A Long Journey

It is indeed possible that Dong Zhongshu will return to Chang'an City.

Zhang Xuezhou rarely had time to relax at home, but he still heard about it from Kong Anguo's visit after he had cleaned himself up.

"You mean Shen Peigong applied to the court to resign, and also guaranteed that the Lu School of Confucian School would never enter the Chang'an court again?"

"Yes, the imperial entourage has already gone to escort Lord Shen Pei back to Lu, and they left early this morning!"

Kong Anguo nodded repeatedly.

Shen Peigong's departure from Chang'an City was a good thing, as it signified the complete defeat of Confucian School in Chang'an City and meant that the Confucius family would never be used by Shen Peigong again.

Although Shen Peigong cursed the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager did not find any concrete evidence, making it even more difficult to determine the truth of the matter.

With thousands upon thousands of Confucian School scholars standing behind him, many of whom had even infiltrated various departments of the imperial court, Shen Peigong's lifeline became his secret weapon.

As long as Shen Peigong doesn't cause trouble in Chang'an City, the other party's life is more meaningful than his death.

Of course, if Shen Peigong does not know when to advance or retreat, and has no guarantee, the Empress Dowager will most likely be ruthless enough to eliminate him completely, even if it causes Confucian School grudges.

With Shen Peigong on his deathbed and resigning, this struggle came to an end.

Although it was said that the imperial court was escorting Shen Peigong back to Lu, it looked more like a form of surveillance and investigation.

In this struggle, one side knew when to back down, while the other, though willing, lacked the strength and ultimately chose to yield.

The clashes between the two were not intense; after a brief exchange of words, the matter was settled.

Thinking of the great Confucian scholar Yuan Gu who was scolded away, Dong Zhongshu who was forced to leave, and the great Confucian scholar Mei Cheng who died of illness on the way, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a little sad.

"So it seems that Master Dong's return to Chang'an City won't be too long!"

Dong Zhongshu was outmatched and agreed to Shen Peigong's request to retreat three times. Now that Shen Peigong was no longer in Chang'an City, Dong Zhongshu could return.

During his conversation with Kong Anguo, Zhang Xuezhou pondered the situation and felt that his good days were drawing ever closer.

This involves not only the study of Huangsha Sect's Technique Method, but also connections within the imperial court.

Although Zhang Xuezhou was willing to heed Yao Yuanguang's advice not to form factions, his friends were clearly not in that category. Certain connections would be beneficial to him, especially those like Dong Zhongshu who were also seeking to influence the world.

"Brother Dongfang, His Majesty has issued an edict ordering us to accompany him. Where exactly is His Majesty going?"

Kong Anguo wasn't just idly visiting Zhang Xuezhou's house to chat; he had something he wanted to ask.

Kong Anguo had absolutely no idea what was going on in the current court.

He felt that His Majesty seemed to be the master of the Great Han Dynasty, but not quite like one.

At this time, the King of Huainan was still in Chang'an City and had not yet left, but the new emperor wanted to travel far away, completely putting aside the affairs of the court.

Kong Anguo felt this was very wrong. The fact that the enfeoffed princes brought many retainers into Chang'an City was a significant event. If the emperor were more suspicious, he might even suspect them and want to rebel. However, the new emperor didn't care about anything, which was completely inconsistent with the situation described in the book.

"His Majesty's trip is probably to pay respects to his ancestors," Zhang Xuezhou replied casually. "We can just follow along and get to know the people."

"Ancestor worship is indeed a very important matter!"

If you were to talk to Kong Anguo about other things, he would find the emperor's behavior utterly absurd, but ancestor worship was perfectly acceptable.

Filial piety and brotherly love are very important components in Confucian School classics.

A person who is filial to his parents and obedient to his elder brothers is unlikely to behave improperly.

Filial piety and brotherly love are extremely important criteria for judgment. The new emperor's filial piety and brotherly love prove that he is not a fool, and also conform to Kong Anguo's aesthetic concept.

