Chapter 151 Why not congratulate the prince? (Three in one)
When Gu Fangchen heard someone exclaim, he raised his head and looked at the map of mountains and rivers in the air, his eyes flashing.
He did not feel surprised, but instead felt as if the starting gun he had been waiting for had finally been fired.
Whether as a player or as Gu Fangchen.
From the very beginning, he knew that if he wanted to complete this plot line, the final boss he would have to face would be none other than someone else.
It was none other than the only remaining first-grade Eternal Realm Saint, the Yaoshan Sage—Xie Qian.
Although this saint has been in seclusion in order to maintain half of his territory, and the one teaching students in Yaoshan Academy is just a wisp of his spiritual incarnation, it does not mean that he cannot interfere with the outside world.
With the reputation of this Confucian sage, even if he did not take any action, but just said a few words and expressed some intentions, countless people would follow his speculation, which would in turn affect the situation of the Wei court and the immortal sect.
Take Gu Yuandao for example. When he was in the academy, although he was also listed as a genius and had a good reputation for cultivation, he was only among the younger generation and was far from being as famous as he is now.
On the day of the imperial examination, Xie Qian bestowed upon him the spirit of righteousness and accepted him as his true disciple, making him the most famous person at the time.
As for Xie Qian's position, it actually does not lie with Gu Yuye, Gu Yuandao, or even anyone in the Wei Dynasty, but only with his dream of "being together forever".
As mentioned before, Xie Qian, and even the Taoist Master Heng Chang, who have lived too long, have surpassed human thinking and will no longer simply think about the rise and fall of a country.
Not to mention the life and death of several people.
It just so happened that at this moment, Gu Yuandao was the best chess piece in his hand.
When forced to this point, Xie Qian would definitely stand up.
Now, I can only say—
What is coming is coming...
Everyone looked up at the sound and looked at the scroll hanging in the sky.
On the map of mountains and rivers, a snow-white spirit deer slowly walked out from between the hidden mountains, from the inside of the scroll to the outside of the scroll.
On the back of the white spirit deer, a skinny old man in a loose green shirt was sitting casually sideways, his mottled white hair tied up in a bun with a peach wood hairpin. He was reaching out to gently stroke the long horns of the spirit deer.
The spirit deer leaped lightly and landed in the Ziji Palace, creating ripples of clear air.
The students in the hall immediately stood up respectfully, their faces solemn, and bowed, saying in unison:
"Welcome Master!"
Among them are also many practitioners who were once students in academies and now serve as officials in the court.
In an instant, more than half of the officials stood up and called out "Master", while the rest said "Greetings, Saint".
With such a huge momentum, the identity of the visitor is revealed.
It was the only surviving first-class practitioner in the Wei Dynasty—the "Confucian Sage" Xie Qian!
However, this is certainly not his true self, but merely a trace of thought that remains in Yaoshan Academy.
In fact, this thought has no communication with the main body, and is equivalent to just a preset AI.
But even if it was just a thought, no one dared to treat it as just a thought and disrespect it.
Emperor Yong'an also lifted the curtain, stepped forward to greet him personally, and said in great surprise:
"I was planning to inform His Majesty later, but why did He come in person? I didn't even have time to set out an extra set of dishes and chopsticks."
Xie Qian shook his head and said:
"It's not a glorious thing, and I'm too embarrassed to attend the banquet. Your Majesty, there's no need to go to such trouble. If people find out, they'll laugh at me, an old man who has no way of teaching."
He turned his head, looked at Gu Yuandao, and scolded:
"Evil disciple, why don't you wake up?"
Xie Qian simply said this in a stern tone, just like a teacher waking up a sleepy student.
However, Gu Yuandao's consciousness, which had been huddled in his spiritual altar, suddenly woke up, floated to the surface, and suddenly opened his eyes.
Then, he felt a fishy and sweet taste rising in his throat.
He suddenly leaned forward, and with a "wow" sound, he spat out a pool of blood wrapped in black filth.
The filth in the blood was none other than the "Buddha's Hand Pulling Silk" Gu that had been lurking in his seven orifices and brain. One could vaguely see the appearance of countless small black spiders.
But in just a moment, all the little spiders turned into pus.
Gu Lianxian, who was standing next to her, was startled and exclaimed:
“Second brother!”
