Chapter 181 Gongsun companion reading, how many heads do you have to kowtow?
At dawn the next day, the prince went to the front yard with a sad face and woke up Xu Zhiqiong.
"Don't go with me today. It's embarrassing. I'll go alone."
Xu Zhiqiong asked in surprise: "What worries does Your Highness have?"
"My father is also going to Tianzhang Pavilion today. If you can't argue with Gongsun Wen and are ridiculed by your father, if you can't bear this tone and start a fight with Gongsun Wen, this matter will not end well."
Xu Zhiqiong shook his head and said: "I am His Highness's personal bodyguard, so naturally I have to stay close to you. If I don't go, Your Majesty will blame me, and things will not end well."
The prince sighed: "That's all, you can go as long as you want, but you have to listen to me and don't say another word. I'm used to being teased by others. What can I do if I'm teased one more time?"
The prince took a group of guards and Xu Zhiqiong to Tianzhang Pavilion.
Tianzhang Pavilion was really lively today. Seven princesses, three princes, five county princes, eight princes, as well as bachelors from Longtu Pavilion, Tianzhang Pavilion, Yuwen Pavilion, and more than a dozen Yushitai came.
A censor and nearly a hundred people gathered in front of Tianzhang Pavilion, waiting for Gongsun Wen to give a lecture.
These bachelors and censors were all called by Emperor Zhaoxing. They all have one characteristic in common - they are all officials.
Many of these people helped Wu Xu and Xu Zhiqiong speak up, and Wang Yanyang was among them. There were also many people who disparaged Wu Xu and Xu Zhiqiong. When the dispute was at its most intense, the two sides reached an incompatible situation.
There is only one purpose for calling them here today, to humiliate Xu Zhiqiong in front of them, and then use their mouths to spread the matter, confuse right and wrong, and make the world think that Xu Zhiqiong is stupid and stupid.
It was a foolish act for him to offend the majesty of the royal family. The royal family was tolerant and spared his life as a fool.
Extending this, Xu Zhiqiong is described as a heinous person. Even if he is not killed, his reputation will be ruined!
At that time, any excuses such as poor speech will be useless. The fool's reputation will be established, and everyone will only remember his ugly appearance in Tianzhang Pavilion.
This move, firstly, restored the royal family's face, secondly, it beat the crown prince and taught Xu Zhiqiong a lesson, and thirdly, it could bring Gongsun Wen and King Huai closer to each other.
Bringing the two of them closer was of great significance to Emperor Zhaoxing.
At Chen Shi, Emperor Zhaoxing came to Tianzhang Pavilion and began to give lectures.
The content of today’s lecture is “The Theory of No-Fault”.
This is the most provocative and the topic that Gongsun Wen is best at. The core idea is that there is no fault in this world, only the difference between fools and wise men.
Xu Zhiqiong had been exposed to this theory in his previous life. To put it more bluntly, it means that all things, all actions, and all ideas in the world are correct and reasonable.
Gongsun Wen also extended this theory and believed that all unreasonable situations stem from fools' ignorant understanding of things.
Gongsun Wen told an example: "When a certain boy was studying, he once saw an old farmer carrying golden millet paper to the toilet!"
As the words fell, everyone laughed. Golden millet paper is the highest quality and one of the most expensive papers in Daxuan. A piece of paper can be sold for more than a hundred yuan, which is much more expensive than silk. However, it turned out to be...
A farmer took me to the toilet.
Gongsun Wen continued: "I was also curious, so I asked the farmer, where did this golden millet paper come from?"
The farmer replied that he didn't know what kind of paper it was. He only knew that a scholar once lived in his house. He thought his grandson was intelligent, so he gave him two gold millet paper copybooks to let his grandson learn to read. The farmer felt that he was familiar with it.
The words were of no use, so I took them directly to the toilet."
At this point, all the scholars here are extremely disgusted with this farmer, because his behavior has touched the bottom line of scholars.
In Daxuan, paper is sacred. Not to mention golden millet paper, even the most common paper cannot be used in the toilet. Bamboo pieces must be used in the toilet! Sacred paper is a symbol of knowledge and culture and cannot be tarnished!
Arousing everyone's emotions, Gongsun Wen brought up his topic: "Is there anything wrong with paper? Golden millet paper is the most precious treasure of Daxuan's study, so why is it wrong?
Is it wrong for scholars? When you see a child from a poor family who has a talent for reading, giving him two expensive copybooks is not out of good intentions? What is wrong?
