During the Ming Dynasty, there were countless literati associations.
Wang Yangming participated in several societies when he was young. The Donglin Party was originally just a literary society. As mentioned before, the Chishui Six Talents in southern Jiangxi were killed by rebels after returning from the provincial examination. Four of them were killed by rebels. They also formed a Chishui Society.
There were more than thirty people who signed up to join Datong Club on the spot.
Zhao Han was not picky and accepted it all.
Just organize a few more club activities, expose those who are just joining in the fun, and then develop core members from the remaining people.
Relying on a bunch of talented people, Tong Sheng rebelled?
Rely on them to fight against the Tatars?
It's pure nonsense.
There is also the Iron Foot Club in Hekou Town, and Zhao Han is also happy to make friends with them.
However, it cannot be relied upon either. Trade unions and mixed organizations are unreliable.
We can borrow the power of the Wenhui, the power of the trade union, and the Fei family.
However, it is difficult for these forces to become Zhao Han's base!
Without a basic foundation, it is like water without a source, like water without roots. It can be inspired by a sudden change, and it can go smoothly, but it cannot encounter major setbacks.
"Gentlemen!"
After lunch, Zhao Han clasped his fists and said, "We will discuss the matter of association in detail another day. Now that I have been summoned by the superintendent, I must go and listen to the admonishment."
"Go quickly, don't keep the inspector waiting for a long time." Zhu Sheng said.
Cai Maode lived in the guest room, and a healthy servant came to open the door.
Zhao Han asked: "Excuse me, sir, is the school inspector here?"
Jian's servant bowed and said, "The inspector has been waiting for a long time. Please come in, my dear husband."
At this moment, Cai Maode was sitting in front of the case, with pen, ink, paper and inkstones placed on the table.
A piece of draft paper was spread out, and keywords such as "uprooting the source", "all things are one", "the essence of Taoism", "the harmony of the five teachings", "the theory of personality" and so on were written casually.
Obviously, this person is doing knowledge, and it is very important knowledge.
It seemed that there were still some things he didn't understand. Cai Maode closed his eyes and pondered hard. He didn't even know when Zhao Han entered the room.
Zhao Han didn't want to disturb him, so he quietly sat down and began to close his eyes and meditate there.
After a long time, Cai Maode suddenly opened his eyes, and immediately started writing quickly, and more than ten keywords appeared on the draft paper.
When he was about to formally write an article, he finally saw someone sitting next to him. Cai Maode put down his pen and asked with a smile: "How long have you been here?"
Zhao Han stood up and bowed: "The junior student has met the school inspector."
Cai Maode was in a happy mood at the moment. The more he looked at Zhao Han, the more he liked it. He said in a kind tone: "Sit down and talk."
Zhao Han immediately sat down and asked, "I don't know what the superintendent calls me to do. What's the admonishment?"
Cai Maode asked: "You have such a grand theory at a young age, and you came up with it all by yourself?"
Zhao Han replied: "When the student was ten years old, he seemed to have some enlightenment after reading "The Great Learning". It took another four years to read through Confucian classics before he came up with this ridiculous and generous theory."
"Ten years old?"
Cai Maode was surprised and regretful at the same time: "Four years ago, the magistrate of Feng County in Qianshan should have recommended you to participate in the child prodigy examination."
The governors of prefectures and counties in the Ming Dynasty could select prodigies around the age of ten who would take the Taoist examination directly without passing the county or government examinations. The examiner would take special care of prodigies, lower the evaluation standards, and give priority to them for admission.
Feng Menglong, who wrote "Three Words", was born as a child prodigy and became a junior student at the age of eleven.
Zhao Shichun of the Jiajing Dynasty took part in the child prodigy examination at the age of nine. He wrote an essay so well that he was suspected of cheating.
When asked about the question "Confucius said" in the academic officer interview, Zhao Shichun immediately solved the question: An ordinary man can be a teacher for hundreds of generations, and a single word can make the world a law.
