Chapter 191: Inventory of Harvest, Sage's Manuscript
Chapter 191: Inventory of Harvest, Sage's Manuscript (Subscription Request)
Xu Qing and Chen Fu exchanged greetings and then went to the study in the Yanshenggong Mansion.
Chen Fu asked, "Gongming, have you already discussed the matter of confiscating the Confucius Mansion with Wuding Hou and Zhao Jinzhong in private?"
Xu Qing's mind was in a thousand twists and turns for a moment, and he finally decided to tell the truth. To be able to sit in Chen Fu's position, he must be an old friend, so there is no need to keep it a secret. He said frankly: "Not bad."
Chen Fu: "That's good. I won't ask what you guys discussed specifically, and you don't have to tell me. I came here for something else."
Xu Qing: "Please give me your instructions, sir."
Chen Fu: "This time the court has dispatched General Yu to Dongshan Province to quell the rebellion. It will be difficult to sustain the expenses for too long, so the army will not stay in Dongshan Province for too long. The Dongyi people are nearby, watching covetously, and obviously intend to invade Dongshan Province. Most of their ancestors came from this place. If they cause trouble, it will certainly be serious and will not be conducive to the subsequent land clearing. The prime minister thought again and again and made a major decision..."
Xu Qing seemed to have a flash of light in his mind, and blurted out: "Use barbarians to control barbarians?"
In fact, Xu Qing was also thinking about the aftermath of the rebellion. There were too many things happening in the court this year. If it were not for preventing the situation from escalating, he would never have forcibly transferred General Yu over.
In fact, these are elite troops from the nine frontiers, mainly used to defend against the northern barbarians.
With the current strength of the imperial court, it is indeed difficult to cope with the invasion of the Dongyi people.
Therefore, starting with diplomacy is a good expedient measure.
The Dongyi were enemies of the imperial court, but they were not without enemies.
Chen Fu nodded: "After I understand the truth about Dongshan Province, the court will soon order me to be the governor of Dongshan Province, responsible for protecting the territory and the people, and carrying out the plan of clearing the fields. Since Gongming is here, please lend a helping hand to me."
Xu Qing knew that this was a condition of exchange.
He was the one who caused the trouble, so he has to clean up the mess. As for Xu Qing's private actions, the Prime Minister can turn a blind eye.
"Xu has long said that every man has a share of responsibility for the fate of his country. As your Excellency has said, I have no choice but to fulfill my duty. But how does the Prime Minister intend to use barbarians to control barbarians?"
"Princess Izumo of the Dongming Gang is a descendant of the Amaterasu royal family of Fuso. Now that Fuso has been destroyed by the Dongyi people, the Dongyi people are the only dominant force on the island. However, there are still many Fuso Japanese forces that are in potential confrontation with them. Princess Izumo has a lot of appeal among these forces. The Prime Minister has sent an envoy to discuss with Princess Izumo about helping her restore her country."
Xu Qing suddenly sighed in his heart, there are so many wise people in the world.
Princess Izumo has the support of Fang Xiandao.
Xu Qing was able to realize the power of firearms. How could the Prime Minister, who had already purchased firearms for Jinghaiwei, not know about it?
Joining forces with Princess Izumo also opened up a channel to purchase firearms from Fang Xiandao.
Once the imperial army is equipped with Fang Xiandao's powerful firearms, it will immediately have the power to suppress the whole world.
Unfortunately, the most difficult thing about the Dayu Dynasty now is not its weakening strength, but the fact that it cannot tell who are its own people.
No matter how powerful this force is, it is impossible for it to be fully used by the central government.
But it is enough to safeguard the reform and implement a good strategy for the time being.
The Great Yu Dynasty was indeed a huge building with numerous holes. However, because of its huge size, even though it was on the verge of collapse, it could still repair the existing problems by sacrificing some temporarily non-urgent areas.
Xu Qing: "What does the Prime Minister want me to do?"
Chen Fu coughed and said, "The Prime Minister has high expectations of you, and he knows that you have talents like Pei Ju and Chang Sun Sheng, so he hopes that you can find a way to cooperate more in this matter."
Chang Sun Sheng is the protagonist of the idiom "killing two birds with one stone". He almost single-handedly divided the Turks and reduced the threat from the north for the Central Plains dynasty.
As for Pei Ju, he was even more powerful. He was the prototype of the evil king Shi Zhixuan, and his deeds were even more powerful than what was described in the novel. In the two dynasties before and after, he was an important minister of the country and participated in major plans.
He was both a capable minister whose name was recorded in history and a treacherous minister who was infamous for eternity, yet he had a good ending in the end.
"Old Deng is calling on me." Xu Qing complained in his heart.
His mind turned, and he said, "I will just do my best."
