Resolving the Conflict with His Majesty

Do you still remember what you said about the white dragon, the golden dragon, and the coiled dragon the other day?

"How?"

"Qiulong is already preparing for the future by studying the art of survival!"

Zhang Xuezhou and the others left the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Zhang Xuezhou found an excuse to kill time outside the King of Huainan's Household and waited for Dong Zhongshu to come out of the hall.

The two exchanged a few words quickly.

"Could you postpone the use of this plaque for a while?" Dong Zhongshu said, "If we could see the study of divination techniques researched by the King of Huainan in the Jiazi room, it would be of great benefit to us!"

"I'm afraid that won't work," Zhang Xuezhou shook his head. "Jin Chang is still waiting for me to recite the tomb scriptures for him!"

"This matter... really does coincide with a conflict!"

The news about the tomb scriptures was released by Dong Zhongshu, but he never expected that it would backfire so badly in such a short time.

If Zhang Xuezhou were to keep the plaque and directly recount the tomb scriptures to Jin Chang, it would obviously not be able to hide it from Jin Chang, and might even cause problems.

"What a pity," Dong Zhongshu sighed.

"Take a look and see if there's anything I need to memorize," Zhang Xuezhou said. "It'll be convenient for me to look through it too!"

"What classics have you read in the Secret Pavilion? Go to Room A and find the corresponding texts to memorize," Dong Zhongshu said. "Since they didn't get the originals from the Secret Pavilion, they must have copied and printed them, and most likely studied them thoroughly. If they could give me some references, it would definitely save a lot of time."

"That's easy to discuss!"

Zhang Xuezhou nodded.

If he simply followed the corresponding search criteria in the imperial archives, this task would be relatively easy for him. In fact, Zhang Xuezhou would focus on doctrines such as "Zaiyou".

He agreed to Dong Zhongshu's request, and after briefly inquiring about some related matters, he hurriedly left only after receiving confirmation from Dong Zhongshu.

"Zhang Qian? A monk from the Western Sect? Is the barbarian slave sweet, or the barbarian slave bitter?"

Dong Zhongshu thought Zhang Xuezhou was a kind-hearted person; he didn't even have a place to live in Chang'an City and was still helping out everywhere.

If this is considered an investment based on personal connections, Dong Zhongshu felt that Zhang Xuezhou's investment was somewhat long-term, and even extremely risky.

Not to mention the dangers Zhang Qian faced in venturing into the Xiong State Xiong State, even Dong Zhongshu wouldn't have dared to venture there.

Just think of the demons and sorcerers of the Xiong State; this is a place that normal people dare not venture into.

The demons are ferocious, and the sorcerers hide behind the scenes, instilling a strong sense of fear and keeping people away from the Xiong State. Only a few daring individuals dare to risk their lives to earn some risky money.

However, Zhang Xuezhou's news made Dong Zhongshu aware of the court's recent movements.

Whether by appeasing the radical faction in the court, reconciling the pro-peace faction, or signaling to the pro-conservatism faction, some adventurous groups eventually ventured deep into the Xiong State.

This was undoubtedly a matter of life and death, with a near certain failure, but it could indeed quickly ease the tensions within the court.

This is an extremely vague statement from the new emperor.

For the pro-war faction, the new emperor has finally begun to attack the Xiong State. As long as they can find out about the Xiong State's terrain, people, customs, military supplies, and tribal movements, this will surely create conditions for victory.

For the pro-defense faction, the mission to the Xiong State involved only a few hundred people, would not draw resources from the Han Kingdom rear, and would not shake the war system.

For the peace faction, whether the mission succeeds or fails, it is unlikely to incite a major conflict between the Xiong State and the Sacred Land.

"His Majesty seems more suited to the throne than we thought, but his decision to conscript Shen Pei is still too reckless... reckless?"

The new emperor's methods are quite similar to those of Emperor Jing, whether it's through Emperor Jing's entrustment or the new emperor's own abilities.

The new emperor's recruitment of Confucian School to the court also began to make Dong Zhongshu think in a different direction.

If the new emperor's actions are not considered reckless, then what is his true purpose?

"It's inevitable that he'll use Confucian School to remove a group of people from the court, but what will he use to restrain Shen Pei?"

