From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 238 Are you really a reincarnated immortal?
One small thing can have far-reaching consequences.

This refers to Zhao Xun in the present day.

Zhang Fuyao used 80% of his Confucian fortune to suppress the immortal sects; there must have been some kind of deal involved that ordinary people didn't know about.

Otherwise, Confucianism would not have made such a sacrifice, as evidenced by the fact that Confucianism, despite lacking combat power, was ranked alongside the other two religions as a prominent school of thought.

Perhaps it was because Confucian scholars, who were not of the highest rank, lacked combat power that Zhang Fuyao reached an agreement with the other two schools in order to preserve the Confucian tradition.

But what does this have to do with Zhao Xun?

Now, what does this have to do with Zhang Fuyao?

Confucianism has become a fighting force!

This is the key.

Even if a certain transaction back then was an agreement reached between the Confucian elite and Taoism and Buddhism, and has been passed down to this day, it all means nothing now.

Confucianism is now the dominant school of thought in the world. Whether it is Liyang or Beimang, they rely on Confucianism to govern the country. Secular power is in the hands of Confucianism. Now, Zhao Xun has made up for Confucianism's biggest weakness.

Do we still need to abide by the previous agreements?

Please, I'm a scholar.

For every dog-slaughtering person who is righteous, there are many scholars who are unfaithful.

We intellectuals have a very flexible bottom line, you know!

Just like when Zhang Fuyao came to find Zhao Xun, seemingly to interrogate him, he did not interfere with Zhao Xun's actions when the matter was already settled, allowing the fortune that had been suppressed for eight hundred years to break free.

It was said to be an attempt to interrogate someone, but it seemed more like a formality, just going through the motions.

However, he was still very unhappy with Zhao Xun's attitude. This young Confucian disciple showed no respect for the elderly.

His mouth was like it was coated with gunpowder; he was so disrespectful.

I am, after all, a Confucian sage!
Shameless?

That won't work. You're not tactful enough, you know?
Before the Shiqu Pavilion, Zhao Xun stepped into the Celestial Phenomenon, standing on a lotus platform with a smile on his face. "The fifth rank, the Virtue Realm, emphasizes the unity of knowledge and action, the unity of words and deeds, and the cultivation of a literary heart. From this realm onwards, one must abandon the habit of being hypocritical. I know that many of you have this habit, as do countless scholars throughout the world. Therefore, you must cultivate virtue and raise your moral standards. Otherwise, it will be difficult to enter this realm in your lifetime. Even if you do, over time, your literary heart will be shattered, and your cultivation will regress. Therefore, everyone, please take heed."

He paused here, "That's all for today. After all, Zhang Sheng has come, reciting so many of Confucius' sayings. A true master has come, so we must receive him properly, otherwise it would be impolite. The fourth grade of the gentleman's way, the third grade of establishing one's destiny, the second grade of the great Confucian scholar, and the first grade of the near-sage—we'll discuss these realms tomorrow!"

As he spoke, he flicked his sleeve, causing the mist to swirl. The people in the valley felt the world around them shift and change. When they came to their senses again, they were already outside the valley.

For a moment, everyone, including Chief Minister Meng and Chief Minister Wang, was astonished.

It should be noted that there were at least four or five hundred students and scholars in the valley, and with just a wave of his hand, he sent them all out of the valley.

This method...

Xu Weixiong's eyes flickered; she had recovered from her shock.

"The heir apparent of the Prince of Jing'an, Zhao Xun!"

Thinking of the discord between her own Northern Liang Prince's Mansion and the Jing'an Prince's Mansion, she suddenly felt a headache coming on.

Before she could even react, she saw the four or five hundred scholars who had been escorted out of the valley solemnly bowing and clasping their hands in salute towards the valley, even the two priests were no exception. Then, these four or five hundred scholars left at lightning speed, eager to spread the word about this earth-shattering event as quickly as possible, to disseminate what they had just learned and understood. This was a momentous event concerning the very foundation of Confucianism and Taoism; it could even be said that this was the greatest event in Confucianism's thousand-year history, a momentous event capable of shaking the entire world. ※※※

"Today is the third day of the seventh lunar month. Thirteen years ago today, I was born. Thirteen years later, the whole world will call my name. I feel that it is thirteen years too late."

The narrow space inside Shiqu Pavilion could only fit a tea table and two stools.

