Chapter 315: The Wise King Ning
Yunlan Tea Garden.

Gu Yingtian's frown relaxed again, but his eyes were still fixed on Zhou Tieyi's expression.

It seemed as if he wanted to find out more information from the half-sarcasm, half-truth sentence just now.

After a breath or two, he sighed softly and bowed to Zhou Tieyi, "Thank you for your advice."

Zhou Tieyi shook his head casually. "It's not like I was taught anything. Just as what you said, Mr. Gu and Prince Ning are both smart people, but they are not involved in the situation in Tianjing. Mr. Gu really thinks that I indulged Li Jianhu because of the idea that 'everyone can be a scholar'?"

Gu Yingtian thought about it seriously for a few more breaths, then said with a smile, "Could this be false?"

When talking to Zhou Tieyi, he needs to carefully consider every sentence so as not to miss any key information.

Zhou Tieyi sneered, "Of course that's true, but I still agree with class division in this concept, but I think people can change their class through their own efforts, and there is not only one way to change class. Some people are good at reading, some are good at martial arts, and some are good at manufacturing. These can all be ways to change class. So I want to break the Confucian monopoly on the official system in the court, so that the path to advancement is no longer limited to the eight schools."

Gu Yingtian savored Zhou Tieyi's words carefully and suddenly felt like he had met a close friend.

He sighed softly, "The eight families in the imperial court have controlled the world for many years... Zhou Hou's righteousness makes Gu's blood boil."

Zhou Tieyi had no expression on his face. The praise from a third-rank official meant nothing to him. Moreover, even if someone praised you sincerely, they would still stab you in the back at the critical moment.

This is his hero and my enemy.

"So when the He family told me about Li Jianhu, and when they knew that Li Jianhu's coming to Tianjing was inevitable, the sword had already been thrust out, but it might not only hurt us in the end."

There are three meanings in Zhou Tieyi's words. First, the matter of Li Jianhu was said by the He family, and he also passively accepted it. Second, you did not handle it well in Tangzhou Prefecture, allowing Li Jianhu to escape. You failed to stop Li Jianhu in your territory in Tangzhou Prefecture, so naturally you cannot expect me, Zhou Tieyi, to cover the sky with one hand and stop Li Jianhu in the huge Tianjing.

Gu Yingtian remained calm, he was more concerned about Zhou Tieyi's third meaning.

That is the most crucial meaning.

Zhou Tieyi had a way to hold down Li Jianhu that day. Even the Emperor and the Queen were helping him prepare the scabbard and put the sword back into his bag.

But Zhou Tieyi still let the sharp sword stab out.

He stared into Zhou Tieyi's eyes and said, "Lord Zhou, the sword has already stabbed out. As the presiding judge, you will definitely be injured by the blade this time."

This was the most difficult thing for him to understand about Zhou Tieyi.

If Zhou Tieyi just wanted to plot against Ning Wangfu and let Ning Wangfu take the blame, then the best option would be to investigate according to the wishes of His Majesty and the Empress Dowager. Even if there is a mistake in the end, it would be the fault of Ning Wangfu and the local Confucianists.

However, Zhou Tieyi indulged and led Li Jianhu, causing Li Jianhu to confess new crimes.

Now everyone in Tianjin knows that Li Jianhu's change is due to Zhou Tieyi's teachings over the past two days, and to his theory that everyone can be a scholar. Zhou Tieyi even broke up with his beloved disciple Mei Juncang because of this theory.

You need to know who Mei Juncang is.

The son of a sage previously praised by Confucianism, and now the great man personally mentioned by the Legalist Si Lu!
This is enough to prove that Zhou Tieyi was indeed training Mei Juncang seriously before, and the result of the training is obvious to anyone with a discerning eye.

It's no longer just good to describe it.

After this decision, it is uncertain whether the Ning Wang Mansion can take the blame. The amount of losses Zhou Tieyi suffered is really a pity for Gu Yingtian, an outsider.

The grace of His Majesty, the disciple of the Taoism...

The ups and downs of this loss are difficult to measure with ordinary benefits.

Let’s not talk about the grace of the emperor. To be honest, if Mei Juncang was his disciple, he would protect this Taoist tradition even at the cost of his life...

Thinking of this, Gu Yingtian could only smile helplessly in his heart. With his narrow-mindedness and knowledge, how could he teach a disciple like Mei Juncang?

Zhou Tieyi smiled and replied, "Yes, this sword has been a double-edged sword from the beginning, or even a multi-edged sword. No matter who holds the sword or who is stabbed, they will be injured by this sword. It's just a matter of who can last longer."

"If Mr. Ruogu were in my position, he would definitely just want to take back the sword, but what would happen after he took it back? Has the situation in the court of Tianjing changed? Without one Li Jianhu, there are still tens of thousands of Li Jianhu. If the current situation does not change, these tens of thousands of Li Jianhu are in the hands of the Confucians, who only think about power and conspiracy, driven by interests, and gain temporary honor and disgrace. This is the way of the strategists. So no matter how brilliant the conspiracy is, it cannot compete for the world's orthodoxy. Hasn't this been proven wrong? Otherwise, the strategists would not have been driven out of the court by the Confucians."

Zhou Tieyi once again brought up the reason why the Zongheng family was driven out of the court. This time, Gu Yingtian did not change color. Instead, he thought about it carefully and sighed softly.

Gu Yingtian looked into Zhou Tieyi's eyes again, and he could really see light and spirituality in those deep eyes.