The academic officer was surprised and used "Zhao Shichun" as the title. Zhao Shichun immediately broke the title: his surname ranked first among hundreds of families, and his given name ranked first in the Four Orders.
The prodigy test is more difficult to cheat than the ordinary Taoist test.
Anyone who chooses one will surely attract the attention of the whole province. If something goes wrong, the academic officer will be stained for life.
Zhao Han wondered: "Wansheng is still very young, why is the inspector so urgent?"
Cai Maode sighed and said: "If you want to spread the theory of personality, you must at least have the reputation of being a scholar. I will support you, but there is no chance. After the scientific examination next year, I will probably be transferred to another position."
Children's examination, two examinations every three years.
Next year we will only take the subject examination, not the children's examination, and we will not admit talents.
All exams next year will revolve around the provincial examination. Scholars who pass the scientific examination are eligible to take the civil examination, and the academic examination can be used to test the academic performance of the scholar.
Cai Maode has been in office for several years. Under normal circumstances, he will be transferred at the end of next year. He is not allowed to hold this position for too long.
When Zhao Han went to take the scholar examination the next year, Jiangxi's academic officials had already been replaced.
Zhao Han said: "Late students must study diligently and vow to be a scholar."
Cai Maode cried out in his heart: I can't wait any longer!
He wanted to use the "theory of personality" to reinterpret Wang Yangming's "theory of pulling out the source" and vowed to revive the reputation of Yangming's theory of mind.
In this case, Zhao Han must be at least a scholar, and Tong Sheng's ideas will be despised by others.
Of course, Cai Maode could also be shameless and take the "theory of personality" as his own regardless of the criticism of Qianshan scholars.
Cai Maode thought carefully, came up with a compromise, and asked: "Are you willing to worship me as your teacher?"
The academic officer took the initiative to recruit apprentices, but the students didn’t hurry up to become their disciples!
Zhao Han stood up and bowed: "Wan Sheng appreciates the good intentions of the inspector, but Wan Sheng already has a teacher."
Not willing?
Reject in person?
Cai Maode was stunned for a moment, and a trace of anger arose in his heart. However, because of his profound mental skills, he immediately suppressed his anger and seduced: "It's not like I can only worship one person as my teacher. When I leave next year, you can follow me and take up a new position."
Then you can’t even become a disciple!
Am I someone who wants to rebel and follow you everywhere as an official? You are wasting my time!
Zhao Han bowed his head to the end and remained silent.
"Oh, that's all, that's all," Cai Maode could only sigh, and at the same time he felt emotional, "Anyone who can put forward the theory of personality is really an ordinary person. You must not follow Li Zhuowu's old path."
Li Zhuowu is Li Zhi.
In the late Ming Dynasty, deviance was allowed, but at least there should be a limit.
Neo-Confucianism also has a cosmology and is derived from Taoist thought, namely Tai Chi, Yin and Yang, and the Five Elements, that is, one life is two, two is three, and three is all things. This is the foundation of Neo-Confucianism.
In order to prove the equality of men and women, Li Zhi directly denied the existence of Tai Chi and even refused to acknowledge the words of the "Book of Changes", which was tantamount to digging out the roots of Neo-Confucianism.
Li Zhi's famous work is called "Book Burning"!
It was not Qin Shihuang's physical burning of books, but his own ideological burning of books.
Even so, there are still countless Confucian scholars pursuing it, including celebrities, which shows how much people want to break through the cage of old ideas.
How popular was Li Zhi decades ago?
In order to make money, publishers all over the world often signed new books as Li Zhi's works, and they sold out in a short time. Just like in a certain era, all novels were signed "Huang Yi", and Huang Yi's works could fill several walls.
Zhao Han said: "Wan Sheng understands, thank you very much for the instruction from the inspector."
Cai Maode added: "Li Zhuowu is a deviant, but his works are selling well. You need to be more careful, because the 'theory of personality' is really useful!"
What does it mean?
