Chapter 207: Knowing the Saint, One Realizes the Saint

Da Xia Capital.

With a bell toll, everything is startled.

The bell sounds from the Wen Palace.

Everyone in the capital knows that after receiving Heaven's blessing, Gu Jin Nian slipped into the Wen Palace to seek enlightenment.

Everyone is awaiting, hoping Gu Jin Nian will successfully attain enlightenment.

If he succeeds, Gu Jin Nian is very likely to enter the Half Saint realm, and by using the Great Dao Saint Diagram, he could, in a short time, become the first Confucian‑Daoist saint in several hundred years.

Though not a Heaven's Mandate saint, the very word "saint" is already beyond what ordinary people can imagine.

Now the palace bell sounds, naturally drawing some attention.

Inside the Wen Palace.

Gu Jin Nian sits cross‑legged in the main hall.

The white‑jade tower is delicate; within the palace stand two coiled‑dragon golden osmanthus trees, and individual meditation cushions lie on the floor—this is a place for teaching the Dao.

Now.

Gu Jin Nian seeks enlightenment here.

In recent days, Gu Jin Nian has been pondering seven characters.

Know‑action unity, achieve innate goodness.

This is Wang Yangming's School of the Mind, and also the figure Gu Jin Nian most reveres.

In his previous life, Wang Yangming was called a Half Saint; the reason he was a Half Saint was not lack of qualification, but a matter of time.

With a bit more time, Wang Yangming could become a saint.

The influence of the School of the Mind, not to mention others, helped a nation in a past life reform itself through Wang Yangming's teachings, thereby achieving a leap forward.

The saying that one spends a lifetime bowing to Yangming reflects many people's view.

Knowing the unity of knowledge and action, Gu Jin Nian naturally understands the basics.

Now he bases himself on the School of the Mind to verify every deed he has done.

The biggest question of knowledge‑action unity is whether to know first or act first?

And how to unify them.

Knowing first, then acting.

But if one does not act, how can one know?

If one acts, what if it is wrong?

What then? After all, the final three characters are also crucial: achieve innate goodness.

Mr. Yangming meant that followers of the School of the Mind should do good deeds, not that merely knowing something obliges one to act regardless of right or wrong.

Achieving innate goodness is the key point; the former is a test.

"A body without good or evil in the heart."

"A movement with both good and malicious intent."

"Knowing good and knowing evil is innate goodness."

"Doing good and removing evil is investigation of things."

Inside the Wen Palace.

Gu Jin Nian mutters to himself, believing that to truly achieve knowledge‑action unity, he must understand these four statements.

They are also the four‑character true teachings.

Fortunately, Gu Jin Nian had once read the words of a scholar, a master of Chinese studies, whose views Gu Jin Nian fully endorses.

You possess a kitchen knife; this is the "body without good or evil in the heart."

Because the knife is an inanimate object; if untouched, it has no good or evil, merely a form.

Yet the knife can cut vegetables or harm people; this is the "movement with both good and malicious intent."

Clarify the knife's uses, and according to certain laws—such as statutes, or things people dislike, natural laws, etc. —draw the conclusion.

Harming people is wrong; cutting vegetables is good.

This is "knowing good and knowing evil is innate goodness."

Finally, using the knife to cut vegetables and not to slash people is "doing good and removing evil is investigation of things."

This is merely a metaphor; the true meaning is more profound, and each person has their own interpretation.

Precisely because of this, the School of the Mind is praised as the saint's study.

Looking back at what he has done over the past year.

Prioritizing major affairs, the first is the disaster in Jiang Ning County, where floods swept millions of people.

The impact is huge, but the disaster's occurrence is unavoidable and unpreventable, not something I can resolve.

Though I know of this, I am powerless, and as those merchants act recklessly, the calamity worsens.

My innate goodness awakens within me.

I know this event did not arise because of me, yet I have a way to resolve it.

So when Mr. Wen Jing asked us to devise strategies, I unhesitatingly stepped forward, even though I knew hidden forces sought to influence the Da Xia Dynasty, involving major powers.

Yet I know the sufferers are the common folk; I am a scholar, and scholars must bring lasting peace.

Books are read for all living under heaven.

Knowledge: the people suffer; also know the scholar's spirit, and further know the innate goodness within.

Action: saving the people, yet there are obstacles and dangers.

