Chapter 683: Truth Fantasies

Chapter 683: Rhapsody of Truth

"Teacher, according to your previous instructions, most of the New Donglin Party's forces in Southern Zhili have now been completely concentrated in the coastal prefectures and counties to assist Li Bufeng in guarding against the Honghu rebellion."

Liu Jinxun reported respectfully: "Except for Northern Zhili, the clans of all other provinces have also followed your orders, sending out personnel to maintain stability in their respective territories, and they are forbidden to move without command."

"Mm, well done."

Zhang Fengyue nodded gently, but suddenly noticed an expression of hesitation on Liu Jinxun's face. Smiling as if he had long anticipated this, he asked, "Do you find it incomprehensible?"

"Yes."

Liu Jinxun spoke without reservation.

Zhang Fengyue seemed unable to withstand even the late breeze of the summer night, pulling the cloak draped over his legs a little higher.

"Then speak your mind."

"If you truly believe that Honghu is our genuine, existential threat, then your student believes you should never have relinquished Northern Zhili in the first place. We all know very well who the master behind Honghu is. Even if you are unwilling to change dynasties, we could have fully mobilized the forces of the Confucian Sequence to purge the court once more, thereby eradicating the peril at its root."

"Even a soaring eagle uses its full strength to strike a rabbit, yet our current situation finds us surrounded by formidable enemies. We ought to concentrate our forces to break them one by one, rather than tearing off our masks with Longhu Mountain and the Eastern Imperial Palace on one side, while scattering our focus to guard against Honghu on the other. Furthermore, you should not have ordered the clans of other regions to abstain from battle and merely maintain public order in their territories."

Liu Jinxun weighed his words, his voice deepening: "In your student's view, we seem to be covering every base right now, but in truth, we are weaving our own shroud, squandering our advantages for nothing in this upheaval."

Zhang Fengyue listened quietly to Liu Jinxun's words, offering no immediate judgment. Instead, like a teacher engaging in a scholarly dialogue, he asked softly, "Then what do you think our advantage lies in?"

"People!"

Liu Jinxun said without a moment's hesitation: "Ever since the world separated martial arts, the number of practitioners within the Confucian Sequence has always reigned supreme among the three doctrines and nine schools. Even though official positions are now constrained by imperial power and the academic faction is gradually waning, we still maintain an absolute advantage in numbers. If we stand united as one, even if the Daoist Sequence and the Yin-Yang masters join hands, they would be no match for us."

"But have you considered how many people will die?"

The old man asked softly once more, instantly reducing Liu Jinxun, whose every word had just been so resonant and powerful, to silence.

"Jinxun, you are right; the advantage of the Confucian Sequence does indeed lie in people."

Zhang Fengyue said: "But after so many years of luxurious and hedonistic living, how many within the Confucian Sequence today still possess the desperate, death-defying courage of old? Is there even a possibility left to unite their hearts and minds? So few remain of your generation who experienced the hardships of forging the Confucian Sequence."

"Courage can be born from hatred, forged in blood!"

Liu Jinxun said in a muffled tone: "If this generation of descendants seeks luxury and shrinks back in fear, then our generation can well die out completely, using our lives to awaken their martial courage. As long as Confucian thought remains, as long as the demographic bedrock exists, a newborn Confucian Sequence will stream forth inexorably. The deaths of a few old fossils like us will not alter the grand scheme."

"You are wrong."

Zhang Fengyue shook his head: "Times change and develop constantly, just as when we joined forces with the Legalist Sequence back then to establish the rule that 'the laws of the ancestors must not change' in the hearts of the common people, solely to protect ourselves. Yet now, with the existence of Huangliang, all past rules have ceased to be stable; a single grand dream of indulgence is enough to destroy ten years of bitter study by a cold window."

"To seek a golden house in books is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Yet to seek a golden house in a dream is as easy as turning over one's hand. Whether human nature is inherently good or evil has been debated for thousands of years without consensus, but it is an indisputable fact that human vision is shortsighted, and the vast majority can only see the immediate gains and losses before their eyes."

Zhang Fengyue sighed deeply: "The assimilative power of Confucian thought has never weakened, and the Temples of Confucius we build grow more numerous by the day, yet the advantage we could gain through 'edification' has long vanished. Who can be certain that the Confucian Sequence will surely emerge renewed from the chaos, rather than being pulled up by its roots by someone utilizing Huangliang?"

Liu Jinxun was left speechless, powerless to argue.

It was true that the emergence of Huangliang had granted the Confucian Sequence many conveniences, where walking hand-in-hand with past sages and worthies through mountains in a single night's dream could perhaps equal a lifetime of studying until one's hair turned white.

The Daoist Sequence, likewise one of the three doctrines, was the same.

Longhu Mountain, bolstered and blessed by its grotto-heavens, had established a Daoist fanaticism far beyond anything seen in the past thousands of years.

