If it was any other woman, Fang Zheng would definitely think that this was an excuse to keep him overnight, but Ji Dajia was indeed Ji Dajia, and she actually planned to have a night chat with him...

Look, the candles are all arranged!

"Mr. Fang's ideas are really very strange. What he said are things that Yanran has never thought of..."

"It's very simple, as long as you look at it from a different angle."

Fang Zheng didn't particularly want anything to happen between him and Ji Yanran. After all, if she wanted to marry him, that would be fine. But if she wanted to have a spiritual exchange, Fang Zheng didn't care.

If it were someone else, Fang Zheng might care a little bit, but although Ji Yanran is the number one heroine in A Step into the Past, in fact she is just an insignificant little person in the entire history. Even if Fang Zheng tells her something, she can't change history.

So Fang Zheng didn't mind finding someone to chat with.

"Look at the problem from a different angle?"

"Yeah, just like cat and mouse."

Fang Zheng took a sip of wine and looked at Ji Yanran with a smile.

"Look, from our perspective, it's natural for cats to catch mice, and they're doing good things, because mice steal food, harm crops, and spread diseases, which are basically the root of all evil. So from a human perspective, it's best if all mice die."

"That's true... so what's the problem?"

Ji Yanran also opened her big eyes, full of desire for knowledge, and looked at Fang Zheng as if she was a child who was eagerly learning knowledge.

"Of course not, but what I just said was only from a human perspective. Let's change our perspective. What if we are cats? Cats don't care why humans grow food, nor do they care about human diseases. For them, catching mice is just an entertainment activity, which is quite fun."

Having said this, Fang Zheng laughed and spread out his hands.

"What about mice? Mice cannot possibly understand why humans spend so much effort growing crops. They just instinctively look for food to eat. No matter how much effort you humans spend growing crops, it is meaningless to mice. All they care about is reproducing and surviving."

"So...from what Master Fang said...it seems that all three parties are not wrong?"

“There wasn’t one.”

Fang Zheng shook his head.

"Everyone, please remember that there is no completely evil thing in this world. Each species looks at problems from its own standpoint. For example, when people open up mountains and plant crops, they will naturally be afraid of the wild beasts that roam in the mountains. However, for the wild beasts in the mountains, they have lived here for generations. Now a group of two-legged beasts suddenly come to occupy their territory. They also have the right to fight back, right?"

“Puff…”

Hearing this, Ji Yanran couldn't help but smile.

"Two-legged beast...Mr. Fang's metaphor is really interesting."

"Isn't it?"

Fang Zheng shrugged.

"We humans think we have emotions and desires, far superior to animals, but in the eyes of wolves, tigers and leopards, we are nothing more than monkeys without hair. What's so strange about that?"

Facing Fang Zheng's strange talk, Ji Yanran's expression was somewhat amusing and helpless. After all, she was a beauty, and being described as a monkey without hair was the first time...

"From what Master Fang said, is Master Fang a Taoist believer?"

“I am not a believer in any particular sect.”

Fang Zheng shook his head.

"There is a saying among the people that goes, no matter if the cat is black or white, as long as it can catch mice, it is a good cat. Similarly, no matter what kind of thought it is, whether it is Taoism, Confucianism, Legalism or Mohism, as long as it can make the country prosperous and the people live and work in peace and contentment, it is good. On the contrary, if it cannot be done, then no matter how much you say, it is meaningless."

Hearing this, Ji Yanran's beautiful eyes flashed a few times, then she lowered her head and sighed.

"That's true, but in any case, we have no way of knowing whether these ideas are actually reasonable."

"At times like this, experiments are needed."

"experiment……?"

"That's right."

Fang Zheng nodded. For the ancients, this might indeed be a big problem, but for modern people, this problem is not difficult to solve.

"As Mr. Ji said, we cannot confirm which method is really good for the country and the people, but it is not difficult to see the results. We can first take one county as the basis and implement new policies on it. If it is good, we will promote it, and if it is not good, we will cancel it. In this way, even if we carry out reforms, it will not shake the foundation of the country, and we can see the problems more clearly."

"Mr. Fang is truly a rare genius."

At this moment, Ji Yanran's eyes changed again when she looked at Fang Zheng, and then she lowered her head.

"If Master Fang is willing to assist the monarch, the chaos in the world will surely end. Why is Master Fang unwilling to intervene?"

"Because someone else has already intervened. I am a lazy person by nature. Since someone else has already done it, I naturally don't bother to do anything else."

