Joining the Confucian School
"Dragon City, my ancestral home, was my only chance to change my fate!"
Dong Zhongshu managed to find Zhang Xuezhou. After being struck by the Spirit Wood Staff, he lectured the Spirit Wood Staff for three days, constantly nagging it.
Dong Zhongshu was only relieved of his daily instruction after Zhang Xuezhou took back the magic staff.
He envied Zhang Xuezhou's opportunities and also mentioned the hardships he had faced in his own life.
The King of Jiangdu drowned, and the person Dong Zhongshu relied on for his magic died; under normal circumstances, he would also be dragged into the abyss.
However, everything was hampered by the unintentional assistance of the new emperor and Zhang Xuezhou, and Dong Zhongshu seized the opportunity to successfully break through to the True Self Realm, a state he was still dissatisfied with.
In hindsight, Dong Zhongshu realized that if he hadn't seized this opportunity, he might never have been able to realize his True Self in his lifetime.
"The art of manipulation is profound and difficult to describe!"
With the new emperor bestowing a title upon Mount Tai, discussing fortune-telling techniques was no longer a taboo, and Zhang Xuezhou and Dong Zhongshu no longer needed to hide their discussions.
The two sat in the courtyard, while Zheng Wukong and Chunyu Tiying sat under the eaves watching them.
Exploring the art of movement was not in Zhang Xuezhou's plan, but he had been experiencing its mysteries these past few days.
It's like someone offering you a pillow when you're dozing off; Zhang Xuezhou was exhausted from his flight, and Hu Yu, who had been suppressed, eagerly came up to him and gave him a treasure.
This is similar to how they have been attacking the Xiong State and constantly targeting the lords of Sacred Land like Daojun, yet Zhu Jiuyin just happened to come knocking on their door with gifts; the whole incident is full of inexplicable twists of fate.
Even though Zhang Xuezhou was a little slow to react, he still sensed the possible role that the manipulation technique might play in the process.
"Luck isn't everything, but you can't do anything without the favor of good fortune!"
Zhang Xuezhou did not disclose his own cultivation process, and Dong Zhongshu could only sigh and summarize after several attempts to inquire.
"You still have His Majesty as your backup plan after the retreat, and you are highly valued by His Majesty. It is inevitable that you will be favored by fate in the future," Zhang Xuezhou congratulated you.
"Difficult, difficult, difficult! The sudden death of the King of Jiangdu makes it hard for me to shirk responsibility. His Majesty can no longer openly rely on me," Dong Zhongshu said. "Moreover, I previously promised the Junior Minister that I would not interfere in Chang'an City, so that he could focus on taking over his post here without meddling!"
"Gongsun Hong should be fine!"
After thinking about how Gongsun Hong had almost killed Daojun with a single blow of Nanming Fire, Zhang Xuezhou felt that such a feat was enough to propel Gongsun Hong to great heights.
With the removal of Daojun, the sharpest dagger, the deterrent effect of the Xiong State cultivators on the Great Han Dynasty cultivators has greatly diminished, especially as the top cultivators are no longer afraid of being suppressed for standing out.
Although the credit for suppressing Daojun was not exclusive to Gongsun Hong, making it difficult for him to be granted a title and position, it was almost certain that Gongsun Hong would leap into the core of the court.
"Your Majesty has already appointed you as the Left Inner Historian," Dong Zhongshu said.
"Wonderful!"
Zhang Xuezhou gave a thumbs-up.
The official position held by Gongsun Hong may sound like a minor official post, but in reality, he was in charge of the security and civil administration of sixteen counties surrounding Chang'an City.
Sixteen counties may not sound like much, as a prefecture could govern more than that number of counties, but the Southern Army guarding Chang'an City was stationed in these areas.
This position also served as the backing of the Jingzhao Yin's office in Chang'an City. In the event of a sudden and uncontrollable incident, the Left Inner Clerk could use the imperial court's procedures to mobilize the Southern Army to quell the unrest in Chang'an City. It was a position with real power.
The fact that Gongsun Hong, who was old and lacked a foundation among court officials, was directly promoted signifies the new emperor's absolute control over power.
Zhang Xuezhou has been absent from the court for more than half a month, and the entire court has most likely undergone a purge and reorganization.
"Gongsun Hong will rise to a high position; perhaps he will become Imperial Censor in two years and Prime Minister in five," Zhang Xuezhou said with a smile.
