A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 129 is possible
Your Majesty has made many efforts to uphold Confucianism, attempting it twice and even nearly losing the throne.

However, His Majesty has never promoted a large number of Confucian scholars to high positions; the so-called promotion and encouragement remain merely slogans.

Since Your Majesty ascended the throne, there have been seventy-seven ministers in the court, but only six of them are called Confucian scholars. Moreover, among these six, Zhu Fuyan and Gongsun Hong are only Confucian scholars who study the Spring and Autumn Annals, but their actual political stances are quite different from those of Confucianism.

For eighty years since the founding of the Han Dynasty, it has always been guided by Daoism and Legalism, with Confucianism merely a superficial aspect.

"Suppressing all other schools of thought and exclusively honoring Confucianism" and "establishing the Imperial Academy" were all means by which Your Majesty consolidated imperial power.

His Majesty hopes that Confucianism can find its basis in the Spring and Autumn Annals and hopes to use the will of Heaven to deify the legitimacy of the emperor, but he does not want the imperial power to be constrained. He also has little interest in the Confucian scholars' ideas of governing the country, such as following the ancient kings and implementing moral education.

His Majesty's desire for military prowess and moral virtue has led him to prioritize utilitarianism to some extent, and his ambition and abilities do not allow him to be completely enslaved by any one person or doctrine.

He only wants to believe in those ideas that will have an effect in his lifetime, that will make people admire and remember him, and that will be rejected by those that hinder all of this.

Therefore, neither the crown prince nor the heir apparent satisfied him.

Your Majesty readily adopts Confucian theories of auspicious omens and the concept of a unified empire, but always pretends that such ideas do not exist. As for the theory of natural disasters, Your Majesty is concerned about them, but never believes that the blame lies with you.

From beginning to end, His Majesty believed that his pragmatic and results-oriented approach to governing the country would lead the Han Dynasty to a peaceful and prosperous era.

In His Majesty's eyes, Confucianism is merely a tool.

Use the virtuous when they are capable, discard the unworthy.

What's there to care about?
Dong Zhongshu's suggestion to "show some respect and entrust him with important responsibilities" caused Liu Che a brief moment of embarrassment, which quickly disappeared. "I will grant you this small matter," Liu Che said. "However, I wonder who you will employ to undertake this important task?"

"I can manage on horseback alone."

Dong Zhongshu said things that were sure to startle people.

After spending many days in Nanyang, everyone gradually learned about the story of the bandits in this area. Mei Mian and Bai Zheng had been causing trouble here for more than ten years, and no matter how many prefects or commanders had tried to suppress them, they had been unable to do so.

This has nothing to do with the abilities of the prefect and the commandant. Under His Majesty's "diligent governance," the speed of killing cannot keep up with the speed of the proliferation of displaced people and bandits. No one else could have done it.

I thought that Dong Zhongshu would volunteer to pacify the bandits and would invite the gatekeepers and soldiers of Nanyang County to come out and intimidate them. Unexpectedly, he wiped out the bandits with just one man and one sword.
Wuqiu Shouwang's face showed urgency, while the others were full of amusement. Was he going to his death?

Liu Che did not give him a chance to back out, and said, "Since the doctor says so, then I will do as the doctor says. I am tired, so please go!"

With his eyes slightly closed, Liu Che knew very well that no matter how hard the imperial faction in the court tried, the unfilial crown prince would not be able to make the southern tour group withdraw to Guanzhong. If the theft in Nanyang was not resolved, he would not be able to write that essay of reflections on his search for answers.

Given the power of Mei Mian and Bai Zheng, it would be impossible for them, with just over a thousand gatekeepers and several thousand soldiers from Nanyang County, to break into the mountains and destroy the bandit's lair without requesting the imperial court to send a large army.

Since things had come to this point, there was no other option but to try anything. If Dong Zhongshu was willing to go, so be it. If it succeeded, everyone would be happy, and the world would see that the emperor's might still exist, deterring those with ulterior motives in the court and among the people. If it failed, it would only cost Dong Zhongshu his life, which was of no concern to him.

