Chapter 16: The Beauty Playing in the Water

  Liu Xiu's heart moved slightly, and he vaguely understood why Mao Zong didn't stay in his own courtyard but came to squeeze together with them. He didn't say much and readily agreed. When Mao Zong saw this, he secretly let out a sigh of relief.

  Because there was no centralized class schedule today, everyone arranged their own time. Most people were reviewing their lessons, but the three of them didn't have this awareness at all. They soon discovered a common point: they had come to study under Lu Zhi's guidance just for the sake of appearances, and never expected to become a renowned scholar. For them, practicing martial arts and earning military merit on the battlefield was the right path; reading books was simply a waste of time.

  The three of them were talking enthusiastically, but they ended up making things difficult for Liu Xiu. Although Liu Xiu had never expected to become a doctor himself, since he wanted to rely on Lu Zhi's prestige and leave Zhuo County with dignity, he would have to learn some classics; after all, he couldn't expect that just because he could write well, Lu Zhi would take him as his disciple.

  According to the rules of this era, although they are now only a few steps away from Lu Zhi, they are not yet considered Lu Zhi's true students. Famous Confucian scholars of the Han Dynasty were rare resources, and countless people wanted to study under them to gain prestige or add some capital to their official career, of course, there were also those who really wanted to learn, but they were extremely few in number.

  A great Confucian scholar's energy is limited, so it is impossible to teach too many students. Therefore, among those who come to study, there are several levels. The worst kind is called "zhè lù mén shēng", which means that the student's name is written on the student roster, but the person may not necessarily attend classes, and nominally becomes a student of the great Confucian scholar.

  The next level is called "entering the gate", which refers to people like Liu Xiu, who have arrived at the master's door but may not necessarily be able to see the master. It's possible that they will only meet fellow disciples who were taught by the master in their lifetime, such as Lu Min now.

  One step higher is called Sheng Tang, which means having the opportunity to sit in class and listen to the teacher's lectures and answers during public classes. Only at this stage can one be considered a true student or disciple.

  The highest level is called "entering the chamber", which means being able to enter the master's room and ask for guidance, they are the students that the master truly values. The relationship between them far exceeds the ordinary teacher-student relationship, with a closeness like father-son or ruler-subject. Other disciples, although nominally also having a teacher-student relationship with the master, still fall short of the closeness of those who have entered the chamber.

  Liu Xiu now has the opportunity to meet Lu Zhi, but he can only be considered a junior disciple of Lu Zhi. With such a relationship, it is almost impossible for Lu Zhi to take him with him when he leaves Zhuo County. To reach that step, Liu Xiu must at least become an inner disciple. However, having good calligraphy skills alone is far from enough to achieve this; that would only make him a copyist.

  So Liu Xiu had to read some books anyway, he didn't know how long Lu Zhi would stay here, all he knew was that during the Yellow Turban Rebellion, Lu Zhi was in Luoyang. When was the Yellow Turban Rebellion? Maybe this year, maybe next year, or maybe ten years later, only heaven knows, Liu Xiu had no idea.

  He said a few words to Mao Zong, and Liu Xiuxiu found an excuse to borrow a volume of "Xiaojing" from Liu Bei and went out. "Xiaojing" is the most superficial Confucian classics, and it is also the starting point for Han people to study Confucianism. If he wants to pretend to be a scholar, "Xiaojing" is a threshold that must be crossed. Fortunately, "Xiaojing" is very short, and if you don't read the annotations, it's just over 2,000 words, much shorter than "Lunyu", and the language is relatively simple, making it more suitable for self-study.

  Liu Xiu took his sword and walked out the door, seeing classmates in pairs in the peach grove. Afraid of losing face, he walked a bit further away, following the Peach Stream for over a hundred steps before climbing up a small hill. He had come here during morning exercises and knew it was relatively quiet with a good environment, making it suitable for reading.

  He looked around, climbed onto a large rock that jutted out, and only then relaxed his body, which had been holding the frame all this time. He lay down with his hands and feet spread out. For half a day, he had to constantly remind himself that he was now a Han Dynasty person and pay attention to etiquette. When walking, he didn't dare take big strides, and both hands were always clasped together, which made him tense up.

  He gazed at the blue sky for a while, then sat up and opened the scroll, starting to decipher the words. In order to study calligraphy and painting, he had also read some ancient texts, so he knew how to conduct in-depth research. Fortunately, Liu Bei had already annotated the text with punctuation, which saved him some effort.