Although it looked scary, in an instant, Gu Yuandao's face quickly returned to its rosy color from its previous pale and gray color.
He steadied himself, quickly stood up, staggered two steps, and knelt down towards the old man in green robes. Tears streamed down his face, and he said in a hoarse voice:
"Thank you, Master, for saving me. I feel ashamed. My heart is not strong enough to follow the Tao. I was bewitched and deceived by the evil cult, and I ended up making a huge mistake..."
"The student regrets his actions and is willing to accept the punishment!"
At this point, Gu Fangchen even brought up Juehui, so no matter how much he tried to argue, it would be useless.
Even if Xie Qian came, it would be impossible for him to ignore the facts and directly overturn his verdict... Once that happened, Gu Fangchen would definitely think of using the "rules" of the spirit turtle to question his conscience and confirm whether what both parties said was true.
At that time, what Gu Yuandao will face is the bottomless abyss!
He could only plead guilty first, and the only person he could shift the blame to was the Demon Cult.
But doing so would be tantamount to admitting that his heart was unstable and his will was weak, and even his righteous spirit could not enable him to resist the magic power and poison control of the demon cult.
Although this is unreasonable, after all, he is only at the fifth level of cultivation. Among the younger generation, he is a leader, but looking at the entire cultivation world, he is only in the upper middle level.
No one would ask a young person to do something that even the top three-grade practitioners cannot do.
——Among the demon sects, there are quite a few upper three ranks who have defected from the righteous path.
But if he wants to convince everyone, he must be impeccable!
Only in this way can he become popular as quickly as possible.
Now, the image of a flawless gentleman that he had cultivated for several years was finally shattered in an instant and wasted...
With his previous reputation, as long as he made some more political achievements, he would be able to make rapid progress and rise to the top.
But now, the label of "being bewitched by the evil cult" will be stuck on his head forever!
Gu Yuandao looked dejected and unwilling.
He was unwilling to give up... In the end, he tried to save the relationship again and again, but it was nothing more than unwillingness!
But after more than ten years of dormancy, just when he was about to soar into the sky, he was knocked down by a small insect on the roadside that he had originally paid no attention to. Anyone would be unwilling to accept this!
It was a shame that he hadn't even noticed when the Mountain and River Map had ended up in Gu Fangchen's hands...
Gu Fangchen clearly hadn't gotten close to him during the entire journey, so how on earth did this guy get the Mountain and River Map?!
And you can use it right away...
Gu Yuandao couldn't help but think, doesn't this prove that it was Gu Fangchen himself who was at the Qionglin Banquet that day?
You can use the magic array of the Demon Cult's "Love", and you still say you are not from the Demon Cult?
If it had happened before, Gu Yuandao would have raised questions immediately.
But now, he no longer has any hope in his heart.
When the resentment in his heart turned into dejection and the disdain in his heart dissipated into nothingness, he had to admit that every step before was under the control and expectation of Gu Fangchen.
He didn't dare to bet that Gu Fangchen would not be able to deal with it.
In the current situation, if Gu Fangchen was given another chance to show off his talent and was outdone in front of all the civil and military officials, he would really commit suicide on the spot...
Xie Qian sighed, and Bai Lu took nimble steps and walked up to Gu Yuandao.
The old man stretched out his hand, spread his five fingers, pressed on Gu Yuandao's head, and said lightly:
“Admitting one’s mistakes and correcting them is the greatest virtue.”
He raised his head, looked at Emperor Yong'an, and said:
"Your Majesty, my student is not well-versed in his skills and his heart is not strong enough to follow the Tao. This is truly disgraceful. However, his original intention is still there and he can still be taught. Therefore, I, as his teacher, will take him back to the mountains and let him face the wall to reflect on his mistakes."
"What do you think, Your Majesty?"
With just two casual words, the accusation that Gu Yuandao colluded with the Demon Cult and attempted to harm Jiange was cleared.
Just one word "shameful" downplayed the seriousness of the matter and made it look like a child's ignorance.
But no one present, whether practitioners or officials, intended to refute.
In other words, even if you have an idea, you can only suppress it...
This is the essential difference between the imperial court and the immortal sect.
When the royal law and the national law are applied to ordinary people, killing someone means paying with one's life, which is a natural right.
But when it comes to practitioners, they must first consider their stance and then discuss right and wrong.