So who is at fault? Your Highness, could you please give me some advice?"
This guy is provocative again.
The prince didn't want to pay attention to him, but Emperor Zhaoxing kept looking at the prince. Everyone was looking at the prince, so the prince had to reply.
"In my opinion, the farmer is wrong. He cannot take the golden millet paper to the toilet." The prince knew that the matter was not that simple, but he could only give this answer.
Gongsun Wen nodded and said: "Your Highness knows not to use gold millet paper in the toilet, which proves that Your Highness is a wise man."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone laughed. The words sounded like approval, but they actually contained deep sarcasm.
Gongsun Wen continued: "But that farmer is a fool. He does not have the wisdom of Your Highness. He does not know the value of golden millet paper, but he always thinks that this thing is suitable for use in the toilet!"
Everyone laughed continuously, and Gongsun Wen said: "According to the heart of a fool, there is nothing wrong with using gold millet and paper in the toilet. According to the heart of a wise man, there is nothing wrong with the paper, and there is nothing wrong with the scholar. In terms of two minds, there is no right or wrong in this world!"
But there is a huge difference between the heart of a fool and the heart of a wise man.”
After the narration, the members of the royal family and officials, both large and small, praised him repeatedly. King Huai stood up and saluted and said: "Sir's words really enlightened me. Now that I have received your grace from your majesty, I am here to listen to you. Only then can I be lucky enough to hear your teachings."
Gongsun Wen returned the favor and said, "King Huai has given you too much praise. Unfortunately, the words of a wise man cannot easily reach the ears of a fool. When I was giving lectures in the East Palace, I suffered a lot of ridicule."
King Huai was stunned and said: "Who dares to ridicule Sir? This is really a fool's move! If Sir does not give up, you can come and give lectures! I am waiting for you as a distinguished guest!"
King Huai valued Gongsun Wen so much that other princes and princes came forward to agree:
"Mr. Gongsun is truly a god in this world!"
"The dog is not talented. I am willing to pay a lot of money to help Shu Xiu. Please give me some advice, sir!"
"Sir, if you have free time, go and get together next to me!"
Among the academicians and censors in various cabinets, there were also people who were good at flattery, and they rushed forward to offer their kind words:
"Mr. Gongsun is truly a sage in this world!"
"I only saw Mr. Gongsun's book, but not Mr. Gongsun himself. It is a pity. Today, I have received your Majesty's kindness and finally got my wish!"
"Sir, would you like to come to the academy to give lectures? Thousands of Confucian disciples in the capital are waiting for your teachings!"
At the emperor's signal, even the princesses came forward to study. The seventh princess said to the sixth princess Liang Yuyao: "Sister, let's go over and ask for help."
"What do you want him to do?" Liang Yuyao frowned, "How can you do it underground?"
The seventh princess whispered: "Sister, don't you see that our father is always looking at us?"
Liang Yuyao lowered her head and said, "Go ahead, I can't learn his skills of talking."
Only the sixth princess and the prince were left in the royal family's seats.
Liang Yuyao whispered to the prince: "When he went to your East Palace to give lectures, why didn't you beat him up? If you don't have the guts, I'll ask the envoy in red to beat him up!"
The prince sniffed and said with aggrieved expression: "Sixth sister still loves me!"
"Don't be ridiculous, who cares about you? I just can't stand this villain, who only knows how to wag his lips and talk!"
The prince looked upright: "You must also imitate it!"
Liang Yuyao sneered: "What should I learn to do?"
The prince said: "I really like it!"
Liang Yuyao was silent for a moment, then turned and spat on the prince's face.
…
There are many people who support Gongsun Wen, but there are also those who don't buy it.
The old censor Wang Yanyang is one of them.
"Mr. Gongsun, in your opinion, people in this world can't even tell the difference between right and wrong?"
Upon hearing someone's provocation, Gongsun Wen laughed: "It's not that I can't tell right from wrong, it's that there is no right or wrong in this world."
Wang Yanyang laughed loudly and said: "I have lived a long life in vain, and I have never heard such weird arguments."
Gongsun Wendao said: "This argument is called the theory of two minds, and it is a great achievement of knowledge. You know that you have lived in vain for so many years, and there is still a cure. Now you can humbly ask for advice and study hard, but it is not a wasted life!" "
Wang Yanyang was furious: "I am an old and stupid person. Let me ask Mr. Gongsun for advice first. He said that there is no right or wrong in this world. Let me ask you, isn't stealing wrong?"
