Tang Dynasty: Starting at Xuanwu Gate, this prince is better off not being one.

Upon hearing this, all the scholars present breathed a sigh of relief.

Kong Yingda was, after all, a descendant of Confucius. With the old man's words, even if Li Yu successfully lifted the stone, he would be labeled as "supernatural and bizarre." As for his idea of ​​establishing his own school of thought, it would be difficult to realize.

That's why the generals who understood Li Yu's thoughts were all on edge.

They were skilled at leading troops in battle, but when it came to academic discussions, all of them combined couldn't even equal Kong Yingda's eloquence, so naturally they couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Li Yu's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He had long expected that someone would jump out and try to stop him, but he never expected that someone would want to nip him in the bud, and that this person was none other than the respected Confucius.

Ultimately, he underestimated the ancients' steadfast adherence to their own ideas, which explains why some people would stubbornly cling to their beliefs.

However, if you are so closed-minded and unable to accept new things, can the Tang Dynasty still achieve long-term development?

The thought of his compatriots being slaughtered by foreigners more than a thousand years later filled Li Yu with immense heartache.

Why is this? This land has a civilization that has been passed down for thousands of years, yet in the end it suffered massacre and humiliation at the hands of what they call barbarians. Isn't it because they couldn't accept new things?

Whether it was the Cheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism of the early Song Dynasty, which made Confucianism the sole standard answer; or the eight-legged essay system for civil service examinations, literary inquisitions, or even the policy of closing the country to the outside world, anything new was seen as misleading the people, introducing barbarians into Chinese society, and violating ancestral laws. And what did this lead to? It led to a situation where others were flying airplanes everywhere, while we were still wielding sticks against them…

Since he came into this world, Li Yu had never been so angry as he was today, so even his tone became colder than ever before. "You keep shouting that the Tang Dynasty will last forever, but when the Tang Dynasty really needs to develop, you come here to cause trouble. You know what your true intentions are."

At this point, Li Yu glanced around expressionlessly, finally fixing his gaze on Kong Yingda: "Master Kong, I have always respected you from the bottom of my heart. While I cannot say that I completely agree with Confucianism, I sincerely believe that it has many merits. After all, there is a reason why Confucianism, as the mainstream ideology, has been able to endure for so long."

"I have always believed that Confucianism is indeed the most suitable ideology for governing the country, but I have never thought that it is a flawless gem."

At this moment, Li Yu was venting his dissatisfaction, so when he saw that Kong Yingda was about to say something, he immediately interrupted him, saying, "Don't be in such a hurry to refute me. I just want to ask you, do you people of later generations still practice the benevolence, propriety, and rule by virtue proposed by Confucius? How much of the original spirit of Confucianism remains in your hands?"

Li Yu really wanted to curse people, to curse those with distorted ideas. Confucianism originally emphasized human relationships, pragmatism, and mutual respect between ruler and subject. Later, a scoundrel in the Han Dynasty forcibly tied Confucianism to Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and the interaction between Heaven and Man, ultimately leading to what it is today.

Of course, he couldn't say these things, nor did he dare to. Although his actions were already impulsive, if he refuted these theories of divine intervention, he would be killed for threatening imperial power.

He was afraid of death; after all, only those who have died once truly understand the pain of death. At the same time, he was also filled with sorrow—not sorrow for the distortion of Confucianism, but sorrow for himself.

From the moment he came into this world until now, without his status as a prince or grandson of the emperor, he would probably have died long ago. After all, any sign of being different would bring him trouble. That's why he lived so cautiously in the Tang Dynasty.

Back then, when Lu Deming said that being sharp and assertive could be used on others but not on oneself, he didn't understand. Only now does he truly comprehend it. Because others' sharpness is always based on not exceeding what others can comprehend, while his own understanding is completely out of step with the world.

The old man saw all this from the beginning, which is why he reminded himself of it. His own goal was simply to live a good life. But even so, he was always treated as an oddity by Li Yuan, Li Er, and these ministers.

That's why he wanted to open a school to teach physics, just so he could appear to be one of the many ordinary physicists in the Tang Dynasty...

Now, his idea had almost been thwarted before it even began, and he grew increasingly angry, his words becoming scathing: "Master Kong, you claim to be a descendant of Confucius, yet you now contradict the sage's thoughts. What face do you have left?"

Li Yu's last words were like daggers, leaving Kong Yingda speechless. He could only point at Li Yu with a trembling finger, unable to utter another word for a long time.

Seeing the fierce firepower Li Yu unleashed, and out of respect for his status as a prince, the surrounding crowd dared not say anything more. Even Quan Wanji, who was always looking for trouble, fell silent.

After waiting for a while and seeing that no one else would respond, Li Yu bowed to Li Er, who was watching the spectacle, and said, "Your Majesty, do I still need to verify the authenticity of this stone?"

Upon hearing this, Li Er looked at Yuchi Gong and said, "Jingde, go and take a look."

"yes!"

Upon receiving the order, Yuchi Gong quickly arrived in front of the boulder. He rolled up his sleeves, hugged the stone, and began to exert force with both arms.

He exerted all his strength, until his face turned dark red, but the stone remained unmoved.

He kicked it again, and finding it still the same, he reported to Emperor Taizong: "Your Majesty, I have tried my best to move this boulder, but I have been unable to do anything about it."

Yuchi Gong's immense strength was known to all the officials and military officers in the court, so no one questioned it.

Li Er nodded, a faint smile on his face, and uttered only three words: "Let's begin."

After saying that, he sat down in the chair and waited quietly for Li Yu's performance.

"Yes, sir!"

A fleeting look of gratitude flashed in Li Yu's eyes at Li Er's actions. He then began to hang ropes on the stone with the craftsmen, while Li Tai and Cheng Chumo, who had been by his side, joined in.

After a long while, once he had confirmed that the stone was securely tied, Li Yu calmly walked to the other end of the lever and then hoisted it onto his shoulder.

He took a deep breath and then slowly stood up. As he stood up, the pulleys that were wrapped with ropes began to move.

Then, something astonishing happened.

The massive boulder, which was tightly bound with ropes, was lifted up and slowly lifted off the ground.

"Get up! Get up!"

.........