Confucian and Taoist scholar

Upon hearing the young advisor's words, everyone's expressions changed.

At first glance, if we could really establish a connection with Singapore, it might actually increase our chances of winning.

Although they had never met Lu Zheng in person, they knew that the young man was extraordinary, and this matter was probably not easy to handle.

Upon hearing this, the seventh prince of Yan was intrigued and couldn't help but say, "If I were to go to Xin Kingdom to become Mr. Lu's disciple, he would truly be willing..."

The Seventh Prince lacked confidence, feeling that even if he went to the New Kingdom to meet Lu Zheng, the other party might not accept him as a student or let him work under Lu Zheng's name.

The young advisor smiled slightly, “There’s no need for such trouble. The situation in Yan is changing rapidly these days. Your Highness should remain here to oversee the central army. Your Highness must have read Mr. Lu’s works, right? You can simply address him as ‘Master’ and use this opportunity to promote him…”

Everyone looked at him strangely. This might fool the Yan people, but what if that person found out and came looking for them?
"Ah this..."

The Seventh Prince's expression changed slightly, feeling that such a suggestion was somewhat unreliable.

Some people couldn't help but say, "If this person uses that person's name and is investigated by them later, it could easily lead to their disgrace and ruin."

That person, when he gets ruthless, could even have a sage demolish all the Confucian and Taoist families.

How dare these people use Lu Zheng's reputation?

The young aide said calmly, "In this world today, which scholar has ever met Confucius? Yet he still reveres him as the Supreme Sage and Teacher. Even if Your Highness has never met Mr. Lu, does that mean you cannot respect him as your teacher?"

"If Your Highness learns from Mr. Lu's methods, can't you be considered Mr. Lu's student?"

"Your Highness can use this opportunity to promote yourself, promise a general amnesty, exempt the people from heavy taxes, and implement benevolent governance. Even if you can't achieve what the new kingdom has, I imagine the gentry and common people in various regions will sincerely welcome you and rush to surrender. At that time, your great cause can be accomplished..."

"Even if Mr. Lu comes knocking on your door in the future, if he knows that Your Highness is a benevolent ruler who loves his people, he will not blame Your Highness..."

"At that time, Your Highness can formally acknowledge him as your teacher and honor him as the Imperial Tutor. That would not be unreasonable."

"I have heard that the Emperor of Wei respectfully addresses him as 'Master,' and that we have a close relationship..."

After hearing this, everyone thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed feasible.

The young aide bowed again and said, "If Your Highness is still not at ease, I am willing to serve as an envoy to the new country to apologize to Mr. Lu first. I will do my best to persuade Mr. Lu..."

The seventh prince's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but feel eager to try.

He looked at his other subordinates and asked, "What do you all think?"

The group whispered among themselves for a while, and most of them agreed with the move.

Someone stroked their chin and pondered, "If they follow suit, won't there be any problems?"

The young aide said calmly, "Then let's see who the best student is."

The young aide paused, then continued, "There's no time to lose. Your Highness, please immediately issue some benevolent policies to all regions to stabilize public sentiment and prove yourselves to be Master Lu's disciples. From now on, everyone must adhere to discipline to avoid giving others cause for doubt..."

Upon hearing this, the Seventh Prince quickly replied, "Please tell me your suggestions in detail."

The young aide spoke slowly and deliberately, offering several suggestions.

For example, the people should be governed with benevolence, the soldiers under their command should abide by military discipline, and all officials should set an example and not act recklessly.

The young aide said, "Since we've borrowed Mr. Lu's reputation, if anyone doesn't follow the rules and acts recklessly, everyone will suffer the consequences. So I hope you all will restrain yourselves."

Some people were displeased upon hearing this, but they didn't say anything.

The Seventh Prince bluntly told everyone to do their jobs properly and not to make any mistakes, otherwise he would personally punish them as a warning to others.

Afterwards, the Seventh Prince bestowed official titles upon the young advisors and granted them tokens, sending them on a diplomatic mission to the new country, and also dispatching trusted experts to escort them.

The young staff member received orders to return to his residence and make preparations.

Back at his lodgings, the staff member leisurely packed his luggage, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.

"Yan Tian is dead, a new dynasty shall rise..."

……

Since the publication about the religion of Chu was sent to Chu, certain forces have been closely watching Chu's reaction.

The messages quickly spread to the Wei Kingdom, and the Wei Kingdom also quickly forwarded the intelligence to the Xin Kingdom so that everyone could have some fun.

Lu Zheng, Yuan Si, and Mi Yao flipped through the still-fresh intelligence reports.

