Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 487 I can't make this decision

"Young Master Fusu, my name is Lin Dao."

As Lin Dao pushed open the door and entered, he saw the First Emperor and a man nearing thirty, with a composed face, sitting and kneeling facing each other.

Upon seeing Lin Dao enter, the First Emperor's expression remained unchanged.

Fusu was taken aback at first, then his face showed anger, and finally he tried to compose himself and looked down at the floor.

The First Emperor was over forty years old this year, but he had an eldest son who was nearly thirty.

This is not surprising. In this era, the average lifespan is not long, so people tend to marry and have children early.

In his youth, due to the suppression of the poisonous bird, the evil phoenix, and the ghost chariot, the First Emperor had almost nothing to do except create children before he took personal control of the government.

Lin Dao took in Fu Su's expressions and movements.

He is now extremely experienced, and after a little thought, he understood its meaning.

The reason for the stunned silence was that Lin Dao had entered without prior notice, which, in the eyes of the First Emperor, was tantamount to bringing about the downfall of his entire clan.

His angry expression stemmed from learning Lin Dao's true identity and believing him to be a charlatan who had tricked the First Emperor into burying and killing all the alchemists.

The final act of restraint stemmed from the awareness that they were currently bearing the wrath of the First Emperor and were unwilling to cause further trouble.

It seems that it's pretty much the same.

Therefore, life experience is really important.

"The Immortal Master has arrived."

The First Emperor, who had previously been furious for disciplining his son, nodded and gestured for him to "sit down and talk."

Lin Dao stepped forward and sat down without hesitation.

Thus, a situation arose in which Lin Dao, together with the First Emperor, exerted pressure on the kneeling Fusu.

Lin Dao had a general understanding of Fu Su's situation.

Since his death, no successor in any dynasty has ever been sent away to serve in a foreign region, which can be considered a lesson learned.

As for Fusu himself, he was a typical example of someone who was completely misled by Confucian scholars.

As the heir to the empire, he should be using Confucianism, not believing in it, and even consider himself a disciple of Confucianism.

This is his biggest weakness.

"Prince Fusu."

Lin Dao smiled slightly. "You said that cheating alchemists would cause unrest throughout the world."

"May I ask, what is meant by 'the world'?"

"The people are the foundation of the world!" Fusu raised his head, his gaze resolute. "Winning the hearts of the people is the key to peace and stability in the world."

He was previously ordered to appease the local people and was not present when Lin Dao prayed for rain.

As we all know, such a miracle would be doubtful if not witnessed with one's own eyes.

In particular, Fusu studied Confucianism, and Confucius said that one should respect ghosts and gods but keep them at a distance, so he naturally did not trust Lin Dao very much.

Then a scholar nearby recounted that Lin Dao was just lucky, and happened to be there when it rained.

"Humph!"

The First Emperor snorted coldly, but did not scold him further; instead, he closed his eyes.

"The people."

Lin Dao laughed again, “The people of various places are all people, the remnants of various countries are also all people, and so are alchemists and Confucian scholars.”

"Although they are all people, there are differences between them."

"People everywhere hope for a reduction in taxes and corvée labor so that they can recuperate and live a prosperous life."

“The remnants of various nations, however, yearn to restore their countries and continue their power and wealth.”

"As for alchemists and Confucian scholars..."

At this point, Lin Dao smiled slightly and adjusted his emotions, "What they also hope for is to gain power and wealth."

"However, the methods they used were different from those of the remnants of other nations."

"The remnants of various countries reclaimed their former power and wealth through rebellion."

"Confucian scholars and alchemists, on the other hand, obtained these through deception."

Lin Dao sighed, "It's one thing for them to deceive the First Emperor, but they even gave him pills rich in toxins."

"Judging from the current situation, the First Emperor's body has been severely damaged, and he has at most a few years left to live."

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor, who had been resting with his eyes closed, immediately opened them.

Fusu, who had been looking down with resentment, suddenly looked up in astonishment, his heart filled with disbelief.

He rushed back to dissuade the emperor after hearing that the First Emperor was going to bury hundreds of Confucian scholars and alchemists alive.

The Confucian scholar who informed him of this matter did not mention that the First Emperor had been poisoned by taking elixirs.

Seeing that Fusu was about to speak, Lin Dao immediately retorted, "I've heard that Young Master Fusu is a Confucian scholar?"

"Yes." Fusu raised his head and puffed out his chest. "Confucianism emphasizes righteousness, respects the rites of Zhou, encourages people to do good, and teaches without discrimination, which is very much to my liking."

"Of the various schools of thought from the Hundred Schools of Thought, those that have survived are certainly not bad." Lin Dao and Fu Su exchanged glances. "Then, young master, do you know what the core of Confucianism is?"

Before Fusu could speak, Lin Dao said to himself, "It is loyalty, filial piety, benevolence and righteousness, which comes from the Analects."

What is loyalty?

"Loyalty to the country and safeguarding its overall interests and dignity is the true meaning of loyalty."

What is filial piety?

"Parents give birth to and raise children, give them life and nurture them to adulthood, repay them by providing for them, correcting their mistakes, protecting their happiness, and leading them to a happy and fulfilling family life. This is what it means to be filial."

"What is benevolence?"

"To save the world and help the people, to love the common people, to act fairly, and to be benevolent in public affairs, that is true benevolence."

What is righteousness?

"A righteous act is one that serves the people, dares to help others, extends a helping hand to those in danger or difficulty, and dares to speak out and stop injustice."

Lin Dao stood up, walked to Fu Su, and looked at him.

"The sorcerers poisoned the First Emperor. Once the First Emperor dies, the world will be in chaos, and the common people will be plunged into war."

