National Division

Chapter 62 The Match (Seeking monthly votes!)
Qianyuan Hall, Rear Hall
The Empress did not wait idly and asked the Imperial Advisor Murong Yue about Xue Zhihua's experiences along the way.

“Since Prince Qing’s rebellion, there have been more and more demons and monsters causing chaos throughout the land. Strange celestial phenomena have occurred frequently in various places, and crops have failed. In addition, the officials of various prefectures and counties have been levying exorbitant taxes and levies. As a result, many people have fled to Jiangnan. In the countryside, people who are barely clothed can be seen everywhere.” Xue Zhihua said, her tone gradually becoming heavy.

The Empress sighed, “Last year, when Yunzhou was hit by heavy snow, the governor of Yunzhou reported that many people had frozen to death. Last summer in May, Puzhou suffered a severe drought and locusts swarmed everywhere. The governor of Puzhou reported that many people had dragged their families to Xijing for food.”

"The severe drought in Puzhou is caused by the ferocity of the drought demon and the rampant locust plague," Murong Yue said.

"Those treacherous villains use celestial phenomena and calamities to subtly criticize me. Even in the time of Yao and Shun, there were three years of drought followed by three years of floods." The Empress nodded, her voice cold and menacing. "Do they really think I don't know that they are the ones who are causing trouble, colluding with evil spirits, and harming the people?"

Just then, the eunuch reported, "Your Majesty, Eunuch Gao has returned."

"Xuan."

A short while later, Gao Yanfu led a tall, slender young man in a blue robe into the hall.

The Empress gazed intently at the young man, thinking to herself, "What a handsome and elegant young man."

His image perfectly matched the Empress's imagination of a national hero.

Putting aside his appearance, just that otherworldly and carefree demeanor—a banished immortal!

Murong Yue looked at the young man with a questioning look in her eyes.

This person is at the first level of martial arts cultivation? Of course, that doesn't prove anything.

"This humble subject greets Your Majesty the Heavenly Empress, may Your Majesty live a thousand years!" Shen Xian bowed in greeting.

"Mr. Shen, please rise. Someone, please bring a seat."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Xian stood up and then saw the Empress's full face.

With a broad forehead and wide jaw, phoenix eyes and dragon neck, he possessed unparalleled elegance and dignified presence.

The Empress smiled warmly, her previous coldness gone: "After reading Mr. Shen's memorial, I felt as if I were drinking fine wine, and his words were profound and well-organized. However, I still have many questions and would like to ask him for guidance."

At this moment, the Supreme Being of the Nine Provinces still held Shen Xian's memorial in his hand, vividly demonstrating what it means to be so attached to something.

Shen Xian said, "The memorial has limited space and has not been able to be fully elaborated. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Actually, he did it on purpose. The policy document itself could not be detailed in terms of implementation rules. Otherwise, if they could get the operation manual, what would they need him for?
The Empress Dowager asked impatiently, "How will martial arts academies be established for this martial arts examination?"

Shen Xian said, "The Holy Empress has already set up the Qilin Ranking in the Qilin Pavilion in the capital. We can take this opportunity to establish martial arts schools in various prefectures and counties, popularize martial arts techniques, and cultivate martial arts disciples, so as not to let the Taoist sect dominate."

Not everyone is qualified to cultivate Taoist arts; these people need to be trained in martial arts and recruited into the army.

Murong Yue frowned subconsciously at first, but then relaxed.

Cultivating life without cultivating nature will ultimately lead to nothing.

The Empress nodded, finding the implementation quite feasible, and asked, "How exactly should the Demon Law be drafted?"

Shen Xian said, "I can begin compiling the Demon Law for the Holy Empress. At the same time, the Vermilion Bird Bureau should work together to compile the 'Illustrated Compendium of Demons and Monsters of the Nine Provinces' by classifying all demons by good and evil, type and habits. Not only the Demon Law, but also the Dao Law that governs Daoists should be promulgated. Those who do not have the merit of slaying demons will no longer receive the Daoist offerings from the imperial court."

In my previous life, I was a law student, so my legal knowledge was already quite solid, not to mention that I could often exercise the power of emergency legislation.

“Taiqing and Shangqing are fine, but Daoist Yuqing will definitely object,” the Empress said.

Murong Yue said, "Taiqing does not concern itself with worldly affairs and is indifferent to the common people. Many Taoists would rather not receive Taoist land offerings than be bound by the imperial court."

Ultimately, at the beginning of Li Jing's reign, the founding monarch relied heavily on Taoism and even claimed to be a descendant of Taiqing.

Shen Xian said, "The Taiqing lineage is still a minority, and besides, not all members of the Taiqing lineage are like this."

Murong Yue said in a clear voice, "Among the four caves and two sects of the Taiqing lineage, there are also those willing to slay demons and eliminate evil."

The Empress said, "We will follow Mr. Shen's advice, but we should proceed slowly."

She had already figured it out: divide and win them over, persuade them with reason, appeal to their emotions, and entice them with benefits.

Shen Xian said, "The power to discuss matters of the world should belong to the emperor. No one should make irresponsible remarks about the central government's policies. Before the Empress opens the imperial examinations, she can use newspapers and other means to promote the teachings of immortals and heroes to the people."

In other words, they need to first compete with the Taoist sect for the right to speak in public opinion.