Chen Fu explained the task assigned by the higher-ups, and then said, "There is one more thing. The Confucius Mansion has the sacred objects of the six arts of ritual, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics. I want the sacred object of mathematics to give to the Minister of Agriculture. I will entrust this matter to Gong Ming."
The Grand Minister of Agriculture is the Minister of Revenue, Chen Fu's nominal superior, one of the four major families in Nanzhili, the highest-ranking official in the Wang family, and also the elder of the cabinet.
On the surface, he is the Prime Minister's ally, but in fact he is also Prince Yu's man.
Of the six sacred objects of the arts, Xu Qing had already reserved the Sage's Manuscript and the Heaven-shaking Bow. Chen Fu mentioned the sacred objects of mathematics and arts as soon as he opened his mouth. He really thought that the Confucius Mansion was his home.
These officials have no moral standards at all!
Chen Fu made it clear that he wanted the things, but he didn't want to take the blame.
Chen Fu probably felt that he had gone too far, but this matter concerned his boss's favor. If he failed to do this job well, how would he be able to serve as the Minister of Revenue in the future?
You must know that the Minister of Agriculture may not necessarily help Chen Fu get promoted, but he will definitely prevent him from continuing to climb up.
Chen Fu continued, "When I take the title of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and become the Governor of Dongshan Province, I will also need to rely on Gongming for many civil affairs."
Xu Qing knew clearly that this was Chen Fukai's condition.
With the tacit approval of the Prime Minister and the support of Chen Fu, the nominal governor, if he still couldn't get enough benefits in Dongshan Province, it would be his own incompetence.
Of course, the premise is that it does not hinder the plan of clearing the fields.
No matter what, Lao Chen is a very nice person.
Xu Qing can tell at a glance that Lord Chen is a man of great talent for the country. If the next Minister of Agriculture is not appointed by Lord Chen, the Dayu Dynasty will probably perish!
"If you have anything to tell me, please tell me. I will do my best."
Chen Fu nodded with satisfaction.
Xu Gongming really got the idea.
Look at other people, the Prime Minister just does his best, but he is doing his utmost.
What a great future this is!
...
...
The next step naturally was to count the property and land of the Confucius Mansion.
General Yu slowly withdrew his troops and left a thousand soldiers to Chen Fu as a standard bearer for the governor, but Chen Fu had to take care of the military supplies himself.
He was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue and concurrently the Governor of Dongshan Province. It was no problem for him to arrange the military pay for a thousand soldiers, which was also the reason why the Prime Minister sent him.
Not only that, taking advantage of the slack season in winter, Chen Fu recruited tens of thousands of militiamen with these 1,000 officers and soldiers as the backbone, which invisibly reduced the security pressure in Dongshan Province. He also led these 10,000 militiamen and 1,000 governor's standard-bearers to brave the wind and snow to quell small-scale civil unrest. By the end of the year, there was basically no obvious chaos in Dongshan Province.
The gentry and powerful people all found peace.
While suppressing small-scale civil unrest, it also demonstrated the military power of the imperial court and consolidated the awe of other gentry and powerful people in Dongshan Province towards the imperial court.
Of course, Xu Qing’s advice was indispensable in this process.
During this period, Xu Qing also set up a flag in Dongshan Province and established the Fushe Society in Dongshan Province.
In addition, the reply letter from Lord Liang also arrived.
There are some minor troubles with the matter of Feng Qingtian's daughter, because the time of her birth just matches the hexagram of the master of Chaotian Temple. However, the concubine's entry into the palace will be next year, and the Ministry of Rites can help delay it. Even if she enters Beijing, they can help take care of her.
Xu Qing knew that Feng Qingtian loved his daughter dearly, so he wrote a letter to his wife and asked Feng Qingtian to take it to Jiangning Mansion and ask his wife to come forward and see if she could help him.
On the other side, after many twists and turns, the Saint's Manuscript and the Heaven-shaking Bow were finally obtained.
The focus of this harvest has to be these two things, everything else is insignificant.
Xu Qing's eyes fell on the saint's manuscript.
Although it is called a manuscript, it is actually not a piece of book paper but bamboo slips. The handwriting on it is clear, and each ink character carries the majestic masculine spirit of a sage.
In fact, there is another sacred object in the Confucius Mansion whose masculine aura far surpasses that of this manuscript, and that is the statue of the Master.
However, Xu Qing did not move, but ordered people to take good care of him.
When Xu Qing was discussing alchemy with Danxi Weng, he heard Danxi Weng mention that since the Middle Ages, some powerful alchemists had experimented and found that if the manuscripts of various philosophers were incorporated into the alchemy furnace, the quality of the elixir would be improved and the possibility of successful alchemy would be increased.
You must know that the more powerful the elixir is, not only are the materials difficult to find, but the probability of successfully refining it is also very small.
