Confucian and Taoist scholar

The right path for humanity, the right way for the world!
These words greatly inspired many people in Taiping, who shouted with excitement.

As citizens of the new dynasty, they witnessed a great miracle and saw unprecedented divine visions.

This also silenced many representatives of external forces.

At this moment, it seems that people's joys and sorrows are not shared.

"How could this be so..."

Some people simply couldn't believe what they were seeing. Even if the founding of these nations was done with more solemnity than that of the Taiping Domain, it's not certain that so many sages would appear in the world.

Now, if we're talking about the right path and legitimacy, even if they don't want to admit it, the new dynasty established in Taiping Domain is the most legitimate in the world.

An Taixuan looked at the figure on the high platform still shrouded in Daoist aura, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

He knew that Lu Zheng wouldn't be so casual about establishing a nation, but the scale of this event was far too grand.

An Taixuan couldn't understand why Lu Zheng could so easily summon the Great Dao Saints and grant them powerful abilities to forge artifacts and achieve Dao.

Not to mention An Taixuan, very few people present knew the truth.

Lu Zheng remained calm throughout, because he knew that what had just happened was not an accident.

The appearance of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Confucian and Taoist sages is all due to an agreement made with him in the past.

Although the Taoist saints and ancient deities had not communicated in detail beforehand, Lu Zheng felt that he could establish a connection with them.

As for the beliefs and thoughts of countless people in the world, it is not difficult to condense and manifest them.

The public's wishes and support accumulated over the years are enough. Now, let us ask Yun Fuyao for help, just as we helped create the new poem back then.

Holding the Taiping Codex in his hand, Lu Zheng sensed the vast and boundless power contained within it.

He could even sense that the codex was connected to everyone present by an invisible causal relationship.

Especially for those practitioners, the Dharma and the Great Way, which integrates various paths, have a deeper connection with it.

……

Below the stage, Gongyang Ming's eyes were filled with complex emotions. Lu Zheng possessed the ability to integrate all the Dao, so becoming a true sage would not be difficult for him.

However, Lu Zheng's attempt to use this opportunity to forge the Great Dao of Laws and Principles, thereby restricting practitioners of the Path of the Saints to some extent, is an extremely risky move.

After all, no powerful person wants to be bound by laws and principles, and no longer be able to truly do as they please.

Some of the powerful figures present changed their gaze towards Lu Zheng, but no one stood up to do anything to Lu Zheng or oppose him in this setting.

After all, having witnessed Lu Zheng's enlightenment through the forging of artifacts, any expression of dissatisfaction now would inevitably be seen as a warning to others.

Lu Zheng ignored everyone's gaze, slowly suppressed his aura, put away the artifacts one by one, and then announced the completion of the sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, with all the saints of Heaven and Earth as witnesses, and the establishment of the new dynasty.

Afterwards, Lu Zheng stepped down from the high platform and ordered people to prepare for the upcoming celebrations, including a grand banquet for all to enjoy together.

At the same time, personnel from the propaganda department recorded the entire scene of the founding ceremony using ritual implements, then took it to the department's workshop to prepare for the production of a large number of recording devices, which would then be disseminated throughout the world.

At that time, let the whole world know about the miracle that occurred when the Taiping Domain was established.

……

Lu Zheng stepped down from the stage and instructed Qing Wan and the others, "Have someone maintain order. If anyone causes trouble, suppress them first, no matter who it is. You all need to be careful too..."

Not far away, Yuan Tao hurried over, his eyes still showing surprise.

He had seen Lu Zheng invite all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas before, but he never expected to see an even more shocking scene today.

Yuan Tao approached Lu Zheng and whispered, "Sir, may I speak to you in private?"

Lu Zheng nodded and led Yuan Tao to a secluded spot.

However, there were still people following them not far away.

Yuan Tao began, "I never imagined that you, sir, would... This is going to completely change the landscape of the world. Those cultivators might be a threat to you..."

Yuan Tao didn't think there was anything wrong with the legal principles and principles that Lu Zheng had established. On the contrary, he believed that it was more beneficial than harmful to use them to restrict the cultivators in Wei.

But those practitioners certainly wouldn't think that way.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Didn't I say before that some of the things I've done have made me an enemy of many people? It's only a matter of time. I just don't know what Your Majesty will choose."

As for how many powerful forces and individuals were involved in this move, Lu Zheng did not deliberately try to guess.