"I heard they'll be setting off in two days. I'll go prepare a new set of clothes so as not to embarrass His Majesty during the ancestral worship ceremony," Kong Anguo said happily.

"One set... it's no problem for you to prepare two or three new sets of clothes," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"Brother Dongfang possesses the qualities of a true gentleman; he is a model for us all!"

Kong Anguo said something seemingly out of the blue, and it wasn't until Kong Anguo left excitedly that Zhang Xuezhou came to his senses.

"This time, we're not going to Yangling to pay respects to our ancestors!"

The new emperor's ancestral worship was a genuine act of venerating his ancestors, not an act of worshipping Emperor Jing.

Yangling is already in chaos, and the imperial court may have to clean up the mess. It won't be possible to send anyone there for a while.

Recalling the new emperor's mention of a distant journey, Zhang Xuezhou Zhang Xuezhou that the new emperor's ancestral worship ceremony would be held in a very far distance.

"I never imagined I'd be leaving Chang'an City in just two days!"

Zhang Xuezhou thought about his own limited mobility.

If the new emperor doesn't mind, he can bring his family to take care of him, and even invite a physician to accompany him. If there aren't many seats available in the entourage, he will have to rely on the court's arrangements for everything.

Having finally settled down and escaped the many troubles, Zhang Xuezhou never expected to have to embark on another journey so soon.

"I'm destined to be a workaholic; I can never sit still!"

Although he complained and grumbled, Zhang Xuezhou was still very satisfied with the trip.

Having obtained the Suihou Pearl, his temporary departure from Chang'an City would prevent him from being implicated by the King of Huainan.

Compared to his usual brief interactions with the new emperor, this time he will have a longer period of time around the new emperor, allowing him to perceive the new emperor more clearly and address some minor issues related to his cultivation techniques.

Given enough opportunity, Zhang Xuezhou might even take this chance to begin practicing his martial arts.

Having gone through the practice of the "Tomb Classic" and with Rong Tianding promoting the "Tomb Classic" in Chang'an City, Zhang Xuezhou had already figured out some of the secrets of cultivation techniques.

This kind of practice is definitely not about who is more diligent, but about who can insert themselves at the right time and at the right point, so as to have enough power to propel them forward.

He had been studying the scriptures for a long time, but with the help of Emperor Jing, he was able to realize his wish to study the scriptures in a short time.

The same applies to the entry point for cultivating and practicing martial arts.

Given the right opportunity, Zhang Xuezhou could achieve twice the results with half the effort by embarking on his cultivation of martial arts.

The only thing that worries Zhang Xuezhou right now is that his cultivation of techniques will inevitably clash with the new emperor, and this conflict may even be difficult to resolve.

If Dong Zhongshu also practices cultivation techniques, cannot find a solution, it is highly likely that the two will become adversaries in the future.

"We must hold out for at least eighteen years!"

Zhang Xuezhou considered his physical condition and felt that his good fortune would last for at least eighteen years.

If he cannot soar to the heavens and shake off the extraterrestrial demons, his luck will be useless after his failure.

Zhang Xuezhou hoped that the conflict between himself and the new emperor would come later after he finished cultivating his cultivation techniques, so that he could safely weather the calamity.

If the threat of the extraterrestrial demons can be resolved, it wouldn't be a problem for him to leave the Great Han Dynasty and avoid conflict.

Zhang Xuezhou pondered for a while, then couldn't help but glance in the direction of Dong Zhongshu's residence again.

If an opportunity arises to cultivate the art of magic, Zhang Xuezhou obviously wouldn't wait to discuss it with Dong Zhongshu; instead, he would choose to do so after getting on the train.

As for the problems that follow, they will undoubtedly be addressed later.

No one can guarantee that cultivation will be smooth sailing!

Thinking about how his chaotic cultivation techniques had eventually led him to the Body Transformation Realm, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but agree that the opportunity for his cultivation clearly exceeded the traditional, step-by-step approach.