The old Taoist priest once said that the Xuantian Shenglong Pill of the Xuantian Shenglong Dao could even help the top martial arts masters break through to the realm of martial arts saints.
The natural resources and treasures required are unimaginable, and the possibility of success is extremely low.
Even Xuantian's Ascension Dragon Path has only been successful twice.
If there is a manuscript of a saint, it will definitely improve the success of his alchemy if all the materials are complete.
Of course, the old Taoist priest had no good intention in raising this issue.
Because Xuantian Shenglong Dao and Chaotian Temple Master are naturally inseparable.
If the news about the Xuantian Shenglong Pill spreads, it will naturally cause a lot of trouble for the master of Chaotian Temple.
The old Taoist priest must have mentioned this matter to more than just Xu Qing.
None of these old guys are easy to deal with.
However, Xu Qing was very surprised. As the abbot of Chaotian Temple was the imperial teacher, it must not be difficult for him to collect the raw materials for the elixir. As for the manuscripts of the saints, the royal family must have them.
Why haven’t I heard that the master of Chaotian Temple has refined the Xuantian Shenglong Pill?
He knew that there might be something else fishy going on here.
Naturally, Xu Qing did not intend to use the sage's manuscript to make elixirs, but rather to study the sage's manuscript.
His attention fell on the manuscript, and suddenly, his mind started to work. The bamboo slips in front of him seemed to be burning, and the words on them floated in the air. A vast masculine energy filled the world in front of Xu Qing.
This is the Tao, the principle, and the greatest rule between heaven and earth.
After a long time, Xu Qing heard a dragon roar in his mind and came back to his senses.
He didn't expect that the bamboo slips manuscript of the sage could actually cause his Ziwei Emperor Meridian and Canglong Qishu to produce a stress response together.
"The vast masculine energy here is obviously in conflict with my Purple Star Emperor Vein and Blue Dragon Seven Stars, but it also subtly coincides with them."
Xu Qing experienced the mystery just now, and felt the vast masculinity coming from the bamboo slips manuscripts of the sages. The profound principles in each word were like pearls of wisdom, and they settled in his heart.
It is vast and masculine, and has something in common with the Five Thunder Method.
It seemed that Xu Qing had found the opportunity to practice the Xuantian Visualization Method and the Taiwei Emperor Meridian.
There are three major imperial meridians in the Xuantian visualization method, namely Ziwei, Taiwei and Tianshi.
The so-called governing with virtue is like the North Star, which is surrounded by many stars. Ziwei is the North Star, which is surrounded by many stars in astrology.
Taiwei symbolizes the administrative agency, which is the place where Ziwei's power is exercised.
It can be understood this way, Ziwei is the emperor and Taiwei is the prime minister.
Tianshi symbolizes the marketplace.
To practice the Three Realms Emperor's Veins is to gradually spread the spirit and soul from the core to the surrounding areas, like the virtue of the emperor, benefiting all things.
The order of practicing the Three Yuan Emperor Veins also determines the innate magical power of the Xuantian Visualization Method.
Xu Qing was the first to light up the Purple Star as his natal star, thus awakening his natal magical power of the Sky-Repairing Hand.
Therefore, he could not awaken the innate magical powers of Taiwei and Tianshi.
In addition, the Seven Stars of Azure Dragon and the Seven Stars of Black Tortoise are hidden veins attached to the Imperial Vein of Purple Star, so after Xu Qing has mastered them, he can practice directly.
The other seven White Tiger and Vermillion Bird constellations require connecting Taiwei and Tianshi before they can be practiced.
This saintly manuscript by Xu Qing is not only vast and masculine, but also speaks directly to people's hearts. It has the straightforward and clear style of a saint's insight into the truth of the world.
As Xu Qing pondered, his mind and spirit also became refined.
"The Beikong people are really a bunch of rats. They are sitting on a treasure mountain and don't even realize it." Xu Qing sighed secretly.
But he could also understand the reason. The manuscripts of the sages needed to be recognized from the bottom of his heart in order to draw wisdom from them and strengthen his own soul.
The many rats in Beikong obviously do not agree with these principles, and naturally cannot benefit from them.
Xu Qing could agree with this because he had been exposed to similar ideas since childhood in his previous life.
History is advancing and truth will never fade, so the truth does not need to be concealed and will become clearer the more it is debated.
There is no need to feel ashamed in the face of the sharp words of our predecessors, because these words are not meant to teach people, but to light a lamp to allow you to see farther.
Sages are the kind of people who illuminate themselves and illuminate others.
It’s not that selfishness is wrong, but the development of the world needs such selfless people to drive it forward.
If you acknowledge it and then take action, you can adapt to the power of the times and create achievements and great deeds.
Of course, such people will also be slandered, and their mistakes and shortcomings will be found out.
Because when you do things, you are bound to make mistakes.
