Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court-Chapter 328: Great Scholars Will Debate the Classics for Me

“Starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one—this is the philosophy of Cheng Zi!”

“The philosophy of Cheng Zi!”

“Cheng Zi—”

Xu Yanmiao’s voice rang so loudly that it echoed throughout the academy.

“Hahahahahaha—”

The Crown Prince nearly dropped his melon seeds, slapping the doorpost as he laughed wildly. “Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism! Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism! They’re always mentioned together—mixing them up is totally normal!”

Many in the crowd turned bright red.

—They were exactly the kind of people who would mix it up. Some had even firmly believed that “Starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one” was a quote from Zhu Zi before Xu Yanmiao pointed it out.

But no one was redder than Zhu Bailu. His face flushed all the way down to his neck, as if he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

“I… It…”

Under the pressure, Zhu Bailu quickly found an excuse. “Of course, I know this is Cheng Zi’s philosophy. Zhu Zi never said, ‘Starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one,’ but he did say, ‘For a widow to remarry after her husband’s death is indeed a loss of chastity.’ The wording is different, but the meaning is the same.”

Zhu Bailu continued, “Today, let’s debate whether Zhu Zi advocated for widows to remain chaste.”

Grand Scholar Tong Xin slapped his thigh. “Damn, Zhu Zi really did say that.”

Quan Yizhang countered, “Wasn’t the full quote: ‘For a widow to remarry after her husband’s death is indeed a loss of chastity, but there are cases where it is unavoidable, and even sages cannot forbid it’?”

Tong Xin replied, “But Zhu Zi only said that failing to uphold chastity was ‘unavoidable’—this already suggests that in his view, a widow remaining chaste was the natural order of things, and only in exceptional circumstances could it be excused.”

Both men turned to look at the platform—sure enough, Zhu Bailu was using this exact argument.

And he had clearly come prepared, blocking all counterarguments in advance. “Zhu Zi once told his students: ‘If a husband is unable to support his wife, it is reasonable for the wife to leave him. But that is also an unavoidable situation. Society may tolerate such exceptions, but most families do not face such dire circumstances. If no tragic misfortune occurs and the husband simply passes away, for the wife to remarry is to disregard the bonds of marriage completely.'”

With this, Xu Yanmiao was left without a similar example to refute him.

Zhu Bailu looked slightly smug.

Although he had mistaken the source of the “Starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one” quote, he knew that Zhu Zi, in the Collected Sayings of Zhu Zi, had commented on Master Yichuan’s stance regarding his cousin’s remarriage, saying, “The grand principle is such, but there are cases where people cannot fully adhere to it.”

—Master Yichuan was one of the two Cheng brothers in Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, Cheng Yi.

—The very scholar who originally stated, “Starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one,” which was later twisted by others to mean that a woman remarrying was an act of impurity.

And Zhu Zi’s response to Cheng Zi’s cousin remarrying, put plainly, was:

Zhu Zi’s student: “Master, why did Cheng Zi not object to his cousin remarrying?”

Zhu Zi: “According to Confucian principles, for a widow to remarry is a loss of chastity. But from a human perspective, failing to uphold such principles is entirely understandable.”

Zhu Bailu knew that if he wanted to avoid being refuted by Xu Yanmiao, he had to cut off any possibility of Xu Yanmiao using this historical case against him.

Xu Yanmiao fell into deep thought. Zhu Bailu stared at him intently, the malice in his gaze undisguised.

A mere brat—he may have read Zhu Zi’s philosophy, but expecting him to refute it in such a short time, without preparation? Impossible!

What “twenty-year-old imperial examiner”? What “Xu Lang”? Hah!

Nothing but an overblown reputation.

No matter how this kid tries to argue that Zhu Zi’s true intent was “ritual law is ritual law, secular matters are secular matters—one should not rigidly impose ritual law but rather adapt according to the circumstances,” all he has to do is cling to the fact that Zhu Zi did say, “For a widow to remarry after her husband’s death is indeed a loss of chastity.”

It’s not like Zhu Zi can jump out of his coffin and strangle him for it.

Zhu Zi couldn’t beat him up, but Grand Scholar Tong Xin was about to die laughing in his seat.

“Zhu Xi, you’ve finally gotten what’s coming to you! Hahahahaha!”

At first, he had assumed that this Zhu Bailu was some kind of filial disciple, treating Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism as sacred doctrine. But now? He was just another backstabbing traitor, twisting Zhu Zi’s words in public without a second thought.

Tong Xin had always despised Zhu Zi, and seeing this unfold, he was just about ready to set off firecrackers in celebration.

Quan Yizhang twitched his lips. “Don’t forget, you’re a great scholar yourself.”

