Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Misfortune: Starting from the Celestial Master’s Mansion
Chapter 189: The Heavenly Book and the Shadow

"The current Emperor... wouldn't be even better at stirring things up than her brother, would she?"

Lei Jun asked, "I've heard that the unrest in the southwest, related to the former dynasty’s Prince Shengkang, has traces of the Five Great Surnames and Seven Prominent Clans behind it?"

Yuan Mobai replied, "There are rumors linking it to the Southern Wasteland Witch Sect, and others connecting it to aristocratic families of the Central Plains, but none of it is confirmed."

Lei Jun raised an eyebrow. "Is Her Majesty someone who tolerates no speck of dust in her eyes, or does she have another plan in mind?"

Demon uprisings had erupted one after another in the Western Region, the Eastern Sea, and the Northern Lands.

Even if some people had taken advantage of the situation, once chaos truly took hold, suppressing it completely required significant time and effort.

As a result, both the Tang Imperial Family and the aristocratic clans within the empire were currently focused on recuperation, unwilling to wage another war in the short term.

The Empress’s visit to the Tianshi Mansion on her way back to the capital was a clear signal of this intent.

Of course, there's no such thing as a free lunch.

To some extent, this visit further bound the Tianshi Mansion and the Tang Imperial Family together, ensuring that their relationship remained unaffected by the turbulence caused by the Li Clan.

Now, it was the Tianshi Mansion's turn to reciprocate.

The academy that the Empress was establishing wasn’t just for Confucian scholars.

If they wanted to be bold about it, they could even call it the "Academy of All Dao."

Of course, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism—being the three major schools of thought—would remain the primary focus.

Compared to the former Emperor Zhang Qilong’s establishment of the Demon Suppression Guard, the current Empress Zhang Wantong's endeavor seemed more refined and forthright.

However, Lei Jun suspected that this new academy would be even more offensive to the Five Great Surnames and Seven Prominent Clans.

Or rather… should they now be called the Four Surnames and Six Clans?

If one were to say that Her Majesty was acting on impulse, she had certainly chosen her timing well.

Among the Three Great Daoist Holy Lands, the Tianshi Mansion was already aligned with the Tang Imperial Family. Pure Yang Palace had always maintained close ties with the imperial court.

Meanwhile, the Shushan Sect, after its recent internal strife, now leaned more toward engaging with the outside world—naturally, their first point of contact would be the Tang Dynasty.

As for Buddhism, with Bodhi Monastery recently eradicated, the remaining three Buddhist holy lands were on high alert. They had to guard against both the Confucian aristocratic families and the rising external Buddhist sects, the White Lotus Sect and the Vast Void Temple.

Beyond strengthening their internal alliances, they naturally needed to cooperate with the Tang Imperial Family—at the very least, they couldn’t afford to oppose them.

On top of all this, the Empress had just managed to poach a key figure from the Confucian aristocratic families.

It was clear that she had chosen her moment wisely.

Yet, if one were to claim she was a visionary ruler, her ambitions seemed overly aggressive.

After the repeated upheavals within the empire, her latest move guaranteed further unrest for a long time to come.

Even if the major aristocratic families didn’t outright declare rebellion, they certainly wouldn’t remain passive.

Lei Jun even suspected that the Empress had anticipated this reaction all along, and that the resurfacing of Prince Shengkang in the southwest was a preemptive strike by the aristocratic families in response to her plans.

"General Shangguan’s visit this time is to discuss this matter with our sect. He hopes that one of our elders will travel to the capital to assist in founding the new academy," Yuan Mobai explained.

As the imperial capital, no sect would overlook its importance.

The Tianshi Mansion already had a branch in the capital, overseen by a Talismanic Elder.

However, for significant matters, a High Priest Elder would typically be dispatched, often coordinated by Shangguan Ning.

Now, with the Tang Imperial Family requesting a dedicated representative for the academy’s founding, it essentially meant that the elder would be stationed there long-term to oversee education.

