SWDnovel Chapter 22 Keiko's Travels Through the States
Chapter 22 Keiko's Travels Through the States
Five years after Hanzhong was completed, Zhang Quzhuo had already been in power for twenty-five years.
During these five years, in addition to implementing benevolent policies in Hanzhong, Zhang Jing also taught his ideas at the Hanzhong Academy.
Over time, the Jingru school of thought began to flourish in the Liang Kingdom. Scholars and students from surrounding states flocked to Hanzhong, eager to hear the teachings of the sage.
Zhang Jing's doctrines became increasingly systematic over the next five years. He compiled his lectures into ten chapters titled "Jing Lun," constructing a complete theoretical framework from "benevolence" to "loving the people."
The most noteworthy part is the famous dialogue in the "Political Affairs" section:
A student asked, "Of rites, music, punishments, and administration, which is more important?"
Jingzi replied: "Rites are for preventing problems before they occur, music is for transforming human nature, punishment is for punishing what has already happened, and governance is for guiding words and deeds. These four are like the four seasons, none of which can be lacking, but rites and music must be the foundation."
Why is that?
"Punishment and administration are like medicine, treating existing illnesses; rites and music are like food, nourishing the body before illness occurs. A good ruler not only treats existing illnesses well, but also nourishes the body before illness occurs."
This theory of "prevention is better than cure" spread throughout the states through scholars who traveled between them.
Even more surprisingly, Zhang Jing allowed commoners to attend his lectures at the academy! Whenever he lectured on the high platform, the audience included not only well-dressed scholars and officials, but also farmers and craftsmen in plain clothes and straw sandals.
He once pointed to an old farmer in the audience and said, "This old man is skilled in farming, knows the right time and observes the right soil, and his crops are bountiful. Isn't this 'reverence for Heaven'? He is filial to his widowed mother and loving to his young grandson. Isn't this 'love for others'? Although he doesn't know it, he has already attained the Way."
He also said, "Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me!" He advised his disciples not to stop seeking knowledge just because they already possessed profound knowledge.
Everything in the world contains profound truths; we must learn to observe and understand them.
Moreover, Zhang Jing also translated his ideas into concrete policies:
① Education First: In each village, "Three Elders" were appointed, selected from those of high moral character and prestige, to be in charge of education. Every year at the end of the year, the prefect would personally visit the villages to discuss the people's conditions with the Three Elders.
② The use of punishment: During the five years, the prison in Hanzhong was almost empty. Once, a ox thief was caught, but Jingzi did not punish him. He said to his attendants, "If there are people who are starving and cold, it is my fault!" He then gave him land and oxen, and the thief wept and reformed.
③ Tax Reform: Zhang Jing wrote to his father, requesting that he implement a "tithe" tax in Liang State, with a reduction of half in years of famine. He also suggested establishing "ever-normal granaries" in various cities to store grain in good years and sell it at a fixed price in years of famine, so that "the people would not suffer from hunger."
④ Selection of the virtuous and capable: Breaking away from hereditary official positions, anyone with talent and virtue, regardless of their background, could enter officialdom after passing an examination. The son of a cook was promoted to agricultural official because he was knowledgeable in agricultural affairs.
Zhang Jing's reforms had an unexpected effect: after studying in Hanzhong for three years, Ying Shuo, a prince of the Qin state, returned to the country and strongly advised his father to implement benevolent policies.
The neighboring kingdom of Shu sent an envoy to learn from them, and the King of Shu even ordered his crown prince to study under the disciples of the Jingmen School.
Under Zhang Jing's governance, the population of Hanzhong Prefecture increased by 30% in five years. Doors were left unlocked at night and lost items were not picked up on the road. Merchants flocked to the area, and it was hailed as a "paradise on the western route."
Seven years later, Zhang Jing made a decision that shocked the court and the public.
On that spring day, he summoned his disciples to the Hanzhong Academy.
At thirty-seven, his temples were streaked with gray, but his eyes remained as clear as ever. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he slowly removed the seal of the prefect and placed it on the table.
