Chapter 246

Although Wang Yang usually doesn't use schemes against Xie Xinghan, after watching the whole thing, he understood that this was Xie's tear offensive.

Especially this part where she described the reason, the story seemed to have a skeleton, but the actual content was vague; the words seemed to have an explanation, but some joints were flickering; the background pointed out a sentence or two, and the rest was blank, while the details were all left to the listener's imagination. For Wang Yang, the founder of the Wang family's lying code, this was too familiar. However, Wang Yang hadn't had a chance to use the trick of crying when questioned, but Xie Xinghan showed it off first.

However, Wang Yang didn't want to expose the young Xie Xie Niangzi Xie. Firstly, although the story was a bit fake, there might be some truth in it. Secondly, seeing her act so hard and diligently, he couldn't bear to tear it down. Thirdly, no matter how much performance was in Xie Xinghan's tears, seeing her cry like this really made people feel pity. Fourthly, if someone really wanted to deal with Xie Xinghan, Wang Yang would naturally have to take care of it.

"Xie Xie Niangzi Xie, don't cry, I'm here for this matter!" Wang Yang pretended to be carried away and said indignantly.

Xie Xinghan raised her head abruptly, with a weakness of panic:

"Young master, don't be impulsive! I thought about it carefully, this matter really shouldn't bother you. After all, those five great experts in classics are all famous scholars. It's already hard to resist one of them, let alone five people working together! Although your talent is high, if you are careless for a moment and they find a gap while you are hiding your light, set an ambush and cause trouble, ruining your reputation, what should I do..."

Xie Xinghan's tear waves turned lightly, her fingertips folded a fine mark on the handkerchief, and her voice carried just the right amount of hesitation.

Oh, it means let me do my best and not hide my light.

Wang Yang waved his palm, looking heroic:

"Xie Xie Niangzi, don't worry! One person holding a spear, a thousand armies will retreat! Testing scholarship is not about the number of people. No matter how many famous scholars are on the opposite side, with me, Wang Yang, here, it is enough!"

Xie Xinghan's eyes were rippling with water, as if ten thousand stars were flowing, but just as she showed a bit of joy, she lowered her eyelids again. Her long eyelashes stained with tear marks cast a shadow under her eyes, and even her voice lowered a bit:

"But you said you have something to do today, I don't dare to delay you."

You little drama queen, you dare very much...

Forget it, I'll act with you.

Wang Yang's eyebrows raised slightly, the light in his eyes flowing like a sword out of its sheath, the corners of his lips holding a smile, three parts arrogant, seven parts calm:

"Why should Wang Yang fear the array of scholars?

Ten thousand volumes of classics destroyed with a smile.

It's not that a mad scholar slights the sage's way,

The sage's way is in my hands today.

Don't talk about five great experts, even ten great experts won't delay me for long.

Xie Xie Niangzi, sit for a while and watch me break the array!"

Xie Xinghan stared blankly at Wang Yang, her star-like eyes lost, all acting turned into nothing...

Quiet doors among the bamboo, strands of tea fragrance hidden silently.

Light smoke in the small pavilion, curtains not yet raised,

Letting the clouds float and gather.

In the small pavilion outside the elegant bamboo room of "Pinmingju," Xiao Ning came out to greet them, her hands folded on her abdomen, and respectfully bowed to Wang Yang.

Wang Yang said: "Xiao Ning, why are you so polite!"

Xie Xinghan smiled and said: "Young master, haven't you always wanted to see Xiao Ning? Now that you've seen her, you're complaining that her etiquette is too thorough."

Wang Yang:???

Xiao Ning:??? —!!!

Xie Xinghan looked at Xiao Ning, her eyes asking, and Xiao Ning immediately nodded: "Everything is ready."

Xie Xinghan made a gesture of invitation: "Young master, please..."

Wang Yang walked a few steps, looked back and saw Xie Xinghan and Xiao Ning standing in place, and wondered: "Let's go..."