Xu Zhiqiong frowned when he heard this.
The old censor was tricked.
Don't ask questions like this.
He has a hundred ways to justify theft.
Sure enough, Gongsun Wen started the theory of two minds: "According to the heart of a fool, stealing is naturally a fault, but according to the heart of a wise man, stealing is not only right, but also meritorious!"
Wang Yanyang smiled and said: "Forgive me for being ignorant, but according to my laws, theft is a serious crime. Since there are merits, why should I be punished as a crime?"
Gongsun Wen said with a smile: "If a fool commits theft, he is naturally guilty; if a wise man commits theft, he has merit. In the past, there was a great campaign to conquer the demon tribe. The chariot and cavalry generals designed to steal the enemy's food and grass, and defeated the demon tribe without a single blow. In your opinion, does this count the chariot general as guilty?"
Wang Yanyang was so angry that he was shaking all over: "You are making a strong argument! Stealing the enemy's food and grass is not considered theft. This cannot be generalized with the crime of theft. The battlefield is changing rapidly. How can we arbitrarily infer with common sense..."
The old censor became more and more anxious as he spoke, and he told a lot of truths, but no one wanted to listen.
In this situation, no one can listen to too much truth. The more complicated the truth is, the more disadvantages you will suffer.
Seeing that the old censor was trembling with anger, Gongsun Wen laughed and said: "Wang censor, please be patient. Stealing is not wrong in itself, but it can be treated with the heart of a fool and the heart of a wise man. When you are old, it may not be too late to learn the heart of a wise man." It’s too late, it’s a blessing to have more fun in the rest of my life and listen to more wise people’s opinions!”
Wang Yanyang was so angry that he couldn't speak. Gongsun Wen removed his smile and said, now it's time to deal with the prince.
"I just said that there is nothing wrong with stealing. Does His Highness the Crown Prince have any objections?"
The prince remained silent, knowing that he could not compete with him, so he would not argue with him. He felt that what Xu Zhiqiong said was quite reasonable.
Gongsun Wen asked again: "I said yesterday that killing is not wrong. Does Your Highness have any objection?"
The prince remained silent.
Liang Yuyao sneered from the side.
Gongsun Wen frowned and said, "Does Princess Yuyao have any objections?"
Liang Yuyao said: "I am a female prostitute, and I don't understand sir's principles."
Gongsun Wen had no intention of arguing with Liang Yuyao, and turned to look at Xu Zhiqiong: "Xu Denglang, let me ask you, there is nothing wrong with stealing, there is nothing wrong with killing, but is it wrong to study some foreign cultivation techniques?"
You little bastard, wait for me here!
Studying foreign cultivation techniques is called voodoo.
There is nothing wrong with bewitching, and there is nothing wrong with killing people. Isn't Liang Yuming right?
Was it wrong for me to kill Liang Yuming? Was it also wrong for me to kill someone?
If we argue like this, I will be fooled by him.
He will use a hundred ways to prove that I am a fool. It is definitely wrong for a fool to kill someone, but Liang Yuming is a wise man and everything Liang Yuming does is right.
A debate cannot convict me, but today I will be denigrated to the point of being worthless! If word of this spreads out, Wu Qianhu, the yamen in charge of the lamp, and more than 20,000 living beings will be denigrated to the point of being worthless!
You bitch, your three-inch tongue is only used to lick the skin of Liang Daguan's family, and you still want to disparage me?
Xu Zhiqiong said with a smile: "Gongsun Bandu, I thought your mind was quite sound, how come you can't even tell right from wrong?"
Gongsun Wen smiled, this fool took the bait again and dared to argue with me about right and wrong.
"It's a simple truth, but I don't know how many times I have to tell it to a fool. I'll be patient and waste my time talking to you one more time. Please tell me, what is right and what is wrong? If you can't explain clearly, you have to explain it.
Kowtow to me!"
Xu Zhiqiong smiled and said: "If I make it clear, you have to kowtow to His Highness the Crown Prince and then kowtow to me!"
Gongsun Wen said sternly: "It's a deal!"
The prince whispered: "Stop talking, you can't compete with him!"
Liang Yuyao gritted her teeth and whispered: "If you are still arguing about right and wrong, you should find a time to give this guy a good beating."
