Chapter 51: The Unfathomable Great Scholar Chu!

While everyone was still in shock, Chu Yanyan grabbed Xue Yuan's arm and soared into the air on the wind once again.

By the time Xue Yuan regained his senses, he found himself already on the ninth floor of the Library Pavilion, right at the highest attic.

The interior was packed with bookshelves, and the shelves were stuffed with books. Apart from that, there was almost nothing else, save for a few straw cushions placed on the floor.

Xue Yuan and Chu Yanyan sat cross-legged facing each other.

"Tell me, how did you deduce that 'repaying grievance with virtue' was not the original intention of the sage, but rather 'repaying grievance with directness and repaying virtue with virtue' is what the sage truly meant?"

Chu Yanyan's eyes were blazing, and the ripples within his heart were still far from settling!

One must know that the sage's words deduced by Xue Yuan this time were extraordinary; they completely rewrote the previously widely accepted notion advocated by the sage that one should "repay grievance with virtue"!

They were rewritten to mean the exact opposite!

Had he not heard the sage's bell toll with his own ears, and witnessed the aura of vast righteousness swirling above the academy indicating its approval of these words, he would never have dared to believe that the missing second half of "repaying grievance with virtue" was actually a negation by the sage!

After all, repaying grievance with virtue seemed to fit the core Confucian doctrine of "Benevolence" best.

To put it without exaggeration, Xue Yuan's deduction was equivalent to altering a part of the Confucian canons. The far-reaching impact of this would be immeasurable and would soon trigger a tremor throughout the entire Confucian scholarly world of the realm!

Based solely on this contribution, he was fully worthy of having a single page dedicated to him in the history books of Confucianism, leaving behind a heavily inked and brilliant chapter of his own!

Yet Xue Yuan at this moment was still trapped in a mood of deep regret.

Scratching his scalp, he said blandly, "I didn't deduce anything. I was just extremely annoyed by that academy inspector's nonsense! Damn it, clearly he was the one who struck first, and yet my self-defense is wrong? He said we should repay grievance with virtue, so I just asked him what we should use to repay virtue, right?"

"Ah, this is returning to the simple and the genuine. We Confucian cultivators have all been trapped in the single word 'Benevolence,' while neglecting such most fundamental truths!"

Chu Yanyan nodded in approval. After pondering for a moment, he asked again, "What about the next two phrases—repaying grievance with directness, and repaying virtue with virtue? How did you know the sage thought this way?"

"How would I know what the sage thought!" Xue Yuan blurted out without thinking. "I only knew that if someone hits me, I'm going to hit him back, and if someone is good to me, I'll be good to him in return! I was just reasoning with that inspector fellow!"

Chu Yanyan nodded again and said, "So the sage also praised distinguishing clearly between gratitude and resentment! We were simply foolish... No wonder not a single person in our Confucian school has ever broken through the Third-Rank realm since ancient times!"

Up until now, the strongest Confucian cultivator had only reached the middle tier of the Third Rank, while the vast majority remained trapped in the lower tier of the Third Rank—and Chu Yanyan himself was currently at the lower tier of the Third Rank!

Going any further was as if there were a wall spanning across endless time and space, blocking his path right before his eyes!

He had originally thought this was due to the missing Six Classics and the Analects, but now he finally understood that it was because he had misunderstood certain scriptural meanings!

Thinking that the one who ultimately set things right was actually the young man in front of him—scarcely twenty years of age, whom others called a fool—he could not help but sigh with mixed emotions once more.

With this in mind, Chu Yanyan looked at Xue Yuan and said, "Your Highness, that heavenly music earlier—you said you obtained it in a dream. And now these true words of the sage, you claim you simply hit upon them by chance... If that is truly the case, then this old man can only believe that you are the reincarnation of a sage."

Xue Yuan hurriedly said, "How dare I, how dare I? That joke has gone too far..."

"You know it's a joke?"

