Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 372: All Dragged Into the Water
Anguo, Tai'an City.

Outside the city, several figures came quickly and soon arrived outside the tall city gate.

Finally back... An Jing looked at the familiar Tai'an City in front of him, and his eyes couldn't help but sparkle.

In order to return home earlier, he hardly stopped along the way, and the strong men in the tribe escorted him all the way here.

But when An Jing thought about having to face An Taixuan and clarify some things, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

Her father was a strict father and also the emperor of a country.

An Jing wanted to convince An Taixuan not to oppose her fight for the throne, but even though Lu Zheng had given her many ideas, she was still unsure.

An Jing looked at the people beside him and said softly, "I'm going to the palace to see my father. You can go back and rest."

After hearing this, several people agreed and walked away quickly.

An Jing quickly rushed to the palace. Along the way, he always felt that the atmosphere in Tai'an City was a little wrong, as if something had happened.

But she was in a hurry to enter the palace, so she didn't care too much.

After entering the palace, An Jing found that everyone in the palace looked a little strange.

An Jing was puzzled and stopped a palace servant to ask, "What happened recently?"

"Greetings, Princess..." the palace attendant said hurriedly, "There's nothing going on in the palace recently."

Not many people knew that An Jing went to Yunmeng Sect, and these ordinary palace servants naturally didn't know.

The palace servants thought An Jing was asking about matters concerning the imperial palace.

An Jing frowned and said, "Outside the palace, where is the court?"

"Well..." The palace maid's expression changed, and she didn't know what to say for a moment, "What is it that the princess wants to ask?"

An Jing said calmly, "Why would I ask you if I knew? I just came back from outside. Has anything happened recently?"

"It's a bit too much." The palace servant whispered.

An Jing was shocked when she heard this. What happened during the time she was away?
An Jing thought for a moment and said, "Forget it, just leave!"

She decided to pay her respects to An Taixuan first, and then find someone to ask what had happened during this period.

An Jing hurried to the imperial study and saw An Taixuan still reading the memorials. He bowed and said, "Your Highness, your son greets you."

When An Taixuan saw An Jing coming back, he couldn't help but smile, "An Jing is back!"

An Jing said, "I just came back and haven't even returned home yet, but I've come to see you, Father."

An Taixuan waved and said, "Come and sit down. Zhongliang will pour some tea!"

An Jing hurriedly thanked him and sat down properly next to An Taixuan.

An Taixuan smiled and said, "Did you gain anything from going out this time?"

An Jing couldn't help but whispered, "Benefited a lot."

An Taixuan smiled and said, "Really? Tell me, who did you meet there?"

An Jing's eyes moved slightly, and he slowly told some things about the Yunmeng Sect, but he concealed Lu Zheng and the other two.

An Taixuan found it interesting but didn't pay much attention to the details.

After An Jing finished describing the Yunmeng Sect, An Taixuan asked, "What do you think of the royal descendants of the eight nations?"

"If you are not a great person, there is no need to talk too much about it." An Jing said without thinking.

An Taixuan laughed heartily and said, "We can't look down on them just because they are from another country's royal family. Anyone who can go to the Yunmeng Sect is no ordinary person."

An Jing said seriously, "It's not that I look down on them, I just think they are nothing to worry about."

"Oh? What about the people from the other major families?" An Taixuan asked curiously.

An Jing said: "If a person has talent but is not a person of great virtue, then there is nothing special about him."

An Taixuan shook his head and laughed, "I wonder what they would think if they knew you said that. I've heard a little about those young people, but you don't think they're that great. Could it be that they're just not worthy of their reputation?"

An Jing couldn't help but say, "Maybe my daughter has high standards. She doesn't think they will become a disaster for my country when they grow up."

Perhaps in the past, An Jing would have looked upon some of them with admiration.

But after meeting Lu Zheng, she learned a lot of new knowledge and ideas.

Now, those so-called geniuses are nothing special in her eyes and are not worth mentioning.

An Taixuan couldn't help but say happily: "It seems that my Jing'er is capable and looks down on those people."

An Jing said softly, "My daughter still has many shortcomings and needs to learn more."

Seeing that An Jing had gone out and became less arrogant and more stable than before, An Taixuan was satisfied and felt that those cultivation resources were not wasted.

An Jing took a sip of the teacup and glanced around. Only then did he realize that the layout of the imperial study seemed a little different.

The screens not far away have been replaced, and there are new poems on them.

An Jing took a closer look, his expression changing slightly, "Father, these poems..."

Among those poems, she actually saw anti-poems. She didn't know why An Taixuan made such a screen.

An Taixuan glanced sideways upon hearing this and smiled faintly, "It seems you don't know yet. Recently, someone compiled a classic of poetry that shook the heavens and the earth. Even our An Kingdom lost fifty years of national fortune, and other countries were also affected."

"What?" An Jing looked surprised. "Who did this?"

"I don't know." An Taixuan said calmly. Although his ancestor suspected that it was related to Lu Zheng, he would not jump to conclusions without solid evidence.

