There is no such thing as the Kangxi and Qianlong eras

Chapter 302 Zhang Tianshi is Gone

The Prince of Han's Mansion.

Zhang Peiyuan was sitting on pins and needles in the reception room of the Prince's mansion. He had only arrived in Jingzhou two days ago and was immediately summoned by the Prince of Han.

But he was not happy at all, because he was not summoned alone; Zhang Jiaozhi, a Taoist priest from Gezao Mountain, was also summoned with him.

Zhang Peiyuan felt some pressure, but he dared not show it. He could only pretend to be nonchalant, as if he didn't care at all.

Nie Yu ignored Zhang Peiyuan's subtle actions and asked Zhang Jiaozhi, who was flipping through the county school's version of the "Chemistry" textbook, "Master Zhang, how's it going?"

Zhang Jiaozhi closed the textbook, his face full of amazement: "This 'Chemistry' textbook is truly a masterpiece, and the various formulas and derivations within it have deeply impressed and inspired me. I dare to ask, who exactly is the author of this extraordinary book?"

"Hehe, I dare not claim to be a true master; it was just something I casually compiled," Nie Yu said with a shameless smile.

There's no way around it; the textbook has to have an author. If he's not satisfied with acknowledging a Western author, but if he mentions the original author, who was born hundreds of years ago, then he can only reluctantly add his name to the list for now.

Moreover, he has already brought these textbooks to the world hundreds of years ahead of schedule, which means that China's scientific progress can certainly be accelerated.

With such a great contribution, Nie Yu felt that he could at least be considered half a patriarch of the scientific community in later generations.

Otherwise, all that hard work he did, spending countless nights hand-copying these localized textbooks, would have been for nothing.

As expected, upon hearing that it was compiled by the Prince of Han, Zhang Jiaozhi's face showed shock again. After a long while, he said, "I never imagined that the Prince of Han had such a profound understanding of my Daoist scriptures. As the current successor of the Lingbao School of Gezao Mountain, I am truly ashamed, truly ashamed!"

Nie Yu, listening to Zhang Jiaozhi's unmistakably flattering words, felt no embarrassment whatsoever. Instead, he picked up the conversation, saying, "Daoist Master, there's no need to feel ashamed. If you like this book, I have editions for the prefectural school, university, and advanced studies, and even the periodic law of elements. The path of chemistry is endless, but it lacks explorers. Would Master Zhang be willing to be a pioneer in exploring this path of chemistry, leaving a smooth road for future generations of Chinese people?"

After his speech, he first whetted Zhang Jiaozhi's appetite with the subsequent advanced teaching materials and the periodic table, and then delivered a decisive blow.

The phrase "Master Zhang," along with the noble cause of caring for future generations of Chinese, made it impossible for Zhang Jiaozhi to refuse.

However, he didn't know how to refuse, but Zhang Peiyuan couldn't help himself.

While the King of Han was chatting with the Taoist priest from Gezao Mountain across servers, he couldn't get a word in edgewise, so he simply stood by and pretended to be an expert.

But now, even if he can't get a word in edgewise, he has to force it, since this is a "real person" title!

Although the King of Han did not say it explicitly, he personally addressed Zhang Jiaozhi as "True Man," and anyone who understood could tell what he meant.

Zhang Peiyuan quickly stood up and dissuaded him: "Your Majesty, you must not! Although Gezao Mountain is one of the three sacred mountains of Taoism, my Longhu Mountain Zhengyi Temple is the true lineage of Taoism. The title of Zhenren (True Man) was bestowed upon Zhengyi Temple by imperial decree of emperors throughout history, and Zhengyi Temple was then used to govern all Taoist sects in the world. Your Majesty is now directly addressing Gezao Mountain as Zhenren, which is truly inappropriate!"

Upon hearing this, Nie Yu's smile vanished instantly, and he asked calmly, "Does Longhu Mountain find this inappropriate?"

Although the words were simple and the tone was calm, they were full of hidden hostility, and even Zhang Peiyuan almost knelt down.

He truly is the Son of Heaven; even before becoming emperor, he possesses such majesty!

