Confucian and Taoist scholar

After Lu Zhengshan climbed the mountain to pay homage to the sage and left the Jixia Academy, some high-ranking figures from the academy went to the Temple of the Sage of Literature and found that there was no change in the hall.

After seeing Lu Zheng off, Yan Jue also made a special offering to the sages and worthies, but he did not see any of them appear.

Lu Zheng arrived suddenly and left quickly, and the commotion he caused at the Jixia Academy soon subsided.

Occasionally, some Confucian disciples would discuss Lu Zheng's words and deeds.

The Jixia Academy returned to normal, but Yan Jue, the academy's chief priest, was somewhat uneasy, feeling that something was amiss.

As time passed, some outstanding disciples of the academy applied to climb the mountain to worship the saint and successfully entered the temple, where they received guidance from a sage.

Until one night, when all was quiet.

Outside the Temple of Literature, a hazy figure appeared and disappeared.

Confucius looked at this familiar Confucian and Taoist academy, his eyes deep and complex.

Recalling what Lu Zheng had said to him not long ago, this ancient sage was filled with emotion.

Back then, he led his disciples to establish Confucianism and Taoism to revitalize the human race. The peaceful world he envisioned should not be what it is today.

These deceased sages have been enshrined in statues and worshipped, becoming tools for some to maintain their class interests.

And they couldn't change anything. If even Confucianism and Taoism disappeared, the world would only become more chaotic and dark, and the people would suffer even more...

"After all these years, finally a remarkable young person is willing to take on this responsibility. We, the predecessors, must not let him down..."

Confucius spoke slowly, “Back then, I led you to promote Confucianism and establish the Confucian way to govern the country and bring peace to the world. However, now the Confucian way is not correct, and it is time to make some changes.”

A figure appeared beside Confucius and whispered, "Teacher, if we stay and help him, his path will be easier."

Confucius sighed softly upon hearing this, "Perhaps. But his arrangement was also in consideration of the worst-case scenario."

……

The next day, the sun was shining brightly.

In the Temple of the Sage of Literature, the statues of sages and saints suddenly shone brightly.

Each sage's thought transformed into a seven-colored stream of light, carrying a profound Confucian and Taoist aura as it soared into the sky.

A sense of refinement then drifted between heaven and earth.

In the temple, the statues of saints and sages instantly lost their luster.

Another location within the Jixia Academy.

Yan Jue was studying the article as usual when suddenly a chill ran through her.

He quickly got up and looked towards the Temple of the Sage of Literature, only to see sages' thoughts soaring to the heavens, disappearing in just a few breaths.

Only a few traces of colorful light remained in the sky.

Yan Jue was startled, vaguely feeling that there seemed to be a barrier between himself and the world, Confucianism and Taoism.

It seems that the Confucian and Taoist forces he cultivated were not as compatible with him as before.

Yan Jue's expression was uneasy. He quickly went up Wensheng Mountain and entered Wensheng Temple.

Upon seeing the statues of sages that had lost their luster, Yan Jue's mind went blank.

At the same time, some scholars and Confucian masters from the Jixia Academy also noticed the anomaly and came to check on the situation.

Seeing this scene, everyone was terrified.

"This, this, this, this..."

An elderly scholar, his eyelids twitching and his voice trembling, asked, "What has happened...?"

All the ancient sages and worthies enshrined in the Wensheng Temple have vanished without a trace.

For these Confucian and Taoist scholars, it was no different than the sky falling down.

Yan Jue shuddered, and her previously unfocused eyes refocused.

He said in a low voice, "Go and see the sages enshrined on the other sacred mountains..."

Some people quickly realized what was happening, left, and then returned just as quickly.

Some Confucian temples still enshrine the sages, but others have disappeared without a trace.

Yan Jue's eyes were grave. "Go to the capital and see if something has happened?"

Yan Jue sat down directly in the temple, closed his eyes, and tried to communicate with the Confucian and Taoist principles of heaven and earth, attempting to ask the Sage Yan to understand the situation.

Soon, Yan Jue sensed a hazy space.

I could vaguely see a figure with its back to me.

"Ancestor!"

Yan Jue couldn't help but call out.

The figure slowly turned around; it was Yan Sheng.

Yan Sheng glanced at Yan Jue, then disappeared.

The next instant, everything went black before Yan Jue's eyes, and his communication was forcibly cut off.

"puff!"

Yan Jue immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Chancellor Yan!"

"Chancellor, what's wrong?"

……

Some people nearby immediately spoke up in concern.

A hint of panic flashed in Yan Jue's eyes, and her heart sank to the bottom.