Achieving innate goodness, unafraid of myriad difficulties, unbowed by any power, for the millions of Jiang Zhong County, for the righteous spirit within, for the scholar's integrity, thus I carry the Thousand‑Mile Starving Corpses Map.

Knowledge‑action unity, achieve innate goodness.

Looking again at the matter of the White Egret Manor, the Xiongnu marriage alliance, the peace negotiations, the Kong family, Prince Ning, the Buddhist school, the Daoist school, and Da Xia's heavenly disaster.

Each of these matters passed through Gu Jin Nian's mind; he began to verify them and also began to think.

Whether he had any selfish motives.

Whether he had not done well.

After verifying each matter in his mind one by one, Gu Jin Nian indeed discovered that he had several points that were wrong.

That was an emotional problem.

Sometimes his emotions would dominate him, just as when the Kong family came to visit him, he left them waiting for three days; although the Kong family had been rude first, as a scholar he should not have acted that way.

This is not the conduct of a gentleman.

Although he clearly knew the other party had an ulterior motive, since they had come, he should make themselves at home; yet he deliberately delayed, inviting trouble, and ultimately things became irreconcilable.

This is indeed because of an emotional problem.

"If viewed from a self-centered perspective, it can be explained as: I am still young, with youthful fervor, so I act impulsively."

"But from the standpoint of conscience, I was simply wrong; youthful fervor is not my excuse."

"If that day I had arrived earlier, although the Kong family would surely be overbearing, I would have done nothing wrong in any respect, and even if the Kong family wanted to make an issue of it, it would not be up to them to decide."

"This is the movement of intention."

"Many things, after they pass, one realizes they were unnecessary; but at the moment, when emotions rise and one is in a state of anger, intention takes over everything, and conscience is suppressed."

"Emotion is not merely anger; good thoughts or bad thoughts are all intention."

"There is the movement of both good and evil intention."

Gu Jin Nian continuously verified in his mind, and also continually pondered many matters.

Such complex thinking did not place great pressure on Gu Jin Nian; on the contrary, he felt delighted.

Because today's reflection can make tomorrow's self better.

"If I wish to become a sage, I must suppress the movement of intention."

"This intention is the crucial point."

"As one who aspires to sagehood, one should have an boundless heart, embracing all phenomena."

Gu Jin Nian murmured to himself.

But soon after, he shook his head and sighed.

"But if intention is suppressed, am I still myself?"

"Not contending with others, being gentle everywhere, even if one takes the welfare of all under heaven as one's duty and does some good deeds, what then?"

"What is the meaning of my existence?"

"To save all under heaven?"

"But do the people under heaven need saving? Even if they do, why must it be me? On what basis can I save them?"

"If heaven and earth choose me, letting me become the world's savior, that can only be called a mission, not the sage's way; it ought to be a responsibility, the conscience in one's heart."

"A sage, after all, still bears the character for 'person'."

"If one had no emotion at all, not a single ripple, would that not be just a stone?"

In a moment, his thoughts reached this extent.

This is what happens when a scholar idles: one problem gives rise to another, and when you think something is right, you immediately rebut yourself, then rebut again, and again.

In the end, it becomes splitting hairs.

Of course, it does not rule out discovering the ultimate truth.

But this is very difficult.

After several hours had passed, Gu Jin Nian's forehead was drenched in sweat; his thoughts grew ever more complex and ever more painful.

Clang!

A bell toll rang out.

This caused Gu Jin Nian to gradually come to his senses.

After regaining consciousness, Gu Jin Nian opened his eyes, drawing deep breaths, his gaze full of bewilderment.

"I have entered a misunderstanding."

"Or perhaps I simply do not know whether this is a misunderstanding, only because I have not found a solution."

"What exactly is a sage?"

"If there are people, then there is intention."

"If there is intention, then one will be governed by intention."

"The same things will still happen; only the process differs, but the outcome is inevitably the same."

Gu Jin Nian muttered to himself.

He could not help but sigh, gazing at the vast hall.

"Only by knowing the sage can one know that the sage's path is arduous; the sage's way is difficult, as hard as climbing to heaven."

Gu Jin Nian sighed deeply.

Let's not talk about whether one is a sage or not.

I now cannot even make sense of the two characters 'sage', let alone becoming one.

This path is too difficult.

Even I feel an unprecedented pressure.

