A Struggle within the Confucian School

The battle of wits with Shen Peigong has lasted for more than half a month.

Dong Zhongshu was still lying on the rattan chair, panting, Shen Peigong, now in good health, visited again.

Hearing the loud, clear voice outside the mansion, Dong Zhongshu knew very well that the other person had fully recovered.

"Shen Peigong, you've gone too far!"

Dong Zhongshu straightened up and replied with a solemn expression.

"Chang'an City only needs one Confucian leader!"

But then a strong, resonant voice came from outside the mansion, causing Dong Zhongshu to take a deep breath.

Clearly, Shen Peigong was quickly clarifying the contradictions within the Confucian School school.

The Confucian School school in Chang'an City only needed one voice, even if Dong Zhongshu Dong Zhongshu lost the political contest or remained secluded at home.

The simplest way to solve a problem is through a contest of wits, where the loser dies or leaves Chang'an City. There is no such intricate, interconnected relationship between the two.

"I can leave Chang'an City, and I'll avoid you even if you're in Chang'an City, but..."

"I don't want to hear that word!"

Dong Zhongshu's words were veiled in barbs, but before he could deliver them, Shen Peigong, who was calling out from outside the mansion, directly rejected what Dong Zhongshu wanted to say.

It's either a battle of wits or you leave.

Shen Peigong would only offer two choices: leave Chang'an City lying down or leave on Chang'an City.

The entry of Confucian School into the Great Han Dynasty presented a golden opportunity for Confucian School to become the leading school of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought, and Shen Peigong absolutely could not allow any surprises.

Great fortuitous opportunity come with great risks, and in such times, Confucian School only needs one voice.

He needs to stabilize the internal situation first, rather than having someone lead one side while others side with Dong Zhongshu.

Even though Dong Zhongshu's side was smaller in number, it couldn't change how outsiders viewed them, or even encourage different factions to split the Confucian School school.

You should be grateful for the status the imperial court has given you!

Seconds later, Shen Peigong outside the mansion had issued his final ultimatum.

If it weren't for his status as a court scholar protecting him, it wouldn't have been Shen Peigong who came to his door; someone else would have attacked Dong Zhongshu while he was recuperating.

But the matter had to be resolved, and the imperial court could not interfere in this formal leadership struggle within the Confucian School school.

As long as Dong Zhongshu continues, these repeated battles of wits will leave Dong Zhongshu with severe and irreparable injuries.

I am going to bid farewell to His Majesty today!

"Now!"

Dong Zhongshu sighed and agreed, but Shen Peigong outside the mansion did not give Dong Zhongshu any time to adjust.

This made Dong Zhongshu look around the newly renovated mansion, and then he slowly closed his eyes.

"I'm too weak now, you can carry me to the palace," Dong Zhongshu said in a low voice.

As if knowing Zhang Xuezhou's temperament, Dong Zhongshu added in a low voice.

"It's beneficial!"

Dong Zhongshu's fate was absolutely terrible. Zhang Xuezhou originally thought that the internal strife within the Yin-Yang School was already bizarre, but the sectarian strife in the Yedie River Holy Land was even more ruthless, not to mention the messy affairs of the Corpse-like School. He never expected that the Confucian School would be like this as well.

This made Zhang Xuezhou feel very at peace.

Clearly, wherever there are people, there are conflicts; no matter which school of thought, there will always be some degree of contradiction.

He felt a deep sympathy for Dong Zhongshu and couldn't help but empathize with him.

If Dong Zhongshu needed him to escort him out of Chang'an, Zhang Xuezhou felt he could do so.

However, Dong Zhongshu's order for Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding to deliver the items to the palace made him hesitate slightly.

Clearly, after recounting the events surrounding Emperor Jing, Zhang Xuezhou still harbored a degree of apprehension towards the imperial palace.

When Dong Zhongshu uttered the words "there are benefits," Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel somewhat tempted.

Dong Zhongshu was not a big shot who liked to make empty promises. If you asked Dong Zhongshu to say that there would be benefits, then there would indeed be benefits, even rare ones, and they would be suitable for Zhang Xuezhou.

Zhang Xuezhou considered his steady and stable fortune, weighed the options in his mind, and finally gritted his teeth and agreed.

Without the help of a powerful figure, he probably wouldn't have gained much from this trip to the palace.

But the palace is full of nobles, Zhang Xuezhou felt he could try his luck. If some noble was blind, he might still have fortuitous opportunity.

He called to Rong Tianding, and the two cousins worked together to lift the rattan chair where Dong Zhongshu was lying.

"What? You can't even afford a carriage anymore!"

Outside the Dong residence, Shen Peigong sat in a carriage, his face obscured by a curtain.

But looking through the light-transmitting curtain, one could still see the figure of an old man in a Confucian robe playing with a magical jade in his hand.

Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the other party's carriage, whose wheels were wrapped in cattail leaves, then at Wei Qing, who was helping to drive the carriage. He quickly looked away after a brief glance.

It's obvious that comparisons are the thief of joy. They are now like the contrast between a penniless country bumpkin and a rich city dweller. The key point is that Dong Zhongshu was actually right to be mocked. Despite living in a grand mansion, Dong Zhongshu was penniless and could only rely on these kinds of laborers to help carry him to the palace.

"Here you go!"

A gold ingot was thrown out of the carriage and landed on Dong Zhongshu's rattan chair.

Dong Zhongshu examined the gold ingot for a few seconds, then calmly accepted it.

"This mansion is yours now. Return it to me whenever you leave Chang'an City. Consider this ingot of gold a reward," Dong Zhongshu said.

"I thought you were going to give me this mansion," Shen Peigong sneered.

"I'm willing to give it to you, but you'd better have the ability to be accepted," Dong Zhongshu said. "The new resident next to my mansion is Guan Fu, who is said to be highly regarded by the court. He hates people like you the most, so he definitely won't negotiate with the neighbors through the Inner Court!"

"That brute isn't..."

"Who are you calling a brute? You Confucian School just love to talk big. Shen Peigong, don't let your age fool you, if you piss me off I'll slap you twice!"

Before Shen Peigong could finish criticizing Guan Fu, a rough voice came from the mansion next to Dong Zhongshu's.

"If you live next door from now on, behave yourself. Don't make me sneak up in the middle of the night and stab you!"

I don't live here!

Shen Peigong replied with a livid face.

Dong Zhongshu's counterattacks were often subtle yet sharp. He humiliated Dong Zhongshu with a gold ingot, but Shen Peigong didn't dare accept the right to reside in the mansion that Dong Zhongshu offered.

The ruthless fear the stubborn, and the stubborn fear the reckless.

Shen Peigong was ruthless, while Guan Fu was both stubborn and reckless.

Guan Fu meant real beatings when he said he would, and he was certainly capable of stabbing someone in the back. This kind of lewd person has no regard for the consequences whatsoever.

Moreover, the opponent is incredibly strong, belonging to the Divine Ability Realm. If I were to challenge him in close combat, it would be quite normal for me to beat him half to death.

Shen Peigong had no idea when Guan Fu would be in a bad mood, or when he would be provoked, or even that when Guan Fu was in a bad mood and wanted to vent, he might take it out on someone else.

Such people often meet a bad end when they lose power, but they crush everything when they gain power.

If Shen Peigong wanted to live next to Guan Fu's mansion, he felt like an old man who had hanged himself because he thought he was too old for his life.

He snorted coldly, and when the unanimous snorts from more than ten people in Guan Fu's residence echoed in unison, Shen Peigong quickly waved his hand forward, signaling Wei Qing to drive away from this unlucky place.