"You plead for these sorcerers, is that out of loyalty to the country?"

"The First Emperor was your father-in-law, but he was poisoned by a sorcerer and even had only a few years left to live."

"You plead for these sorcerers out of filial piety towards your father-in-law?"

"These alchemists squandered wealth, harmed the people to refine elixirs, and spent countless resources searching for immortals overseas. The wealth that countless people painstakingly created was easily squandered because of them."

"You plead for these sorcerers, is that considered benevolence?"

“The actions and words of the alchemists are all unacceptable under Qin law and should be dealt with according to the law to serve as a warning to others and to uphold fairness and justice.”

"You plead for these sorcerers, is that for the greater good?" After these words, Fusu was already trembling and sweating profusely.

He stammered, "No...no...I..."

"You say you studied Confucianism," Lin Dao couldn't help but burst into laughter. "You haven't grasped the core of Confucianism at all. What exactly have you studied?"

"Every doctrine has its good side and its bad side."

“Young Master Fusu, you are not an ordinary student, you are the heir of the Great Qin.”

"What you need to do is not to exclusively promote Confucianism, but to gather the strengths of all schools of thought and discard their weaknesses."

Those who are beneficial to the country and the people should be given important positions, while those who are not beneficial to the country and the people should be discarded!

"That's what you should really be learning."

The First Emperor opened his eyes, stood up, and walked over, leaning on his long sword.

“The immortal’s words are worth a thousand pieces of gold.”

"Fusu, you must remember this well."

"Go."

In a daze, Fusu swayed as he got up, head down, and walked towards the door.

His original intention was simply to save people and to dissuade the First Emperor from wreaking havoc.

After all, killing hundreds of people at once is simply too much.

If this were to spread, it would surely shake the world and cause everyone to feel insecure.

Yes~
It's truly unbelievable that these sorcerers would poison the First Emperor!

These Confucian scholars didn't say that before!
After Fusu staggered away, the First Emperor put aside his fatherly authority and looked somewhat anxious.

"Immortal Master, do I truly only have a few years left to live?!"

"Hmm." Lin Dao examined his complexion. "If he continues to stay up late and take pills, he'll probably die even faster."

"Please, Immortal Master, save me!" The First Emperor glanced at the closed door and solemnly bowed to Lin Dao, pleading for help.

At the same time, the rage in his heart towards the Fangshi was soaring to the heavens.

"I do have some medications here for treating heavy metal poisoning."

Lin Dao nodded slowly and replied in a serious tone, "I can treat you."

"Is it an elixir of immortality?" the First Emperor asked anxiously.

Lin Dao was both amused and exasperated by these words: "Don't even mention that there is no elixir of immortality. Even if there were, it wouldn't grant an indestructible body."

"You've taken too many pills, why would you ask such a question?"

The dignified First Emperor gave a rare, awkward smile.

He immediately became serious and said, "Immortal Master, I wish to seek the immortal arts and attain immortality."

The First Emperor witnessed the magic firsthand; it truly could summon wind and rain.

Such magical arts must grant immortality.

After years of anticipation, he had become somewhat obsessed.

The First Emperor had made up his mind to spare no effort in order to obtain the secrets of immortality!
"I can't make that decision."

Lin Dao didn't try to fool him; he simply stated, "The immortal techniques were passed down by my master, Patriarch Bodhi."

"Without his consent, even if I teach you the immortal techniques, it will be of no use to you no matter how much you see, learn, and practice them."

"It's like reading a storybook; once you've read it, you've read it and that's it—it's meaningless."

Upon hearing this, the First Emperor became extremely anxious.

He quickly followed up with, "May I ask where Lingtai Fangcun Mountain is?"

"I have prepared the fleet."

“Three thousand boys and girls, including craftsmen, doctors, and warriors.”

"Carrying all kinds of treasures, I wish to go to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain to become a disciple!"

"First, send those three thousand boys and girls back to where they came from." Lin Dao frowned. "My master is a cultivator, not a cannibalistic demon!"

"Why would we need young boys and girls? Those are for worshipping demons."

"Whoever gave you this suggestion should be executed!"

"It's that bastard Xu Fu!" the First Emperor gritted his teeth. "I will have him torn apart by five horses!"

Skipping over the minor incident and confirming Xu Fu's fate, Lin Dao turned serious.

"You can't get to Fangcun Mountain by boat."

"There is only one way to get Master's permission."

The First Emperor hurriedly asked, "Please, immortal, teach me!"

"dream!"

"Huh~?"

“I mean, it really was a dream,” Lin Dao explained. “If Master agrees, he will come to tell me in my dream tonight.”

"If you disagree, then it won't happen."

"That's why I said," Lin Dao shrugged, "I can't make that decision."

This wasn't the first time he had tried to impart the Great Celestial Immortal Technique.

In various times and spaces, Lin Dao had tried to pass on his knowledge to others several times, but the result was always the same.

I watched it, learned it, practiced it, and then that was it.

It was completely useless, like reading a story.

Empress Ma and the others had learned it, Wang Meng had also learned it, and Lin Dao had even given Zhao Yun a set.

However, the result was the same: without a personal phone call from Bodhi Patriarch, it was all meaningless.

"Actually," Lin Dao said sincerely, "accumulating merit is more effective than seeking immortality."

"I will go bathe and change now!"

The First Emperor didn't listen at all; his face was flushed, and he was clearly excited and agitated.

"I will welcome the Bodhi Patriarch's transmission of power with the utmost sincerity!"

"Hey~"

Lin Dao took a breath and smiled.

"Alright, we'll talk about merit when you're completely desperate."

(End of this chapter)