Confucian and Taoist scholar

"I heard that the new dynasty hasn't built any temples to worship the sages. Perhaps after he dies, we can bring back the Confucian sages..."

After some thought, it seemed that such a possibility was not entirely out of the question.

If the sages recognize Lu Zheng and stand on his side, but without Lu Zheng, the sages and worthies cannot truly cease to appear in the world and watch Confucianism and Taoism decline in the world, can they?

Even when the religion was flourishing in the previous dynasty, Confucianism still had a place.

They simply couldn't imagine that Confucianism could really decline to the same extent as Buddhism had in the past.

As a family of sages and saints that has been passed down for so many generations, they could not withstand such a blow.

Someone couldn't help but ask, "What if he dies and the saints still don't return?"

A moment of silence fell over everyone, and the atmosphere became somewhat heavy.

One of them said in a deep voice, "There is no better choice. Should we beg him to invite the sages back?"

Everyone thought that it would be useless to beg, as Lu Zheng would surely make them act in accordance with the standards of sages and virtuous men, and would inevitably make them give up many of their benefits.

But not everyone is so selfless, even if they are descendants of sages...

After discussing the matter in hushed tones and agreeing to keep the day's events a secret, the group dispersed.

……

On a solitary island in the East China Sea.

On the island's edge, a well-to-do-looking elderly man was leisurely fishing with a fishing rod in hand.

Suddenly, the old man raised his eyebrows slightly, his dark and deep eyes looking towards the horizon.

A moment later, a figure appeared in front of him.

He was a middle-aged man, dressed in brocade robes, exuding an air of scholarly refinement.

The middle-aged man smiled and bowed to the old man, saying, "Senior Ao Yuan, it's been many years. You still have the same demeanor as before..."

Ao Yuan is an elder of the East Sea Dragon Clan, holding a prestigious position within the clan. His cultivation level reached the Saint Realm many years ago.

Among the world's holy realm powerhouses, this being with true dragon blood can be considered to be among the top tier in terms of strength.

Of course, it's difficult to discern the true extent of the power gap between the two Saint Realm experts.

After all, it's rare to see such a top-tier expert make a move, let alone a battle between people of the same realm.

Ao Yuan narrowed his eyes and said with a smile, "So it's Fellow Daoist Kong."

The middle-aged man who came was a descendant of Confucius, an important figure in the Confucius family of Qi, and a great Confucian scholar.

In terms of strength, Ao Yuan was a whole realm above the middle-aged man.

In terms of age and seniority, Ao Yuan was also several generations older than this member of the Kong family.

Addressing the other party as a fellow Daoist was also out of consideration for their background as a member of the Confucian family.

Ao Yuan continued, "Why did you come to this remote place in the East Sea, fellow Daoist? The winds and waves here are fierce; it's not a good place..."

The middle-aged man asked in a low voice, "Senior, are you aware of the establishment of a nation in the Taiping Domain?"

Ao Yuan said leisurely, "I heard about it not long ago. Your human race has truly produced an extraordinary young man. He was able to establish a country and invite all the saints. It is a miracle that has never been seen before. It is a pity that I did not go there at that time and could not witness that scene with my own eyes. It is a great regret."

When Lu Zheng visited the East Sea Dragon Clan, Ao Yuan did not show up. Later, after learning about the situation, he agreed that the younger generation of the Dragon Clan could go to the Taiping Domain for training.

Previously, he had visited Taiping Domain when he had nothing else to do, and was indeed quite surprised by the amazing changes there.

He had recently heard about the various events that had occurred since the founding of the nation, which made him feel that the world was truly about to change.

The middle-aged man's expression shifted. "Speaking of which, this young man is taking advantage of the situation to forge a great legal system, attempting to control the entire world. His ambition is quite considerable... Today, I have come here to understand your opinion on this matter."

Ao Yuan raised his eyelids slightly and said indifferently, "Opinion? My Dragon Clan has long resided in the East Sea, far removed from the world's disputes and conflicts. As for those so-called laws and principles, it's a bit too far for them to interfere here."

The middle-aged man couldn't help but say, "The Taiping Code he created is no ordinary code. If he really grows up, the East Sea may well be outside his control."

"Ah……"

Ao Yuan smiled. "So what? You're the ones who're more worried about this than I am. What good does it do you to come to me with these things?"

The middle-aged man spoke frankly: "We urge you, senior, to come out of seclusion and join us in suppressing this brat."

"He has gained the approval of the saints, and must also be under their protection. We are limited in our ability to act against him, which is why we have come to ask for your help, senior..."