"I cannot think about this any further; I have only been on the Confucian path for a year and a half. The earlier stages I reached thanks to literary talent and vigor; attaining the Great Scholar realm was even more due to heaven's blessings and boundless merit, which brought me to this step."

"The Confucian path has seven realms: condensing qi, nurturing qi, establishing speech, establishing virtue, Great Scholar, Half Saint, sage."

"Among these seven realms, condensing qi and nurturing qi can be enhanced through literary works and the righteous qi; later I, using the literary ruler, defined the Confucian meaning—those lacking virtue cannot condense qi, but the later realms have not been defined."

After all, I am not a saint; casually defining things is not a good thing. The Condensing Qi Realm is the first gate; condensing qi through virtue is not a major fault, merely adding a restriction.

Establishing Speech and Establishing Virtue mean establishing one's own Confucian Way—what aspirations and thoughts one has—by reading the saints' scriptures and adding one's own insights, thereby establishing one's words and deeds.

As for Establishing Virtue, virtue is that of a scholar: seeing the weak bullied, daring to speak out; facing injustice, also daring to act—this is virtue.

The Great Scholar Realm, after completing the preceding four realms and gaining heaven and earth's recognition, splits into two cases: one is writing books to spread ideas; the other is clearly comprehending the natural Way and acting accordingly.

The former relies on life experience, knowing the people's hardships; the latter relies on talent.

Gu Jin Nian muttered to himself.

Regarding the Great Scholar Realm, Gu Jin Nian currently has many ideas.

There are many Great Scholars in the world, but not all are highly virtuous and prestigious; many young people also become Great Scholars, which is quite strange.

In ordinary people's eyes, a Great Scholar seems to be an elder with conscience, whose actions are all for the country and the people, sparing no cost, also opposing dark forces.

But in actuality, as understanding grew, Gu Jin Nian discovered.

Nurturing qi, like a martial artist, can be achieved through talent.

Establishing Speech and Establishing Virtue can be quite personal; for example, using reading to change a village's fate also counts as Establishing Speech, and of course one can aim higher, depending on the individual.

Also, Establishing Virtue does not mean becoming a virtuous person after achieving it, but rather attaining the normal worldview of a scholar.

Ordinary people, seeing injustice, may ignore it, for each sweeps the snow before their own door.

But a scholar who practices Establishing Virtue must step forward, yet this stepping forward has its nuances, allowing one to follow one's true heart.

In other words, a county magistrate who has practiced Establishing Virtue, upon seeing the prime minister bully someone, may choose to step forward, but doing so would bring retaliation and affect himself.

So he did not choose to ignore it; does he then have virtue?

He still does, for when he sees an ordinary commoner or another county magistrate bullying an ordinary person, he steps forward to stop it.

This is the Establishing Virtue of the fourth realm of the Confucian Way.

Otherwise, upon reaching the fourth realm, one must complete the saint's Establishing Virtue—then would there still be bad people in the world?

Furthermore, there is another saying.

What is a bad person? If you see a tiger chasing a person, you intervene and kill the tiger—does that make you a good person? Is it wrong for a tiger to eat people? From the tiger's perspective, it's the survival of the fittest.

On the border, if you see two soldiers fighting, with your own country's soldiers trying to kill the enemy, can you stop them?

If you do stop them, the enemy country's soldiers will then trample your nation.

Therefore morality can only be limited to a few broad categories; it cannot be finely divided, otherwise it becomes impossible to clarify.

Establishing Virtue is possessing virtue surpassing ordinary people, not attaining the virtue of a saint.

As for the ultimate Great Scholar,

The older generation of Great Scholars, through writing books and spreading ideas, thereby ascend to Great Scholar status, but it does not mean such Great Scholars are necessarily good people, or necessarily anything in particular.

Confucian Way thought has many varieties; some Great Scholar families have rules that sons cannot eat at the table, cannot look directly in the eye when speaking to their father, strict household regulations—no mistakes allowed, everything must be proper.

Are such Great Scholars good or bad?

There are also Great Scholars who are unrestrained, doing whatever makes them happy, believing that life is about joy; as long as they do not harm others' interests and can gain their own happiness, why not? Such Great Scholars often visit pleasure quarters, soaring with joy.

Then, who is good and who is bad?

But upon reaching the Saint realm, things are different.

Even a Half Saint, bearing the character 'saint,' must have their virtue serve as a model, requiring strict self-control.

