Do you know that my grandfather was entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple?

Chapter 28: The Prodigy Unveils the Curtain

"I never expected the Hai family to have so many books, and even allow us to borrow them. Come to think of it, I'm really benefiting from your generosity. It's a pity I'm studying in Xijing and can't come to borrow books often."

Wang Zhuo held the borrowed books, admiring them and looking very excited.

Wang You came to his senses and said, "If you want to see it, big brother, when I borrow it later, I will copy it down and send someone to deliver it to you."

"Wouldn't this be too much of a problem?" Wang Zhuo asked somewhat embarrassedly.

In his view, it was a favor for others to lend him books, but if he copied them back, he felt like a thief.

"Since the Hai family is willing to lend it out, they must have considered this situation. The fact that they haven't mentioned it means they don't care about it," Wang You said.

"That's true, but it would be better to inform your second brother if he's copying it," Wang Zhuo reminded him.

"Yes, I will." Wang You nodded slightly.

Although Wang Zhuo's approach was somewhat pedantic, it was still a manifestation of the good character of a gentleman in ancient times.

"After leaving the library, I felt that my second brother was acting strangely. Is something on his mind?" Wang Zhuo asked.

He was quite far from Wang You in the library and didn't see which books Wang You was reading.

"It's nothing, I was just amazed by the Hai family's collection of books. I wonder when our Wang family will have such a large collection," Wang You said.

In fact, he was reflecting on the contents of the Bamboo Annals.

He didn't know if the book had been passed down to later generations; he only learned about it from other scholars discussing it.

In other historical records, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and the Zhou Dynasty are described as a time of great harmony and peace.

Confucius highly praised this, which led to the Confucian school also recognizing it.

Throughout history, many Confucian scholars have proposed and advocated for the restoration of the Zhou rites.

If the concepts of family, country, and the world were not so deeply ingrained in people's minds, some might even be suggesting the abdication system.

Among them, Wang Mang and Fang Xiaoru of the early Ming Dynasty are the most famous.

A desire to restore the well-field system of the Zhou Dynasty led to widespread rebellions.

Although Wang Mang's downfall was not solely due to the well-field system.

However, it is undeniable that the restoration of the well-field system was a trigger.

Fang Xiaoru admired the Zhou rites, and Emperor Jianwen adopted and implemented them.

Many people believe that Emperor Jianwen lost his throne in just four years because he was too stupid.

Wang You did not deny this point. Jianwen, Jianwen, just from the reign title, you can tell that he wanted to emphasize civil affairs and suppress military affairs. How could you expect military generals to risk their lives for him?

However, restoring the Zhou rites would alienate landlords, gentry, and civil officials.

When the hearts of the people are divided, it would be strange not to lose.

It should be noted that the Jingnan Campaign lasted only four years. Zhu Di had not had much time to stabilize the people's hearts as he conquered the territory.

If Emperor Jianwen had the support of the people, any problems that arose in the rear could have brought down Zhu Di.

Wang You knew that the Zhou rites weren't all that good, but he didn't know that the so-called abdication of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors was also full of bloodshed.

According to the records in the Bamboo Annals, the so-called abdication was no different from what Cao Pi, Yang Jian, and even the current emperor Taizu did.

Because the political maneuvering was relatively simple at the time, the actions taken were even more bloody.

Confucian scholars believed that the Bamboo Annals differed from the accounts of ancient sages and from the Records of the Grand Historian, and therefore considered them to be false.

But Wang You believed it to be true, since the Bamboo Annals preceded the Records of the Grand Historian.

Moreover, the Bamboo Annals were burial items. Given the importance that ancient people placed on funeral rites, who would have included something like an unofficial history in a mausoleum?

Isn't that just fooling people?

Wang You began to understand why the Confucianists considered it a forbidden book.

Because the content of this book overturns people's conventional understanding.

Wang You didn't consider himself a true Confucian, and his mind was in turmoil because his understanding had been overturned. How much more so for those who regarded the words of Confucian sages as the ultimate truth.

…………

Over the next few days, Wang You accompanied Wang Zhuo to visit the remaining families.

In recent days, the controversy over the posthumous title of Grand Chancellor Fan has also spread from the imperial court.

The public debated this endlessly, which infuriated Wang Zhuo, who wanted to defend Fan Da Xiangong.

Wang You persuaded them to stay home and read books, ignoring the outside world.

Wang You knew very well that the Emperor had shown unusual firmness on this matter, and in the end, Fan Da Xiang Gong still received the posthumous title of "Wen Zheng".

Getting involved at this point would be a completely pointless argument.

If it were an ordinary person, it wouldn't be a big deal.

However, since Grand Tutor Wang is entitled to be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, if someone were to exploit his status, it could cause considerable trouble.

The posthumous title of Fan Da Xiangong was delayed for seven or eight days, but it was finally confirmed.

After learning the news, Wang Zhuo took Wang You to Fanlou for a meal.

As expected of the number one restaurant in Bianjing, the taste is truly exceptional.

If he hadn't been busy visiting earlier and worried that Wang Zhuo might hear about the negative things people said about Master Fan while he was away and get into a fight with someone, he would have come to try it long ago.

The next day, Wang Zhuo set off back to Luoyang.

This trip has already wasted a lot of time. If it weren't for the matter of Master Fan, he would have left a few days ago to wait for the outcome.

After seeing Wang Zhuo off, Wang You spent his days reading at home and his evenings going out to sample the delicacies of Bianjing.

As the capital, Bianjing (Kaifeng) boasted famous dishes from all over the country.

Some locals might argue about whether it's authentic or not, but Wang You cares about whether it tastes good.

Stone had been following him for months, but had never had the chance to show his skills.

Now it's finally coming in handy.

If Wang You thinks something doesn't taste good, he won't waste it; he'll give it to Shi Tou and Xiao Man to eat.

Stone practices martial arts year-round, has a large appetite and isn't picky about food, making him a great meal buddy.

Before they knew it, the day of the Imperial Academy's examination had arrived.

On this day, Wang You arrived at the Imperial Academy and met the child prodigies from various prefectures who had come to participate in the prodigy examination.

The oldest of them looked to be seventeen or eighteen years old, but according to their place of origin, they were under fifteen.

There are quite a few people like this, and obviously not all of them are mature beyond their years.

The examination for child prodigies was opposed by many in the court and was eventually abolished, which was not unrelated to these individuals who falsified the ages of children.

Among the crowd, some were as young as four or five years old.

After all, during the reign of the late emperor, there was a child prodigy who was three years old and was granted an official position by passing the prodigy test.

Although he was only given a sinecure due to his young age, the late emperor was very fond of him and thus promoted his father.

It's normal for some officials and wealthy families to send their young children to participate, hoping to get lucky.

The examination at the Imperial College was surprisingly simple. During the examination, the examiners would randomly select a passage from the Four Books and Five Classics, ask the candidates to recite several hundred words, and then explain the meaning of the text.

The Four Books and Five Classics will be tested once, which seems difficult, but it's not hard as long as you have a good memory.

Those who were a little younger underwent a separate assessment, which Wang You did not participate in and was unaware of.

Because it is an on-site assessment with no limit on the number of participants, candidates who recite the sutra and fully interpret its meaning will pass and will be informed on the spot.

When Wang You came out of the Imperial Academy, Xiao Man and Shi Tou, who were waiting outside, hurriedly came to greet him.

"Young master, have you passed?" Xiaoman asked.

"Young Master, if I can't even pass the Imperial Academy's examination, why would I participate in the prodigy examination?" Wang You laughed.

"Hehe, that's true." Xiaoman scratched her head and said.