When Li Mu was speaking, he kept looking at Li Shimin's face. When he saw the way he wanted to laugh but was holding back, he felt even more confident and said, "I said poetry is a small way. What's bothering you? Who are you? The big way.
Why should you decide the path?!"
Li Shimin was listening with great interest, but when he saw that Li Mu's words were somewhat loaded with guns and sticks, he had to stop him and said: "Don't be rude. Kong Aiqing is a descendant of Kong Sheng, so you should treat her with courtesy."
Kong Yingda raised his chin slightly when he heard this. Apparently he felt that Li Mu would have to give in when the name Kong Sheng's descendants was mentioned. The descendants of Kong Sheng are naturally qualified to talk about 'the great road and the small road'.
Li Mu was shocked when he heard this, and quickly saluted and said: "It turns out that you are a descendant of Confucius and Mencius. Although I have never learned the teachings of Confucius and Mencius, I respect my ancestors very much. Since you are a descendant of Confucius and Mencius, I will leave it to you."
I won’t show any respect to you anymore.”
Kong Yingda's expression suddenly changed and he said, "Please tell me clearly, do you think I am a person relying on the shadow of my ancestors?"
Li Mu glanced at him sideways and said nothing, but his meaning was clearly expressed: Isn't it?
This look infuriated Kong Yingda. He had been famous for his talents since he was a child. Although he was a descendant of Confucius, he was proud of it, but he had never done anything in the name of Confucius. Li Mu's look was like
As if he had been stabbed in a sore spot, he immediately became furious and said, "How dare you bully me, you little kid with a dirty mouth? Do you still have the courtesy to do so?"
Li Mu cupped his hands and said, "I wonder, this descendant of Confucius, what is your title?"
"I am a man from Qufu County!"
"What a coincidence, I am the Marquis of Zhulu County."
"You..." Kong Yingda choked again. According to the etiquette system: monarch and minister first, then father and son, title first, then official position, status first, then age. Although Li Mu is younger than Kong Yingda, he is a marquis and Kong Yingda is a baron.
, In terms of etiquette, Kong Yingda should give him a salute first, and since Li Mu entered the palace, Kong Yingda has always spoken to Li Mu in a teaching tone, which is unreasonable. The teachings of Confucius and Mencius have very strict requirements for etiquette. Kong Yingda just said
He did something that was against etiquette despite his status as a descendant of a saint. It was really a slap in the face.
Li Shimin was worried that Kong Yingda would faint from anger, so he said: "Li Mu, although you are a county prince, you still have to respect Kong Aiqing, and you cannot use your title to overwhelm others."
"I don't dare." Li Mu said quickly: "I just think that the sages have spoken, and the Tao is natural. The so-called Tao is nothing more than human persistence. I feel that poetry and prose are small Taoisms, and they have their own principles. I feel that the hammer,
Wood sawing is a great way, and there is also the principle of ministering. I did not force him to agree with my way. Why did this descendant of Confucius ask me to agree with his way?"
Kong Yingda suppressed his anger and said: "Literature and education are the foundation of the country. No matter how eloquent you are, you can't change it. It's just that you don't value culture and education. You also said that it is better to be a plowman than to be a scholar, and you deceived the Hongwen Museum.
If the students of the Tang Dynasty continue to let themselves go like this, the culture and education of the Tang Dynasty will be in decline, and how can we talk about prosperity?"
Li Shimin nodded and said, "Li Mu, this is your fault."
Li Mu cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, please allow me to argue. The student from Hongwen Hall mentioned by the descendants of Confucius is Tang Guan, the youngest son of my stepfather, Tang Jian, Minister of Civil Affairs. Tang Guan is a child who is smart but naughty and has no intention of learning.
Presumably this descendant of Confucius knew this. I thought that education should be based on students' aptitude. Since Tang Guan was not interested in learning, he might as well learn how to make tools. Isn't this Confucius' principle of "teaching without distinction"?
