Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 369: All Nations Are Shocked
"A newly released classic? Who did this? They're so bold, compiling such a collection of poetry?"

An Taixuan frowned as he read. Many of the poems in this collection were so shameless that they almost pierced the faces of the powerful. He didn't know where so many banned and anti-poems came from.

Is the person who compiled this book plotting rebellion?
An Taixuan frowned and thought for a while, then quickly left the palace and headed to the place where the Half-Saint Ancestor was.

On Wensheng Mountain, in the Holy Palace, the Semi-Saint Ancestor was carefully reading through the poems he had just obtained. His face was calm and it was impossible to see through his inner thoughts.

"Taixuan, come and pay homage to the ancestor!"

An Taixuan stood outside the Holy Palace and respectfully asked to see him.

Upon hearing this, the old man said quietly, "Come in!"

An Taixuan hurriedly walked into the hall and bowed again, saying, "Ancestor!"

The old man didn't even raise his head, but just responded softly.

An Taixuan couldn't help but whisper, "Ancestor, who compiled this collection of poems?"

"I don't know." The old man said slowly, "But this book is extraordinary. It's a classic that will be passed down through the generations. I don't know who was able to compile these poems into a classic."

He sensed that someone had compiled a classic, but he didn't know by whom or where it came from.

"A classic that will be passed down through the ages?" An Taixuan was slightly surprised, then frowned and said, "But these poems..."

The old man raised his head slightly and said calmly, "Is there any problem?"

Seeing the old man's expression, An Taixuan wondered if there were still any problems with these poems.

The content of the article belittles the powerful and aristocratic families to an unbearable degree, and even disregards the emperor.

It's almost like writing clearly that the world is unfair and I want to rebel.

The old man smiled and said, "The fact that these poems have been recognized by the heavens and earth and have become classics doesn't mean there's nothing wrong with them. It's just that they're too harsh, and you people don't like to hear them."

"The sacred deeds of the Five Emperors and the Three Sovereigns deceived countless passersby... What could possibly be wrong with poems like this that can be passed down through the ages?"

"There are so many unknown writers in the world who have written such poems. I have broadened my horizons today."

After hearing his ancestor say this, An Taixuan didn't know how to comment.

Did he just agree with it? The country's life span was suddenly shortened by several decades. He felt that his position was unstable, so how could he agree with the quality of poetry?

The old man looked at An Taixuan and said, "When this classic was published, the whole world was shaken, and the fortunes of all nations declined. It wasn't just our An country that suffered. Are you worried that these poems would spread and harm the country?"

"Taixuan does have this intention." An Taixuan said hurriedly.

The old man couldn't help but smile and said, "Don't you think these poems are familiar?"

An Taixuan was stunned for a moment. "I've never read these poems before, and I've never heard of these writers. How come..."

An Taixuan suddenly paused. His ancestor would definitely not say such a thing for no reason.

These poems... An Taixuan's mind turned, and he suddenly thought of some poems that he had heard from Lu Zheng before.

An Jing also talked about Lu Zheng's speech policy, including quoting several lines of poetry.

An Taixuan quickly flipped through the booklet in his hand and couldn't help but stare at it.

He couldn't help but ask, "Are these poems related to that Lu Zheng?"

The old man said calmly, "As I read these poems, I inexplicably thought of that young man. I'm afraid this matter is indeed related to him."

An Taixuan was suspicious and asked, "How is that possible? With his Confucianism, how could he compile these classics? Even a great Confucian scholar cannot compile a classic if he cannot comprehend these poems!"

Even the great scholars in the court of Anguo would probably not be able to resonate with these poems and compile them into classics.

"Nothing is absolute." The old man said leisurely, "He has a heart for the people and is not afraid of the powerful. This makes him qualified. If he can get help from others..."

An Taixuan was moved when he heard this, and asked in surprise, "There is someone helping him. Who can help him... No, it's really strange that he can find so many poems. But his life experience, I sent people to investigate, there is nothing special."

An Taixuan thought to himself that he had met Lu Zheng in person before, but he didn't realize how extraordinary the other party was.

If he had known earlier, he should have investigated Lu Zheng inside and out.

But there is no such opportunity now. I heard that Lu Zheng has gone to travel in Chu State, and I don’t know when he will return to An State.

The old man just smiled when he heard this, "I didn't say it was definitely him, I just thought it might be related to him."

An Taixuan's expression calmed down a little. He really didn't believe that Lu Zheng could do such a thing.

The old man continued, "These poems are good, but unfortunately, I'm afraid even those Confucian and Taoist scholars will not like them... Although this classic has been published, all countries in the world will have to list it as a banned book."

The old man paused, then continued, "They want to ban the book, but we shouldn't do that, at least not ban it all... You should choose a part of it and spread it. It would be best if someone spreads it to the other eight countries so that everyone in the world knows about it."

"This..." An Taixuan was a little confused. The spread of these poems would be detrimental to the country.

The old man said calmly, "To achieve great things, one should not be too particular about trivial matters... Do you think that the publication of such a classic will have such a limited impact? As the Son of Heaven, you should control the direction of Anguo's rise and fall. Take this opportunity to do something good."

