Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Before he finished speaking, Li Ru clapped his hands and laughed heartily, his gilded wine cup gleaming with tiny gleams. "The Heavenly Master is truly insightful!" He leaned forward, the jade pendant in his sleeve brushing against Zhang Lu's sleeve. "Although the Prince of Liang has concubines in his harem, he lacks someone who can inherit the 'Saintly Fate'. If your daughter were to marry into the palace, one day..." He paused meaningfully, his gaze sweeping across Zhang Lu's suddenly bright eyes. "It would be more than just a place."

Zhang Lu felt his throat tighten as the talismans on the desk rustled in the wind. He thought of the divination map in the secret room, the devout kowtows of the faithful during his daughter's sermon, and even more so, the vision Li Ru had drawn of the intertwined cavalry and doctrine. His fingers clenched and unclenched, finally fading into a long sigh. "Since you have shown me your favor, Master, I...will obey your command."

The night dew grew heavier, and the bronze bells on the eaves of the Tianshi Mansion tinkled softly in the wind, intertwining with the crackling of the candlelight in the hall. Zhang Lu looked at Li Ru, his Adam's apple moving, his voice still a little bitter: "Although you have explained the future clearly, if the King of Liang..."

"Heavenly Master!" Li Ru suddenly clapped his hands hard on Zhang Lu's shoulder, the remaining wine from the gilded wine cup splashing onto his dark Taoist robe, leaving a dark stain. "Since I dare to accept this task, I am absolutely sure of it." His smile grew, and his fingertips stroked the jade pendant at his waist. "When the King of Liang achieves his hegemony, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect will be the state religion, and the name of Heavenly Master will shine as brightly as the sun and the moon."

Zhang Lu shuddered slightly, instinctively reaching for the talisman in his sleeve. Li Ru, observing this, leaned in closer. "When Miss Fu Bao was in Xiliang, she used her teachings to comfort the refugees. Those disheveled people, after hearing her teachings, were rekindled in their resolve to live." He suddenly lowered his voice. "Do you know how Ma Chao's cavalry viewed her at that time?"

Outside, the night watchman's drum blared, startling the birds sleeping under the eaves. Zhang Lu stared at Li Ru's face, flickering in the candlelight, and recalled his daughter's appearance when she left home to preach. Back then, he'd thought Li Ru was using his daughter to blackmail him, but he had no idea it would become the foundation of his life.

"Sir," he said in a deep voice, his fingertips clenching the peace knot, "If King Liang really..."

"It's more than just 'seriously'!" Li Ru suddenly grabbed the talisman paper on the table. The candlelight illuminated the three words "Five Pecks of Rice" in a bright red. "One day, the words on this talisman will be changed to 'Tianshi Sect'! Throughout the nine provinces, wherever the Liang King's cavalry goes, there will be a Tianshi Sect preaching!" He suddenly let go of the talisman paper, and it fluttered to Zhang Lu's feet. "And Miss Fu Bao..."

Before he could finish his words, Zhang Lu had already lifted his robe and knelt, his forehead kicking up a fine dust as it touched the ground. "I, Zhang, am willing to lead the Hanzhong army and civilians and forever serve as the King of Liang's wing!" Li Ru hurriedly leaned over to help him up, the hem of his brocade robe brushing Zhang Lu's graying temples. "No! You will be the father-in-law of the emperor one day, and you deserve to be worshipped by the people of the world."

As the two men stood up, the candle wick suddenly exploded into a spark. Zhang Lu looked at the blazing light in Li Ru's eyes and suddenly felt a chill down his spine—it turned out that this "poisonous scholar who caused chaos in the country" had already laid this important piece in the chess game of troubled times when Fu Bao traveled west.

"Sir, why are you so sure that your teachings can win the hearts of the people?" His voice was hoarse.

Li Ru gazed out the window at the dark night sky for a long moment before speaking. "That day on the outskirts of Xiliang City, I saw Miss Fu Bao distributing porridge to refugees. Someone actually knelt down and kowtowed, calling her a 'living Bodhisattva.'" He turned to look at Zhang Lu, his gaze sharp as a knife. "When the people have no hope of survival, the teachings are their only hope."

Zhang Lu's heart was shaken, and he suddenly remembered his father's teachings before his death: "The Five Pecks of Rice Sect should be concerned with saving the people." At this moment, the candlelight flickered, and Li Ru's shadow turned into a giant beast on the wall. He felt that this might really be an opportunity for the sect to prosper.

"Sir," he said, his knuckles turning white as he bowed, "I will write to Xiliang tomorrow and send Fu Bao's birth date and eight characters."

