Only at the Mahayana Stage Does the Reversal System Appear - Chapter 215

Chapter 215 The Emperor is No Better Than the Son of Heaven

When discussing Dong Zhongshu, one cannot help but mention the Great Han Dynasty, the predecessor of the Wei Dynasty.

After Dong Zhongshu founded Confucianism, dissatisfied with the status quo, he sought to expand its influence. He contacted the then-current Han Emperor, explaining that his ancestor’s slaying of a white snake by sword was a sign of Heaven’s will in establishing the Han Dynasty, thus hailing it as the Celestial Han.

This Celestial Han must not be confined to a single province, but rather encompass the entire Nine Provinces. At the time, the Han Dynasty was powerful, poised to surpass the Great Zhou, ranking first in the Nine Provinces. The Han Emperor himself was a gifted cultivator who had reached the Tribulation Crossing stage, leaving the then-current Zhou Emperor no match for him.

These two factors combined to fuel the Han Emperor’s unprecedented arrogance, fueling his ambition to conquer the Nine Provinces.

However, the path to immortality remained unbroken, and every power was assisted by immortals. Their Han ancestors were merely one among many.

In this situation, a sound theory was needed to establish the Han Dynasty’s legitimacy and establish a legitimate basis for its rise to power. Dong Zhongshu’s theory of the interaction between heaven and man perfectly aligned with the Han Emperor’s vision.

So what if they were immortals? The Han had the heavens behind them.

The Han emperor had already made up his mind: he wouldn’t annihilate those forces backed by immortals, but rather preserve their legacy and traditions. He simply needed to ensure that those forces recognized the Han’s status.

By leaving a margin for action, the immortals would turn a blind eye and avoid descending to the mortal world to cause trouble for the Han.

Ultimately, the Han failed, failing to overthrow the other states and establish Han supremacy.

However, the Han’s might was demonstrated, earning the envy of other powers. Despite

its defeat, the Han achieved glory. The war that encompassed the nine provinces did not shake the Han’s foundations, nor did it lead to the founding of the Wei Dynasty.

It also spread Confucianism, solidifying its position and making it a major force in the nine provinces, with an influence so vast it rivaled that of Buddhism.

Thus, Dong Zhongshu’s goal had been achieved.

Jiang Li felt that Dong Wuwei was trying to restore the glory of his ancestors.

What a pipe dream.

“Dong Wuwei, you knew the Human Emperor Palace would be recruiting commanders, but you didn’t know whether it would be decades or centuries from now. So, you prepared early, awaiting my arrival.”

“First, you left Confucianism, demonstrating your affiliation with no faction and your neutrality. This is a prerequisite for joining the Human Emperor Palace. Of course, I believe you truly want to leave Confucianism. After all, the Confucians now all listen to Dong Zhongren.”

“I…” Dong Wuwei tried to defend himself, but was interrupted by Jiang Li.

“To become a commander, you also need to have good character and not steal or rob. This is difficult for other Fusion Stage cultivators, but it’s certainly easy for you. After all, it’s the most basic requirement for Confucian disciples.”

While the five commanders all had minor flaws, overall, their character was acceptable.

The quality of the Fusion Stage cultivators in Jiuzhou varied widely.

Some became strong to avoid being oppressed by the powerful.

Some became strong to oppress the weak.

Still others, after becoming strong to avoid being oppressed, changed their original aspirations and became vested interests, colluding with the powerful to oppress the weak.

The latter two types were absolutely unacceptable to the Human Emperor Palace, and the Fearless Alliance of the Great Sui Dynasty consisted entirely of the latter two.

“But you believe that simply having good character doesn’t guarantee competitiveness, and you won’t necessarily outperform the other candidates for leadership. So, you’ve retired here, teaching students and proving yourself a respected teacher.”

This was easy to understand. Dong Wuwei was dedicated to restoring the glory of his ancestors. How could he be so devastated after losing a duel with Dong Zhongren that he would become a teacher here?

He taught to prove to Jiang Li that he was a good teacher with the virtue of education.

“Of course, judging by deeds, not intentions, regardless of your motives, you have indeed taught several batches of outstanding children. No one can deny that.”

“But to demonstrate your loyalty to me, you’ve forbade my son from practicing, sacrificing his future for some mortal’s chance to become a cultivator!”

“Are you trying to emulate Yi Ya’s skill in cooking a child?”

In ancient times, a monarch half-jokingly told a chef named Yi Ya that he was tired of all the delicacies of the land and sea, but he had never eaten a baby. The chef then cooked a three-year-old child and presented it to the monarch. The monarch, impressed by his loyalty, trusted the chef even more.

“I want to increase the number of cultivators, but I never said that the talented should give opportunities to the less talented!”

“In your opinion, the talented should give way to the less talented, right? Being your son is the worst thing that could have happened to him!”

“You’re not letting my son practice? Why don’t you just disperse your power and pass it on to others!”

Jiang Li was furious. Others allowed their sons to begin practicing at eight, but Dong Wuwei stopped his son at eight. He was ruining his son’s life! At

eighteen, he was at the fifth level of Qi training, just like when he first crossed over.

Could everyone be like him, rising to prominence?

Dong Wuwei was silent, speechless. Every word Jiang Li said was true.

To promote his ideas, he had to be close to Jiang Li, and the closest position to Jiang Li was the commander.

The Human Emperor Palace always had to change commanders, so he prepared in advance, cultivating an image of being upright, a role model, and worshipping the Human Emperor, so that the Emperor would look upon him with respect.

Now it seemed that the image he had created was too strong, and it had instead caused the Emperor Jiang’s dissatisfaction.

Dong Wuwei said hurriedly: “The fault of my son’s problem is mine, I can change it. But I am loyal to you.”

“As the Human Emperor, the strongest in Jiuzhou, don’t you have the idea of ruling the world? My Three Bonds Order and the Theory of Heaven and Man are all preparations for you to rule the world.”

Jiang Li sneered: “Rule the world? For whom? Is it to make Jiuzhou stronger, or to satisfy my selfish desires?”

“Cultivators need to fight, so the Human Emperor Palace chose to let Jiuzhou have many forces, compete with each other, and promote each other.”

“We didn’t choose to unify Jiuzhou when there were extraterritorial demons, not to mention that now that the extraterritorial demons are no longer a threat, Jiuzhou will not be troubled by external troubles and will become lax. With pressure from other forces, there is still motivation to move forward. Unifying Jiuzhou at this time, do you want Jiuzhou to become a stagnant pool?”

“Still talking about the Three Bonds Order, are any of these three bonds right?”

“The ruler is the ruler of the ministers. The king’s orders are absolute. If the king is wrong, it must be the ministers’ fault. Do you think all kings are saints and will not make mistakes?”

“A father is the leader of his son. You are the most typical example. Your son listened to you, but ended up ruining his life!”

“A wife is the leader of her husband. You discriminate against female cultivators. As fellow cultivators, a wife regards her husband as heaven? How can this husband be so arrogant as to think a woman cannot live without a man? Ask those in the Pure Land of Mortal Realm or Buddhist nuns, do any of them agree with your point of view!”

“The theory of the correspondence between heaven and man is even more ridiculous. The Human Emperor is the leader of the human race, but in your mouth he becomes the son of heaven. You think the Son of Heaven is better than the Human Emperor? How can the Human Emperor be inferior to the Son of Heaven!”

“Being loyal to me and doing it for my own good is ridiculous. It’s obviously all for your own good!”

After Yi Ya cooked his son, a minister said to the king that he didn’t even love his own son, so how could he be loyal to the king.

The king didn’t care.

Later, Yi Ya really rebelled.

(End of this chapter)