From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 244 The Confucian Pledge of Allegiance
early morning
Qingzhou, Xiangfan City, Jing'an Prince's Mansion

Prince Jing'an, Zhao Heng, sat in the hall, holding the imperial edict in his hand. His eyes were unfocused, and his expression was somewhat dazed.

This is...

Is it now hereditary without succession?
The issue of succession to the Jing'an throne, which he had been so concerned about, was resolved just like that?
All those years of painstaking planning...

Why does this feel like a joke?
No, I'm starting to feel that the title of Prince Jing'an is somewhat unworthy of Zhao Xun.
Zhao Xun had previously explained to him the difference between the royal family and aristocratic families, and the saying that he would rather be an aristocratic family than an emperor. He had taken it as a joke, but now it seemed that it might not be impossible!

His own son was able to fight Zhang Sheng from 800 years ago, and even seemed to have won?

That's Zhang Sheng! Zhang Sheng, the founder of the Zhang family, a family that has been a prominent clan for eight hundred years!
If the Zhang family can be a prominent family for eight hundred years, why can't my Zhao family?
The hand that had been unconsciously turning the prayer beads suddenly stopped. Looking at the thick string of prayer beads in his hand, he felt increasingly displeased with them.

Snapped! !

With a flick of his wrist, he threw the prayer beads on the ground and stood up.

"Your Highness, Prefect Lu Dongjiang of Qingxi County, and the heads of the Wen and Hong families are requesting an audience outside the Prince's residence. In addition, Wang Linquan from Laoshan has also arrived."

"Oh, you've arrived quite quickly!" Zhao Heng laughed, but his expression became somewhat reserved. "Since these family heads have come in person, we should still pay them a visit."

The Lu, Hong, and Wen families are the largest aristocratic families in Qingzhou and core members of the Qing Party in the imperial court. Among them, Lu Feichi, the ancestor of the Lu family and a pillar of the state, has retired to his hometown, but Hong Taiyi of the Hong family and Wen Lingshu of the Wen family are still in the central government and hold great power in the court. As for Wang Linquan of Laoshan, he is known as the richest man in Qingzhou, but he knows very well that this man is actually a front man of the Beiliang Prince's Mansion. He is stationed in Laoshan and controls the salt and iron business of Beiliang. He is not an easy person to deal with.

Normally, the relationship with his own royal family was distant and tacit, with only subordinates interacting. This was understandable; he was a vassal king, while the other was a court official, so naturally they wouldn't be so close. As for Wang Linquan, there was even less interaction, or rather, almost no interaction at all. After all, he was from Beiliang, and as for the relationship between that butcher and himself...

Just don’t say it.

But today, they couldn't wait to stand up and request an audience early in the morning, and the head of the family came in person. Clearly, the situation in the world has changed, and the situation in Qingzhou should also change.

Thinking of this, he straightened his back considerably. "After all, my son is destined to be a saint!"

※※※

Tai'an City, Shouren Hall

Emperor Zhao Dun of Liyang stood by the window, gazing at the raging wind and rain outside, without uttering a word.

Tai'an City is the center of the world, a place where fortunes converge. Zhao Xun's sudden emergence has caused a turbulence in the world's fortunes, and Tai'an City has been the most affected. The wind and rain raged all night, with thunder rumbling incessantly.

Qi Yanglong had already left, but several important officials in the court were gathered in Shouren Hall at this time, including Zhang Julu, Gu Jiantang, Nan Huaiyu, and Yuan Benxi, who had not appeared for a long time.

Han Diaosi stood guard outside the gate, while the other eunuchs were driven a hundred paces away; anyone who approached was killed. "By now, the imperial decree should have reached the Jing'an Prince's residence, right?"

Zhao Dun sighed deeply, "Tell me, were there any problems with the laws governing the tributary system that I established back then?"

“Your Majesty, the law is not the problem; the problem lies with the people.” Zhang Julu stepped forward and said respectfully, “Unifying the country is not easy; we must never return to the era of regional warlordism.”

