Confucian and Taoist scholar

Chapter 717 The Emperor's Northern Tour

In late winter, the weather is still chilly despite the change in temperatures.

In Tai'an City, there are already some green plants.

In the Imperial Palace Plum Garden, plum blossoms of all colors are in full bloom, their fragrance delightful.

An Taixuan sat under a lush plum tree, looking through the intelligence sent urgently from the north.

These days, he has been keeping an eye on news from the State of Wei.

What about all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifesting their divine power to punish the wicked, and the Buddha's true intention descending to earth to destroy his golden body and save people from suffering...?

At first, he thought it was a Buddhist assembly held in Wei, and that they were up to some kind of bluff. But after multiple sources confirmed it was true.

Moreover, the Wei government has been making a lot of noise lately, actively promoting Mahayana Buddhism throughout the country, melting down golden Buddha statues, and renovating and standardizing temples...

The commotion caused by the State of Wei was quite significant, and the news spread rapidly. It's likely that it will be known throughout the world in a short time.

"It seems that the State of Wei is serious about seeking change and strengthening itself!"

An Taixuan murmured to himself, puzzled, "The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas haven't manifested for hundreds of years, but now they've appeared. It's really strange. Does that Crown Prince of Wei truly have the countenance of an emperor...?"

In the past, the powers of the world did not take the Buddhist sect of Wei seriously, after all, the Buddhism established by Wei was not a proper thing in their eyes.

People only banned Buddhism, but did not classify the Buddhist sect in Wei as a cult, all out of respect for Buddha, the sage of the human race.

But now that the orthodox Buddhist tradition has reappeared in the world, the nature of the situation has changed.

In front of guests from all over the world, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifested their divine power to rectify Buddhism and offered their golden statues to save the world and help people. Who would dare to say anything bad about Buddhism after that?

"Buddhism is, after all, a major sect of our human race. Its profound foundation is not to be underestimated..."

An Taixuan murmured, "This time, Wei has really made a fortune. Not to mention the golden statues in the temples and the monks' properties—how much silver must they have made? Tsk tsk..."

The thought of Wei's treasury overflowing with mountains of gold and silver made An Taixuan's mouth itch.

Anguo implemented some reforms, but the national treasury was really short of money, and no matter what they tried, they couldn't get much silver to make up the shortfall.

An Taixuan rubbed his temples and sighed, "Why don't those ancient Confucian sages show their power and get those scholar families to donate some money?"

Now, let alone getting those people to donate money, even the previous idea of ​​reducing the privileges and welfare standards of Anguo literati and cutting costs was opposed by the court officials, and the policy was ultimately not implemented.

"They're all corrupt officials! Not a single one of them truly cares about the country and its people!"

An Taixuan was so angry that he couldn't help but slap his thigh, saying with hidden anger, "They keep talking about loyalty to the emperor and love for the country, but when you ask them to give something real, they act like their own parents have died or that their lives have been taken."

Speaking of loyalty to the emperor and patriotism... An Taixuan suddenly thought of Lu Zheng again.

Lu Zheng's remarks at the Garan Temple had already reached his ears.

Some people even used these words to try to get him to punish Lu Zheng.

If it weren't for the fact that the official who submitted the report had some status and background, An Taixuan would have wanted to stab him to death with a single sword stroke.

Do you really think he's confused and can't distinguish right from wrong?

An Taixuan felt that some people were just like Lu Zheng described, outwardly loyal to the emperor, patriotic, and respectful of the saints, but secretly doing nothing good.

An Taixuan couldn't help but think of the peaceful region that Lu Zheng had carefully examined.

Since learning that Lu Zheng had established himself in the Northern Region and was trying to create a peaceful world, An Taixuan had been receiving intelligence from there every few days.

At first, I didn't think there was anything special about it, but the intelligence reports became more and more detailed, and each report was different from the last, with changes so great that they were hard to predict.

An Taixuan felt as if he were reading a book from heaven, a book in which someone was fabricating an imagined world that was not reality at all.

After reading all the documents, An Taixuan sat there and pondered for a moment.

"The New Year is almost here. Time flies so fast, another year has passed..."

The thought of hosting a banquet for princes and ministers, and facing those familiar faces, filled An Taixuan with no festive joy whatsoever.

"Zhongliang, go and summon Xu Shi, An Jing, and... I have urgent business to attend to. Everyone else, please leave!"

The palace servants beside them acknowledged and quietly withdrew.

However, a short while later, Xu Shou, An Jing, and several other people trusted by An Taixuan arrived.