Fang Zheng was talking about Xiang Shaolong. He had been wandering around during this period and had heard some things about Xiang Shaolong. Unfortunately, communication was not well developed in ancient times, and the information lag was too long. However, even so, Fang Zheng had already learned that Xiang Shaolong was famous in Zhao State. It seemed that history was still developing in the original direction.

Although Ji Yanran was quite concerned about this, Fang Zheng was obviously too lazy to talk more, so both sides quickly skipped over this topic. Then, Ji Yanran became interested in another thing.

"I heard from Master Ba that Master Fang built a school in the mountains, which is used to teach knowledge and culture. If you don't mind, can Yanran go with us?"

"Of course, no problem. If you are interested, Fang is of course very welcome."

Fang Zheng naturally nodded in agreement to Ji Yanran's request. After all, the more people he could deceive, the better.

So after both parties agreed on a time, Fang Zheng said goodbye and left early the next morning. By the way, after that, Ba Chou found Fang Zheng again and said that after the banquet that day, Xinling Jun sent someone to find him and expressed his willingness to help him publish the Pythagorean diagram.

Fang Zheng secretly laughed at this. It seemed that Xinling Jun was also interesting. He actually planned to use the publishing house to get a big shot and go down in history. But there was nothing wrong with this. Although Bachou was also a descendant of a famous family, his family was not as powerful as Xinling Jun. In order to tie himself and Bachou together and make them famous forever, Xinling Jun would definitely make great efforts to promote this "Pythagorean Diagrams". This would be much faster than Bachou selling books door to door. For Fang Zheng himself, it would not be bad either.

Therefore, power and knowledge are not naturally contradictory. In today's world, people either seek wealth or fame. As long as the right bait is given, the rest will obviously not be a problem.

A few days later, Ji Yanran finished her tasks and reunited with Fang Zheng. Then they all left Daliang and headed for the "school" that Fang Zheng mentioned.

The location Fang Zheng chose was on the Qin side of the border between Qin and Zhao. On the one hand, Qin was the final winner after all, so it was easier to get there. On the other hand, it was also easier for Fang Zheng to achieve his second goal. Fang Zheng had two main purposes for building this sect: one was to fight Buddhism, and the other was to fight the Huns.

Buddhism is not even a thing now, but the Huns are a real problem. Whether it is the Qin State, Zhao State or other dynasties in the future, it is politically correct to criticize the Huns. For Fang Zheng, this is also equivalent to finding a place for his disciples to increase their experience points.

At least upgrading is much easier than anywhere else.

As long as I'm here, you can forget about the Five Barbarians invading China!

Under Fang Zheng's leadership, the carriage gradually drove into a deep mountain and old forest. Looking around, one could see layers of fields and houses everywhere. The people passing by looked very peaceful and kind, which made Ji Yanran sigh with emotion when she saw this scene.

"Yanran never thought that there would be such a paradise in such a bitter and cold borderland."

"There is no paradise in this world."

However, Fang Zheng obviously had different ideas.

"A country is a paradise only when it is strong and prosperous, not afraid of foreign invasion, and its residents can live and work in peace. However, long-term peace will eventually lead to destruction. If we are not able to be vigilant of external trends at all times, problems will arise sooner or later. Here, the invasion of the Xiongnu and the war between Qin and Zhao are also issues that we need to pay attention to all the time... Oh, we're here."

As Fang Zheng spoke, he looked forward, and Ji Yanran also curiously stuck her head out and looked forward.

After seeing the scene clearly, her eyes widened in surprise.

In front of him was a huge cliff with a gap in the middle that looked like it was split by a sword. According to Fang Zheng, this was the entrance. What was even more surprising was that on both sides of this line of sky, there were two huge statues, each dozens of meters tall, built against the mountain.

The two statues were wearing armor and holding swords, looking lifelike, like giant guards standing tall. Even Ji Yanran and Ba Chou stared in surprise, wondering if they were dreaming. At the same time, the carriage followed the crowd and slowly passed through the gate guarded by the two huge stone statues and entered.

The scene inside is even more astonishing.

In the valley, pure white pavilions rise and fall, the trickle below flows into the pond, and the green grass and the sea of ​​flowers in the distance complement each other. It feels like entering a paradise. Children in white robes can be seen everywhere. They are big and small, male and female. Some of them line up in neat teams on the playground and practice boxing and swordsmanship. Some of them gather in groups of three or five, reciting poems and texts on the covered bridge or in the courtyard. Some of them paint in the mountains and fields, which looks like a prosperous and peaceful beauty.

At the same time, the carriage finally came to a slow stop.

"Okay, Mr. Ba, Mr. Ji."

Fang Zheng gestured with a smile.

"Welcome to...Xiaoyao Palace."