Thanks to the recommendation system, local governments could recommend talented individuals to serve as officials in Chang'an City, but the drawbacks of the recommendation system were also obvious.

For example, Shen Pei, as a Confucian School master with thousands of disciples, would inevitably bring about a series of recommendations upon entering the imperial court, thus prompting a major reshuffle of officials.

If a large number of people are replaced, it will undermine the power of many superiors, forcing people to consult with Shen Pei before taking action, even emperors.

This is undoubtedly a major taboo.

The Qin Dynasty had already learned a lesson from this, and since the founding of the Han Dynasty, it has also carefully and cautiously handled the relationships between various schools of thought, and tried its best to prevent factionalism and corruption.

The new emperor's move was undoubtedly extremely reckless, even rash.

However, the new emperor's arrangement of Zhang Qian and other missions to the Xiong State demonstrated his sophisticated methods.

"Is he trying to pit Shen Pei against the Royal Family?"

Dong Zhongshu felt that using Confucian School to suppress other schools of thought would be difficult, but not impossible.

The Confucian School, combined with the power of the imperial court, was able to suppress other schools of thought and continuously gain benefits from various suppression events.

It was almost certain that Confucian School would become the leading school of thought, but if things took a different turn and Confucian School became involved in the internal power struggles of the royal family, the consequences would be unpredictable.

"If he's truly that cunning, then we'll have to be even more cautious in our actions!"

Dong Zhongshu could not control the consequences of Shen Pei's actions, but his and Zhang Xuezhou's plans for doctrines such as "Zaiyou" and the cultivation of techniques would inevitably clash with the new emperor.

Perhaps they will be dealt with by the new emperor at some point.

"If I had any other choice, why would I bother with luck!"

Having personally experienced the effects of bad luck, which led to a rapid decline in fortune to the point of near death, and having also personally witnessed the rising dragon energy in Chang'an City, as well as the wondrous power of the Yuwang Ding, Dong Zhongshu's views underwent a visible change.

The beginning of the new emperor's reign is also the best time for them to practice their magic arts, and they can change their fate in this one move.

As a Confucian School scholar, he was indeed well-versed in various fields of knowledge, even incorporating techniques into his cultivation system.

"We must resolve our conflict with His Majesty!"

If Dong Zhongshu did not want to assassinate the emperor or have his entire family executed, he needed to plan ahead.

Good fortune must be cultivated, and future calamities must be avoided.

This prompted him to ponder a solution for a long time, and he walked back to the inn with a heavy heart.

"I have a favor to ask of you!"

Upon entering the second-floor room, Dong Zhongshu discovered that there was another person in his room.

This made him pay attention to the sudden appearance of Jin Chang, and his brows furrowed slightly.

"This doesn't sound like you're asking for a favor!"

Dong Zhongshu looked at Jin Chang, whose face was calm. There was no hint of pleading on the other man's face, and his words seemed polite, but the leverage he was holding was probably for an exchange.

"I know you killed Su Fang, and you destroyed the Beast Taming Sect," Jin Chang said. "This information isn't particularly valuable, but it will still cause you some trouble!"

"It has had some impact, I suppose," Dong Zhongshu admitted helplessly.

"So the only thing I need from you is a small request," Jin Chang nodded.

"What's up?"

"I want to clarify whether the 'Grave Classic' can truly change one's fate?"

Jin Chang stared intently at Dong Zhongshu.

He had heard some rumors, but he hadn't heard a single word of them in the two or three years he had spent in Shouchun City.

This leaked news also disrupted his thinking.

When the group of people from more than two years ago gathered again in Shouchun City, Jin Chang vaguely sensed something was amiss.

"Did you receive a 'grave scripture' when you sought to change your fate last time?" Jin Chang asked suspiciously.

"I've been to the Imperial Secretariat and obtained some relevant information, so I've released some of it. You can believe in the scriptures if you want, or not if you don't," Dong Zhongshu smiled. "Do you remember the story of the sorceress I discussed with you before?"

"A fortune teller?"

Asking was worse than not asking at all. After being reminded again by Dong Zhongshu about the "shaman's theory," Jin Chang felt terrible.