Ch 73: The Best and Worst of Times

Kyoto.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Chu Mo stroked his Book of Dao Verification, a strange expression on his face.

“The Book of Dao Verification resonates with the purple qi in my body, actually slowing down the rate at which my lifespan is diminishing to some extent…” Chu Mo murmured inwardly.

After breaking through to the Celestial Phenomenon Realm, he encountered a similar situation as when he broke through to the Heaven-Human Realm in the Demonic Qing Dynasty. That was, the speed at which his lifespan disappeared far exceeded normal…

Even with the resonance of the purple qi from the Book of Dao Verification, Chu Mo figured that he wouldn’t be able to live to seven hundred years old, and would at most survive for another one to two years. Moreover, Chu Mo could already vaguely feel the rejection from the heavens and earth…

He recalled those Celestial Phenomenon Realm experts who died prematurely for no apparent reason. Compared to those like Zhang Juzheng and Emperor Zhengde who suddenly died violently, Wang Yangming still lived for a period of time after attaining enlightenment in Longchang.

This must be the special characteristic of a Sage! Heaven and earth have a tolerance for Sages that surpasses that for ordinary Celestial Phenomenon Realm experts, but this tolerance should also have its limits.

“Imperial Ancestor,” Grand Secretary Shi Kefa of the Ming Dynasty’s Inner Cabinet suddenly spoke, his face respectful. He was a rising star of the reformist faction who had risen during Chu Mo’s thirty years of governance, and a very important sharp blade in Chu Mo’s hands.

“The most urgent task is to gather many outstanding scholars and have them become your disciples, to pass on your Dao lineage.”

The inheritance of the Sage’s Dao is extremely important.

Even now, many officials in the Ming Dynasty’s bureaucracy are studying the Philosophy of the Heart…

Chu Mo smiled and gently exhaled, “There’s no need. Publicly announce the Capital & Wealth Collection that I created. Let everyone be able to study it!”

“…What?” Shi Kefa’s expression changed drastically.

“Imperial Ancestor, absolutely not,” Wen Tiren also panicked slightly.

One after another, ministers stepped forward, opposing with serious expressions.

There were far too many people who opposed.

Because the Sage’s Dao that he created also represents a powerful cultivation system… In the two hundred years since Wang Yangming created the Philosophy of the Heart, it has produced more than twenty Heaven and Earth Realm experts, among whom no less than five have held the position of Grand Secretary.

“In fact, I have already imparted it long ago. Don’t forget that the textbooks for the Ming Dynasty’s universal education system were compiled by me.” Chu Mo’s calm words directly blocked all the rebuttals of everyone present.

They were dumbfounded, they looked at each other in dismay, their scalps tingling.

“But, Imperial Ancestor, I was cultivated by your new education system… But how come I haven’t…” A Compiler of the Hanlin Academy carefully spoke. He was precisely the top scorer of the last national examination.

“That was just fragmented knowledge, this is the sum total!” Chu Mo gazed at the Capital & Wealth Collection, and suddenly sighed faintly, “I have created the best, and also the worst of times.”

The people present looked at each other in confusion, completely bewildered.

◈◈◈

Half a month later.

Jinling.

Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou, wearing the well-fitting Zhongshan suits promoted by Chu Mo, were strolling leisurely on the street. Their temperament was peaceful, and they blended into the crowd just like the most ordinary people, without any of the emperor’s majesty or pomp for half a year.

Suddenly, newspaper boys waving newspapers rushed past them, shouting excitedly.

“Major changes in Yanjing, barbarian invaders from the north enter the pass, our Great Ming Imperial Ancestor Regent has become another Sage since Wang Yangming! Calming calamities.”

◈◈◈

“…Huh?!” Emperor Chongzhen, who had been mildly inquiring about recent prices, suddenly contracted his pupils, and subconsciously wanted to stop the newspaper boy, but found that a crowd of people had surrounded the newspaper boy, excitedly buying newspapers.

Some people even read the newspapers aloud on the spot. Under the universal education system, there were far too many people who could read…

Emperor Chongzhen listened silently, his expression undergoing drastic changes, “…How is that possible?!”

He couldn’t understand what had happened!