Saying this, Chu Yanyan raised his hand and gave Xue Yuan a sharp rap on the head, coldly snorting, "How much longer do you intend to play the fool in front of this old man?"

Xue Yuan grinned and rubbed his head, but realized this time it didn't hurt as much as the last; he could feel a wisp of energy protecting him.

That was probably the legendary Confucian aura of righteousness.

Yet he also knew that he could no longer keep up the act.

Therefore, giving a bitter smile, he said, "Since Elder Chu has already seen through it, you must also know why I play the fool. Born into an imperial family, sometimes being a bit foolish means living a longer life."

Only then did Chu Yanyan's expression soften slightly as he continued, "This old man has long since ceased to inquire about court affairs, and naturally I would not meddle in imperial matters! However, now that your brilliance is fully exposed, I'm afraid you won't be able to keep up the act for much longer. You must bear in mind that there are clever people by the emperor's side."

Xue Yuan sighed, "What the teacher says is true. Had I known it would come to this, I wouldn't have spoken those words today! Once this matter spreads to the emperor, even if I were truly an idiot, he would still believe I am faking insanity!"

Indeed, who would believe that a fool could deduce the true words of a sage?

He had indeed blurted it out on the spur of the moment. Had he known these were the sage's words, he would never have uttered them.

Although showing off felt exhilarating for a moment, some forms of showing off were toxic; it was better not to do it if one could avoid it.

Upon hearing this, however, Chu Yanyan chuckled softly.

Then, stroking his beard, he said, "I have a personal disciple who is also exceedingly intelligent beneath a guise of dullness, deeply terrified lest others discover he possesses the potential of a secondary sage."

Xue Yuan was greatly startled, staring wide-eyed as he said, "The teacher already has a personal disciple? And he possesses the potential of a secondary sage?"

What was the concept of a secondary sage? Second only to a sage! It was said that only after breaking through the extreme limit of the First Rank could one achieve the status of a secondary sage, but that was merely a legend; no one in Confucianism had ever attained it!

One must realize that even Chu Yanyan, the current leader of the Confucian school, was merely a Third-Rank Great Scholar!

Chu Yanyan nodded and added, "Yes, except that lad is always stirring up trouble. This old man originally didn't want to bother with him, but since he is my disciple after all, I cannot simply ignore him."

"What the teacher says is true..."

"However, he also frequently gets his head knocked by this old man, especially when he repeatedly refuses to mend his ways and acts the fool in front of me."

"Ah?"

"He is about to be beaten by this old man again very soon, and this time I'm afraid he'll have to lie down and recover for a few days. Three, two..."

Xue Yuan looked at the smiling yet increasingly frosty Grand Scholar Chu, and a sudden chill ran through him!

Damn it, wasn't this personal disciple referring to none other than himself?

As expected of a Great Scholar, even accepting disciples came with a sense of aloof dignity—it's just that damn well there weren't many!

Yet Xue Yuan immediately rolled off the straw cushion without hesitation and made a deep, respectful bow toward Chu Yanyan!

Nonsense, being able to take Chu Yanyan as a master would elevate his sense of security by several notches right off the bat; only a fool would refuse!

Chu Yanyan laughed heartily, yet feigned astonishment as he said, "Oh my, Your Highness, what are you doing?"

Xue Yuan thought to himself, Great Scholar, you really do care about your face; you're quite the respectable person!

So he quickly flooded his eyes with a sincere radiance and said, "Your student... has long admired the teacher and has always wanted to study under you! Please accept this disciple, Master!"

"Oh my, you are a person of noble imperial status after all; wouldn't this be inappropriate?"

"Before the teacher, this student is nothing more than a foolish lad. I beg the teacher not to disdain me!"

"Tsk, very well then. Although you came empty-handed today, considering your immense merit regarding Confucian canons, this old man shall take you in as a disciple!"

"This student pays respects to Master! The formal tuition gift shall be delivered by this student another day!"

"No need, no need!"

"Master!"

"Yuan'er, get up."

