The Shield Got to Work

"Confucianism!"

Throughout his reign, Emperor Jing had never placed Confucians in important positions, yet he had allowed them to spread and develop their teachings.

Although part of the reason was that the Confucians attached themselves to the court, it was more because Emperor Jing had laid a move in reserve.

Now the new emperor was putting that move to use.

Although allowing Confucianism to develop unchecked was like dancing on a blade's edge, as long as he used it properly, the Confucian School would be a blade in his hand.

Even if he only gave vague assurances and did things that seemed impressive but were actually useless, the Confucian School would advance at the new emperor's direction.

For example, he had asked Shen Peigong to revise the regulations for the Hall of Light. No matter how well Shen Peigong revised them, once submitted, they would be nothing more than words on paper.

As long as he did not put them into effect, nothing Shen Peigong did would make a difference.

Changing the beginning of the year was a revision of the calendar and held only commemorative significance, while changing the colors of official dress was a matter of ceremony. As for ascending Mount Tai to perform the Feng and Shan sacrifices, that was even further beyond the horizon.

The new emperor appeared to have agreed to many things, but it was all on the surface.

Yet if the Confucian School was to become the school of thought promoted throughout Great Han, these matters could not be avoided.

Promoting a school of thought was nothing unusual. Before unification, Great Qin had promoted the Legalists, and many of the states competing at the time had likewise promoted various schools to strengthen themselves.

History often repeated itself in striking ways. Emperor Jing had