In one of the carriages in the east patrol convoy.
Fu Nian, the head of Xiaoshengxian Village, sat in the main seat of the carriage, Gu Xun sat in the guest seat, and Zhang Liangjing accompanied him at the last seat.
"Master Fu Nian has been very busy recently." Gu Xun picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and said with a smile.
"I'm really ashamed that I made the Imperial Master laugh." Fu Nian raised his hand and saluted, and replied with a stunned expression.
He has been very busy recently.
I am busy and getting rejected everywhere.
I am busy fighting among myself among the Confucians.
That's why Fu Nian said that he made people laugh.
However, Confucian internal strife is nothing new. It’s just that Xiaoshengxian Village never ended up in the past. Even the top troll in a hundred schools didn’t complain much after he retired to Xiaoshengxian Village.
But now, as the head of Confucianism, Fu Nian, who has always only read books from sages, has ended up personally.
This indeed surprised and shocked many people, especially within Confucianism.
This also led to Fu Nian being attacked by some factions within Confucianism.
Fu Nian was criticized not because he represented the Little Saint Xian Village and jumped out to flatter Ying Zheng and the empire.
It's because he jumped out to flatter me at this time.
Master Confucius was not an inflexible person, so his disciples, disciples, and grandsons also had very flexible rules for doing things, and they also had their own flexible understandings of the teachings in the books of sages.
In the past, Xiaoshengxianzhuang, a sacred place for Confucianism, had always remained silent and never expressed its opinions on the various actions of the imperial court.
Fu Nian is an upright Confucian gentleman, so even if he is dissatisfied with Ying Zheng, he will not show it, so he chooses to ignore the outside world and only read the books of sages.
But other factions of Confucianism are not as peaceful and honest as he is.
The voice of Confucianism has never stopped since the empire officially unified the world, but the difference is big.
In the view of these Confucian scholars who continue to speak out, Ying Zheng's current eastward tour, his determination to confer Zen status on Mount Tai, and his extensive invitation to Confucian scholars to discuss the ceremony of conferring Zen status are all the result of their hard work and fearlessness day after day.
Difficulties and dangers are earned by advising the court.
Of course, they may also admit that all this may not be entirely their fault.
But Xiaoshengxianzhuang, who never said anything, definitely didn’t get any credit!
As a result, Fu Nian wanted to use the so-called Holy Land of Confucianism and the reputation of the leader of Confucianism to jump out and pick peaches at this critical moment.
This kind of behavior can only be described as unworthy of a son of man.
Of course, Fu Nian is not here to pick peaches, but in the eyes of many Confucian scholars, he is here to pick peaches.
Until this time, the vast majority of Confucian disciples still did not feel that they were in imminent disaster.
Fu Nian tried to persuade, but he couldn't speak too clearly, otherwise he would get burned and the gain would outweigh the loss.
However, if he doesn't explain it clearly, most people don't believe him at all...or even if he explains it clearly.
Bustling and bustling, good things come and good things go.
Confucian disciples who were several hundred years older, all of whom were outstanding Confucian scholars, came to this Mount Tai area not just to join in the fun.
In response to Fu Nian's answer, which was full of complaints, Gu Xun couldn't help laughing even more happily, but he still advised:
"Master Fu Nian, you must learn to accept reality... not everyone is worthy of being saved."
Fu Nian was silent for a moment, and then replied, "Fu Nian understands what the Imperial Master said, but... this is not just about saving others, but also about saving oneself."
In any case, Xiaoshengxianzhuang is a sacred place for Confucianism, and it is the first name that comes to mind when everyone mentions Confucianism.
If Confucianism suffered, the chances of Xiaoshengxian Village being spared were extremely slim.
Even if Fu Nian relied on his performance in recent days to prevent Ying Zheng from venting his anger on Xiaoshengxian Manor, there was no guarantee that something unexpected would happen.
People's hearts are fickle, and so are the emperor's thoughts.
In just the blink of an eye, people can completely change their previous thoughts.
So Fu Nian definitely still hopes to solve the entire Confucian dilemma in a more appropriate way.
Gu Xun raised his hand and waved it repeatedly, "I understand Master Fu Nian's concerns, but I don't recommend having this idea of perfection."
"Sometimes, you have to make sacrifices."
Fu Nian's eyes fluctuated slightly, and he clenched his hands unconsciously, but remained silent.
Gu Xun held the tea cup and continued leisurely, "Before, Zhao Gao and I had a private conversation."
"Brother Gu, what have you gained?" Zhang Liang took over the conversation at this time.
Fu Nian's character is not compatible with Gu Xun, so the two of them are not suitable for talking too much.
Gu Xun shook his head when he heard this, "Actually, there is nothing to gain. You should all know about Zhao Gao."
"But my meeting with him will produce results in itself."