Xie Xinghan smiled and bowed:

"I won't go in, so as not to give people something to talk about. I will cook a pot of 'Wenshan Imperial Tea' here for the young master and wait for your good news."

"Okay."

Wang Yang didn't feel timid, lifted the curtain and walked into the corridor, and after reaching the end, pushed the door and entered.

Xie Xinghan's tense shoulders finally relaxed imperceptibly, she patted her heart, exhaled and said: "Finally tricked this guy here."

Xiao Ning hurriedly praised: "Xie Xie Niangzi is so amazing! You even tricked Young Master Wang!"

Xie Xinghan looked left and right, and seeing no one around, she stretched like a little cat, the blue jade earrings swaying gently, and dragged her voice:

"He—knows—I'm tricking him."

Warring States turquoise gold earrings, now in the Hebei Museum.

Northern Wei inlaid gemstone gold earrings, now in the Datong Museum.

Xiao Ning opened her eyes wide: "Ah? Could it be that Young Master Wang knows this is the Imperial Academy's—"

Xie Xinghan had a bit of proud cuteness on her face:

"He doesn't know that, but he knows I'm acting to lure him here."

Xiao Ning was confused: "Then..."

Xie Xinghan's star-like eyes curved, and the corners of her mouth raised a cunning arc:

"Anyway, he won't expose me!"

Xiao Ning:...

Before Wang Yang, five low tables were arranged in a half-moon shape, with five cups of tea on the tables, and five people sitting behind them, wearing wide robes and broad belts, with elegant and calm expressions. The youngest was probably forty or fifty years old. As soon as Wang Yang entered, five kinds of gazes shot over like electricity, some scrutinizing, some sharp, some curious, some suspicious. The old man on the far right had eyes that were unusually bright, looking Wang Yang up and down, and the joy on his face was overflowing.

None of the five people spoke, and the five gazes "each had their own merits," just staring at Wang Yang without stopping. If an ordinary person were looked at like this, they would inevitably feel timid. But Wang Yang had won the top prize in the graduate school recommendation back then, and the professors asked him questions for the longest time during the interview, not to mention the "one person reciting alone, the whole room silent" during his doctoral mid-term assessment. This kind of scene was really nothing for Wang Yang to be nervous about. He bowed slightly to the five people, his voice unhurried, neither light nor heavy:

"Langya Wang Yang, greets all the gentlemen."

The one who looked suspicious spoke first: "Did you write *One Hundred Questions on the Minister*?"

"Yes."

The man narrowed his eyes, his suspicion even heavier: "Did you also write *Answers to Questions on the Minister*?"

"Also me."

The man stretched his neck forward, staring fixedly at Wang Yang's eyes, as if he wanted to sniff out traces of lies from them:

"Then what about *Flaws in the Ancient and Modern Texts of the Minister*?"

"Still me."

The man suddenly shouted: "Lying!"

The old man on the far right with a joyful expression coughed upon hearing this: "Jingyan, why are you—"

The man interrupted coldly: "If you don't allow me to ask questions, I can leave the table now."

The old man smiled helplessly, stretched out his palm, and signaled him to continue.

The man looked at Wang Yang and questioned coldly:

"Devoting your life to studying the classics, yet not understanding the secret meanings! How old are you? How could you possibly write it? Did someone write it for you? How many people are ghostwriting for you?"

Wang Yang smiled faintly:

"The depth of learning lies in the heart, not in age; the level of talent lies in enlightenment, not in longevity. How can the way of classical studies be judged by age and longevity? Just ask about the talent and learning! Some vessels are formed early, and the Dao has no constant rule. Therefore, there are those who can debate the *Erya* at eight, and those who have not mastered the chapters and sentences at sixty. What is there to be surprised about?

If one must judge talent and learning by age, then Confucius should not have praised Yan Hui, and Kong Ming should have died in Longzhong. Jia Yi's matter would be non-existent, and Wang Bi's commentary on the *I Ching* must have been ghostwritten by someone else. Sir, you do not investigate Yan Zi or Jia Sheng, but investigate me alone, why?"