"I have been guarding Hanzhong for twelve years, following my father's orders." His voice carried far on the spring breeze. "Now the prefecture is well-governed, and rites and music are beginning to take shape. However, Confucianism is like a river; if it does not flow, it will stagnate. I wish to travel throughout the world and spread the way of benevolent governance."
The hall fell silent. A disciple choked back tears, saying, "With the Master gone, where will Hanzhong find refuge?"
Zhang Jing smiled and cupped his hands in the direction of Liangyi: "My brother is wise and capable of succeeding the prefect. Those of you who have achieved something in your studies should each give full play to your abilities, whether it is to serve in office to implement benevolent governance, to lecture to enlighten the great principles, or to write books to pass on to future generations."
Three days later, a simple horse-drawn carriage drove out of Hanzhong.
Zhang Jing, carrying only a few scrolls of bamboo slips and a few disciples, embarked on a long journey. Outside the city gates, the people knelt to see him off, all weeping.
His first stop was the Qin state, which had been on friendly terms with the Liang state for generations. He met the Duke of Qin in Yongcheng.
Duke Qin asked him if he had any good strategies for governing the country. Zhang Jing replied frankly, "Severe punishments are like winter snow; they may suppress weeds for a time, but they will surely flourish again in spring. Why not govern with benevolence, like a gentle spring breeze and nourishing rain?"
Duke Qin remained silent, then reduced the torture, treated Zhang Jing as an honored guest, and invited Zhang Jing to preach the doctrine of benevolence.
After lecturing in Qin for three months, Zhang Jing went to Jin. At that time, Jin was in the midst of a civil war between Quwo and Yi. Unable to continue his lectures, Zhang Jing left.
After leaving Jin, he went south to the State of Chu, arriving at Yingdu, where the King of Chu asked him about the art of hegemony.
Zhang Jing replied, "A hegemon subdues people with force, while a true king subdues people with virtue. Force subdues only in form, while virtue subdues people in heart." The King of Chu was displeased and ignored him.
Zhang Jing didn't take this to heart. He lectured in Guoye and gained a hundred disciples.
A year later, he led his disciples through the states of Huang, Xu, Song, Qi, and Xian, lecturing and traveling at the same time, and the number of disciples accompanying him grew. Zhang Jing treated them all equally.
After he traveled to the State of Lu, Confucianism gradually rose throughout the land, and all of this happened in that year.
On that day, a drizzling autumn rain fell, and Zhang Jing was in Qufu organizing his commentaries on the "Zhou Gong Yuan Gui".
Suddenly, an envoy from the Liang Kingdom arrived swiftly, dressed in white mourning clothes, and knelt to present a silk scroll: "His Majesty... has passed away."
The bamboo slip slipped from his hand.
Zhang Jing stared blankly westward for a long time, then suddenly collapsed to the ground and howled, his voice cracking like metal and stone.
"While my father is alive, I should not travel far... I am unfilial! Unfilial indeed!" He kowtowed to the ground, blood streaming down his forehead.
His disciples rushed to help him, but he pushed them away, faced the western direction of the Liang Kingdom, straightened his clothes and hat, and performed the three kneelings and nine kowtows ceremony.
After the ceremony, he said to his disciples, "I was unable to fulfill my filial duties while they were alive, and I was unable to see them off in their final moments. This sin is beyond the reach of Heaven. I will now fast for three days to show my remorse."
For three days, he neither ate nor drank, but stayed in his room copying the chapters on filial piety in the "Shangzhu".
On the morning of the fourth day, he weakly rose and said to his disciples, "Though my father has passed away, his teachings must not be abandoned. I will continue his legacy by traveling around, so that the light of benevolent governance may shine on the places my father did not reach."
The next fifteen years.
Zhang Jing's temples were completely white, his steps slowed, but his eyes remained clear.
Since ancient times, the Yan and Zhao regions have been home to many generous and tragic figures. When Zhang Jingxing arrived at the banks of the Yi River, it was late autumn.
A cold wind rippled the autumn waters of the river, and reeds on both banks bloomed like snow. A scholar from the State of Yan, having heard of his reputation, brought wine and meat to visit him, and a banquet was held at the Yi River Pavilion.