"Taishan Fengchan, there won't be any more accidents?" Zhang Liang turned his eyes and immediately guessed what the effect of Gu Xun's words was.
"Zifang's brain is really good." Gu Xun smiled and nodded.
Then he went on to explain in detail, "I have already made a guarantee to the emperor that there will be no surprises in the enthronement of Mount Tai."
"I also told Zhao Gao about this."
Zhao Gao himself knew very well that he and his network did not have the strength to confront Gu Xun head-on.
It's just that Gu Xun was hampered by constraints from all sides and could not kill him or the trap.
Therefore, he can use any number of tricks to deal with Gu Xun, but he himself must not cross the line.
Since Gu Xun had already made a guarantee regarding Mount Tai's enshrinement, it was a red line that could not be crossed. If Zhao Gao dared to cross the line, the consequences would be unforeseen and unbearable for him.
Zhang Liang knew this very well. After thinking about it, he asked, "What was his reaction?"
"That's a good question." Gu Xun looked at Zhang Liang and replied with a smile, "He doesn't care at all."
"I can confirm that he really doesn't care and doesn't hide any anger or unwillingness."
After hearing this answer, Zhang Liang was silent for a moment, and then asked, "What does Brother Gu think?"
"Either he really doesn't plan to do anything." Gu Xun rubbed the smooth surface of the tea cup and replied calmly, "Or he has an arrangement to bypass me."
After Gu Xun warned Zhao Gao, he would definitely not do anything that crossed the line, but he could still do it if he didn't cross the line.
What does not cross the line?
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! It is very simple, it will not directly affect the normal completion of Taishan Fengchan, and at the same time it will further deepen Ying Zheng's dislike of Confucianism.
Zhang Liang pursed his lips and smiled, and replied, "It seems that Brother Gu has something in mind."
Gu Xun raised his eyebrows, but did not respond to Zhang Liang. He turned to Fu Nian and asked, "Master Fu Nian, do you think there is anything abnormal within Confucianism recently?"
Fu Nian frowned and fell into deep thought, "It's not normal... I don't feel anything is obviously abnormal. If I have to say it, it's probably... that many people's attitudes are becoming more radical?"
Gu Xun nodded, "That's right."
"After the Yishan assassination, the attitude of these Confucian scholars who gathered because of Mount Tai's enshrinement of Zen became more radical and worse towards the empire."
"Their targets gradually expanded from the issue of Mount Tai's conferment of Zen to all aspects of the empire. From making suggestions, they gradually evolved into making suggestions."
"Now, it has even gone beyond the scope of expressing opinions and is closer to venting dissatisfaction."
"Is the net adding fuel to the flames behind the scenes?" Fu Nian asked tentatively after hearing this.
Gu Xun did not answer directly, but explained, "If Zhao Gao still secretly instigates rebels to carry out assassinations like he did in Yishan, I will not tolerate him."
"But if he is just inciting or manipulating some Confucian disciples to openly provoke the emperor, then I can't stop him."
Gu Xun's bottom line is that nothing can happen to him when he is enshrined in Mount Tai, but if Confucian disciples want to stir up trouble, they don't need to specifically choose when to be enshrined. It can happen before or after.
That can also further affect Ying Zheng's mood, and will not damage the Zen ceremony itself.
"Brother Gu can't stop it?" Zhang Liang asked in a deep voice.
Gu Xun spread his hands and asked, "How do I know how many holes there are in Confucianism?"
Of course, Gu Xun has a list of people who have set up a trap to plant nails within Confucianism, but this is certainly not all of them.
As long as there is no way to clear out all the problematic people within Confucianism, there is no way to stop Zhao Gao from making trouble under the influence of Confucianism.
Fu Nian then interrupted and asked, "What does the Imperial Master want me to do?"
Although Gu Xun still hasn't revealed the purpose of coming to see Fu Nian, Fu Nian has already roughly guessed it.
Gu Xun will definitely not be so idle that he just comes to help them analyze the crisis that Confucianism may encounter next - this kind of thing can be conveyed through Zhang Liang on his behalf, and there is no need to meet Fu Nian specifically.
At the same time, Gu Xun has basically determined what Luo Wang is planning to do, so there is no need to obtain information from Fu Nian.
It's not about obtaining intelligence or transmitting information, so it can only be done by finding Fu Nian himself and cooperating with certain actions.
Gu Xun smiled when he heard this, and replied a bit haphazardly, "Don't you think, Master Fu Nian, that you have been compromising too much these days?"
As the head of Little Saint Xian Manor, Fu Nian has definitely suffered more in the past few days than he has in the entire previous half of his life.
In front of Ying Zheng, he had to be cautious and walk on thin ice. In front of his fellow Confucians, he only gained confusion, rejection, and resistance. Almost no one was willing to really listen to him.