Thus, upon becoming a Half Saint, no matter what kind of Half Saint one is, one must have a 【central idea】.

Currently, the central idea is nothing more than two.

For the masses.

Following Heaven's will.

Only these two; most choose the second, after all, for the masses one must give much and become entangled in right and wrong—just like the difficulty of River Middle Commandery, to save or not to save?

For the masses, one will surely save.

But following Heaven's will would not do so; they believe that since there is a cause, everything is Heaven-ordained.

After all, the Yongsheng Great Emperor seized the realm; if the disaster in Jiangning Commandery was the doing of the Jian De Emperor, what would you say? Having rescued it, the Jian De Emperor continues his mischief.

Intensifying conflicts? Matters becoming ever more troublesome? As the saying goes: 'Not afraid of being stolen, but afraid of being coveted; the enemy lurks in the dark while you are in the light, you cannot guard against them.'

Just like rumors.

Can you control the mouths of all the people under heaven?

Even within the capital, if someone wants to spread rumors, can you pinpoint exactly who is doing it?

Moreover, when rumors arise, you can only manage them, but cannot enforce strict control, otherwise it will instead provoke negative news.

Cold handling is always the best choice.

Throughout history, no dynasty has been able to control the endless chatter of the people under heaven, not even a literary inquisition could do so.

Unless there are no people.

Gu Jin Nian has been elevating his thoughts; many things that previously confused him gradually became clear at this moment.

Soon.

In the blink of an eye.

Three days passed just like that.

The sound of the Wen Bell ringing made the people mistakenly think Gu Jin Nian was about to become a saint; all the people came out, from time to time discussing Wen Palace affairs, actually just wanting to see the phenomenon.

After all, this phenomenon is far more splendid than fireworks displays.

Even some scholars from afar, traveling thousands of miles, came just to see the phenomenon.

To personally witness Gu Jin Nian becoming a saint—such a phenomenon—would leave one with no regrets in this life.

Unfortunately, it did not come to pass.

Meanwhile,

Three matters quickly drew the gaze of the Da Xia Dynasty, and even the whole Eastern Wilderness.

The first matter: the Dali Temple, the Zongren Office, the Ministry of Punishments, and the Xuan Deng Department jointly review the Qin King case, and that is today.

This matter is the one the Da Xia people care about most, especially within the capital, where everyone is eagerly awaiting the final result.

The second matter.

It is that the Jixia Academy again claimed a three‑month delay; rumors said Su Wenjing sent men to block the gate, and before a day had passed the Jixia Academy compromised.

But the reason for the compromise was not Su Wenjing's blockade; more importantly, the Jixia Academy also wanted to wait for Gu Jin Nian to arrive, for the academic contest, and naturally hoped to see something different.

To put it bluntly, Gu Jin Nian's prestige is greater than Su Wenjing's; it wasn't a compromise toward Su Wenjing, but a matter of valuing talent.

The third matter.

The Eastern Wilderness Alliance is about to be established.

It is formed by the Great Jin Dynasty, the Fuyu Dynasty, the Immortal Sect, and the Buddhist Sect, with the Xiongnu Nation and the seventy‑two vassal states joining jointly; two‑thirds of those seventy‑two vassal states belong to the Eastern Wilderness, and some nations from the Western Desert also joined.

Such a terrifying force naturally became the hottest topic.

Moreover, the formation of the Alliance targets two major powers.

One is the Da Xia Dynasty of the Eastern Wilderness; it was not invited, which is plainly exclusion.

The second is the Central Continent Dynasty; after all, the Central Continent Dynasty is at its zenith, and if the major forces of the Eastern Wilderness do not unite, that would be the real trouble.

Regarding this, the Da Xia Ministry of Rites responded immediately.

It does not recognize or approve the Alliance; the court will take measures and prepare for war.

It also urges the vassal states wishing to join the Alliance to weigh carefully; truly angering the Da Xia Dynasty, no one can hope for peace.

In any case, the exclusion of the Da Xia Dynasty is obvious, so naturally the Da Xia Dynasty does not care much about it.

The Alliance cannot be formed.

At the very least, it must not be allowed to succeed so smoothly; if the Da Xia Dynasty does nothing, the Alliance will later have to cooperate fully.

Any arbitrary move against the Da Xia Dynasty becomes a headache.

The court's stance is simple: the chance of stopping them is slim, as these four great forces are not something the Da Xia Dynasty can now block.

