Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

Wen Cheng had been thinking about Wen Jiao's intention since she was released. She thought that Wen Jiao had had enough fun and didn't want to torment her anymore, so she just gave her a quick death; or she just wanted to comfort her in order to appease the old king's forces in the court. She even thought that her child might have come back to kill her, and Wen Jiao wanted to take her out as a hostage. But she never thought that Wen Jiao actually wanted to recruit her.

Yes, she had mentioned that she wanted to use her for her own purposes during the palace coup eight years ago, but Wencheng did not take it seriously at that time.

After all, Manzagang had not had a female minister or king for many years. Ha Xiang? She was an exception. If Manzagang had not lacked a general who could lead the entire army, the old king would never have gone out of his way to ask for this brave and warlike Yaksha woman to marry for his son.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Wen Cheng asked in a trembling voice.

Wen Jiao pulled out a piece of paper from her bosom: "The caravans from the East presented this thing to me. They said that if Manzagang needs to purchase a large amount of this thing in the future, they are willing to transport it for us from afar. In exchange, Manzagang's agate will only be sold to them. We can write on this thing. This thing is not easy to decay. It is lighter and cheaper than sheepskin and cloth. They said that this thing is called 'paper'."

She pulled out another book. "On the night when the merchant presented the treasure, the guardian deity gave me a dream. In the dream, he put thousands of rays of light into a treasure box and gave it to me. When I woke up from the dream, I found that there was an extra scripture in my mind, so I wrote it down on this paper."

Princess Wencheng took the book and read softly, "Tao Te Ching?"

Wen Jiao raised her chin, and said in a very profound and unfathomable tone: "Yes, the Tao Te Ching is a precious text bestowed by God."

In history, the Tao Te Ching was written by Laozi at the request of Guan Yinzi when he was leaving Hangu Pass. It was jokingly called "the most expensive toll in history". Laozi is the incarnation of the Lord of Dao and Virtue. Is it wrong to say that the Tao Te Ching is a divinely bestowed scripture? No problem.

Over the years, Wen Jiao has become more and more familiar with the rules here. This world really cannot directly produce products beyond the imagination of this world, but if you give it a reasonable condition for its appearance and a reasonable explanation and definition, you can fool it.

For example, the oxen were captured from the migrating wild cattle in the spring, and the paper and large amounts of tea were all said to have been brought by the eastern caravans. The Tao Te Ching could also have been taught by the gods in dreams, without a doubt.

In the afterglow of the setting sun, bathed in the gorgeous clouds, she stood with her hands behind her back, full of confidence: "I intend to add a course on the Tao Te Ching to the official school, and only those with excellent results can be granted official positions."

Manzagang is not as vast as the Tang Dynasty. There is only one official school in the whole country, which is funded by the royal family and only recruits children of hereditary nobles. After completing their studies, they will be granted official positions at the discretion of the state. Almost all officials in the cities of Manzagang have studied in the official school. Becoming a teacher in the official school is almost equivalent to becoming a teacher for officials across the country. Therefore, all the teachers in the official school are scholars who are well-read, knowledgeable, and of noble status. Those with slightly worse conditions will be kicked out.

"And the person who teaches the class, I prefer you." Wen Jiao said.

Wen Cheng was flipping through the scripture. Upon hearing this, he shook his hands and threw the precious scripture onto the grass. "Queen, this joke is not funny. How could those scholars in the official school accept being on the same level as a woman?"

"Whether to employ you or not is up to me, not them." Wen Jiao picked up the Tao Te Ching with a distressed look and dusted it off respectfully. "Whether they can accept the reality wholeheartedly is not up to me, but you."

She pushed the book back into Wencheng's arms and said, "Don't tell me that the Princess Zhuowasam, who was so knowledgeable about the sutras and admired by the great monks in the country, turned out to be just an empty figure with a false reputation."

Wencheng blushed.

In order to build momentum for this commoner princess who was born into a hunter family, the king had people brag about her. Even the great monks were willing to bow down to her at the debate, and she was the reincarnation of the dakini. In order to live up to his boasting, she put a lot of effort into studying the Buddhist scriptures. At first, it was a bit difficult to read, but she was smart and understood it immediately. Later, at the debate, she was able to speak eloquently and surpassed all the monks.

"It's just a book of scriptures, how difficult is it? Just give me three days and I will be able to study it thoroughly!" Wen Cheng said angrily.

"Very good! Very energetic!" Wen Jiao clapped her hands and smiled. The profoundness of the Tao Te Ching was not something that a woman of good character could fully understand in three days, but she believed that with the knowledge of Wen Cheng, a royal family girl who had been influenced by the state religion of the Tang Dynasty for more than ten years, she would be able to explain it clearly if she was given time.

Even if it is just an illusion, we, the Taoists, should spare no effort to spread the seeds of Xuanmen and must not let those bald donkeys in Buddhism overshadow us.

Wen Jiao was teasing in her heart, but suddenly she was startled and shook her head to laugh at herself: "I always listened to someone's nagging before, and before I knew it, even I was getting taller and shorter like the bald donkey. It's really a sin."

After Wen Cheng made the promise, he immediately started reading the Tao Te Ching. The more he read, the more familiar it seemed to him. He was deeply immersed in it. Suddenly, he heard Wen Jiao mutter something. He subconsciously looked in the direction of the sound and saw Wen Jiao staring at the setting sun in a trance. Her majestic face was faintly warm, as if she was wandering in the milky white mist between the forest.

"I've been dreaming for quite some time," she murmured.

This year, "Dakini Wencheng" entered the official school with the divinely bestowed text "Tao Te Ching". She refuted all scholars with her sharp eloquence, and all students were fascinated by her elegant demeanor and profound knowledge. In just three years, she was not only promoted to the principal of the official school, but also deeply appreciated by the queen. She became the national teacher of Manzagang and had the right to participate in the government. The queen even gave her a demon-subduing pestle to beat unjust officials and evil people.

Everyone in the country knew that Master Wencheng was now the most sought-after figure in the country. Under her guidance, Manzagang was enjoying peace and prosperity.

In the fifteenth year of Wen Jiao's accession to the throne, an army quietly marched from the foot of the mountain and gradually approached the border. Under the military flag fluttering in the wind, the twenty-year-old young king gazed deeply at the mountains in the distance, his face unable to hide his excitement: "Sister, after fifteen years, we can finally set foot on this land that belongs to us again. I wonder if my father and mother are still waiting for us."

Wu Meiniang was the same age as him, with an ambitious light in her dark eyes: "Brother, you should call me mother. How can that evil queen Ha Xiang be worthy of being the queen? Remember, our mother is the only queen of Manzagang!"