Confucian and Taoist scholar

Ever since Lu Zheng took Yuan Si away from Wei to Taiping Domain, Yuan Tao felt reassured.

Not long after Lu Zheng left, Yuan Tao ordered a vigorous purge of opposition forces in the country and promoted some new people to enter the court to assist in government affairs and accelerate the implementation of reforms.

Yuan Tao also selected some talented people to go to Taiping Domain for study and exchange, and also recruited some personnel.

Based on the principle of voluntariness, some Wei people in Taiping returned to the Wei Dynasty.

And this is exactly what Lu Zheng and his group were happy to see.

Everyone believed that the entry of young people with new ideas into the Wei court would bring about changes to Wei that were different from the past.

In the Chu state, the arrival of winter brought the war between the three states to a stalemate.

However, in some parts of the Chu state, rebellious forces organized uprisings, causing quite a stir.

As for other major countries, they are also experiencing considerable turmoil domestically.

Especially after the passing of Confucian and Taoist sages, those sage families suffered the heaviest blow.

This sparked a heated debate about who would be the true orthodox Confucian scholar in the future.

Without the support of ancient sages, many other Confucian schools of thought sought to gain greater influence.

An academic power struggle began in the State of Qi and spread to other states.

Within the Jixia Academy, the various factions were even more antagonistic than before.

Many Confucian disciples have even begun to openly support the interpretations and arguments of classical texts by philosophical journals.

Scholars from the State of Qi who had returned from the Taiping Region vigorously promoted new ideas of Confucianism, advocating the practice of the words of sages in the Taiping Region, and attempting to set things right...

Today, the entire world is rising and falling in the tide of the times, slowly propelling it forward.

While other places were in chaos, Taiping Domain remained unchanged, rapidly developing and rising.

In this land brimming with freedom and vitality, progress was rapid in areas such as civilization, thought, industry, and technology.

Because of our focus on cultivating various talents, all sorts of innovations have emerged.

A means of transportation that can travel thousands of miles a day can already be mass-produced and can be easily driven by ordinary people.

Various low-grade spiritual artifacts are also being mass-produced and entering the daily lives of countless households.

The new slogan put forward by Taiping Domain is to make the innovative development of magic and technology benefit everyone, and it is also the top priority of future planning and construction.

Not long after Yuan Si arrived in Taiping Domain, he witnessed the vibrant development of the place, which was progressing at an astonishing pace.

Even as an emperor, Yuan Si couldn't help but marvel at how this land was full of infinite possibilities, far surpassing anything the Wei Kingdom could offer.

All these earth-shattering changes originated from one person.

Yuan Si looked at Lu Zheng, who was fiddling with a special artifact, and said, "If you weren't here, it's hard to imagine how long the chaos in the Northern Region would have lasted..."

Lu Zheng replied calmly, "Perhaps a hundred years, perhaps a thousand years, time marches on, and someone will eventually end all of this. Even without me, the changes here are only a matter of time."

Yuan Si said softly, "Do you think this place will go back to what it was before after you're gone?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng calmly replied, "That is indeed a possibility. There are many examples in history of the end of a regime upon the death of its leader, and I may not be an exception. I have thought that if I were to die one day, everything here would fall apart... But at least, I have left something for this world, and that is enough."

Yuan Si's eyes flashed with a strange light, and he couldn't help but say, "You're quite open-minded."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "The world is inherently complicated, and it's difficult for me to change too much on my own. I just hope that while I'm alive, I can make more contributions and encourage others to do more."

Lu Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, would you like to stay here and do something more?"

Yuan Si asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Lu Zhengdao: "Come with me for a walk, let's meet some people. I still want to completely win over those demon kingdoms in the north to the Taiping Domain..."

"However, some of the figures in their forces are quite remarkable. Your Majesty's trip with me can be seen as a way to give our Taiping Domain some prestige."

Although some cooperation was achieved with those demonic kingdoms, the extent of the cooperation was ultimately limited.

Lu Zheng intends to completely integrate those forces into the Taiping Domain.

If we can't even handle those forces, how can we influence the whole world?
Upon hearing Lu Zheng's thoughts, Yuan Si couldn't help but laugh and say, "You think too highly of me. I'm not the same person I used to be."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Even so, they wouldn't dare to disrespect you."

Even though Yuan Si has stepped down from that position, his status as the Emperor of Great Wei remains unchanged. Yuan Tao still recognizes him as the Retired Emperor, and he is also a living Bodhisattva with Buddhist titles. How could those demonic forces dare to underestimate him?