Because the way Yan Sheng looked at him just now was different from the previous times; there was a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

"Does Master Yan think that with your current achievements, you can face him with an open and honest heart?"

Lu Zheng's words echoed in his mind like a thunderclap.

For a moment, Yan Jue felt a sharp pain in his chest, as if it were being stabbed.

What on earth happened...? Yan Jue clutched her chest, unable to believe what had happened.

……

Suburbs of Langya City.

Looking at the thoughts of the sages who had returned to heaven and earth, Lu Zheng couldn't help but offer them a cup of tea.

The current Confucian and Taoist atmosphere is not healthy precisely because those Confucian and Taoist scholars have become too reliant on these beliefs.

Lu Zheng's trip to the Jixia Academy was to discuss solutions to Confucian problems with the ancient sages and worthies.

Lu Zheng's request was for all sages to return to the Confucian way of heaven and earth, and to stop protecting those who do not need protection.

Such a demand is like cutting off a vital artery, something that could shake the world.

The passing of the ancient sages and worthies can be said to have shaken the very foundation of Confucianism and Taoism, directly severing most of the world's Confucian and Taoist essence.

He once asked Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to descend to earth to regulate Buddhism, and now he is asking Confucian and Taoist sages to return to heaven, which also has the intention of regulating Confucianism.

Many Confucian sages have ascended to heaven, and those who rely on Confucianism and Taoism should also fall from the clouds.

Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly, calmly watching the colorful lights in the sky.

Beside him, Tian Jiu's eyes flashed with a strange light, his thoughts already drifting to Langya City.

Seeing that the statues of saints and sages in the city's Confucian temple had lost their luster, I was startled.

"It seems something has happened. Please have a seat for a moment, young friend..."

Tian Jiu didn't care about Lu Zheng and hurriedly left, then notified his other subordinates to find out what was going on.

Lu Zheng calmly sat down and drank his tea.

Now that Confucianism and Taoism have undergone such a major change, how should those Confucian and Taoist scholars respond?
Lu Zheng could not have predicted this either. He had already done his best to persuade Confucius and some ancient sages to stay out of worldly affairs.

What happens to Confucian and Taoist scholars in various countries and regions in the future is up to their own choices.

...Anguo, Tai'an City.

An Taixuan looked at the newly delivered messages and showed a hint of surprise.

"Shu and Han have joined forces to attack Chu and have already captured three prefectures and counties of Chu. Are they going to destroy Chu or something?"

An Taixuan clicked his tongue in amazement, "That General Wang from Shu is truly extraordinary..."

An Taixuan stroked his chin, pondering whether An Guo should get involved, perhaps he could also get a share of the profits.

Suddenly, a slight vibration was felt.

The palace servants around them were startled as they felt the ground tremble; this was the imperial palace grounds.

An Taixuan frowned and looked up in one direction.

Several beams of colorful light shot into the sky from the direction of the Confucian Temple in Tai'an City, only to disappear in an instant.

An Taixuan immediately sensed something was wrong. As the emperor of a country, he clearly noticed the unusual activity of the national treasures.

It was as if something important had been removed from the national treasure.

Before he could say anything, palace servants quickly went to the Confucian Temple.

Before the palace servants could return, civil officials had already arrived.

The newcomer looked terrified, as if he had encountered some great horror.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, something terrible has happened..."

The official stammered, so flustered that he could barely speak clearly.

An Taixuan remained calm. "Such panic! What kind of behavior is this? What exactly happened?"

Even if the sky were to fall, the emperor still had to remain calm in front of others.

The official took a deep breath and said uneasily, "In the Confucian Temple, all the sages and worthies have passed away..."

An Taixuan frowned slightly. "Gone? What do you mean?"

The official said, "Confucius, Mencius, and... their sacred thoughts have all returned to Confucianism and Taoism, and they are no longer in the Temple of Literature. I don't know what happened..."

Since the founding of Anguo, no country has ever spent so much money casting official documents as national treasures, or building a Confucian temple to invite Confucian and Taoist sages and worthies to secure the country.

The country was established with Confucianism and Taoism, but the ancient sages of Confucianism and Taoism simply left without saying goodbye and returned to heaven and earth.

An Taixuan was stunned and didn't react for a moment.

The palace servants nearby also deeply felt the seriousness of the matter.

Zhongliang looked at the official who had come to report and said in a deep voice, "Is this true? Don't spread rumors and disturb His Majesty!"

The official stammered, "How dare I speak such nonsense..."

An Taixuan thought for a moment, then left directly for the place where the ancestor was in seclusion.

As soon as he arrived at the place, the An family patriarch was also alerted and came out of seclusion.

Before An Taixuan could even say hello, he saw his ancestor disappear.

