Chapter 400: Applying to the world
In a blink of an eye, a few days passed, and Lord Zhou Ruozhou really came to the academy to give lectures, and the whole academy became extremely lively in an instant.
As soon as everyone received the news, they rushed to tell the news and gathered together to chat about Minister Zhou.
Sun Shan really admired the students in the academy. How did they get the information? Various rumors revealed Mr. Zhou's situation clearly.
Qian Yingyang and Zhu Pengyun dragged Sun Shan to the lecture hall in a hurry, trying to occupy the front seat.
When the three of them ran to the lecture hall, it was almost full of people.
It seems they are still too late.
Qian Yingyang complained, "Oh, I should have skipped breakfast. I came too late."
Zhu Pengyun rolled his eyes at Qian Yingyang: "I told you not to eat breakfast, what happened?"
Zhu Pengyun was ready to wait in the lecture hall early in the morning.
Qian Yingyang said that he would not eat breakfast, and even if he sat in the first seat, he had no intention of listening to the class.
Sun Shan looked carefully and thought that all the students in the academy should be there.
Both the juren and the xiucai seemed to be looking forward to Mr. Zhou's lectures.
Sun Shan stopped Qian and Zhu from arguing, and took them to a suitable seat. He said quickly, "Stop arguing. Let's find a seat quickly. If we are late, I am afraid there will be no good seats left."
Qian and Zhu immediately stopped arguing, and quickly pulled Sun Shan to find a seat to sit down, waiting for Lord Zhou to arrive.
The bell for class rang, and the legendary Mr. Zhou arrived as promised.
Sun Shan and other students stood up, bowed and greeted Mr. Zhou, then sat down quietly on the ground again.
Lord Zhou Ruozhou was just like the scholar-officials in Sun Shan's impression: thin, with a long beard, dressed in plain clothes and skirt, and wearing a plain crown on his head.
Sun Shan looked at Mr. Zhou carefully. He exuded a kind of elegant temperament, and he looked like a man of great learning.
Mr. Zhou said in a loud voice: "Dear students, I am honored to be here today to give you a lecture."
Mr. Zhou spoke eloquently to the students. Sun Shan did not understand at first, but slowly he understood what Mr. Zhou was talking about. It can be summed up in four words: apply what you have learned to the world.
The so-called practical application of knowledge means that knowledge must be beneficial to national affairs.
He believed that learning, citing articles and doing things should be done with the utmost priority of governing the country and saving the world, and opposed the unrealistic and empty learning of the pseudo-rationalists.
"Practical application" means applying what you have learned to society, which is in line with the principle of "seeking truth from facts". Both of them start from reality and solve practical problems.
Mr. Zhou quoted from classics and gave lectures focusing on "applying knowledge to the world".
Mr. Zhou’s teaching theory: Pay attention to social reality, face social contradictions, and use what you have learned to solve social problems in order to achieve the actual effect of national governance and people’s well-being.
It is believed that scholars need to have utilitarian, realistic and pragmatic thinking characteristics as well as the sentiment of "taking the world as their own responsibility".
Scholars are required to think independently, be innovative, and never follow the ancients.
Sun Shan listened carefully to Mr. Zhou's lecture and was deeply shocked.
Mr. Zhou's ideas are so avant-garde. Not only are they avant-garde, but he also speaks them out directly, not following the rules at all.
The special mention of "working on current affairs" closely linked to practical issues made Sun Shan feel that Mr. Zhou was a pragmatic person.
"It is important for scholars to know the current affairs... The truth is not empty talk, learning is about practical results, and learning is not enough to open up things and accomplish things."
Mr. Zhou was lecturing to the students in the lecture hall, and the students were listening attentively. The whole lecture hall looked extremely solemn.
I don’t know how long he spoke, but when a bell rang, Mr. Zhou’s lecture came to an abrupt end.
He stroked his beard and said with a smile: "That's all for today. I'll come back in five days. I'll leave you five questions now. I'll ask you questions in the next class."
Mr. Zhou asked the teaching assistant to put the questions on the podium for the students to check.
Then, with the students’ farewell, he left in a graceful manner.
Sun Shan stared blankly at Mr. Zhou's departing back, thought about the content of his lecture, and instantly returned to the lectures he attended in college.
The teacher conveys his ideas and the students listen. After the speech, the teacher leaves questions or allows students to ask questions.
Mr. Zhou did not allow students to ask questions, but left the questions there for students to think about and discuss next time.
Qian Yingyang saw many students heading towards the podium to read the questions left by Mr. Zhou, and he also wanted to squeeze over.
Unfortunately, he was not very agile and could not squeeze in no matter how hard he tried. He hurriedly pulled Sun Shan and said, "Ashan, you are more agile. Go in quickly and take out the problem."
Sun Shan looked at the students who were swarming around him and immediately refused: "Ying Yang, Mr. Zhou's problem is there. Whether you look at it now or later, the problem is still there. Don't be impatient."
Qian Yingyang looked at Sun Shan speechlessly. He knew the problem was there, but he was just anxious and wanted to see it earlier.
Qian Yingyang ignored Sun Shan's words and went to look for Zhu Pengyun again. However, no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find Zhu Pengyun. He was clearly there just now, so how could he disappear?
When he saw Zhu Pengyun, Zhu Pengyun was pushed out from the podium in disheveled clothes by the students.
Zhu Pengyun said aggrievedly: "Those people are too crazy. I squeezed in and saw the problem, but they insisted on squeezing me out. It's too much."
Sun Shan consoled him, "Pengyun, when the crowd disperses, you will see the problem. Why bother trying to get in?"
Zhu Pengyun and Qian Yingyang were very dissatisfied with Sun Shan's nonchalant and indifferent attitude.
He also knew that he would know the problem once the students had dispersed, but he was just anxious and wanted to know the problem and discuss it as soon as possible.
Zhu Pengyun and Qian Yingyang looked at each other and continued to squeeze forward, trying to push the students in front of them out so that they could go in and check the problem.
Sun Shan shook his head and ignored the two men.
He turned and walked out of the lecture hall without even bothering to look at the question.
Anyway, when we get back to the dormitory, we can ask Zhu Pengyun and Qian Yingyang and we will find out what homework Lord Zhou has left behind.
Hehe, he plans to get something for nothing and enjoy the fruits of his labor.
When we returned to the dormitory, Gui Ge'er had already prepared the food in the kitchen.
Gui Ge'er asked curiously, "Brother Shan, what does Lord Zhou look like? What did he talk about in his lecture today? I have never seen a third-rank official before. Is Lord Zhou very impressive?"
Book boys like Guiger were not allowed to enter the lecture hall. Their activities were limited to areas where students were not in class.
So they had no chance to witness the elegance of a third-rank official.
Sun Shan smiled and said, "Mr. Zhou is a man of profound knowledge. His lecture today was very interesting and I learned a lot."
Gui Ge'er's eyes lit up and he said happily, "Brother Shan, that's great. You must study hard with Master Zhou, then you can pass the imperial examinations and become a high-ranking official. By then, the whole Huangyang County will know about our Sunjia Village and our Sun family."
The more Gui Ge'er thought about it, the more beautiful it became. He couldn't help but laugh: "Brother Shan, you have become a high-ranking official. The village chief said that the boys in our Sunjia Village will never have trouble finding a wife, and the girls are sought after by hundreds of families."
Sun Shan chuckled, patted Gui Ge'er on the head, shook his head and said, "Don't daydream!"