Now that things have come to this, we must deal with whatever comes our way, whether it's water or soldiers.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tao's eyes flickered slightly, and he said softly, "Sir, you have a heart that cares for the people of the world. I also want to be a benevolent ruler."

Yuan Tao did not promise to unconditionally stand on Lu Zheng's side, because Wei was still the most important country to him.

When there was no obvious conflict of interest between him and Lu Zheng, Yuan Tao was still willing to support Lu Zheng's actions.

Lu Zheng naturally understood the meaning behind Yuan Tao's words, and said with a smile, "I believe Your Majesty will become a good ruler."

"Thank you for your kind words, sir!"

Yuan Tao then asked, "This time, we came with several martial arts saints. Should I have them stay here temporarily to prevent any villains from causing trouble in the shadows?"

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "If Your Majesty is so inclined, please let the few eminent Buddhist monks who accompanied us stay behind. They will be of great use to us."

Yuan Tao said, "That's no problem. I'll go tell them."

To be fair, not all the eminent Buddhist monks obeyed Yuan Tao's orders.

However, given the scene of the saints manifesting their power just now, it seems that those eminent Buddhist monks are also willing to make contact with Lu Zheng.

After chatting with Lu Zheng for a while, Yuan Tao went to attend the banquet.

Yuan Tao planned to stay in Yongding City for two more days to allow Lu Zheng to make a show of things, which could also be considered as repaying Lu Zheng for his past help.

Not long after Yuan Tao left, An Taixuan and An Jing also found Lu Zheng.

An Taixuan said with a strange expression, "You, you always manage to give me a scare. Your courage is truly boundless..."

An Taixuan paused, then said, "Can you make a copy of that thing for me to see?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng immediately produced a copy of the Taiping Code.

An Taixuan took the copy and began to read it, while An Jing stood to the side, also staring intently as he carefully examined it.

An Taixuan said leisurely, "The Great Peace Code, your Great Dao truly pursues fairness. Even I can feel a kind of constraint on power."

"Back then, when the nascent form of the Great Dao appeared, wasn't that your doing? Do you know what your actions mean?"

An Taixuan looked at Lu Zheng with a solemn expression. Lu Zheng nodded and said with a serious face, "Someone has to do it for the righteous path of the world, even if it means death and the annihilation of one's cultivation."

An Taixuan was speechless upon hearing this.

An Jing, who was standing next to him, said softly, "Why don't you come back to Tai'an City with us?"

Lu Zheng shook his head and said, "The new country has just been established. If I leave, things could easily get out of hand here."

An Jing sighed inwardly, feeling that Lu Zheng was as stubborn as ever, and that he didn't even care about his life when faced with certain things.

An Taixuan said, "The Confucian sages passed away a few years ago. This matter must have something to do with you, right? After all, no one has been seen asking for divine intervention lately, but you've managed to get Confucius, Mencius, and all the other sages to come and help you..."

For the past few years, that semi-saint from Anguo has been trying to communicate with Confucian and Taoist sages, but has not received any response.

Lu Zheng easily managed to get the Confucian sages to show up and help him. If you said there was no special relationship between the two sides, I'm afraid no one would believe it.

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "Consider it a pact with the sages! Confucianism in the world has become corrupt, so why not help me attain enlightenment and change this decaying world?"

A hint of surprise flashed in An Taixuan's eyes. He thought to himself, "How could Lu Zheng actually persuade a Confucian sage with such words?"
But upon closer reflection, it seems to make sense.

Compared to Lu Zheng's actions, and those of virtuous families and scholarly clans...

Those sages clearly knew which side they should stand on.

An Taixuan sighed softly, "So some of the rumors that have been circulating all along are true. The Confucian sages have lost faith in certain people."

There are various speculations about the reasons for the passing away of Confucian sages, but none of them have a definitive answer.

Now that he heard Lu Zheng say this, An Taixuan was certain of the reason.

Lu Zheng said calmly, "Is it possible that they were already disappointed, but just haven't found a suitable opportunity to show it?"

An Taixuan thought about it and realized that it might actually be true.

An Taixuan couldn't help but ask, "You've given us a good opportunity... Will the Confucian sages return?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng said, "It's hard to say. This is not my decision; it's up to them. It depends on whether they can change their ways."

An Taixuan raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice, "Repent and start anew? That's not easy. Your actions will only make some people think that you have cut off the fortune of Confucianism and Taoism. In addition, you have established the doctrine of law and reason, so some people may already hold a grudge against you."