Even though Yuan Si is no longer the emperor who is high above all others, he is still an extremely noble person wherever he goes, and he is someone who deserves to be treated with great respect.

Oh, of course, except for places like the Pacific Domain.

Here, even saints and immortals have to adapt to local customs.

Yuan Si came with Lu Zheng alone, and during this time he didn't even have a servant by his side, which allowed him to develop some new living habits and learn to be self-reliant.

Yuan Si thought for a moment and said, "I could accompany you for a walk, but I won't say anything on your behalf..."

Yuan Si felt that he still had some sense of shame, and he couldn't really become Lu Zheng's lobbyist and shamelessly try to win over those demon kingdom forces.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty doesn't need to say anything. Of course, I can't stop you from saying whatever you want."

Lu Zheng then handed the small object in his hand to Yuan Si.

"This is……"

Yuan Si took it and looked at it. It looked somewhat familiar, but he had never seen it before.

Lu Zheng explained, "A mechanical watch, a timekeeping tool, is their latest invention, and it's very accurate..."

Lu Zheng gave a brief explanation, and Yuan Si quickly understood.

Yuan Si couldn't help but say, "This does resemble the sundial in the palace... but it's much smaller."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Human creativity is boundless. Perhaps one day, two ordinary people separated by hundreds of thousands of miles will be able to communicate with each other and see what each other looks like..."

Yuan Si thought about it and found it hard to imagine such a scene. Even a highly skilled cultivator would find it difficult to achieve that level of skill with magic.

Yuan Si said in a low voice, "I really don't know how many strange and wonderful things are in your head."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "There are still quite a few. I hope they can all be realized in the future."

Lu Zheng then said, "If it's convenient for Your Majesty, we can head to Chaofeng Kingdom now..."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Si nodded. "Chaofeng Kingdom, huh? Come to think of it, I've met people from the Phoenix Clan before."

When he ascended the throne, many people came to offer gifts and congratulate him, including members of the Phoenix Clan from the Kingdom of Chaofeng.

Upon seeing this, Lu Zheng sent a message to Feng Xuan in Yongding City, preparing to take her to Chaofeng Kingdom.

Fengxuan arrived quickly after receiving the news.

This was the first time Fengxuan had met Yuansi, but she felt a sense of familiarity at first glance, though she couldn't quite place where she had seen him before.

Lu Zheng then introduced them to each other.

Upon hearing Lu Zheng's introduction, Feng Xuan froze, her pretty face showing surprise and doubt.

She said that this person looked somewhat familiar, and he looked almost exactly like Yuan Tao, whom she had met before, since they were father and son.

She had heard about the coup in Wei, but she never expected that the Wei emperor would appear here after the coup. This left her completely bewildered.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Don't be so surprised. We'll all be working together in the Taiping Domain from now on. This time, I'm going to Chaofeng Kingdom to discuss some matters, and I'll take him there to get acquainted with the area." "Ah, this... uh..."

Fengxuan spoke with a distinct expression, unsure of what to say.

Yuan Si appeared quite calm and smiled, "Feng Xuan? That princess of the Phoenix Clan. I've heard you're the most outstanding young person in your Phoenix Clan."

Feng Xuan whispered, "Your Majesty... Senior, you flatter me..."

Lu Zhengdao: "Let's go, we can talk about it on the way."

The three of them quickly left Yongding City and headed to Chaofeng Kingdom.

They were traveling in a modified aircraft, which wasn't very fast, but was safe and comfortable enough.

Lu Zheng was also testing these newly invented gadgets, so he wasn't in a hurry.

Inside the city, Qingwan saw Lu Zheng fly away with Yuan Sifei and couldn't help but blink.

She understood that Lu Zheng had already persuaded Yuan Si to stay and work.

This is something to be happy about. Qingwan stroked her chin, pondering how to promote it in a way that would generate a sufficiently positive impact.

A king is reborn and vows to work with others to create a peaceful world.
Or will the former emperor embrace a brand new future?

Qingwan pondered, "Why don't we have them write some articles to spread the word? Hmm... it seems like we could also have that person write a memoir of an emperor or something, it would definitely be a bestseller!"

Qingwan slapped her forehead, thinking that her idea was pretty good.

If an emperor were to write a memoir, wouldn't that book sell like hotcakes?

This also allows us to promote the Taiping Domain, making it a win-win situation.

Yuan Si sat next to Lu Zheng and couldn't help but raise his hand to rub his nose. He had suddenly felt a little uncomfortable, as if someone was talking about him.

