After leaving the Mo clan, the patriarchs of the seven clans all boarded a carriage. The atmosphere in the carriage was extremely heavy. None of them had thought that a descendant of the Mo family would actually turn down the seven clans. This made the people who had come confidently extremely embarrassed.
"Everyone! Since Mo Jiazi doesn't know how to appreciate our kindness, what should we do next? "The Zheng family head couldn't help but frown.
"Arrogant and conceited. Mo Jiazi still thinks that the Pre-Qin Mo Jiazi is powerful. The Mo Family has been declining for thousands of years. It was not easy for Mo Jiazi to recover." The Wang family head snorted coldly.
"As long as we destroy the Mo Family Village, Mo Jiazi will definitely obediently submit." The Boling Cui family head said coldly.
"Okay!"
The family heads all nodded and agreed with the Cui family head's suggestion. The five families and seven families had been silent for twenty years and were almost forgotten. They didn't even put the recently revived Mo Family in their eyes. Since that was the case, they would make an example out of the Mo Family to intimidate the world.
"Everyone, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. We want to defeat the Mo Family, but an old friend of ours wants to defeat the Mo Family even more." The Qinghe Cui family head suddenly said.
"Brother Cui is right!" The Wang family head said thoughtfully.
"Kong Desheng of the Confucian School!" The Qinghe Cui family head said confidently. Compared to the conflict between the seven families and the Mo Family, the Confucian School and the Mo Family were rivals for thousands of years. They probably wanted to defeat each other more.
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend! Brother Cui's plan is indeed brilliant! "The Wang family head slapped the table and praised.
"However, the reason the Confucians want to advance is precisely because of the sudden rise of the Mo clan. If we work together with the Confucians to defeat the Mo clan, without the catfish that is the Mo clan, the Great Tang will return to its original state, and my clan will be free of worries," the Li Clan Head said.
"If that's the case, then let's go meet this old friend!" The Cui family head said loudly.
The seven people looked at each other and nodded slowly. The carriage slowly turned and headed towards the Kong Mansion.
"Brothers, it's been thirty years since we last met. How are you?" In the Kong Mansion, Kong Desheng saw his old friends and couldn't help but laugh loudly.
"Yes! Back then, when we gathered in Chang 'an to study, we were in high spirits. Who would have thought that after thirty years, we would have a head full of white hair when we meet again? "The head of the Cui Clan of Boling sighed.
"Greetings, seniors!" Kong Yingda stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. Although Kong Yingda was an important official of the Imperial Court, when he saw these old fogeys, regardless of status or seniority, he had to greet them as a junior.
"Chancellor Kong is the most outstanding junior of the Kong Family. Now that I've seen him today, he truly lives up to his reputation." The Wang Family Head couldn't help but praise.
"Seniors, you flatter me. Yingda's results are not worth mentioning," Kong Yingda said modestly.
"I've heard that the Kong Family is filled with talents. Not only does Chancellor Kong hold a high position in the Imperial Court, but there's also a junior who is determined to create the Art of Homophone. He traveled to Lianzhou alone, similar to Kong Sheng's style of traveling to other countries. How enviable!" The head of the Lu Family praised.
"You flatter me. The Five Surnames and Seven Hopes Aristocratic Family is a scholarly family. Their heritage is profound and their descendants are filled with talents." Kong Yingda flattered each other.
Everyone chatted for a while before taking their seats.
"My old friends, most of you haven't left your county for the past twenty years. I wonder what brings you all to Chang 'an City today." Kong Desheng said loudly.
The head of the Wang Family smiled mysteriously and looked at Kong Desheng. "Brother Kong, you haven't left Qufu for twenty years, but you still traveled thousands of miles to Chang 'an City."
Kong Desheng's eyes flashed, and he exchanged glances with his old friends. Then, they burst into laughter at the same time. They all knew that they were here because of the Mo Family.
