Strengthening the Nation through Farming and Warfare

Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu had many conversations.

It involves using the position of Grand Master of the Palace to promote the ritual system, targeting the King of Huainan, influencing the new emperor's thinking, using magic, and Dong Zhongshu's extremely special cultivation of the True Self Realm.

The two men had a complex conversation, which even prompted Dong Zhongshu to adjust his mindset.

After spending half a day tidying up, Zhang Xuezhou also chose to take a carriage to the palace in the early morning.

He has always preferred a fast pace and has absolutely no intention of procrastinating.

"What? Dongfang Shuo went to the palace?"

The sage's theory of unification originated from Dong Zhongshu, but after hearing Zhang Xuezhou's exchange on the art of movement, Dong Zhongshu was moved and fell into deep thought and revision. His time to regain his composure was actually longer than Zhang Xuezhou's.

It wasn't until late in the morning, while Dong Zhongshu was eating, that he learned of Zhang Xuezhou to the palace.

"How... how is he supposed to explain this?"

Dong Zhongshu was well-versed in the classics and spoke fluently, relying heavily on his oral explanations.

However, Zhang Xuezhou's request put him in a dilemma, forcing him to revise the content he had prepared before coming.

Before Dong Zhongshu could even begin to recount the contents of his work, Zhang Xuezhou had already rushed off to the palace.

Clearly, Dong Zhongshu compiled one copy, and Zhang Xuezhou also compiled one copy.

Dong Zhongshu simply didn't know how Zhang Xuezhou would present his ideas, or whether they would have a sufficiently beneficial impact on Confucian School.

"Only when the world reveres Confucianism, Only Me Confucian School alone is honored, can I achieve the unification of Confucian texts and thus obtain the simplest basic condition for a unified empire!"

Dong Zhongshu looked towards the direction of the imperial palace in Chang'an City, his eyelids blinking repeatedly, his mind filled with various thoughts.

Meanwhile, in the palace, Zhang Xuezhou stood obediently in a row in the main hall of the Weiyang Palace, drowsily listening to the court officials' heated debates, while the new emperor, sitting on the throne in the main hall of the Weiyang Palace, listened expressionlessly to the officials' discussions.

"Lord Dongfang, it's rare to see you involved in court affairs. Do you have any suggestions for revising the established rituals?"

The courtiers made a ruckus for two hours, and it wasn't until almost the end that Prime Minister Xu Chang politely inquired about Zhang Xuezhou.

Many ministers also scanned the officials, taking in their official robes.

In the end, everyone felt there was nothing wrong with it, and even the most picky imperial physician couldn't find a single fault with it.

In the early stages of Zhang Xuezhou's reform of etiquette, there were many people who criticized him, but after everyone got used to it, they felt that it was just a matter of wearing the official robes provided by the court. It wasn't difficult. If you wore the wrong one, you could just change into another one to enter the palace. After finishing your official business, you could change back if you didn't want to wear it anymore.

The matter wasn't complicated, and after the complaints subsided, everyone realized that this system of etiquette was actually quite good.

At least everyone was dressed clearly and seated properly in the court, so there was no longer any chance of being mistaken for someone else.

There was a slight growing pain at first from this small change, but it turned out very well once it was finished.

At this point, no one made a mistake, no one was punished, and therefore no one had any complaints about Zhang Xuezhou.

If we encounter further changes to etiquette, people will be more accepting of them.

"I have a method for strengthening the country, but I don't know whether I should speak about it or not," Zhang Xuezhou said after a few seconds of thought.

"You're not talking about the reform of etiquette anymore?" Prime Minister Xu Chang asked in surprise.

"Does my position mean I can only talk about etiquette reform and not anything else?" Zhang Xuezhou asked. "If that's not allowed, then I have nothing to say!"

"Court officials each have their duties, but they are not forbidden from speaking out," Xu Chang said. "If Lord Dongfang has a method to strengthen the country, he may present it in court!"