Well, this was actually all Zhang Peiyuan's own psychological effect, along with his fear of the Han Dynasty's past infamous achievements. In addition, Nie Yu's body was far too young, not at all like the kind of powerful ruler who should be conquering the world.

Such a stark contrast amplified Zhang Peiyuan's political bias towards Nie Yu.

Zhang Peiyuan was terrified, but for the sake of the Celestial Master's Mansion, he still gritted his teeth and argued his case: "Your Highness, it is indeed inappropriate!"

Instead of getting angry after hearing this, Nie Yu looked at Zhang Jiaozhi calmly and asked, "Does Master Zhang also think it's inappropriate?"

Good heavens, it's "Master Zhang" again.

Zhang Jiaozhi was completely bewildered. He was just a minor abbot of Gezao Mountain; how did he get dragged into the struggle for the Daoist lineage?

Although Gezao Mountain is one of the three sacred mountains of Taoism, a prestigious sect, it is actually the most miserable of the three.

Several times they almost lost their lineage. Although Gezao Mountain still has its heritage, the entire sect has fewer than thirty disciples and followers. Even the Taoist temple has been in ruins for over a hundred years, and they don't have the money to repair it.

Historically, Zhang Jiaozhi, the head of the sect, was able to rebuild the Taoist temple by assisting the government in disaster relief and by having his disciples practice medicine and save lives throughout Qingjiang County, which to some extent prevented the outbreak of plague after the disaster.

Seeing that Zhang Jiaozhi remained silent, Nie Yu stopped pressuring him and directly offered his price: "As long as Daoist Zhang is willing to lead his disciples to learn the chemical way of Yiyang, I will fund the reconstruction of Gezaoshan Daoist Temple and bestow upon Daoist Zhang the title of True Man!"

"King Han..."

"Is Your Majesty truly speaking?"

Zhang Peiyuan and Zhang Jiaozhi spoke almost simultaneously.

The fact that the Prince of Han was willing to fund the reconstruction of the Gezaoshan Taoist Temple immediately struck a nerve with Zhang Jiaozhi. As the current successor of the Gezaoshan lineage, his greatest dream in life was to rebuild the temple and to carry forward the Gezaoshan Taoist tradition, restoring the former glory of the three Taoist mountains.

Now, these wishes seem to be easily fulfilled. The Han King's money to rebuild the Taoist temple is equivalent to the Han court supporting the Taoist tradition of Gezao Mountain. In addition, the imperial decree conferring the title of "True Man" has almost placed Gezao Mountain on an equal footing with Longhu Mountain.

Although Zhang Jiaozhi considered himself a recluse, pure of heart and devoid of desires, he couldn't help but be tempted. He hadn't dared to accept the title of "True Man" from the King of Han before, because he wanted to ensure the continuation of the Daoist lineage and avoid provoking the powerful Longhu Mountain.

He accepted the position now, also for the sake of the lineage. This may be the only opportunity in his life for him to lead the Gezaoshan lineage to prominence.

Nie Yu smiled: "Of course it's true."

He wasn't afraid of the Taoist priests asking for a price; he was afraid they wouldn't ask for a price and were truly detached from worldly desires. In that case, it would be difficult to force them.

These are Taoist priests, wild chemists. If we bring them all here to study chemistry, physics, and mathematics textbooks, it will definitely be much faster than training them from scratch on the spot.

Nie Yu remembered the dates of the First Opium War and the First Industrial Revolution in history.

It can be said that the Han Dynasty was already lagging behind the world from the very beginning, and all it could do was seize the time to catch up.

Zhang Peiyuan felt like an outsider, and despair and indignation welled up in his heart: "King of Han, there can only be one True Man in the world of Taoism!"

Nie Yu glanced at him instantly, his eyes cold, and said, "Since that's the case, then please let Master Zhang step down and yield the throne. From now on, Gezao Mountain will be the true man."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Peiyuan nearly fainted, but he still managed to make one last effort: "However, the Zhengyi Temple on Longhu Mountain is the true lineage of Taoism in the world. Although Gezao Mountain is one of the three mountains of Taoism, it is ultimately not righteous or legitimate."

"It's perfectly legitimate, that's easy. I'll just issue a decree."