An Taixuan's expression changed, and he quickly said, "Taixuan understands."

The old man said quietly, "Go ahead. Don't bother me unless it's something urgent. I'm going to go into seclusion for a while."

The old man paused, then continued, "This book of poetry has given me some insights. Perhaps, I can make further progress..."

The old man looked at the poem in front of him with deep eyes. The reason why he was not dissatisfied with this classic was because he felt that he had touched something.

The obstacles standing in his way of Confucianism seemed to crack, and a ray of light shone through.

An Taixuan couldn't help but be delighted when he heard this. Doesn't this mean that his ancestor might be able to enter the holy realm and truly attain enlightenment and become a saint?
The Confucian and Taoist saints living in the world today can only be considered half-saints. No one has fully attained enlightenment and become a saint. They are all a little short of the mark.

An Taixuan looked surprised and immediately congratulated him.

The old man's expression remained unchanged, and he simply waved his hand calmly. An Taixuan bowed and said goodbye, leaving the Holy Palace with brisk steps, no longer worried as he had been when he arrived.

As long as their ancestor can achieve enlightenment and become a saint, the prosperity of their country will be long-lasting, and the little they lose today is nothing.

An Taixuan returned to the palace easily, and kept thinking about things on the way.

When he arrived at the palace, he immediately ordered, "Go! Summon all the officials to discuss this matter!"

After saying that, An Taixuan went to the main hall, took the poetry booklet and sorted it out. He put some poems away and kept the others there to savor slowly.

Half an hour later, officials from all over Tai'an City hurried to the palace for an urgent meeting.

Some people still don't know the situation, but some people have heard that something seems to have happened in the Imperial Observatory.

As for the emergence of classics, they are still unclear.

After all, in the entire Tai'an City, only the Wensheng Mountain was the site of a sudden strange phenomenon.

The vision came and went quickly, and no one knew what was going on.

An Taixuan's expression straightened upon seeing the arrival of the officials. He said with dignity, "Two major events occurred today! First, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory observed that the fortunes of our Great An Kingdom have been declining for nearly fifty years!"

All the officials' faces changed when they heard this. To suddenly lose so much of the country's fortune was not an ordinary situation.

Someone couldn't help but ask: "What happened? Could it be that another country has invaded the border, causing the country's destiny to be shaken..."

Everyone couldn't help but whisper.

"There's one more thing." An Taixuan said coldly.

All the officials fell silent and listened attentively.

An Taixuan's eyes were sharp as he spoke, "A classic classic has been published. I invite you to appreciate it!"

An Taixuan glanced sideways slightly, and the eunuch beside him hurriedly circulated copies of poems to all the officials.

All the officials were curious and started reading the poems.

Soon, someone couldn't hold back his expression and hesitated to speak.

Someone frowned and murmured, "These poems are simply, simply..."

One civil official couldn't help but ask, "May I ask, Your Majesty, who wrote these poems?"

An Taixuan said calmly, "Many people wrote these books, and some compiled them into classics. The strange phenomenon on Wensheng Mountain just now was caused by this book."

When the officials heard this, their faces changed and they looked shocked and confused.

"Who edited it?" someone asked.

An Taixuan said calmly, "What do you want to say?"

The official said, "The person who compiled this book has ulterior motives and is detrimental to the country! Your Majesty, please ban these poems and find the person who compiled them!"

An Taixuan's eyes turned cold, and he said, "Is there something wrong with these poems?"

“There is no idle land in the world, yet farmers still starve to death!”

"While the rich wine and meat smell, the road with frozen bone!"

"Someone has compiled these poems into a classic, and even Heaven knows about it! Could it be that these poems are false?"

"I have asked you to govern the country. Is this how you, the ministers, govern the country?"

"Instead of wanting to resolve the issue, you want to blame the compilers of the classics. Who is actually harming the country?"

"Are you truly the loyal and good ministers of Da'an?"

An Taixuan stood up angrily, and the dragon energy of the emperor raged in the hall. The terrifying pressure enveloped everyone, and the sounds of tiger roars and dragon roars echoed faintly.

When the emperor was angry, all officials were frightened.

"I am guilty!"

"I am guilty, Your Majesty, please calm down..."

……

All the officials confessed their crimes one after another, not daring to offend An Taixuan.

An Taixuan couldn't help feeling happy when he saw everyone like this.

Normally, these people are not happy to do any real work, saying this is not allowed and that is not allowed.

Finally, he got the chance to give her a good scolding.

An Taixuan slowly subsided, sighing, and said, "How could our Great An Kingdom come to this? Ultimately, it's all my fault."

"It is our fault!"

All the officials spoke up quickly and took the responsibility on themselves.

Of course, everyone just said it verbally, and no one really wanted to take the blame.

An Taixuan looked at the officials with a worried look on his face. "The fate of the nation is shaken. It is my fault. I want to issue an edict to confess my sins and make it known to the world. What do you think?"

No, are you serious? All the officials were shocked when they heard this.

(End of this chapter)