Chu Yanyan gently stroked Xue Yuan's head, his old eyes crinkling into a pair of smiling slits!

Following the brief apprenticeship ceremony,

Chu Yanyan resumed a solemn expression and said, "Yuan'er, your foundation is still shallow, and you are constrained by many. The fact that I have taken you in must not be mentioned to anyone."

Xue Yuan figured that Chu Yanyan was protecting him. After all, outsiders would find it hard to believe that Chu Yanyan would take a fool as a disciple; once word got out, the emperor would inevitably grow suspicious.

Thus, he nodded and said, "Understood. Yet if things are thus, Master will not even have official recognition, which would make this disciple unfilial."

Chu Yanyan dismissively waved a hand and continued, "Furthermore, I have just used the 'Oblivion' technique to temporarily seal the memories of everyone present regarding the sixty breaths or so before and after the tolling of the sage's bell.

However, with this old man's cultivation, it will only suffice to seal their memories for about half a year. After half a year, once this matter comes to light, the emperor will surely believe you have been feigning madness, so you must prepare in advance."

Xue Yuan was overjoyed and hurriedly said, "Many thanks, Master! Your immense kindness, disciple will engrave upon his heart!"

"There is no need to engrave such things."

Chu Yanyan waved his hand grandly and said, "What you must engrave upon your heart are the words of the sages, and the ambition of us Confucian cultivators to establish life for the people and secure peace for all generations."

"Disciple will remember it well."

"What I mean is, I hope that one day, you can use Confucian sage learning to civilize and transform the common people of the realm!"

"Master..." Xue Yuan paused slightly.

To civilize and transform the common people of the realm—words like these could not be spoken casually; what kind of status must one hold to achieve that?

Chu Yanyan added, "This world is in chaos; this old man may not live to see the day it changes for the better, but I hope you will!"

Saying this, a strange smile appeared on his face.

This smile sent a jolt through Xue Yuan's heart.

He suddenly realized!

Chu Yanyan knew what he wanted to do!

Indeed, what could a prince playing the fool possibly want to accomplish? I'm afraid even ordinary townsfolk could guess it, let alone a Great Scholar like him!

That being the case, the moment he took him in as a disciple, had he already decided to throw himself into the game?

Yet there was a very contradictory question here!

It was well known to the world that Chu Yanyan had not involved himself in court affairs for many years. Why would he suddenly choose to help him?

Did he believe that he was a man of the Confucian school, and that once he succeeded in the future, he would certainly use Confucian canons to civilize the realm, delivering it from war and strife to achieve Confucianism's ultimate pursuit of "Benevolent Rule"?

After all, although the current realm praised Confucianism, because there were too many martial cultivators and too few true Confucian ones, state affairs were still governed by the philosophy of martial cultivators—a philosophy whose essence was simply that the strong prey upon the weak!

Yet this explanation still had a loophole!

Chu Yanyan was, after all, the tutor to two successive emperors. It was said that the late emperor shared a bond with him akin to father and son, and since the current emperor was personally designated by the late emperor, logically his bond with the emperor should be even closer!

Moreover, the emperor had also invited him to serve as imperial tutor, yet he had flatly refused without even trying. How could he know that he couldn't influence the emperor and promote Confucian "Benevolent Rule"?

Xue Yuan suddenly felt somewhat unsure of what Chu Yanyan was truly thinking!

Seeing him fall silent, Chu Yanyan suddenly burst out laughing and said, "A great man should be filled with boundless heroic spirit; why act like this?

This old man is still alive, so go ahead and act boldly! Should any flaws arise, there is still this old man here to back you up! Be it Prince Yu or the Emperor, wanting to kill you probably won't be all that easy!"

Xue Yuan immediately put aside his thoughts, telling himself that after all, he was a Great Scholar harboring a heart willing to sacrifice oneself for the common people; there was no need for him to second-guess the man with overly sinister intentions!

He would just take it one step at a time!

