A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

The Imperial Academy in the 19th year of Emperor Wu of Han was very lively. One person finished speaking and another took turns speaking. Countless scholars from various schools of thought and great sages debated here, restoring the glory of the Jixia Academy in the State of Qi.

Every day, eunuchs would bring the debates from the Imperial Academy to the palace for Emperor Wu of Han to review.

Emperor Wu of Han found it fascinating.

Emperor Wu of Han never expected that the various schools of thought had hidden so many valuable insights. If it weren't for this war of unification, the various schools of thought would probably have kept these things buried until their demise.

Each family had its own brilliant arguments, making Emperor Wu of Han reluctant to relinquish the unified empire.

It's such a pity that only one theory was left behind.

At this moment, a court attendant hesitated, and Emperor Wu of Han noticed this and asked him directly.

"What's wrong? What happened?"

"Your Majesty, I have heard that members of the Wei family also teach at the Imperial Academy."

The Wei family?!

At this time, Emperor Wu of Han already exhibited the suspicious nature that characterized his later years.

When he heard that the Wei family had entered the scene, his first thought was why the Wei family would get involved.

Is this the opinion of the entire Wei family, or just this one person?

The Wei family now controls the country's finances and more than half of its military power, and now they want to interfere in civil administration. What is the Wei family trying to do?

Did they intend to turn the Han Dynasty into the Wei Dynasty?

Emperor Wu of Han had no choice but to think this way, as the influence of the Wei family was simply too terrifying.

Its influence extends across the military, political, and financial spheres, and its prestige among the people is terrifyingly unparalleled.

It can be said that as long as the Wei family raises their arms, they can change the dynasty.

This was something that Emperor Wu of Han could not help but be wary of.

Just then, Wei happy brought Wei Sheng into the palace.

Emperor Wu of Han's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

What was the purpose of the Wei family entering the palace at this time? Was it to deceive the emperor?

The suspicious Emperor Wu of Han would not hesitate to look at the Wei family from the worst possible angle.

"Announce."

Emperor Wu of Han looked at the young man brought by Wei happy; this was the next generation of the Wei family.

They are equally excellent.

To be fair, the Wei family has really good genes. Their Liu family has a useless emperor like Emperor Hui and a breeding boar like Prince Jing of Zhongshan.

But the Wei family is full of talented people, which is extremely rare.

"Your Majesty, this is my son, Wei Sheng, a successor of Taoism."

Taoism?!

Emperor Wu of Han was mentally calculating which Daoist figures were still known by name, and which ministers had any connection with Daoism.

During his reign, these ministers had no chance of being given important positions.

"Is the Wei family also trying to get involved in this ideological debate?"

The straightforwardness of Emperor Wu of Han.

He didn't need to be coy, even when facing the current head of the Wei family.

"Yes."

The next person to speak was Wei Sheng.

"I have loved reading since I was a child, especially the books left by my ancestor, King Chungmu."

"I only saw two words in it: 'investigation of things'."

"Therefore, based on the foundation laid by my ancestors, I have come to understand the science of investigating things."

The study of natural philosophy?!

A newly established school of thought.

Without any foundation whatsoever, they dare to dream of unifying the country?!

Even with the full support of the Wei family, it's impossible.

Emperor Wu of Han knew that the Wei family would never fully support him in such a matter.

This is not in the Wei family's interest.

What exactly is the Wei family planning?

"Does my esteemed minister intend to participate in this contest through the study of natural philosophy?"

Emperor Wu of Han was intrigued and looked at Wei Sheng with great interest.

"That's not the case."

Wei happy stepped forward and glanced at the records on Emperor Wu of Han's desk.

"What does Your Majesty think of these various schools of thought?"

"Each one has its own unique features."

Emperor Wu of Han praised it.

"Unification is an inevitable trend and a necessary strategy."

"But these schools of thought, the Hundred Schools of Thought, are the essence of Chinese civilization. It is a great pity that they have declined like this. Does Your Majesty agree?"

Wei happy asked.

Indeed.

Emperor Wu of Han nodded. "Then what do you mean, my dear minister?"

"Has Your Majesty ever read the Tao Te Ching?"

Wei happy then changed the subject and started talking about the Tao Te Ching.

"Of course I've read it."

Emperor Wu of Han recalled his childhood studies, and under the influence of Empress Dowager Dou, he had indeed studied this Taoist classic.

"The Tao that can be spoken of is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. Existence is the mother of all things; non-existence is the origin of heaven and earth."

Wei happy repeated the opening lines of the Tao Te Ching, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the words of the Taoist sage Lao Tzu are very reasonable."

"The so-called Dao refers to the natural laws between heaven and earth. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west, people need to eat when they are hungry, and seeds planted in the soil need to be watered and fertilized to grow. These are all Dao."

"The Six Arts of Confucianism are the Way, the laws of Legalism are the Way, the farming of the agriculturalists is the Way, and the crafts of the Mohists are also the Way."

Emperor Wu of Han was increasingly surprised as he listened. What was the Wei family up to?

An idea slowly rose in his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

Because that idea was simply too incredible.

"Therefore, I believe that while we should achieve ideological unification, we should also ensure the survival of all schools of thought, because once one school becomes dominant, that doctrine will inevitably decay."

"Only through constant competition can a doctrine spark its most brilliant ideas."

Wei happy said.

"So, what does my subject mean?"

Emperor Wu of Han pressed for an answer.

"I hope that Taoism can lead all schools of thought, and that all schools will return to Taoism."

"Under the Daoist school, there are branches such as Confucianism, Legalism, and Mohism. This achieves both unification and prevents the decline of these schools of thought."

"There is still enough internal competition to keep these theories alive."

"Of course, we can't accept all schools of thought, because that would be meaningless for unification."

"Nine is the ultimate number. Under Taoism, there should be nine lineages and nine side schools. These schools compete with each other, and are evaluated every five years. His Majesty will personally evaluate which schools are among these nine lineages and nine side schools."

Emperor Wu of Han's eyes lit up, especially at the last sentence, which allowed him to determine which schools of thought comprised the Nine Schools. Naturally, the great sages of those schools dared not be as presumptuous as before.

If they want their doctrines to remain within the nine branches of Taoism, they must rely on him and be used by him.

This method seems pretty good too.

Especially if this method is followed, the Eighteen Meridians Theory will not be grateful to the Wei family except for the Taoists.

At most, add one more farmhouse.

Other schools of thought would hate the Wei family to the core, since it was the Wei family that supported Taoism as the leading school.

This is digging up their roots.

They are absolutely irreconcilable enemies with the Wei family.

Perhaps the Wei family did this precisely to lessen his suspicions and to demonstrate their loyalty.

Emperor Wu of Han thought to himself with satisfaction.

That's not actually the case. The Wei family only wanted to preserve the essence of the various schools of thought from the Hundred Schools of Thought period.

I feel it would be such a pity to lose these.

Furthermore, we do not want to see a single school of thought dominate, as this would not be a good thing for the entire Chinese civilization.

Having resolved a worry, Emperor Wu of Han was in high spirits.

After looking at the young men from the Wei family, Emperor Wu of Han felt that since the Wei family had taken such a proactive approach, he couldn't very well not respond.

So he asked Wei Sheng.

What are your thoughts on the rule of the Three Kings?

Emperor Wu of Han had only asked the question casually; there was no standard answer. Wei Sheng could give a random answer and still have an excuse to promote him.

Upon hearing Emperor Wu of Han's question, both Wei happy and Wei Sheng straightened their posture and became more formal.