Li Er, Li Dan, Laozi.
A pioneer of Chinese philosophy.
According to legend, the founder of Taoism once served as the teacher of the sage Confucius.
However, unlike Confucius who compiled the Six Classics and had his disciples collect quotations and compile them into the Analects of Confucius for the world, Laozi does not have any representative works. Currently, the only works in the world that can be confirmed to be Laozi's works are only about one. The 5,000-word Tao Te Ching.
But even so, Lao Tzu's name is resounding throughout the world.
This is not only an acknowledgment of Lao Tzu's talent, but also illustrates to some extent the advanced nature of the ideas contained in the book "Tao Te Ching".
The Tao Te Ching alone made Lao Tzu one of the world's cultural celebrities. It is hard to imagine how far Lao Tzu's reputation would have reached if other works expounding his thoughts had been handed down.
Like Confucius, one of the top ten cultural celebrities in the world?
Or even compete with Master Kong for the first position?
It's not impossible.
But now, the thing that can realize this situation is right in front of the three people, in the hands of Nono.
Although Angers lived for more than a hundred years and had seen a lot, how could he have seen anything like this?
To be honest, when the Binghai fragments were unearthed, he didn't feel this excited and uneasy at the same time: "This Li Er...isn't he the Li Er I thought?"
Gu Bei felt his throat was dry and swallowed: "He may be that Li Er, but it is a bit impossible to say that he is that Li Er."
】
What about this and this?
Nuonuo was dragged out of her emotions by Gu Bei's words and rolled her eyes. Angre's mood also eased due to this nonsensical sentence.
Gu Bei mobilized his spiritual thoughts to stabilize his state, and then raised his chin towards Nuonuo: "Continue, whether this Li Er is the Li Er we think of depends on what follows."
Moreover, Gu Bei's curiosity became more and more intense.
If the author of this book is Lao Tzu Li Er, then how could this ancient book from three thousand years ago be involved in his destiny?
Gu Bei guessed, no, for sure.
He was sure that it must have something to do with the contents of this ancient book.
Nono nodded and continued to translate Xiaomian's text.
——
I was born in Ku County, Chen State, and my father was a Sima of the Song State. Later, the Chu State attacked the Song Dynasty, and my father was shot to death by a hidden arrow. My mother took her family servant Juan to Xiangyi, Chen State, and gave birth to me.
It is said that when I was born, I was weak but had a big head, broad eyebrows and wide ears, eyes as clear as pearls in the abyss, and a nose with double bridges like a rut.
Because my ears are so big, my mother named me "Dan".
My name is Li Dan.
Since I was born in the Year of the Tiger, my neighbors call me Xiao Li'er, which means "little tiger".
In the Jianghuai area, people call "cat" "li'er", which sounds the same as "li'er".
Over time, my name also became Li Er.
I am not just boasting, but I have been smart since I was a child, meditative and eager to learn. I often pester my family nurse to hear stories about the rise and fall of countries, successes and failures in wars, sacrifices, divination, and stargazing.
My mother was very kind to me. She invited Mr. Shang Rong, who was proficient in the rituals and music of the Yin Shang Dynasty, to be my teacher.
The old man is well versed in astronomy and geography, as well as ancient and modern etiquette. Every question I have can be answered by him.
One day, the old gentleman taught in class: "Human beings are the most precious among heaven and earth, and the king among them is the most important."
I asked my husband: "What is heaven?"
The old gentleman replied: "Heaven is the pure one above."
I was puzzled and asked: "What is Qingqing?"
The old gentleman replied: "Qing Qing means space."
"Then, what is it in space?"
"Above space, there is a pure and pure one."
"What's on top?"
"The pure ones are better than the pure ones, and the more pure ones are the clear ones."
"What is the end of the Qing Dynasty?"
"The sages have not passed it on, nor have it been recorded in the ancient books. Foolish teachers dare not speak falsely."
This is the first time that the gentleman did not answer my question.
At night, I asked the whole family the same question, but no one gave me an answer.
Sitting on the roof, looking up at the sky full of sun, moon and stars, what is the sky above?
There seemed to be a giant beast passing by in the darkness.
Another day, the old man taught: "In the Liuhe, there are people in heaven and earth. The sky has the way of heaven, the earth has geography, people have human relations, and things have their physical properties. There is the way of heaven, so the sun, moon and stars can work; there is geography, so the mountains and rivers Rivers and seas can be formed; there are human relations, so the superior and the inferior can be distinguished from the elder and the young; there are physical properties, so the long and the short can be distinguished."
