The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

Chen Huai'an found it hard to understand; becoming a saint was no joke.

How could one become a saint simply by chanting "the mind is the principle," "extend one's innate knowledge," and "unity of knowledge and action"?

He never thought about that, and even when he uttered those words, it was just for show.

If it could really succeed, why would he need to fight to the death with the powerful families?

Of course, Chen Huai'an was also aware of the significance of this statement. After all, Wang Yangming was the only sage besides Confucius, and even in later generations, Zeng Guofan could only be considered half a sage.

But Wang Yangming's attainment of sainthood was not solely due to his pronouncements on the concepts of "the mind is principle," "extending innate knowledge," and "unity of knowledge and action."

"Don't talk nonsense," Chen Huai'an quickly waved his hands. "How could I possibly become a saint!"

"These are not jokes, so please don't spread them around in the future."

"Minister, we didn't just say that!" Ouyang Shu asked doubtfully. "This wasn't just what we said, but what Kong Yingda, Master Kong, and a group of great Confucian scholars, including Yan Shujian, all agreed upon."

"You once said that this philosophy of mind must be understood by oneself."

"In their spare time while unifying the interpretation of the classics, Confucius and his contemporaries would study this subject together."

"Everyone's understanding is similar, but they all agree that you are practicing the philosophy of mind."

"Whether it's providing work relief, putting people first, or offering all sorts of things that benefit the country and its people, they don't seek any fame or fortune. They chat with ordinary people like everyone else, and can sit on the dirty ground and laugh and talk with everyone."

"For various reasons, Master Kong and Yan Shujian said that you do indeed have the opportunity to become a new sage."

Chen Huai'an: "..."

He simply couldn't understand: "I was just doing my job, how did that get involved in becoming a saint?"

"But you proposed the philosophy of mind!" Chang Gui said matter-of-factly. "Confucius said that what makes a sage a sage is not what he said, but what he did."

"Isn't the philosophy of mind you proposed precisely about practice?"

"Think about it, the paper you produced, the books you printed, the official gazette you ran, the refined salt you manufactured, the new iron you forged—weren't all of these contributions beneficial to posterity? And what about the work relief programs? How many lives were saved?"

"Even accomplishing just one of these things would be enough to go down in history and be remembered by future generations."

"Okay, okay." Chen Huai'an was at his wit's end. "Don't talk about sainthood or anything like that. I never thought about becoming a saint. I just put forward a concept and did my job well. I don't count as a saint."

"Don't talk about this anymore."

Chang Gui and Ouyang Shu looked at each other, puzzled as to why their Minister seemed somewhat resistant.

However, they didn't think much of it. The reason why a saint is a saint is not because you claim to be a saint, but because everyone agrees that you are a saint.

Now that all the great Confucian scholars have agreed, once the philosophy of mind is carried forward and Chen Huai'an's reputation and prestige continue to rise, he will naturally become a sage.

Of course, the two of them also knew that such things could not be forced. Perhaps... they would not live to see that time, and even Chen Huai'an himself might not live to see that time.

Just like Confucius.

Although he was already famous during his lifetime, he did not become a saint.

When Confucius' disciples called him a sage, Confucius explicitly said, "As for sagehood and benevolence, how could I dare to claim that?"

It means, how could I possibly be worthy of the titles of saint and benevolent?

He himself did not intend to become a saint.

It was only after his death that he was gradually revered as a saint by later generations.

How similar is Chen Huai'an to Confucius today?

Once they figured this out, the two of them suddenly understood.

Perhaps... this is what a saint is.

Ouyang Shu looked at him with admiration: "Minister, we understand."

Chang Gui nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, we understand."

Chen Huai'an: "..."

What the hell do you guys know?

"Forget it, let's not talk about this anymore." He was speechless and instead asked, "Is the paper still being made? The second issue of the morning gazette will be published soon, and the Ministry of Works must not lag behind."

"Don't worry, Your Excellency," Chang Gui assured him, patting his chest. "We're overseeing the paper production; we guarantee the second issue of the court gazette won't be delayed."

Chen Huai'an began, "I think you may have some misunderstandings. The first issue of the Imperial Gazette only targeted Chang'an City and the surrounding counties, but the second issue will expand the scope."

"Therefore, using the standards of the first phase to prepare paper and such is definitely not enough."

"Ah!" Chang Gui was stunned. "Minister, but... no one told us this."

"We don't know."

Ouyang Shu did not dwell on the issue, saying, "Minister, if the scope is to be expanded, the amount of paper needed may increase several times over, and it will be difficult for us to prepare if we do not know when it will be issued."

"We can only do our best to make paper."

Chen Huai'an paused, then suddenly remembered that since they learned he was still alive, Wei Zheng and the others probably hadn't been paying much attention to the Ministry of Works, and therefore hadn't notified Chang Gui and the others.

To be honest, the two of them were unaware of this matter and thought that the second issue of the court gazette was the same as the first issue, so they had to blame themselves.

Thinking of this, Chen Huai'an pondered for a moment and said, "The demand for paper will continue to grow. The purpose of the court gazette is to be distributed throughout the entire Tang Dynasty, so following a step-by-step approach is definitely not feasible."

"Let's expand the paper production scale."

"Many of the Zheng family's businesses have been taken over. They used to be in charge of papermaking. Although my latest papermaking technology is a bit better than theirs, it is only an improvement to a certain extent."

"With a few modifications to their workshops, we can start production very quickly."

"The second issue of the morning gazette absolutely cannot be delayed!"

Ouyang Shu didn't speak, but his eyes flickered with a subtle change. Chang Gui almost couldn't hold back and whispered, "Minister, I heard that when you went out today, the people mistook you for a ghost."

"You're taking this so seriously, you wouldn't be hoping to revive yourself through the second issue of the morning gazette, would you?"

Chen Huai'an: "..."

"Damn it, you son of a bitch, it seems you've blurted out what's on your mind."

"You know that much, so why are you talking about your mother?"

"You don't need to rest!"

Chang Gui: "..."

"Haha..." Chang Gui chuckled dryly. "Minister, I will go to the Ministry of Revenue right away to inquire about the Zheng family's businesses. I absolutely guarantee that the second issue of the court report will not be delayed."

"Hmm!" Chen Huai'an said with a dark expression, making a nasal sound.

He really didn't want to have to explain to everyone that he wasn't dead every time he went out.

"Minister, then I'll go and get back to work." Ouyang Shu almost couldn't hold back his laughter, but he was still perceptive enough to decide to leave.

Chen Huai'an waved his hand: "Go back and rest. The Ministry of Works only has so many things to do now. Just leave them to the people below. I'm keeping an eye on things above."

"Yes, Minister."

The two of them left at the same time.

Chen Huai'an sat in the Ministry of Works' hall, rubbing his head: "Becoming a saint?"

"I should have known better than to show off like that!"

"..."