You can't only love the Qing Dynasty when you're eating the fruits of others' labor.

Everyone was stunned.
The air seemed to freeze, and time seemed to stand still. Duke Yansheng Kong Xingxie stole a glance and saw that the Grand Secretary's eyes were fixed on the stele.

His eyes were clearly greedy.

The corners of his mouth were noticeably upturned.

Lean your upper body slightly forward.

Yes~
Throughout five thousand years of history, which emperor could withstand such high-level flattery?

If Jiang Ziya had not been born, the world would have remained in darkness forever!
This statement is 100 times more valuable than the terms "benevolent ruler" and "wise ruler".

……

"Duke Yansheng, what do you mean by this?"

"Confucianism has developed for more than 2000 years. After the Sage and the Second Sage, the Grand Secretary can be called the Third Sage."

"No, no, how could I possibly be ranked alongside the two saints? That would be presumptuous, far too presumptuous."

Although Jiang Qingyun kept waving his hands, his mouth stretched to his ears, and his gums were showing when he smiled.

Kong Xingxie's expression was serious, and his voice was impassioned.

"In this era of moral decay and rampant beasts, you, Grand Secretary, are like a beacon in the wilderness, guiding scholars and millions of ordinary people forward. Without you, Confucianism would have fallen into endless darkness, with no chance of recovery."

"Yeah yeah."

Everyone echoed.

Jiang Qingyun frowned.

"No, no, come on, dig this stele out and move it out of the Confucius Temple."

"Who dares!"

Kong Xingxie roared angrily.

The guards immediately stopped, as if the Duke Yansheng was the one whose word was law.

"Anyone who dares to touch this monument is openly going against the will of the people! If you dare to take another step forward, I will kowtow to this monument and die in defense of Confucianism, and die a worthy death."

Everyone present turned their questioning gazes to Jiang Qingyun, who sighed deeply, turned and walked away into the depths of the Confucius Temple.

A voice drifted faintly on the wind—"You've really caused me a lot of trouble."

Everyone quickly followed.

……

In stark contrast to Zhou Peigong's treatment, the Grand Secretary visited the Confucius Temple as if strolling through his own garden, free to walk around, touch things, and ask questions as he pleased.

The sacred and inviolable Temple of Confucius was violated at will by the Grand Secretary.

The moment Jiang Qingyun stepped into the Dacheng Hall with his left foot, his pupils dilated in shock once again.

"what is that?"

"Grand Secretary, that's yourself."

Jiang Qingyun looked closely and exclaimed, "Wow!" It was a portrait of himself in military uniform.

"Duke Yansheng, that's too much, too much."

"Prime Minister, please do not refuse. You yourself do not yet realize what the fundamentalist Confucianism you advocate means. 500 years from now, future generations will probably place you before the Second Sage."

Jiang Qingyun looked up at the statue of Confucius and fell into a long silence.

If the Grand Secretary doesn't speak, which insignificant person would dare to utter a word?

A full fifteen minutes~
No one knows what the Grand Secretary is thinking; perhaps it's a spiritual connection.

When the seasonal saint meets the saint!
The two sides engaged in a cross-dimensional spiritual exchange, spanning over 2000 years of time and space, and their ideas sparked intense insights.

……

"on fire!"

A heart-wrenching scream could be faintly heard from outside.

Duke Yansheng Kong Xingxie's expression changed drastically. Just when he was about to achieve the most perfect victory, he realized that some bastard had set fire to the outside again.

This year has truly been unlucky for me.

"Prime Minister, I'll go take a look."

"Ah."

Kong Xingxie hurriedly left the palace.

Twenty members of the Grand Secretary's guard immediately followed, their purpose self-evident.

A house in Qufu caught fire.

In an era dominated by wooden buildings, fires were not uncommon, but for the Grand Secretary to be caught in a fire so soon after entering the city was somewhat ominous.

At the fire scene, Kong Xingxie, with a gloomy face, directed his servants to put out the fire.