"Back then, we became sworn brothers in Chang 'an City. We enjoyed both good and bad times together. Today, we heard that Brother Kong came to Chang' an City alone to solve the Confucian Family's problem. Today, we are here to help Brother Kong. "The head of the Zheng Family said loudly.
"Are you talking about the Mo Family?" Kong Desheng did not beat around the bush and said directly.
"Yes!" The head of the Zheng Family nodded solemnly.
Kong Desheng looked at the head of the Zheng Family in surprise, then turned to look at his old friends. The heads of the other families nodded solemnly, as if they were duty-bound to go through water and tread on fire.
"Then, how are you going to help the Confucian Family?" Kong Desheng was not moved, but frowned.
The head of the Zheng Family said proudly, "We have decided to join forces. As long as we call for help, we can definitely cut off the Mo Family's trade route. The goods will be unsalable, and the workers will be lost. In less than half a year, the Mo Family will be in a desperate situation. What's the point of losing the Mo Family?"
Kong Desheng shook his head slightly and said, "The Mo Family has the Mo Family Bank, which is a treasure bowl, and they have millions of strings of cash. This loss will not hurt them at all."
The head of the Wang Family nodded and said, "This is easy. As long as we call for help, the merchants and families who have saved money will withdraw money from the Mo Family Bank. Those bumpkins are the most opportunistic people. As long as the situation is not good, I believe that they will be the first to run. When the time comes, the goods in the Mo Family Village will not be sold, and the Mo Family Bank will be in a huge deficit. Even if Mo Jiazi is Zhuge Kongming, he will not be able to make a comeback."
Kong Desheng could not help but gasp. If the Five Families and Seven Hopes really did that, then Mo Jiazi would not be able to hold on for long. When he thought that he could easily defeat the Confucian Family's thousand-year-old opponent, Kong Desheng could not help but feel excited.
"There is no free lunch in the world. The Five Families and Seven Hopes are helping the Confucian Family so much. I'm afraid it won't be so simple!" Kong Yingda suddenly said from the side.
Kong Desheng suddenly paused. Kong Yingda's words could be said to be a wake-up call. As an old friend of the Seven Families for many years, he had seen with his own eyes the true colors of the Seven Families and Seven Families. They, who usually cherished their reputation very much, did not hesitate to put down their pride to deal with the Mo Family. Obviously, they had a bigger request.
The head of the Wang Family's eyes flashed. He took a deep look at Kong Yingda and said, "The help between friends is naturally mutual. But nephew Kong, don't worry. This time, we only need the Kong Family to help us with a small matter."
"Just say it!" Kong Desheng straightforwardly said. He had originally wanted to add that as long as it was something the Kong Family could do, he would not refuse. But with Kong Yingda's reminder, Kong Desheng swallowed those words with great difficulty.
The head of the Wang Family solemnly said, "We want the Kong Family to stop renovating primary schools and restore private schools."
Kong Desheng's eyes immediately narrowed. "You want the Confucian Family to destroy their own Great Wall."
Renovating private schools into primary schools would give all Confucian students a way to make a living and spread Confucianism to every student, thoroughly realizing Kong Sheng's idea of education without discrimination. This was a rare opportunity for the Confucian Family to advance, but the Seven Families in front of them actually wanted the Confucian Family to give up.
"Do you know that the Confucian Family's advancement is to step on the Seven Families? Once primary schools are popularized, the children of humble families will definitely surpass the children of aristocratic families by a hundred times. At that time, not only will the Five Families and Seven Families be affected, I'm afraid that even the Kong Family will be affected. Don't forget that the Kong Family is also an aristocratic family!" The head of the Wang Family said loudly. The only difference was that the power of the Kong Family came from their ancestors, while the power of the Five Families and Seven Families came from the imperial court.
Kong Desheng sneered. "You aristocratic families can stop the Confucian Family's prosperity for your own selfish reasons. In my opinion, you have been living in your hometown for so long that you can no longer see the world's situation clearly. Now that the Tang Dynasty is no longer what it used to be, the Hundred Schools of Thought are starting to contend with each other again. The Hundred Schools of Thought are like rowing a boat against the current. If you don't advance, you will fall behind.