"Sir, you come from the State of Liang. Do you know the character of the scholars in my Yan region?" A burly man with a full beard asked, raising his cup in a booming voice.
Zhang Jing, dressed in plain clothes, sat upright and said gently, "I would like to hear the details."
The valiant man declared resolutely, "We men of Yan value our promises more than our lives. Once a promise is made, we will repay it with our lives!"
After speaking, he drew his sword and performed a sword dance, the sword light as smooth as water, stirring up fallen leaves all over the ground.
Zhang Jing watched quietly, and only after the sword was sheathed did he slowly say, "Brave warrior, your swordsmanship is exquisite, but I have a question: What is the purpose of the sword's aim?"
The brave warrior raised his head high: "I am willing to die for my country, a death that is worthy of my name! I went forth to keep my promise, and I have no intention of going back on my word!"
Zhang Jing's gaze swept across the surging river. "I believe that the courage of the benevolent lies not in disregarding death, but in valuing life! To save a person from fire and water, to protect a village from war, that is courage! To turn swords into plowshares, to stop the flames of war before they even begin, that is also courage! The ultimate courage is not necessarily seen in the clash of swords, but in cultivating virtue and upholding justice in ordinary times!"
The pavilion fell silent for a moment.
Suddenly, a young scholar stood up and questioned, "Sir, your words are rather impractical! In today's world, with states attacking each other, how can they survive without using weapons?"
Zhang Jing bowed calmly and replied, "King Wu of Zhou did not attack King Zhou of Shang out of a love of war, but to mourn the people and punish the guilty! Weapons are instruments of violence, and sages use them only as a last resort. If a ruler can practice benevolent governance and enable the people to live in peace, neighboring countries will come to him out of righteousness. Why then should one spend all day with a weapon at hand?"
He rose and walked to the pavilion, pointing to the village across the river: "Look, gentlemen, smoke rises from the chimneys of that village, and farmers return home with their hoes. If all the millions of villages in the world could be so peaceful, wouldn't that be far better than conquering cities and territories, leaving millions dead?"
The burly, bearded man remained silent for a long time, then suddenly threw his sword to the ground and bowed deeply to Zhang Jing: "Sir, your words are like a wake-up call! I have practiced swordsmanship for twenty years, only knowing how to seek pleasure and settle scores. Today I realize that true courage lies in benevolence, and true righteousness lies in serving the people."
Zhang Jing helped him up, saying, "This brave man is also my teacher; we should go forth with sincerity!"
For more than a month thereafter, Zhang Jing built a hermitage by the Yi River and began to teach.
The number of listeners increased daily, including not only scholars and poets, but also wandering knights and swordsmen.
He taught according to the individual: to martial artists, he taught "the benevolent are invincible"; to scholars, he taught "literature carries the Way"; and to farmers, he taught "farming and reading are the family traditions." At night, he often sat around the stove with people, listening to them talk about the customs and hardships of the Yan region.
A scholar asked, "Where are the ruler and the people?"
Zhang Jing replied, "When the people are hungry while the ruler is well-fed, when the people are cold while the ruler is warm, this is a sign of impending doom. When the ruler treats the people like his own hands and feet, the people will treat the ruler like their own heart and soul; when the ruler treats the people like weeds, the people will treat the ruler like their own enemies."
Upon hearing this, the scholar bowed respectfully.
After lingering in Yan for half a year, Zhang Jing decided to head south.
On the day of his departure, hundreds of people gathered on the banks of the Yi River to see him off.
The bearded strongman named Guo Yi had dismissed his retainers and built a small school on the shore.
He performed the proper rites of a disciple and respectfully saw Zhang Jing off as he boarded the boat.
As the boat sailed midway through the river, suddenly someone on the shore was singing loudly:
"The Yi River flows swiftly, a wise man's journey is here."
His kind words are still in my ears, and I will never forget them.
They are not accustomed to warfare, nor do they covet fame or glory.
I only wish my heart to be as bright as the moon.
Zhang Jing stood at the bow of the boat, dressed in white robes, and bowed to the crowd on the shore.
