Chapter 51 Claiming to Be a Student

Senior! You do not need to be so unconfident. Your generation has done an exceptional job.
You must not think that your ideas are without purpose.
Back in ancient times, when humanity first began establishing dynasties, sage monarchs aimed to civilize and transform the common people through education, believing that human nature is inherently good and merely requires proper guidance. This was the era of governance through moral virtue.
Later, as there were always those who failed to receive proper guidance, the philosophy of governance by law emerged, based on the premise that not all human nature is benevolent, and not everyone possesses a kind disposition.
Consequently, laws, prisons, and armies became necessary to coercively manage the subjects of the state.
These are philosophies handed down to the present day.
Governance by law grew out of governance by virtue, helping the Qing Dynasty briefly transform its nation into a war machine, allowing them to unify this fertile land.
Yet, because of overly harsh laws that severely constrained the people, it ultimately led to their downfall, prompting people to pursue a dual approach combining both moral virtue and legal governance.
This was a most correct path, one that has withstood the test of time right up to the present day.
However, the legal codes of the Qing Dynasty were not entirely divorced from the starting point of moral governance.
The Qing Dynasty instituted a monogamous system and fiercely protected the interests of women.
Even so, it contained many harsh elements that drew complaints from the populace.
It was merely that historical circumstances differed, leading to different legislation.
Yet, how could the philosophy of legal governance ever have arisen without the philosophy of moral governance?
And how could the philosophy combining both laws and virtue have appeared without the philosophy of legal governance?
Thus, new ideas are invariably born from within the womb of old ideas.
It is precisely the shackles of old ideologies that awaken the people.
Senior, you need not distress yourself over the notion that your thoughts are bound by shackles.
This is entirely natural; no one is born with an innate understanding of the world's principles.
Such truths are understood only through continuous exploration by mankind,
derived from endlessly absorbing experience from the wisdom of predecessors.
Therefore, Senior, do not fret over your lack of progress.
My policy treatises are merely concrete and feasible measures, serving merely as specific methods.
Hence, Senior, you must not negate your own policy essays.
Since your theoretical discourses could not stand out,
then focus on writing practical policies!
The policies you, Senior, have written are exceptionally grounded in reality, and I admire them deeply.
They are the finest governance strategies I have ever laid eyes on.
Every matter, down to the minutest detail, has been thoroughly articulated.
Therefore, Senior, please pass down your knowledge to me, and I am willing to help you forge new concepts,
complete your unfinished life's work, and breathe new life into the ideology of the Great Zhou.
The shackles of thought are not easily unlocked; leave that arduous task to us, the younger generations!
Without the foundational thoughts you bestowed upon us at the very beginning, how would we ever have learned to speak?
How would we have learned to walk, or to forage for food on our own?
How would we know how to create delectable cuisine?
How would we comprehend propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame? How would we multiply and thrive?
It is precisely your thoughts that benefit us, your descendants.
Therefore, Senior, please entrust your policy writings to me; I shall take them back to the official yamen
and absorb your accumulated experience together with my colleagues.
Otherwise, all your painstaking efforts over these many years would go to waste!

Chen Fan bowed deeply, pressing his forehead directly against the ground toward the village chief.
For he could truly comprehend the village chief's profound sorrow and deep concern for the nation and its people.
The village chief possessed a talent more than sufficient to serve as a high-ranking official within the county,
or even within the prefecture.
This was by no means an unfounded assertion; his exquisite penmanship and mastery of literary composition alone
testified to the village chief's immense wisdom and brilliance.
That he chose to root himself in a remote village, dedicating himself to grassroots service and managing the hamlet in such immaculate order,
spoke volumes of his tireless efforts and his deep, abiding attachment to the common folk.
Chen Fan held boundless admiration for anyone who genuinely harbored the country and its people within their heart.
Thus, he felt that such a noble and virtuous elder was utterly worthy of this profound bow!

Upon hearing Chen Fan's words, a great sense of relief washed over the village chief.
The knot that had weighed upon his heart for so long was finally untied.
As it turned out, his policy essays were not completely worthless; at the very least, they could serve as a reference for future generations.
At the very least, they could offer guidance to those who came after.
If he had simply abandoned the dissemination of his treatises like this, perhaps all his labors over the years would indeed have been squandered.
Who could say? Perhaps his policies might yet bring blessings to future generations.
Gazing down at Chen Fan prostrate on the ground, the village chief stood dazed for a long while before finally realizing he should quickly help the young man up.
"Lord Chen, please rise! Lord Chen, please rise!"

Yet Chen Fan refused to heed the village chief, nor would he leverage the old man's strength to stand.
"Please, Senior, impart your learning to me! Take me as your disciple!
If you do not, I shall remain kneeling here and refuse to get up."

At this moment, tears brimmed in the village chief's eyes.
For one might endure countless hardships and disappointments, yet still yearn deeply for someone who could truly understand them.
That Chen Fan could comprehend his soul filled the village chief with profound gratitude.
Finally, after all these years of striving, someone understood.
He felt like a child who had suffered a grievance—he wanted to cry, but he had long since passed the age where one wept openly before others.

Wang Shiyu, assuming her grandfather was unwilling to accept Chen Fan, dropped to her knees right beside him.
"Grandfather, please bestow your learning upon Chen Fan!"

The village chief looked down at the two figures before him, temporarily lost for sensation.
It was not that he was putting on airs; rather, his emotions were simply too overwhelming.
The frustrations of many long years erupted within him all at once.
He had finally found someone who understood him, someone who truly comprehended his mind, and even someone willing to carry forward his lifelong aspirations.
For a moment, the world spun around him, and he felt as though his legs could no longer support his weight.
By the time he recovered his senses, the two had been kneeling for quite some time.
He hurriedly wiped away his tears with his sleeve,
straightened his headwear,
and pulled them both to their feet.
"I consent to this! Chen Fan, from this day forth, you are my successor!
I shall impart everything I have learned throughout my life to you without reservation, and I hope you will acquire vast knowledge
to bring even greater prosperity and fortune to the people of the Great Zhou!"

Chen Fan dropped to his knees once more. This time, it was no longer a plea to be accepted as a pupil,
but the formal ritual of paying homage to a master.
"Scholar Chen Fan of Cen County is willing to take you as my master, and I swear never to disgrace my teacher's commands!"

"Chen Fan, since you are willing to honor me as your master, allow me to introduce myself properly.
I am Wang Shi'an, a palace graduate of the fifth year of Zhenyuan in the Great Zhou, who resigned from office and retired into seclusion upon reaching my fortieth year.
I have served as the village chief of Wang Family Village for over twenty years.
I also have demands of you as my student:
First, you must forever keep the common people in your heart, and your conscience must remain clear when serving as an official.
Second, you must never cease your pursuit of learning, and I hope you will fulfill my unfulfilled aspirations.
Third, I hope that throughout your life, you will never wrong your wives, that you will cherish them deeply, and that you will remain steadfast and never abandon them.
Should you ever violate these conditions, I shall disown you as my student,
and you shall never again dare claim to be my disciple before outsiders.
I cannot afford to lose that much face!"

Hearing this, Chen Fan realized that these requirements were not only easily achievable but also embodied a teacher's heartfelt hopes for his student.
He stood up and bowed deeply with cupped hands.
"Your student will strictly obey Master's commands!"

Wang Shiyu also rose to her feet, desperately trying to suppress the radiant smile blooming at the corners of her lips.