"The Way of Immortals and Heroes?" Upon hearing these four words, Murong Yue suppressed a slight tremor in her heart and asked, "What... is the Way of Immortals and Heroes?"

"The way of the immortals is to be immortals in the mountains and mortals when they descend. The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people, and the most holy immortals are those who have compassion for all living beings." Shen Xian's voice rose and fell, almost like metal and stone. In the spacious hall, his clear and stirring voice, like celestial music, inspired a sense of solemnity in everyone.

"The torrent of humanity flows like a galaxy, vast and eternal. The way of Heaven is to take from the surplus and give to the deficiency, while the way of humanity is to take from the deficiency and give to the surplus. The Three Pure Ones' great teachings, whether they substitute their own heart for the heart of Heaven, or use their own heart to elucidate the heart of Heaven, or even seize a sliver of heavenly secrets, cannot be separated from the eternal prosperity of humanity!"

Upon hearing this, Murong Yue was struck dumb, her heart jolting.

Because this is all part of her philosophy!
But the young man before him spoke from a novel and intuitive point of view. It could be said that at this moment, Shen Xian was not only debating the path of humanity versus the path of immortality, but also touching upon the path of heaven.

If it weren't for the fact that his cultivation level was so insignificant, people would believe he was a Daoist deity descended to earth.

They founded their own school of thought and established their own unique style.

Murong Yue's heart was filled with excitement. Her fair and delicate cheeks flushed slightly, and her internal energy seemed to rise slightly. Her cultivation, which had been stagnant at the peak of the seventh realm, seemed to be about to advance to the eighth realm.

Shen Xian's tone at this moment was so profound that it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he was a sage preaching.

When it comes to commenting on the three religions, only the founder of Taoism has the confidence to do so.

This was an era that revered metaphysical discussions and philosophical debates. Shen Xian stood on the shoulders of countless intellectual giants. The higher one's cultivation, the more one respected the Way of Heaven, and the more one could sense the profound meaning in the young man's words.

The diva looked at the young man, her heart stirred with emotion.

Although the Heavenly Empress did not fully understand the Way of Heaven, she did understand the Way of the Immortals and Heroes, which required all three religions to submit to the Human Emperor.

This statement greatly suits the temperament of the master.

Gu Nanzhu looked at the young man with a complicated expression, and suddenly said, "The local powerful families and gentry have deep roots in their local power, and they use their sons to serve as minor officials in the localities, while they outwardly comply with the imperial decrees but inwardly defy them. How can this problem be eradicated?"

Talking about metaphysics and philosophy is ultimately just empty talk, and policy proposals may be mere theoretical exercises; everything depends on the ability to govern the world.

Otherwise, she would have advised the Empress that this man was a charlatan and should not be trusted.

"Every official must be tested before being promoted, and officials must be replaced accordingly," Shen Xian said.

This tactic is specifically designed to combat nepotism among county-level officials.

"Tests are required for every entry?"

The diva chewed on those four words, her face showing a thoughtful expression.

Shen Xian, with a nonchalant expression, said: "Holding national and provincial-level selection examinations with unified questions will select grassroots officials and assign them to local areas. Even local powerful families cannot all enter officialdom through hereditary privilege. If their illegitimate children want to become officials, they can implicate their families and be used by the court. At the same time, talented scholars from the countryside, who cannot enter the government due to their family background, can avoid causing trouble if they can take the exam to become officials."

This is actually another timeline, a version of the "Decree of Grace" from the reign of Emperor Wu of Han.

The powerful families that governed the prefectures and magistrates did not have only one son; they also had other sons born out of wedlock. Did these people want to advance in their careers?

There were also a large number of young men from rural villages who entered the grassroots through examinations; these were the true staunch supporters of imperial power.

Otherwise, Huang Chao would really be on his way.

Of course, it is also necessary to popularize education on the rule of law and benevolence, as well as loyalty to the emperor and patriotism, and reduce the cost of acquiring knowledge by simplifying characters. Why were the five surnames and seven noble families so powerful?
Because their families had a large collection of books, passed down poetry and literature, and studied Taoist scriptures, how could children from poor families possibly compete with them?

However, this is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It requires not only digging into the roots of Taoism in terms of ideology and cultural lifeline, but also eliminating the pernicious influence of Taoism in the way officials are selected and appointed. This step will inevitably be met with a backlash, so we can only proceed step by step and gradually erode it.

"At the same time, the central government selects the most capable and outstanding officials from the grassroots level to serve in the six ministries of the central government and in local prefectures and counties, thus mobilizing the best talents in the country through personnel transfers," Shen Xian said.

These became mature political experiences for later generations, readily applicable to any situation.

"Selection?" Empress Cui Li's beautiful eyes, beneath her willow-leaf eyebrows, were already shining, her heart filled with excitement.

This system of examiners and self-recommendation could further undermine the system of hereditary privilege.

Or rather, Shen Xian has mastered a series of deadly moves and combinations; don't worry, there's bound to be one that suits you.

Steaming buns, don't you need a tool?

At this moment, the hall fell into a deathly silence.

They were all processing the words of the young man before them.

　The dialogue isn't over yet; I'll release it again tomorrow. The officialdom is only one part of this book. There are three main storylines: the path of officialdom, the path of immortality, and the harem. Later on, there will be plots such as treasure hunting in secret realms, martial arts rankings, immortality rankings, battles and schemes, and vibrant romance... Please be patient.

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(End of this chapter)