Forbidden City, Inner Campus.

Today this place has been decorated as an examination room!

This is the assessment and selection venue for the 65th generation Yan Shenggong!

Emperor Hongxing of the Ming Dynasty Zhu Cixiang and Emperor Chongzhen Zhu Youjian sat side by side in a pavilion located in the center of the inner school grounds. The pavilion was surrounded by empty squares, with cinders on the ground and wooden fences separating the north and south areas.

, to the north is the racecourse; to the south is the shooting range.

"Father, this Duke Yansheng is a model for the Confucian sect, so he must be strictly selected. If even his direct descendants cannot learn the principles passed down by the Holy Saint, how can others learn them? So my son felt that this

The Duke of Yansheng must pass the examination, and all descendants of the saints must take the examination. Only those with the most ability can become the Duke of Yansheng."

Listening to his son's nonsense here, Emperor Chongzhen thought: If you have to take the exam to be the Holy Duke of Yan, do you need to take the exam to become the emperor? Should you also let the descendants of Emperor Taizu Gao take the exam? If you pass the exam, you will become the emperor? If you can't pass the exam,

Not appropriate?

"Brother Chun," Chongzhen asked again, "What is the test for Duke Yan?"

Zhu Cixiang clapped his fingers and said to Chongzhen: "The first is to test the six arts. The focus is on the two arts of archery and control, because these two arts are necessary for preaching and protecting the Tao!"

Chongzhen was stunned: "What? Relying on archery and horseback riding to preach and protect the road?"

Zhu Cixiang shook his head: "Of course not. Horse riding and archery are just the basics. It's more difficult to take the exam to become Yan Shenggong."

Chongzhen asked: "What is more difficult?"

Zhu Cixiang said: "Archery requires not only being able to shoot arrows, but also being able to shoot a musket and fire a cannon!"

Chongzhen was stunned: "Ah? There are also cannons?"

Zhu Cixi said seriously: "As Bismarck, the great Western German philosopher, once said, the truth is only within the range of a cannon! Therefore, if you want to spread Confucian truth and educate the barbarians from all directions, you must first use the cannon well! As Yan Shenggong, of course he must

Can fire a cannon!"

Chongzhen sighed and thought to himself: What is this? It seems quite reasonable. I only have truth and no cannons, so I was usurped from my position!

Emperor Zhu continued to educate Chongzhen and said: "As for imperial arts, they used to drive carts, but now chariot battles are no longer popular, so they test the ability to ride on horseback and fight on horseback. Shooting on horseback, charging with a gun on horseback, slashing and killing with swords on horseback,

The eight-foot-long Gok cavalry are all skills that need to be mastered."

Chongzhen said in his heart: It is really not easy for you to be the Holy Duke of Yan. Even I can't do it. I can only ride a horse and shoot arrows.

Chongzhen thought for a while and then asked: "Besides the six arts, what else should be tested?"

"We still need to examine Taoism!" Zhu Cixiang said, "There are two types of Taoism, one is swordsmanship, and the other is theory!"

"Discussing the way of swordsmanship?" Chongzhen was stunned, "A gentleman talks but doesn't use his hands! Discussing the way is to convince people with reason, but what is the point of discussing swords?"

"It's not what the Holy Sage said that a gentleman should speak but not take action," Zhu Cixi shook his head and said, "When the Holy Sage and his disciples traveled around the country to spread the truth, but the sword never left their bodies, they naturally had to be ready to cut them with their hands.

Human, so Duke Yansheng should also be proficient in swordsmanship!

After the discussion of swords, there is the discussion of principles and principles, which only discusses the principles of the sages and does not involve other Confucian sages."

This was the idea of ​​Wei Zaode, a tutor. Confucianism has developed for so many years, and there are so many principles and principles that even Wei Zaode, the top scholar, cannot remember them all, let alone Kong Yinzheng, who only remembers half of the Analects of Confucius?

So "Teacher Wei" simply came up with "Only what Confucius said". Only "what Confucius once said" can be used to test the Holy Gong. As for the truths said by other disciples, don't use them to torment the descendants of Confucius.

Kong Yinzheng's days are miserable enough. There are so many things to learn and the time is so tight. Moreover, if he doesn't learn well, his life may be in danger!

In order to save his life, he really risked his life. He only slept for two hours a day and spent the rest of the time practicing martial arts.

What’s even more unreasonable is that if you are good at martial arts, you still have to learn to fire a cannon, saying that the truth is only within the range of the cannon! Only by using the cannon well can you better protect the Tao and preach the truth and educate the barbarians. What is this?

What do you mean? If you can educate, just educate. If you can’t educate, just bomb with a cannon? Isn’t this unreasonable?