Laughing this hard—your own ideas might be misinterpreted one day, too!

—That was the inevitable fate of anyone who founded a school of thought.

Tong Xin suddenly froze. “Wait… what?!”

Quan Yizhang: “…”

Just as he was about to console him with a resigned, ‘Well, once you’re dead, there’s nothing you can do about it anyway,’ Tong Xin let out a heavy sigh.

“Death is truly tragic. Tonight, I’m going to add two more rounds to my training—see if I can outlast all those bastards who twist my words!”

The “head bastard,” Quan Yizhang: “…”

Dream on!

Fine, then—he’d train too!

Good thing those old iron crutches wouldn’t be gathering dust any longer.

While they bantered, Xu Yanmiao calmly navigated through his system and began his counterattack.

“So, what you’re saying is—if Zhu Zi said something, it represents his philosophy in its entirety, and there’s no need to consider the context? Is that correct?”

Zhu Bailu had no choice but to answer, “Yes.”

Otherwise, the very quote he had used as the foundation of his argument—“For a widow to remarry after her husband’s death is indeed a loss of chastity”—would collapse under its own weight.

“That’s wonderful.”

Xu Yanmiao’s eyes curved into a smile.

“Then, do you acknowledge this statement from Zhu Zi? ‘Starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one. From a secular perspective, this is undoubtedly impractical.’“

This sentence meant that the idea of “starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one” was seen by common folk as unrealistic.

Zhu Bailu chuckled. “Using this quote for your argument? Isn’t that absurd? That line was written by Zhu Zi—”

Xu Yanmiao interrupted, “Yes, I know. Zhu Zi wrote this in a letter to a certain Grand Scholar Chen, urging him to persuade his sister to remain chaste. The full quote continues: ‘However, from the perspective of a true scholar who understands the classics and principles, one should recognize that this is not something easily dismissed. Especially considering that the Grand Prime Minister is a pillar of the nation and a model of moral conduct—such decisions must not be made lightly.’“

That statement meant that while common folk might see it as impractical, his sister was the daughter of the Grand Prime Minister—every move she made was under public scrutiny. If she remarried, it could very well damage the Prime Minister’s reputation.

Zhu Bailu sneered, “Since you already know that, why are you still using this quote?”

Xu Yanmiao simply repeated his previous words: “You believe that whatever Zhu Zi said represents his philosophy in its entirety, without needing to consider the context. Is that correct?”

Zhu Bailu’s expression froze.

From the sidelines, Princess Xiangyang slapped the armrest and called out loudly, “Xu Lang, well done!”

Not ladylike in the slightest.

But the old emperor pretended not to notice.

Princess Xiangyang continued, “If he can take things out of context, so can you!”

Xu Yanmiao smiled slightly, fixing his gaze on Zhu Bailu. “Then I’ll take the same stance as the princess. Zhu Zi did indeed say, ‘Starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one’—and that this statement is unrealistic. Yes or no?”

Zhu Bailu: “…”

He was doomed. Dug his own grave and fell right in.

Sweat dampened Zhu Bailu’s temples as a wave of panic and nervousness surged inside him.

Everyone was watching. Everyone was waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

Gritting his teeth, Zhu Bailu forced out, “Do you think this means you’ve won? I may have lost this debate, but do you really think you’ve won?”

Losing the argument didn’t change the fact that the phrase “Starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one” still held weight in its targeting of women. Zhu Zi believed that widows should not remarry as part of ethical principles—this belief still resided in the minds of many scholars of Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism.

Xu Yanmiao fell silent.

Zhu Bailu, regaining his composure, smiled with satisfaction and declared, “Yes. Zhu Zi did indeed say that ‘Starving to death is a minor issue; losing chastity is a major one’ was unrealistic.”

But then, without missing a beat, he added, “However, Zhu Zi also said that if a husband dies, and the widow has elderly in-laws above and children below, she should remain with her husband’s family to care for them. Does Young Master Xu disagree with this?”

Xu Yanmiao frowned.

Princess Xiangyang snapped, “Shameless!”

Wasn’t this exactly the kind of moral coercion Xu Yanmiao had criticized before?

If Xu Yanmiao said, “I disagree,” he’d surely face moral condemnation. But if he said, “I agree,” then the debate would essentially be over.

“You surnamed Zhu, what kind of skill is it to bully a child?”

Quan Yizhang leaned on the armrest, preparing to stand up and step in to debate on Xu Yanmiao’s behalf.

—Though, to be honest, he hadn’t quite figured out a rebuttal yet.

But that didn’t matter. He was old. Worst case, he could just play the seniority card and say, “That’s right, I think women don’t have to care whether their in-laws and children live or die. They can just live their own lives.”