But once Huangliang fell into the hands of a certain faction, or when It gained consciousness of Its own, then all the inherited doctrines and truths of this world could similarly be completely overwritten by a dream of sensual pleasure and wild revelry.

"But Teacher..."

The corner of Liu Jinxun's mouth twitched, a stubborn expression surfacing on his loose-skinned face.

"Precisely because the existence of Huangliang poses such a colossal threat to us, we should strike with all our might to destroy it in one breath. Instead of being timid and hesitant as we are now, blindly trying to preserve too much, we are highly likely to lose even more in the end!"

"It remains the same question, Jinxun—do you know how many innocent commoners would die a tragic death because of that?"

Zhang Fengyue did not grow angry at his student's obstinacy; his tone remained measured and gentle.

"The Daoist and Yin-Yang sequences parted ways over 'inaction' and 'action,' just as the School of Diplomacy and we are as distinct as chalk and cheese over 'enraging the people' and 'pacifying the people.' If we are to fight for victory at any cost, we will surely be unable to stop the clans from coercing the common people to join the war, forming a human wave to minimize their own casualties and contest for greater interests."

"At that moment, the order of the entire Great Ming Empire will collapse in an instant. It will not just be practitioners like you and me; endless strife will erupt among ordinary folk, ghosts of Huangliang, puppets of Honghu, and fanatics of the Daoist gates."

"So you arranged it this way with the sole purpose of confining the chaos to the practitioners."

Liu Jinxun at this moment finally realized: "And at the same time, using your actions to warn the Eastern Imperial Palace and Longhu Mountain..."

"You boy, don't think too highly of this old man. Zhan Shun and Zhang Xiji are no saints; how could they possibly be deterred by me?"

Zhang Fengyue laughed heartily, waving his hand to cut Liu Jinxun off.

"The only reason they haven't incited the believers under their command, nor transformed the ordinary people linked to Huangliang into ghosts of Huangliang, is simply for fear of letting the one in Northern Zhili reap the benefits. After all, if the world truly falls into chaos, who knows when a Sequence Two of the School of Diplomacy might leap out? Wouldn't that be inviting trouble?"

Liu Jinxun frowned: "But will Zhu Yiyan truly act as you wish?"

"To that, this old man has no answer either. However, what I promised the late emperor has already been fulfilled; I can only hope that he understands his father's painstaking care."

Zhang Fengyue seemed to have the vexation in his heart stirred by the three syllables of 'Zhu Yiyan.'

The old man fell silent for a long time, his slightly clouded eyes filled with extremely complex emotions.

Liu Jinxun also sank into deep thought, his brow knitting tightly and then relaxing, though his ten fingers clenched into fists so tightly he refused to yield an inch.

"For a thousand years of the Great Ming, the former social hierarchy of 'scholars, peasants, artisans, and merchants' was sliced to ribbons by the Sequences, making the divide between the upper and lower classes of humanity even more insurmountable. Those above the Sequences pursue eternal existence, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the gods. But what of the commoners beneath the Sequences? What do you think they care about?"

Zhang Fengyue asked and answered himself: "I used to think they might still struggle desperately before the new chasm, just as they did when facing the imperial examinations of the previous dynasty, sharpening their heads to become masters over men."

"Yet during those few years accompanying Siyuan on his travels, I discovered that the vast majority of them still care only about whether today's food is savory, when the wages from a month of hard labor can be settled, and how a long-ill family member can be cured..."

"They do not care overmuch about who finally became an immortal or buddha, nor who ultimately ruled the world. Even if someone comes to snatch away the meager possessions they hold, they will not offer much resistance. At most, they will rub their tearful eyes, curse softly, and console themselves that as long as they are still alive, it is enough."

Zhang Fengyue raised his hand to massage his brow, whispering, "So let us trouble them no further."

"Teacher, in truth, it is not just this empire that has changed; even you have changed," Liu Jinxun suddenly spoke.

"Have I? Could it just be that I am growing older?"

Liu Jinxun ignored the old man's deliberate, playful Chapter, his expression remaining solemn.

"Years ago, when you served as the master of the New Donglin Academy, you once wrote an essay on the 'Grand Confucian Sequence,' your words like polished pearls, inspiring and quickening the blood of all who read it. Even though opinions on that essay have always been divided within the Confucian Sequence, and even your most cherished student, Pei Xingjian, scoffed at it and did not hesitate to part ways with you over it..."

Zhang Fengyue's gaze remained as gentle as water: "It was nothing more than the occasional mad rhapsody of an old stallion, it shouldn't be taken seriously..."

"No, your student never believed it to be an unrealistic fantasy. On the contrary, I have always firmly believed it to be the truest future of the Confucian Sequence!"

Liu Jinxun suddenly took a step back, cupping his hands in salute, and bowed deeply to the old man.