An Taixuan handed the complete "New Poetry" to An Jing and said, "Take a look."

An Jing quickly took it and read it carefully. His heart was in turmoil and he couldn't calm down at all.

It took An Jing a long time to finish reading the entire book with a heavy heart.

An Jing felt complicated and uneasy. She inexplicably thought of Lu Zheng, and thought of the time when Lu Zheng appeared in Yunmeng Sect and some of the things he had said.

It can’t be him... A thought emerged in An Jing’s mind.

"What do you think?" An Taixuan asked softly.

An Jing took a deep breath and said, "These poems are very unusual. Has the emperor found these writers?"

An Taixuan said calmly, "We've sent people to look for him, but to no avail. There have been people with the same name and surname in ancient and modern times, but I've never seen poetry like this... I have to say, some reclusive writers hide themselves very well!"

He asked people from the Imperial Observatory to look for clues, but now they can't find even a trace.

An Jing said, "Perhaps it is a poem that was banned by the previous dynasty."

"That's possible. But someone was able to translate these poems and compile them into a classic that was recognized by heaven and earth." An Taixuan's eyes were deep and sharp. "What do you think this person is trying to do?"

"For the people?" An Jing said softly.

An Taixuan smiled softly and said, "Perhaps. It's nothing more than a thought to save the world. In this world, who can do it? Who would even think of doing it?"

"My daughter doesn't know..." An Jing replied.

An Taixuan said, "I've sent people to various countries to investigate the situation, and we'll have results soon. If it weren't for the work of a renowned Confucian or Taoist master from another country, I'm afraid someone is secretly trying to stir up trouble... The world will probably become even more chaotic."

As the emperor of a country, An Taixuan is not a short-sighted person.

If someone dares to compile such a classic, he will not be surprised if he suddenly rebels in the future, and he must respond.

As the saying goes, it is better to guide than to block, so he followed the advice of his ancestors, made some of his poems public, and took the opportunity to properly regulate Anguo.

By the way, I want to spread poetry to other countries and drag everyone into the water.

All countries in the world continue to lose their national fortunes, and no one can escape!
Whoever has the ability to make up for the loss of national destiny will be the one who laughs last.

An Taixuan said, "I have asked people to spread some of the poems so that everyone can see them..."

An Jing was stunned when he heard this. No wonder he felt that the atmosphere in Tai'an City was a little strange just now. It was probably because of these poems.

An Taixuan continued, "Not long ago, I scolded all the officials, gave them some policies, and asked them to draft some regulations..."

An Taixuan pointed at the pile of memorials before him and said unhappily, "But those old, cunning ones are so cunning! They barely mention the decrees I want to implement, and instead complicate things and play Tai Chi for me!"

"Jing'er, you're back just in time. You can help relieve your father's worries! You've been to Kaiyang County, so you should understand how to implement some of the new policies..."

An Jing's expression froze. The court was actually planning to reform the law?
Did Lu Zheng help her lift the roof, or was it just a coincidence?
So should she confront her father now?

An Taixuan saw An Jing's strange expression and couldn't help asking, "What's wrong? What's on your mind?"

"No..." An Jing said quickly.

An Taixuan narrowed his eyes slightly and smiled, "How can you be free of worries like this? I'm not blind and can't see it, but what happened in Yunmeng Sect? Did someone bully you?"

"No!" An Jing shook his head.

An Taixuan didn't ask any more questions after hearing this. He handed a few memorials to An Jing and said, "You seem quite energetic. Help me deal with these memorials, and then go back to the mansion to rest!"

An Jing took the memorial and looked through it, but he felt uneasy and couldn't calm down.

After a moment, An Jing seemed to have made up his mind and whispered, "Father, I have something I want to discuss with you."

"Go on." An Taixuan said calmly.

An Jing couldn't help but look at the eunuch beside him.

Seeing this, An Taixuan waved his hand slightly and dismissed his attendants.

The eunuchs quickly retreated, not daring to eavesdrop.

An Jing couldn't help but stand up and kneel in front of An Taixuan with a serious expression.

An Taixuan's eyes flashed with strange colors. He couldn't understand what An Jing was trying to do, and he suddenly bowed so deeply.

"What happened?" An Taixuan asked softly.

An Jing's heart hardened, and he said in a deep voice: "I am guilty. I have a rebellious heart and want to fight for the throne of the emperor."

An Taixuan's expression froze, and he thought he had misheard.

"What did you say?" An Taixuan stared at An Jing with a dignified look on his face.

An Jing looked directly at An Taixuan and said seriously, "My daughter wants to be the emperor!"

An Taixuan's expression suddenly became complicated, with astonishment, confusion and absurdity in his eyes.

How could my daughter have such outrageous ideas after visiting Yunmeng Sect? Is she crazy, or has she become a different person?

An Taixuan couldn't help but look An Jing up and down, and said, "Are you serious? Do you know what you are saying?"

An Jing nodded heavily, "I have thought it over carefully! I want to be the emperor, for the sake of the people of the world, and for the long-term peace and stability of my country!"

(End of this chapter)