"Regarding this matter, we have also sent people to contact other powerful individuals to jointly plan the operation, in case of failure..."

"Once we suppress him, we guarantee to allocate a portion of the new Taiping Domain to the East Sea Dragon Clan. Senior should know how prosperous that place is, far surpassing the former Northern Domain. It can serve as a safe haven for the Dragon Clan..."

"If you have any other requests, please feel free to make them."

Ao Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. The other party had come here to ask him to deal with that young man. That was quite interesting.

Ao Yuan slowly asked, "Who are you? Who are you?"

The middle-aged man replied, "This matter involves other families, so it's not appropriate for me to speak on it. However, I can tell you that it's not just the people of Qi who want to do this."

Ao Yuan nodded, then said, "It is said that there are no soldiers in Taiping Domain, and there are no border troops in the areas bordering Wei. Your Qi Kingdom is not far from there. Since you want to deal with him so much, why not just send a million troops to completely destroy that new kingdom? If the new kingdom is destroyed, he will not be able to gain any power."

The middle-aged man's expression shifted slightly as he thought to himself that the whole world now knew about the new country, which was a legitimate nation recognized by the sages.

If the State of Qi were to send a million-strong army to attack the State of Xin, before it could even conquer many territories, Qi would become a country despised by the entire world.

If the new state were truly destroyed, other dynasties would likely find a reason to unite and, under the guise of upholding legitimacy, eliminate the state of Qi as well…

That would be a case of the clam and the crane fighting, while the fisherman reaps the benefits.

In fact, not long ago, someone had already met with Emperor Qi to gauge the attitude of the Qi royal family.

The King of Qi did not directly state that he would target Lu Zheng or Xin Guo, as it was simply not legitimate.

The Taiping Domain had just been established, and it still had the witness of the saints. For a major dynasty to stand up and oppose it could be said that it directly opposed and questioned the saints.

This kind of behavior is like throwing mud at yourself.

Unless the rulers of the various dynasties are foolish, they are unlikely to openly declare their opposition to the new nation so quickly.

Of course, as long as they didn't cause trouble under the banner of the Qi State court, the royal family would turn a blind eye and pretend they didn't know anything about it.

On the one hand, some royal families were even happy to see the powerful families of various countries clash with Lu Zhengqi, thus weakening the power of both sides.

Those family forces that wanted to target Lu Zheng actually understood this principle as well.

However, given the current situation, they had no choice but to accept being caught between two obstacles.

The courts of various countries can afford to drag things out with Lu Zheng, but these aristocratic families cannot. Because of the various things Lu Zheng has done, these powerful families are also being suppressed by the court, in addition to various criticisms from the public.

Lu Zheng and the new nation, the dynasty, the sects, the aristocratic families...

If the various forces continue to fight it out, it's obvious who will be the first to fall.

Thinking about these things gives middle-aged people a headache.

Faced with Ao Yuan's question, the middle-aged man explained in a low voice, "The imperial court has no legitimate reason to wage war against the new country, so it can only be done by families like ours..."

Ao Yuan raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that these humans really cared about face. They were about to fight to the death, so why bother with face and having a legitimate reason for their actions?

The middle-aged man added, "Actually, the new country isn't really a threat. As long as Lu Zheng is eliminated, all problems can be solved."

"Furthermore, there are still many representatives of various forces in the New Country. Don't your East Sea Dragon Clan also have people there? There's no need to take action against the New Country. We can directly take over there in the future and reap great benefits."

Ao Yuan smiled without saying a word, but inwardly shook his head. The matter hadn't even been settled yet, and they were already dividing up the profits.

He looked at the middle-aged man, somewhat doubting whether the person before him was truly a descendant of a sage.

Ao Yuan remained calm and said slowly, "I will consider it."

The middle-aged man replied, "No problem, but I hope you can give me a reply soon."

Ao Yuan asked, "When do you plan to make your move?"

The middle-aged man said in a low voice, "We are still gathering experts from all sides. Once we have enough people, we can take action. The timing is not yet set, but we hope that you, senior, can join us. You might not even need to take action, just keep an eye on things... Of course, as long as you can show up, you will receive plenty of benefits."

The middle-aged man's eyes gleamed. "The world is constantly changing, and the future is uncertain. This is an opportunity. Do you really want your people and descendants to stay in a place like the East Sea forever? Your homeland is not here."

A glint of light flashed in Ao Yuan's eyes upon hearing this.

The middle-aged man cupped his hands in greeting and said softly, "Senior, you have great foresight. There is no need for me to say more. I will return first and wait for you in Linzi."