Seeing the solemn look in his ancestor's eyes, he knew that the matter was probably quite serious.

Before long, the An family patriarch reappeared before An Taixuan.

"There has been a change in the national system. Many ancient sages of Confucianism and Taoism have left Anguo. What exactly happened in the country?"

The old man's face was somewhat grim. He had just been in seclusion, comprehending Confucianism and Taoism, when suddenly an invisible obstacle appeared, followed by the perception of an anomaly in the outside world.

When I went out to check the situation, I was surprised to find that something so serious had happened outside.

An Taixuan was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself that he was not well-versed in Confucianism and Taoism, so how would he know what was going on?

An Taixuan quickly shook his head and said, "Everything is fine in Anguo, there's nothing wrong. I don't know what the problem is..."

The old man frowned and said, "You stay in the capital and stabilize the situation. I will go and inquire around."

He planned to visit other major powers to see if anyone was causing trouble and had driven away the thoughts of those sages.

This matter concerns the rise and fall of a great dynasty, and even the patriarch of the An family could not sit idly by.

After saying that, the old man disappeared again in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that even his own ancestor was unaware of what had happened, An Taixuan felt a little uneasy.

Their country of Anguo was founded on Confucianism and Taoism. Now that Confucius and many other sages have passed away, they will no longer enjoy the offerings of Anguo.

What will become of Anguo after that?
Although some Confucian sages are still enshrined in the Confucian Temple, even the most important ancient sages have left. Can it still be considered the orthodox Confucianism?
"Why did those Confucian and Taoist sages all suddenly...?"

An Taixuan murmured to himself, then suddenly his eyes widened.

He suddenly thought of the Buddhist sect in Wei and the words Lu Zheng had once told him.

Upon further reflection, An Taixuan felt a chill run down his spine.

"Could it be some kind of trouble he caused?"

An Taixuan's expression shifted, sensing that the matter might be related to Lu Zheng.

But then I felt that Lu Zheng couldn't possibly have that much power to do such a thing.

An Taixuan rubbed his temples and muttered, "The way things are developing in this world is truly unpredictable..."

An Taixuan was momentarily unaware of the reason and returned to the palace.

At this point, many ministers had already noticed something amiss.

They were originally Confucian and Taoist scholars, and the departure of the sages and worthies took away a huge amount of Confucian and Taoist fortune. Such obvious changes were hard to ignore.

Even Xu Shou came to find An Taixuan and told him that the fate of the nation was about to change and that the years to come would be turbulent.

A year of many troubles? An Taixuan didn't react much to these words.

Many major events have occurred in the world in the past few years, so it wouldn't be surprising if there are many more eventful years to come.

Faced with the arriving officials, An Taixuan calmed himself down and gave instructions, ordering people to carefully investigate the situation of Confucian temples in various places and then report the results.

After that, An Taixuan dismissed all the officials.

The incident involving Confucianism and Taoism has truly been a devastating blow to Anguo.

But... An Taixuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

A loss may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Soon, An Jing also received the news and went to the palace to meet An Taixuan.

Seeing An Jing's questioning look, An Taixuan waved his hand and said, "Don't ask me, I don't know what happened either..."

"but……"

An Taixuan paused for a moment, then said, "If those sages of Confucianism and Taoism were to disappear forever, and Confucianism and Taoism were to decline greatly in our An Kingdom in the future, how should we deal with it?"

Upon hearing this, An Jing asked in surprise, "Father, has it gotten that serious?"

She only received some news on her way here, and she didn't expect An Taixuan to make it sound so serious.

An Taixuan said calmly, "Perhaps, but we must prepare for the worst."

An Taixuan had some suspicions in his mind, but now he became calm.

An Jing stood there pondering for a while.

After a moment, An Jing spoke up: "If Confucianism and Taoism decline, it might not be a bad thing. We can use this to suppress those scholar-officials and aristocratic families... If necessary, we can even reinstate the imperial examination system to promote talented individuals..."

An Jing spoke fluently and quickly outlined some countermeasures.

"With the decline of Confucianism and Taoism in Anguo, those Confucian scholars have lost their solid support, which is actually an opportunity for us to redistribute power and resources..."

An Taixuan listened calmly; An Jing's suggestion was much in line with his own thoughts.

An Taixuan nodded and said, "Very good. Go back and handle your affairs. If there is a result regarding the Confucian Temple, I will have someone inform you as soon as possible. For now, continue as before."

Seeing that An Taixuan remained calm, An Jing did not worry and quickly returned to his residence.

An Taixuan sat alone in the main hall, muttering to himself.

"This shouldn't concern you, right? If it does... isn't this a bit too fast? My knife isn't even sharpened yet!" (End of Chapter)