allendalepharm Chapter 24 Cultivating Reputation
Chapter 24 Cultivating Reputation
"Oh?"
Ouyang Xiu asked in surprise, "When I was your age, I wasn't known as a child prodigy, so why would you say that?"
"That's just because Uncle doesn't care about these empty titles. I heard from my grandmother that Uncle also has a photographic memory."
So-called child prodigies are not necessarily more intelligent than others; they just have a slightly better memory.
"There aren't many people like that, but there are quite a few either," Wang You said.
"So you just have a slightly better memory than others? You see things very clearly."
Ouyang Xiu smiled and praised, his gaze toward Wang You filled with admiration.
He also opposed holding prodigy exams, believing that they were a complete waste of potential. Instead of selecting truly capable individuals, they simply turned promising young people into ordinary citizens.
Having a photographic memory isn't particularly rare, though it's not uncommon. But with so many scholars in the Song Dynasty, there were bound to be some exceptionally gifted individuals.
Because of his extraordinary nature, he was surrounded by praise from a young age.
A young person's mind is naturally full of arrogance. They are not able to withstand setbacks and are prone to becoming impetuous.
However, memory is most effective in the early stages. Although it has some advantages later on, it is not very useful if one does not devote oneself to studying.
Wang You's understanding surprised him greatly.
He could tell that Wang You wasn't faking it, but was genuinely sincere.
Wang Zhuo glanced at his younger brother in astonishment. He wasn't surprised that Wang You could say such a thing.
From a young age, he never sensed any arrogance in Wang You because of his reputation as a child prodigy.
When Wang You arrived, he said that Ouyang Xiu was aloof, but upon meeting him, he managed to make the in a bad mood Ouyang Xiu laugh heartily.
His obsequious manner made him feel a little embarrassed.
"Since you can see clearly, why did you still come to participate in the prodigy exam?" Ouyang Xiu asked.
Old Mrs. Wang did not write to Ouyang Xiu, asking him to take care of Wang You or anything like that.
She only gave Wang You a name card, which was sent over yesterday along with the visiting card.
Despite it being neither a holiday nor a festival, two younger members of the Wang family came to visit, one of whom was an eight- or nine-year-old boy known as a child prodigy.
The imperial court is currently holding a prodigy examination, and its purpose is not hard to guess.
"Students believe that the purpose of studying is both public and private. The private purpose is to cultivate oneself and understand principles, or to pass the imperial examination and stand out from the crowd."
"And what about the Duke?" Ouyang Xiu asked with great interest.
"There are too many things to say about serving the public good, but the students have summarized them into four sentences."
Which four lines?
"To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, to establish a moral standard for the people, to continue the lost learning of the sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations."
Wang You stood up, tilted his head slightly, and spoke each word slowly and solemnly, like a pilgrim.
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Xiu felt a chill run down his spine. The teacup in his hand trembled, spilling tea all over himself before he came to his senses.
"you…"
Ouyang Xiu looked at Wang You, unsure of what to say.
These four sentences, though simple, contain profound meaning.
Confucianism emphasizes self-cultivation, family harmony, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world, which is somewhat similar in meaning to these four sentences.
These four points are also contained in Confucian classics.
However, there are too many Confucian classics, making them rather disorganized.
Moreover, there are inherent conflicts within Confucianism itself.
Mencius advocated that human nature is inherently good, while Xunzi advocated that human nature is inherently evil.
There are many similar conflicts in Confucianism.
After the Han Dynasty dismissed all other schools of thought and exclusively honored Confucianism, Confucianism became a tool for the emperor to rule the country.
Over its long history, Confucianism has deviated from its original meaning in order to cater to imperial power.
A learned man like Ouyang Xiu was not completely influenced by such ideas; he still had his own thoughts.
He initially regarded these four sentences as Wang You's concise summary of Confucianism.
But after careful consideration, I realized that my thinking was too narrow-minded.
These four lines do indeed bear the shadow of Confucianism, yet they transcend Confucianism.
It's not that it's more powerful than Confucianism, after all, Confucianism is the result of the joint efforts of countless sages.
Not to mention that it has long been deeply rooted in people's hearts, it is far inferior in terms of perfection and overall quality.
These four sentences are more like a warning to the world.
He didn't know how to evaluate the fact that an eight or nine-year-old child could have such profound thoughts and awareness.
After a long while, Ouyang Xiu calmed down and asked, "Do you have any writing?"
"My father asked Kong Xuezheng of Shouzhou to give my student the courtesy name Ziqian," Wang You replied.
"Ziqian?"
Ouyang Xiu praised him, saying, "Humble and polite, his calligraphy reflects his character."
Wang You almost didn't realize what he meant when he heard this. The "humility" he was referring to meant that he should be modest and not arrogant, not that he should be humble.
"Your four lines just now were thought-provoking; they resonated with me deeply. But what does that have to do with participating in the prodigy exam?" Ouyang Xiu asked.
"From the students' perspective, whether out of selfishness or public interest, the imperial examination or the prodigy test was merely a starting point for realizing their ideals and ambitions, and was not important."
For students, participating in the prodigy exam is just one experience in life, not the whole story.
As long as students don't forget their original aspirations, whether they can enter officialdom or how they do so makes little difference.
"you're right."
Ouyang Xiu nodded slightly and said, "As long as we don't forget our original intentions, these things are indeed unimportant."
He opposed the prodigy exam simply because it was seen as forcing children to grow too quickly.
Unlike some people who feel that the prodigy exam is too opportunistic and unfair to those who take the imperial examinations to enter officialdom, I do not believe that the prodigy exam is too cunning.
If we're really talking about taking shortcuts, aren't those officials who got their positions through hereditary privilege even more so?
"I have no advice to give regarding the prodigy test. With your talent, it shouldn't be a big problem."
"I hope you will remember your words and not forget your original intentions," Ouyang Xiu said.
"I will remember your teachings, Uncle," Wang You said, bowing.
Ouyang Xiu looked at Wang You with a complicated expression.
He intended to take Wang You as his student, but upon closer examination, he wondered if Wang You, with his high level of thinking, could be a good teacher.
Moreover, Wang You's four lines were destined to be widely circulated, and he might even be recorded in history books because of them.
He took Wang You as his student. How would others view him? And how would future generations view him a hundred years from now?
Is he trying to benefit from his students' fame and gain a place in history?
Ouyang Xiu couldn't bear the shame.
"I was about to copy down those four lines you just wrote to share with my friends. Is that alright?" Ouyang Xiu asked.
"Of course."
Wang You bowed and said, "I have a favor to ask."
"Don't worry, I will tell you that these words came from you," Ouyang Xiu said.
"The student doesn't care about that, but has heard that Uncle's calligraphy is beautiful and elegant, and would like to ask Uncle to write another piece."
Wang You said somewhat embarrassedly, "My handwriting is too bad, so I want to copy Uncle's handwriting to practice calligraphy."
"Haha, how could such a small matter be considered an invitation?"
Ouyang Xiu laughed and said, "Come, follow me to the study."
He led the two to the study and wrote down the four sentences Wang You had just said.
Because Wang You said he wanted to copy, he used regular script.
After finishing writing, Ouyang Xiu pondered for a moment, then picked up his brush and wrote down the eight characters "Never forget your original intention, and you will achieve your goal." Finally, he wrote down the time and his name, and affixed his seal.