Confucian and Taoist scholar

Lu Zheng led Yuan Si northwards, witnessing the true nature of life in the Wei Kingdom.

Yuan Si did not say a word until he left the State of Wei.

Further ahead, we arrived at a district in the Taiping Domain.

A completely different scene unfolded before Yuan Si's eyes.

Seeing all sorts of humans and demons living together in harmony and contentment.

What I saw before me was a scene of prosperity and flourishing.

In comparison, it seems that the entire state of Wei is lagging far behind.

Without comparison, there is no gap.

The various forms of prosperity, so different from those of the Wei Kingdom, made Yuan Si's heart increasingly uneasy.

He seemed to understand why Yuan Tao was so eager to achieve quick results.

On the other side of the Wei Kingdom, a civilization that transcends an entire era is rising.

This naturally aroused the thoughts of some people who were unwilling to fall behind.

Looking at the various ethnic groups getting along well in the city, Yuan Si couldn't help but say, "I never imagined you could get them to live together peacefully..."

The emperors of Wei throughout history have had little interest in the northern regions because they knew that even if they occupied the northern regions, it would be difficult to manage the ethnic groups there.

Occupying the northern region would only create trouble for ourselves.

However, Lu Zheng was able to make it possible for humans, demons, ghosts and monsters to coexist harmoniously in one place.

Lu Zheng replied, "Because I treat them fairly and give them a way to survive."

This alone is enough to make most of the local people, demons, and ghosts willing to follow Lu Zheng.

After all, if it were any other force or individual, they would only receive discrimination and unrestrained exploitation.

"fair……"

Yuan Si said slowly, "It's very difficult to do."

When he was the emperor, he wanted to treat his people fairly, but things often didn't go as planned.

Lu Zheng smiled upon hearing this and said, "It is not easy. Many people besides me have worked hard to achieve this result... It's easy to explain the principle, but it's difficult to implement it."

Lu Zheng pointed to his head, "So, we need to try to gradually change their thinking and instill correct values ​​in them."

“The slave owners of the dynasty liked to instill a kind of servile mentality in the people below them, making those servants and common people feel that they were born to be cattle and horses. What we need to do is change this situation.”

"For thousands of years, you dynastic nobles have been using the same methods to enslave the entire world. Don't you find it boring and have such low taste?"

"I think we should strive to be morally upright and detached from base desires. Your Majesty considers yourself inherently noble, so shouldn't you be even more so?"

"Even if you can't become a sage, you must follow in the footsteps of the sages. You can't be morally corrupt... Otherwise, in the world thousands of years from now, even the most powerful emperor will be a despised figure."

Yuan Si remained silent for a while, then couldn't help but sigh, "You really should go and visit the courts of the major dynasties, and debate with them."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Then let's forget about it. Throughout history, there have always been people who speak out for the common people, but how many of those in power have listened?"

"The entire hall is filled with old, decrepit people. If I were to argue with them about these things, they would only see me as a heretic..."

"If His Majesty hadn't reached this point, would he even be in the mood to listen to what I'm saying?"

Lu Zheng paused for a moment, then sighed softly, "You have to be able to reason with people, and you also have to be strong in your fists."

Lu Zheng led Yuan Si on a tour of the various local industries and living conditions.

After learning more about him, Yuan Si couldn't help but admire Lu Zheng's remarkable ability to govern the region.

In any major country, such talent would be considered a great strategist.

However, given Lu Zheng's ideology, he probably wouldn't be willing to develop in those dynasties.

Lu Zheng led Yuan Si through several regions before heading to Yongding City.

In Yongding City, Qingwan was showing Zhao Ti around and planning to arrange some tasks for her.

After all, the Taiping Domain does not support idlers. People living in the Taiping Domain will enjoy certain benefits. Since there are benefits, there must be labor contributions.

Qingwan first had Zhao Ti learn some materials from her to familiarize herself with the planning, construction, and development of Taiping Domain, which differed from other places.

When Lu Zheng found Qing Wan, Qing Wan was still patiently instructing Zhao Ti.

When Qingwan saw Lu Zheng return, there was another person with him.

“Hey hey…”

Qingwan looked at Yuan Si and suddenly felt that he looked familiar. She couldn't help but stare and lean closer to examine him.

The two stood there staring at each other.

Yuan Si had met Qing Wan before, but hadn't paid much attention to her.

