The mottled city wall looks up to the sky, telling the past like smoke; the deep city gate allows the traffic to flow, the other side of the gate is black and white, this side of the gate is color, passing through the gate of time, the monsoon of time blows everything up There was a layer of splendor, but in the blink of an eye it was empty again.
Looking at the people coming and going, the bustling crowds, today's stories are still being played out, but yesterday's history has passed away. How many heroes and heroes have turned into a handful of loess?
"The saddest thing is the cool autumn wind, and the tears wet the clothes at night." Looking at the place where he was born and raised, Chen Fan felt a mixture of emotions in his heart. What is important? What is unimportant? A dream in life, especially when watching from the wall, Chen Fan's heart suddenly became empty. In a blink of an eye, things have changed and people have changed, but the great road remains forever.
Chen Fan finally decided to put aside the practice of "Tai Gong Yin Fu". In essence, Chen Fan is still a relatively conservative person, and naturally he is unwilling to take risks that are not sure at all. After letting go, Chen Fan said goodbye to Xiang Yiming the next day and led everyone outside Jiankang City.
"Let's enter the city." Chen Fan got off the carriage and slowly walked towards the city gate with the three brothers of the Hu family who were holding the horse. Suddenly, the sky was filled with wind and clouds, as if indicating that something big was about to happen. This was the moment they entered Jiankang. A storm arose.
…
Guozi College is not only a unique institution in Kyoto, but also a unique institution in Daliang. It is a holy place for students to study. People who can study here can be said to be well-educated people, not to mention rich in knowledge. Of course, there will be one or two who take the back door, but their background is definitely noble and prominent. At the very least, Chen Fan is definitely not qualified to study here through the back door.
The gate of Guozixue is not accessible to ordinary people. Hou Feng and others were blocked from the courtyard. Only Chen Fan entered the courtyard with the petition and chess documents. Of course, Chen Fan could also let Hou Feng take it. He entered the academy to register with his personal application and chess documents, but Chen Fan decided to register by himself. Since he had already arrived at the entrance of the academy, it would be good to go in and get to know the terrain and scenery of the academy. It was considered as a way to see the examination room in advance.
Chen Fan followed the route told by the concierge and headed to the registration office of the Chess Academy.
"This gentleman, please stay."
The person who stopped Chen Fan was a young man, wearing the white uniform of Guozixue. He had a single face, small eyes, and thin cheeks. Although he didn't look very good, he looked quite elegant.
"What's the matter?" Although he was blocked inexplicably, this was Guozixue. Chen Fan was not worried about being robbed, but he was a little curious as to why he was blocked.
"Looking at your clothes and age, I guess you are not a student of our Guoxue School. We have something to ask you to arbitrate. Is that okay?"
"Sorry, I have to go to the chess academy to sign up for the chess test. It's already late, so please forgive me." Chen Fan doesn't intend to be a judge, especially in arbitration. The winner will not thank you. , but the losing party is likely to hate you.
"It won't take you too long. Besides, the chess test won't start until after, so there's still time to report tomorrow." The student of Guozixue did not give up, but persuaded.
"I have something to do tomorrow, and I need to take a test the day after tomorrow. I'm really sorry, please find someone else." Chen Fan didn't want to be swayed by someone's words, so he continued to decline.
"You don't have to worry about taking the test the day after tomorrow. The test lasts for ten days. If you take the test later, there may be fewer people behind you and it will be easier to pass."
"I want to rush home as soon as possible. I don't want to stay in the capital for too long. I'm really sorry." Chen Fan cupped his hands and prepared to bypass the people in front of him and continue walking towards the chess academy.
"Excuse me." Fortunately, the young man did not continue to pester, but politely moved out of the way.
Chen Fan secretly sighed inwardly. One more thing would be better than one less thing, so he hurriedly signed up. After registering, Chen Fan was stunned as soon as he left the chess courtyard. Not only was the young man who blocked the way before, but there were also about ten people following him.
"I'm sorry, we meet again. I think your husband should be free now. We have something to ask. I wonder if we can take some of your time."
"Of course, brother, if you have anything to do, it's okay to ask." Looking at this posture, Chen Fan knew that he couldn't refuse. Now that so many people were blocking him, if he refused, it would be an offense.
"Is this your first time in Jiankang, Mr. Lang?"
"Exactly, I just arrived today. I don't know you all, and I don't know your identity. If you have any questions, please ask." Seeing that this young man did not ask questions directly, but asked about his affairs. This was obviously to ask others. It turns out that they are not acquainted with each other. The two of them did not collude with each other in advance and simply made their words clear. If anyone doubted it, it would be best to just leave.
"Let me ask." The young man who blocked the road before was about to continue speaking, but was interrupted by the person behind him.
The speaker was also a young man, but he had a handsome appearance and a tall figure. Chen Fan could hear an undoubted smell from the three words "I'll ask". The young man who blocked the road before saw the person who spoke. , immediately stepped aside.
"Please say."