Yuan Si said slowly, "The Chu Emperor is furious. I wonder how many people will lose their heads this time..."

Some people's fig leaves have been torn to shreds. If the Chu emperor doesn't punish some of them, the reputation of the Chu state will be completely ruined.

Yuan Si looked at Mi Yao, whose expression was still serious, and said, "I think the Chu Kingdom is in a mess right now, and they don't have the energy to come and retaliate against you."

Mi Yao kept a straight face and said those words, but by exposing the ugly side of the divine way to the public, she had completely made enemies of many gods.

She can't rest easy until some people die.

Lu Zheng asked, "Have you settled in well here lately?"

Mi Yao replied, "I've almost adapted. With my cultivation level, I can do more things."

Lu Zheng said, "If you want to make more contributions, go to the relevant departments to apply. There are professionals to review and assess you. We are short of many kinds of technical talents here. We'll see what you are most suitable for... We'll give you a new identity and a makeover. You should be safe from now on."

Mi Yao said quietly, "Recently, the publicity department wanted to interview me."

Lu Zheng smiled and said, "That's just their personality; they're always eager to create some big news. It's up to you to decide; they can't force you."

Just then, someone rushed over.

“Mr. Lu, someone claims to be an envoy from the Yan Kingdom and wants to meet you.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng asked, "The Yan Kingdom? Sent by the imperial court?"

The visitor shook his head and said, "No. According to the visitor, no one represents the Yan court now; they are all under the control of the seventh prince of Yan."

The seventh prince of Yan? Lu Zheng thought for a moment, but he had no recollection of this prince.

Lu Zheng had met and knew a great deal about the royal families of various dynasties, but he did not have a detailed understanding of each one.

This seventh prince of Yan had no connection with him whatsoever, yet now he had actually sent an envoy.

Lu Zheng felt a little curious, so he got up to meet the person.

Yuan Si asked in a low voice, "Which one is the seventh prince of Yan?"

Yuan Si thought for a while, but couldn't recall any information about this person, not even knowing his name.

Mi Yao, who was standing next to him, had the same reaction, thinking that he was probably just an insignificant prince in the Yan royal family, so outsiders didn't have much of an impression of him.

A short while later, Lu Zheng arrived at a reception room and met several envoys from the Yan Kingdom.

The young envoy at the head of the group bowed respectfully and said, "Envoy of Yan, greetings to Mr. Lu."

The people behind him also bowed, looking slightly nervous.

Lu Zheng looked at the group, his gaze settling on the young envoy, and a sense of déjà vu arose within him.

The messenger spoke, "I am acting on the orders of His Highness the Seventh Prince, and I have an important matter I wish to discuss with Mr. Lu privately." Lu Zheng nodded slightly, "Very well."

Lu Zheng then instructed the people next to him to take the other envoys to rest.

Upon seeing this, the envoys quickly took their leave and left. They were unwilling to stay any longer, fearing that Lu Zheng's anger might affect them during their later discussions.

After the others left, the young messenger bowed again, saying, "Please forgive me, sir!"

Lu Zheng smiled faintly and said, "Sit down and let's talk. I feel like I've seen you somewhere before."

The envoy hurriedly replied, "I came to Taiping Domain to study three years ago, and at that time I met you several times in the Eastern District. After I completed my studies, I returned to Yan with some friends..."

Lu Zheng nodded. "Many people have come and gone in the Taiping Domain over the years, and I have some impression of them all. Are you now working for the Seventh Prince of Yan?"

The envoy said, "I have temporarily chosen the Seventh Prince for the sake of the people of Yan."

Lu Zheng narrowed his eyes; his words were quite intriguing.

The messenger then said, "I am guilty; I presumptuously used your name..."

The messenger slowly recounted the story.

Lu Zheng's expression did not change upon hearing this.

The envoy saw that Lu Zheng was very calm and couldn't figure out his true thoughts.

Lu Zheng said unhurriedly, "In this world, many people have tried to smear me and tarnish my reputation. You have quite the nerve, thinking you can use my name to achieve great things. Aren't you afraid of the backlash?"

The envoy couldn't help but say, "If we suffer a backlash, it only means that we are not capable enough, and we can't blame anyone else."

Lu Zhengdao: "What is the condition of the Seventh Prince of Yan?"

Without hesitation, the envoy replied, "Very mediocre."

Lu Zheng's eyes flickered slightly. "Oh?"

The envoy sat up straight, his eyes gleaming, and said in a low voice, "To be honest, Mr. Lu, it was precisely because of his mediocrity that we chose him..."

