Chapter 139: Lu Zhi Tian Ze actually knew very well that it was a bad idea to carry out such a radical reform so drastically all at once. After all, the power of the aristocratic families is too strong, and such radical actions will bring huge obstacles to his journey to conquer the world. The best option is to gradually divide the aristocratic families and balance all parties through the inducement of interests, advance slowly like boiling a frog in warm water, and gradually carry the general trend. However, he was not confident enough to ensure that he would not be set up by the noble families in the process. Moreover, it was extremely difficult to grasp the timing, and a slight mistake could cause big problems. Although the experience of cultivating the Taoism and later life brought him an improvement in his state of mind and growth in experience, coupled with the practical experience over the years, his wisdom has also increased. But wisdom is also multi-dimensional. There are many people who are extremely insightful but still cannot live a good life. Some are extremely intelligent since childhood but are ruined because of their family. Some can point the way to the world but cannot simply put it into practice. Everyone has their own expertise. Let alone Tian Ze, even Chen Gong and others may not be a match for those shrewd old foxes from aristocratic families when it comes to playing politics and conspiracy. Tian Ze doesn't like things that are out of control, so he chooses to do it in one step. Although this will trigger huge resistance and delay the progress of unifying the world, it will be effective quickly and will not be compromised. Now the areas under his jurisdiction are basically under his control, and the external environment has been temporarily stabilized. It is the best time to carry out reforms.
Even if the noble families wanted to resist, it was too late. The reason is still the same problem. After all, their fundamental interests and those of the various princes are not completely consistent! In the thatched cottage of Liaodong College, Cai Yong, Guan Ning and others could not stop feeling the heat and shock in their hearts for a long time as they watched Tian Ze's departing back. Cai Yong looked at Lu Zhi with envy and said with emotion: "Zi Gan, I never thought that your greatest achievement in this life might be to train such a disciple. After a hundred years, I'm afraid you will be carried into the temple and ranked alongside other disciples." After hearing Cai Yong's words, everyone looked at Lu Zhi with the same envy. Although as people of integrity, they are indifferent to fame and wealth, that is because they have higher-level pursuits. And now, a smooth road that will be remembered forever has been paved by Tian Ze directly under Lu Zhi's feet. How can they not be envious? This is almost their lifelong pursuit! Hearing Cai Yong's words, Lu Zhi rarely showed a trace of shame and annoyance, and hurriedly explained. He really refused! But he didn't refuse it! How could he bear to keep rejecting his beloved disciple's sincere kindness? Tian Ze came to him just now, not for anything else, but for the position of chief academic officer of the Jixia Academy, and he also wanted to give Lu Zhi the title of founder. Tian Ze's idea was very simple, because his teacher had a great reputation and wide connections, and he wanted to keep all the wealth within the family, so it would be great for his teacher to do something that would go down in history. Tian Ze did not want to be too involved with the Jixia Academy, so as not to influence the opinions of scholars and give the aristocratic families an excuse, so he pushed everything directly onto Lu Zhi. In this way, Lu Zhi gained fame, Tian Ze gained fruits, and everyone was happy. After all, many of the books in it also came from Lu Zhi, and he was Lu Zhi's student, so Lu Zhi deserved the title of chief priest and founder. As for Lu Zhi, he did politely refuse when he first learned about it, but Tian Ze persuaded him sincerely and kept begging him, and he was a little moved in his heart, so he reluctantly agreed. Cai Yong rolled his eyes at his friend who was taking advantage of him, but he also started to think about it in his mind. Before Tian Ze left, he let it slip that the Jixia Academy only had one chief academic officer, but there were many doctoral positions, and people could also write books for them. These people have seen through official positions and power, and have no interest in becoming officials and helping the world.
But they were not bent on the pursuit of detachment and seclusion, but were very interested in another supreme pursuit of scholars, which was to pass down books and leave their names to posterity. What they learned throughout their lives could not be left without successors. Who can resist the temptation of creating a school of thought that will be passed down through the ages? A thousand years from now, he might even be known as Cai Zi. Just thinking about it makes me excited! Cai Yong suddenly felt a little regretful at this moment. If he had given more books to Tian Ze, he would have had no less than 10,000 volumes of classics, many of which were unique. If he had given them all to Tian Ze, he might have been able to get the position of Jijiu. After all, there was more than one Jiji Academy at its peak, and one of the more famous ones was called Xunzi. But it’s not too late now. It doesn’t matter whether I have the position of chief priest or not. The most important thing is to write a book. …… After getting Lu Zhi's approval, Tian Ze did not hesitate to make some modifications to the gate of the Jixia Academy. A statue of Lu Zhi, which had been carefully carved by craftsmen, was erected high up, showing compassion and heroism, and a stone tablet was erected on each side. The stone tablet on the left reads: Adhere to the truth, seek truth from facts, integrate knowledge and action, and maintain integrity and innovation. On the right side of the stone tablet is written: Establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, carry on the lost knowledge of the ancient sages, and bring peace to the world for all eternity. After reading these two paragraphs, Chen Gong was greatly shocked. His gaze stayed on the stone tablet for a long time, with endless emotion in his heart. "My lord, who said these two sentences? Every word is truly powerful and thought-provoking. It is indeed a famous saying that warns the world!" Tian Ze heard this and after a moment's hesitation, he said, "This was taught by my mentor. I wrote it down when I had nothing to do." The Analects are not necessarily all Confucius' original words. They were compiled by his disciples, so there should be nothing wrong with what he said. Tian Ze had thought about putting these two sentences on himself, but he thought better of it. He was not cut out for it. Even if he said it, he was afraid that he would be regarded as a fraud. If two more stubborn people confronted him, he would be embarrassed. It is not a good thing to have talent but not be worthy of the reputation. "Mr. Zi Gan is indeed a great Confucian scholar!" Upon hearing this, Chen Gong had no doubt and expressed his sincere admiration. Once these three items were placed, the style of the Jixia Academy was immediately raised to a higher level. In Tian Ze's heart, his teacher's talents and character are absolutely worthy of this position and can be called a perfect man! However, he did not know how ashamed Lu Zhi felt when he saw all this later, because he had put himself on such a high pedestal. But things had already happened, and even if he clarified everywhere that he did not say those two sentences, no one believed him. After all, if Tian Ze said this, who else could it be if not his teacher? Could it be that Tian Ze, a martial artist with little knowledge, came up with this idea himself? Lu Zhi always felt guilty about this and worked hard to improve himself, studying day and night. As a result, he, who was already a master of Confucianism, went one step further and made rapid progress in academics. He really surpassed Tian Ze's master Ma Rong and eventually became a great master of his own generation. But until his death, Lu Zhi still felt guilty about this matter. He left a will, stating the matter and requiring his descendants to study hard and not to deceive the world and steal fame. However, later generations only praised Lu Zhi for his humility and strict family tradition, and did not doubt at all that these words were not said by Lu Zhi. (End of this chapter)