There is nothing wrong with the stance, it is just that one was misled for a moment, so even if one kills countless people, it is just a minor mistake.
Reflect on it, practice again, and try not to be misled next time.
Except for some sects that may have special pursuits of "Tao".
Which practitioner doesn’t have a few lives on his hands?
When you are fighting for life and death, if you accidentally fail to control the strength of your hands and accidentally affect a few mortals, do you still want to commit suicide?
Come on, it’s good enough that you can admit your mistake.
More often than not, they won’t even glance at these mortals.
I am fighting against the demon cult, isn't it all to protect you?
These are just necessary sacrifices. If you want to challenge me, you must first get past those people I rescued and see whether they support you or me.
Now, Gu Yuandao has been on the edge of taking the wrong stance, but in the final analysis, he has not crossed the line.
Because he was tricked by Gu Fangchen and had no choice but to draw his sword against Ning Caiyong, he had to use poison to cover up his purpose. In the end, that move actually saved his life.
If he had not been forced to use the "Buddha's Hand Pulling Silk" on himself at that time, he would have no reason to refute Juehui's accusation now.
Gu Fangchen's expression remained unchanged, as he had expected this.
If Gu Yuandao was not forced to reveal his true face in front of Ning Caiyong, even if a Confucian sage came, Gu Yuandao would not be able to clear his name and could only save his life at best.
But if he had to do it again, he would still make the same choice.
After all, Ning Caiyong and Gu Yuandao are real mother and son. How can they break up just like that?
Even though Ning Caiyong had already made a vow not to treat Gu Yuandao as his own son.
But if one day he killed Gu Yuandao with his own hands, there was no guarantee that Ning Caiyong would not feel some resentment towards him when he saw him.
Gu Fangchen would not feel at ease if he did not force Ning Caiyong to this point and let him experience Gu Yuandao's cold-blooded cruelty for himself.
"Your words are too kind. If the number one scholar goes astray, I will be deeply saddened..."
Emperor Yong'an's attitude was no longer as stern as before, he just sighed:
"Since the sage has said so, I am naturally delighted. I only hope that when the number one scholar returns, he will become an even greater pillar of the country."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace."
Xie Qian raised his hand, and Gu Yuandao instantly turned into a white bird, flew around him twice, and then flew into the map of mountains and rivers.
He waved his hand again, and the scroll folded up and fell to his waist.
Gu Yuye also hurriedly said:
"My son's cultivation is still shallow and his experience is insufficient. I would like to trouble the Saint to teach him."
Although their plan has now been completely scrapped, with the help of the Confucian sage, at least it has not developed to the point where it is irreversible.
But now, with Gu Fangchen occupying the position of the prince, Gu Yuandao not only failed to win the hearts of the people, but also destroyed the foundation he had laid before.
All is lost...
By now, the plan has been completely blocked and cannot be implemented.
After today, their primary goal should no longer be to maintain the development of their own plans, but... to kill Gu Fangchen and completely eliminate this variable!
"Your Highness is too polite. Cultivation begins with cultivating the mind. In recent years, the turbid energy of the Nine Netherworlds has surged, and people's hearts are unsettled. The academy has not been spared, and it is inevitable that the Demon Cult has taken advantage of it. It has come to this, and it is a disgrace to this pure land for scholars."
"Speaking of which, it's all due to Xie's years of seclusion, neglecting worldly affairs. Fortunately... the day of his release is not far away, and then I will definitely clean up this filthy atmosphere in the academy."
When everyone heard this, they were shocked, and then happy.
The Confucian Sage is coming out of seclusion?!
Doesn't that mean that the increasingly tense battle situation with Qingman can be turned around immediately?
Emperor Yong'an asked the question that everyone was most concerned about:
"May I ask when the Saint will come out of seclusion?"
Xie Qian smiled and said:
"There was a Buddha in the past, and he will become a Buddha in the future, so he is called the Future Buddha. Xie also learned from the ancients. If Your Majesty wants an answer, then I have already come out of seclusion."
Already out of customs?
Everyone looked at each other, all confused and bewildered.
If the saint came out of seclusion, how could they be completely unaware of this? There should have been some movement.
What's more, the thought in front of me has not been taken back, so how can it be said that I have come out of seclusion?
Then, the old man turned his head and suddenly looked at Gu Fangchen.