If it weren’t for the fact that the newspapers being sold by the newspaper boys were official newspapers, and that every piece of news published on them had been certified by the imperial court and had official credibility… he would have suspected that this was a novel written by some third-rate novelist.

Having walked among the people for so long, the emperor was no longer as out of touch with reality as he once was. He was very clear about how strong the current Ming Dynasty was, and how weak the Later Jin Dynasty was. If he changed Later Jin to Demonic Race, then he would feel that everything was completely reasonable… Could it be that the enemy was really not written incorrectly?

“Also, a Sage?!” Emperor Chongzhen’s mood was complicated and difficult to understand. That was a Sage… Since ancient times, those who were called Sages had extremely special status. They were not required to kneel before the emperor, and even the current emperor had to treat them with courtesy.

Because Sages not only possessed the most top-level power of the current era, they were also natural leaders of the literary world and Confucian leaders. If a Sage had not appeared, then this ecological niche would belong to the descendants of Confucius, the Yansheng Duke!

“It’s normal for Imperial Ancestor to be like that,” Empress Zhou said softly, her eyes filled with complexity. She couldn’t describe her feelings for that person in words. Admiration, hatred, helplessness, pain… countless emotions were intertwined.

After all, her father had died at that person’s hands, and her clansmen had also been exiled. Although she also knew that those people deserved it…

But at the same time, walking around the world, she had almost personally witnessed how this world had gradually become prosperous and flourishing in that person’s hands.

The people generally recognized that the era thirty years ago and the era thirty years later were two completely different eras. They had an almost fanatical admiration and faith in that Regent… This also gave Empress Zhou an extremely twisted sense of admiration for that person.

“Now he simultaneously possesses imperial power and the right to interpret Confucianism, his power has really taken another step forward…” Emperor Chongzhen stopped halfway through his words, and then gave a wry smile. Even if he didn’t become a Sage, no one in the entire Ming Dynasty would dare to refute that person’s words.

From this point of view, becoming a Sage for that person was perhaps just… a further step in strength?!

However, when the person reading the newspaper read to the end, the expressions of Emperor Chongzhen and Empress Zhou underwent drastic changes once again.

“The Regent personally issued an order that, from this day forward, the Capital & Wealth Collection containing the Dao he created will be made public to the entire society, and anyone can freely purchase it with funds. If they gain some understanding and successfully switch to cultivating it, they can enter Kyoto and observe the original version of the Capital & Wealth Collection up close.”

“The Regent said: He has opened the best and worst of times! He has already seen the rise, change, and even the destruction of this era… He publicly stated, go and study it, dozens of Sages can be born on the path of Capital & Wealth, and even, at the end of this path, a broader path is being conceived. Keep moving forward and striving…”

Emperor Chongzhen exploded, “He actually…”

“Your Majesty, this is not surprising,” Empress Zhou interrupted Emperor Chongzhen, and said faintly, “That person is like that! He is like Zhang Juzheng, a person who has the world in his heart, and compared to Zhang Juzheng, he has even less selfishness.”

“Just look at the fact that he spread the method he created throughout the world…”

“I’m not surprised by this!” Emperor Chongzhen’s eyes twitched frantically, “Imperial Ancestor actually said that the Dao he created can give birth to dozens of Sages, is he crazy… How many Sages have been born in Confucianism in total? Even if the Neo-Confucianism sect of Confucianism has produced many Sages, there are only the Cheng brothers and Zhang Zai of the Song Dynasty, and even Zhu Xi… What is he!”

“No, if so many things can be born, then this is not Confucianism at all… This is a new system comparable to Confucianism! Imperial Ancestor, he…”

Emperor Chongzhen belatedly realized, his expression undergoing drastic changes, feeling… you just put on a Confucian skin! After all, if it can nurture more Sages than Confucianism, how could it be Confucianism… You can’t raise whales in a pond…

“Wait,” a huge wave suddenly rose in Chongzhen’s heart, “If he becomes a Sage, then Imperial Ancestor, he… Not good, return to Kyoto immediately!”

Emperor Chongzhen’s mind was shaken and he couldn’t calm down. He recalled those few Ming Dynasty experts of previous generations who had inexplicably passed away after becoming Sages and reaching the Celestial Phenomenon Realm…

The next chapter will be before 5 PM