"Dongfang Shuo, what methods do you have to strengthen the country? Tell me quickly!"

In the imperial court, the new emperor sat on a high seat, a rare occurrence for him.

But the court politics remained unchanged. This was Xu Chang and Zhuang Qingdi's domain, and many court officials were led by the two of them.

Rather than saying that the court officials respected Xu Chang and others, it would be more accurate to say that they respected Anle Palace.

The new emperor disliked these court discussions, but the timing for his ascension to the throne was still lacking, so he could only endure it for the time being.

Upon suddenly seeing his own people presenting their case in court, the new emperor felt a surge of joy and interest, and offered a word of support from his high seat in the court.

"The foundation of a nation's prosperity lies in agriculture and warfare. Agriculture ensures people have enough to eat and wear, while warfare protects the Great Han," Zhang Xuezhou began. "However, the court's methods for obtaining official positions and titles are not through agriculture and warfare, but through clever words and connections. This forces the people to learn cunning and eloquence, or to become obsessed with personal connections. This approach not only fails to bring prosperity to the country but also misleads the people and damages the foundation of our Great Han Dynasty. A monarch skilled in governing the country teaches the people to obtain official positions and titles through dedicated farming. Only in this way can the people be kept simple and not dissolute."

"Oh?"

"When the people see that the benefits the state brings are through agriculture and warfare, they will inevitably move in that direction, thus making our Great Han Dynasty ever stronger!"

The new emperor on the high throne in the court simply uttered an "oh," while many of the officials in the court had their expressions change drastically.

In the imperial court, one needs three parts power, three parts connections, and three parts eloquence to choose sides in order to gain a foothold.

Zhang Xuezhou's words were extremely offensive, even causing Prime Minister Xu Chang to lose face.

Xu Chang was able to rise to the position of prime minister because of his relationship with the Empress Dowager of Anle Palace and his obedience to her advice, which enabled him to be included in the Three Dukes.

"Words are easy to say, but hard to do. Isn't what Lord Dongfang said just a clever trick?" Xu Chang frowned.

"Lord Dongfang's official position doesn't seem to have come from farming or warfare either," Zhuang Qingdi said.

"That's right!"

"That's right!"

"It's easy for you to talk when you're not the one suffering the consequences. Dongfang Shuo, even your own official position doesn't conform to this kind of powerful national policy!"

"Why does what Dongfang Shuo said sound somewhat like something from the Agricultural School?"

"The Legalists were the same; the tyrannical Qin Dynasty governed the country using Legalist principles, implementing a system of military conquest and granting titles, which led to its demise after only two generations!"

Xu Chang and Zhuang Qingdi, the bellwethers of the court, spoke up in unison, and the other officials immediately echoed their sentiments, though some also criticized Zhang Xuezhou.

"If you all think my official position was obtained improperly, then impeach me!"

Zhang Xuezhou's shout silenced the complaints from many officials.

Regardless of the breadth of criticism Zhang Xuezhou made today, these are officials appointed by Anle Palace.

For the officials of Anle Palace in the mainstream faction of the Empress Dowager in the court, although they cursed, they also had a clear sense of propriety. As long as Zhang Xuezhou did not openly bring down anyone, no one would take the initiative to bring down Zhang Xuezhou.

After Zhang Xuezhou had been shouting for a while, everyone laughed at him, but no one really came to criticize or bring him down.

This inevitably disappointed Zhang Xuezhou greatly.

He had already launched a sweeping attack on the entire country, and there was a huge wave of opposition, yet no one held a grudge against him, and no official impeached him for his long absence from court affairs.

A golden opportunity was right in front of them, especially since the new emperor was also eagerly awaiting it from his high seat, ready to agree immediately if anyone mentioned impeaching Zhang Xuezhou.

Unexpectedly, despite Zhang Xuezhou's outburst for quite some time, and despite everyone's criticism, no one actually took the initiative to speak out.