Gu Fangchen's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged as he calmly accepted the scrutiny of the world's number one man.
He comforted himself in his heart.
It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter… Since Xie Qian can’t break the fourth wall, he probably won’t be able to tell my true origins.
The puppetry technique he possesses is not some kind of magic skill. Others use it to refine puppets, but he uses it on himself. Is it illegal?
Apart from this "magic", he is full of spiritual energy and extremely clean.
——Ahem, these are all experience points absorbed from the righteous monks. They also cultivated them bit by bit by themselves, so how can they not be considered clean!
Having said that, Gu Fangchen is actually not false.
Xie Qian is still in seclusion at this moment, which means he is actually offline. Only a trace of his thoughts remains outside. Although it is very strong, he is not invincible. His strength is only at the peak second level.
If Xie Qian could maintain his full strength even with a single thought, then the Wei Dynasty would have unified the world long ago, and there would be no need for the Qing Man.
What's more, our Taoist Master Heng Chang is also here...
Now he has just suppressed Gu Yuye's tendency to emerge, and he has passed the test of Emperor Yong'an and officially joined Emperor Yong'an's camp.
Emperor Yong'an would not get rid of him so quickly while he was still useful.
"I have to thank you for your warning this time, young friend, so that I, a useless disciple, will not make the same mistake again."
Xie Qian looked at him, touched the deer's neck, and his expression was very kind:
"Looking at your talent and profound literary heritage, it is a pity for Yaoshan that you have not been able to become a member of the academy."
If he hadn't played the story and knew what a crazy inhuman creature was hidden under the skin of this Confucian sage... at this moment he would have really thought that this was the leader of the righteous path.
But if it is the right way, then it is indeed the right way.
At least in his logic, he is doing it for the benefit of the people of the world. Judging from his starting point, it is the right way.
However, the peace that Xie Qian wanted... from a normal person's perspective, it was too evil.
Gu Fangchen sighed and said:
"You don't have to feel sorry, old saint. I think it's a good thing I didn't go to the academy. If I had been a student there, I don't know how many people would have been so angry that they would have vomited blood!"
The expressions of the people below were subtle, and they couldn't help laughing.
This Prince... is quite self-aware and did not take the polite words of the Confucian sage seriously.
Although his martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds, his lack of knowledge and skills was a fact witnessed by the entire Huangtian City over the past decade.
Some time ago, he was impersonated by a member of the Demonic Cult, causing everyone to think that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was secretly making progress, which really scared everyone.
Fortunately, it was finally confirmed that it was indeed a false alarm!
The Sixth Prince Xiao Yi was originally sitting nearby, watching his former mortal enemy become so popular. Suddenly, he seemed to have changed into a different person, and actually took back the throne of the Crown Prince that should have been returned to Gu Yuandao. He was extremely terrified.
He had no idea what was going on. In less than a month, Gu Fangchen suddenly became the tenth-ranked expert on the Xiaotian Ranking, chatting and laughing with all kinds of bigwigs.
In the past, Gu Fangchen was the loser who was chased and beaten by him!
What's even more terrifying is that his sister, whom he both respected and feared, was actually very kind and friendly to Gu Fangchen.
This made Xiao Yi stunned and he almost questioned his life!
Gu Fangchen is the kind of person his sister hates the most. Why didn't his sister react when he flirted with her in front of her in just a short while?
But what happened now made him feel relieved.
fine……
If Gu Fangchen suddenly became a master of both civil and military skills, all his previous ridicule of Gu Fangchen would be like boomerangs that would hit him in the head. But how could that be possible? Hahahahaha…
Before Xiao Yi finished laughing in his heart, he heard Xie Qian laugh dumbly and said:
"You are much more modest than I, Xie. I don't want you to be a student in the academy, but... I hope you can become a teacher, so that those ignorant young men in the academy can gain more experience."
As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room fell silent.
If it was said that Gu Fangchen suddenly became a martial arts genius before, it would still be acceptable, but at this moment, it was truly shocking and speechless.
Throughout history, geniuses have been as numerous as crucian carp swimming across the river.
But all of them have made achievements in their respective fields of gods and warriors.
And at this moment, they seemed to be witnessing the birth of a "jack of all trades".
The extension of talent is Shinto!
