The Confucian School Shall Flourish Forever

"Now that you've left Chang'an City, will the court still retain your position? Will Shen Peigong replace you?"

Dong Zhongshu suffered a setback in one fell swoop, followed by a series of setbacks, and his turbulent circumstances even made Zhang Xuezhou sigh with regret.

If Dong Zhongshu were the kind of person who would rather break than bend, he would probably have been almost dead a year ago, before even having to contend with Shen Peigong.

This ability to be flexible and adaptable has allowed Dong Zhongshu to endure until now.

Watching the other party about to leave Chang'an City, Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.

"My doctoral position is merely a nominal one, one that Shen Peigong wouldn't consider valuable," Dong Zhongshu said. "He's a man who wants to get things done; he'll likely ask His Majesty for a position with real power."

"Prime Minister?"

"His Majesty cannot give it!"

"The Imperial Censor?"

"If he were to take on such a position, it would be disastrous. I'm afraid he would impeach every official in the court, both civil and military, and then replace them!"

Is it too common?

"It's possible. He might be appointed as one of the Nine Ministers, but if His Majesty is more shrewd, he might be placed below the Nine Ministers!"

Why is he ranked below the Nine Ministers?

"If Shen Peigong were to be granted the highest official rank in one go, what would he be granted after achieving great merit?"

Dong Zhongshu shook his head. When he saw the old man with an extremely upright posture at the city gate, he quickly stopped talking. Then he patted Zhang Xuezhou on the shoulder, signaling Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding to carry him over.

"Brother Gongsun!"

Even when they were still more than two meters apart, Dong Zhongshu had already bowed and greeted them.

"Zhongshu, alas!"

Dong Zhongshu was an extremely courteous person, so it's not hard to imagine why Dong Zhongshu would sit in a rattan chair to pay his respects.

"Shen Pei went too far," the old man said.

"No, this is my own problem," Dong Zhongshu said, shaking his head.

"You always make excuses for others like this," the old man sighed.

"Brother Gongsun, you flatter me! This is indeed my own fault!"

Dong Zhongshu explained repeatedly, and only after introducing Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding to the old man did the old man stop sighing.

"Gongsun Hong is an elder statesman of our Confucian School school and a pillar of the imperial court!"

"Dongfang Shuo, a future great Confucian scholar!"

"Rong Tianding is evident!"

Dong Zhongshu's introduction was extremely brief, yet he explained everything clearly to everyone.

At least Gongsun Hong didn't treat them like servants, but bowed respectfully, which prompted Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding to get off their rattan chairs and return the greeting.

"Zhongshu, where are you going after leaving Chang'an City?"

Dong Zhongshu recommended Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding, clearly hoping that Gongsun Hong would take the opportunity to favor them.

When Gongsun Hong agreed, he couldn't help but wonder where Dong Zhongshu had gone and when he would be able to return to Chang'an.

"I might return to Guangchuan, or perhaps I'll go to Huainan, or maybe I'll travel to Liang!"

Dong Zhongshu's itinerary was not exactly a secret to Zhang Xuezhou and the others. To find out what books he was reading in the Secret Pavilion, Dong Zhongshu would need to rely on the Wenying Pavilion of the King of Huainan's Household. Liang Garden, on the other hand, was a gathering place for many cultivators skilled in magic, which could facilitate positive and beneficial discussions and exchanges among them.

However, if we were to say where Dong Zhongshu first settled after leaving Chang'an City, it would be in the slums of the Chang'an City.

Firstly, Dong Zhongshu needed Zhang Xuezhou to memorize the ancient texts he had acquired for transcription; secondly, Dong Zhongshu wanted to find the place Zhang Xuezhou had mentioned for dispelling bad luck.

His mindset was no different from Zhang Xuezhou's after suffering a series of misfortunes; he didn't seek great fortune, but only peace and safety, and tried to get through this ordeal.

When people are lucky, they believe that everything is the result of their own hard work, but when they are desperate, they pray for the protection of fate.

Dong Zhongshu's thinking underwent a significant transformation in recent years, even surpassing that of Zhang Xuezhou.