The head of the Zheng Family shook his head and said, "Of course not, but correction. At that time, the Confucian Family and the Five Families and Seven Families will join forces to defeat the School of Mohism. The world will revert to Confucianism, and the Confucian Family's crisis will be resolved. Everything will return to normal. This is a win-win for both of us."
"A win-win!" Kong Desheng hesitated for a moment. How could he not want to return to the era where only Confucianism reigned? Although his promotion of primary schools could allow the Confucian Family to advance further, it would also allow the School of Mohism to rise. For this reason, he did not hesitate to pull in the other Hundred Schools of Thought, diluting the School of Mohism's share to the minimum.
If he could return to the era where only Confucianism reigned, he would definitely do it at any cost. After all, no one wanted to have a sword hanging over their head.
"I'm afraid that the Five Families and Seven Families also made the same promise to the School of Mohism!" Kong Yingda suddenly said, shocking everyone like a clap of thunder.
Kong Desheng was shocked. If the Five Families and Seven Families made the promise to the School of Mohism and did their best to revive the School of Thought, the School of Mohism would definitely expand rapidly in a short period of time. It was even possible that it would surpass the Confucian Family in one fell swoop.
"And if I'm not wrong, Mo Jiazi will definitely reject all of you," Kong Yingda said once more, shocking everyone present.
The eyes of the clan heads immediately flickered, and a trace of shock appeared on Kong Desheng's face. Compared to the Confucian Family, which was still the dominant School of Thought, they were not worried about the threat of the School of Mohism. Yet, the School of Thought that the recently revived School of Thought had actually rejected the Five Families and Seven Families, giving up on the chance to surpass the School of Thought. Just how inconceivable was this?
Kong Desheng sneered, "Is this what everyone means by sharing blessings and suffering together?"
He had personally seen his old friends come to the School of Mohism's exhibition, so he did not believe that they were only there to watch the show.
The Wang Clan Head awkwardly said, "We are only pretending to be polite with the School of Thought. Once we obtain the School of Mohism's techniques, who will care about the revival of the School of Thought? Meanwhile, our cooperation with the School of Thought is sincere. As long as we work together, we will definitely protect the School of Thought's supremacy."
However, Kong Yingda shook his head, "This time, I'm afraid the School of Thought will not agree."
The clan heads could not help but be stunned once more. They did not dare to believe that in a single day, they had been rejected by both the School of Thought and the School of Thought. Everyone knew that the School of Thought and the School of Thought had been rivals for a thousand years, yet they had both refused to work together to defeat the other.
"Today's exhibition of Mohism's techniques! I believe you've all seen it with your own eyes. The School of Mohism's techniques are unstoppable. In the future, the School of Thought will definitely develop and become a great threat to the School of Thought. "The Wang Clan Head frowned.
Kong Yingda nodded, "That's right. The School of Mohism really has developed very quickly. You were there as well, so you've all seen the power of the School of Thought's techniques. Do you think that with brick roads, people will still be willing to walk on muddy roads? With tricycles and bicycles, will the commoners still be willing to pull bulky handcarts? As long as the School of Thought's techniques are sought after by the commoners, the revival of the School of Thought will be unstoppable. "
The clan heads all fell silent. Not only did they think of the cement road in the Mo Estate, but they were also afraid that the commoners would not be willing to walk on brick roads anymore.
"A mountain cannot accommodate two tigers. The Tang dynasty can only accommodate one school of thought. The School of Thought is supreme. When the School of Thought and the School of Thought fight, one of them will definitely fall. If the School of Thought falls in the future, you will all be sinners of the School of Thought. I hope you won't regret it. "The Wang Clan Head said.