But they cannot ignore it; they must strike fear, and the Ministry of Rites is indeed considering what means to use.

There's no other way; great nations are like that—they must achieve the greatest benefit at the smallest cost, which fits the national condition.

And these three matters are external affairs.

As for the interior of the Da Xia Dynasty.

The biggest problems remain disaster‑zone reconstruction and the silver issue.

After the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works calculate together,

to properly handle the three major disaster zones within two years and restore normal levels, a total of twelve hundred million taels of silver is needed.

If they wish to properly handle the three disaster zones within one year, twenty hundred million taels of silver are required.

Including the treasury's existing funds and the previous compensation from the Xiongnu Nation, the court can currently muster ten hundred million taels of silver.

But the problem is that these two matters are hard to resolve.

First, forging the celestial fallen gold is extremely costly; to forge a set of heavy cavalry armor requires fifty thousand taels of silver in manpower and resources.

No mistake—it's a cost of fifty thousand taels of silver.

Hundreds of craftsmen are considered the cheapest labor, along with various constructions, some heat‑resistant special iron ore, and assorted equipment.

But the main issue is earth fire; to melt this material, one must use earth fire to liquefy it.

This is because some Immortal Sects are willing to aid the Da Xia Dynasty; they are not the Immortal Sect cultivators of the Eastern Wilderness, such as Linglong Immortal Palace, Qingwei Sacred Land, and other Immortal Sects.

Without them, it would not be a silver issue.

It also requires a large amount of spirit crystals; one could say it taps into old reserves.

This is absurd.

Gu Jin Nian demands ten thousand sets of armor, meaning fifty million taels of silver must be poured in, along with massive spirit crystals.

According to the Ministry of Revenue, they should not produce armor for now, but Emperor Yong Sheng insists on forging the armor.

He may not know what Gu Jin Nian is planning, but Gu Jin Nian will certainly not err; moreover, Emperor Yong Sheng is, after all, the imminent emperor.

He is fervent about war.

He deeply understands what heavy cavalry means—it is an invincible force.

If such heavy armor is assigned to heavy cavalry, he believes this force can crush one hundred thousand iron cavalry.

These are one hundred thousand Xiongnu iron cavalry.

At that time, the Da Xia iron cavalry will become world‑renowned, the number one iron cavalry under heaven.

Heavy cavalry boils down to three points.

Heavy armor! Warhorses! Soldiers!

Equipment first, warhorses second, soldiers third.

Achieving superiority in equipment will push everything aside, so Emperor Yong Sheng dreams of creating such an army; with Gu Jin Nian speaking up, his conviction is even stronger.

The second internal problem of the Da Xia.

It is relocation.

Twelve hundred million taels of silver can only rebuild the disaster zones, taking two years.

The relocation work of the five great oases cannot be neglected.

This project is even more massive, since the three disaster zones are merely reconstruction on existing foundations.

Relocating the oases is terrifying; the Da Xia Dynasty must devote all effort, planning cities and territories.

Fortunately, the Da Xia people know the oases are good places; many are willing to go, but most are poor, wanting to go yet lacking sufficient funds and food.

The Ministry of Revenue's calculation shows that building the cities requires about thirty hundred million taels of silver.

And the amount of food and forage required is incalculable; they have calculated that among the five great oases, at least one oasis will relocate twenty million people, right? For those ten million people, to build a new city and then plant crops, they can only send grain for the first half‑year, otherwise what will the populace eat? Even if an individual doesn't eat much in a day, isn't five taels of rice needed?

That means fifty million shi of grain are needed.

And the transportation cost and so on are at least six times that.

In other words, thirty million shi of grain are required to solve the relocation problem, and the number of people to relocate isn't large; the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue have already inspected the oasis situation.

Each oasis is equivalent to half a Jiangzhong County, whose population is close to forty million.

To make an oasis prosper, roughly twenty million people need to be relocated, and then, with time, their descendants will roughly make up the rest.

One shi of ordinary grain weighs six taels; after squeezing the price, four and a half taels is the limit.

That requires a preparation of fourteen million taels of grain, not even counting the feed for fine horses and some other items, right?

It can't be just rice, can it? So the Ministry of Revenue's final calculation.

Five hundred million taels of silver can solve all troubles.

Does the Da Xia Dynasty have any?

No.

