Chapter 50: Extreme Emotion is No Emotion

Asking for a favor, what more could you want!

It doesn't matter whether you sit or not.

Just solve the household registration problem!

Wang Yang thought quite openly. He waved his hand at Liu Zhao and gave him a look.

Liu Zhao had no choice but to sit down first and state his purpose to his old friend.

Unexpectedly, Zong Ce interrupted Liu Zhao just after hearing the beginning, appearing very resistant.

"Don't say it, don't say it! You come to me for such vulgar things, you look down on me too much! Besides, I don't understand these things, if you want to handle something, just find Zong Rui!"

Liu Zhao said: "You know your son's temperament, he's as stubborn as you. If you don't speak up, how can he answer me?"

"I don't care, I never care about these vulgar things, you know that. I didn't even care about your Commandery Academy going to collapse, so I won't care about faking a household registration."

Liu Zhao frowned: "What do you mean fake household registration? He is originally from the Langya Wang clan, just didn't register before and is now making up for it, how can you say—"

"Nonsense! How can a member of the gentry make up for it? If you really want to make up for it, the Langya Wang clan should coordinate with the Ministry of Personnel, why are you worrying about it? Don't talk about this. By the way, is your Commandery Academy really going to collapse? Then change to study Profound Learning with me, Confucianism is really meaningless."

"Fart!"

Liu Zhao was anxious and didn't indulge him; if he dared to slander learning, even an old friend would be scolded!

"I don't come to talk about your Laozi and Zhuangzi's empty talk, and you don't slander my Confucian sage's great righteousness! Even if the Commandery Academy collapses! I will stick to the good path, and I will not regret it even if I die nine times!"

Zong Ce folded his hands behind his head, lay down slowly, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes: "Only after a great awakening can one know this is a great dream, but the foolish think they are awake, and know it secretly. Ruler? Shepherd? How vulgar!"

This is from "Zhuangzi: The Equality of Things," meaning that foolish people are trapped in a great dream and haven't woken up, but they think they are awake, talking about rulers and ministers, which is truly vulgar. And Confucianism is the most about the status of ruler and minister, so this sentence just stabbed at the "Confucian sage's great righteousness" that Liu Zhao just mentioned.

Liu Zhao had a favor to ask of Zong Ce, so he could only ignore his sarcasm, holding back his anger, and continued to plead:

"I know your attitude toward Confucianism, so I didn't ask you for help with the Commandery Academy, but this matter must be handled by you. Just for the sake of our friendship for so many years, help me this once, okay?"

Zong Ce said lazily: "I study Zhuangzi, you know that. Zhuangzi talks most about being emotionless, what friendship are you talking to me about?"

Wang Yang suddenly interrupted: "Zhuangzi is not emotionless, but rather the most affectionate."

Liu Zhao's expression stiffened. Although he was a Confucian researcher, he also knew that Zhuangzi advocated being emotionless. Wang Yang's words clearly went against common sense. But he couldn't blame him; he was so young and had mastered the "Book of Documents," so he probably didn't have time to read Daoist classics.

Zong Ce didn't take it seriously at all and smiled lightly: "I'm afraid you haven't even read 'Zhuangzi'."

Wang Yang said calmly:

"Laozi said: 'When the six relations are not in harmony, there is filial piety and kindness. When the country is in chaos, there are loyal ministers'."

Only when there is a lack of filial piety and kindness among relatives will people advocate for it.

Only when the country is in chaos and danger will loyal ministers stand out.

The same logic,

What kind of person would shout about the way of being "emotionless"?

That is a person who harbors deep feelings.

The highest level is to forget emotion, the lowest level doesn't even reach emotion,

People who don't reach emotion can't even talk about whether they have emotion or not.

Only those who are deeply affectionate and suffer from deep affection will yearn to be emotionless and figure out the way of being emotionless.

In the book "Zhuangzi," there are often sighs like 'can it not be sad', 'is it not sad', 'sad', 'is it not sad', these sighs are numerous, no less than twenty times, how could a truly emotionless person say these things?"

"Zhiyan... you..."

Liu Zhao was shocked!

He always thought Wang Yang was a Confucian, never expected him to be able to talk about Laozi and Zhuangzi?!

Zong Ce also sat up, looking Wang Yang up and down, his expression becoming serious: "Zhuangzi's wife died, and Zhuangzi drummed on a basin and sang, isn't that emotionless?"