Zhao Dun glanced at Zhang Julu and said, "That's true, but what should we do? Zhao Xun has opened up the path of Confucianism and Taoism, greatly increasing the fighting power of your Confucian school. The situation in the world is changing dramatically. This change has not yet manifested itself, but it won't be long before the world's situation is no longer what it is now."

"Your Majesty, Prince Zhao... Prince Zhao has pioneered the Confucian path, which is a tremendous boon to Confucianism and also a tremendous boon to Your Majesty." Zhang Julu took a deep breath.
"A tremendously good thing?" Zhao Dun said as if he were listening to a joke. "Zhao Xun is about to become a Confucian sage. This would be a tremendously good thing for me. But he is not my son."

At this point, Zhao Dun no longer concealed his true intentions. This was a great thing for Confucianism, but it was not necessarily good for him as emperor and the entire royal family. In particular, Zhao Xun's identity was very critical. He was not a member of the royal family, but a member of the imperial clan. With such a person in the imperial clan, how could the royal family maintain its status?
"Your Majesty, this is the least of your worries," Zhang Julu said, raising his head. "I am also a disciple of Confucianism. Confucianism is the study of governing the country and managing the world, which emphasizes the four virtues of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness. Loyalty is placed first, and the spiritual power of Confucianism further strengthens these four virtues to the extreme."

"What do you mean?"

"According to Prince Zhao Xun's classification of the nine ranks of Confucianism and Taoism, the seventh to sixth rank is a threshold. Below the sixth rank, those with talent and the ability to cultivate literary energy can develop certain supernatural powers. However, to advance from the seventh to the sixth rank of Confucian scholar, one must cultivate a righteous spirit, which requires high moral character. Those with dark hearts and low moral character cannot cultivate this righteous spirit and will never be able to advance to the sixth rank. In other words, Confucian scholars at the sixth rank, regardless of their stance, can have their moral character guaranteed. At the fifth rank of the Virtuous Conduct Realm, one goes a step further, refining a literary heart. To condense a literary heart, one must face one's path squarely, and loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness are indispensable. If one betrays one's beliefs in the future, even a first-rank Quasi-Sage will have their literary heart shattered and their realm plummet. In other words, from now on, as long as the Confucian ministers in the court are all at least at the sixth rank of Confucian scholar level, there is no need to worry about their betrayal. At that time, with righteous people filling the court, what worries will there be about the prosperity of the world!"

Zhao Dun opened his mouth slightly, staring at Zhang Julu in shock. After a long while, he finally asked, "You, what you said is all true?"

"Of course, Your Majesty, not only has Prince Xun opened up a completely new Confucian path, but in a sense, he has also limited this path to one that is destined to be taken only by loyal ministers. Therefore, this is only beneficial to the court and has no disadvantages."

What rank are you now?

"This old minister is ashamed. In recent years, I have been busy with government affairs and have become somewhat rusty in my knowledge of Confucian classics. Today I have just entered the realm of establishing one's destiny, and I still need to work harder!"

Third level, destiny realm! !
Zhao Dun took a deep breath, looked at Yuan Benxi, and asked in a questioning tone, "Grand Tutor, what do you think?"

Yuan Benxi's withered old face twitched twice, and he sighed softly, "What Lord Zhang said is very true. If one's mind is too dark when cultivating Confucianism, it is as difficult as ascending to heaven to reach the sixth rank. This old minister has cultivated his literary talent, but he has difficulty gathering his righteous spirit. I am ashamed!"

"Uh!"

Shouren Hall fell silent.

Although Zhao Dun's feelings were complicated, he still had an urge to burst out laughing. Even though Zhao Xun wasn't there, he could almost hear him cursing, and cursing in a very vulgar way.

However, if what Zhang Julu said is true, then Zhao Xun's Confucianism had already made a great pledge of allegiance to him from the very beginning!

(End of this chapter)