The early morning in the capital city was very quiet, but there were undercurrents in Xiangzhou Taihe Mansion.
In an auditorium of Mingxin Academy in the city, the lights were on, but the auditorium, which could accommodate a thousand people, only had more than a hundred people in it, making it seem a little empty.
All members of the Guangfu Society gathered here.
Decades ago, the Restoration Society was secretly established with the aim of working hard to restore Xiangzhou to Jing State. It was not until Jing State took back Xiangzhou that the society was officially announced to the public.
Zhou Ziren, the leader of the Restoration Society, stood on the high platform in the auditorium. The light of the night pearl shone on the face of this young man, making him look more serious and more determined, as if he had turned into a middle-aged man overnight.
Zhou Ziren said slowly: "I am different from many people. After thinking about it, I want to make it clear before today's action."
Hundreds of Guangfu Society members looked at Zhou Ziren in surprise, but no one spoke. They just listened quietly to what he had to say.
“I have always believed that every citizen of Xiangzhou has the right to choose to be a Jing citizen or a Qing citizen, and even a semi-saint cannot interfere!” Zhou Ziren said slowly.
Some people looked shocked, while others looked angry and wanted to hit Zhou Ziren, thinking that Zhou Ziren was going to betray Jing State.
Zhou Ziren saw everyone's expressions, smiled slightly, and said: "My ideal world is a world of great harmony where we don't need officials or even semi-saints to decide our future, fate and the way of the saints. There is a sentence in the Book of Rites, one of the most important classics of Confucianism, that when the great way is practiced, the world is for all, the semi-saints are for the world, and you and I are also people of the world!"
Everyone was more puzzled, but since Zhou Ziren brought out the famous saying from the Confucian classics, it meant that Zhou Ziren had not gone astray and had not betrayed the purpose of the Restoration Society.
"Please give me your advice." said a young scholar.
"What is the Great Dao? The behavior of all things and the principles of all laws are the Great Dao. If the Great Dao is revealed and operates in the world, then the world will be fair, just and shared. This is the core of the Liyun Datong Pian."
"Reading this chapter, we scholars will be filled with passion and be inspired by the ancient saints. But if we calm down, think carefully, and ask ourselves, is the Great Dao being practiced in the world today? After years of thinking hard, I finally understood a simple truth: the Great Dao is not evident today, and the human race is struggling to pursue the Holy Dao. Only when the Holy Dao is about to end can the Great Dao be seen! If the Great Dao is not practiced, the world cannot be fair!"
The scholars present only felt that Zhou Ziren's words were deafening. Those present were just students or scholars with low literary status. They read the Book of Rites only to understand the meaning of the text. Zhou Ziren went against the meaning of the text and stood out among his peers.
No one could refute Zhou Ziren's words.
Some scholars even nodded slightly, agreeing with the saying "If the great way is not followed, the world will not be fair to all."
Zhou Ziren said: "It is difficult for the world to be public. Or, it can be said that there are both public and private interests in the world. How should we deal with it? This goes back to what I said at the beginning. Every citizen of Xiangzhou can choose to be a Jingguo citizen or a Qingguo citizen. However, the choice of one person is private, and the choice of a country is public. As a scholar, as a scholar with a brain, you should know that it is stupid to sacrifice private interests for public interests, and it is a crime to sacrifice public interests for private interests. Therefore, you and I must weigh public interests and private interests."
After Zhou Ziren finished speaking, more people nodded.
"Take the election of two countries as an example. First, let me talk about my personal opinion. Even to this day, I still insist on one thing. What I insist on is not convenient for me to talk about as a scholar, because that is blasphemy against the saints. I will use my most vulgar identity and vulgar words to say that I don't care about Qing or Jing. I will lean towards whichever country gives me more benefits! There is a curse saying that whoever gives me milk is my mother. When we were in our cradles and cried for food, we would starve to death if we didn't drink milk. It is indeed shameful to recognize a mother, but it is not an unforgivable sin."
Some students looked ashamed, because many people found themselves thinking this way sometimes.
"When we were children, we needed milk. What about now? The older we get, the bigger our desires become. As teenagers, we no longer need milk, but we need to have enough to eat, to wear warm clothes, to have a house to live in, and to have books to read. When we grow up and leave the private school, we need to have a skill to support ourselves or our family. In fact, unless we go to the demon world and go to those human cities enslaved by demons, every country of the human race can meet our basic needs, and we will have a relatively stable space to grow. In terms of the lowest desires, Jingguo and Qingguo are no different."
Everyone listened attentively.
Zhou Ziren continued, "But the problem is that our selfish desires are even greater! We not only need a stable life, we not only need a skill, we not only need to compare with the people around us, we also need to compare with people from other countries, and we also need to compare with the creatures of all realms! In addition to having enough food and clothing, what do we need most? Just name one thing, who can tell me?"
No one answered, and many people fell into deep thought.
After dozens of breaths, Zhou Ziren stretched out his hand, pointed diagonally at the sky, and said, "A channel for advancement! If someone wants to travel around the world, they need a higher income and a chance to make a lot of money. This opportunity is the channel for advancement. If someone wants to be a high-ranking official with great power, they need to get a place in the imperial examination. They need to participate in the imperial examination in a country or region with many places. The imperial examination is our channel for advancement. I believe you all know what I am going to say. My selfish heart tells me that no matter whether it is Qing or Jing, I will lean towards whichever country can give me a channel for advancement."
Without waiting for everyone to think, Zhou Ziren slammed the table and said loudly: "When Xiangzhou belonged to Qingguo, the wolves of Qingguo had long blocked our upward path, treating us as subordinates and slaves! This is the root of my anger. The people of Xiangzhou and Jingguo were originally from the same family. Xiangzhou was originally rich and was the first imperial examination state in Jingguo. There were many talented people and scholars. However, after Xiangzhou was occupied by Qingguo, what did we get? A large number of Qingguo people poured into Xiangzhou. The imperial examination quotas of the Holy Academy were originally prepared for Xiangzhou people, but the Qingguo people interfered and most of the quotas were taken away by the Qingguo people. If it weren't for the Xiangzhou people's assassination of Qingguo officials, the Qingguo people would even allow only non-Xiangzhou people to participate in the imperial examinations in Xiangzhou!"
"I don't ask for much, just a fair opportunity. I hope everyone can step into the path of upward mobility through hard work, sweat, wisdom and themselves. However, the people of Qing don't want to give it to me! And now, Jing has given it to me, and even given me a lot! Therefore, my selfish desires lean towards Jing. Please note that I said lean towards, not be loyal to. Yes, whoever gives me milk is my mother, but I also want face, dignity and reputation! For now, I only have reasons to lean towards Jing, and I don't have an excuse to be loyal to Jing. Because, the current Jing can't make me proud, and it can't make me proud."
There was silence in the audience, and many students felt that a new window had opened in their world.
Zhou Ziren said: "My private life tells me that I should lean towards Jingguo, so what about the public one?"
.To be continued. ..