But having said that, Kong Yinzheng really has some talent for playing with cannons. After learning for a few months, he can measure distances more accurately, calculate shooting elements and prepare gunpowder by himself. Moreover, he is extremely talented in mathematics and can use

Some of the methods written by Zhu Cixiang in "Ballistic Art" are used to calculate the various elements quickly and mentally. They may not be accurate, but they are still close to ten.

It seems that this guy is not only muscular, he is also a "science and engineering man", and he is not bad in liberal arts. He can write well with calligraphy and can read articles. Although he is not up to the standards of being a scholar or a Jinshi, he is not a scholar.

Too big a problem.

The Sixth Arts exam has been completed and I have been busy for almost a whole morning.

Horse riding, shooting, shooting guns, firing cannons, dancing the long sword, riding a horse and slashing the scarecrow with a sword, riding a horse and stabbing the scarecrow with a sword, etc., all passed perfectly!

If he fails to pass the Yanshenggong examination, he can also take the examination for the martial arts champion or something. Among the six arts, the written examination includes "ritual", "music" (not a singing test, but a music score test), "book" (a test of

"The Analects of Confucius" and calligraphy), "numerology" and other four arts, the test is also very good!

They all passed with full marks. Wei Zaode was indeed the top talent. He set his own questions and his results were so perfect. Moreover, Kong Yinzheng also had a good memory. He knew all the answers that Teacher Wei gave him by heart. Oh, it wasn't all cheating.

I took the math test myself, and of course I got full marks.

However, after the Six Arts, there are still two subjects to be tested: "Sword Theory" and "Tao Theory"!

It was easy to take the sword test, so I took the test in the building called Guanjun Rongtai, which is a pavilion in the school grounds. This military viewing platform has two platforms, one in the south and one in the north. Kong Yinzheng, who had finished the Six Arts exam, walked up to the south platform.

, wearing armor and holding a long sword, shouted loudly: "Kong Yin, the descendant of the most holy master, is here, who dares to discuss swords with me!"

Who dares to do this?

This is asking the five examiners Wei Zaode, Qian Qianyi, Zhu Zhiyu, Wang Fuzhi, and Huang Daozhou. Of course, no one wants to discuss swordsmanship with him. Among these five examiners, only Zhu Zhiyu knows martial arts. In the eleventh year of Chongzhen,

He was once recommended to the Ministry of Rites as "the best in both civil and military talents", but Zhu Zhiyu did not apply for official service, but continued to be obsessed with learning. He was 39 years old at the time, and now Zhu Zhiyu is 50 years old. Of course, he cannot compete with the young and strong Kong.

Yin Zheng competed in martial arts.

Seeing that no one dared to discuss swordsmanship with Kong Yinzheng, Zhu Cixiang, who was sitting under the eaves of the south platform of the military viewing platform, smiled and said: "Kong Zhuang is the first warrior of Confucius, and his swordsmanship is naturally good. As for the theory of justice,

I wonder what the five examiners would like to ask?"

"Your Majesty, I have something to ask!"

It was Zhu Zhiyu who asked the question.

"What are you asking?" Zhu Cixiang asked.

"Ask Ren! What is Ren?"

Zhu Cixi breathed a sigh of relief and nodded appreciatively. This Zhu Zhiyu was still on the road. The core of Confucianism is benevolence. Anyone who has studied Confucianism can speak eloquently.

"Kong Yinzheng, please tell me!" Zhu Cixiang smiled and forwarded the question to Kong Yinzheng.

Kong Yin put his hand on the hilt of the sword, his eyes were blazing, and he replied loudly: "Your Majesty, I believe that benevolent and brave people have love!"

Do brave people love and be kind?

This answer is not standard!

Zhu Cixiang complained a little about Kong Yinzheng. Wouldn't it be over if you just said, "Benevolence is called love between top and bottom"? What does it mean that a brave man has love?

Zhu Zhiyu did not expect that Kong Yinzheng would say such a thing. He was stunned at the moment, "What does it mean that a brave man loves?"

"A brave man can conquer others with his strength!" Kong Yinzheng raised his sword, "Being able to conquer others with his strength, but not being cruel, not easy to kill, cherishing life, is the real benevolence! Therefore, a benevolent man must be a brave man and must be firm.

To be fierce and powerful, you must be good at convincing others with force, you must have a sword in your hand, and love in your heart. If you don't have the courage and power to speak of benevolence, it is not true benevolence, but false benevolence!

There is a saying in "Huainanzi": Confucius was more knowledgeable than Chang Hong, and brave enough to be subdued by Meng Bi. "Lu Shi Chun Qiu" said: Confucius's strength was the gateway to the whole country. "Book of Rites" said: Confucius shot at the hale and hearty
Chapter completed!