fifth form

Chapter 3097 No Taboos
Thanks to Zhu Fuyan's big mouth, Gongsun Hong finally learned what Zhang Xuezhou had done and why this area was so different from other areas in terms of its strictness.

To be honest, Gongsun Hong felt that Zhang Xuezhou didn't take his own head seriously.

Protecting the Crimson Sky Sword is glorious and rewarding, but a single mistake will result in death.

Zhang Xuezhou's mistake has already occurred.

This is a very dangerous matter. If the Crimson Sky Sword is completely lost, not only will Zhang Xuezhou lose his head, but the entire mansion will be wiped out, and even those who are temporary renters or visitors will be implicated.

Gongsun Hong wanted to ask Zhang Xuezhou why he would do such a thing, but he wisely kept quiet when he thought about their cooperation in going to the Mo Family's Mechanical City.

Zhang Xuezhou was able to overcome Li Shaojun across cultivation realms, drag him into the conflict, and even escape the massive explosion in the Mechanized City. He might be unlucky and not get any benefits, but whenever Zhang Xuezhou chose to do something, he always had a purpose. He was not a mindless pawn in the court's power struggle.

"This kind of missing sword case is extremely serious and could not possibly have been done by that brute Guan Fu. He probably doesn't even know where Dongfang Shuo's residence is!"

Gongsun Hong wanted to use Zhang Xuezhou's residence to find out the latest developments in the court, but little did he know that this not-so-large official residence was the center of the court's turbulent situation.

If Guan Fu hadn't taken the blame, the loss of the Crimson Cloud Sword would have been enough to crush Lord Dou, the Marquis of Wuqiang's mansion, and the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion. It might even have involved some high-ranking officials and wealthy patrons from all walks of life.

No one knows for sure if there are any unscrupulous people infiltrating their ranks. Even if they were not involved in stealing the Crimson Sky Sword, the key is how to sever ties with them.

They could either abandon the area where the thief might be hiding, hand over their ill-gotten gains during an inspection by the Prefect of the Capital, participate in the pursuit and capture of the thief, or manipulate the situation to have someone take the blame.

Listening to the information revealed by the clamorous praise of the Lord Father Yan, Gongsun Hong pondered and guessed at the various possible actions of the crowd.

Gongsun Hong could guess how everyone would respond, but he couldn't figure out why Zhang Xuezhou was taking the risk, no matter how hard he tried.

Unlike the incessant chatter of the Lord Father Yan, he was able to control his tongue and never asked any questions.

“Brother Dongfang, you know my family’s circumstances. I really want to befriend you, but I have nothing to offer but this pot of wine as an apology,” said Master Yan.

“We’re all officials in the same court, why should we talk about friendship and apologies?” Zhang Xuezhou laughed. “I will still have to look up to Lord Father in the future!”

"I'd rather you call me Young Master Father!"

Master Yan sighed.

The close advisors around the new emperor were not each responsible for a specific task, but rather involved in a variety of matters.

For example, he had seen Zhang Xuezhou refining elixirs some time ago, but then Zhang Xuezhou became involved in protecting the sword, and later he was preparing to build an imperial mausoleum in Maoling. All sorts of things kept changing.

If he had such abilities, Master Yan felt that his family's secret stash would have been overflowing long ago.

Zhang Xuezhou occupied a key position, which Zhu Fuyan envied greatly, judging others by his own standards.

Now that the dust has settled on the Crimson Sky Sword, Master Yan really wants to have a taste of the spoils.

If Zhang Xuezhou had any needs or appreciated him, and if he could be given some insignificant reward, Zhu Fuyan felt he would do it without hesitation.

After all, the things Zhang Xuezhou disdains are actually very important to him.

No matter how many times he compared himself to Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Xuezhou's response was always so difficult to find an opening to insert.

"Come, come, young master, let me introduce you to this great Confucian scholar, Gongsun Hong!"

