fifth form

Chapter 3440 Incorporation into Confucianism
"Dragon City, the ancestral home, was my only chance to change my fate!"

Dong Zhongshu managed to find Zhang Xuezhou. After being struck by the Spirit Wood Staff, he lectured the Spirit Wood Staff for three days, constantly nagging it.

Dong Zhongshu was only relieved of his daily instruction after Zhang Xuezhou took back the magic staff.

He envied Zhang Xuezhou's opportunities and also mentioned the hardships he had faced in his own life.

The King of Jiangxia drowned, and the person Dong Zhongshu relied on for his strategies died. Under normal circumstances, he would also be dragged into the abyss.

However, everything was affected by the unintentional help from the new emperor and Zhang Xuezhou, and Dong Zhongshu seized the opportunity to successfully break through to the True Self Realm, which he was still dissatisfied with.

Looking back belatedly, Dong Zhongshu realized that if he hadn't seized this opportunity, he might never have been able to realize his true self in this lifetime.

"The art of manipulation is profound and difficult to describe!"

With the new emperor bestowing the title of Mount Tai, discussing fortune-telling techniques was no longer a taboo, and Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu no longer needed to hide their discussions.

The two sat in the courtyard, while Zheng Wukong and Chunyu Tiying sat under the eaves watching them.

Exploring the art of movement was not in Zhang Xuezhou's plan, but he has felt its mysteries these days.

It's like someone offering you a pillow when you're dozing off. Zhang Xuezhou was exhausted from flying, and Hu Yu, who had been suppressed, eagerly came up to him and gave him a treasure.

This is similar to how they have been attacking the Fiend Kingdom and constantly targeting the lords of holy lands like Daojun, yet Zhujiuyin just happened to come knocking on their door with gifts. The whole incident is full of inexplicable events.

Even though Zhang Xuezhou was a little slow to react, he still sensed the possible role that the technique might play in the process.

"Fate is not everything, but you can't do anything without the favor of luck!"

Zhang Xuezhou did not disclose his own cultivation process, and Dong Zhongshu could only sigh and summarize after several attempts to inquire.

“You still have His Majesty as your backup plan after the retreat, and you are highly valued by His Majesty. It is inevitable that you will be favored by fate in the future,” Zhang Xuezhou congratulated.

“Difficult, difficult, difficult. The sudden death of the King of Jiangdu makes it difficult for me to shirk responsibility. His Majesty will not be able to give me an important position in public,” Dong Zhongshu said. “Moreover, I promised the Junior Minister that I would not interfere in Chang’an, so that he could take over the position here in peace and not meddle in it!”

"Gongsun Hong should be fine!"

After thinking about how Gongsun Hong had almost killed Daojun with a single blow of Nanming Fire, Zhang Xuezhou felt that such a feat was enough to propel Gongsun Hong to great heights.

With the removal of Daojun, the sharpest dagger, the deterrent effect of the Xiong Kingdom cultivators on the Great Han Dynasty cultivators has greatly diminished, especially as the top cultivators are no longer afraid of being suppressed for standing out.

Although the credit for suppressing Daojun was not exclusive to Gongsun Hong, making it difficult for him to be granted a title and position, it was almost certain that Gongsun Hong would leap into the core of the court.

"Your Majesty has already appointed you as the Left Inner Historian," Dong Zhongshu said.

"wonderful!"

Zhang Xuezhou gave a thumbs-up.

The official position held by Gongsun Hong may sound like a minor official, but in reality, he was in charge of the security and civil administration of the sixteen counties surrounding Chang'an.

Sixteen counties may not sound like much, as a prefecture may govern more than that number of counties, but the Southern Army guarding Chang'an was stationed in these areas.

This position also served as the backing of the Jingzhao Yin Prefecture in Chang'an. In the event of a sudden and uncontrollable incident, the Left Inner Clerk could use the imperial court's procedures to mobilize the Southern Army to quell the unrest in Chang'an. It was a position with real power.

The fact that Gongsun Hong, who was old and lacked a foundation among court officials, was directly promoted signifies the new emperor's absolute control over power.

Zhang Xuezhou has been absent from the court for more than half a month, and the entire court has most likely undergone a purge and reorganization.

“Gongsun Hong will rise to a high position; perhaps he will become Imperial Censor in two years and Prime Minister in five,” Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile.