"The commoners of the world, the scholars, farmers, merchants, and craftsmen. As long as the world needs craftsmen, the School of Thought will never fall. As long as the School of Thought controls the scholars and the School of Thought occupies the craftsmen, although the School of Thought and the School of Thought have different ideals, it is not impossible for the School of Thought and School of Thought to coexist." Kong Yingda said.
It was all thanks to Meton's repeated proclamation that the School of Thought should focus on the School of Thought's techniques and give up on political ideology that the School of Thought let their guard down a little. Of course, the School of Thought also kept their promise. The School of Thought studied the School of Thought, the School of Thought built bridges, and the School of Thought's School of Thought was the most miserable. They were reduced to street performers, and now they were nowhere to be found. The School of Thought had no intention of meddling with the School of Thought.
"Coexist! This is probably the funniest joke that this Old Man has ever heard in his life. "The clan heads all sneered.
"The Hundred Schools of Thought is a battle of ideals, and even more so, a battle of gentlemen. There has never been any talk of using other methods to win. Let's not talk about whether or not we can win. Even if we are lucky enough to win, it will only be a temporary victory, not an eternal victory. The School of Thought has prospered for a thousand years. If it were to be so easily defeated, that would be the biggest joke in the world," Kong Yingda said proudly.
"Fine. Since that is the case, I hope the School of Thought will not regret it," the Wang clan head said angrily.
The clan heads all stood up angrily. Their many years of friendship with Kong Desheng had capsized just like that.
Seeing his old friends who had just fallen out with him leave, Kong Desheng did not feel too sad. Instead, he said regretfully, "What a good opportunity! What a pity. "
They had given up such a good opportunity to defeat the School of Thought.
However, Kong Yingda shook his head and said, "Even the sons of Mohism can reject the Five Hopes and Seven Families. How can we, the Confucians, not have the confidence to reject them? In my humble opinion, this is not an opportunity, but a trap."
"A trap?" Kong Desheng frowned. "You're saying that this is a trap set by the Seven Families of Thought and Mo Jiazi?"
Kong Yingda sneered. "No, Mo Jiazi's refusal is true. Everyone knows that Mo Jiazi is a slippery catfish, but Mo Jiazi has a bottom line. The School of Thought's philosophy is Love with Impartiality and Non-Aggression. The School of Thought has always taken care of the interests of the common people at the bottom of the hierarchy, while the aristocratic clans are extremely selfish and only seek their own strength. It is impossible for the School of Thought and the Seven Families of Thought to work together."
Kong Desheng slowly nodded. Although they had been enemies with the School of Thought for a thousand years, they still admired the School of Thought's philosophy and Mo Jiazi's character.
Kong Yingda continued, "If we take advantage of the situation and work together with the aristocratic clans to suppress the School of Thought, won't we push the School of Thought toward the Five Families of Thought and Seven Families? At that time, if the School of Thought accepts the agreement of the Five Families of Thought and Seven Families of Thought, the School of Thought will expand rapidly, and the School of Thought will suffer the consequences of their actions. If we use such a despicable method to defeat the School of Thought, it will be a disgrace to the name of Kong Sheng. We can use any other method, but we cannot do anything that will disgrace the name of Kong Sheng."
Kong Desheng slowly nodded. The Kong Family's thousand-year legacy and invincibility relied on Kong Sheng's reputation. As long as the Kong Family's reputation did not fall, they would remain invincible.
"The Five Families of Thought and Seven Families of Thought are extremely powerful. Today, we have offended them. If the Kong Family wants to renovate their private schools and promote primary schools, it will be extremely difficult." Kong Desheng regretfully said.
"If worst comes to worst, we can learn from the School of Thought and build our own school. We can follow in the footsteps of Kong Sheng when he traveled the world to teach his three thousand disciples. This will definitely raise the reputation of the Kong Family to another level." Kong Yingda confidently said.
Even if he failed to renovate the primary schools, there was still the even more outstanding junior of the Kong Family, Kong Huisuo. Once Kong Huisuo finished compiling the School of Thought, his future career would definitely surpass his, and he would become the new leader of the School of Thought.
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