"
Li Mu used two allusions from Confucius, "teaching students according to their aptitude" and "teaching without distinction", which sounded reasonable. Li Shimin nodded and said to Kong Yingda: "Kong Aiqing, what Li Mu said makes sense."
Kong Yingda retorted excitedly and said: "Your Majesty, don't listen to the slanderous words. These are just generalizations. That Tang Guan is indeed naughty, but if he can correct himself, he will become a talent in the future. But if he just becomes a carpenter,
, one talent has declined. Moreover, there are only a few naughty students in Hongwen Hall. If Li Muzhi’s words are listened to by other students, it will affect more than just Tang Guan!"
Li Shimin seemed to fall in love with playing football, so he posed the question to Li Mu and said, "What do you have to say about what Kong Aiqing said!"
Li Mu saw that this old guy was not finished, and was too lazy to argue with him. He directly used his big move and said: "Your Majesty, I don't want to say more, but since this descendant of Kong Sheng is so aggressive, I can't.
No need to refute. Just now he said that culture and education are the foundation of the country, and I cannot agree with him. I was born in the border area of the Western Region, where few people are literate, and the people don't want to be literate. They don't even care who rules here. They care.
There is only one thing that matters, and that is whether you can have enough to eat."
"I was once one of them, so I have deep feelings. Why did the Tang Dynasty win the support of the people when it pacified the Turks? It was all because the people knew that the Tang Dynasty could bring them peace and protect them. From then on,
You don’t have to worry about being robbed, you can grow the land and get enough food to feed yourself, and you can live a good life.”
"I would like to ask, taking this matter as an example, what is the use of culture and education?"
"I believe that cultural and educational matters should be placed after the people are well fed and the country is stable. How can we make the people well fed and the country be stable? I think there are two answers. One is agriculture, and the other is workers. Agriculture can provide grain and rice.
, to feed the people and the army, to produce the daily necessities of life, to make armor, weapons, bows and arrows, to defend against foreign enemies, and to guard against invasion. These two are the true foundation of the country."
"I feel that poetry and essays are a minor path, and this is also the reason. Now our Tang Dynasty does not need people who can write poems and essays. The country is in dire need, so what is the use of being able to write poems and essays? I would like to spend my time studying poetry and essays,
Put it on the research of new plows. I am making plows. I want to make a plow that can double the efficiency of cultivated land, so that the people of the Tang Dynasty can double the amount of land. This is no better than reciting a few poems.
Are texts more useful?
"And forgive me for being arrogant, poetry is really not difficult for me. After I became literate and heard about poetry, I was able to write poems. For example, "Guan Shanyue" and "Walking Wine to the Sky"
I can recite a poem like this while taking a pee. Under such circumstances, why would I study it?"
Being so arrogant, even Li Shimin frowned and said, "This statement is ridiculous. How can poetry be something you just pick up?"
Li Mu had already said this, and it was impossible to take it back. He glanced at Kong Yingda and said, "I don't dare to say anything else. I am extremely talented in poetry, so I just open my mouth."
Kong Yingda couldn't bear it any longer and said: "You are young, you talk arrogantly, and you have such contempt for literature and art just because you have written two decent poems. It's really outrageous!"
Li Mu glanced at him and said, "What's wrong with being young? Can't you express your opinions when you are young?" As he said that, Li Mu handed over his hand to Li Shimin and said, "When this descendant of Kong Sheng mentioned the word young, I suddenly became inspired by poetry.
I want to write a poem and give it to him."
Li Shimin also wanted to see if Li Mu could really compose poetry. After hearing this, he said: "Come on and do it!"
Li Mu looked at Kong Yingda and said, "Listen carefully! A big roc rises with the wind in one day and soars up to 90,000 miles. If the wind stops and comes down, it can still blow away the vast water. The world sees my extraordinary tune and hears my words.
Everyone sneered. Confucius was still afraid of future generations, but his husband should not be young!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a bang, and Kong Yingda fell on his back and fainted!