The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

"Yes, we can develop along two lines. Otherwise, the ordinary technology line is too slow. Array research is much faster. Doesn't Senior have confidence in himself?"

Zhang Zijin glanced at her and said, "Provocation won't work on me. Why are you in such a hurry?"

“I need it for the emperor,” Pan Yun said. “Every time I correspond with him, I have to write a lot of words, and I’m so tired.”

Zhang Zijin: ...

“Moreover, the emperor has been very good to me, and I am very happy. This can be given to him as a gift.” Pan Yun became more and more excited as she spoke: “I have decided that this gift will be his coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Less than a year,” Zhang Zijin sneered, “you’re quite confident.”

Pan Yun: "With our cultivation and abilities, we can't even create a Spirit Communication Device in a year. That's just being useless."

“It’s you, not me,” Zhang Zijin said. “I didn’t agree to that.”

Pan Yun asked curiously, "Aren't you bored staying in the palace every day? Can't you find something to do?"

Zhang Zijin said bluntly, "You're just staying in one place peacefully, and now someone's assigning you extra work. Are you happy about that?"

“I’m happy,” Pan Yun said. “I can learn new knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of the world. Why wouldn’t I be happy?”

Pan Yun stood up, his eyes shining: "Cultivation, cultivation, isn't it all about cultivating the true nature of the world, the true nature of oneself? If you don't understand the world, how can you cultivate?"

Zhang Zijin seemed to be deep in thought.

Pan Yun leaned over him, her hands on the table, her eyes piercing: "Senior, do you really intend to spend your whole life guarding the palace and never advance any further?"

Zhang Zijin's eyes flickered, and he looked up at her.

The two locked eyes, neither willing to give in.

After a long silence, Zhang Zijin coldly said, "My fate is intertwined with that of the Ming Dynasty. Since the Zhou Dynasty, no dynasty has survived for more than five hundred years. The Han Dynasty lasted the longest, but only four hundred and seven years, and it was divided into the Eastern and Western Han Dynasties. The Tang Dynasty lasted two hundred and eighty-nine years, and the Song Dynasty lasted three hundred and nineteen years, but it was divided into the Northern and Southern Han Dynasties. The Yuan Dynasty is even more so, lasting only ninety-eight years, not even a hundred years. If we also count the Han and Song Dynasties separately, it means that no matter whether it was the powerful Han Dynasty, the prosperous Tang Dynasty, or the wealthy Song Dynasty, no dynasty could survive independently for more than three hundred years."

"Do you know the meaning of the middle layer?" Zhang Zijin said calmly, "It means that the dynasty was once interrupted and was in danger of extinction."

Pan Yun's gaze sharpened: "You are bound to the fate of the nation, and you will bear the backlash of the nation's decline. It's not that the Zhang family head is bound to the fate of the nation..."

Pan Yun paused here, noticing the mocking look in Zhang Zijin's eyes, and seemed to be deep in thought.

They are different; they are all tied to the fate of the nation, but they are not the same.

The lifespan of each Zhang family head is shorter than the last, as if their fortune has been drained away.
Zhang Zijin is unharmed, but if his fate is truly tied to that of the Ming Dynasty...

Pan Yun looked at him with sympathy in her eyes.

No matter how high one's cultivation level is, it cannot stop the collapse of a dynasty.

Pan Jun frowned slightly: "Why did you agree to these conditions?"

Zhang Zijin's eyes were filled with mockery. He picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and said, "I only promised to protect this palace and the emperor from evil cultivators. It is my Zhang family's Celestial Master who promised to be tied to the fate of the nation."

Pan Yun was silent for a moment, then withdrew her arm and sat down obediently and gracefully on the futon opposite him: "When did you realize that you were tied to the fate of the nation?"

"When the late emperor personally led the expedition." So, by the time he realized it, it was already too late.

The Zhu family is good at scheming.

Pan Yun murmured, "No wonder you didn't say a word of objection when I wanted to become the Imperial Advisor after returning from the campaign."

Zhang Zijin snorted coldly: "This country belongs to them, and they can do whatever they want with it. But what I didn't expect was that you were actually supporting the Ming Dynasty. I thought you were doing all this to use the dragon's energy for cultivation."

Zhang Zijin looked her up and down and said, "You chose the most difficult path of cultivation, but it is the most suitable path for you."

Pan Yun's eyes flickered, and she leaned forward to ask, "Senior, would you like to learn this technique? I am willing to pass it on to you free of charge."

Zhang Zijin frowned.

Pan Yun said, "This is the only way I can think of to save you. As long as your merits reach a certain level, I think you can get rid of the entanglement of the nation's fate."

“To be honest, although I think the Ming Dynasty can be extended for another three hundred years with my efforts, I don’t think it can live for more than five hundred years, so…” Pan Yun said, “You should think about your way out as soon as possible.”

Zhang Zijin: "I thought you would advise me to accept my fate."

"Hey, we humans believe that our fate is in our own hands, not in the hands of heaven. Especially in the pursuit of immortality, we must both follow nature and fight against heaven. If I were to advise you to accept your fate, would I still be human?"

Her words stirred ripples in the stagnant water of Zhang Zijin's heart, and he mused, "So, those who advise people to accept their fate aren't human after all..."

Pan Yun nodded.

"You're the one who cultivates merit, and you're teaching me how to cultivate merit? Aren't you afraid I'll steal your merit?"

Pan Yun gave him a disdainful look: "Senior underestimates me too much. Do you think I'm that narrow-minded?"

She said, "So-called merit is actually the power of a person's good intentions. Who says a person can only like one person? It's like eating food. I like braised lion's head meatballs, but I also like roast meat."

Zhang Zijin: "With limited funds, what if we can only order one of the two dishes?"

Pan Yun: "Material things require ability to realize, but love is something that comes from the heart; it's just a matter of the heart moving slightly."

"Only with material possessions can one express more love, and the recipient of love can receive more merit."

Pan Yun: "My Great Ming has tens of millions of people, and there will be more in the future. Outside of the Great Ming, there are also many foreign peoples. Those who are capable can go and win their love and respect. Those with broad minds can benefit all things in the universe. Anyway, I don't care if you bestow your favors on all living beings. I wish you would become a god or a saint and always be my senior."

Someone has paved a path ahead of her, and she just needs to follow behind. Occasionally, when she feels like it, she can forge another path to the side. If she can walk on it, she can walk on it; if she can't, or if she gets tired, she can turn back and continue walking on the path paved by her predecessor. How wonderful is that?

Zhang Zijin stared at her for a long time, then suddenly burst into laughter, slapping the table and laughing for a while. Finally, he reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, saying with no small amount of jealousy, "Wang Feiyin is really lucky to have a junior sister like you."

Zhang Zijin became increasingly indignant and decided to try and poach Pan Yun: "Pan Yun, are you willing to switch allegiance to the Zhang family? I'm willing to show you all the martial arts techniques of the Zhang family's direct lineage."

Pan Yun waved her hands repeatedly: "Forget it. Fourth Senior Sister is surnamed Zhang. Just because she is a woman, she can't learn it. If I did, wouldn't your Zhang family elders be furious? If this karma is pinned on me, wouldn't I be wronged?"

Zhang Zijin: "With me here, they dare not voice their opposition." (End of Chapter)