Li Ru clapped his hands and laughed so loudly that the bronze bells under the eaves rang loudly. "Great! When the Prince of Liang accepts the marriage proposal, this prophecy of 'the Holy Maiden's arrival on earth' will be fulfilled in the Chang'an Palace!"

Zhang Lu pinched the talisman in his sleeve, his knuckles white from the strain. "Sir, if the King of Liang conquers the world, will he really tolerate the Five Pecks of Rice Sect holding such a powerful position among the people? Dong Zhongshu abolished all schools of thought and promoted Confucianism alone, ensuring the stability of the court. If the King of Liang ever values ​​Confucianism over Taoism..."

"Master, you're confused!" Li Ru suddenly clapped his hands and laughed, shaking the bronze lamp on the table. "I just mentioned the Zhangzhung Kingdom, and you still haven't understood it?" He leaned forward, the candlelight illuminating the gleam in his eyes. "The Zhangzhung Kingdom was governed by Bon religion, with a strict hierarchy like the Shang and Zhou dynasties. But everyone knows that the Five Pecks of Rice Sect was founded on the principle that 'there is no distinction between high and low'. If this teaching could be spread to the Western Regions, it would free thousands of slaves..."

Zhang Lu's head shot up, his Adam's apple rolling and unable to speak. He suddenly recalled the scene Li Ru had described: the Western Liang cavalry trampling the Xiangxiong royal court, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect preaching, and the slaves holding grains of millet and shouting "Holy Master, Wise and Enlightened."

"Confucianism reigns supreme in the Central Plains, and indeed, it tolerates no dissenters." Li Ru's fingertips slid across the map on the table, his jade pendant scratching against the parchment scroll. "But what about the states of the Western Regions? The Western Qiang, the Di, the Xiangxiong... They suffer from oppression by the nobles, and they need the 'equality' teachings of the Heavenly Master. With the King of Liang ruling the Central Plains and the Heavenly Master in charge of the Western Regions, wouldn't that be more satisfying than being trapped in the cage of Confucianism?"

Zhang Lu's talisman clattered to the ground. He watched the smile on Li Ru's face, and suddenly felt a cold sweat trickle down his spine. This ruthless scholar had even meticulously planned the sect's retreat. If his claims were true, the Five Pecks of Rice Sect could avoid the influence of Confucianism in the Central Plains while expanding its territory in the Western Regions, perhaps even spreading its teachings along the Silk Road.

"Sir, are you saying..." His voice trembled, "Let the Five Pecks of Rice Sect create a new world?"

"It's not 'opening up a new school,' but 'rebuilding a new one!'" Li Ru grabbed the talisman paper on the table and lit it with the candlelight, the ashes swirling in the night breeze. "When the Prince of Liang pacifies the Central Plains, the Heavenly Master will use Western Liang as a base and spread his teachings west of Kunlun. By then, everyone in the world will know: Confucianism governs the country, Taoism maintains peace abroad, and the Five Pecks of Rice Sect..." He leaned close to Zhang Lu's ear, his warm breath tinged with alcohol, "It will be the 'Heavenly Sect' that stands alongside imperial power!"

Li Ru leaned against a brocade cushion, his fingertips casually fiddling with the wick. The candlelight suddenly grew brighter, illuminating the calculations in his eyes. "Even if the Liang prince's bloodline loses its connection with the sect in the future, so what?" He chuckled softly, his jade pendant making a resonant sound against the table. "If the Tianshi Sect can take root in the Western Regions and use its teachings to unite the countless Xiangxiong and Western Qiang tribes, even if it retreats west of Kunlun, it will still be the uncrowned king."

Zhang Lu gazed at the flickering candlelight on the table, his ears almost ringing with the roaring cries of the people of the Western Regions. Li Ru leaned in, the warm aroma of alcohol wafting against his ear. "The Emperor seeks the vast empire; how could he allow such a territory to be in turmoil? Even to appease the Western Regions, we must show the Celestial Master Sect respect." He suddenly smiled, his sleeve sweeping across the talismans on the table. "This way, religious authority and imperial power will coexist, and the Celestial Master Sect's legacy will naturally outlive the dynasty."

The night wind carried the tinkling of bronze bells into the hall, and Zhang Lu felt a tingling sensation at the back of his neck. Li Ru's words, seemingly a plan for the hegemony of Xiliang, actually paved a path for the Five Pecks of Rice Sect to defend or attack. He thought of the prophetic map in the secret room; the hexagram of "the Holy Maiden's Coming to Earth" could extend from the corner of Hanzhong to the Western Regions thousands of miles away.

