Confucianism under Heaven

Chapter 55 Ye Ru's Lecture

Chapter Fifty-Five: Ye Ru's Lectures

Xingzhi Hall is located in a corner of Sijing Sanmingtai. It was a place where scholars or Jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examinations) would give lectures or hold important events.

Today, the usually quiet Xingzhi Hall is bustling with activity once again.

Because it is a rare occurrence, perhaps only once in a century, for a young scholar to come and lecture.

Inside Xingzhi Hall, countless people dressed in children's robes and scholars' robes sat in the lower seats, constantly discussing among themselves:

"I heard today that Master Ye is going to give a lecture, mainly on the Six Arts."

"I wonder how well Master Ye explained it. If Master Ye makes any mistakes, wouldn't he be laughed at to death?"

"Here he comes, Master Ye is here."

Suddenly someone exclaimed, and then Ye Ru pushed open the door of Xingzhi Hall and slowly walked towards the stage.

As Ye Ru walked toward the stage, the voices in the hall gradually decreased until they finally fell completely silent.

They stood up in unison and bowed to Ye Ru.

This is the way of etiquette. Anyone who can stand here and give a lecture is a teacher. The so-called respect for teachers and the importance of teaching must be shown.

Ye Ru walked up to the stage step by step, then placed his hand on the podium, scanned the crowd, and said softly:

"No need for formalities, please be seated."

As the words fell, everyone sat down, but in a secluded corner, there were four people looking at Ye Ru with hostile expressions.

At that moment, a figure dressed in the attire of a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations stepped out of the shadows at the gate, revealing a familiar face.

"It's Mr. Fang from Wenxing Private School!"

"Teacher Ye is so amazing that even Mr. Fang came to listen to his lectures."

Countless people saw the figure sitting at the back, bowing to Ye Ru, and spoke with surprise, then discussed among themselves.

"Ye Tongsheng, I'm sorry I'm late because of some business at the government office."

At that moment, a loud voice came from afar, causing everyone to turn around immediately. When they saw the three people, they all widened their eyes, even more shocked than before.

"Even the county magistrate, the county assistant magistrate, and the registrar have come! My God, am I seeing things?"

"Am I dreaming? I can't believe I'm attending a class with four scholars who have passed the imperial examinations!"

Shocked, everyone swallowed hard, their faces flushed red.

They originally came here just to listen, but they never expected that several learned people from Qingyun County would come!

This is something that has never happened before.

"I wonder if even that person from the Arbitration Institute of All Saints will come later? The scholar has a particular fondness for less popular subjects."

Wang Xiaoyang looked at Fang Zifeng and the others, his hands trembling slightly, before he spoke in a low voice.

"Impossible. The Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) is extremely busy. The fact that the Juren (successful candidate in the provincial imperial examination) has come is already giving Ye Rutian a lot of face. Does he really think he is a saint reincarnated? How ridiculous."

A look of disdain appeared on Wang Bieqiu's face.

“That’s right, the scholar won’t come; otherwise, it would only embolden Ye Ru’s arrogance.”

A hint of jealousy flashed in Wang Ren's eyes. He said disdainfully, "I don't believe Ye Ru's level is so high that he could invite a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) to come."

"cough."

However, the moment he finished speaking, the clear and resounding voices coming from outside the door made his pupils shrink instantly, and his body stiffen immediately:

"Student Chen Sijun."

"Student Liu Yan."

"Student Song Feng."

"Student Li Wenfeng."

"Student, Mr. Pang."

"Greetings, Master Ye!"

The orderly voices rang out in Xingzhi Hall, instantly silencing everyone present. Everyone stared in disbelief at the five elderly men at the door, who were bowing slightly to Ye Ru, and swallowed hard.

"Five...five Jinshi scholars have personally arrived..."

"I'm not seeing things, am I? Five Jinshi graduates and four Juren graduates, they've all come to listen to the lecture..."

"Moreover, the five Jinshi scholars respectfully addressed Ye Ru as their teacher!"

Gasps of shock echoed throughout Xingzhi Hall, and a look of horror appeared on their faces.

This kind of formation is probably the largest ever.

Throughout the entire Ten Kingdoms, there has probably never been a case where a student was lecturing to five Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), four Juren (successful candidates in the provincial imperial examinations), and hundreds of other students and scholars.

"Professor Ye's lecture today may not be the last one, but it is definitely unprecedented."

A scholar took a deep breath, his face filled with shock.

"Hmph, this kid is truly extremely arrogant."

Wang Ren took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, but his face was also extremely shocked.

"Ahem, esteemed scholars, please have a seat."

Ye Ru coughed, cleared his throat, then bowed and began to speak:

“A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts. Although I have not reached that level, I am fortunate to discuss the Six Arts with you today. As the saying goes, ‘Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me.’ If there are any errors in our discussion, I hope you will point them out.”

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. The students, scholars, and even those who had passed the imperial examinations were all learned and proud. Ye Ru's words, on the one hand, gave them enough face, and on the other hand, did not show any particularly arrogant attitude.

Before I begin, I'd like to ask, does anyone know what the concept of arithmetic is?

Ye Ru looked around and asked.

Upon hearing this, everyone began to ponder. They had only focused on learning and calculating, without considering the essence of arithmetic.

"Hmph, does he really think he's a teacher? He's just showing off his academic knowledge, a disgrace to scholars, a scoundrel."

Wang Ren spoke with disdain, then muttered a curse under his breath.

Many people also seemed a bit strange, clearly sensing that Ye Ru was somewhat complacent.

"If I say this wrong, it will become a laughing stock for all time."

A scholar who disliked Ye Ru lowered his head and mocked him, which made some others secretly laugh.

"To see the big picture from small details, that's right. First, we need to let people know what arithmetic is, so that we can have a deeper understanding of its significance."

Chen Sijun fell into thought; clearly, he still did not understand the essence of arithmetic.

"Arithmetic is the study of space, change, and so on by our human race. It is of great significance to the development of our human race. The square field and other things in the Nine Chapters on the Mathematical Art are closely related to our lives. I will call it mathematics for now."

Ye Ru pondered for a moment, and after he finished speaking, everyone fell silent.

In the ensuing silence, a scholar dressed in a scholar's robe stood up and spoke sternly to Ye Ru, drawing the attention of everyone present:

"The names of disciplines were established by our ancestors. Confucius is the first teacher of all of us, and we should respect him. But today, you arbitrarily change the name of a discipline. Aren't you afraid of making a fool of yourself? The scholars and officials are all here, yet you flaunt your knowledge. Do you intend to betray your teachers and ancestors?"