"That essay used the development of the 'Six Arts' as its foundation and the power of moral transformation as its core, encompassing the four aspects of body, mind, reason, and intent of Confucian scholars. The entire text consisted of three thousand four hundred and seventy-two words, and your student still remembers it vividly to this day, never daring to forget a single word."

Liu Jinxun's head was buried deeply within his raised arms, yet his voice was filled with impassioned excitement.

"Such a monumental work, unprecedented through the ages, was destined from its birth to become the manifesto of the New Donglin Party, and the very foundation of your future ascent as a new Sage of Confucianism. Your student has spent most of his life unwaveringly practicing its tenets, whether in the imperial court or among the wild hills and fields, never slacking for a single moment."

"Yet I know not when, but you suddenly changed..."

Liu Jinxun straightened his body, his gaze unshrinking as he looked directly into those eyes that no longer concealed their piercing sharpness, leaving only the desolate bleakness of autumn and winter.

"I do not understand what reason could cause you, Teacher, to cast away this invaluable treasure like a worn-out shoe, and to abandon followers like me as well."

Liu Jinxun's tone grew sorrowful: "I once suspected it was because of Pei Xingjian, because I understand very well that in your eyes, only he, Pei Xingjian, is uniquely qualified to inherit your mantle."

"To hide nothing from you, I was deeply envious, and from that envy grew discontent, even birthing a delusional desire to compete. Therefore, after returning to Jinling, I secretly associated with the Zhu family and the Spring and Autumn Society. I was waiting for the day when, upon learning the news, you might personally grace the Liu clan to berate this rebellious disciple to his face, demanding to know why I betrayed you."

Liu Jinxun's voice trembled: "In that way, your student would have the chance to ask you face-to-face once more where the future of the Confucian Sequence will ultimately lead. If my death could bring about a change of heart in you, Liu Jinxun would die without regrets."

Zhang Fengyue's lips pressed into a tight line. His previously reclining body had straightened, and the cloak draped over him had slid to the floor unnoticed at some point.

The rainwater dripping from the eaves dampened the edge of the cloak, but no one cared anymore.

In the end, I still couldn’t meet you. All I received was the merchant’s decree, which offered me two choices: one was to go to the foreign lands and redeem myself, and the other was to be executed on the spot for my stubbornness.

In the shadow at the corridor’s bend, Shang Sigu stood with his arms crossed, leaning against the cold wall, his expression indifferent as he watched the master and his equally aged apprentice.

Liu Jinxun smiled bitterly. “I kept telling myself that it was because I had done something too naive and excessive, committing such an unforgivable mistake, that you would not bother to say another word to me. My heart was not at peace, so I did not want to die, and thus I chose to go to the foreign lands and wholeheartedly implement the new policy.” “But what I saw in the foreign lands was only your determination to completely sever ties with the world, with not a trace of the ‘Great Confucian Order.’”

“Teacher.”

Liu Jinxun bent his knees, his knees hitting the damp tiles with a heavy thud.

“Are you really going to give up the ‘Great Confucian Order’? Is the philosophy I have pursued all my life really only worthy of being called a fantasy?”

Liu Jinxun’s eyes were filled with resentment, hope, and a hidden fear, all intertwined in a complex and indescribable way.

He hoped to get a real answer from Zhang Fengyue, but he was also afraid that his fantasies would be completely shattered here.

“It’s cool on the ground. Let’s get up and talk.”

Zhang Fengyue’s eyebrows were furrowed, but his voice remained soft as he spoke.

But Liu Jinxun still stubbornly shook his head and kept asking, “Teacher, are you really going to abandon us followers, abandon your dream from back then?”

Standing far away, Shang Sigu still maintained a calm and detached expression on the surface, but his eyes revealed an uncontrollable urgency as he stared at this place.

“That’s not my dream.”

Zhang Fengyue fell silent for a moment, his voice turning cold. “I’ll say it again: it was just a wild fantasy I had when I was bored, an unrealistic talk!”

Boom!

The words landed under the eaves, and thunder rumbled in the distant sky.

In the midst of the violent wind and rain, an unsettling atmosphere lingered, as if a huge object was approaching.

“It’s impossible. How could the philosophy I’ve devoted my life to be an unrealistic fantasy? I can’t accept it. You must have been misled by someone, which is why you made the wrong choice to sever ties with the world.”

The whimpering voice of the slumped figure was like a sharp sword piercing the old man’s eyes, causing his gaze to tremble.

Zhang Fengyue roared in anger, “Nonsense!”

Liu Jinxun raised his head again, his face now covered in tears.

“Teacher, Zhang Xiji is almost here. It was me who revealed your location to Zhan Shun.”

Although he had expected it, when Zhang Fengyue actually heard those words, he still closed his eyes in pain.

“I knew he, Zhang Xiji, would come, but why did it have to be you?”

The old man sighed, “Jinxun, you’re so foolish.”