"Sir, are you..." his voice trembling, "wanting to make the Five Pecks of Rice Sect last forever?"

"It's not my will, it's destiny." Li Ru pushed the gilded wine cup in front of him, the amber wine reflecting the candlelight. "If the Heavenly Master misses this opportunity, the sect will be trapped in the Central Plains and will sooner or later be swallowed up by Confucianism. But if we can advance westward into the Western Regions, it will provide a solid foundation for the Five Pecks of Rice Sect." He patted Zhang Lu on the shoulder, his tone adding a rare hint of earnestness. "This is not a threat, but a chance for the Heavenly Master Sect to truly go down in history."

Zhang Lu stared at his reflection in the wine cup, finally letting out a sigh of relief. He lifted the cup and emptied it. The acrid liquid burned down his throat, leaving him feeling completely clear-headed. As the bell rang, he stood up and bowed deeply, the hem of his robe brushing the candlelight on the floor. "Today, I realize that your heart holds not only millions of soldiers, but the entire world."

Seeing that there was no hesitation in Zhang Lu's eyes, Li Ru raised his hand to cover his lips and yawned: "It's late at night, and it's time for me to rest." Before he finished speaking, Zhang Lu rushed forward and personally supported his elbow. The hem of his black Taoist robe swept a silent arc on the blue brick ground with his movement.

That night, the copper lamps in the west courtyard of the Tianshi Mansion gradually went out, leaving only the lanterns on the eaves swaying gently in the wind. Zhang Lu watched Li Ru go inside. When he turned around, the moonlight was shining on his face, revealing the wrinkles between his eyebrows.

At the hour of Mao the next day, the Hanzhong officials noticed something unusual. Zhang Lu, usually scowling, was now dressed in a brand new Taoist robe. The talisman on his waist jingled with each step, giving him a brisker air. As he passed through the corridors of the government office, he encountered a servant carrying a teacup. He unexpectedly patted the servant's shoulder, startling him so much that he nearly knocked over the tray.

When Li Ru entered the main hall, Zhang Lu personally greeted him at the steps, his smile brimming with warmth. "Did you sleep well last night, sir?" he asked, ushering him to a seat, even pouring tea with deliberate precision. The civil and military officials in the hall exchanged glances in surprise—the lord, whose hands had been shaken by the Xiliang men the day before, now seemed a different person, his eyes alight with a vibrant light.

During the meeting, Li Ru casually mentioned the deployment of the Western Liang cavalry. Zhang Lu immediately responded, "I've ordered an inventory of the Hanzhong granary. Within three days, we'll be able to secure 100,000 dan of grain and fodder." He then turned to his second son and instructed, "Go and copy your sister's birth date and bring it to me before noon."

Everyone in the hall was shocked. Their usually cautious lord was now proactively proposing a marriage alliance, exuding a sharpness unlike his usual self. A few veteran officials gathered to whisper, only to see Zhang Lu standing in the courtyard with his hands behind his back, gazing at the morning glow. A smile played on his lips, as if he had already witnessed the spread of the Five Pecks of Rice Sect throughout the land.

Zhang Gui was stunned. Looking at the excitement in his father's eyes, his Adam's apple moved: "Father, isn't this envoy here to welcome Miss Zhen Mi? Why is he..." Before he finished speaking, he caught a glimpse of Li Ru's half-smile and a sudden chill on the back of his neck.

"Send them both!" Zhang Lu flung his Taoist robes, his sleeves sweeping across the talismans on the table. "Qiying is gentle and polite, and Fu Bao is extremely intelligent. They are both the apple of our Zhang family's eye." He turned to look at his second son, his eyes blazing like torches. "Go and get your two sisters' engagement letters. Don't delay this important matter!"

Li Ru stroked his beard and chuckled, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the jade ring. In the flickering candlelight, Zhang Lu's straight back overlapped with his hunched figure from yesterday, and he suddenly remembered his trembling hands at the banquet—in just one night, this Hanzhong Heavenly Master seemed to have been reborn.

"Master, what a decision!" He picked up the teacup, the hot steam blurring the brilliance in his eyes. "If the King of Liang gets the two beauties, he must treat Hanzhong well." As the words fell, the copper bells on the eaves rang suddenly, startling the birds sleeping in the courtyard. Amid the sound of flapping wings, Zhang Gui looked at his father and Li Ru and smiled at each other. Suddenly, he felt that the early summer breeze had already tasted the faint smell of war.