Qingwan glanced at Yuan Si, then turned to Lu Zheng, slightly surprised, and said, "How did you manage to bring the Emperor of Wei here, and he's still alive..."

Zhao Ti, who was standing next to her, was completely bewildered. She thought she was hallucinating and had misheard.

Lu Zheng explained, "He has now abdicated and been granted the title of Bodhisattva in Buddhism. He came here to visit us."

"Buddha!"

Qingwan's eyes lit up and she couldn't help but say, "No wonder he had a Buddhist aura about him. Ah, then he's one of us! Hello, hello!"

Qingwan greeted Yuan Si with a smile, showing no regard for his extraordinary status.

Yuan Si looked at this very lively girl and couldn't help but smile back.

Qingwan smiled and said, "Since you're here, make yourself at home. Don't be shy. However, our living conditions here are probably not as good as in the palace, but you should be able to manage..."

"Now that you've become a Bodhisattva, you should act like one, be compassionate, and do good deeds..."

Qingwan mumbled a bunch of things.

Zhao Ti was puzzled by what she heard and couldn't help but glance at Yuan Si a few more times, still somewhat incredulous.

Although she has only been out for a short time, she is already very clear about the situation in the world.

The emperor of a great nation had actually appeared alive and well before her eyes, and it seemed he was going to stay in the Taiping Domain? It was simply unimaginable to her.

She even suspected that she might have been learning too much lately, and that her mental state was not good, leading to hallucinations.

Seeing Qingwan's excitement, Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "He's just arrived, he still needs time to get used to this place."

"Oh, that's right."

Qingwan stopped the conversation there, her face still showing inexplicable excitement.

Lu Zheng knew exactly what Qing Wan was excited about. The emperor of a country was in Taiping Domain under a different identity, which was a great publicity opportunity.

Of course, such publicity must be done appropriately, otherwise it will only cause trouble for oneself.

It is not appropriate to publicize Yuan Si's presence in the Taiping Domain at this time.

We'll have to wait until the situation in Wei stabilizes and Yuan Si is willing to stay here permanently before making any decisions.

Qing Wan then pulled out a stack of documents and said, "This is the plan for next year. Take a look and see if it's okay."

Qingwan gave Yuan Si another copy, regardless of whether he could understand it or not. Yuan Si flipped through it with some curiosity.

Qingwan said there, "This year, all regions have exceeded their construction targets, especially in terms of grain production. Next year, we will focus on economic, cultural, industrial, and technological development..."

"Strive to comprehensively improve the level of civilization and quality of life of the people in Taiping area and its surrounding areas..."

"Thus, it can radiate throughout the entire world, driving the progress of civilizations across all dynasties..."

"The following are some detailed plans, regulations, and measures, which were discussed and decided upon by a large group of people."

Yuan Si was surprised and began to examine it carefully.

Although much of the content cannot be fully understood immediately, he had been emperor for so many years and was quite knowledgeable about various political affairs.

After reading the document, Yuan Si was somewhat alarmed by the thoughts of the talents in the Taiping Domain.

According to some of the plans, it is not impossible for the Taiping Domain to drive the development and progress of civilization throughout the world.

Because he also knew that there were many people from other places who came to the Taiping Domain for training.

This place can be said to be cultivating new-era talents for other places.

New ideas of civilization have begun to sprout; what kind of flowers will they bloom, and what kind of fruits will they bear...?

Yuan Si wasn't sure either, but he was certain that this place might truly become the center of civilization in the world.

Upon arriving here, Yuan Sizhen felt that he was somewhat out of touch with the times.

Qingwan looked at Yuan Si and said with a smile, "Is there anything you don't understand?"

Yuan Si looked at Qing Wan, unsure of what to say.

Seeing this, Qingwan said, "Ah, no rush, take your time, everyone goes through this. Speaking of which, we're lacking a strong person like you on our side..."

Lu Zhengdao said, "Have someone arrange a place for him to stay."

Qingwan nodded and said, "No problem."

Anyway, not many people here have seen Yuan Si, so there's no need to worry about Yuan Si's identity being exposed so quickly.

After Yuan Si left, Zhao Ti couldn't help but whisper to Lu Zheng, "He really is that one from Wei..."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "This can't be faked, can it? Crown Prince Yuan Tao of Wei seized the throne in a coup, and this man abdicated and entered the Buddhist order. He's been in Wei for a long time and wanted to come and see for himself. As for whether he'll stay, I don't know."

