Confucian and Taoist scholar

One by one, some important figures from the State of Qi received the news and came to the Jixia Academy to inquire about the situation.

Exhausted, Yan Jue also arrived outside the temple, looking at Lu Zheng with complicated emotions.

"When the Jixia Academy was first established, a hundred schools of thought contended, and the predecessors of each school considered the future of the world..."

Lu Zheng said unhurriedly, "The past is like smoke in the wind. This place has long since become a private academy, making it difficult for those from poor families to enter, and even more difficult for ordinary people to cross the threshold..."

"This so-called sacred site of Confucianism and Taoism? It's an eyesore. Is there any point in its existence?"

Lu Zheng slowly stood up, his whole being like a sharp arrow ready to be released.

The crowd outside the temple immediately became alert, and some people had already activated their powers, preparing to evacuate the Jixia Academy.

An elderly Confucian scholar exclaimed in surprise, "While some Confucian disciples may have made mistakes, are you truly trying to completely sever the Confucian tradition by acting in this way?"

Lu Zheng said calmly, "The Confucian sages have already given you a chance, and I have also given you a chance. The Confucianism and Taoism of today have gone astray..."

Lu Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "Of course, you still have one chance. If you kill me here, all will be well. What do you say?"

Lu Zheng slowly moved his gaze, sweeping it over everyone's faces.

Some people, upon hearing this, secretly thought that Lu Zheng was truly fearless and was trying to force certain people to take action.

But would certain individuals really dare to do such a thing?
None of the powerful figures responded; not even one of them stepped forward to mediate.

After all, in this situation, who has the ability to mediate a reconciliation?

Just then, an old man arrived at the entrance of the temple, his demeanor polite and courteous.

"By order of His Majesty, Mr. Lu is invited to the palace..."

Upon hearing this, the people nearby had various expressions, thinking that the imperial court had finally stepped in.

Lu Zheng remained unmoved. The matter had escalated to this point before the Emperor of Qi sent someone to find him. He was truly patient.

Lu Zheng smiled slightly and said, "Senior, please lead the way."

Seeing Lu Zheng's attitude, the old man smiled and waved to summon clouds, and together with Lu Zheng, they rode on auspicious clouds to the Qi capital palace.

Seeing that Lu Zheng had been invited to the palace, some people breathed a slight sigh of relief.

However, some people still felt uneasy, as the word "please" carried a lot of weight.

Some powerful figures even speculated that Lu Zheng and Emperor Qi might have secretly reached some kind of cooperation, leading to this farce targeting the various Confucian and Taoist families.

Otherwise, why didn't any high-ranking officials from the imperial court come out to stop it before?

Soon, Lu Zheng arrived at a grand hall in the palace.

A dignified middle-aged man sat upright, his gaze fixed intently on Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng bowed and said, "Lu Zheng greets Your Majesty!"

Emperor Qi waved his hand and said with a smile, "Sit down!"

Lu Zheng sat down with neither arrogance nor servility, facing the emperor of Qi directly.

Emperor Qi then dismissed everyone else and spent time alone with Lu Zheng.

Emperor Qi said quietly, "It's rare for our human race to produce someone like you. However, the trouble you've caused today is truly giving me a headache."

Lu Zheng smiled calmly, "The Confucian and Taoist sages cleaned up their own house, which also removed some malignant tumors from the State of Qi. Your Majesty should be happy. The State of Qi will surely prosper in the future."

Emperor Qi's lips twitched unnaturally. "Do you mean I should thank you for saying that?"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "That depends on what kind of ruler Your Majesty wants to be."

A strange glint flashed in Emperor Qi's eyes as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Lu Zheng slowly said, "If Your Majesty were to collude with those corrupt Confucian scholars and aspire to be a foolish ruler, then you should be furious. But if Your Majesty wishes to be remembered as a wise and virtuous ruler for all time, then you should indeed thank me."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qi's expression became inscrutable; he didn't know whether he should be angry or not.

He remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "A wise ruler for all ages? I've heard that in your philosophy of governance, there is no place for a monarch."

Lu Zheng explained, "It's just that the new country doesn't have it, because I'm trying out a new path for the sages."

"Since Your Majesty is the monarch, I, Lu, naturally advise Your Majesty to be a wise ruler."

Lu Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "I just don't know to what extent His Majesty is willing to go."

Emperor Qi narrowed his eyes slightly and said softly, "What exactly do you want to do?"

Emperor Qi felt that he couldn't understand the young man's thoughts at all.

Lu Zheng raised his hand, took out a thick stack of documents, and handed them to Emperor Qi.

"If Your Majesty wishes to govern the country in peace and prosperity, this is a very good opportunity."

Emperor Qi raised an eyebrow and slowly browsed through the documents Lu Zheng had brought.

After some time, Emperor Qi finally finished reading all the contents. His mind was still a little dizzy, and he had not yet fully digested the information.