Lu Zheng said calmly, "If anyone thinks like that, then they are not worthy of cultivating the path of sages. Isn't this a good opportunity to clean house?"

An Taixuan's expression was strange, and he couldn't help but say, "You've offended too many people. Aren't you afraid of being eliminated yourself?"

Lu Zheng remained calm. "With lofty aspirations, many will sacrifice; daring to change the world. Let's see who has the ability..."

An Taixuan sighed and said, "Are you really not going back?"

If Lu Zheng goes back with them, he can still find a way to protect Lu Zheng.

But if Lu Zheng chooses to stay here, and something happens, he won't be able to help or take care of him.

Lu Zhengdao said, "I appreciate Your Majesty's kindness, but I will return to Anguo after I have dealt with some matters."

Seeing that Lu Zheng had made up his mind, An Taixuan said, "Then I'll wait for that day. If you have any needs, you can tell me now."

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "The Taiping Domain has been established as a nation, and the propaganda department will release newspapers and other propaganda materials to spread the word... Your Majesty is on the way anyway, so please take some propaganda materials back with you and help spread the word."

An Taixuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your propaganda ideas are all tinged with rebellious thoughts, and you want me to do the propaganda for you? Is that appropriate?"

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "Your Majesty is mistaken. If the people are living well, who would have nothing better to do than think about rebelling? If someone can incite the people to rebel, it is probably not the people's fault."

"Meng Sheng also once said..."

"Stop!"

An Taixuan waved his hand, "Alright, alright, I know you're right! You'd better watch yourself. I'm going to go for a walk in the city and have some fun."

An Taixuan turned around and strode away.

An Jing looked at Lu Zheng, wanting to say something more, but didn't know where to begin.

Seeing this, Lu Zheng raised his right hand, and a bamboo cane appeared in his hand.

An Jing's eyes flickered slightly. She recognized the item; it was a writing implement that Lu Zheng had always carried with him.

Lu Zheng slowly spoke, "This item is somewhat different from before; it has become a legal artifact formed from the righteous energy of heaven and earth. If Your Highness has a righteous heart, then please take it and use it! Consider it a gift to you, and also a gift to the people of Anguo..."

Upon hearing this, An Jing's expression turned solemn, and he raised both hands to accept Su Wu's staff.

An Jing felt no repulsion upon receiving the scepter, which relieved her, proving that she was still qualified to use it.

An Jing couldn't help but sigh, "I always feel that time flies. When I met you back then, I never thought that things would turn out like this... It's only been a few years."

Lu Zheng smiled slightly, "No matter what, it's a good thing that Your Highness's original aspiration remains unchanged and you are still striving for your dream."

An Jing smiled and said, "You too."

……

"I knew you had a connection with Taoism! You actually managed to invite a Taoist sage down. Such a big thing, and you didn't even tell me."

Yun Xiao stared at Lu Zheng, his eyes filled with a strange resentment, "Why didn't you say so earlier if you had this ability? If you had said so sooner, we might have been able to figure out how to produce a true Daoist scripture..."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "It's a special circumstance that we were able to invite a Taoist sage today; it's not that easy."

Yun Xiao rolled his eyes and said sullenly, "I don't believe your nonsense! I might believe it if others said so. You've managed to invite several sages down! And you say it wasn't easy?"

"I've lived this long and never heard of anyone with your abilities! Are you really not some ancient sage reincarnated? Otherwise, how could you have such a good relationship with the thoughts of those sages?"

Yun Xiao looked Lu Zheng up and down, his face full of suspicion.

Lu Zhengdao said, "It is only by relying on the people of the world and the sages of heaven and earth that I have achieved such success. If you were like me, you could also have a good relationship with the will of those sages."

Yun Xiao said, "Like you? That's something I could never learn. After what you've done today, I'm afraid your future..."

Yun Xiao said in a low voice, "I just saw some people leave, and they looked quite unhappy. Why don't you come back to Shu with me? I'll put in a good word for you with His Majesty and Empress Furong, and help you avoid the limelight?"

Ultimately, out of consideration for their past relationship, Yun Xiao decided to help Lu Zhengyi.

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "You're very kind, Daoist."

Seeing Lu Zheng's expression, Yun Xiao knew that he had rejected him.

Yun Xiao said quietly, "You young man, really... But don't worry, at least the Taoists of our Qingyang Palace won't do anything to you. As for the Qingyang Palace disciples who are training here, let's see if they want to stay or not."

Lu Zheng nodded and said, "They have the right to choose freely, and I won't stop them." (End of Chapter)