That's an exaggeration!
Dong Zhongshu shook his head repeatedly.
"Without incorporating Confucian School influence into the court, the Vice Minister could not have risen to that position," Dong Zhongshu said.
"Then let's merge it in," Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "Anyway, you're not the kind of person who craves Confucian School power!"
"I would like to join them, but His Majesty doesn't think highly of them. The Confucian scholars of this school can't be made loyal to the court just by saying a few words to me," Dong Zhongshu said.
"Then it's no wonder His Majesty doesn't approve!"
Zhang Xuezhou chuckled.
The merger of forces is far more complex than a matter of leaders simply saying a word; it requires the binding and formation of shared interests. Otherwise, what appears to be a powerful force will actually be vulnerable to attack.
"His Majesty instructed me to teach them well!"
Dong Zhongshu sighed.
Just thinking about the new emperor's demands on him, Dong Zhongshu didn't know how to replicate a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand cultivators like the new emperor.
He sighed and recounted his troubles.
Do you still remember Prefect Wen Weng?
Dong Zhongshu faced a problem, but this problem does not exist in the real world.
All the major Lineage have faced the problem of lacking good successors, resulting in each generation being worse than the last. They also need to hold onto power tightly, which leads to a lot of disputes.
After the conflict was quelled, the question of who would take over became a problem, since the Sequence Committee could not withstand the death of one administration after another.
This factor led to the recruitment of Lineage Sequence Holder from various regions, thus launching the Youth Sequence Challenge. While stabilizing many Lineage, the three major universities in Western Capital City began pilot education on Gene Sequence, which gradually transitioned to other universities.
After the new emperor consolidates his power in the Great Han Dynasty, he will inevitably draw troops from various prefectures and counties and vassal states to make up for the short-term deficiencies.
In terms of utilizing education for succession, the new emperor was destined to have shortcomings, as the current productivity of the Great Han Dynasty was insufficient to build schools for stable education.
This requires leveraging the strengths of different schools of thought while also guiding official learning, thus forming a hub connecting them.
Zhang Xuezhou mentioned Prefect Wen Weng, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, and also mentioned the combination of the official schools of Shu Commandery and Confucian School, which made Dong Zhongshu's expression gradually relax.
Starting something from scratch is very difficult, and a few words can't solve the problem, but Shu Commandery City has already set an example.
Moreover, this example was extended to Chang'an City, where the new emperor established the Imperial Academy as an official school several years ago and appointed five great Confucian scholars as professors to teach there.
"You mean that we need to guide the establishment of official schools in various regions, and allow Confucian School to teach there, so as to continuously supply talent to the court and eventually achieve integration?" Dong Zhongshu concluded.
"I didn't say that," Zhang Xuezhou laughed. "Doing this well wouldn't benefit me, and if I fail, I'd be dragged out and publicly shamed. I can't stand being cursed by you Confucian School cultivators!"
"We're very civilized!"
Dong Zhongshu remarked that he knew Zhang Xuezhou was willing to offer ideas, but unwilling to get involved in trouble.
This attitude is quite normal. If he were not one of the most influential and powerful Confucian School scholars of the time, Dong Zhongshu would not have gotten involved in such muddy waters.
Do you know what the sky is, and what man is?
After a few seconds of thought, Dong Zhongshu mentioned another direction.
"The ruler is Heaven, and the people are humanity; when the ruler and the people are one, Celestial Person will inevitably unite!"
Before Zhang Xuezhou could answer, Dong Zhongshu began to explain.
Dong Zhongshu's art of the Unity of Celestial Person and Heaven is extremely unique, and Zhang Xuezhou has benefited greatly from it. However, the inconsistent effectiveness of the technique is extremely embarrassing. He intends to use it as a secret weapon, but it is unreliable.
Dong Zhongshu then returned the favor with an explanation, clearly having gained a new understanding.
Zhang Xuezhou listened for a while, and he felt that Dong Zhongshu's explanation was more like a force pulling the new emperor.
This momentum involves the monarch, as well as the fortunes of the new emperor who influences countless people.
The new emperor at the core acts like a central point, constantly radiating outwards, thereby attracting many people to the network and forming a satellite dish signal reception pattern.
Even if an individual finds it difficult to initiate this state, the amplification of this signal will greatly increase the probability of success, thereby guiding the cultivator into the Celestial Person Mode, or even allowing them to remain in this mode for an extended period.