Chapter 212: The Dragon Lord's Great Tribulation

The Jingwu Emperor slowly withdrew his gaze at this moment, seated on the dragon throne, his eyes falling upon Chaomu.

"Senior Minister, officials from all regions have been submitting memorials, rumors are spreading everywhere, officials across the land are anxious, and some local sects are beginning to stir, emerging to mislead the populace!"

"Senior Minister, just how significant is the impact of the leaked dragon aura?"

The Jingwu Emperor also felt a headache, for with the people's wisdom unopened, they are easily swayed by heretical and deviant paths.

Of course, this is also the suffering of the people's hearts.

Those without land or who have lost their kin have no reliance, making them especially susceptible to deception.

It remains the old problem: if land consolidation is not resolved, and the people have no land, they will never find a fundamental cure!

Chaomu pondered briefly, then shook his head after a moment.

"It cannot yet be estimated, but if Your Majesty can govern with diligence and enrich the people, even hidden dangers may be dispelled invisibly."

Upon hearing this, the Jingwu Emperor sighed.

"Senior Minister, these words are easy to say but hard to enact; I too wish to emulate the civil and martial achievements of past emperors and ancestors to become a wise ruler, yet having become emperor, I realize I can accomplish nothing—I wanted to ease the tax burden on the poor, but not only did I fail, I even increased their burden!"

"I sent imperial inspectors to root out corrupt officials and powerful landowners, yet all we caught were minor clerks, mere scapegoats; these powerful clans and myriad tribes are deeply entrenched—cut down one batch, and another sprouts anew—when will it ever end?"

Having said this, the Jingwu Emperor's face was full of weariness.

Gazing at the Jingwu Emperor's anger, Chaomu's eyes remained calm, yet he sighed inwardly.

Chaomu observed the Jingwu Emperor's diligence—after ascending the throne, he worked tirelessly, yet from the third to the ninth year of Jingwu, he had achieved no notable governance; it is natural for this diligent young emperor to feel frustration.

After reflection, Chaomu comforted him.

"Your Majesty is a capable ruler: reducing taxes for the people, punishing corrupt officials, establishing a new army—all officials praise you!

The people's poverty stems not only from human calamity but also from heavenly disaster; it is not that Your Majesty's governance is ineffective, for the court remains under Your Majesty's control—all is due to Your Majesty's merit!"

These words are only ones Chaomu dares to speak.

Ordinary ministers, if they casually evaluate the emperor, will inevitably incur the emperor's taboo afterward.

Upon hearing this, the Jingwu Emperor's expression softened slightly, yet he still waved his hand.

"Senior Minister, you need not comfort me!"

"I deeply feel I have failed the people of the world, failed the earnest expectations of many officials, and failed Zhang Shidu's proposed equal-field tax law, the abolition of the head tax, the integration of poll tax into land tax—what a fine tax reform! For three years, I have not been able to implement a single one!"

At this moment, a few strands of white hair appeared beside the Jingwu Emperor's temples.

This young emperor has recently been under great pressure.

Several rebellions have caused the state treasury's silver to dwindle rapidly.

At this critical time, it happens to be a season of turmoil—dragon veins and dragon aura are leaking outward, and heavenly disasters and human calamities will surely follow; if silver runs low, the many elite soldiers and fierce generals, when recalled, will turn into blades that harm both others and themselves.

The Jingwu Emperor is deeply anxious.

Chaomu also understands the Jingwu Emperor's predicament: with no silver in the treasury, if the elite troops do not receive their rations, morale will suffer, and worse, mutiny may erupt.

Upon hearing this, Chaomu pondered briefly, then said.

"Your Majesty, if there is truly no alternative, we may consider relaxing part of the mining ban; the court currently controls numerous salt and iron mines—these are veritable mountains of gold, and this might temporarily ease our urgent crisis!"

Salt, iron, and tea are the three golden mountains, and since the founding of the Great Qian dynasty, they have been under official control, forbidding private sale by the people—any discovery is a grave crime.