Talent is not equal to Shinto cultivation, but if talent is blessed with Shinto cultivation, it will be very fast to turn into cultivation!
What Xie Qian meant was that Gu Fangchen's literary talent alone was enough to qualify him as a teacher in the academy.
Then if he practices Shinto and takes literature as his way, he can at least achieve the fourth rank, and his upper limit is immeasurable!
Others might regard Xie Qian's words as a compliment, but the disciples in the academy did not doubt it at all.
Therefore, everyone, including Liu Xuan, took a deep breath and their faces became solemn and dignified.
"Talented" is easy to say, as there are at least twenty young people in the academy who deserve this evaluation.
But "cultural cohesion" is not that simple.
This means that there is a brand new, unexplored road extending out from Gu Fangchen.
That is what is called "context".
Throughout history, the owners of these "cultural traditions" have all been great scholars who founded their own schools and became famous throughout their time.
This evaluation is too harsh!
Everyone thought that Gu Fangchen should at least refuse, but he raised his eyebrows and grinned:
"Since the old saint has shown me so much kindness, I will naturally obey your orders."
Everyone: “…”
You are so immodest!
"However, I've been very busy lately, so I'm afraid I'll be busy for a while. When I have time, I'll definitely come and give guidance to the students of the academy."
Gu Fangchen was very shameless.
He was not afraid of Xie Qian getting angry. Apart from the fact that his ultimate goal was extremely inhuman, before he came out of seclusion, the saint was still worthy of the title of saint.
Everyone's mouths twitched when they heard this. They even gasped for breath after hearing a few words of praise... Damn it, this is so unfair. How could this kid have "literary heritage"? Did the saint make a mistake?
Xie Qian was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then he laughed and even joked with him:
"Then Xie will be waiting for you at the academy."
After saying this, the spirit deer under him let out a few long cries and leaped into the air.
The old man who came riding on a white deer then left gracefully.
Everyone only felt that there seemed to be mountains and forests in front of them, and the mist was drifting. In the blink of an eye, Xie Qian was hidden in it and disappeared.
Everyone in the academy shouted again:
"Farewell, Master!"
Emperor Yong'an turned to look at Gu Yuye, as if he had just reacted, and said:
"Oh, Lord Gu, why are you still kneeling? Please get up quickly."
Gu Yuye then slowly stood up, his face showing shame, and he bowed and said:
"I feel guilty for not discovering my son's actions in time..."
"Ah, my dear, you are so loyal to the emperor and your country that it is only natural that you cannot take care of your family. How could I blame you?"
Emperor Yong'an opened his arms, looked around, and said with a smile:
"Besides, isn't this matter now concluded perfectly?"
"My dear minister once told me that no matter who becomes the crown prince, we must not favor one over the other and hold a grand celebration banquet."
He walked aside, picked up a glass of wine, and handed it to Gu Yuye:
"Lord Gu, why don't you congratulate the Crown Prince?"
Gu Yuye held the glass of wine, his face looking as disgusting as if he had eaten a green-headed fly, but the wine was already in his throat and he had to swallow it.
He held the glass of wine for a long time before walking in front of Gu Fangchen and slowly raised the glass.
Gu Fangchen could see clearly that the knuckles of his hand holding the wine glass were white, but he had to control his strength so as not to crush the glass.
——Emperor Yong'an also specially gave me a glass cup, which was really bad.
Gu Fangchen looked at Gu Yuye with a half-smile and whispered:
"Gu Yuye, you know what? I just like the way you look at me but can't get rid of me."
Gu Yuye had a blank expression on his face, and the murderous intent in his eyes was almost bursting out.
Gu Fangchen reached out and took the wine glass.
He didn't drink it, but suddenly raised the wine glass and said coldly:
"Your Majesty, I heard that many people died in this battle at the Qiu'an border. This glass of wine should not be offered to me, but to those who died!"
After saying this, he smiled and poured out the wine glass in his hand in front of Gu Yuye.
“Shua!”
The wine spilled and formed a "one" in front of Gu Yuye.
It's like a memorial.
At this moment, Gu Yuye's expression was distorted to the extreme!
————
P.S.: This is not a knock! Tickets are coming!
You can also participate in the lottery by voting now. The statistics will continue until the 7th. Please see the previous chapter for details. Don’t miss it!
Still owe two more
(End of this chapter)
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