The table was filled with the aroma of tea. Zhao Xun and Zhang Fuyao sat facing each other. Zhao Xun smiled and said, "Look at this little Shiqu Pavilion. Today, we two Confucian sages from different generations are sitting here discussing the Dao. Tomorrow, I can fence it off and start making money. I can sell those tea trees in the valley for a sky-high price."

Zhang Fuyao's face was ashen. What a sage the world calls upon! What a sage of two generations of Confucianism...

You have such a big face!!!
However, they couldn't find any way to refute Zhao Xun's argument.

He organized Confucian doctrines and disseminated Confucian ideas, laying the foundation for Confucianism to become a prominent school of thought. He can be considered the founder of Confucianism for thousands of years, and is therefore revered as a sage. Confucian classics are found throughout the works of Confucius.

Zhao Xun, instead of spreading Confucianism, vehemently criticized his Confucian predecessors and led them to a valley, telling them, "I will not debate the classics with you, nor will I reason with you. I will teach you how to use your own knowledge to acquire superpowers..."

Is there such a thing?

This caused a huge upheaval, directly shattering the fortune that had been locked away for eight hundred years.

Even with their own abilities, they could not stop it; this was the Confucian school's own choice.

When Confucianists, who were only good at empty talk, become truly capable of empty talk, they no longer need to consider taking sides.

Even a Confucian sage like himself would be abandoned immediately, so there is nothing wrong with Zhao Xun calling himself a sage.

But why does that sound so irritating?
That bastard Prince Jing'an is such a bad parent!

"So, are you prepared for the impact that's coming, especially from Taoism and Buddhism?"

"Impact? What kind of impact?" Zhao Xun raised an eyebrow. "You call yourself the first sage of Confucianism, yet you know nothing about the current power of Confucianism!"

"There will be no impact or trouble. Once the Confucian school, which holds the power to govern the world, gains strength, even Buddhism and Taoism will be paper tigers in front of it."

"Are you really that confident?" Zhang Fuyao looked at Zhao Xun with some surprise. "Judging from your appearance, you're not a true Confucian!"

"You have no right to define my beliefs," Zhao Xun sneered. "Tell me about the Heavenly Court and the immortals. What's the deal with them?"

"What else could it be? It's all due to the influence of fate. Before I suppressed the Heavenly Gate, these immortals interfered with the workings of the human world through various means, manipulated its development, and reaped its fortune, causing the human world to become desolate. That's why I used 80% of the Confucian fortune to suppress the Heavenly Gate, and at the same time, I reached an agreement with Taoism and Buddhism..."

“You’ve been tricked,” Zhao Xun said mercilessly. “Confucianism is about the way of governing a country. This world ultimately needs people to manage it. The classics, methods, and principles of Confucianism are exactly what managers need. Even without combat power, it can grow and become indispensable to the rulers. Even the rulers themselves are learning the way of Confucianism and do not need the help of Taoism and Buddhism.”

Zhang Fuyao's face immediately darkened. "You know nothing! Before Confucianism became the dominant school of thought, do you know what this world was like? It was unrestrained. The powerful could kill at will, and celestial beings, good or bad, could descend to the mortal realm at will, pretending to be gods and ghosts, and even colluding with the powerful, using immortality as bait to sacrifice all living beings. If I hadn't suppressed the Heavenly Gate, weakened the interference of the celestial realm, made the celestial beings pay a greater price for descending to the mortal realm, and spread Confucian ideas, allowing them to take root in people's hearts, teaching those rulers to learn etiquette and rules, and suppressing the influence of the celestial beings who descended to the mortal realm, how could we have the world we have today?"

"So, how many people know what you've done?" Zhao Xun sneered. "Even I, the heir apparent of the Prince of Jing'an, don't know about these things. Who knows your true contributions? Without knowing your contributions, without understanding the contrast between the past and present, how can they know the value of the world today, the preciousness of Confucianism?" Zhao Xun continued, "Even the Confucianists themselves don't know these things. After I smeared and framed them with a few words, their minds have shifted from your side to mine. Isn't that pathetic?"

"You..." Zhang Fuyao was furious and grabbed the teacup in front of her, throwing it at Zhao Xun.

"Look at you, a saint, yet so irritable." Zhao Xun dodged the teacup, his face full of mockery. "You've lost your luck and are almost dead, aren't you? Tell me your last wishes, and out of respect for us both being saints, I can help you fulfill them."

Zhang Fuyao took a few deep breaths, glared at him, and said, "I just want to confirm one thing: are you really a reincarnated immortal?!"

(End of this chapter)