The group chatted quietly at the city gate until the gate guards politely invited them out. Only then did Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding carry Dong Zhongshu out of the city gate.

The only well-informed and open-minded person to see Dong Zhongshu off was Gongsun Hong. Some Confucian scholars stood at a distance, wanting to bid farewell to Dong Zhongshu but fearing being ostracized by other Confucian scholars.

Those who came were well aware that Dong Zhongshu had lost the struggle for the Confucian School school of thought.

Despite losing, Dong Zhongshu remained a great Confucian scholar, but many Confucian scholars in Chang'an City were simply seeking advancement, so making a choice was not difficult.

Those who had already secured a minor official position in the imperial court were one thing, but for them, it was only after Shen Peigong gained power and formed a chain of recommendations that they were able to obtain official positions and profit.

If people were to mention that they still favored Dong Zhongshu, Shen Peigong would likely not employ them due to a lack of manpower.

The once bustling Dong Mansion has ultimately declined, and the saying "out of sight, out of mind" is unmistakably true.

But Dong Zhongshu maintained a good attitude.

"I used to lecture behind a curtain, and many people didn't even recognize my face, so it's normal that there weren't many people to see me off!"

"That's far too few! You have thousands of students, and you only get one sixty-year-old man!"

"Perhaps they don't know?"

"I think Shen Peigong's mouth will spread the word far and wide among Confucian scholars. News travels fast, so there's no way they wouldn't know about your situation!"

"It's just a farewell; we shouldn't be happy about external things, nor should we be sad about them!"

Dong Zhongshu shook his head, indicating that he didn't mind such a thing.

He wouldn't feel any more or less because these people came to say goodbye, nor would he feel any less because these people didn't come to say goodbye.

He was simply Dong Zhongshu, and he was just himself; these external emotions had no effect on him.

Upon seeing Zhang Xuezhou's young appearance, Dong Zhongshu couldn't help but offer him some Zhang Xuezhou, telling Zhang Xuezhou to live authentically and not to care about others' opinions.

"Not pleased by external things? Then why do you still want to seek out that external thing to ward off bad luck?"

However, Dong Zhongshu's calm demeanor was quickly shattered by Zhang Xuezhou.

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Dong Zhongshu felt that Zhang Xuezhou was either a contrarian or that Zhang Xuezhou was his nemesis, causing him to repeatedly have to rely on Zhang Xuezhou's help.

"In our lives, we always have some close friends and confidants, as well as some things that are vital to our lives; such joys and sorrows are inevitable," Dong Zhongshu explained again. "But we don't need to pay attention to the intrusions of those who are irrelevant!"

With the addition of premises and definitions, Dong Zhongshu felt his statement was now more satisfactory, saving the fellow from finding fault.

"The Master is only this happy when he's with his cousin. He's a real taciturn guy when he's with me. He can barely say two words in half a day," Rong Tianding interjected from behind.

"I think you're the kind of unrelated person Confucius was talking about," Zhang Xuezhou said.

"That makes me a little sad!"

"Well!"

"A troublemaker can always find fault no matter what," Dong Zhongshu sighed, finally giving up on reasoning with someone like Zhang Xuezhou.

He could only use the excuse of "I'm tired, I need to lie down for a bit" to avoid the guy escalating the conversation further.

But when he closed his eyes to rest, Dong Zhongshu did indeed feel more energetic and less frustrated.

May Confucianism prosper forever!

He muttered to himself.

Recalling that he stepped on a golden dragon while reciting the Confucian classics, Dong Zhongshu wondered if the Confucian classics had begun to fulfill his wishes, and whether Shen Peigong could seize this opportunity to revitalize Confucianism in the Great Han Dynasty.

Clearly, Dong Zhongshu did not specify a subject when stating his wish, and his request was too vague, making it difficult to determine whether his wish could be fulfilled.

He also had a question in his mind: if he could achieve the glory of Confucianism by using the "Fen Jing" (a classic text on Confucian classics), why did the Huang-Lao School, which created the "Fen Jing," not achieve lasting glory?