Upon meeting Xu Shou, An Taixuan cut to the chase: "Master Xu, I wish to make a trip to the Northern Region. Is today a suitable day?"

An Taixuan wanted to go and take a look. Firstly, he wanted to see that peaceful land with his own eyes and chat with Lu Zheng about national and world affairs. Secondly, he wanted to get away from troubles and clear his mind.

Upon hearing this, Xu Shou asked, "Northern Regions, where in the Northern Regions does Your Majesty wish to go?"

An Taixuan said, "Master Xu should have heard of Lu Zheng in the Taiping Domain, right?"

Xu Shou's eyes flickered slightly, and he nodded, saying, "I know a little about it."

He had just emerged from seclusion some time ago, and as someone who was temporarily assigned to the Imperial Observatory, he had some understanding of the affairs of the world.

When Xu Shou learned that Lu Zheng had established a peaceful world in the Northern Region, he was somewhat surprised. He did not expect that during the time he was in seclusion, Lu Zheng had already been doing great things.

An Taixuan said leisurely, "I heard that he's doing very well over there and probably doesn't want to return to China. I want to go and see for myself whether what he's up to is really true."

Hearing the resentment in An Taixuan's tone, An Jing, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but ask, "Father, are you going to come and interrogate us?"

"To demand an explanation?"

An Taixuan stroked his chin and snorted, "That brat has such great abilities, yet he doesn't come back to help me govern the country. I really should punish him..."

An Jing was taken aback, realizing that An Taixuan's resentment wasn't directed towards the north, but rather towards this place.

This is clearly a complaint about certain people being in positions of power but failing to govern effectively.

Xu Shou spoke softly, "Today is auspicious for travel, but Your Majesty, as the Son of Heaven, should not linger in the Northern Regions, as they are too far away..."

Xu Shou didn't finish his sentence, stopping short of saying more.

An Taixuan said calmly, "We won't be staying for more than a few days. Let's just go with a few of us. I'll give you half an hour to make some arrangements. I'll be waiting for you at the Wentian Hall."

As the ruler of a country, when he travels far away, he naturally cannot make a big fuss, and he cannot even let too many people know about it.

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly left.

An Jing rushed back to arrange affairs. She thought she would stay behind to oversee the country or something, but she ended up being able to go to Taiping Domain with them, which was a rare opportunity for her to relax.

Although she knew a lot about Lu Zheng's situation, seeing is believing.

She had long wanted to go there and see for herself, but she simply didn't have the time, and the distance was too far, so she couldn't just go whenever she wanted.

After quickly arranging some things, Anjing returned to the palace and went to the Wentian Hall.

Under Xu Shou's arrangement, the group used supernatural powers to disappear from the palace in the blink of an eye and instantly travel across thousands of mountains and rivers.

Before long, the group crossed the territory of Wei and arrived in the northern region.

At this time, the northern region was still covered in snow, with no signs of melting ice and snow, and the weather remained cold.

Xu Shou let out a long breath and said softly, "We have now arrived in the Northern Region and should not be far from Lu Zheng's Taiping Region. No one else has sensed us along the way..." Taking a country's emperor away from the country and quickly passing through the territories of other great powers, trying to conceal the secrets of heaven and avoid the strong of other great powers from noticing the anomaly, is no easy task.

Xu Shou had to expend a great deal of effort and energy to finally lead his men to the Northern Region.

Upon hearing this, An Taixuan said, "It must have been hard work for you, Master Xu. Now that we've arrived in the Northern Region, we can slow down and proceed at our own pace. There's no need to rush."

An Taixuan then had another person take over from Xu Shou, using his Xuan power to carry everyone in flight.

After some time, a vast city nestled in ice and snow came into view.

"Ding'an City, it seems we've arrived."

An Taixuan narrowed his eyes slightly. He remembered that this city was a city in the northern region of Taiping Domain.

At first glance, it is indeed as grand as described, built to be even better than some of the state cities in Anguo, and looks like a new city.

Outside the city, there are not only vast farmlands, but also neatly planned workshops.

From a distance, you can see some workshops in operation, with hot steam and white smoke rising into the sky.

The group observed the scenes outside the city for a while.

The changes in the Taiping Domain were so rapid that An Taixuan discovered many things that were not mentioned in the intelligence reports.

The group also saw a relief area, a place to house disaster victims from other areas.

Curious, An Taixuan led the group over to take a look.

The group saw many disaster victims, as well as various personnel busily settling these outsiders.

After touring the place, An Taixuan fell silent, his face turning somewhat gloomy.