"You!" The man slapped the table, his Adam's apple rolled several times, but he didn't know what to say.

The old man sitting on the far right put his hands in his sleeves, his expression even more joyful!

The one with sharp eyes laughed lightly at this time:

"You dare to compare yourself to the sages?"

Wang Yang also smiled lightly:

"The words of a madman, the sage chooses from them. If one says they cannot be compared to the sages, then the chapter 'Everyone can be Yao and Shun' in *Mencius* should be deleted. Confucius said: 'The younger generation is to be feared, how do you know that those who come after are not as good as today?' Although I dare not climb to the height of the sages, I also dare not belittle myself to violate the teachings of the sages. The light of a firefly also thinks of illuminating the night; the shortness of a half-step also hopes for a thousand miles. Although a common man is at the end, his ambition cannot be taken away. I don't know if you agree, sir?"

The sharp-eyed man's face sank, and he remained silent.

The scrutinizing one said:

"Your tongue-debating skills are quite good, but doing scholarship doesn't rely on debating skills. Since you said you wrote all three books, what books have you read? Which ones have you read roughly? Which ones have you read carefully? How many can you recite? How many can you master?"

Wang Yang bowed slightly, his tone humble:

"Yang is untalented, but I have only read two kinds of books. Rough reading, careful reading, reciting, and mastering are all between these two kinds of books."

The scrutinizing one was very interested: "Oh? Which two kinds of books?"

Wang Yang smiled faintly: "One is literature, the other is history."

Everyone's expression was shaken. The old man who had a joyful face from the beginning laughed and clapped his hands after being shaken.

The suspicious one recovered and slapped the table again: "Arrogant, arrogant! How arrogant!"

Wang Yang looked confused: "I only read two kinds of books, don't you read these two kinds of books, sir?"

The man seemed to have a bad temper. Being refuted by Wang Yang repeatedly, blood rushed to his head, and he said angrily: "You mad child..."

The joyful old man interrupted: "Alright, alright, look at you, how old are you? Still acting like a child. Are we discussing scholarship or fighting for spirit?"

The man pointed at Wang Yang, his fingers trembling: "He, he..."

The scrutinizing one reached out to stop the two, stared at Wang Yang, and asked:

"Do you read more roughly, or more carefully? Do you recite more, or master more?"

Wang Yang met the scrutinizing one's probing gaze and said:

"Rough reading is more, careful reading is less. Reciting is more, mastering is less."

"How much more is more? How much less is less?" The scrutinizing one asked quickly.

Wang Yang answered immediately:

"It's like lighting a fire in a stove, it burns and goes out immediately. More is like dry grass, less is like carbon stars. Although carbon stars are few, they can reignite the dry grass and make them all carbon stars."

All five nodded. The curious one called out "Good": "A wonderful comparison! Can you have another one?"

Wang Yang didn't hesitate:

"It's also like a bank collapsing into a spring pool, the water is muddy and unbearable. More is like a muddy flow, less is like a clear spring. Although the clear spring is small, it can clarify the muddy flow and make them all clear springs."

The curious one stroked his beard and smiled, with a look of approval.

The joyful old man sighed: "This is someone who understands reading."

The first suspicious one hummed: "Just a little cleverness, clever debating and floating words, avoiding the real and taking the empty. Until now, he hasn't said what his foundation books are. Could it be that he has a guilty conscience?"

Wang Yang smiled and looked at the man:

"It's not that I don't want to say it, but there is not enough time today, I don't know—where—to—begin."

——————

Note: ① "Time" is an ancient word, used more in Buddhist scriptures during the medieval period. For example, *Dushipin Sutra*: "In a moment of time, one can understand the thoughts of the crowd." *Lotus Sutra* says: "In such time, it passes through fifty small kalpas."

② *Tea Classic, Seven Matters* cites Shan Qianzhi's *Wu Xing Record*: "Twenty miles west of Wucheng County, there is Wenshan, which produces imperial tea."