"You were walking on the road and picked up ten taels of silver. There was no one around. Would you stay and wait for the owner, or would you take the silver away?"
This question sounds simple, but it is actually a question that tests human nature. Chen Fan would not say to take the money away, which would be bad for his future reputation. Of course, he could not directly say to wait for the owner. Is he looking for something to do? If the owner never comes, will he have to wait forever?
Chen Fan immediately said: "This question naturally depends on the situation. If there is an emergency, I can just let the silver lie on the ground and leave directly; if I have nothing to do and have money on me, I can wait for the owner; If you have parents at home who need to support your money, you will naturally pick it up and support your parents." After saying that, he cupped his hands and prepared to leave.
"Wait a minute." The person who just spoke stopped Chen Fan who was about to leave, looked at him and said: "The first situation you mentioned is not true. Picking up money is a casual thing, and it doesn't waste much time. Why should you directly Leave?"
"The exam is coming soon. You are rushing there, and suddenly you find a penny on the side of the road. How do you choose at this time?"
"How does this penny compare to ten taels of silver?" someone next to him said.
"I don't compare one penny with ten taels of silver. One penny can only buy two kilograms of rice, but ten taels of silver can buy 20,000 kilograms of rice. How can they be compared?" Chen Fan said calmly to the person interjecting next to him.
"Then how did you change the twelve taels of silver lost on the roadside into one penny?"
"Then do you think that if you change one penny to ten taels of silver, the answer you will get will be different?" Chen Fan asked rhetorically.
This question is not easy to answer. One penny is money, and ten taels of silver is also money. But if the action results are different because the amounts are inconsistent, it means that the person's character still cannot withstand temptation. If it is the same, then of course there is no need. Change.
Sure enough, Chen Fan's question made the person who interrupted shut up. The person who spoke probably thought about it and decided that it would be better to leave directly, so he said: "Even if your first situation is established, why do you need to set conditions for the second and third situations?"
"Actually, the first one has already been explained. If something happens, just leave. If nothing happens, these ten taels of silver are a huge sum of money for ordinary people. It may be life-saving money. Naturally, they have to wait for the owner to come. Claim it; but if you are short of money and need this money to save your life, it is a gift from God, and you are destined to take it back for emergencies. When you have money in the future, do more good deeds, try every means to find the owner, and return it to the owner before it is too late."
"Do you think your nature is good or evil?" Chen Fan's answer probably did not allow the questioner to get the answer he wanted, so he changed the question directly.
"It's not your nature, it's human nature. Mencius said that 'human nature is inherently good', and Xunzi said that 'human nature is inherently evil'. Which view do you agree with?" Before Chen Fan answered, someone interjected.
The person who interrupted was about the same age as the person who spoke first, with sharp features and thick eyebrows. He looked heroic. His words did not arouse any rebuttal from others, including the person who spoke. It seemed that this was the focus of their discussion. , an issue that has been debated for thousands of years in Chinese history.
Chen Fan didn't want to answer this question, and it was difficult to answer it. Mencius and Xunzi were both saints and representatives of Confucianism. Chen Fan didn't want to offend anyone. He was not a Confucian, so why should he get involved in this controversy? He immediately said: "You are asking the wrong person. There are so many people in the world. Who can count them? If it is based on one person, how can we prove that this person can represent thousands of people? A dragon gives birth to nine sons, and each has his own. Different, if a person gives birth to twins, there are good and bad aspects. Why? It can be seen that whether Mencius or Xunzi, their views are correct. They are based on the judgments of the people they come into contact with. The people they come into contact with are different. The results are naturally different. When we discuss this issue, we can only make judgments based on the people we come into contact with. However, the people we come into contact with are not in the state they were in when they were born, but have thoughts and ideas that reflect the state when they come into contact with us. The current state does not represent the person's original nature. I suggest that you ask this question to the masters who enlighten young children. They should have the most say."
Chen Fan is tantamount to throwing out another point of view, that is, some people are inherently good, and some people are inherently evil. Since it is not absolute, it can also be understood that there is no such thing as good or evil when a person is born, but is influenced by the environment. Regarding the distinction between good and evil, in fact, in Chen Fan's view, it is meaningless to discuss whether human nature is good or evil. It is better to discuss how to guide people to be good.
Chen Fan's words caused everyone to fall into deep thought for a moment, but the person who was the first to distribute them said, "Your insights are quite novel, what's your name?"
"My Excellency, Chen Fasheng, I have met you all." Chen Fan cupped his hands and said.
"Okay, I'll make a note of it. See you again in the future." After saying that, he cupped his hands and led everyone away.
Seeing that this person just left without even giving his name, Chen Fan smiled and didn't take it seriously. He left the Guozixue, met up with Hou Feng and others, and found a large-scale restaurant nearby. After settling in the inn, he took Master Huang's letter and went straight to Changqian Alley with Hou Feng and others. Chen Fan decided to meet the killer You Ying recommended by Master Huang today.
