From Joy of Life, the Tian Gang is reversed

Chapter 257 If you're not confident, should you just give up?

Standing in the imperial court now, I feel afraid!
Xu Xiao was startled.

This doesn't sound like it was made up.

"Can you imagine a hall full of high-ranking officials, all of whom are Wang Yangming?"

Seeing the surprise mixed with confusion in Xu Xiao's eyes, Yang Taisui helplessly used his own personal experience as an example, "Back then, under the walls of Xiangfan, you were only facing Wang Yangming, but now, half of the civil officials in the court are Wang Yangming, and the other half are becoming Wang Yangming. Their dissatisfaction with you has been going on for more than a day or two. As soon as the news of your arrival in the capital spread, the voices in the court became unified."

Why haven't I received any messages?

"Because they want you to have a glimmer of hope, to go to the capital and clash with them," Yang Taisui said with a wry smile. "Once a conflict is triggered, they will have a reason to kill you, and no one can change that."

Xu Xiao finally saw a hint of helplessness in Yang Taisui's eyes.

Where is Gu Jiantang?

“Gu Jiantang!” Yang Taisui lowered his head slightly, but said something that made Xu Xiao furious: “He should already be dead.”

"What did you say, Gu Jiantang..."

"The suppression of all other schools of thought and the exclusive veneration of Confucianism—these eight words have now become a reality in Tai'an City. Tai'an City is now a Confucian world!"

"This..." Even though Xu Xiao considered himself to be well-traveled and experienced, having seen and heard everything in his life, he was still speechless upon hearing this. He stared at Yang Taisui with horror in his eyes, as if trying to discern something different from his expression.

But he was disappointed.

Yang Taisui's expression told him that what he said was true.

Roll!
Xu Xiao couldn't help but swallow hard and turn his head to look in the direction of Tai'an City.

As dusk fell, the massive city of Tai'an lay prostrate on the earth like a terrifying beast, waiting for its chance to devour everything.

※※※

Zhang Mansion in Tai'an City

Anpintang

The current Grand Secretary, Zhang Julu, with his hands behind his back, stood by the window, gazing out of the city. His eyes flashed with a green light, as if they could penetrate everything.

After a long silence, he suddenly spoke up, "Yang Taisui went to Mawei Post Station. Do you think Xu Xiao will go to the capital?"

"Xu Xiao?" The name seemed to possess some kind of magic, and Anpin Hall fell silent. "Yes, he will. Over the past few years, we've been planning this for a long time, aiming to create a false impression, to make him believe that as long as he goes to the capital and relinquishes his position as Grand Pillar of State, he can obtain a title of Grand Prince with no future. If he doesn't go to the capital, he'll never have another chance." The speaker was a young official named Fang Youying. He had just been promoted from the local area three years ago. He had no background and little experience, but his Confucian scholarship was high. In just three years, his Confucian scholarship had reached the fifth-grade virtue realm, and he had cultivated a literary mind. Like Zhang Julu, he came from a poor family and entered officialdom through the imperial examination, making him a rising star in the court.

Zhang Julu's gaze sharpened. "So, Yang Taisui is gone. He and Xu Xiao are old friends, and he will tell him the truth."

"The truth is not important; what's important is that Xu Xiao must come," an old man said calmly. "He entered Tai'an City for Xu Fengnian's title. Even after learning the truth, he will still come to the capital for Xu Fengnian's future. The White-Clad Case in the capital was a thorn in the side of the father and son. Xu Fengnian has been hiding his talents and acting like a playboy since childhood, just to lower the guard of his enemies. If they want revenge, they can't bypass Tai'an City."

“Yes, Tai’an City, we can’t avoid it.” Zhang Julu smiled. “Southern Supervisor, what do you think?!”

Nan Huaiyu, who had been silent all along, smiled bitterly and said, "Haven't you already confirmed that the real reincarnation of Zhenwu is Xu Fengnian, not Xu Longxiang? The Imperial Observatory made a mistake back then, or rather, the Imperial Observatory was tricked by Huang Sanjia. But what's done is done. If we can resolve it once and for all, there will be no problem."

"Then let's see what this King of Beiliang decides!" Zhang Julu smiled. "Reducing the power of the vassal states is imperative. If Xu Xiao is trapped in Tai'an City, the 300,000 iron cavalry of Beiliang will surely rebel. At that time, war will break out again. If Beimang takes the opportunity to invade, who will bear the responsibility?!"

"A single move can affect the whole situation. With Xu Xiao gone, Northern Liang will be leaderless. Xu Fengnian is too young and needs more experience; he can't shoulder this heavy responsibility. Northern Liang's fighting strength will inevitably weaken. Nowadays, there are more than just Northern Liang as a powerful region. At least the Prince of Yan will definitely make a move if he sees an opportunity. Moreover, Xiangfan is the only way for Northern Liang to march south. Our new Confucian sage is the heir of the Prince of Jing'an." A voice sneered, "What do you think he will choose?!"

"Hmph, he's hiding in Kirishima. Maybe he'll open the passage to the south."

"Impossible! He is the heir of the Prince of Jing'an. If the passage is opened, and he marches south with the Northern Liang cavalry, his reputation will be ruined...!"

Suddenly, the speaker seemed to realize something, and abruptly looked up at Zhang Julu, "Prime Minister, you...!"

"Hmph, the new sage of Confucianism, in the past four years, he has been hiding on Fog Island, but has taken in twelve disciples. In the past two years, apart from Pei Nanwei, whom he took into his household, the other eleven have traveled all over the world, spreading Confucianism, and their reputation has grown. But he only teaches the techniques, not the principles. Meanwhile, he himself, while hiding on Fog Island, has allowed Prince Jing'an to operate in Qingzhou, making Qingzhou impenetrable. What do you think he is up to? His intentions are unfathomable. We should take this opportunity to probe his background and see what his true purpose is."

"The Qing Party in the court is growing stronger and stronger." At this moment, a middle-aged official sighed. "In recent years, although we have been studying Confucianism seriously and collecting materials on his teachings, we are only exploring. After all, he is the founder of Confucianism, and his attainments in Confucianism far surpass ours. No one knows how far he can develop the power of Confucianism. Given time, he may become the only dominant force!"

"So what? Everyone knows the strength of the Qingzhou navy. Even with a terrestrial immortal and a dozen or so first-rank warriors, they still can't stop the 100,000 iron cavalry of Beiliang!"

"That's not how it works. What if he only puts up a symbolic resistance, or feigns a few defeats to open a passage? He'll only lose face a little. Or even, he could let Prince Jing'an take the lead while he stays on Wudao Island and doesn't care about the war. In that case, we wouldn't be able to find fault with him!"

"Xu Fengnian traveled to Qingzhou and visited him on Wudao Island. If they reached any agreement in secret, we have no idea."

………………

…………

"So many concerns? Are we going to give up just because of these concerns?!" Zhang Julu turned around and looked at everyone, saying, "The creation and spread of Confucianism is the most important event in the past thousand years. The flow of the world's fortunes has weakened Taoism and Buddhism, and the dominance of Confucianism is almost a foregone conclusion. However, the world's fortunes are limited, while there are many schools of Confucianism with various ideas, many of which conflict with each other. That's why the Shangyin Academy has popularized debates on Confucian classics. In the end, whoever gains the upper hand will rule the world, whoever can reap the greatest benefits, and whoever can truly promote their theories throughout the world. This is a major event concerning the orthodox tradition, and we cannot back down. Since we have made up our minds, let's do our best!"

A hammer is fixed.

(End of this chapter)