The ship sailed south, once again entering the turbulent territory of the State of Jin. At this time, Quwo was gaining power and its conflicts with the Jin royal family were intensifying.
Zhang Jing witnessed the decline of the royal court, the rise of powerful officials, and the displacement of common people, which deeply troubled him.
During his journey, he intermittently lamented to his disciples: "Jin is a great state, yet it is now embroiled in endless internal strife. Rites, music, and military campaigns are all initiated by the high officials. This is a sign of impending doom, and the people of Jin are truly suffering!"
Due to the chaotic situation in the State of Jin, Zhang Jing could not stay long, nor could he have the in-depth exchanges with the Jin royal family as expected, so he continued south.
When he passed through the State of Wei, he encountered a famine. He gave away all his travel money to buy grain for relief and ate wild vegetables with the people.
After passing through the State of Song, he arrived in the land of Wu and Yue. He said to the King of Yue, "Rise up the destroyed states and continue the interrupted lineages." The King of Yue was moved and restored the ancestral rites of the small states that had been destroyed.
During his travels, his disciples also entered officialdom one after another: Ziliang served as the Minister of Justice in Lu and promoted "compassionate punishment"; Ziju entered Qi as a guest minister and advocated "rest and recuperation for the people"; Zihao sought to return to Liang to assist the new ruler Zhang Yu... Confucianism spread like wildfire across the land.
Zhang Jing himself decided to return to the Liang Kingdom, the birthplace of Confucianism.
During his journey, he received a letter from Zhang Yu, the younger brother of the ruler of Liang.
The letter stated that under benevolent governance, the granaries of the Liang Kingdom were full and people were well-mannered. Zhang Jing smiled upon reading the letter and said to his disciples, "You may return now."
On his return journey, he deliberately detoured through Luoyi, at a time when the Zhou emperor was in decline and the royal domain was desolate.
Zhang Jing requested an audience with the emperor, but the emperor refused. Left with no other option, Zhang Jing had to leave Luoyi.
Just as he left Luoyang, an elderly official with white hair chased after him out of the city gate, kneeling to present him with a pot of turbid wine: "This humble official has served the Zhou dynasty for forty years, witnessing the collapse of the royal authority. Now, hearing of your teachings, sir, is like seeing King Wen and the Duke of Zhou reborn. May you live a long and prosperous life, and may your culture flourish forever!"
After drinking the turbid wine, Zhang Jing bowed deeply, and the wheels of his carriage once again headed west. This time, it was the road home.
Twenty-six years have passed, black hair has turned to snow, and that dream of benevolent governance has, like dandelion seeds, been scattered by the wind across the mountains and rivers of the land.
The distant mountains are like dark eyebrows, and the setting sun is like blood.
On the ancient Xiaohan Road, an elderly man in a car closed his eyes to rest, a faint smile on his face.
In the autumn of his sixty-seventh year, Zhang Jing finally returned to Hanzhong. When his carriage entered the city, the streets were deserted.
The two brothers met, holding hands with tears in their eyes.
Zhang Yu has been the ruler of Liang for decades and has governed the Liang state in an orderly manner.
He wanted to abdicate in favor of his brother, but Zhang Jing shook his head: "My ambition lies in spreading the Way, not in governing the people. Now that I have witnessed the great prosperity of Liang, I have no regrets even if I die."
He returned to the Hanzhong Academy, where he opened a quiet room in the backyard and began his final writings.
Every morning, I burn incense, wash my hands, and unfold my ancestors' "Zhou Gong Yuan Gui" and "Shang Zhu" annotations.
Sometimes he would spend a whole day writing numbers, and sometimes he would spend the entire day pondering over simple words.
This is the passage he most frequently annotated:
Zhao asked the Duke of Zhou, "How can the Way be transmitted?"
The Duke of Zhou said: "Establish words to convey the Way, establish virtue to set an example for the world, and establish merit to benefit the people. These three things are immortal, and the Way will be passed down."
He wrote in the margin: "I am not intelligent, but I wish to emulate the sages of the past. I have already completed ten chapters of 'Jingzi'. However, the transmission of the Way lies in people's hearts turning towards goodness and in the world returning to benevolence. This ambition is not yet fulfilled, and I dare not rest until death."
