showing no sign of emotion. He then quickly gathered his thoughts and spoke.

"No way, he can really do that?"

"I do not believe."

Everyone was shocked, and then they began to discuss among themselves, with no one having a good chance of winning over Ye Ru.

Ye Ru opened the Siku Quanshu (Complete Library of the Four Treasuries), and the four characters "inner sage and outer king" quickly appeared in the chapter "Tianxia" of Zhuangzi.

The original sentence is: "Sages are born, kings achieve, all originate from one (the Way). This is the Way of 'inner sage and outer king'."

Zhuangzi was a representative figure of Taoism and had nothing to do with Confucianism. If his main ideas are interpreted in a way that leans towards Confucianism, it would violate the principles of Taoism.

However, if the interpretation leans towards Taoism, it would contradict the unified Confucianism of the Confucian-Taoist continent and would also be wrong.

"Let's get started. I want to see whether you lean towards Confucianism or Taoism!"

Master Li immediately replied.

“A teacher should educate children, but a pedantic scholar is shameless. Such a teacher is truly the most wicked.”

A student from a poor family took a deep breath and cursed angrily.

"shame!"

Another person also said.

"Ten minutes have passed, aren't you going to start?"

Chen Sijun smiled slightly.

Ye Ru opened his eyes and then said:

The term "inner sage and outer king" first appeared in the Daoist classic *Zhuangzi*, Chapter 33, which states: "Therefore, the way of the inner sage and outer king is obscure and unclear, suppressed and undeveloped; the people of the world each pursue their own desires and act as their own standard."

"This concept was later inherited by Confucianism, where it refers to personal cultivation and political principles. 'Inner sagehood' means keeping the Dao within one's heart, naturally and effortlessly, while 'outer kingship' means displaying the Dao outwardly and promoting benevolent rule."

"Inner sagehood" refers to self-cultivation and moral character development, requiring one to be a virtuous person; "outer kingship" refers to managing one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world.

Ye Ru spoke profound words, and as soon as he finished speaking, Chen Sijun fell silent.

Because anything that is profound in its subtle meaning and accurate in its expression will inevitably be accompanied by extraordinary phenomena.

"Am I wrong?"

In the quiet examination room, someone suddenly spoke, and the others began to discuss it amongst themselves.

"As expected, I got this last question wrong, and all my previous efforts were wasted."

"Alas, such a talented genius has been framed by treacherous people."

Many people sighed, their eyes filled with regret.

When Master Li and Wang Xiaoyang saw the expressions on everyone's faces, their hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, sank.

"Haha, as expected of a disgrace to the private school, a disgrace to the county!"

However, just as Master Li was about to mock Ye Ru, the sky suddenly darkened, and a bolt of lightning, like a morning bell, resounded throughout Qingyun County, turning the former's face as pale as paper in an instant!

"A divine word descended from heaven, a sacred sound resounded in our ears?"

Many people stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with horror. Even Chen Sijun raised her head, her expression changing drastically.

As everyone's expressions changed, the Wenqu Star shone as brightly as the sun, sending down several beams of starlight that illuminated all those who were friendly with Ye Ru.

"This...this is the blessing of the God of Literature?"

Countless people went from shock to horror, their gazes filled with awe as they looked at Ye Ru, and then at Qian Wei, Zhao Cheng and others who believed in Ye Ru, all of whom were illuminated by the Wenqu Star. The afterglow of the silver light shone on the faces of the students who were not illuminated, making the latter appear particularly jealous and envious.

Because students blessed by the God of Literature can increase their chances of passing exams by 50%.

They all regretted not severing ties with Wang Xiaoyang earlier!

"Why! Why does the God of Literature shine upon such a fame-seeking person instead of me!"

Liu Zhi's face darkened further, and he clenched his fists, convinced that his belief in the righteous path was correct.

"A divine word has descended from heaven, a sacred sound resonates in our ears, and the star of literature shines upon us! Learn from it, and quickly write down this profound righteousness!"

Chen Sijun was shocked to see the strange phenomenon in the sky and immediately sent someone to write it down.

"Father, I can't continue writing."

Chen Xuezhi dipped his brush in ink, intending to write down this profound and concise piece, but as soon as he put pen to paper, he smiled wryly.

The people on the Wenqu Terrace quickly looked over and saw that Chen Xuezhi had only written the four characters "Inner Sage, Outer King" before he could write any more. It was as if the power of the Holy Path was preventing him from writing anything more.

"He was at a loss for words. The scholar Chen Xuezhi's understanding of the inner sage and outer king was not even as good as that of a young student."

The crowd fell silent, their faces filled with shock as they looked at Ye Ru.

The faces of Master Sun and Wang Xiaoyang were completely bloodless.

After a moment of silence, Chen Sijun uttered a single, understated sentence that caused everyone's pupils to shrink and them to gasp in shock. All eyes that had been fixed on the monster turned to the young man in the coarse cloth shirt.

"Master Ye, if I'm not mistaken, you should already be a Saintly Child."