No Taboos

Thanks to Zhufu Yan's big mouth, Gongsun Hong finally learned what Zhang Xuezhou had done and why this area was so different from other areas in terms of its strictness.

To be honest, Gongsun Hong felt that Zhang Xuezhou didn't take his own life seriously.

Protecting the Red Empyrean Sword is glorious and rewarding, but a single mistake will result in death.

Zhang Xuezhou's mistake has already occurred.

This is a very dangerous matter. If the Red Empyrean Sword is completely lost, not only will Zhang Xuezhou lose his head, but the entire mansion will be wiped out, and even those who are temporary renters or visitors will be implicated.

Gongsun Hong wanted to ask Zhang Xuezhou why he would do such a thing, but he wisely kept quiet when he thought about their cooperation in going to the Mohists's Mechanical City.

Zhang Xuezhou was able to overcome Li Shaojun across cultivation realms, drag him into the conflict, and even escape the massive explosion in the Mechanized City. He might be unlucky and not get any benefits, but whenever Zhang Xuezhou chose to do something, he always had a purpose. He was not a mindless pawn in the court's power struggle.

"This kind of missing sword case is extremely serious and could never have been done by that brute Guan Fu. He probably doesn't even know where Dongfang Shuo's residence is!"

Gongsun Hong wanted to use Zhang Xuezhou's residence to find out the latest developments in the court, but little did he know that this not-so-large official residence was the center of the court's turbulent situation.

If Guan Fu hadn't taken the blame, the loss of the Red Empyrean Sword would have been enough to crush Lord Dou, the Marquis of Wuqiang's mansion, and the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion. It might even have involved some high-ranking officials and wealthy patrons from all walks of life.

No one knows for sure if there are any unscrupulous people infiltrating their ranks. Even if someone didn't participate in the theft of the Red Empyrean Sword, the key issue is how to sever ties with them.

They could either abandon the area where thieves might be hiding, hand over their ill-gotten gains during an inspection by the Prefect of the Capital, participate in the pursuit and capture of thieves, or arrange for someone to take the blame.

Listening to the information revealed by the clamorous praise of the Zhufu Yan, Gongsun Hong pondered and speculated about the various possible actions of the crowd.

Gongsun Hong could guess how everyone would respond, but he couldn't figure out why Zhang Xuezhou was taking the risk, no matter how hard he tried.

Unlike the incessant chatter of Zhufu Yan, he was able to control his tongue and never asked any questions.

"Brother Dongfang, you know my family's circumstances. I truly wish to befriend you, but I have nothing to offer but this pot of wine as an apology," said Zhufu Yan.

"We're all officials in the same court, why should we talk about friendship and apologies?" Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "I'll still have to look up to His Majesty the Lord in the future!"

I'd rather you call me Little Zhufu!

Zhufu Yan sighed.

The close advisors around the new emperor were not each responsible for a specific task, but rather were likely involved in a variety of matters.

For example, he had seen Zhang Xuezhou refining elixirs some time ago, but then Zhang Xuezhou became involved in protecting the sword, and later even prepared to build an imperial mausoleum in Maoling. All sorts of things kept changing.

If he had such abilities, Zhufu Yan felt that his family's Little Jin would have been overflowing long ago.

Zhang Xuezhou occupied a key position, Zhufu Yan envied greatly, judging others by his own standards.

Now that the dust has settled on the Red Empyrean Sword, Zhufu Yan really wants to have a taste of the spoils.

If Zhang Xuezhou had any needs or appreciated his abilities, and if he could be given even a small reward, Zhufu Yan felt he would do it without hesitation.

After all, things that Zhang Xuezhou doesn't value are actually very important to him.

No matter how many times he compared himself to Zhang Xuezhou, Zhang Xuezhou's responses were always so difficult to find a way to insert.

"Come, come, Little Zhufu, let me introduce you to this great Confucian scholar, Gongsun Hong!"

