Li Daru, who was speechless, could only slap the table and said: "That's ridiculous! White paper has been the four most precious writing utensils in the study since ancient times. How can it not be regarded as a holy thing?!"
Xu Qing coughed and said, "Senior, if you say that, I don't agree with you."
Zhao Daru looked at Xu Qing and said solemnly: "Why don't you agree? Isn't white paper a writing utensil?"
Xu Qing coughed and asked, "Senior, what are the toilet chips made of?"
Zhao Daru said: "Of course it is bamboo."
Xu Qing asked again: "Senior, before there was no paper in the world, what did you use to write the teachings of the sages?"
Zhao Daru blurted out: "Of course it is a bamboo slip."
Xu Qing asked again: "What are the bamboo slips made of?"
Zhao Daru subconsciously said: "Of course it is made of bamboo..."
As he talked, Zhao Daru couldn't say anything.
Not only Zhao Daru was stunned by this question, but King Xian and Emperor Chu were also stunned.
Xu Qing said: "Bamboo was also a tool for writing the teachings of sages, and so was paper. Bamboo can be used, so why can't paper?"
Xu Qing admitted that if these great Confucians were to reason, Xu Qing might not be able to defeat them, but the problem is that their argument is inherently wrong.
Castles in the air naturally cannot withstand scrutiny.
When Zhao Daru and Li Daru heard Xu Qing's words, the thousands of words they had prepared yesterday suddenly got stuck in their throats and they could no longer say them out.
Yes, why can bamboo be used but not paper?
If they continue to argue with Xu Qing, shouldn't all the previous sages be criticized?
After all, before paper was invented, they used both bamboo slips and toilet chips.
If they continue to criticize, wouldn't it mean that they will also criticize the sages who have written books and theories since ancient times?
At this moment, Zhao Daru and Li Daru suddenly felt that their Taoist hearts had collapsed...
Is their persistence all these days wrong?
Zhao Daru trembled his beard and said, "Is it really the old man who is wrong?"
Upon hearing this, King Xian and Emperor Chu were both stunned.
Originally, they thought that today's debate between Xu Qing and the two great scholars would be a heated exchange of words. It was so intense that even if Xu Qing won, it would be a narrow victory. In fact, he would not be able to win at all.
He even prepared the outside doctors in advance, just so that during the debate, if any great scholar suddenly got angry and fell ill, he could diagnose and treat it in time.
However, Xu Qing only used a few words to get Zhao Daru to say these words.
Zhao Daru and the others knew that he was extremely good at eloquence. He had never failed in eloquence since the time of the late emperor, and he could stir up trouble even if he was truly unreasonable.
But now, with just a cup of tea, Zhao Daru was able to admit his mistake.
It has to be said that King Xian and Emperor Chu looked at Xu Qing with admiration again today.
Li Daru also looked at Zhao Daru with a surprised look on his face: "Brother Zhao, you..."
Zhao Daru waved his hand to stop Li Daru from speaking, then looked at Xu Qing and said: "What you mean is that whether it is white paper or bamboo slips, they are just like soft paper and toilet chips. They are not the things of saints, but just scholars of our generation.
Is it too extreme?”
Xu Qing shook his head and said: "That's not what I think. I have always believed that whether it is white paper, bamboo slips, soft paper or toilet chips, they can all be regarded as objects of sages."
Zhao Daru was stunned when he heard Xu Qing's words: "What do you mean by this?"
Xu Qingdao: "The three emperors ruled the world, and the five emperors established their relationships. From the Qin Emperor to the Han Dynasty to the Chu Dynasty, countless sages emerged during this period, each with their own creations, whether it was Shen Nong tasting a hundred herbs, drilling wood to make fire, or papermaking and printing.
The invention of art, these artifacts are all for the purpose of allowing future generations to live a better life."
"The heaven and the earth are unkind and regard all things as stupid dogs. The sages are unkind and regard the common people as stupid dogs. Perhaps when the sages created the utensils, they may not have any emotions attached to them. As long as they are beneficial to the lives of future generations, they will not care what the function of these things is.
Where is the place?”
"As for whether it is right or wrong for future generations to improve what their predecessors created, time will give the answer, right?"
After Zhao Daru heard what Xu Qing said, he stood up tremblingly, then bent down and bowed to Xu Qingshen: "What Mr. Xu said, Zhao Wen has learned."
Both Xu Qing and Li Daru, as well as King Xian and Emperor Chu were shocked by this move. How could Zhao Daru, who had been extremely proud all his life, pay such a grand gift to a younger generation like Xu Qing?!
Moreover, Zhao Daru called Xu Qing sir!
In Da Chu, only those who preach and teach can be called sir. Zhao Daru is almost at the top of the literary world of Da Chu. There is probably no one in the world who can be worthy of his husband anymore.
And he just called Xu Qing sir?!
After Xu Qing recovered from his daze, he quickly bowed and returned the courtesy: "Young man, I don't dare to accept the gift from my senior."
Zhao Daru said: "Confucius said: 'When three people are walking together, there must be one who is my teacher.' What's more, Mr. Xu's vision is even higher than that of the old man. Today, when the old man heard Mr. Xu's words, he suddenly felt enlightened and chose the good and followed the right path.
This is the teaching of the sages.”
Having said this, Zhao Daru bowed again and said, "Some time ago, I wrote an article criticizing Mr. Xu because of his outdated ideas. Today, what Mr. Xu said made me enlightened. It is because I was wrong. Tomorrow, I will write an article for Mr. Xu."
To save my reputation, I hope Mr. Wang will forgive me."
Xu Qing didn't shy away and just bowed in return.
Knowing your mistakes can make a lot of improvements. Zhao Daru recognized his mistakes and saluted, and it did have a certain impact on Xu Qing's reputation, which is reasonable and reasonable.
Xu Qing returned the favor naturally because Xu Qing himself was a junior, and Zhao Daru was a senior. It is natural for juniors to respect their seniors, which is reasonable.
Neither party has lost etiquette by doing this. Isn't it better than being hypocritical and accepting it?
Zhao Daru looked at the Emperor of Chu and the King Xian and said, "Your Majesty, Prince, I will take my leave today."
When the Emperor of Chu and King Xian heard this, they also stood up and sent each other off.
As soon as Zhao Daru left his seat, he turned around and looked at Xu Qing and said, "I still have one more question I would like to ask Mr. Xu."
Xu Qing said: "Senior, please speak."
Zhao Daru said: "I think the holy name of white paper is due to the fact that white paper has only been used for writing for thousands of years. Why did no one have the same thoughts about white paper as soft paper before the invention of soft paper?"
Xu Qing smiled slightly and said, "Senior, don't you think you'll know if you buy one each and try it out?"
After Zhao Daru and Li Daru said goodbye and left, King Xian and Emperor Chu immediately turned their attention to Xu Qing, as if they were sizing up alien creatures.
Xu Qing couldn't help but take a step back and said: "Your Majesty, Prince, why do you look at me like this?"
King Xian: "Xu Qing, you are really a genius!"
Xu Qing was slightly startled. Where had he heard this sentence in his previous life?