Chapter 7: The Honghu Plan
The next day, before Liu Sheng went to work, she made a special trip to Baibao Hall.
She purchased some spiritual Materials used to make the analyzer, such as Starlight Iron, Netherworld Tung Wood, Formation Plate Crystal Slices, Moon Condensing Auspicious Jade, and Heavenly Silkworm Silk.
Of course, she also bought some other Materials to throw off suspicion.
This trip cost her ten Lingtual, and Liu Sheng's monthly salary was only eight Lingtual, making her wail in pain.
The main reason was that the analyzer she modified couldn't see the light of day, so she could only bear the cost herself. She blamed herself for being meddlesome.
As soon as she stepped into the Weaving Institute, she received a spirit message from Zhang Yuanzheng, asking her to come see him.
Liu Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and she nervously clutched the Storage Pouch at her waist. It shouldn't be related to her messing with the analyzer, right?
Yuan Zheng usually worked in Zhengxin Study, located in the back mountain of the Weaving Institute. It was surrounded by green bamboo, with gentle breezes rustling through the leaves, creating a peaceful and elegant atmosphere. In front of the study was a small pond, where a few goldfish occasionally swam leisurely, adding a touch of Life Qi.
Liu Sheng climbed a section of the mountain path, her body, lacking exercise, was a bit out of breath. She pressed her hand to her chest to calm her breathing, then slowly walked forward and gently knocked on the study door.
The door slowly opened, and an older-looking attendant nodded to her, inviting her in.
"Yuan Zheng is already waiting in the inner hall, please come this way," the attendant said in a low voice, lightly leading her through a long corridor, finally stopping in front of a half-open wooden door.
"Yuan Zheng, Liu Siku has arrived," the attendant respectfully announced to the person inside the door.
"Let her in," Zhang Yuanzheng's voice came through the door, deep and authoritative.
Liu Sheng pouted; Zhang Yuanzheng was really good at putting on airs.
As the attendant pushed the door open, she stepped into the inner hall.
The inner hall of Zhengxin Study had soft lighting and a faint scent of sandalwood. Zhang Yuanzheng sat on a black wooden carved chair in the center, with a large painting of overlapping mountains and lush greenery behind him. He was toying with a jade thumb ring in his hand. Seeing her enter, he put down the item and smiled, gesturing for her to sit down.
"Liu Siku, how long have you been in the Li County Weaving Institute?"
"Replying to Yuan Zheng, it has been two years and four months," Liu Sheng felt a sudden chill as Zhang Yuanzheng suddenly adopted the demeanor of a benevolent elder.
"You are truly talented at a young age. When I was a young man just starting out, I never thought so much. I just did whatever my superiors told me to…"
"Yuan Zheng, I didn't…"
Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng realized he was subtly criticizing her for submitting her work without permission. She quickly sat up, ready to argue, but saw Yuan Zheng wave his hand and continue, "It's fine, I didn't say you did anything wrong. You did an excellent job this time and brought honor to our Li County."
"I still remember when I was studying at the National Academy, there was a classmate who wasn't very old but only knew how to bury his head in books. He came from a remote mountain village. We all found his conversation dull, and he wore worn-out clothes, so we weren't very willing to associate with him. But he didn't mind, he just quietly read and read. One day, our teacher, with a joyful expression, led him to tell everyone that an article he wrote had been accepted by 'cultivation theory'. He listened indifferently, thanked them, and then returned to his seat to continue reading. We were all very envious, but I also knew that I didn't have the talent or the dedication to delve into such things…"
Zhang Yuanzheng shook his head, sighing with emotion.
Liu Sheng couldn't help but ask, "Where is he now?"
"Him? He's the current Minister of Public Works Ling Fu. He's developed a whole bunch of things: spirit messages for communication, Mirage Shadows for recording images, public flying carriages, analyzers for the Weaving Institute, so many things, all from his hand." Zhang Yuanzheng seemed to have accepted the gap between himself and this former classmate, his tone calm.
Liu Sheng was stunned. Was this some kind of bizarre era's Edison?
"The first time I saw you, I saw his shadow in you. It's just a pity..." Zhang Yuanzheng wasn't exaggerating. With Liu Sheng's diligent and studious nature, if she could connect with the Supreme God through cultivation, even if her Realm wasn't very high, she could at least slowly advance. Perhaps in a few decades, she could become like Ling Shangshu.
Liu Sheng could only remain silent.
"Let's not talk about these things. We've seen how much you've done, and I know it's been hard on you, but I truly have no one else to rely on... I don't expect you to understand my difficulties, I only hope that with our Li County Weaving Institute's Rank improving this time, we can recruit a few more people to share your workload..." Zhang Yuanzheng stopped himself, realizing he shouldn't be discussing such matters with a young girl.
"In short, with this outstanding achievement, our Li County Weaving Institute must commend you properly. A commendation on the red list, and an annual outstanding performance award," Zhang Yuanzheng saw a rare, childlike excitement on Liu Sheng's face, and smiled slightly, unable to resist teasing her with a dramatic pause, "Plus ten Lingtual as a reward."
"Thank you, Zhang Yuanzheng! I wish you a smooth official career, continuous promotions, and prosperity!" Liu Sheng almost jumped up.
Just lost ten Lingtual, then happily gained ten Lingtual. Life is full of ups and downs.
"Indeed, the waves behind push the waves ahead. Old waves like me are about to be swept away on the beach," Zhang Yuanzheng laughed heartily.
Liu Sheng hastily uttered some polite words about feeling ashamed, not daring to compare, and praising Zhang Yuanzheng's vigor and ambition.