"We all believe in Mr. Lu's vision of a peaceful world. The future Yan Kingdom may not have a monarch and his ministers, but it cannot be without them now..."

"For the State of Yan, it would be the best choice to have a mediocre ruler ascend to that position, allowing the State of Yan to enter a new era more quickly..."

"To serve the emperor is not our wish; to usher in a peaceful and prosperous era for the people of Yan is what we truly desire..."

As he spoke, the young envoy's eyes shone brightly.

"us?"

Lu Zheng looked at the envoy, scrutinizing the truthfulness of his words.

The envoy smiled and said, "Yes, we, the Yan Kingdom, have many patriots like me. Many of them have studied your ideas in the Taiping Domain before."

"Now, they are scattered across various factions, and some are even more capable than me. On the surface, we are each serving our own masters, but we are all working towards a common goal."

"I chose the Seventh Prince, and I am here representing him now. This is a result that we agreed upon a long time ago."

The messenger revealed all the secrets that were not known to outsiders.

A strange glint flashed in Lu Zheng's eyes; these were truly heroes of the world who could not be underestimated.

Lu Zheng asked, "So, you were also involved in the coup d'état and the sudden death of the emperor in Yan?"

Upon hearing this, the envoy said, "I was not directly involved and do not know the details of Emperor Yan's death, but I suspect that someone was secretly behind it..."

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "You wanted to emulate the story of the Wei Kingdom, but it turned out like this?"

The envoy touched his nose and said, "Someone did make such a suggestion at the time, but they were worried about failure and prepared some backup plans."

At that time, they also knew that the situations in Yan and Wei were very different, and that it would not be so simple to have a prince seize power and usurp the throne; it was very likely to fail.

The envoy was unsure whether his comrades had instigated the current situation in the State of Yan.

The envoy continued, "I am not here to ask you to take charge of the overall situation, sir. I only need your tacit approval. Once things are settled, we will find a way to annex the Yan Kingdom as soon as possible..."

In their eyes, the master they served was nothing more than a tool, and the future Yan state would eventually become part of the Taiping New State.

He only wants to borrow a name for now, and he is also worried that if Lu Zheng personally comes forward, it will frighten the forces in Yan Kingdom into uniting and pushing things in the opposite direction.

Lu Zheng couldn't help but say, "You guys really have the makings of something big; it's rare to see such an idea. But are you really confident you can make this happen?"

It has to be said that Lu Zheng quite admires these people; they unexpectedly caused such a big incident.

However, to have thrown the Yan state into such chaos, it's clear that they lacked the ability to do so.

The envoy said solemnly, "It all depends on human effort."

Lu Zheng thought for a moment and said, "Tell me about the current situation in the Yan Kingdom."

The envoy immediately sensed an opportunity and quickly shared what he knew, even revealing some future plans.

After listening, Lu Zheng pondered for a while before speaking: "I can help you with a little thing. Whatever happens to Yan Kingdom in the future, it doesn't matter if you can't join here. But I hope you will not forget your original intention and put the people first."

The envoy was overjoyed upon hearing this and said excitedly, "Thank you, sir!"

Lu Zheng slowly pressed his hand down, "You still have a long way to go, it's not time to be happy yet."

The envoy nodded repeatedly, but couldn't help smiling.

Lu Zheng put forward some of his thoughts and opinions.

The envoy sat upright and listened attentively, memorizing every word.

He discovered that Lu Zheng had some better policies and plans, and that he himself was still lacking in ability.

Afterwards, Lu Zheng presented the envoy with some newly compiled books from the new country for study, and also provided an object as proof.

The envoy was overjoyed and wanted to stay a few more days, but time was of the essence, so he hurriedly took his leave and prepared to return to report.

The messenger, carrying a long, rectangular wooden box, returned with his entourage.

One of the attendants looked at the wooden box that emanated spiritual energy and asked curiously, "Did Mr. Lu give this to you? What's inside?"

The young envoy regained his composure and said solemnly, "A sword, the sword of law enforcement. Since we are using Mr. Lu's name, if anyone disobeys or tarnishes his name, even the Sage can execute them."

The people around were startled upon hearing this and instinctively wanted to retreat further away.

Someone asked doubtfully, "This sword can slay a saint?"

A sword capable of slaying saints? How powerful must that be? They didn't believe the box contained such a supreme holy artifact.

The young envoy said calmly, "If it cannot be killed, Mr. Lu will personally come and kill it."

The group felt even more terrified and realized they needed to be more disciplined in the future. (End of Chapter)