I never expected Lu Zheng to have planned this whole thing, just waiting to see him.

Emperor Qi couldn't help but say, "I didn't expect you to be so well prepared, you even thought of so many things."

Lu Zheng began, "It's all about planning before acting. I even considered dying in Qi, but it seems they don't have the guts..."

Emperor Qi blinked, then asked, "Do you really intend to do this?"

Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Does Your Majesty not wish for it?"

Emperor Qi remained silent. Among the documents Lu Zheng brought were many strategies for governing the country.

Since the major Confucian and Taoist families have become defunct in name only, the imperial court can take this opportunity to reclaim many of its rights, and local academies can also be reorganized.

Even the ministers in the imperial court can use this time to replace a group of people.

Some of the ministers in the court come from families of sages and virtuous men. Now that the sage has severed their ties with them, they must be deeply wounded, both physically and mentally. It would be good to let some of them go back and recuperate.

This would allow for the centralization of power, strengthening imperial authority and weakening the power of Confucianism.

The power that has been reclaimed can also be distributed to talents outside of Confucianism.

More importantly, Lu Zheng also proposed a condition that appealed to Emperor Qi.

That is to recreate Confucianism and Taoism.

Now, as a result of this incident, Confucian and Taoist sage families have completely lost their status.

After that, Confucianism in the world disintegrated.

Lu Zheng was willing to provide some assistance and even offer some original Confucian classics to endorse the Qi state's official position.

When Emperor Qi learned that Lu Zheng had obtained the original texts of the classics from those Confucian and Taoist families, he was astonished.

As the emperor, he wanted to see the original texts of those sages and virtuous men, but all the powerful families kept them hidden and were unwilling to show them to him...

Now things are much better; the various sages simply took those things and gave them to Lu Zheng.

What could Emperor Qi say about such treatment? He could only feel envy and jealousy.

With such a huge uproar in the State of Qi, it is indeed necessary to do something to stabilize the people's hearts.

Lu Zheng's willingness to contribute a portion of the classics of sages and propose the revival of Confucianism and Taoism naturally appealed to Emperor Qi.

Emperor Qi couldn't help but ask, "Why don't we go to Anguo to find that person?"

He thought that Lu Zheng was from Anguo and was close to Emperor An, so why didn't he ask An Taixuan for such a good thing, instead of letting him do it?

Lu Zhengdao: "Now is the time when Qi needs to stabilize the situation the most. Afterwards, I will also send a proposal to other countries..."

Emperor Qi couldn't help but say, "You really have no selfish motives at all."

Emperor Qi pondered for a moment and said, "I can agree to some of your conditions, but there are some things that we still need to discuss."

Emperor Qi took the documents and began chatting with Lu Zheng.

Outside, many people were losing patience and wondered what Emperor Qi had been doing for so long after meeting Lu Zheng.

Tian Jiu sat in a restaurant, gazing towards the direction of the palace, and murmured, "He wouldn't have been suppressed, would he?" After thinking for a moment, Tian Jiu felt that given Emperor Qi's personality, it shouldn't have come to that.

Moreover, there was no movement at all from the palace.

Tian Jiu's eyes gleamed, and he said in a low voice, "He hasn't come out for so long, he must be discussing something. It seems that my Tian family can use this opportunity to rise again..."

As long as Lu Zheng emerges from the palace unharmed, the fate of the various sage families will be sealed.

Tian Jiu still didn't believe that anyone could make Lu Zheng or Confucian sages make up for the losses of the major families.

……

"Okay, it's settled then."

Emperor Qi beamed with joy as he reached a consensus with Lu Zheng and signed several agreements.

It also included agreements on cultural and trade exchanges between the State of Xin and the State of Qi.

The two countries have reached some agreements that are mutually beneficial and achieve win-win cooperation.

As for the fate of the major aristocratic families, Emperor Qi showed no intention of holding Lu Zheng accountable.

After all, that was a family matter for the sages. The Confucian sages appeared in the world to clean up their own house, and it was not appropriate for the emperor of the country to interfere.

Emperor Qi smiled and said, "Since you have other matters to attend to, I will not keep you any longer. When you visit Qi again, I will meet you there..."

Emperor Qi escorted Lu Zheng to the palace gate.

Afterwards, Lu Zheng left the main hall and headed out of the palace in a calm and collected manner.

Emperor Qi returned to his seat and summoned the elders of his clan.

An elderly man approached, asking with concern, "Your Majesty, are you alright?"

Emperor Qi said, "Very good."

Emperor Qi then pointed to a heavy jade box beside him and said with a serious expression, "There are several original Confucian classics inside. Take them and put them away... make sure no one else knows about them."

The old man looked surprised upon hearing this. The original classic? Where did this come from?
The old man immediately realized the origin of the item.