Now that the natural disaster is over, Jiangning County and Jiangling County are tax‑exempt, as are Longxi County, Donglin County, and Nanyue County.

One‑third of the Da Xia Dynasty's tax revenue has been exempted.

Jiangzhong County is not tax‑exempt, but no one really expects anything; in their view, keeping Jiangzhong County taxable is to avoid shaking the foundation of the state.

Nevertheless, there will definitely be no taxes collected this year. At least we'll have to wait until after next year.

The Da Xia Dynasty's annual tax revenue is twenty million taels of silver, after deducting miscellaneous expenses, Ministry of War expenditures, official salaries, and countless other silver outlays you can't even see.

The yearly surplus is only thirty to forty million taels of silver.

That still can't cover a great calamity.

How can we muster five hundred million taels of silver? Even in the best case, it would take at least fifty years to secure it.

Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue put forward a suggestion.

Stop the oasis relocation plan.

Delay the disaster‑area reconstruction timeline; don't think it'll be two years—prepare for about five years. Not only does it save silver, but the payments can be staggered.

In that way, we could actually forge battle armor and boost national strength.

Only, this is a heavenly blessing, so let's not even consider it; leave it for the future monarch to tinker with.

It's essentially leaving a family fortune.

But faced with this choice, Emperor Yongsheng is clearly displeased.

As an emperor, he naturally knows that if he can solve the three major disaster zones and complete the oasis relocation, it will add a bold stroke to his record, and his merit will surpass that of his father.

The student outshines the master.

He could never give up such glory.

But the Ministry of Revenue isn't unsupportive; it's two words: silver.

Without money, nothing can be done.

And it's such a huge, terrifying undertaking.

He Yan truly didn't bother to say a word: each generation does its own work; Your Majesty, you may rest, the Da Xia Dynasty has already begun to enter its prime, and if you do nothing, in twenty years the golden age will arrive.

Then all the credit will still belong to you.

But He Yan didn't say that.

He can't say it.

Inside the Hall of Nurturing the Heart.

Emperor Yongsheng fell silent; with such an astronomical sum, he truly doesn't know where to obtain it.

"If it really can't work, why not muster a great army and wipe out the Xiongnu Nation?"

At this moment, Emperor Yongsheng spoke, having thought of a money‑making scheme.

Destroy the Xiongnu Nation.

The Xiongnu Nation certainly has plenty of silver; five hundred million taels is definitely unattainable, but a billion taels is unavoidable, and if we truly capture the Xiongnu Nation, we could liquidate everything and enslave the Xiongnu soldiers.

It would solve at least more than half the issue, and even solving it completely would still be insufficient for the state.

The Xiongnu Royal Court doesn't have much silver, but the Xiongnu Nation has many merchants; once war breaks out, all that silver would be confiscated, which is indeed a viable method.

"Your Majesty, please don't even think about it."

"Putting aside whether the Xiongnu Nation can be conquered, if we truly could, the Fuyu Dynasty and the Great Jin Dynasty are not meek."

"Moreover, we lack silver here, and you intend to wage war, Your Majesty—do you think that's appropriate?"

"And what justification do we have for war? An alliance could be a reason, but that reason isn't good either."

He Yan spoke helplessly.

Making silver by waging war isn't inherently bad, but given the current situation, it's impossible to succeed.

There's no reason.

The nation is still in a state of myriad unfinished affairs awaiting revival.

Why bother? The Da Xia Dynasty does nothing yet grows stronger; why go to war? Frankly, if Emperor Yongsheng weren't so impatient, eager to solve everything quickly, we could simply practice non‑action governance.

Nevertheless, this point is actually understood by the entire court regarding Emperor Yongsheng.

If the disaster zones can't be resolved, anxiety spreads, and no work can proceed well.

If the five great oases don't relocate people, it's also vexing, like a mountain of gold before you but with few tools and insufficient manpower, so extraction proceeds extremely slowly.

Clearly one could become the wealthiest person, but for various reasons it remains at a stalemate.

Very annoying.

Extremely irritating.

It was at that moment.

A voice sounded from outside.

"Your Majesty."

"The Great Justice Temple reports that the Qin King has confessed, so the Ministry of Justice has sentenced the Qin King to ten years of salary, stripped him of the throne, demoted him to a marquis, and assigned him to a harsh, cold fief in the southwest to guard the Da Xia Dynasty's southwestern border; without an edict he may not return to the capital for life."