Nie Yu shook his head, then interrupted Zhang Peiyuan, who was about to continue, saying, "Stop here, don't force me to tear off the mask. The Celestial Master's Mansion of Longhu Mountain has been in charge of the Taoist sects for hundreds of years, and the Celestial Master lineage has been passed down for fifty-nine generations. Even the emperors of all dynasties have not surpassed the Celestial Master's Mansion in terms of lineage."

"I really don't want to delve into the filth and corruption that has accumulated in the Celestial Master's Mansion over the years. I'd rather leave some dignity for the Celestial Master's Mansion."

"It was just mentioned that Zhengyi Temple is the orthodox lineage of Taoism. In that case, the abbotship of Zhengyi Temple will be transferred to Zhang Zhenren concurrently. From now on, the Celestial Master's Mansion and Zhengyi Temple will be separated. All abbots of Zhengyi Temple will be appointed by the government and the imperial court, and will no longer be hereditary in the Celestial Master's Mansion."

After several attempts, Zhang Peiyuan not only failed to retain the title of True Person of the Celestial Master's Mansion, but the Celestial Master's Mansion and Zhengyi Temple were also forcibly separated.

From now on, Zhang Tianshi will no longer be able to inherit control of Zhengyi Temple, and there will be no more hereditary succession of Zhang Tianshi.

Since he was practicing Taoism outside the secular world, he should practice Taoism properly. He created the title of Zhang Tianshi, which was passed down from generation to generation. Within the Longhu Mountain area, Zhang Tianshi had absolute control, and even the government could not interfere. He was practically a local emperor.

Historically, Zhang Tianshi did indeed produce some truly enlightened masters, but many more were corrupt and wicked.

If I had to describe them, they would be like the Kong family of Qufu and the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain – birds of a feather.

Anything that involves hereditary succession or privilege will quickly become corrupted.

Zhang Peiyuan was at a loss. He had come to Jingzhou to meet the Prince of Han in order to plead for the Celestial Master's Mansion and save its tens of thousands of acres of fertile land.

As a result, the land was lost, the title of "True Man" was gone, and the hereditary leadership of the Zhengyi Temple was also lost.

They lost both their wife and their army!

However, Zhang Peiyuan dared not resist at all, because the Prince of Han had already said that he should save face for the Celestial Master's Mansion and not force them to really break off relations.

Zhang Peiyuan quieted down, but Zhang Jiaozhi was somewhat embarrassed, as he had been summoned to pay homage to the Prince of Han.

He inexplicably picked up a real title and became the abbot of Zhengyi Temple.

However, this awkward situation only lasted for a short while. Zhang Jiaozhi quickly adjusted himself and felt that what the King of Han did was indeed right. Those who cultivate the Tao should devote themselves to cultivating the Tao and helping the world and the people, and should not be greedy for power and wealth. This is falling into the evil path of the mortal world.

The Qing Shi Mansion was stripped of its title and the position of head of the Zhengyi Temple. It was also given away tens of thousands of acres of land, which can be considered a blessing in disguise.

At least the sins committed in the past will be forgiven by the King of Han, and he will not pursue them further.

Even the title of "True Person" held by Zhang Yu, the contemporary Celestial Master, was not abolished by Nie Yu. Instead, both titles were kept in place to preserve the dignity of the Celestial Master's Mansion.

After the two left the Prince of Han's residence, Zhang Peiyuan returned to the post station arranged by the Prince of Han, and immediately began writing letters.

He wasn't complaining about the King of Han, but rather reporting the current situation to Longhu Mountain: the Han Dynasty's annexation of Jiangxi was a foregone conclusion, and there was no point in Longhu Mountain being dissatisfied.

Then he could only comply with the King of Han's wishes, obediently become a reclusive Taoist priest, and have all his disciples study mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

Previously, the Prince of Han only required half of the disciples from Longhu Mountain. Now, Zhang Peiyuan felt that since half of them were going to be sent anyway, he might as well send them all to study. Even his sons and himself planned to study mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

For no other reason than that the King of Han valued it highly enough, and was even willing to bestow the title of "True Man" upon it.

As for the future of Longhu Mountain, we can only leave it to fate.

(End of this chapter)