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

Chapter 196 Shared Merit
"Open the door, let's work together!"

Chang'an City, Er's residence.

This place is only a hundred steps from the market, but all the noise is blocked by a wide pine and cypress forest. The gentle breeze and chirping birds make it seem as if it is separated from the big market behind it by a world.

The trees were heavy and the place was extremely quiet.

In the dignified residence of a high-ranking official, visitors usually speak softly. But today, a large group of people come and knock on the door.

The gatekeeper naturally dared not open the door, for the identities and demeanor of the people outside proved that they were up to no good.

The sons of officials from various families have come to collect debts!

After the court meeting that day, the Grand Master fell ill upon returning home and remained in bed. He instructed his family to keep a low profile and the gatekeeper to guard the gate at night, and to avoid being noticed by anyone.

In the end, they couldn't escape it.

Led by Suo Lucan, a hereditary official of the Imperial Court and the next generation of the Mohist leader, the Hundred Families purged a group of Confucian officials from both the Chinese and foreign dynasties, and finally came to Er Kuan, the proposer of the "Shared Merit System".

However, one cannot wake someone who is pretending to be asleep, just as one cannot open a tightly closed, even sealed, mansion gate.

This angered the members of the Bai family. Who did this small family think they were to look down on?

At Suo Lucan's command, the Mohist disciples immediately brought over a huge round log with its front end wrapped in copper and iron.

The Mohist disciples sang old folk songs, their voices seemingly flying in from beyond the heavens, lingering and echoing above the pine and cypress forests, deeply moving and unforgettable.

"Strangers should not yearn for paradise."

Paradise is actually filled with a thousand kinds of suffering.
When will the world be filled with universal love?
Let's cast aside our weapons and work together to cultivate and weave.

Don't say that paradise is full of suffering.

Sweet springs originate from bitterness

If one could gain the world and love all people

"It is still like the sun and moon meeting again."

With a loud crash, the gate of the Er Mansion, along with its frame and walls, collapsed under the battering ram, which was capable of breaching a city.

Fortunately, the gatekeeper of the mansion reacted quickly and escaped from behind the gate to the open space next to it. Otherwise, he would have been crushed to death or beaten to death.

Hearing the noise, Er Kuan, who had forced himself to come to the front door, looked at the plaque that his mentor Kong Anguo had personally inscribed for him, which was now being trampled underfoot by members of the Bai family, and his eyes widened in fury.

"Yo!"

"Is Dr. Zhong still alive?"

Upon hearing this, one could tell it came from the Yin-Yang School. Zou Ping sighed, "You Confucianists truly have the world in your hearts. If it were me, having caused such a disaster, I would have already hanged myself."

Er Kuan suppressed the urge to vomit blood and growled, "You brat!"

"Oh my, still has the energy to curse. It seems that Doctor Zhong's body can still hold up. Doctor Zhong must keep a close eye on him."

Zou Ping, as if basking in a spring breeze, called out to the members of the Bai family, "Brothers, grab your weapons and let's go!"

"You dare!"

A cornered beast's struggle won't intimidate anyone. Suo Lucan shoved Er Kuan aside and, facing the angry glares and approach of Er Kuan's guards, sneered slightly: "The confiscation of Confucianism is an order from the Emperor. Dare to move? Move and your entire clan will be exterminated!"

"Erkuan, have you thought this through?"

Today it is today.

The Han Dynasty court did not "oppose Confucianism." Although the government announced the confiscation of Confucian property, it did not mean that the people were against Confucianism. According to the theory of shared merit, the people were simply taking back what belonged to them.

If Confucian scholars obstruct this, it is tantamount to seizing and attempting to occupy the collective merits of all subjects under heaven, which is a grave crime.

"Master, there's a saying in the country that Qin Shi Huang 'burned books and buried scholars alive.' Let's not allow this story to actually happen in our Han Dynasty, or worse, let's not say we didn't warn you," the farmer Zhao Guo kindly reminded him.