It wasn't hard to guess Zhu Fuyan's little scheme. Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind giving him benefits, but he couldn't treat Zhu Fuyan the same way he had bound Wei Shao'er. These were two completely different people.

If Master Fu Yan knew what Zhang Xuezhou could offer, and was certain there were other, less costly alternatives, Zhang Xuezhou would be abandoned without hesitation. Furthermore, Master Fu Yan's current abilities are still somewhat lacking, insufficient to face the gods of Kunlun.

Zhang Xuezhou began by introducing Gongsun Hong, and then mentioned Gongsun Hong's extensive knowledge.

If we exclude Dong Zhongshu from Jiangdu, Gongsun Hong can be considered the most important Confucian scholar of his time.

This is not because Gongsun Hong is too powerful, but because the great Confucian scholars of various schools are either old or dead, and some geniuses such as Kong Anguo have not yet grown to a sufficient level. Now it is Gongsun Hong and others' turn to step up.

If there are any doubts about cultivation, Gongsun Hong can almost be considered a master teacher for those whose cultivation is slightly inferior.

Confucianism's inclusive approach to self-cultivation extends to a wide range of people, unlike other schools of thought that are limited to internal communication.

"A great Confucian scholar? A Confucian scholar? The one who can't learn anything useful?"

When Zhu Fu Yan finally opened his mouth, Gongsun Hong's face had already turned black.

Zhu Fuyan's evaluation was not based on his own opinion, but rather on the subjective impressions of various schools of thought on Confucianism. Even though Confucianism once produced two sages who were unparalleled in their time, it did not prevent other schools of thought from recognizing it. After all, many of the techniques of Confucianism can be seen to some extent as the shadows of other schools. A large part of the techniques were copied after being deciphered, and even the names were not changed when they were improved.

Zhu Fuyan was straightforward and directly adopted someone else's evaluation, but he probably didn't realize that the person who originally said these words was the sect leader of the school. Few cultivators would dare to humiliate a great Confucian scholar in front of him.

“Since my friend thinks Confucianism is worthless, then he may leave on his own, so as to avoid listening to some worthless words,” Gongsun Hong said calmly after taking a deep breath.

"This is Dongfang Shuo's residence, and he didn't even ask me to leave. You, a mere guest, dare to spout such nonsense. You've really opened the eyes of our master," Zhu Fuyan sneered.

Master Fu Yan looked down on cultivators who relied on their seniority, as well as those who possessed inheritances and resources but ultimately amounted to nothing.

He sized up Gongsun Hong, feeling that as a great Confucian scholar, the other party must have a lineage, while his tattered clothes proved that he was a very low-class person.

Having determined that Gongsun Hong was old and uninvolved, Zhu Fu Yan did not indulge him.

"Quiet down, young master, you can drink over there. Mr. Gongsun and I will chat over here!"

The cultivators welcome three types of people: those with unique skills, those who are learned scholars who can explore anything, and those who are quick-witted genius cultivators.

Dong Zhongshu belongs to the first type, Gongsun Hong belongs to the second type, and Zhu Fuyan belongs to the third type.

Zhang Xuezhou originally wanted to bring them together to see if they could spark any inspiration, but he didn't expect that after the introductions, the two almost clashed.

After serving a bowl of wine, Zhang Xuezhou found a comfortable chair for Zhu Fuyan to lie down in and drink, while he himself made an appointment with Gongsun Hong.

"You don't mind, do you?"

Zhang Xuezhou smiled and asked Gongsun Hong, who shook his head repeatedly.

"The Yang Soul Technique has spread far and wide, and there are countless cultivators studying this technique. Besides Confucianism, some other schools of thought are also involved. Zhongshu said that this technique should not be kept secret, and the more people who master it, the better, so there are no taboos!"

"That's good!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

He was quite curious about what Dong Zhongshu had accomplished in his research over the past two years.

If it weren't for Zhu Fuyan's visit, he would have already discussed this with Gongsun Hong.