Li Zhi's remarks were so outrageous that even the great Confucians were too lazy to criticize them.
To use an inappropriate metaphor, if someone says that Newtonian mechanics is false, will a physicist stand up and deny it? For Neo-Confucianists, saying that Tai Chi does not exist is equivalent to saying that Newtonian mechanics is false!
Zhao Han's "theory of grid" can be regarded as Einstein's "theory of relativity".
If it spreads, the great scholars will explode!
Some great Confucians may be overjoyed and take the initiative to accept and improve the personality theory.
Some great scholars may be furious and attack Zhao Han at all costs.
"Since Wansheng dares to speak, he is not afraid of being criticized after speaking." Zhao Han smiled and showed no fear.
Cai Maode also laughed, and smiled very happily: "When the theory of personality is spread to Jiangnan, I don't know how big a storm it will cause. If the next Jiangxi superintendent is a scholar, he may support you or suppress you. Do you understand?
"
"Wan Sheng understands." Zhao Han said.
Cai Maode said: "Since you refuse to become a disciple, how about I give you a pseudonym? Han, vast, is not as good as the word 'Haoran'. Although it cannot protect you for the rest of your life, it can protect you for a while."
If the superintendent is given the title, then during his term of office, Jiangxi Confucian scholars will not easily attack Zhao Han, otherwise they will be slapping Cai Maode in the face.
"My elders gave it to me and I dare not resign. Thank you very much for your cultivation, the inspector."
Zhao Han cupped his hands to thank him, and then said: "Wan Sheng also gave himself a nickname. In the future, when he walks in the world, he may change it."
Cai Maode was a little angry and curious, and asked: "What name did you give yourself?"
Zhao Han replied: "Zhuochen."
"Which one? Which one?" Cai Maode asked.
Zhao Han said: "The water in Canglang is so clear that you can wash my tassel with it. The dust in the world without a general or a cart is so dark."
Cai Maode was stunned for a moment, then laughed again: "Hahahahaha, future generations are to be feared!"
After laughing, Cai Maode stood up, straightened his clothes, and bowed straightly: "Since you have made up your mind, and your ambition is broad and difficult, you must persevere despite every setback."
"Even though I died nine times, I have no regrets." Zhao Han said.
Han means vastness and cleansing.
"The Cart Without Generals" is a poem that describes the worries and sufferings of workers. The workers push the carts, and dust covers the sky. The workers cannot see the way forward, cannot figure out the direction, are plagued by various diseases, and suffer all day long.
Washing the dust means removing the dirt from the body and keeping the soul pure.
Dust removal is also to clear away the dust for workers, remove obstacles for workers, and guide the direction for workers!
This laborer can also be understood as scholars, people of the world, and all peoples in the world.
"Zhao Zhuochen, Zhao Zhuochen," Cai Maode read it twice, waved his hand and said, "Go."
"Wansheng excuses himself." Zhao Han handed over his hands and left.
Cai Maode murmured to himself: What is this young man’s ambition? Is it Neo-Confucianism? Is he studying by heart? Is he studying in practice?
The mainstream of academic thought in the late Ming Dynasty was to criticize Zhu Xi, criticize Wang Yangming, and explore the ways of Confucius and Mencius. They advocated that Confucianism cannot be divorced from reality and advocated that Confucianism must manage the world and benefit the people.
This is called "practical learning".
No matter how it is done, no matter what the purpose is, the Donglin Party holds high the banner of "practical learning".
However, the Donglin Party has a complicated composition.
Some people abandon Neo-Confucianism and explore the real Confucius and Mencius.
Some people revised Neo-Confucianism and believed that Zhu Xi was correct but was distorted by later generations.
Cai Maode is also a member of the Donglin Party. He is trying to repair his Xinxue. He believes that Wang Yangming is correct, but has been misinterpreted by his disciples and disciples.
After Zhao Han left the room, Cai Maode picked up his writing brush and quoted the theory of grid position to write a big article that would shock all schools of thought!