In the spring of his seventy-third year, Zhang Jing fell seriously ill.
Knowing he was dying, he summoned his disciples to his bedside. Inside, bamboo slips were piled high, with the unfinished "Commentary on the Tortoise Shell of the Zhou Dynasty" spread out in the center.
His breath was weak, but his eyes were clear: "My way is consistent with nothing but loyalty and forgiveness. Loyalty means doing one's best, and forgiveness means extending that to others. You... should follow in his footsteps..."
He then looked at his younger brother Zhang Yu, who was standing by the bedside, already sobbing uncontrollably: "Your Majesty, in governing a country... one should prioritize the people... take propriety as the guiding principle... and benevolence as the core..."
On March 18th, as dawn broke, Zhang Jing passed away peacefully. According to his attendants, he had a smile on his face when he died.
After Zhang Jing passed away, Liang Bo Zhang Yu ordered that he be buried in Nanshan, Hanzhong, with the rites due to a feudal lord.
On the day of the burial, more than 10,000 people spontaneously came to pay their respects, dressed in white as snow, their cries echoing across the fields.
Over the next three years, disciples led by Ziliang gathered in Hanzhong to compile and edit the Master's life, words, deeds, and teachings.
They were extremely meticulous, verifying every word and checking every matter. Ziliang often said, "The Master's teachings cannot be added to or subtracted from, not a single word."
The compilation was completed on the third anniversary of Zhang Jing's death.
The disciples gathered before the tomb, offering newly completed bamboo slips. Ziliang knelt and read the eulogy: "The Master's teachings are like the sun and moon traversing the sky; the Master's words are like rivers flowing across the land. Now the twenty chapters of the Jingzi are complete. May the orthodox tradition be passed down forever, and may benevolent governance endure."
After the ceremony, a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared in the sky: a rainbow stretched across the Qinling Mountains, with one end in Hanzhong and the other end pointing eastward.
Everyone was astonished, and Ziju wept, saying, "The Master's teachings will be spread throughout the world."
Later Confucian scholars praised Zhang Jing as the Uncrowned King.
The term "uncrowned king" refers to a ruler who has no land or people, whose throne and power will exist forever as long as human history and culture exist.
Calling Zhang Jing "the Uncrowned King" means that he does not need the people or power, yet his prestige and authority can coexist with the universe.
Sure enough, a century later, the *Jingzi* spread from the state of Liang throughout the nine provinces. Confucius, a man of Lu, obtained it and read it, exclaiming, "How magnificent is its writing! I followed Zhou, but now the Way is found in Liang!"
He then founded the Confucian school, and regarded the Duke of Zhou, Wen Zhao, and Jing Zi as his predecessors.
From then on, the Hanzhong Academy became a sacred site of Confucianism.
When Sima Qian traveled to this place, he still saw students thronging the palace walls. In his *Records of the Grand Historian*, he wrote: "After the passing of the Uncrowned King, Confucianism flourished. Although Liang was a small state, it opened a new chapter in the civilization of the nine provinces. The beginning of benevolent governance and the source of education—could it not have been in Hanzhong?"
[Ding~ Zhang Jing has completed the achievement of "establishing virtue", and the Confucian thought system is fully established.]
The *Jingzi* became a core classic of Confucianism, increasing the spread of its civilization by 100%.
The Liang Kingdom gains the permanent trait "Birthplace of Confucianism": Cultural Attractiveness +50%, Talent Production +30%.
The course of history was completely altered: Confucianism matured two hundred years earlier than originally thought.
A new era begins: The age of a hundred schools of thought is about to arrive.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
"When Duke Wen died, he was buried in one of the four mountains." — Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Zhang Liang
"If Heaven had not given birth to Jingzi, the world would have remained in perpetual darkness." — Zhu Xi's Collected Sayings
"A thousand years of rites and music return to Hanzhong, and for ten thousand ages, officials and scholars pay homage to the Uncrowned King"—Records of the Grand Historian, Biography of Zhang Liang