For a moment, he actually felt the joy of having a conversation with a great master of a sect across tens of millions of years.

Did the founders of various schools of thought and the ancient saints have similar moments when they traveled around the countries?

The world is full of goodwill, and the world is all good.

If a person's decision is no longer based on his own interests, then he has indeed surpassed everyone else in the world.

This kind of wisdom and enlightenment, this kind of spiritual peace, cannot be achieved no matter how many strategies you use in your daily life.

He recited in a low voice. "Everyone in the world can be a scholar."

Just with this one sentence, he is the founder of a school.

Zhou Tieyi smiled and said, "Yes, everyone in the world can be a scholar, but they must have the wisdom and courage to work hard for it. This is true for everyone in the world, and so am I. So I want to stab out this sword, and I want to compete with the Confucians to see who has more courage and wisdom. At the same time, I also want to let everyone in the world know that the sword of people's hearts cannot be used by everyone. Whoever uses it will have to pay the price. The Confucians are like this, and so am I. Do you agree, sir?"

Gu Yingtian pondered over Zhou Tieyi's words for a while, then covered his face and sighed, "I dare not call myself 'Mr.' in front of Lord Zhou."

After leaving Zhou's house and getting on the carriage, Gu Yingtian was silent for a long time.

After a conversation with Zhou Tieyi today, he gained a lot, but also gained nothing.

He was able to clearly combine what Zhou Tieyi had done and infer whether Zhou Tieyi's words were false or sincere.

And the fact turns out, it’s true.

What you think is what you do, and what you do is what you achieve.

But it was precisely this profound statement, which was enough to establish a new school of thought, that caused this third-rank strategist to lose his verbal advantage for a while.

Others are already talking to you about the future of the world and how to compete with Confucianism for the orthodoxy, and you suddenly say something like how we should engage in petty intrigues, form cliques for personal gain, and maneuver. Gu Yingtian himself found it difficult to say the words.

It’s not that he is not thick-skinned enough, it’s that even if he said it, it would have no effect and he would only be laughed at by others.

In the dark carriage, Gu Yingtian pondered for a moment, took out a magic mirror, and cast a spell to connect to another magic mirror far away in Tangzhou Prefecture.

In the precious mirror, there was a vague reflection of a young man wearing royal robes and a crown.

"Kings."

Gu Yingtian held the precious mirror in the air and bowed respectfully.

The blurry figure in the mirror said, "Mr. Gu, there is no need to be polite. You contacted me at this time... because you went to see that Marquis Zhou. But what did Marquis Zhou say that made it difficult for Mr. Gu to make a decision?"

The Prince Ning in the mirror was not as arrogant and extravagant as rumored to be. Instead, he made people even more ignorant of his own limits.

Gu Yingtian whispered, "Yes."

After that, he recounted what he and Zhou Tieyi had talked about today.

After listening to it, King Ning thought about it for a moment, and first exclaimed, "This theory can be a great master."

He did not ask about the specific interests first, but continued Gu Yingtian's words and said, "Who do you think this statement belongs to?"

Gu Yingtian pondered for a moment, "The core is similar to Mohism, but the methods are like those of the military school, and there are also shadows of Confucianism, Legalism and Taoism. Moreover, he can comprehend the Buddha Kingdom in his palm, so his understanding of Buddhism is probably not shallow..."

Prince Ning smiled through the mirror and said, "I think he looks like a miscellaneous person."

Gu Yingtian suddenly realized that, indeed, what Zhou Tieyi said was based on the eclectic theory of drawing on the strengths of various schools of thought.

Prince Ning added, "But it's not the current Miscellaneous Family, but the Miscellaneous Family back then. Back then, the Miscellaneous Family had a first-class person, what a pity."

Gu Yingtian's eyes fixed.

Everyone knows that there are the Upper Nine Families.

Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, Legalism, Military Science, Agriculture, Mohism, Diplomacy, Yin and Yang.

But I don’t know whether the top nine families should be called the ninth and tenth families.

Because the miscellaneous family has also produced a first-class product.

It’s just that when that first-rank person came to the world, he was killed, and his name, like the gods, was directly erased from history, not to mention the inheritance of classics and the like. Only this matter was known by a few people.

Prince Ning tapped the backrest lightly through the mirror and said, "Let's go and see what changes have taken place in Tianjing's Miscellaneous Family. Maybe we can see a different Zhou Hou."

Gu Yingtian nodded in agreement, and then he hesitated and asked, "Then how should the 'Moshi case' be handled?"

King Ning chuckled, "Now that the matter is settled, the emperor, the queen, the Confucianists, the Duke of Zhou, and everyone in the world want to investigate. What can we do?"

Gu Yingtian was in a trance for a while, and his face was embarrassed. "I am guilty. The king concealed himself at the beginning, and I should not have offered advice on the ink stone matter."

Prince Ning waved his hand and said with a smile, "It's not your fault. The world is unpredictable. Who knows that today's disaster may not be tomorrow's blessing? Everyone in the world can be a scholar. It's worth it to hear this sentence. Besides, hasn't Marquis Zhou told us what to do? Everyone will be hurt when the sword of the people's hearts is stabbed out. This is the case with Marquis Zhou, Confucianism, and even the emperor. I am also the same, but I can bear the pain better than anyone else. After reading Tianjing Miscellaneous, you come back and run the shipyard well. From now on, I will be a wise king to atone for my extravagant sins in the past."

(End of this chapter)