"Expanding our sect and spreading our teachings to the world is undoubtedly a good thing, though it will come with its fair share of challenges," Yuan Mobai said calmly.

Lei Jun suddenly recalled the divination drawn when the Empress visited Mount Longhu.

Aside from the Upper-Moderate Omen path he had chosen, there was another divination:

Actively engage with the Tang Imperial Family to seek advancement. A Sixth-Grade Opportunity can be gained. No immediate danger, but hidden troubles and karmic entanglements lie ahead...

Sure enough, Yuan Mobai continued, "The Mansion has tentatively decided to send Junior Nephew Chongshan to the capital. He has already been informed and is currently considering it."

Shangguan Ning’s first disciple, Lin Shan, whose Daoist name was Lin Chongshan.

Lei Jun remarked, "This is a massive whirlpool he's about to jump into."

Yuan Mobai nodded. "Junior Nephew Chongshan has always been willing to take on responsibilities. Based on my understanding of him, he is likely to accept the task."

Reflecting on how Lin Shan had previously taken the initiative in dealing with the Tang Imperial Court, Lei Jun wasn’t entirely surprised.

However, Lin Shan had probably never expected the Empress to push such a grand agenda, forcing him to reconsider his stance.

If he wanted to back out now, it wasn’t entirely too late.

But… would he?

"Good luck to Senior Brother Lin," Lei Jun said.

Yuan Mobai added, "There won’t be many direct attacks in the short term, but plenty of hidden threats."

Although the academy's founding would undoubtedly stir up a storm, for now, it was still a relatively manageable endeavor.

Similar to how the former Emperor Zhang Qilong had gradually built up the Demon Suppression Guard, starting from a manageable scale.

At that time, aside from the commanding general—who was at the Seventh Heaven Realm—the highest cultivation level among its members was Middle Heaven Realm, including figures like Li Xuan.

Now, the personnel being gathered for the new academy, such as Lin Shan, were also at the Sixth Heaven Realm.

The sole Upper Heaven Realm cultivator involved…

"The Academy’s Chancellor will be Shangguan Chunhui of the Shangguan Family in Longxi," Yuan Mobai stated.

Lei Jun nodded.

Though Shangguan Chunhui was not the legitimate heir, but rather a highly controversial illegitimate son, if the Longxi Shangguan Clan was willing to publicly educate commoner scholars, they would be fully binding themselves to the Empress’s cause.

From this point on, unless both sides were willing to avoid open confrontation, they would be irreversibly linked.

If blood were to be spilled, the Shangguan Clan would likely become the primary target of the other aristocratic families—perhaps even more so than the Tang Imperial Court itself.

Especially considering how much their strength had been weakened by the recent demon uprisings in the Western Region.

With such an obvious target, this was an ideal time for the Tianshi Mansion to recuperate.

However, no single faction could claim all the benefits.

Thus, the Tianshi Mansion also needed to secure a stake in the new academy.

Lei Jun personally found the academy intriguing.

He had always been interested in exploring different aspects of this world, understanding its various cultivation traditions and philosophies.

Regardless of the Empress’s motives, such a place, where scholars and cultivators from all walks of life would gather, was immensely appealing to him.

But… now was not the time.

Lei Jun put the matter aside for now and focused on assisting his Senior Sister Tang Xiaotang and his Master Yuan Mobai with the upcoming Initiation Ceremony.

After the ceremony, Shangguan Peng stayed behind for a while.

And Lin Shan had made his decision.

He would travel to the capital to aid in the academy’s founding.

The official decree arrived shortly after, summoning Lin Shan to the capital.

With his responsibilities at the Daoist Children’s Academy handed over to Ke Sicheng, Lin Shan departed alongside Shangguan Peng for the capital.

…Surely, nothing else would go wrong now, right?

Elder Ke scoffed at his own pessimism as he took up his new role.

Meanwhile, Lei Jun resumed his duties at the Steward’s Hall, dedicating his free time to his own cultivation.

And then, there was that mysterious Heavenly Book…