  The Xiaojing is not complicated, mainly talking about the requirements and methods of "filial piety", advocating that all human actions should carry out the principle of "filial piety". The famous phrase "the body's hair and skin are received from parents, do not dare to damage them" is a sentence in the Xiaojing. However, the meaning has some differences with the later fearful excuses. After Liu Xiu finished communicating the words, he began to try reciting the first chapter: Opening the Orthodox Chapter One.

  "Confucius was living at leisure, and Zengzi was attending him. The Master said..."

  Everywhere is quiet, only in the peach forest there are birds chirping, in the peach water there is a gurgling sound. Liu Xiu seems to have returned to the time when he was alone with his painting tools in the wilderness, his body relaxed, his expression focused, habitually sitting cross-legged on a large rock, spreading out his writing instruments on the rock in front of him, silently reciting to himself, after basically memorizing it, he starts to close his eyes and ponder word by word in his heart.

  People often say that only by focusing can one be professional. When a person concentrates all his energy on one thing, the efficiency is amazing. Liu Xiu was able to become a legend in the industry of book and painting forgery within ten years because he could pour all his energy into this matter for as long as ten years, which enabled him to make progress at an unimaginable speed for ordinary people.

  At this moment, Liu Xiu once again entered that state of complete absorption, where his entire mind was filled with the over 2,000 words of the article. The sounds of birds chirping and water flowing gradually faded away, leaving only the words between heaven and earth. His eyes drooped, his hands naturally crossed over each other on his lap, unmoving, like a clay or wooden puppet, with only his breathing softly prolonged, as if he were barely alive.

  "Filial piety is the root of virtue and the source of instruction. Come sit back down, I will speak with you."

  "In accordance with the way of heaven, distribute the benefits of the earth, be frugal and restrain oneself to support one's parents, this is the filial piety of ordinary people."

  “……”

  A sentence by sentence of "Xiao Jing" flowed slowly through his mind like flowing water, starting to be a bit awkward, gradually becoming fluent, like a small stream rushing out of the mountain valley, cheering and pouring into the river, rushing towards the sea.

  "Residing in a high position without being proud, lofty but not dangerous; controlling oneself with caution and moderation, full but not overflowing. Lofty but not dangerous, is the way to long preserve nobility. Full but not overflowing, is the way to long preserve wealth. Wealth and nobility do not leave his side, then he can protect his ancestral temple, and bring harmony to his people. This is the filial piety of the feudal lords. The Book of Poetry says: ' Vigilant and cautious, as if standing on the edge of a deep abyss, as if treading on thin ice.'"

  "I dare not wear clothes that are not in accordance with the laws of former kings, I dare not speak words that are not in accordance with the laws of former kings, I dare not act on virtues that are not in accordance with the laws of former kings...... The Book of Poetry says: 'Day and night, without relaxation, to serve one person.'"

  Liu Xi's mouth corners gradually revealed a faint smile, feeling relieved that his memory was still so abnormal. Several months without reading books not only didn't weaken it, but instead became even stronger. In a short period of time, he memorized half of the "Xiao Jing", nearly a thousand words, and he showed great admiration for himself.

  "Wearing nine and treading one, left three right seven..."

  Suddenly, a sentence triggered Liu Xiu's strange feeling. This sentence... doesn't seem to be from the "Classic of Filial Piety", and this voice... doesn't seem to be his own either. He was stunned for a moment, slowly opened his eyes, and listened attentively.

  "Four two for shoulder, eight six for foot, but how should this be converted?" A clear voice came from under the stone.

  Liu Xiu was shocked and sat there, not daring to move at all.

  The person under the rock was still muttering to himself, accompanied by the sound of water, as if he was slapping something against the creek. Liu Xiu slowly crawled to the edge of the rock and looked down, only to see a woman wearing a yellow shirt sitting on a rock at the water's edge with her back to him, one hand holding a bamboo scroll, the other hand propping herself up on the rock, and her two white feet lightly slapping against the water. From Liu Xiu's angle, he saw her slender neck, sloping shoulders, plump waist, and buttocks shaped like a pear, as well as her small hands, jade-like feet, and the faintly open collar of her shirt revealing a patch of skin as white as jade. The unadorned, natural beauty of the scene made Liu Xiu involuntarily hold his breath.