Even with Fu Nian's magnanimity and cultivation, he still had a lot of depression and anger in his heart, so at the beginning of the conversation he uttered words that were half complaints and half complaints that were completely out of character for him.
Gu Xun is bringing up Fu Nian's grievance now, certainly not to stir up trouble, but because he can relate to what he wants Fu Nian to do.
Fu Nian was very smart and immediately guessed what Gu Xun meant:
"The Imperial Master wants me to... fight back?"
"It's not such a formal word, it's just...swearing back." Gu Xun smiled and waved his hand back, "You can't just allow them to criticize you, but not allow you to talk back, right?"
"..." Fu Nian fell into silence.
Gu Xun's words were said lightly, but in essence he wanted Fu Nian to use Xiaoshengxianzhuang's position to completely stand against other Confucian schools and completely...split Confucianism.
There is no doubt that doing this can preserve the Little Sage Village as much as possible.
Moreover, this does not count as Fu Nian's reckless behavior in order to protect himself.
There are obvious problems in Confucianism. As the head of Xiaoshengxian Manor, Fu Nian has the responsibility and obligation to bring order to the chaos.
However, he still couldn't give Gu Xun a definite answer.
Because he was unwilling to bear the guilt of splitting Confucianism, nor the consequences of splitting Confucianism.
Although Confucianism may be the most powerful among the hundreds of schools of thought when it comes to internal strife, Confucianism has maintained peace on the surface after all. It does not fight each other like a peasant family fighting for a hero, nor does it divide into two sects, heaven and man, like Taoism.
No matter how many factions there are within Confucianism, Confucianism is the whole Confucianism.
Gu Xun saw Fu Nian's hesitation, so he reminded him, "Head Fu Nian, this is not just to preserve the Little Sage Village."
"As long as you can suppress the vast majority of Confucianism's untimely voices, it is very likely that Confucianism as a whole will be prevented from heading towards the worst outcome."
"You are the head of Xiaoshengxian Village and the head of Confucianism."
"Mr. Fu Nian, please think about it carefully."
Gu Xun left the last words, then stood up and said goodbye and left.
All that needs to be said has been said, leaving Fu Nian to think about the rest.
It can be said that Zhao Gao's plan against Confucianism went extremely smoothly this time.
In fact, his manipulation of public opinion is not very effective.
If the power of the quicksand had not all shrunk back to the north, Gu Xun could directly use the same method to destroy Zhao Gao's plan.
Public opinion is never exclusive to any one person.
It's a pity that Gu Xun doesn't have the manpower now, so he can only let Fu Nian, who naturally occupies a high position in public opinion within Confucianism, forcefully suppress and destroy Zhao Gao's arrangement.
Of course, it's hard to say how effective this will be, and it may even be ineffective at all.
But you have to try it.
Anyway, the choice is Fu Nian's. Let's see if he is willing to give it a try.
After Gu Xun left, Fu Nian frowned and looked at Zhang Liang, "Zifang, what do you think?"
Zhang Liang thought about it and replied, "This... doesn't seem like a good idea."
"Well..." Fu Nian nodded, and then suddenly retorted, "But this is one of the few ways."
In this situation, no one can save Confucianism, Confucianism can only save itself.
Fu Nian closed his eyes and was thinking alone in his mind. His frown slowly relaxed, and he might have come to a conclusion.
………………
There is a hidden stronghold of the Mohists somewhere in Xue County.
Thief Zhi ducked into the house.
In the room, the four masters and masters were waiting for him.
There has been a lot of chaos in Xue County recently, so Master Ban and the others have also reduced the frequency of outings. Usually when something happens, they just let Thief Zhi go. Unless he is too busy, others will take action.
But this time, Robber Zhi went to see Tian Heng of the Tian clan - regarding the suspicion of the Yishan assassination, the Tian clan said there was news.
"How is it?" Master Ban asked impatiently.
Robber Zhi sat down first, then waved his hands and replied:
"Tian Heng said that his elder brother didn't know that there might be a problem inside, and he apologized deeply for that."
"Stop talking nonsense and focus on the key points." Master Ban rolled his eyes and said angrily.
"Don't worry, it's the key point right now." Daozhi replied with a smile, "Tian Heng said that they need further investigation on the specific situation. They can't give detailed conclusions in a short time, but Tian Dan allowed him to inform other anti-Qin forces about the two
The origins of the internal affairs of the empire."
"Tian Dan said that he was in contact with someone through his connections in Chu State."
"Chu State?"
Master Ban and others looked at each other, and the first thing they thought of was the Xiang family, the aristocrats of the old Chu who had a close relationship with the Mo family.
Then he immediately ruled out the possibility that those two people were related to the Xiang family.
If Xiang Liang and the others had such resources, they would definitely communicate with the Mo family and would not transfer them to the Tian family. Master Ban and the others had never heard of any connection between the Xiang family and the Tian family.