It wasn't hard to guess Zhufu Yan's little scheme. Zhang Xuezhou didn't mind giving him benefits, but he couldn't treat Zhufu Yan the same way he had bound Wei Shao'er. These were two completely different people.

If Zhufu Yan knew what Zhang Xuezhou could offer, and was certain that there were other, less costly alternatives, he would abandon Zhang Xuezhou without hesitation.

Moreover, Zhufu Yan's current abilities are still somewhat lacking, and he is not yet capable of facing the gods of Kunlun.

Zhang Xuezhou began by introducing Gongsun Hong, and then mentioned Gongsun Hong's erudition.

If we exclude Dong Zhongshu from Jiangdu, Gongsun Hong can be considered the most important Confucian School scholar of his time.

This is not because Gongsun Hong is too powerful, but because the great Confucian School scholars of various schools are either old or dead, and some geniuses such as Kong Anguo have not yet reached a sufficient level of development. Now it is Gongsun Hong and others' turn to step forward.

If there are any doubts about cultivation, Gongsun Hong can almost be considered a renowned teacher to those whose cultivation is slightly inferior.

Confucian School's inclusive approach to self-cultivation extends to a wide range of people, unlike other schools of thought that are limited to internal communication.

"A great Confucian scholar? Confucian School Confucian School? That school of thought that can't learn anything useful?"

When Zhufu Yan finally opened his mouth, Gongsun Hong's face had already turned black.

Zhufu Yan's evaluation was not based on his own opinion, but rather on the subjective impressions of various schools of thought on Confucian School. Even though Confucian School once produced two sages who were unparalleled in their time, it did not prevent other schools of thought from recognizing it. After all, many of the techniques of Confucian School can be seen to some extent as the shadows of other schools. A large part of the techniques were copied after being deciphered, and even the names were not changed when they were improved.

Zhufu Yan was straightforward and directly adopted someone else's evaluation, but Zhufu Yan probably didn't realize that the person who originally said those words was the sect leader of the school. Few cultivators would dare to humiliate a great Confucian scholar in such a way.

"Since my friend thinks Confucian School is worthless, then he may leave on his own, so as to avoid listening to some worthless words," Gongsun Hong said calmly after taking a deep breath.

"This is Dongfang Shuo's residence, and he didn't even ask me to leave. You, a mere guest, dare to spout such nonsense. You've really opened the eyes of our master," Zhufu Yan sneered.

Zhufu Yan looked down on cultivators who relied on their seniority, as well as those who possessed inheritances and resources but ultimately amounted to nothing.

He sized up Gongsun Hong, feeling that as Confucian School scholar, the man must have a lineage, while his tattered clothes proved that he was a very low-class person.

Having determined that Gongsun Hong was old and uninvolved, Zhufu Yan did not indulge him.

"Quiet down, Little Zhufu, you can drink over there. Mr. Gongsun and I will chat over here!"

The cultivators welcome three types of people: those with unique skills, those who are learned scholars who can explore anything, and those who are quick-witted genius cultivators.

Dong Zhongshu belongs to the first category, Gongsun Hong belongs to the second category, and Zhufu Yan belongs to the third category.

Zhang Xuezhou originally wanted to bring them together to see if they could spark any inspiration, but he didn't expect that after the introductions, the two almost clashed.

After serving a bowl of wine, Zhang Xuezhou found a comfortable chair for Zhufu Yan to lie down in and drink, while he himself made an appointment with Gongsun Hong.

"You don't mind, do you?"

Zhang Xuezhou smiled and asked Gongsun Hong, who shook his head repeatedly.

"The Yang Soul Technique has spread far and wide, and countless cultivators are currently studying it. Besides Confucian School, other schools of thought are also involved. Zhongshu said that this technique should not be kept secret; the more people who master it, the better, so there will be no more taboos!"

That's good!

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

He was quite curious about what Dong Zhongshu had accomplished in his research over the past two years.

If it weren't for Zhufu Yan's visit, he would have already discussed this with Gongsun Hong.