Unfortunately, even though he had reached the Bodhisattva level, he couldn't figure out what was going on.

……

The ancestral home of the Phoenix Clan.

Feng Xin arrived in the outside world with a radiant face.

During his period of seclusion and cultivation, he made further progress in his cultivation by drawing upon the power of his ancestor's bloodline.

Although his cultivation level didn't improve much, his understanding of the Phoenix Clan's divine abilities was more thorough than before, and his own vitality was also much stronger.

"Afterwards, it will be necessary to select some clansmen to come to the ancestral land for training..."

Feng Xin murmured softly, "During my seclusion, nothing major should have happened in Chaofeng Kingdom, right?"

In the past, Feng Xin wouldn't have worried about this.

But ever since he met Lu Zheng, he felt that the young man was too extraordinary, and who knows what changes he might have caused in the Northern Region during this period.

With a single thought, Feng Xin instantly arrived at the capital city of Chaofeng Kingdom.

With a single glance, the entire royal city came into view.

He noticed that the capital city was somewhat different from before, but the changes were not significant.

Then, Feng Xin entered the palace and summoned his juniors to inquire about the situation.

Upon learning that most of the northern region had been incorporated into the Taiping Region, Feng Xin was quite surprised.

Feng Xin couldn't help but say, "Those forces are quite efficient..."

I still remember that before he went into seclusion, there were still many forces in the Northern Region that had not joined the Taiping Region.

Now, the territory of Taiping Domain is almost bordering that of their Chaofeng Kingdom.

Feng Xin thought that if he went into seclusion for a longer period of time, the Chaofeng Kingdom might soon be incorporated into the Taiping Domain.

"Ancestor, in the Wei Kingdom, there are also Confucian scholars..."

Feng Cheng then recounted the situation of various countries in the world.

Although their Chaofeng Kingdom is located in a remote corner of the northern region, it still cares a lot about the situation in the world.

After all, the turmoil in the world could also affect the Northern Regions.

"Is the world in such chaos?"

Feng Xin showed a hint of surprise.

Feng Cheng said in a low voice, "Yes, recently some foreign forces have been fleeing here, but we didn't accept them; we wiped them out..."

In the past, when major powers were in turmoil, some powerful families would come to the Kingdom of Chaofeng to seek refuge.

In the past, it wouldn't have been a big deal to secretly protect some people after accepting bribes.

However, nowadays, the Chaofeng Kingdom doesn't dare to recruit people indiscriminately.

Those who have recently come to seek refuge either come from the State of Wei or have fled from the Taiping Domain; they are all individuals for whom a large bounty has been placed on their heads.

For example, some vicious and evil demons, and monks from the Wei Kingdom who betrayed the orthodox Buddhist tradition...

If you were to accept those people, you would easily offend the wrong people.

Therefore, the various demon kingdoms and the Taiping Domain all sent people to jointly eliminate those hidden dangers, which also stabilized local security.

In the chaotic Northern Region of the past, no one would have taken the lead in doing something like this.

This security cooperation was achieved only under strong pressure from Lu Zheng's side.

Feng Cheng said in a low voice, "Ancestor, not long ago, the Taiping Domain sent a representative who wanted to deepen our cooperation. However, judging from their intentions, they wanted us to join them..."

Feng Cheng was not in a position to make the decision, so he gave a vague and ambiguous answer at the time.

Feng Xin was not surprised when he heard Feng Cheng say that.

Feng Xin asked, "What are their conditions?"

Feng Cheng said, "They didn't mention any conditions, just a brief mention to test our attitude..."

As the two were talking, someone rushed over to report that Lu Zheng had brought people to visit.

Feng Xin raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that they had just been talking about this when the person arrived.

He didn't put on any airs and went straight out to greet Lu Zheng.

Outside the palace, Lu Zheng and his two companions stood there.

Feng Xin arrived in the blink of an eye and looked at Lu Zheng and his group.

When Feng Xin saw Yuan Si, her eyes widened, and memories of the past surfaced in her mind.

Sensing the aura emanating from Yuan Si, he was certain that he had not mistaken Yuan Si for someone else.

Feng Xin quickly bowed respectfully, "I never expected Your Majesty to come here. I have failed to greet you properly..."

Feng Xin was still a little confused and didn't understand why Yuan Si was here, but he didn't have time to think about it and greeted him first.

Yuan Si smiled faintly, "Senior Feng still remembers me!" (End of Chapter)