"That's an exaggeration! That's an exaggeration!"

Dong Zhongshu shook his head repeatedly.

“If the Confucian forces had not been incorporated into the court, the Vice Minister could not have risen to that position,” Dong Zhongshu said.

“Then let’s merge it in,” Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile. “Anyway, you’re not the kind of person who craves Confucian power!”

“I would like to join them, but His Majesty doesn’t think highly of them. The Confucian scholars of this school aren’t so easily won over by a single word from me,” Dong Zhongshu said. “Then no wonder His Majesty doesn’t think highly of them!”

Zhang Xuezhou chuckled.

The merger of forces is far more complex than a matter of leaders saying a word; it requires the binding and formation of interests. Otherwise, what appears to be a powerful force will actually be vulnerable.

"His Majesty instructed me to teach them properly!"

Dong Zhongshu sighed.

Just thinking about the new emperor's demands on him, Dong Zhongshu didn't know how to replicate a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand cultivators like the new emperor.

He sighed and recounted his troubles.

Do you still remember Prefect Wenweng?

Dong Zhongshu faced a problem, but such a problem does not exist in the real world.

All the major families have faced the problem of lacking good successors, resulting in each generation being worse than the last. They also need to hold onto power tightly, which leads to a lot of disputes.

After the conflict was resolved, the question of who would take over became a problem, since the sequence committee could not withstand the death of one administration after another.

This factor led to the mobilization of family sequencers from various regions, thus launching the Youth Sequence Challenge. While stabilizing many families, the three major universities in Xijing City began pilot education on gene sequence, which gradually transitioned to other universities.

After the new emperor consolidates his control over the power of the Han Dynasty, he will inevitably draw troops from various prefectures and counties and vassal states to make up for the short-term deficiencies.

In terms of using education for succession, the new emperor was destined to have shortcomings, as the current productivity of the Han Dynasty was insufficient to build schools for stable education.

This requires leveraging the strengths of different schools of thought while also guiding official learning, thus forming a hub connecting them.

Zhang Xuezhou mentioned Prefect Wen Weng, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and also mentioned the combination of the official schools of Shu County and Confucianism, which made Dong Zhongshu's expression gradually relax.

Starting something from scratch is very difficult, and a few words can't solve the problem, but Shu County City has already set an example.

Moreover, this example was extended to Chang'an City, where the new emperor established the Imperial Academy as an official school several years ago and appointed five great Confucian scholars as professors to teach there.

"You mean that we need to guide the establishment of official schools in various regions, and allow Confucian scholars to teach there, so as to continuously supply talent to the court and eventually achieve integration," Dong Zhongshu concluded.

“I didn’t say that,” Zhang Xuezhou laughed. “If this kind of thing is done well, it won’t do me any good. If it’s not done well, I’ll be dragged out and my corpse will be whipped. I can’t stand being cursed by you Confucian cultivators!”

"We are civilized!"

Dong Zhongshu grumbled, knowing that Zhang Xuezhou was willing to offer ideas but didn't want to get involved in trouble.

This attitude is quite normal. If he were not one of the most influential and powerful Confucian scholars of the time, Dong Zhongshu would not have gotten involved in such muddy waters.

Do you know what the sky is, and what man is?

After a few seconds of thought, Dong Zhongshu brought up another direction.

"The ruler is Heaven, and the people are people. When the ruler and the people are one, Heaven and humanity will surely be in harmony!"

Before Zhang Xuezhou could answer, Dong Zhongshu began to explain.

Dong Zhongshu's art of the unity of heaven and man is very unique, and Zhang Xuezhou has benefited greatly from it. However, the inconsistent effectiveness of the technique is extremely embarrassing. He wanted to use it as a secret weapon, but it was unreliable.

Dong Zhongshu then offered a reciprocal explanation, clearly indicating that he had gained new insights.

Zhang Xuezhou listened for a while, and he felt that Dong Zhongshu's explanation was more like a force pulling the new emperor.

This momentum involves the monarch, as well as the fortunes of the new emperor who influences countless people.

The new emperor at the core acts like a central point, constantly radiating outwards, thereby attracting many people to the network and forming a satellite dish signal reception pattern.

Even if an individual finds it difficult to initiate a state, this amplified signal will greatly increase the probability of success, thereby guiding the cultivator into the Celestial Mode, or even allowing them to remain in this mode for an extended period.