Deliberations

"The Empress Dowager may not be as powerful as we imagined!"

"No one has ever escaped unscathed after being targeted by Zhu Jiuyin!"

"The Yangling incident may have a more profound impact than we imagine. If the Empress Dowager is seriously injured, then I can understand why she targeted Zhao Wan and Wang Zang so quickly, and even went to great lengths to suppress our Confucian School!"

"She may very well expel us with a speed we can't even imagine, making all our previous efforts futile!"

We must act immediately!

"Perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps the day after, the imperial court will make a final decision on these matters. Our chances won't be many!"

The Confucius Temple has an inner hall and an outer hall.

Inside the inner hall were Shen Peigong and a few others, while in the outer hall were the coffins of Zhao Wan and Wang Zang, and several Confucian School scholars were presiding over the memorial ceremony.

Shen Peigong constantly communicated with several of his favorite students, hoping that they could lend him a helping hand.

No matter what, the imperial palace of the Great Han Dynasty was like a dragon's den and a tiger's lair; there was only the option of falling in, and no one had ever truly fought their way in and out seven times.

Even though Shen Peigong possessed Confucian School ideals and was not without his share of madness, he was not truly insane and would not do anything without certainty.

"Teacher, what technique are you planning to use against her?" Zhou Ba asked in a low voice.

"The chances of defeating her with normal magic are extremely slim, and we don't have that much time to fight her. We can only fight a quick battle," Shen Peigong said. "I have a technique called the Sword-Drawing-to-Slay-Life Technique. Every time the sword is drawn, it will shorten her lifespan. The Empress Dowager is already old, and she will surely be killed by my technique!"

We are willing to protect our teacher!

Zhou Ba bowed his head, indicating that he would definitely protect Shen Peigong's safety during the magical duel.

"We are also willing to protect our teacher!"

Xia Kuan, Dang Lu, and others all agreed.

The Confucian scholars looked at each other, and there was no shortage of mutual encouragement.

Shen Peigong had already charged ahead, and having learned of the relevant information, they had no choice but to follow suit.

"I shouldn't have sent Yuan Gu back then. If he had helped with his hidden Yin-Yang techniques, the chances of success would have been much higher," Shen Peigong lamented. "But the biggest problem with Confucian School is that there are so many schools of thought, and we lack the definitive authority of Sage Kong. No two Confucian schools in different regions Qi Ingestion of each other's authority, and when they come together to act, internal strife is inevitable. At that time, we had no choice but to resort to a less desirable strategy."

"The teacher sent him back for his own good. Although the great Confucian scholar Yuan Gu is skilled in Yin and Yang, only Xiahou Shichang is worth mentioning among his disciples. It would be difficult for him to establish himself in the court. Not only would it be difficult for him to unite with us, but he would also be constantly arguing with us," Zhou Badao said.

"The followers of Han Taifu of Yan, Fu Sheng of Jinan, Tian Sheng of Zichuan, and Dong Zhongshu of Zhao are not as powerful as our Lu School," Xia Kuan said. "Only we can take the lead in this matter!"

"Success or failure depends on the teacher's gamble," Danglu whispered. "If she is killed by the teacher's sword-drawing technique, we may be able to force our way into the court to replace Zhao Wan and Wang Zang, and strive to fill the court with our Confucian scholars."

"Indeed, as long as we raise our banner, Confucian scholars from all over the country will eventually converge on the imperial court, forming a unified whole!"

"Danglu is right, our Confucian school will surely be unified again!"

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in the eyes of the assembled scholars.

As long as Shen Peigong suspects that the Empress Dowager has been injured in her fight with Zhu Jiuyin, this will be their chance to seize the opportunity.

When the Great Han Dynasty's greatest backer fell, the dynasty had to find someone to rely on.

The new emperor couldn't hold on, and the King of Huainan would also find it difficult to maintain the Great Han dynasty. In the end, they would inevitably unite with the Confucian School, rather than suppressing Confucian School.

The fact that everyone was plotting under the Sage Kong made Kong Zhong and the others who were listening in tremble a little.

Back then, they were ignored by Zhao Wan and her group in the same way, which led to evidence being presented to expose them. Now, it seems that the same old story is repeating itself.

Given the chance, Kong Zhongzhen really wanted to report them, rather than stick with Shen Peigong and his ilk on this sinking ship.

What Confucian School unification, what inheritance for thousands of generations, is far less important than their ability to survive. In terms of survival, they have indeed always followed Lineage education.

He grumbled and whined for a while, but ultimately had no choice but to follow along because he couldn't get away.

After Shen Peigong and the others decided to exit through the back gate of the Confucius Temple, they called out to Kong Zhong and the others twice, and Kong Zhong and the others had no choice but to follow.

They left through the back door!

Zhang Xuezhou, having escaped the mortal realm, not only saw but also heard.

When Du Wencai escaped from Yangpo to investigate, he brought back a message.

This left Kong Anguo speechless for a moment, and he was also curious about what methods Zhang Xuezhou had used to eavesdrop on more detailed information than Du Wencai had.

"Let's follow them," Kong Anguo said. "As long as we can roughly determine their location, we'll know who they're targeting and can also dig an escape route in advance!"

People are currently speculating about Shen Peigong's actions, but it still needs to be fully confirmed.

It doesn't matter if Du Wencai's efforts are in vain; the real problem is if he fails to meet up with Kong Zhong and the others, thus delaying their chance to escape.

"Thank you very much, Brother Dongfang!"

Kong Anguo's actions were somewhat risky, and he couldn't easily ask Zhang Xuezhou for help.

After Du Wencai nudged Kong Anguo several times and whispered something, Kong Anguo looked at Zhang Xuezhou with a troubled expression.

"I have another matter I'd like to trouble Brother Dongfang with," Kong Anguo said after thinking for a few seconds.

"Brother Kong, please speak freely," Zhang Xuezhou said, spreading his hands.

"I'd like to borrow the imperial edict from Brother Dongfang for self-defense," Kong Anguo said, his face flushed. "Don't worry, I won't lend you this treasure for nothing. Uncle Du said we can borrow it for a few days with this amount of money. As long as Teacher Shen Pei finishes his business, we will definitely return the imperial edict!"

"Yes, you take the money, we take the order. We won't use your order for nothing," Du Wencai nodded repeatedly.

"This... is fine!"

Zhang Xuezhou had never seen a situation where someone gave a gift and then immediately withdrew money to borrow it for temporary use.

Zhang Xuezhou had no need to use the Sage Kong Decree, nor did he want to use this scourge.

Zhang Xuezhou felt that the more people who borrowed money for a day or two, the better, since he didn't mind.

"Brother Dongfang is truly a gentleman," Kong Anguo said happily.

"You're a decent person," Du Wencai agreed. "We listened to you and avoided the risk of our entire family being killed by His Majesty. Now you've lent us a treasure to ensure our safety. As long as we survive, you'll be our friend from now on!"

"You're welcome!"

Zhang Xuezhou took the money bag from Du Wencai and, without hesitation, pointed ahead and led the way.

The crowd split into two groups.

Du Wencai tracked down Shen Peigong and others, while Kong Anguo followed Zhang Xuezhou home to retrieve the Sage Kong Decree.

Zhang Xuezhou found this situation rather strange and found it difficult to understand Kong Anguo and Du Wencai's thought processes. He ultimately attributed it to the generation gap caused by the different eras and cultures.

He doesn't understand these people, nor can he become one of them, but he enjoys associating with them.