At most, he’d be cursed by scholars across the land. No big deal. Maybe he and that heretic Tong Xin could form a pair—earn themselves the titles of “ghost” and “demon” or something.

Zhu Bailu bowed slightly toward Quan Yizhang, still smiling. “Lord Quan, you jest. How could Xu Lang possibly be called a child? Otherwise, if a mere child were presiding over the imperial examination, wouldn’t that be playing with the futures of scholars across the nation?”

Quan Yizhang slammed his cane against the ground, his brows furrowing in anger, about to retort—

Zhu Bailu cut him off, his tone laced with arrogance. “Moreover, in this age of declining morals and collapsing rites, women no longer focus on their household duties but instead roam about frequently. It is precisely because we uphold Zhu Zi’s teachings that we must restore ethical principles.”

A voice suddenly sounded behind him, ghostly and calm—Xu Yanmiao’s.

“So, what you mean is that Zhu Zi’s words are ethical principles?”

Zhu Bailu immediately denied it. “No, it’s just that when many people agree with Zhu Zi, they naturally accept his ideology.”

Xu Yanmiao: “And is that also how the ideas of other ‘Zi’ were spread?”

Zhu Bailu wasn’t sure what Xu Yanmiao was getting at, but he nodded hesitantly.

Xu Yanmiao continued, “Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism—since many people agree with Zhu Zi, they must also agree with Cheng Zi, right?”

Zhu Bailu nodded again. “Naturally.”

Xu Yanmiao clapped his hands together. “Then that’s settled!”

Zhu Bailu frowned. “What’s settled?”

Xu Yanmiao’s face lit up with a smile. “Cheng Zi said that men must also remain faithful. ‘For officials and above, there is no rite permitting remarriage.’ Just as widows cannot remarry, men should not take new wives either—to uphold fairness and justice. And let’s not forget, after Zhu Zi’s wife passed away, he never remarried until his own death. Isn’t this strong proof that Zhu Zi supported Cheng Zi’s principle of ‘For officials and above, there is no rite permitting remarriage’?”

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

Zhu Bailu’s face remained blank. But inside his sleeves, his fingers twitched involuntarily.

Xu Yanmiao continued, “I’ve lost this debate. Zhu Zi and Cheng Zi did indeed advocate for widows to remain chaste. This is the ethical principle of Confucianism.”

Before the debate, Xu Yanmiao had told Lian Hang, “I’m not good at debating. If I really can’t win, I’ll have to use some underhanded tactics.”

Lian Hang: “What kind of underhanded tactics?”

Xu Yanmiao blinked. “If I tell you now, it won’t work.”

[If I can’t win the debate, then I’ll drag others down with me.]

Xu Yanmiao wasn’t well-versed in classical doctrines, but he had seen historians and scholars argue before.

[Can’t refute the fact that your favorite historical figure committed mass slaughter? Easy—point out that other widely admired figures did the same. Their fans will jump in to defend them and inadvertently provide counterarguments for you.]

[Can’t argue against your favorite emperor being a tyrant? Just compare him to another ruler with overwhelmingly positive achievements. Say both were tyrants, both were condemned in their time yet honored in history. The audience, being more familiar with the latter’s contributions, will start seeing the first emperor in a better light too.]

[The bigger the group you drag into the debate, the messier the waters become.]

In Zhu Bailu’s shaking pupils, he saw Xu Yanmiao grin.

“So then, a widower not remarrying is also an ethical principle.”

It was like a bolt of lightning struck.

Boom——

Zhu Bailu trembled all over.

The entire venue erupted into an uproar.

Even the former Prime Minister Dou could no longer control the situation.

Those whose interests had been infringed upon—

Some reacted like cats whose tails had been stepped on, completely disregarding any risk of having their own affairs exposed as they bristled and loudly cursed Xu Yanmiao.

Some glared at Zhu Bailu with eyes full of fury, gritting their teeth.

Others, for some reason, had a sudden change of heart and began gleefully exclaiming, waving their arms excitedly, “Cheng-Zhu’s philosophy does have its fascinating aspects!”

But no matter what, the scene Zhu Bailu had envisioned—where everyone would be debating ‘Starvation is trivial, but losing chastity is grave’—was completely gone.

Not only was it gone, but now, people whose interests had been affected were standing up of their own accord, declaring, “Let me debate you on Zhu Zi!”

Debating against Zhu Zi = Debating against Cheng Zi = Debating against ‘For officials and above, there is no rite permitting remarriage.’

Xu Yanmiao whistled inwardly.

[The great scholars will debate the classics for me.]

[Hehehe.]

Why did they not discuss it until now?

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