I asked: "Who made the sun, moon and stars? Who made the mountains, rivers, and seas? Who made the difference between the old and the young? Who made the distinction between the long and the short? They are strong and brittle. Who made the distinction?"
The teacher replied: "It's all done by God."
Ask again: “What can God do?”
Answer again: "God has the power of change and the power of creation, so he can do it."
"Where does God's power come from? When will God's power be prepared?"
"It has not been passed down by previous teachers, and it has not been recorded in ancient books. Foolish teachers dare not speak falsely."
When I got home, I asked everyone at home, but no one could answer.
How does this world work?
Another day, the teacher taught: "The king is the one who regulates the world on behalf of heaven; the people are the ones governed by the king. If the king does not follow the will of God, he will be defeated, and if the people do not obey the king, they will be guilty. This is the way to govern a country."
Question: "The people's livelihood is not for the king, and it is understandable if they do not obey the king and pastoral care. The king's life is the will of heaven, so what is the reason for the king to go against the will of heaven?"
Answer: "God sends you to take care of the world on behalf of Heaven. When you are born, you will be like a general outside. When you are about to be outside, your destiny will not be accepted. When you are born, God's will will not be received."
"God has the power of change and the power of creation. Why doesn't he create a king who obeys orders?"
"The ancient sages have not taught it, nor have it been recorded in the ancient books. Foolish teachers dare not speak falsely."
No one in the family can answer this question.
So I went around to seek advice from famous people in Xiangyi and traveled all over the land in Xiangyi.
One day, Mr. Shang Lao taught: "In all things in the world, harmony is the most important thing. If there is discord, there will be war, and war will kill each other. If you fight each other, you will hurt both sides, and hurting both sides will be harmful but useless. Therefore, doing things to benefit others will benefit yourself, and doing harm to others will bring harm to you. It will harm yourself."
He asked: "The disharmony in the world is causing great harm to the people. Why don't you take care of it?"
The teacher asked back: "When the people quarrel, they will lose a small peace; if they lose a small peace, they will get a small disaster, but the king can control it. When the country fights, it will lose the great peace; if they lose the great harmony, they will get a big disaster. The big disaster is the fault of the king." , why autonomy?”
I asked again: "If you cannot govern yourself, why can't God govern you?"
The Master said: "It has not been passed down by sages, it has not been recorded in ancient books, and a foolish teacher dare not speak nonsense."
Over the past three years, it seems that there are more and more questions that my husband cannot answer.
Mr. Shang was a well-known scholar. He couldn't answer the questions. Even though I visited all the scholars in Xiangyi and read all the classics in Xiangyi, I still had no answer.
I have reached the age of dancing, and over the years, no one except Mr. Shang can answer my questions, and even Mr. Shang most of the time relies on unrecorded ancient books for answers.
Although I have not given up studying, many people spend their time sitting on the roof thinking about various problems every day.
Later, through the introduction of Mr. Shang, I was introduced to Dr. Taixue in Zhoudu.
Zhoudu is a more prosperous place than Chen State, with a sea of classics and a cloud of wise men. It is also the holy land of the world. There must be someone there who can solve my problem.
In my mother's reluctant eyes, I left home.
Three days later, I arrived in Zhoudu, met with the doctor, and entered the Imperial Academy.
Taixue’s courses cover a wide range of subjects.
Astronomy, geography, human relations, everything.
"Poetry", "Book", "Yi", "Calendar", "Ritual" and "Music" are all included.
Cultural relics, regulations, and history books are all studied.
I studied in Taixue for three years and learned a lot.
Later, Dr. Taixue recommended me to enter the Tibetan Keeping Room as an official.
The collection room is the place where classic books are collected in the Zhou capital. It collects all the texts and books from all over the world.
This time it is really true: "The sea is wide enough for fish to leap, and the sky is high enough for birds to fly."
It took me another three years to read through all the books in the collection room without missing anything. My understanding of the articles gradually improved, and I gradually understood the origin of rituals and music, and understood the purpose of morality.
Three years later, when I was under twenty years old, I took up the post of curator of the Tibetan History Department.
Scholars all over the world know my name.
However, my problem is still not solved.
What is the nature of this world?
What is there in the sky?
Why do gods exist?
After understanding a lot of things, not only were these questions unanswered, on the contrary, they confused me even more.