As the voice from outside sounded.

Inside the Yangxin Hall.

Emperor Yong Sheng was somewhat silent.

But after a while, Emperor Yong Sheng slowly spoke.

"Approved."

As that voice sounded.

He Yan inside the hall couldn't help but lower his head.

Just as the court officials had guessed, a father would never truly kill his son; the Qin King's being assigned a fief is indeed Emperor Yong Sheng's aim.

Being demoted to a marquis is nothing; he is the Qin King— even if reduced to a marquis, so what?

Who would truly dare treat him as a marquis?

He remains a prince; when the Crown Prince eventually ascends, if the Qin King behaves honestly, he will still regain his throne.

This outcome was not unexpected.

"Very well."

"Regardless, first resolve the disaster area in Longxi Commandery."

"The other matters can be discussed later."

Emperor Yong Sheng spoke.

He was now somewhat agitated, troubled by this astronomical figure.

"I, your servant, receive the decree."

He Yan nodded, but did not leave; instead he looked at Emperor Yong Sheng and said,

"Your Majesty, in a few days it will be time to collect the national tax."

"I think the grain tax of Jiangzhong Commandery should not be collected this year; if we truly levy it, first it may provoke popular resentment, and second, Jiangzhong Commandery cannot produce much grain. Would it be better to postpone it for a year?"

He Yan spoke, bringing up the matter of Jiangzhong Commandery.

The collection of Jiangzhong Commandery's grain tax is a headache for the Ministry of Revenue.

Jiangzhong Commandery has just suffered a severe drought; although Gu Jin Nian stabilized it, it is estimated that there is little grain to levy. Sending officials there to collect would be…

That would indeed be rather shameless.

It would stir up popular resentment, which would be troublesome.

The court shared this view; everyone supported the Ministry of Revenue's suggestion to postpone for a year.

"No need."

"Proceed with normal collection."

But others may not know Jiangzhong Commandery's situation; Emperor Yong Sheng knew it well.

According to Jin Nian's plan, in a few days the Jiangzhong grain tax will be levied, which could shock the entire court.

Emperor Yong Sheng calculated that, barring surprises, the minimum would be fifty million shi of grain, possibly reaching up to eighty million shi.

He does not aspire to the full eighty million shi.

Sixty million shi would suffice.

At least it would solve the grain problems of the three major disaster zones perfectly; thinking of this, Emperor Yong Sheng felt rather pleased.

At last, one trouble was resolved.

"Your Majesty."

"That's not very good, is it?"

He Yan, hearing this, could not contain himself; he had thought Emperor Yong Sheng would agree, but did not expect a direct levy.

Isn't this putting the Ministry of Revenue on the fire?

"Do as my decree commands."

Emperor Yong Sheng spoke, his expression calm.

"Obeying the decree."

He Yan said nothing more, turned and left.

And after He Yan departed,

Soon, a figure rushed in.

Handing over a thick dossier.

It was the figure of Wei Xian.

"Your Majesty."

"The situation has been clarified: within Donglin Commandery, the Qin King's actions were indeed correct, but each incident had causes; it was not the Qin King's intention, but someone took things out of context to frame him."

Wei Xian spoke, placing the thick dossier before Emperor Yong Sheng.

"How did the Censorate, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of War learn of this dossier?"

Hearing this answer, Emperor Yong Sheng let out a long sigh of relief.

He also inquired about a second matter.

"According to the investigation, the person who provided the evidence delivered it personally; however, the old servant also investigated in secret, and these people did not lie. Based on the Great Scholar's inquiry, it was found they indeed told the truth, but the Great Scholar answered that it could very well be a matter of bias."

"They knew little information, which caused a misunderstanding, leading them to firmly accuse the Qin King."

The latter answered, saying thus.

Misunderstanding?

Using the misunderstanding to frame the second brother, these people are really formidable.

If not for my lingering doubts, I would have truly been deceived.

The Yongsheng Emperor muttered to himself.

But after a moment, he shook his head and said.

No.

He could anticipate that I would investigate this far; their goal isn't this, but to create a rift between me and the second brother, father and son.

The Yongsheng Emperor spoke, and in an instant he understood many things.

Your Majesty.

Since the investigation is clear, why not clear the Qin Prince's name? After these days of prison hardship, the Qin Prince must have calmed down; who in this world bears a grudge against his father?

Wei Xian spoke, asking thus.

