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

Chapter 238 The World
For the first time, Dong Zhongshu felt uneasy.

The disciple Yin Zhong chose the location of the murder to silence witnesses—the mausoleum of the retired emperor on Wannian Mountain.

Kneeling beside his mentor, Yin Zhong recounted in detail the entire process of killing the astrological master. When he mentioned that "a celestial being lies in eternal rest here," he was filled with remorse.

I regret not heeding the words of that fallen letter!
Dong Zhongshu's heart sank suddenly.

Did Luo Shu and Tang Ping know when they were going to die, or did they know they were going to die but still "killed someone with their own death"?
More than two hundred years ago, Wu Qi, a military strategist, fled the State of Wei. King Dao of Chu was searching for a great talent, so he immediately brought Wu Qi to the State of Chu, appointed him as the Grand Minister, and gave him full control of the military and political power of the State of Chu, and implemented reforms.

In just six years, they turned decay into magic. The power of the Chu royal family increased dramatically, taxes increased dramatically, and the number of households under their direct jurisdiction increased dramatically. The Chu kingdom was full of vitality.

In fact, within a year, Wu Qi trained an elite new army of 80,000 men. In the third year, he personally led 30,000 elite infantrymen in ten battles against the Baiyue tribes in Lingnan, pacifying the Baiyue tribes in one fell swoop and eliminating a long-standing threat to the State of Chu.

He then led 40,000 infantry and cavalry to subdue the Miao and Man tribes in the Cangwu Mountains. Later, he raised 80,000 new troops, crossed the Huai River to the north, and annexed the State of Cai in one battle and the State of Chen in another. After that, he directly clashed with the three states of Jin, Wei, Zhao and Han, and won a great victory.

However, at that very moment, King Dao of Chu, who had reigned for twenty-one years, died.

When Wu Qi received the devastating news and hurriedly returned to the capital alone to attend the funeral, the powerful Chu nobles, led by Qu, Jing, Zhao, and Xiang, who had suffered losses due to the reforms, had already laid a trap for their scheme.

Just as Wu Qi walked slowly and solemnly toward the body of King Dao of Chu, preparing to offer sacrifices, the long arrows of the archers prepared by the Chu nobles rained down on Wu Qi like a storm. In an instant, Wu Qi was hit by three arrows. He turned sharply and rushed toward the body of King Dao of Chu, embracing it tightly and bursting into tears.

The Chu nobles, terrified of Wu Qi, went completely mad and ordered their archers to continue shooting. The arrows riddled the bodies of Wu Qi and King Dao of Chu with arrows, making them impossible to separate.

After the great chaos, the funeral of King Dao of Chu could not be held for a long time because the bodies of King Dao and Wu Qi could not be separated. If they were to be separated, they would have to be cut into pieces. Crown Prince Mi Zang was heartbroken and could only order that Wu Qi be posthumously honored as Lord Anguo and that his father be buried with Wu Qi.

Three months later, Mi Zang ascended the throne as King Su of Chu. Upon taking the throne, Bu Yi secretly planned to recall the 80,000 elite new troops trained by Wu Qi to the capital, capture all 73 noble families and ministers of Chu who had participated in the rebellion, and execute two remaining noble families on charges of "destroying the royal corpse and rebelling".

When Dong Zhongshu read about Wu Qi, he admired Wu Qi for coming up with such a brilliant idea in such a critical moment, which enabled all the schemers and enemies to perish together after his death, thus avenging himself in death.

When Dong Zhongshu was in Jiaoxi Kingdom, he faced repeated assassination attempts by King Liu Duan of Jiaoxi. He had considered using this plan to kill Liu Duan in return, but he managed to escape. He never expected that this plan would be used against him.

Whether it was done by the students or by myself, there is no difference at this moment.

Even if His Majesty succeeds in restoring the throne, he will not let the master and his family off the hook in order to reverse his reputation for filial piety. Did Luo Shu and Tang Ping die there intentionally or unintentionally?
If it was intentional, were the astrologers' prophecies true or false? Could it be that the Supreme Ruler would truly shine upon the Han Dynasty for sixty years like the sun?

