Chapter 348: A White Horse Is Not a Horse
Cui Hao also quickly stepped forward.
He saw Third Sister squeezed beside their master, her gaze filled with joy as she looked at him.
Their master, holding a brush, sat before a blank sheet of paper, seemingly writing something.
But all of this was normal. Everyone in the sect knew Third Sister always stayed by their master's side.
However, Cui Hao's gaze passed over the master and Third Sister, falling on a man he had never met before.
Though he had never seen him before, the man exuded an aura of profound mystery simply by standing there.
But this man's attention was completely captivated by the paper their master was writing on.
Chen Baiqing asked, "Master, you came in person?"
Chu Xichen put down the calligraphy brush and smiled, patting Chen Baiqing's head.
"I have had some free time recently. When I heard the news, I had to come."
Lin Luoyu stepped forward, her tone apologetic. "I am sorry to trouble you, Master."
Chu Xichen turned to look at Lin Luoyu, his tone dismissive. "What can be done? I am the master, after all."
Hearing this, Lin Luoyu felt a warmth spread through her. Her master was always like this. Whenever something happened, he would rush to their side without hesitation.
Li Junzi sighed softly, a hint of helplessness on his face.
"It has been a long time, Master Chu. I never thought a trivial matter would trouble you so."
Chu Xichen chuckled lightly. "I would not call it trivial. I looked into it before coming. The commotion in the world of Confucian cultivators is no small thing. I came to watch the show. I hope you do not mind, Mr. Li?"
Li Junzi quickly replied, "Of course not. On the contrary, it is more than welcome."
Having lost so miserably today, Cui Hao had lost the heart for banter and stood silently to the side.
Chu Xichen, of course, noticed the disciple who bore some resemblance to himself and spoke up.
"I suppose you did not win the debate today, my talented disciple?"
Cui Hao nodded, a hint of frustration on his face. His gaze then fell on Yuyang Daozi, who was still staring at the paper.
They had all been here for a while now. A normal person, even if they did not greet them, would at least have looked up. Why was this man staring blankly at a single sheet of paper?
He asked, "Master, who is this gentleman?"
"His name is Yuyang. He was free, so he came with me."
As Chu Xichen spoke, he reached out and patted Yuyang Daozi's arm.
Yuyang Daozi came back to his senses, his gaze lifting to look at everyone. He had not been unaware of their arrival; it was just that what Chu Xichen was writing was rather peculiar. He was deep in thought, trying to reason it out and discover its meaning, so he had not spared a thought to look up.
But since Chu Xichen had slapped his arm, he supposed it was time.
He gave a slight bow. "My apologies. I am Yuyang."
Cui Hao bowed in return, then curiously stepped forward. He wondered what their master had written to captivate someone who looked like a skilled expert.
He looked at the paper, then frowned slightly as he read aloud, "A white horse is not a horse?"
Immediately after, Cui Hao's own eyes became fixed on the paper.
Li Junzi, watching the engrossed Cui Hao, found it a bit strange.
"I have studied this debate as well. The current theories of the Sub-sage are mostly orthodox, based on the goodness of the heart. After all, Confucian scholars read to cultivate virtue, making it hard to deny that goodness is wrong. Not that goodness is wrong in the first place. This is a universal value that the public can accept."
"Confucianism uses this as its foundation, emphasizing ethics and using morality and ritual to constrain people."
"However, this approach is superficial and easily ignores the essence of matters."
"A son may be right but must obey his father out of ritual. A ruler may be wrong, but a subject must not speak out against him out of ritual."
"Naturally, nothing in the world can be judged by a single mold. How can one be confined by a single word of ritual?"
As Chu Xichen spoke, he pointed to the paper he had just written.
"Therefore, I have a question for Confucianism: is a white horse not a horse?"
Hearing this, Li Junzi was slightly stunned. She quickly walked to the table and looked at the paper.
After a moment, she also spoke softly, as if asking herself, "A white horse is not a horse?"
Chen Baiqing also glanced at the content. After a moment, he saw nothing special to it. A white horse is obviously a horse; this was just sophistry.
This was pure sophistry. A three-year-old child could see through the essence of the matter.
"Confucianism emphasizes ritual over logic. If you use Confucian thought to debate, you are bound to be confused."
Chen Baiqing, who had been pondering this, looked up at his master, who seemed to sense his confusion. He saw a thoughtful expression on his master's face.
Cui Hao's gaze returned from the paper to his master, filled with admiration.
"Master, you are the only one who can pull off such sophistry."
Hearing this, Chu Xichen did not hesitate to raise his hand and smack Cui Hao's head.
"What do you mean 'sophistry'? This is philosophical thought. And you, a Confucian genius."
Cui Hao's forehead was tapped lightly. Though it did not hurt, he quickly covered it, looking a bit aggrieved.
"Master, I was praising you."
His expression suddenly turned serious. "Master, I do not know if I am a genius, but just based on this question of yours, you definitely are. Are you interested in becoming something like a Sub-sage?"
Chu Xichen glanced at the boot-licking Cui Hao, his tone calm.
"Your master may be formidable, but I am not all-powerful. I just stand on the shoulders of others and speak freely. I definitely could not be a Sub-sage."
Li Junzi withdrew her gaze and sighed softly.
"Master Chu, you have great talent, the makings of a Sub-sage."
Li Junzi's gaze flicked to the paper with the story "A White Horse Is Not a Horse." She felt that something was just on the verge of dawning in her mind.
This was the first time she had been so close to a new line of thought.
Before, she had only felt that something was wrong, having ideas that she could not escape from the texts she had studied for years.
If you did not accept it, how could you become a Confucian scholar?
But once you became a scholar, trying to break free was like forfeiting your own cultivation.
Now, with the question "A white horse is not a horse," Li Junzi felt for the first time the narrowness of her perspective and had a faint sense of how to break free from it.
Lin Luoyu also looked at "A white horse is not a horse." Indeed, it was a question that could make a Confucian scholar's scalp prickle. She could not help but ask, "Master, is there an answer to this?"
Chu Xichen was about to answer when he saw Li Junzi's breathing suddenly become erratic, her gaze urgent.
He instantly swallowed his original words and instead said:
"Your master has always liked to ask questions. As for solving them, that is the business of whoever is troubled by them."
"I only ask questions. Instead of asking me, are you not curious how the great Confucian scholars would solve it?"
Hearing this, Cui Hao's eyes lit up. He instantly pictured the great Confucian scholars with troubled expressions.
Knowing that a white horse is a horse, yet being unable to admit that "a white horse is not a horse" was a painful dilemma.
Although this question might not decide the outcome, after all, while it was a tricky question, its sophistry was obvious. Winning would only be a victory through sophistry.
But so what?
It was better than a crushing defeat. Besides, it would be a way to get revenge for today's humiliation.
Li Junzi's gaze returned to calm, but her mind was desperately trying to grasp that faint, elusive inspiration.
A white horse is not a horse.
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