The state encourages learning and cultivating talents, and must be used by me (my dynasty), assist my (my dynasty) in teaching style, set envoys (teachers) to understand the purpose of the scriptures, and practice the art of kingship.
Let the virtuous and handsome people in the world, Xiran (unanimous), cultivate the economic industry, take education as their heart, go to the door of the saint, and become the king's assistant.
I thought...
In the evening, Fan Zhongyan didn't even bother to eat dinner. He stayed in the study all the time, as if he didn't finish writing his notes and didn't take a rest.
Looking at Fan Zhongyan's past experience, the period that had the greatest impact on him was the time when he studied at Juyang Academy.
Juyang Academy, Bailudong Academy, Yuelu Academy and Songyang Academy became the four major academies in the Northern Song Dynasty.
(PS: The fundamental reason why the four major academies are famous is the emperor’s attention. During the reign of Taiping and Xingguo (Taizong), Bailudong Academy was given the Imperial Academy’s version of the Nine Classics.
During the reign of Emperor Taizong, Songyang Academy was awarded the plaque "Taishi Academy" and the Guozijian version of the Nine Classics
Yuelu Academy was given the Imperial Academy's version of the Nine Classics in the Xianping period (Zhenzong period), and a plaque was given by the emperor in the Dazhong Xiangfu period.
Juyang (Yingtian) Academy was awarded a plaque during the Xianping period
In an imperial society, the emperor is the biggest variable. It’s not that other academies are not good enough, they just don’t have a good reputation and are only famous locally. For example, Yuelu Academy only became famous after receiving a plaque from the emperor.)
Therefore, many of the contents of Fan Zhongyan's letter were derived from Juyang Academy.
However, Juyang Academy should now be called ‘Yingtian Academy’.
Juyang Academy is located in Songcheng County, Songzhou. In the second year of Jingde (1005), Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty felt that Songzhou was the "land of dragon prosperity" for Taizu.
Therefore, an imperial edict was issued to upgrade Songzhou to "Yingtianfu". In the seventh year of Dazhong Xiangfu (1014), Yingtianfu was upgraded again and became the companion capital of the Song Dynasty, and was first called "Nanjing".
Juyang Academy, formerly known as Nandu Academy, was founded in the Later Jin Dynasty (Five Dynasties 936-946) by the local celebrity Yang Cui (que Si Ting).
At first, Nandu School was just a small private school. It was not until it received funding from an official at that time that it gradually developed.
At the same time, Nandu Academy also inherited the tradition of collecting books from Lizheng Academy in the Tang Dynasty and built a library with more than a thousand volumes.
(By analogy to today, it is probably equivalent to a large library with millions of books)
However, it was Yang Cu's disciple Qi Tongwen who really made Nandu Academy famous throughout the world.
Qi Tongwen was born in the late Tang Dynasty. At that time, the world was at war, and Nandu Academy, located in the hinterland of the Central Plains, was the site of the Four Wars.
Feeling that the world was in turmoil and people were in ruins, Qi Tongwen did not want to serve as an official.
Of course, Qi Tongwen longed for unification in his heart, because only when the country is unified can the people live a stable life.
In fact, Qi Tongwen's name was not "Tongwen". It was the name he changed later, and the meaning is very straightforward.
Tongwen is taken from ‘书同文’.
Under the leadership of Qi Tongwen, Juyang Academy successively had 50 and 60 people appointed to the throne. Among them, the most famous person who ascended the throne was Sun He, who was the number one scholar in Chunhua for three years.
(PS: This refers to the time in the book, and Fan Zhongyan is not yet famous all over the world)
Since then, Juyang Academy has become famous all over the world.
Although Qi Tongwen had passed away when Fan Zhongyan was studying, most of the rules and regulations in the academy were left by Qi Tongwen.
Qi Tongwen was also the person who had the greatest influence on Fan Zhongyan.
The academic style of Juyang Academy is "Be happy with the world, worry with the world" (from Mencius), which is also the source of Fan Zhongyan's famous saying "Be worried about the world first, and be happy after the world is happy".
There is no doubt that Fan Zhongyan is definitely the most outstanding disciple of Juyang Academy. He inherited Qi Tongwen's legacy and carried it forward.
At the zenith of the moon, Fan Zhongyan finally stopped writing, and a letter that was both eloquent and practical was freshly written.
In this note, Fan Zhongyan outlines how an official school should operate from simple to profound.
First of all, the most important thing is the chief (dean).
A snake cannot survive without a head. A good mountain leader is enough to lay the foundation for the success of an academy.
Secondly, the principal is only one person after all, and he certainly cannot take care of everything. He should be paired with several assistants to assist the principal in taking care of the daily chores of the academy.
At the same time, professors are also very important. Teachers are also responsible for imparting knowledge and solving doubts.
Finally, although the handymen are very inconspicuous, whether an academy can run properly cannot do without the help of the concierge, Zhaifu, Huofu and others.
Of course, the above are just institutional aspects.
An academy, in addition to good systems, is also inseparable from financial and material resources.
Without an economic foundation, everything is a castle in the air.
At this point, Fan Zhongyan drew on the experience of Bailudong Academy and Yingtian Academy and proposed the creation of a "school field" system.
The imperial court granted land to the academy, which was then leased to other farmers for cultivation. The output was mainly used to maintain the expenses of the academy.
The official grant of academic fields is not without precedent.
As early as the Southern Tang Dynasty, Bailudong Academy received funding from the imperial court and was the earliest prototype of the academy system.
Similarly, some of the academic fields of Yingtian Academy were also personally granted by the Song Dynasty.
Now, Fan Zhongyan just proposed it separately, hoping that the imperial court could use the two major academies as an example to promote it throughout the world.
After all, land is a fixed asset. Only with land can the academy establish its foundation, and there is no need to rely on occasional gifts from wealthy households.
The last content of Zazi is about collecting books, which is also a point that Fan Zhongyan emphasized.
He suggested that it would be best for the imperial court to take the lead and publish official textbooks together.
The book has the same text, which is also the original intention of Qi Tongwen.
The reason why Fan Zhongyan suggested this was not for the sake of "orthodoxy", but just to give poor children a little more hope on their way to the imperial examination.
There were more than 300 state capitals in the Song Dynasty, but not every place had the unique environment of Yingtian Academy.
In many remote places, even the books have errors and omissions.
The sage's book may have a subtle meaning, but a single word difference may lead to the opposite.
If you read the wrong book, even if the person who reads it is a genius, what's the use?
Fan Zhongyan understands this very well.
When he was young, he read many versions of the scriptures with errors and omissions, as well as the meanings of the old versions. It was not until he went to Yingtian Academy to study that he got a glimpse of the true words.
He spent at least ten times as long trying to correct past mistakes.
The classics are clarified by the way, and the text is based on the principles. Books with errors and omissions should not become a stumbling block for children from poor families on their way to the imperial examination.
Only by experiencing it can we empathize.
For this reason, he did not hesitate to take the risk to write a "book with the same text".
The battle for orthodoxy is the most bloody. No matter which school of thought, they all hope to become a prominent school. If they can get the endorsement of the imperial court, the school will surely soar to the sky.
Fan Zhongyan knew very well what kind of huge waves this letter would set off. In order to gain the "right to speak", the various academic schools must "fight to the death".
And as the instigator of this matter, how could he stay out of it?
It is not impossible to attack them in groups.
It is not a secret that he studied at Juyang Academy. If things really develop to that point, except for those who are from Juyang Academy, other schools are likely to attack him.
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No more pretending, I show my cards, I am Fan Chui!