As he listened, Dong Zhongshu's heart grew colder and colder, a tightness gripped his chest, and though he had a thousand words in his heart, he couldn't utter a single one.

More importantly, the deaths of Luo Shu and Tang Ping will inevitably be reported to the court by the Lingwei and Wannian County authorities. Dong Zhongshu has no doubt that the court can trace back to Ganquan Palace, nor does he doubt the severity of the Emperor's punishment of His Majesty. He is only worried that no one in the court has seen through Ganquan Palace's scheme.

For example, Gongsun Hong, the first commoner prime minister of the Han Dynasty, the Marquis of Pingjin who pioneered the practice of being a prime minister and a marquis, the Grand Tutor, the first meritorious official of the Qilin Pavilion, and a traitor to Confucianism!

Dong Zhongshu felt a burning desire in his heart. If Gongsun Hong had seen through the scheme of leaving the Ganquan Palace, the subsequent restoration could be described as a grand drama, in which neither His Majesty nor he could possibly win.

But what if Gongsun Hong hadn't seen through it?

Now that things have come to this, no one can back down. However, Dong Zhongshu has a feeling that he might not be able to leave.

Looking at his disciple, who was filled with remorse and self-blame, Dong Zhongshu did not scold or blame him. Instead, he took out a large book from the iron box he always carried with him, along with a secret talisman for contacting wealthy families in the Han Dynasty, and handed it to Yin Zhong.

This is a book sewn from parchment, with the two large characters "天下" (meaning "all under heaven") on the cover. In the era of bamboo slips, such books sewn from parchment were extremely precious. Only the confidential records of royalty and the secrets of extraordinary people were written on this extremely difficult-to-produce parchment.

Yin Zhong was immediately shocked, "My mentor?"

Parchment, the book of the world. If I'm not mistaken, this is the classic text passed down by the Gongyang family, and also their greatest treasure. My mentor actually entrusted it to him.
In terms of talent, he was inferior to his senior brother Chu Da; in terms of forbearance, he was inferior to his junior brother Ying Gong; in terms of resourcefulness, he was inferior to his junior brother Lü Bushu. The inheritance of the Gongyang family should never have fallen to him. How could he possibly bear such a responsibility?

“Zhong’er, among my many disciples, you are the one I have the most faith in. You are intelligent and quick-witted. Confucianism has declined and will surely face many hardships after I pass away. Only you have the potential to rebuild the glory of Confucianism.”

Dong Zhongshu's eyes were filled with kindness and affection, like a loving father looking at his son. He slowly said, "This book, 'The World,' was written by your grandmaster Hu Wusheng and me based on our life experiences, combined with the travel experiences of many of our disciples. The book records the geography, wealth, laws, military system, administration, customs, and other national conditions of the Han Dynasty and various vassal states. Although there are no longer any vassal states in the Han Dynasty, the conditions of their regions are still worth studying. More importantly, there is a map of the mountains and rivers of the Han Dynasty drawn by your teacher. The fortresses, passes, granaries, castles, straight roads, and highways are all detailed. If Zhong'er can comprehend all of this, he will surely become a brilliant strategist who will shake the world. However, he will not be a strategist for the Han Dynasty."

Zhong'er, after you have delivered the Yin Talisman to officials, powerful families, wealthy merchants, and wandering knights and thieves, do not return to Chang'an. Go directly from Yan to the country. You can temporarily stay in Wuhuan and Xianbei to observe the state of the Han Dynasty. If things are not... irreversible, you can join a foreign tribe to rebuild our Confucianism. If the Han Dynasty declines and the country is lost in the future, this book "The World" will be your reliance for rebuilding China.

Remember, when you're out in the world, strategy is paramount, and assessing the situation is fundamental. Let's not allow the Gongyang School of Confucianism to be destroyed in our hands, master and disciple!

(End of this chapter)