Fang Yun held his own "New Notes to the Analects of Confucius" and recited it in a calm tone. He first read the main text of Kong Sheng's "The Analects of Confucius" and then explained every word step by step. He then translated it literally and finally paraphrased it. Most of the paraphrased meanings were included in the paraphrase.
Fang Yun's "Heavenly Words" allowed anyone who heard his voice to completely understand the meaning of the words. Furthermore, it was very difficult to forget. It also had the power to enlighten the edge of the sacred path, making it even more convincing. It made the two great demon kings become devout and humble.
The "Heavenly Words" allowed the listeners to accept it passively. However, the power of the sacred path allowed the listeners to take the initiative to change while listening to the lecture. As time passed, all the changes would become habits, and they would become brand new people.
The "New Notes to the Analects of Confucius" was the same as the "Analects of Confucius". It had a total of 20 chapters. After Fang Yun finished reading five chapters, he looked at the two great demon kings.
The two great demon kings were intoxicated and were still reminiscing about this classic of the human race.
Fang Yun, on the other hand, did not pay attention to the two demons. He picked up his brush and slightly corrected the first five chapters because he had a new understanding during the recitation.
After two hours, the two great demon kings finally calmed down. Compared to before, the two demons' gazes were much gentler.
Fang Yun's original plan was to first go to the Ancient Imperial Forest and then go to the vicinity of Red Mountain to wait for the Gods to bestow the Mountains and Seas. However, the rewards from robbing the demons and barbarians had far exceeded his expectations. Furthermore, it might take too long to enter the Ancient Imperial Forest. Therefore, he decided to rob all the way to Red Mountain.
One human and two demons went straight to Red Mountain. They would stop for a few hours every day. Four days later, Fang Yun finished reciting the "New Notes to the Analects of Confucius".
The two great demon kings also showed obvious changes. Their gazes were clearer, and their minds were smarter.
The King Of Rat even tried to ask Fang Yun to be his disciple but was rejected.
On the fifth day, Fang Yun wrote the "New Notes to the Great University" while teaching the two great demon kings.
'The Great Learning' was a chapter in the 'Book of Rites'. It was only a little more than a thousand words, but it was the outline of the Confucian school. It proposed eight sections: 'investigating things, gaining knowledge, sincerity, righteousness, cultivating the body, unifying the family, governing the country, and pacifying the world'.
In Ancient Huaxia, Er Cheng first valued the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean in the Book of Rites. He called them, along with the Analects of Confucius and Mencius, the "Minor Classics". Later, Zhu Xi extracted the Great Learning and the Doctrine of the Mean for the first time and commented on them. Together with the Analects of Confucius and Mencius, they were called the Four Classics.
In the Saint Origin World, before Fang Yun, no one had ever made a note of "The Great University".
With his previous experience, Fang Yun did not finish "New College Notes" immediately. Instead, he left the last punctuation mark. If he did not finish reading the last sentence, the whole book would not be completed.
On the sixth day, Fang Yun began to write "New Commentary on the Mean".
"The Doctrine of the Mean" didn't have many words, only about 3,000. If "The Great Learning" focused on cultivating one's body, then "The Doctrine of the Mean" focused more on cultivating one's character.
On the seventh day, Fang Yun began to write "New Commentary on Mencius".
Among the Four Classics, "The Great University" had more than 1,000 words, "The Doctrine of the Mean" had more than 3,000 words, "The Analects of Confucius" had more than 13,000 words, and "Mencius" had more than 34,000 words.
Compared to "The Analects of Confucius", the thoughts in "Mencius" were more complicated and more radical.
Mencius was lucky because in his era, the power of Confucianism was far greater than that of Confucius. Therefore, the treatment he received was far better than Confucius.
Mencius was also unfortunate. The Warring States Period was far more chaotic than the Spring and Autumn Period. Other than Confucianism, there were other powers that took advantage of the situation.
In "The Analects of Confucius", it was mainly about Confucius communicating with his disciples. Although he talked with other princes, such as Duke Ai of Lu, Duke Ding of Lu, Duke Jinggong of Qi, Duke Wei of Ling of Wei and so on, the content was not much and the space was limited.