However, relying solely on the current manpower of the court, sales efficiency is not low, yet corruption in the salt and iron sectors is severe, hindering monetization.

If we were to follow the precedent of the previous dynasty and reopen the mining ban briefly—shifting from official control, collection, sale, and disposal to civilian operation, official collection, official sale, commercial transport, and commercial disposal—we could achieve rapid monetization, at which point the court would only need to oversee.

"We can only do this!"

The Jingwu Emperor furrowed his brows, feeling a headache.

Yet he could foresee that with the opening of the salt routes, the greatest beneficiaries would not be the court, but surely those prominent clans.

In this urgent situation, the Jingwu Emperor can only first seek a way to overcome the crisis, then free his hands to suppress the expansion of these great clans.

His time remains insufficient.

Zhang Jian's suggestion to promote and train commanders from humble origins also requires time.

The transfer of power is best undertaken when the national strength of Great Qian is at its peak; given the current circumstances, the Jingwu Emperor dares not act rashly.

……

At this moment, within Fengyang Commandery, above the White Water River, myriad dark clouds gathered, and thunder roared.

These thunderbolts have enveloped the skies above the White Water for two days and two nights.

The surrounding areas of Fengyang Commandery also experience fierce wind and rain.

Numerous deities are secretly observing the changes deep within the White Water Dragon Palace.

All the gods have surmised: this is the thousand-year divine tribulation of the White Water Dragon Lord, Bai Nu.

In various divine administrations, many gods gaze afar at the skies above White Water, their hearts stirred, yet their faces show no schadenfreude—only reverence.

Such a thousand-year tribulation is terrifying beyond measure.

Many of them, having merely brushed against it, feel their divine offices might shatter directly under the lightning, their divine positions collapsing.

"This thousand-year divine tribulation is truly fearsome—its power is not inferior to the tribulations required of the Yin God Venerable!"

In the Phoenix Nest Mountain, the Phoenix Spirit God gazes indifferently at this scene.

Among the gods of Fengyang Commandery, she alone holds the White Water Dragon Lord in esteem.

The flood dragon is the creature closest to the true dragon—a formidable and powerful aberrant beast.

By her side, the Red Flower Lady wears a red robe, a fiery red divine seal glowing vividly at the center of her brow, her brow tightly furrowed.

The thousand-year divine tribulation is a sword pressed upon the hearts of the gods, forcing them to diligently cultivate.

She spoke in a deep voice: "The White Water Dragon Lord previously injured his vital energy—passing this tribulation will surely be perilous!"

The White Water Dragon Lord, after all, remains an ally of the Zhang family, and more so, the father-in-law of her own master—naturally, he is also her right-hand aid; the Red Flower Lady does not wish for the White Water Dragon Lord to fail his tribulation.

The Phoenix Spirit God shook her head: "After all, being of the flood dragon's form, he will not die so easily; the only thing to guard against is someone taking advantage of the chaos to loot!"

The thousand-year divine tribulation usually also involves distinctions of strength and weakness.

In the State Altar Divine Dao, there is a very strict evaluation system. If a deity scores highly in performance, has few grudges, and sufficient merit, they may only face the twenty-nine heavenly tribulation. If merit is insufficient, or incense is scarce and grudges are many, they may face the more severe forty-nine heavenly tribulation.

If one is entangled by their own karmic force, they will suffer the terrifying sixfold heavenly tribulation, along with an additional inner demon tribulation.

The White Water Dragon King has been suppressed for a thousand years and should not have accumulated too many grudges. Recently, he brought sweet rain to alleviate the drought in Fengyang Commandery and surrounding regions, so his incense offerings and merit should be considerable.

His performance evaluation may be difficult to rank as excellent, but achieving a middling-high rating should be possible.

The most likely tribulation he will face is the thirty-nine heavenly tribulation.

For the White Water Dragon King, who has not yet recovered his peak strength, the thirty-nine heavenly tribulation still offers hope.

The only real trouble comes from the demons and monsters lurking nearby, taking advantage of the chaos to loot.