The old man thought to himself, "No wonder His Majesty doesn't seem unhappy at all; in fact, he's in a much better mood than before. He must have received some benefits."

The old man quickly stepped forward and carefully took the jade box away.

Emperor Qi remained seated, then closed his eyes to rest, his smile fading slightly.

Although he reached some cooperation agreements with Lu Zheng, it was quite troublesome to implement many things.

Moreover, some things are inextricably linked to Lu Zheng.

For example, whether the so-called revival of Confucianism and Taoism can be achieved and whether the sages of Confucianism and Taoism can return depends not only on Lu Zheng's help, but also on the efforts of the State of Qi.

Those classic originals aren't so easy to obtain.

On the other hand, Lu Zheng has caused so much trouble that he will inevitably face retaliation in the future.

Without Lu Zheng, it's hard to say how things will develop.

Emperor Qi thought again and realized that with Lu Zheng's abilities and luck, he probably wouldn't encounter any major calamities.

……

Outside the palace, someone spotted Lu Zheng finally emerging from the palace.

Seeing that Lu Zheng was safe and sound, some people were greatly disappointed and felt extremely uncomfortable, but this was also expected.

That person in the palace isn't out of her mind; she wouldn't really do anything to Lu Zheng.

Because there was really no legitimate reason to punish Lu Zheng.

Could it be that Lu Zheng violated some Great Qi law by asking the Emperor to clean house?
There are indeed no relevant provisions in the laws of the State of Qi...

After all, who could have imagined that something like this would happen?

Moreover, if Lu Zheng were truly suppressed, wouldn't that be a disguised form of opposing the Confucian sages?
Bringing such a matter to the forefront would undoubtedly cause the reputation of the Qi state to plummet.

Not to mention the official authorities, other families are now trying to distance themselves from those major clans to avoid damaging their reputation.

Being expelled from one's own family by one's own ancestors is enough to leave a lasting stain on one's reputation; who would want to risk such misfortune?

When some ministers of Qi saw Lu Zheng come out, they formed a group to request an audience with the Qi Emperor in order to find out what was going on.

Some people saw that although Lu Zheng harbored resentment, he dared not show it, and even avoided him at all costs.

Lu Zheng ignored the gazes of various people, both openly and secretly, and strode quickly out of Qidu.

In the next instant, Lu Zheng vanished from the spot.

In the blink of an eye, Lu Zheng arrived at the Jixia Academy once again.

There are still some powerful individuals remaining at the Jixia Academy.

Lu Zheng's appearance above the academy was quickly noticed by some people.

Some people were startled to see Lu Zheng arrive again.

No one expected Lu Zheng to launch a surprise attack.

Lu Zheng stood in mid-air and slowly began to recite the words of sages.

Its sound was like thunder in a clear sky, resounding throughout the entire Jixia Academy.

In an instant, a storm arose above the academy, with a massive surge of Confucian and Taoist energy breaking away from the academy.

Some Confucian and Taoist scholars within the academy and nearby areas all felt physical discomfort, as if Confucian and Taoist power was leaving their bodies.

A teacher from the academy was both shocked and furious. He had thought that Lu Zheng would restrain himself after going to the palace, but he never expected that he would come here to sever the fortunes of Confucianism and Taoism.

"Lu Zheng, you..."

Some people looked desperate. If this sacred place of Confucianism is also destroyed, how can Confucianism survive?

Perhaps a more accurate question isn't what will happen to Confucianism, but rather the future of people like them...

Lu Zheng's gaze was calm, and his voice was booming.

Zengzi said, "A scholar cannot but be resolute and persevering, for his burden is heavy and his journey is long. Is it not a heavy burden to take benevolence as one's own responsibility? Is it not a long journey to strive until death?"

……

In the Qi capital, within the imperial palace, a group of ministers awaiting an audience with the Qi Emperor felt a stirring in their hearts, once again experiencing the strange sensations in their bodies.

Everyone glanced sideways at the direction of the Jixia Academy, their faces showing a hint of horror.

It's still going on and on...

They thought that Lu Zheng wouldn't do anything else after his trip to the palace.

"How dare he..."

One minister clutched his chest, gritting his teeth in a low voice.

Some people looked gloomy. Lu Zheng dared to do this even after leaving the palace, which clearly meant he had the tacit approval of that person.

With the emperor's tacit approval, the last reliance of the major aristocratic families was severed...

Some elderly ministers looked ashen-faced, never expecting that as their lives were drawing to a close, they would end up disgracing themselves in their old age.

"puff……"

Upon realizing this, one of the ministers let out a muffled groan, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then fainted.

For a Confucian scholar with refined manners, it's not easy to faint.

This person is simply unwilling to face reality, so they've given themselves a dignified facade to escape the troubles to come.

Among the assembled officials, a young official who had previously returned from training in the Taiping Domain observed the situation with a cold eye.

"If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place." (End of Chapter)