Wrong is wrong.
This kind of people don't need to hide anything.
They will never stop pursuing the great way, and they will not even think that they are selfless. That is also the definition imposed on them by later generations.
"The road is a long way to go, and I will go up and down to find out."
Xu Qing closed the bamboo slips carefully. He seemed to have gained something, but also seemed to have gained nothing. Instead, there was more confusion in his mind than before.
This seems like an obstacle to knowledge and perception, but not entirely.
Xu Qing knew that this was the ghost fairy barrier that only those who had mastered the possession would encounter.
Of course, he did not have the power of a great soul, but with the help of the manuscript of the sage, he felt the existence of the ghost fairy barrier in advance.
This is a fog rooted in one's nature. It is not that one can be free from the fog of the soul forever after becoming a ghost immortal, because things are constantly changing and developing.
The past, the future, the self...
Xu Qing walked to the river unknowingly. He felt a surge of blood and energy, which just happened to be in line with the trend of the river water beginning to thaw.
This is the time when winter is leaving and spring is coming.
In Xu Qing's soul, the constellation Jiao was bright.
It is exactly seeing the dragon in the field.
When the yang energy first started to move, all things were yet to be born!
There was a sudden flash of lightning in his soul, and his thoughts emanated with a hint of yang, without the gloomy and cold feeling in his soul.
“So that’s how it is.” Xu Qing finally understood how important Zifu Yuanzong was to the cultivation of the soul.
Ordinary people who cultivate their souls are still yin gods even if they become ghost immortals.
However, the inheritances of Zifu Yuanzong, Quanzhen Taoism's Xiantian Finger, and Tiangang Wuji Gong are all melted into one, and their ultimate goal is to open up the Zifu and cultivate the way of Pure Yang Yuanshen.
"Master Fang is following the path of the primordial spirit, which is extraordinary as an ordinary ghost immortal. Therefore, his spirit and soul are condensed, just like a real body, which is also the characteristic of the primordial spirit. Unfortunately, he is probably still a little short of completely cultivating the primordial spirit." Xu Qing understood Master Fang's path, but he was not surprised.
This person's cultivation was enlightened from the Taoist Canon and directly pointed to the origin of the Great Dao.
The way of cultivating the spirit and soul is actually a castrated version of the way of cultivation, but it is more suitable for ordinary practitioners in the world.
Because the practice of directly pointing to the great way is so difficult, it requires more attention to fate.
Xu Qing suddenly understood that the way of the spirit and the way of the sage are interconnected, and both point directly to the true nature of the Tao.
"What a pity, we still haven't found any clues about Zifu Yuanzong." Xu Qing shook his head.
If he didn't have Zifu Yuanzong, he could only learn from the vast Taoist scriptures and self-realization like Fang Ge Lao. With Zifu Yuanzong, he had a clear thread.
This is the difference between having the right ideas and trying to explore independently in a major research project.
The latter relies too much on luck and talent and is a huge waste of time.
But even with the right ideas, it is still very difficult to get real results. But with the bronze mirror, Xu Qing believes that he can overcome these clearly known difficulties.
Xu Qing suddenly understood something, and his spirit escaped from the river and turned into a little dragon. He swam peacefully in the water, calling the wind and rain on the surface of the water, feeling very happy.
...
...
A heavy snowfall in winter once again caused the Dayu Dynasty to suffer a loss in national strength.
As a local figure, Xu Qing naturally had a vague sense of the overall situation. The Prime Minister was extremely worried.
Since he started his reforms, he has not only had to deal with various man-made disasters, but also increasingly frequent natural disasters.
There is always a feeling that the more you do, the more difficulties there are instead of decreasing.
He did not back down from this, but instead dealt with every difficulty more and more seriously and persistently.
Even if these things were unsuccessful, he would record them as lessons learned and leave them to future generations. However, he knew that if Prince Yu succeeded to the throne, he might not pay attention to his lessons learned.
Alas, when the person dies, the policy also ends.
In the imperial court, a person is often overthrown, criticized and denied comprehensively, and the efforts he made probably cannot be used by future generations.
He won't feel sad about it.
After all, as our predecessors said, if one has done his best and fails to achieve his goal, he shall have no regrets!
"Yuan Fu, this is the reply letter from Princess Izumo of the Dongming Gang." The person who was sent as an envoy to the Dongming Gang was none other than the Minister of Rites Cheng Guang.
Considering his status, doing such a thing shows his sincerity.
This also led the Dongming Gang to accept the Prime Minister's proposal to help the Dayu Dynasty contain the Dongyi people.
This will give Dongshan Province a chance to achieve temporary stability and resume production this spring.
The Prime Minister read the reply and saw Princess Izumo's personal request in the letter. He was a little amused and said, "Let Xu Gongming decide on this matter himself."
(End of this chapter)