The middle-aged man waved his hand again, leaving behind a heavy gift box, then drifted away and quickly disappeared from sight.

Ao Yuan glanced at the spot where the middle-aged man had left, then looked at the gift box beside him.

Without even opening it, he could sense what was inside—a precious treasure that belonged to their dragon clan.

Although the people who took this treasure and those who returned it were not the same group, and the two were not even directly related.

But Ao Yuan still felt a little uncomfortable.

It was originally their dragon clan's property, and now that it's been returned, does that mean he has to express gratitude?

Ao Yuan said softly, "You've kept this thing hidden in your hands for so many years, and I didn't even know it. Now you've brought it out."

Ao Yuan sneered and said quietly, "The Confucian sages have all passed away. Choosing that young man was truly the right decision. What kind of sage family is this? Each generation is worse than the last..."

They still wanted him to deal with that young man, but Ao Yuan wasn't stupid enough to get involved.

Even if he had to choose sides, he wouldn't choose certain families.

Come to think of it, none of those prominent families have come here to offer any treasures over the years.

However, when the younger generation of the dragons went to the Taiping Domain, they always brought back new culture and things to improve the dragon race.

Ao Yuan had also come into contact with a lot of cultural knowledge from the Taiping Region.

"Times are moving forward, and conservative forces will eventually be eliminated..."

Ao Yuan murmured softly, then slowly rose and looked towards the western horizon.

With a wave of his hand, he gathered up the things around him and turned to head towards the dragon's gathering place.

He planned to convene the dragon clan's high-ranking officials to discuss some matters, and then travel to various countries to assess the situation and determine how things were going.

He will not stand idly by if necessary.

After all, Ao Yuan also knew that this matter concerned the overall situation of the world, and no one could truly remain uninvolved.

If you keep trying to remain neutral, you'll end up pleasing neither side.

……

"Everything has been stable in all regions recently, with only a few minor security incidents, but nothing particularly chaotic."

Qingwan reviewed the reports from various regions. "The records of personnel coming and going in each region show that there are actually quite a few new people. They've all come here after hearing that our region has been established as the righteous and orthodox nation..."

Qingwan shook her head and said, "It's a pity that our location is still too remote. If it were in the center of the world, it would be more convenient for people from other places to come to the new country. In that case, I'm afraid ordinary people from all the dynasties in the world could come here."

Qingwan felt it was incredible just thinking about that scene.

However, the location of Singapore is too remote, and those who can make it all the way to Singapore are not ordinary people.

Lu Zheng, who was standing next to him, couldn't help but laugh and said, "If it were in the center of the world, let alone establishing a country, it wouldn't even be able to occupy any land at the beginning."

The reason why we can occupy such a large area for development here is also due to the special nature of this place.

Once it's in a different location, it's impossible to replicate it.

Qing Wan pondered, "That's true, it has its advantages and disadvantages. Fortunately, in the past few years we have also exported some talents, which has promoted the progress of thought throughout the world."

Recently, Lu Zheng and his group revealed their identities to the Buddhist sect of Wei.

As the Buddha's representatives in the world, they allowed monks from the Buddhist sects of Wei to come to Taiping Domain for further study. After passing the examinations, they could obtain higher status certifications and return to Wei to manage temples and assist the government in governing the region.

Of course, within the new country, monks are still restricted from freely spreading the Dharma, and their discussions of Buddhism with the public are subject to management by local authorities.

After Qingwan bestowed blessings upon them with the true scriptures, all the eminent Buddhist monks unhesitatingly acknowledged Lu Zheng and Qingwan's status within Buddhism, and upon returning home, they selected outstanding disciples to study in the new country.

On the Wei court side, Yuan Tao tacitly approved of this behavior.

He knew this was a win-win-win situation; those Buddhist monks who went to the new country for training and study were also helping the region with its development.

When those monks return after completing their studies, they will be a group of talented individuals, which will be beneficial to both Buddhism and the imperial court.

However, some in the court worried that Lu Zheng was getting too close to Buddhism, and that if he went too far, he might incite Buddhism to overthrow the Wei dynasty.

Yuan Tao had indeed considered this issue, but given the current situation, he was powerless to change certain circumstances.

He could only strive to do his best, lead the people of Wei to prosperity, and win their hearts. How could he be overthrown by others?

He only regarded those potential risks as a kind of pressure to strive for.

As the ruler of a country, one should follow in Lu Zheng's footsteps and strive not to fall too far behind, so as not to fail and be eliminated.

He didn't want to repeat the same mistakes as his father, Emperor Yuan Si. (End of Chapter)