After all, he couldn't very well stop Yuan Si from going wherever he wanted.

However, if this person is smart, he won't run around recklessly. Even if he wants to return to Wei, he will inform both sides.

As a former ruler of a country, many people still care about his movements.

Zhao Ti asked curiously, "However, what about your relationship with him..."

Zhao Ti really couldn't understand how Lu Zheng could get along with so many people.

Lu Zhengdao: "I had contact with him before, and we even discussed the general trend of the world. I even gave him a lot of advice on governing the country. I never expected that he would end up in such a situation a year later... Life is unpredictable, and there's not much to say. Just take it in stride."

Zhao Ti's expression was strange; she had heard that Lu Zheng had a close relationship with the Crown Prince of Wei.

She found it hard to believe that the changes in Wei Kingdom were unrelated to Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng could roughly understand what Zhao Ti was thinking from her gaze.

However, Lu Zheng didn't explain anything. He did give Yuan Tao a suggestion, but it wasn't him who truly led Yuan Tao to that point.

Even if Lu Zheng hadn't mentioned it, Yuan Tao would probably have done it anyway; it was just a matter of time.

Lu Zheng then asked, "Are you settling in well here, young lady?"

Zhao Ti nodded slightly, but the thought of possibly working with Yuan Si in the future made her feel a little awkward.

Zhao Ti said, "Sect Leader Yun has gone to the north, to the far north, saying he's going to visit an old friend."

Lu Zheng's eyes flickered slightly. The far north was even further north in the Northern Region. That area was sparsely populated, and there was no known presence of any powerful forces there.

I reckon there must be some master living in seclusion there, practicing cultivation.

……

The changing situation in Wei was quickly relayed to other dynasties.

An Taixuan is busy rectifying the Confucian and Taoist families within the territory of Anguo, and he is still quite troubled by it.

Upon hearing the news from the State of Wei, he was jolted awake.

An Taixuan flipped through several intelligence reports and confirmed them repeatedly, his eyes showing disbelief.

"That ruler of Wei, how could he be overthrown by the Crown Prince of Wei? This is truly..."

An Taixuan didn't know how to comment.

It happened suddenly, without any warning whatsoever.

That Wei emperor ascended the throne around the same time as him, in the prime of his life, but was suddenly overthrown.

Not long ago, he heard that the other party was praised by the world as a wise ruler for exempting the Wei state from land taxes.

It hasn't been that long since tomorrow...

An Taixuan stroked his chin, pondering, "I remember the Crown Prince of Wei advocated for reforms and changes, right? And he even had the tacit approval of the Wei Emperor. How did things escalate to this point? It's truly incomprehensible..."

Zhongliang, standing nearby, whispered, "With the new ruler of Wei ascending the throne, there must have been a lot of internal conflicts accumulating. Wei's rise may have to come to a standstill."

An Taixuan clicked his tongue and said, "This world is so chaotic that it's hard to understand. There are wars, internal strife, and..."

An Taixuan no longer has the mind to watch the dramas caused by other major powers. The chaos caused by An Guoru Dao is already big enough, and people's hearts are about to become unstable.

However, it is precisely because of the departure of Confucian and Taoist sages that calls for change are growing louder in China.

Of course, this also involves someone creating momentum behind the scenes.

This was done with An Taixuan's tacit approval, and he even had the Qiuzhi Academy establish a new Confucian school to counter the old Confucian forces, thereby weakening the influence of those powerful families.

An Taixuan thought for a moment and said, "Continue to have people keep an eye on the situation in Wei, especially the situation of that Wei emperor. We must find out whether he is dead or alive..."

If that person dies, he wouldn't mind sending people to cause trouble in Wei, supporting other members of the Wei royal family to stir up trouble and make things difficult for Wei.

This can be considered a basic tactic used against other major powers.

It is estimated that other major powers that received the news also had similar thoughts.

While other dynasties might not be able to offer timely assistance to neighboring countries, they certainly had ways to exacerbate their problems.

After giving some instructions, An Taixuan continued to handle official business.

He wasn't worried about repeating the same mistakes as that Wei emperor, so he felt at ease.

Within the Anguo royal family, no one has yet possessed enough power to instigate a coup.

Although An Jing had said some unrealistic things, he wanted to act like the Crown Prince of Wei...

An Taixuan felt that even if An Jing were given that opportunity, few officials in the court would support him.

Those officials didn't share Lu Zheng's open-mindedness. (End of Chapter)