Xu Zhiqiong smiled and said to Gongsun Wen: "Looking at you like this, you are not very smart. You may not understand it if you talk too much. I am good at calculations. Let me give you a topic. You said one plus one equals three.
Is it wrong?"
When Gongsun Wen heard this, he laughed loudly: "Is this a calculation problem?"
King Huai shook his head repeatedly: "This fool can just calculate one plus one."
Xu Zhiqiong said to Gongsun Wen: "Gongsun Dudu, I told you that you are not a smart person. I am afraid that you will not understand the question if it is difficult, so you just say that one plus one equals three. Is it wrong?"
Gongsun Wendao: "In the eyes of a fool, it is naturally wrong. In the eyes of a fool, one plus one equals two, but in the eyes of a wise man, one plus one equals three. Of course it is true! One boy plus one girl gives birth to a child. This
But aren’t they three people? Two cows, one female and one male, give birth to a calf. Aren’t these three cows? Don’t you understand such a simple truth?”
When everyone heard this, they laughed at Xu Zhiqiong. King Huai sighed: "It takes so much effort to explain a truth to a fool, and I have to give such a superficial example. It's really difficult for me."
Liang Yuyao gritted her teeth and said: "It's ridiculous, it's so ridiculous, one plus one equals three, it makes sense!"
The prince was panicking. He knew that Xu Zhiqiong would never kneel down, but how would this matter end?
Emperor Zhaoxing looked at Xu Zhiqiong silently, with a faint smile on his face.
Xu Zhiqiong said with a smile: "In the heart of a fool, one plus one equals two! In the heart of a wise man, one plus one equals three!"
Gongsun Wendao: "This is a two-minded argument. I have given you a new perspective! Do you have any objections? If you have no objections, come here and kowtow!"
Xu Zhiqiong said in surprise: "Sir, you haven't finished speaking yet. Where is the third heart?"
Gongsun Wen was startled: "Where did the third heart come from?"
Xu Zhiqiong said: "A fool's heart plus a wise man's heart, aren't they three hearts?"
"This, this, how can these be three hearts?" Gongsun Wen was a little flustered.
Xu Zhiqiong laughed and said: "If it's not three, how many? One plus one equals two. This is a fool's theory. If you say you only have two hearts, you are a fool!"
Gongsun Wencuo was stunned and speechless.
Xu Zhiqiong added: "One plus one equals three, which is the theory of the wise. A fool's heart plus a wise heart equals three hearts. Please explain this third heart clearly!"
Everyone's laughter stopped suddenly.
Gongsun Wen's face turned pale and he was speechless for a while.
Liang Yuyao smiled and said: "Mr. Gongsun, I don't understand the general principle. One plus one equals something, but I do understand. Please tell me, where is the third heart?"
Wang Yanyang also asked: "I am old and do not understand the wise man's theory. Please tell me, sir, where is the third heart?"
A group of censors and scholars kept asking questions. King Huai's face was very ugly, and the emperor's face was even more ugly.
But it's useless to look ugly. These skeletal officials never looked at the emperor's face.
Gongsun Wen was silent for a long time, and then suddenly spoke: "The third heart is a public heart, for the common people in the world!"
Xu Zhiqiong was startled: "Sir, please elaborate!"
Gongsun Wendao: "Most of the people in the world are fools, but the king of a country is the wisest among the wise. The king will never abandon his people, and his public heart is right between the foolish heart and the wise heart!"
Let him come back round!
Not only did Yuan come back, but he also flattered the emperor along the way!
What a great person! No wonder Qian Niang can’t argue with him!
Xu Zhiqiong smiled: "So, what you are talking about is not the theory of two minds, but the theory of three minds?"
Gongsun Wen was so angry that he gritted his teeth: "Don't worry about the opinions! I just want to ask if you have any objections?"
Xu Zhiqiong smiled and said: "Of course there are objections. Let me ask you, sir, one plus one equals ten thousand. Is it right or wrong?"
Gongsun Wen was so anxious that his body was trembling.
Xu Zhiqiong put away his smile and said: "If you are wrong, you are a fool. If you are right, explain these ten thousand hearts one by one!"
Gongsun Wen's face was pale, his eyes were bloodshot, and he could not speak a word.
Xu Zhiqiong said with a smile: "I don't understand. Today I have to kowtow. Kowtow to the prince, and kowtow to me again, one head after another. Let me tell you how many times you have to kowtow in total!"