Zhang Yuanzheng waved his hand, stopping Liu Sheng from saying any more cringeworthy compliments: "There's another matter. The Inspector General told me this time that the Emperor believes the current system is insufficient to evaluate talented commoners, and hopes to further recruit talented individuals. They plan to restart the Honghu Plan."
Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng's heart skipped a beat. This was exactly what Wang Dongdong had said last night.
Three hundred years ago, Emperor Xuanwen expelled the weird objects, built the Great Wall, and established the Weaving Institute. From then on, the people of Tang Country gradually recovered from the weird objects disaster and slowly recuperated.
However, Emperor Xuanwen still felt that the world had not truly achieved peace. The weird objects still lurked in the shadows, their methods unpredictable, and people's understanding of weird objects and cultivation was still shallow and unsystematic.
It was regrettable that he had been severely wounded in the northern campaign to expel the weird objects early in his reign, with Guai Qi entering his body. Although he managed to prolong his life through cultivation, he ultimately succumbed in his prime due to damage to his Foundation, leaving many grand ambitions unfulfilled.
After a brutal struggle, Emperor Xuanwen's second daughter, Princess Mingyuan, inherited the throne as the first female Emperor in history.
The first thing Emperor Mingyuan did after ascending the throne was to carry on her late father's legacy. She issued an imperial decree to the entire country, launching the Honghu Plan, inviting talented individuals from all over the world. The aim was to gather wisdom from all directions, research cultivation methods, and discuss strategies for controlling weird objects, in order to achieve long-term stability for the country.
Upon the issuance of this decree, the four seas responded. Whether they were descendants of Hidden Families or scholars from humble backgrounds, all talented, virtuous, and ambitious individuals flocked to Chang'an to showcase their abilities, either exploring the mysteries of cultivation or studying the supernatural abilities of weird objects.
It was also from that time that the four Realms of cultivation were truly divided and established.
And through the study of ancient texts and the absorption of folk arts, various Spells and Martial Skills were derived, as well as the hundred arts of cultivation that utilize Spiritual Qi, such as Talisman, Formation, Alchemy, and Artifact Refining.
The understanding of weird objects also gradually deepened, and the types of weird objects were further categorized, such as humanoid, plant-type, animal-type, artifact-type, scene-type, and mysterious-type. Based on the potential threat of weird objects, they were divided into five major Ranks: Safe, Dangerous, Extremely Dangerous, Calamity, and Unknowable.
With the condensation of collective wisdom, the collection of classic texts and documents grew richer day by day.
Based on this, Emperor Mingyuan did a second thing: she widely established schools, reformed the imperial examination system, and founded the National Academy.
From then on, schools not only taught classics but also imparted the Dao of cultivation. Moreover, regardless of gender, everyone could receive education until the age of twelve, subsidized by the court. The previously high tuition fees were waived, and only miscellaneous fees were required, allowing everyone to attend school. After the age of twelve, one could take an examination to enter a higher-level academy for another four years of study. If one passed the imperial examination during this period, they could even enter the National Academy for advanced studies and serve the court.
The third thing was the reform of the upper and lower systems. The functions of the Six Ministries were further integrated with cultivation and weird objects control, and institutions such as the Weaving Institute were restructured to adapt to the needs of the post-divine manifestation era.
After these three things, the number of Cultivators surged, their overall strength improved, their ability to resist weird objects increased, and Spiritual Artifacts began to enter ordinary households. Tang Country thus entered a prosperous period, with national peace and prosperity, shining brightly throughout the four seas. Because everything began with the Honghu Plan, it was later hailed as the "Honghu Prosperous Era."
It seems the current Emperor wishes to emulate Emperor Mingyuan's actions and recreate the Honghu Prosperous Era.
"You should still try to connect with the Supreme God these days. Although the Honghu Plan doesn't require a cultivation of Initial Realm Rank six like the imperial examination, there's still a baseline this time: only Cultivators can sign up," Zhang Yuanzheng said with a hint of regret.
Liu Sheng immediately felt a bit disheartened.
"After all, it's not a few hundred years ago. The requirements for this Honghu Plan are a bit higher, but the Inspector General also said that this Honghu Plan is equivalent to setting up another path for talent selection outside of the imperial examination. So, as long as you pass the Honghu Plan, you can enter the National Academy for further study and then serve the court."
"There's still time. If you can enter the Initial Realm before June, I'll submit your name. The Inspector General highly appreciates you, and this is also his intention."
But, is there really enough time?
"Take this," Zhang Yuanzheng said, seeing Liu Sheng's dejected look. He pulled out a small token carved from emerald green jade and handed it to Liu Sheng, his tone turning encouraging: "I received this from my teacher when I was young. It's called the seven profound token. I'm lending it to you for a month. It's said to be an ancient artifact that can aid meditation. When I used it, my connection with the Supreme God was indeed a bit deeper. While I can't guarantee you'll definitely connect with the Supreme God, it's still a glimmer of hope."
Liu Sheng took the token, feeling the faint Spiritual Qi emanating from it. The grayness in her heart was slightly colored with a touch of warmth.
She hadn't expected that Zhang Yuanzheng, whom she and Wang Dongdong complained about and disliked day and night, had such a side to him.
She looked up, her gaze firm as she looked at Zhang Yuanzheng, biting her lower lip: "Thank you, Yuan Zheng. I will do my best."
Zhang Yuanzheng nodded, a hint of admiration flashing in his eyes: "Remember, Liu Sheng, no matter the outcome, do your best and have no regrets."
Liu Sheng took a deep breath, clutching the token tightly in her hand.
She made up her mind that she would curse Zhang Yuanzheng less in the future!