Therefore, he joined in with a hearty laugh and said, "Quite right! With Master here, I don't give a damn about them! Let's just do it!"

"Come, come!"

Chu Yanyan pulled Xue Yuan toward a bookshelf once more and said, "Good disciple, remember this: I can only protect you for a time. To truly be free from being controlled by others, you must become strong yourself!"

With that, he pulled a book out from an inconspicuous spot on the bookshelf and handed it to Xue Yuan.

"This is the 'Great Meaning of the Confucian Classics,' containing the annotations I have written down stroke by stroke over seventy years. I believe it will be of immense help to your cultivation!"

Xue Yuan was startled. He knew countless people longed to hear Chu Yanyan lecture on the "Great Meaning of the Confucian Classics" in vain, yet this book contained all of his personal annotations—its value was surely immeasurable!

Normally, this would be a supreme treasure, but damn it, as a mortal man, he fundamentally lacked the mindset of "sacrificing oneself for the common people." He feared that even if he read it, he wouldn't be able to reach the realm of a Great Scholar!

Still, operating on the principle that improving even a little bit was better than nothing, he respectfully accepted the book, planning to study it later.

Then, recalling the purpose of this trip, he simply spoke up, "By the way, Master, this disciple also wishes to ask you to impart your energy through anointing, so that I may acquire a trace of Great Scholar righteousness!"

"Great Scholar righteousness can only remain within your body for three days, and it is generally used by elderly people to prolong their lives. What use do you have for it?" Chu Yanyan asked.

"Well, this disciple wishes to..."

Xue Yuan thought for a moment, deciding there was no need yet to mention the matter of the Elder Society, so he said, "This disciple wants to see if it might help me achieve enlightenment."

"Haha, truly a whimsical thought!"

Chu Yanyan asked no further. With a flick of his large sleeve, he lightly tapped the top of Xue Yuan's head!

Xue Yuan felt a cool surge of energy enter his body, and his whole being instantly felt exceptionally refreshing.

Great Scholar righteousness secured!

Before he could react, he felt Chu Yanyan gently lift him up. The scenery before his eyes rushed backward frantically, and in the blink of an eye, he was back in the bamboo grove behind the row of wooden cabins.

Chu Yanyan said, "Remember, he who achieves great things must plan for the overall situation! You have the emperor ahead of you and Prince Yu behind you, and before long, a delegation from Northern Yan will arrive within Ningzhou territory—among them are a large number of masters! If you cannot maneuver smoothly among them, even this old man may not necessarily be able to help you slay all the heroes under heaven!"

Upon hearing this, Xue Yuan's heart suffered yet another massive shock!

So this man who claimed not to care about court affairs knew everything!

He knew Prince Yu wanted to kill him, and even knew that Northern Yan masters were coming—something the latter of which he had never even heard!

And right while Xue Yuan was dazed, Chu Yanyan had already soared into the wind once more!

The bamboo grove quickly grew quiet—so quiet that he could almost hear the beating of his own heart.

Xue Yuan felt that all his experiences just now were so unreal, almost like a hallucination!

It wasn't until he touched the annotated edition of the "Great Meaning of the Confucian Classics" hidden inside his robe once again that he confirmed all of this was real!

"Chu Yanyan... the Emperor... Prince Yu... the Northern Yan delegation..."

Xue Yuan muttered inwardly.

He walked mechanically into the wooden cabin.

Qi Yuansheng, who had already returned, saw Xue Yuan and instantly rushed over joyfully, saying, "Brother Xue, oh no, Your Highness, you're finally back! I thought you were in trouble with that inspector fellow. Where did you go afterward?"

Qi Yuansheng only remembered that Xue Yuan had saved him, but anything after that, he couldn't remember at all.

Xue Yuan collected his thoughts, patted Qi Yuansheng's shoulder, and said, "It's nothing. I was also afraid that inspector would trouble me, so I went outside to hide for a bit. By the way, after the Lecture Assembly, where do you plan to go?"