If you're going to get hit, stand up straight. If you've chosen the wrong side and said the wrong thing, you have to bear the consequences. Resisting stubbornly will only lead to your death.

"Doctor, a moment of patience brings peace, a step back opens up a vast sky. So many Confucian scholars have been raided, you're not doing anything more, are you?" Xu Zhuang, a Daoist, kindly advised. Er Kuan felt a salty taste in his throat, forcibly swallowing back the mouthful of blood, his hatred surging, "Then why didn't you raid the Prime Minister's residence?"

Everyone in the family ate a meal, and Xu Zhuang was very honest, saying, "The old prime minister is a bit too forceful."

Unlike the other schools of thought, Huang-Lao Taoism existed as the governing principle of the Han Dynasty before His Majesty embraced Confucianism. No one understood the old prime minister's journey better than the Huang-Lao Taoists.

The old prime minister did indeed uphold Confucian principles in the court, and he has not changed this in the past or present, nor will he likely change it in the future. However, if this group of people were to try to gain favor at the prime minister's residence, they would almost certainly be beaten out.

Gongsun Hong was not only the Chancellor of the Han Dynasty, but also the Grand Tutor of the Han Dynasty.

The Grand Tutor was an ancient official position. It was first established during the reign of Empress Lü in the Han Dynasty. The first Grand Tutor was Wang Ling, the Marquis of Anguo, and the second was Shen Shiqi, the Marquis of Biyang. It was abolished in the eighth year of Empress Lü's reign.

Now, in order to bestow special honors upon Gongsun Hong, the Emperor has reinstated him as Grand Tutor. Such a figure is so powerful that even the Hundred Schools of Thought dare not challenge him.

Suo Lucan headed straight for the library in the mansion, kicked open the door, and before entering, turned to Er Kuan and asked, "Is the old prime minister a Confucian?"

Upon hearing this, Er Kuan was struck dumb, while the members of the Bai family could no longer contain themselves and burst into laughter, following them into the Zangjian Pavilion.

The old prime minister, a Confucian scholar with a Legalist heart, who never shared the same ideals as Confucianism, is now to become the last great Confucian scholar. This is too much of a cruel joke.

The final glory of Confucianism was brought to fruition by its gravediggers.

Er Kuan vomited blood and collapsed to the ground.

The people in the manor rushed to help.

The members of the Bai family who rushed into the library made a great discovery.

"Isn't this the 'Wen Shi Zhen Jing' of my Taoist school?" Xu Zhuang found the Taoist classic among tens of thousands of scrolls.

"The lost 'Book of Lord Shang, Chapter 23: Ruler and Minister' is actually here."

"This is a handwritten copy of the 'Universal Love' chapter by the great master of the Mohist school."

"My Yin-Yang school's 'Zouzi Zhongshi' is also here."

"..."

Inside the Zangjian Pavilion, exclamations of surprise rang out as ancient texts, fragments, and manuscripts from various schools of thought were discovered.

It wasn't lost at all; it was deliberately hidden by thieves. What's worse, the thieves learned something from it and then claimed it was an original creation of Confucianism.

"thief!"

"You thief!"

"A traitorous scholar!"

"..."

The angry members of the Hundred Schools of Thought couldn't help but shout out their curses. Only a traitorous Confucian scholar would do something like turning the collective wisdom of the Hundred Schools of Thought into his own and then killing them all.

"Move out!"

"Move out!"

"Move out!"

"..."

The members of the various schools of thought guarded the library, calling on their disciples to come and bring back the wisdom of the ancient sages. Countless disciples from the various schools of thought poured into the mansion and emptied the entire library, leaving not a single copy behind.

Suo Lucan and others did not forget the wealth that Er Kuan had acquired through the wisdom of a hundred schools of thought. Except for people they didn't want and land that they couldn't move, they moved everything else that needed to be moved and demolished everything that needed to be demolished.

The once grand son's residence was razed to the ground.

The next morning, Erkuan felt the strong sunlight and slowly opened his eyes. Looking at the familiar people and familiar places, he asked in confusion, "I remember I have a home?"

(End of this chapter)