His Majesty seems to be asleep.

The crowd surrounding the dragon bed silently withdrew.

After obtaining the approximate location of the bandits' lair from Wang Wenshu, the Commandant of Nanyang Commandery, Dong Zhongshu prepared to set off.

Wuqiu Shouwang saw him off. "Teacher, is that alright?"

"Zi Gan, for the sake of Confucianism, you must!"

Dong Zhongshu said firmly.

The ruler clearly does not support Confucianism, and even rejects Confucian scholars. If the world were handed over to the ruler, and he intended to suppress it, all schools of thought would rise up against it, and Confucianism might perish.

The Confucianists must support the emperor who appears to support them.

Your Majesty has shown a willingness to "retreat," which is unacceptable to Confucian scholars. We are ready to fight to the death, so why does Your Majesty surrender first?

To boost Your Majesty's ambition, the only solution is to appease the bandits of Nanyang and quell the unrest.

“But this is an impossible mission,” Wuqiu Shouwang said helplessly.

The civil unrest has lasted for more than ten years. Mei Mian and Bai Zheng have a wealth of power and experience. The teacher has neither soldiers nor resources. How can he persuade them to surrender?
In addition, time is running out. The news of the southern tour group's entanglement with the bandits of Nanyang County has probably spread throughout the court and the public. If the stalemate continues, it will cause a great uproar in the city and become known to all. His Majesty's ability and holy reputation will then be severely questioned.

Therefore, teachers face a situation where time is tight, tasks are heavy, and difficulties are great.

As one of the world's most brilliant minds, King Wuqiu Shou could not understand why his teacher would knowingly do something that was impossible.

"The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; and the next best is to attack their army."

Dong Zhongshu looked at his student and said slowly, "The highest art of struggle is accomplished through strategy and diplomacy. I stayed in Jiaoxi for three years, and even the cruel and ruthless King of Jiaoxi couldn't kill me. Can this bandit from Nanyang be more cruel and ruthless than the King of Jiaoxi?"

Regardless of the doctrine, the inclination towards goodness and beauty is human nature, which is difficult to completely eradicate; it is just that it is often burned and distorted by desire and hatred.

However, a pure soul and a fragile life can always awaken all of this, even if only for a moment.

In the Kingdom of Jiaoxi, King Liu Duan of Jiaoxi had opportunities to kill him, but at the crucial moment, he couldn't bring himself to do it, giving him a chance to escape death.

No matter how dangerous the bandit's den in Nanyang was, it couldn't compare to the Prime Minister's residence in Jiaoxi. He believed he could return alive.

“Teacher, perhaps if the Emperor were to take over the Han Dynasty, the people would live a better life,” Wuqiu Shouwang pondered.

He served His Majesty in the central court for nearly twenty years, and came into contact with countless secrets, especially those involving members of the imperial family, which were truly shocking.

There's almost nothing good, or rather, none of it is anything good.

It can be said that Emperor Xiaowen, Emperor Xiaojing, Your Majesty, and the Emperor were the most human-like among these four generations of imperial family members, especially among the princes.

However, he discovered that as His Majesty had been on the throne for longer and longer, many of His Majesty's actions were becoming less and less human. His Majesty was not as self-disciplined as Emperor Xiaowen, and was willing to squander the wealth of the world for his own selfish desires.

Putting aside other matters, in order to obtain official positions and for the profits from salt and iron, the merchants Dongguo Xianyang and Kong Jin offered 300,000 gold coins and maintained this practice for ten years. What did Your Majesty do after receiving the money?
To provide Chang'an with places for entertainment, a monarch immediately embarked on a massive construction project, building four magnificent palaces: Jianzhang, Gui, Bei, and Mingguang. Such a monarch hardly seems like a wise ruler who could ensure the well-being of the people.

Dong Zhongshu remained silent.

(End of this chapter)