I was immersed in thinking about these questions all day long. I didn’t think about tea or rice. But I didn’t expect that before I got the answer to the question, something happened that overturned everything I had learned and even made me start to doubt. world things.
——
"So...this is an autobiography?"
Gu Bei frowned and watched Nono slowly turn the pages of the silk book little by little.
Because it is so old, although I don’t know why this silk book has been preserved until now, you still have to be careful when reading it to prevent damage.
Angers was still sorting out the content of the article bit by bit. His cultural level was good, but classical Chinese writing was an instinct engraved in the bones of the Chinese people. People in the Chinese Dynasty could guess the same classical Chinese text at a glance. , for Westerners, it is no different from heavenly scriptures.
Gu Bei grabbed his hair and said: "This story is nothing special. It is similar to the records in "Historical Records". Could it be that this is an autobiography written by me? Then this should be the first autobiography in the world, right? ?”
Gu Bei said something vague, and Nono turned to the next page. He did not rush to translate, but followed Gu Bei's words: "At least, we are sure that this Li Er is the old man we know. , and the focus of the story should still be below, on the thing that overturned everything I learned and even made him doubt the world..."
"...What do you think it will be?"
Angers also reacted.
The three of them looked at each other and said in unison: "Dragon."
One thing that can make a scholar doubt the world he lives in must be the existence of another "world".
The unparalleled impact was even more shocking than when the mixed race first learned about Qi.
Gu Bei urged: "Quick, where is the place below?"
Nono lowered his head and translated the next story...
——
That day, King Ling called me into the palace.
The meeting place was Wang's study. When I arrived, Wang was reviewing memorials.
In fact, there is nothing to criticize. The current situation has been established clearly. The princes are self-reliant, the kings and subordinates are getting smaller and smaller, the country will not be a country, and the great Zhou Dynasty has been exhausted.
Those so-called memorials were just a little bit of fog released by the princes in order to paralyze the king of Zhou.
The king naturally understands this, but he still insists on stabilizing the existence of the royal family after all these years.
I know that the Spirit King is guarding the last fig leaf of the Ji family. At least, this fig leaf cannot fall because of him.
When Wang saw me, he nodded, put down the pen in his hand, and pointed to the futon beside him: "Sir, sit down."
I sat down calmly.
The king asked me: "Sir, do you know the world today?"
I hesitated for a moment and nodded yes.
The king lamented: "The great Zhou Dynasty is in danger."
I don't know what to say. If it were any other minister, he should be holding the king's thigh at this time and crying that he would advance and retreat together with the king.
I just don’t know if this is what they really think in their hearts.
But I don't know these.
Since I entered the court, I have always been accompanied by books. Keeping the history of the collection room is a clean job, and I don't have to waste my energy on the intrigues of the bunch of wine bags and rice bags in the court hall.
So there seems to be a thick barrier between me and other people.
But this is okay, I am happy and pure.
But it's not without its disadvantages. For example, right now, I'm thinking about whether to continue standing still or to kneel down and hug the king's thigh.
Fortunately, Wang didn't give me a chance to hold my thigh. He stood up from his seat, pulled a futon and sat in front of me.
We were so close that even a square table could not fit in between us. This was the first time for me to be so close to Wang.
But I had no intention of looking at the king's face, because the moment the king sat down, the guards around him also moved together. They formed a circle, enclosing the king and me.
I asked: "Wang, what are you..."
Wang shook his head: "You have two choices now. First, turn around and leave immediately; second, listen to what I say and then do me a favor."
My dear, I have never seen anyone be so arrogant when asking for help in my life.
However, who calls him a king?
I don't want to be forked and beheaded.
Moreover, I have a feeling that maybe this time, I will really come into contact with the truth of the world.
It’s so funny. I’ve read so many books and haven’t touched upon the essence of the world. How can I just talk to the king?
I didn't pay attention, but the desire in my heart still made me nod.
I laughed, laughed heartily, and laughed wantonly.
It was the first time I saw the king smile. Now he doesn't look like a king, but more like an ordinary person who has fulfilled his wish.
Wang looked at me, but I felt a little cold.
When did the wind suddenly blow?
And...snow! ?
How can there be snow in this hot June! ?
I looked around and found that the circle of guards around me had somehow disappeared. The place where the king and I were was no longer a palace, but a place of ice and snow.
I looked at the king, but I only saw gold that was as bright as the sun.