The Confucius Temple, Dacheng Hall. Everyone was ordered to leave the hall, leaving only Jiang Qingyun. He personally lit incense, inserted it into the incense burner, and then stared at the statue of Confucius.

"Confucius, whose reputation is both praised and criticized, and whose legacy will endure for all time—did you ever foresee such an outcome?"

“I really want to ask you face to face which of these words you actually said and which ones were made up by those bastards of later generations. But no matter who said them, one thing is certain: you will always be the leader of Confucianism and you will always be an important totem of Chinese civilization.”

The statue of the saint is like a clay sculpture, silent and still.

Jiang Qingyun stared at the eyes of the clay sculpture and suddenly burst into laughter.

“Confucius, you must accept the praise and admiration of later generations. You must also accept the insults and slander. As the founder of a school of thought, you must be aware of this. In a few days, I will also use your name to say something. There’s no way around it, since you are a sage.”

"Since ancient times, scholars and courtesans have sat at the same table. When a country falls, if you don't blame the scholars and courtesans, are you going to blame the king? You have to take the blame for this, since you are the saint."

"Zhongni, are you doing well over there?"

The statue of the saint remains unmoved.

Outside, the wind was howling and the clouds were swirling, with lightning and thunder.

got windy!
It's raining!
Jiang Qingyun slowly walked out of the Dacheng Hall. In the pouring rain, civil and military officials, members of the Kong clan, and hundreds of the chief minister's guards stood quietly in the square in front of the hall.

……

Eight-year-old dance!
Confucius Family Banquet!
When these two things are combined, it can be described as the ultimate enjoyment of the literati class.

Jiang Qingyun's senses of sight, hearing, and smell were all immersed in the most luxurious pleasures in the world, unable to extricate himself, from morning to night, and from night to morning.

Delicious food fills the stomach, fine wine flows through the intestines, and beautiful women accompany one to sleep.

The drums and music resounded in unison, a truly wonderful sight.

In tribute to Confucius, there was also a unique outdoor excursion.

"I come from the State of Qin."

"I come from the State of Zhao."

"I come from the State of Wei."

"I come from the State of Qi."

~
As he watched the seven impeccably dressed, valiant women from the pre-Qin era politely extend a war invitation to him, Jiang Qingyun couldn't help but ask himself a profound question.

Does this conform to the rites of Zhou?

The leading woman replied solemnly, "Reporting to the Grand Secretary, He and a woman of the Yan clan had an illicit union that resulted in the birth of Confucius, so such an union must have been in accordance with the rites of Zhou."

Since it conforms to the Zhou rites, there's nothing more to say.

The Spring and Autumn Period was marked by the collapse of ritual and music!

The Warring States period was even more outrageous!

It was 15 days later when Emperor Zhou, Jiang Qingyun, conquered the seven kingdoms and completed the unification and integration.

……

On the city gate tower~
Jiang Qingyun pulled open his binoculars and peered at the dense crowd outside. When there were more than ten thousand people, it seemed endless; when there were more than one hundred thousand, it blotted out the sky.

"Let's get ready for the meeting."

"Yes."

In this era without modern technology, it's not impossible to make one person's voice reach the ears of 100,000 people simultaneously.

Human resources can replace most technologies.

As long as you can mobilize enough manpower.

Large numbers of cavalrymen marched out of Qufu and began to divide up the people.

The soldiers formed a column and infiltrated the crowd at a distance of 50 zhang (approximately 25 meters), and then separated themselves by another 10 zhang (approximately 5 meters).

"Sit down, sit down!"

"Don't talk!"

"Don't move around."

"Those who disobey orders will be executed!"

The disheveled people were like quails, docile and obedient. Once everyone was seated, the cavalrymen had a wider field of vision.

Closest to the platform were the summoned Shandong officials, gentry, scholars, and newly appointed Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), who were seated in chairs.

This sends a signal.

The officials and gentry whispered among themselves.

What is the fundamentalist Confucianism and Mencius?

"I don't know." (End of Chapter)