After a long while, he finally exhaled a breath of stale air and looked at An Jing with a complicated expression.

"Anjing, can our Anguo provide disaster relief to this extent?"

An Jing opened his mouth, unsure of what to say.

She was aware of the disaster relief efforts in some parts of Anguo in the past, so how could they have done this much?

An Taixuan couldn't help but sigh, "Let alone providing such relief to the disaster victims, I'm afraid the lives of ordinary people are far worse than those of these disaster victims... Alas..."

The disaster victims resettled here are provided with three meals a day, including meat, and they also receive education and learn skills every day.

This is hardly the life of disaster victims...

This job provides food, lodging, and education, and you'll be assigned a job to ensure your livelihood in the future.

If the people of Ruoan knew that such a place existed, they would probably all bring their families and come here to live as ordinary citizens.

Without comparison, there is no gap.

Even before entering the city, An Taixuan felt that Anguo was no match for this place.

The others also fell silent; the shock of witnessing it firsthand was far greater than the reaction to hearing about it.

"Let's go to the city and take a look."

An Taixuan took a deep breath and adjusted his emotions.

The group then went to the city gate to apply for temporary identities.

An Jing asked the city guards, "Is Lu Zheng in this city?"

Upon hearing this, the city guard said, "Mr. Lu? Mr. Lu and his entourage came here a few days ago. You're too late. If you continue north to other areas, you might be able to meet Mr. Lu."

An Jing nodded. "Thank you."

Now that they knew Lu Zheng was in this area, they weren't in a hurry and went to the city for a visit.

I witnessed what a city looks like under a different system.

As they walked through bustling streets, they witnessed many novel sights.

I also saw a monument and statues erected in a square. There were quite a few people there observing and learning.

Everything was so unusual, as if I had arrived in a completely unfamiliar place.

An Taixuan and his companions paused beneath the monument, their hearts stirred by the inscription.

We've seen countless stone tablets praising achievements, but this one gives them a sense of historical weight.

An Taixuan said quietly, "There are no officials, no powerful families, no landlords or gentry here... The people govern themselves, and the area is well-ordered. Everyone lives in peace and contentment, and there are no slaves or beggars to make a living. The world belongs to everyone, and the world is in harmony. This is the scene described by the sages."

Xu Shou, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but sigh, "Even the ancient sages who ruled the world probably couldn't have achieved anything more than this."

In other words, Xu Shou's preference for the ancients over the moderns, while showing respect to the sages, lowered the evaluation of this place.

After all, he had never heard of any sage who had governed the world to such an extent.

An Taixuan said softly, "This world is not lacking in sages."

Xu Shou composed himself and said calmly, "It's just a title for a realm. Who dares to call themselves a true saint?"

An Taixuan smiled upon hearing this, "That's true, it's all talk and no action."

Even if some sages in ancient times lacked profound cultivation and spiritual attainment, their virtues and conduct were recognized and praised by the world, making them worthy of being revered as sages.

The term "sage" now has a different meaning; it is a title for a person of top-level strength.

Such a saint may not necessarily have made any contributions to the world or be praised by the world.

An Taixuan turned to Xu Shou and asked, "Master Xu, can such a place last?"

This place is indeed very different, but he felt that it lacked security. Even compared to a major dynasty, some mid-level sects had more adequate defenses.

It's not a long-term solution for Lu Zheng to control this region all by himself.

Upon hearing this, Xu Shou pondered for a moment, then slowly said, "Your Majesty, who can predict the future? But since such a place has appeared, it proves that many of the sages' principles are feasible and not impossible. If one thing happens, another will follow. Even if it is only a fleeting phenomenon, it is still worth pursuing for many..."

This world is vast, and it is not lacking in selfless heroes who dare to dedicate themselves to upholding justice.

Now that there is such a peaceful domain, there will inevitably be a second, a third...

It might even bring peace to the whole world...

Xu Shou suddenly recalled the choice of the Yunmeng Sect's sect leader. Perhaps that person had foreseen these things earlier than others, which is why he was willing to support this young man, Lu Zheng.

An Jing stared blankly at the stone tablet, his mind wandering to many things.

She thought she had done enough in Anguo, but she found that she was far behind Lu Zheng and had a lot to learn.

An Taixuan sighed, "This place is indeed well-governed, but it's a pity that many of its policies are unusable in Anguo."

Putting everything else aside, just moving the ruling system here to Anguo raises the question of whether the officials would be willing to relinquish their power. Wouldn't the emperor himself have to step down? (End of Chapter)