Wang Yang asked back: "If he were truly emotionless, why drum on a basin? Why sing?"

This is helplessness, making a broad-minded statement to resolve it himself.

Drumming on a basin and singing is just a way of crying with a long song!

Things in the world, once you encounter helplessness, are the most desolate.

Ruan Ji's mother died, Ruan Ji played chess and ate meat, steamed fat pork, and drank three buckets of wine, why?

With the act of being unrestrained and unreasonable, he wanted to send away the lumps in his heart!

Zhuangzi said 'it is better to forget each other in the rivers and lakes than to moisten each other with foam'.

A truly thin-feeling person, where would there be talk of forgetting?

Thin-feeling people don't need to forget emotion, only deeply affectionate people need to forget emotion.

The so-called 'better to forget' is just a sigh, seemingly emotionless, but actually affectionate words.

Therefore, great music is silent, great snow leaves no traces, extreme joy has no joy, extreme emotion has no—"

Zong Ce jumped up with an "ouch," goosebumps all over his body, his voice trembling:

"Extreme emotion is no emotion! Extreme emotion is no emotion! Well said, well said! I have read 'Zhuangzi' for more than forty years and didn't understand it!"

He rushed up and grabbed Wang Yang's hand, pulling him to Shan Tao's seat: "Come, come, come, Brother Wang, you sit here, keep talking!"

Liu Zhao was still in extreme shock, staring blankly at Wang Yang: "Zhiyan, you, you, when, when..."

"Don't interrupt, don't interrupt!" Zong Ce rolled up his sleeves and waved his hand to interrupt Liu Zhao.

Wang Yang was also tired of standing, so he sat down and, in order to solve the household registration problem, continued:

"Zhuangzi considers the world to be muddy and cannot speak with Zhuangzi.

So he set up strange words and weird talks, looking at the universe, teasing the sages, looking like humorous words.

Everyone knows the sorrow of Qu Yuan, but doesn't know the sorrow of Zhuangzi.

Qu Yuan's sorrow is in one country, while Zhuangzi's sorrow is in the world.

Qu Yuan's sorrow is in one time, while Zhuangzi's sorrow is in ten thousand generations.

In 'Zhuangzi: In the Chapter of Pardon', it says: 'Now the people who die in the world are pillowing each other, those who are in shackles are pushing each other, those who are punished are looking at each other, and the Confucianists and Mohists are starting to struggle in the shackles. Oh, it's too much!'

Can one speak such compassionate words, how can one be emotionless?

This is the so-called 'the world is muddy', and neither Confucianism nor Mohism can save it, so Zhuangzi thought about his theory to correct the evils of the world and return to the right!"

"Well said! Well said!"

Zong Ce slapped his thigh and looked at Liu Zhao triumphantly:

"How about it, you always say Laozi and Zhuangzi are negative and useless to the world, but you don't know that Zhuangzi has such a concern for the world!"

Liu Zhao said irritably:

"What are you proud of? Didn't you just find out too?"

Zong Ce greeted Wang Yang eagerly: "Come, come, come, Brother Wang, you get up, don't sit in Shan Tao's seat, sit in Ji Kang's seat! Your high theory is worthy of this seat!"

"It's okay, I'm fine sitting here."

"How can this be fine! How can Shan Tao compare with Ji Zhongsan?!"

Zong Ce insisted on changing seats for Wang Yang, and Wang Yang had no choice but to "follow the host's wishes."

"Brother Wang, keep talking."

Zong Ce rubbed his hands, his expression eager, his cheeks seeming to flush with excitement.

Wang Yang continued:

"Zhuangzi spoke of the snail country fighting, with a million corpses. He said that those who steal a hook are executed, and those who steal a country are marquises—"

"Zhiyan!" Liu Zhao saw Wang Yang's words going out of bounds and immediately stopped him, then looked around vigilantly.

At this time, the Southern Qi dynasty had been established for only eleven years. The founding emperor, Emperor Gao of Qi (also the father of the current Son of Heaven), was a minister of the Liu Song dynasty back then. After gaining power, he imitated Cao Pi and forced the Song emperor to abdicate, thus seizing the world. So the topic of Zhuangzi's "stealing a country" really violated the taboos of the imperial court. ===== CHAPTER 51 =====