In "Mencius", there was a considerable amount of space where the princes and dukes asked Mencius for advice on how to govern the country. For example, Duke Ping of Lu, King Xuan of Qi, Duke Teng of Wen of Teng, and so on. The opening line of "Mencius" was "Mencius meets King Liang Hui of Liang". There were also many words in the book that criticized and contradicted the princes. This was rare in "The Analects of Confucius".
Although this showed that Confucianism was more respected by the princes and that Confucius and Mencius had different personalities, it also showed that Mencius had a stronger desire to promote his own political views. He only gave up after repeated failures and began to focus on teaching and educating people.
Confucius had once worked his way up from a small official to an important position in the State of Lu. Therefore, although he was benevolent and righteous, he was very restrained. He treated himself as a subject in front of the princes and traveled to various countries to spread his own ideas.
However, Mencius was different. He did not have a rich political experience like Confucius. Although he talked about politics, he treated himself as a teacher in front of the princes. He also traveled to various countries, but he was more like an imperial tutor to promote his own ideas.
One was propagating while the other was promoting. Naturally, there was a difference.
When writing "Mencius's New Commentary", Fang Yun's attitude was different from when he was writing "The Analects of Confucius".
When writing "The Analects of Confucius", Fang Yun almost gave it his all. He said everything he knew.
However, when writing "Mencius's New Commentary", especially when it came to political content, Fang Yun reserved some.
Fang Yun praised all the political thoughts of Mencius, especially on the thoughts of the people. Fang Yun's free translation and extension were often long and tedious, far more than the other three books. However, when it came to specific political laws, Fang Yun mostly skimmed over them. He would not confirm or deny them. Even the two big demon kings could see that Fang Yun was deliberately avoiding them.
The King Of Rat once asked the reason, and Fang Yun smiled and answered.
"When it comes to politics, Mencius's words are reasonable, but his actions are unclear. He is not as far as I am."
The King Of Rat and Lang Yuan Of Gojoseon nodded gently. The origin of the Miscellaneous School was Lu Buwei. In terms of political means, ten Mencius added together were not as good as one Lu Buwei.
However, the King Of Rat keenly realized that "words are reasonable, but his actions are unclear." In unpleasant words, it meant that Mencius's ideas were right, but they were difficult to implement. In other words, Mencius did not find the right and effective way for his ideas. To be more serious, it could be said that Fang Yun's criticism of Mencius's political ways was wrong.
The writing style of "The Analects of Confucius" was very different from "Mencius's New Commentary". The King Of Rat and Lang Yuan Of Gojoseon discussed for a long time without any results. They asked Fang Yun for the reason.
"After leaving the Sacred Burial Valley, we will know the result," Fang Yun said.
The two demons were very disappointed, but they were also full of expectations for the future.
The King Of Rat asked again, "I don't know why Teacher only took 'The Great Learning' and 'The Doctrine of the Mean' out of 'The Book of Rites'. It has never been treated so seriously before."
Fang Yundao said, "'The Book of Rites' is complicated, but beautiful and beautiful coexist. 'The Great Learning' and 'The Doctrine of the Mean' are like gold hidden in sand. They were written by Zeng Zi and Zi Si Zi respectively. Together with Mencius, they are both secondary saints. They cannot be covered in dust."
"Then, should students learn 'The Doctrine of the Great Learning' or 'The Doctrine of the Mean'?" The King Of Rat asked sincerely.
"Those below Jinshi should learn 'The Great Learning' and 'The Doctrine of the Mean'. Those above Jinshi can choose one of the five classics and specialize in it," Fang Yundao said.
The King Of Rat suddenly understood and said, "Our Confucian disciples spread out and their talents are uneven. 'Poetry', 'The Book of Rites', 'The Book of Changes', and 'The Spring and Autumn Annals' are too profound. 'The Great Learning', 'The Doctrine of the Mean', 'Mencius', and 'The Analects of Confucius' were personally taught by the Sages. Compared to the five classics, they are easier to understand. If one concentrates on studying them, they can be successful in a few years. This way, our Confucian disciples can grow quickly in the early stages, so as not to waste the starlight of literature. "
"Good." Fang Yun nodded and praised.
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