No need.

I'll go myself.

The Yongsheng Emperor said no more.

In fact, he indeed harbored suspicions toward the Qin Prince, but as a father, how could he look down on his own son? Deep down, the Yongsheng Emperor did not believe the Qin Prince would do such things.

But circumstances forced him.

Moreover, he needed to do this, so he let the Qin Prince suffer this hardship.

Because he needed to use this opportunity to root out some people.

If these people aren't rooted out, it's not a good thing for the Da Xia Dynasty, nor for Gu Jin Nian, nor for anyone.

Now, he intends to resolve this father-son estrangement.

About two quarter-hours later.

Inside the heavenly prison.

Extremely dim.

The Qin Prince remained disheveled, but the aura of dominance between his brows could not be concealed.

Creak.

The prison door opened.

The Yongsheng Emperor, dressed in black, slowly walked into the heavenly prison.

He held a pastry box in his hand and placed it directly before the Qin Prince.

Seeing his father appear, the Qin Prince's expression was calm, his gaze still numb.

The Yongsheng Emperor said nothing.

Instead, he sat quietly.

After a quarter-hour, he slowly opened the pastry box.

This is your favorite pastry.

Father knows, some things Father did were wrong.

But sitting in this position, there are many things to consider.

The Yongsheng Emperor spoke lightly.

He knew that his words that day were overly heartless, each word like a dagger stabbing into the Qin Prince's heart.

But sometimes, as an emperor, there is also the emperor's helplessness.

The Qin Prince said nothing.

He remained utterly silent.

At this moment, the Yongsheng Emperor's voice continued to sound.

Da Xia suffers heavenly disaster, fire stones fall upon the capital.

Li Ruoyu and Lu Chengyan each hold two volumes of sage scriptures.

Moreover, a person named Chang Yun Tian produced half a volume of Heaven's Mandate sage scriptures.

You say it's strange, isn't it strange?

Longxi Commandery encountered trouble, yet they did not come.

Jiangzhong Commandery encountered trouble, yet they also did not come.

The mountain fire in Donglin Commandery has killed an unknown number of soldiers; they don't need any Heaven's Mandate sage scriptures—even a single volume of sage scriptures could resolve half the problem.

But strangely, they appear precisely at this time.

The Yongsheng Emperor didn't speak any heartfelt words, but instead discussed this matter with the Qin Prince.

Jiangnan Commandery donated silver 170,000 taels; logically these merchants should be panicking, yet when I sent people, these merchants were still delaying there.

Sometimes I wonder, is it that I lack dignity, or that these merchants are all greedy for money, even disregarding their lives?

One year ago, Jin Nian drowned.

Then came the flood in Jiangning Commandery, followed by the disappearance of children in Jiangling Commandery.

This time it's again a heavenly disaster.

Today, you, a noble prince, have been framed again.

Don't you think about what this is all about?

The Yongsheng Emperor's voice sounded.

Self-doubt.

It's just that the Qin King's gaze remained numb.

Emperor Yong Sheng did not stop.

Instead, he continued to speak.

"The Da Xia Dynasty is now heading toward its peak."

"With Gu Jin Nian, it is as stable as a golden moat."

"To obstruct the Da Xia Dynasty, the only way is to undermine it from within."

"Someone wants to enter the court as an official, wanting to become a second Li Shan."

"Holding great power, targeting Jin Nian, influencing the court, this person has the backing of many forces behind them."

"Especially within the court, there must be someone who is his strongest support."

"But that person cannot show themselves, so they want someone to nominate them; the nominees can only be two: the Crown Prince, or you."

"He came to find you, bringing a powerful force for you, but Father knows your nature; you would certainly not agree."

"Especially, this person would threaten Jin Nian."

"But your refusal was within their expectations; they had made two preparations, one of which was to frame you, causing a rift between you and me, father and son, and you would resent me."

"They know that I will use this opportunity to send you to a fiefdom, and since you harbor resentment, you will surely refuse to go, so they will appear, reach an agreement with you, making you their pawn, and they will support your ascension to the throne."

Emperor Yong Sheng said up to this point.

Soon, he turned his gaze toward the Qin King.

"But what they do not know is..."

"My son, Li Yan, would never do such a vile act, no matter what."

"But Father knows you will certainly agree with them, because you want to turn the tables on them, you will cover up all their crimes, just to get deep inside, so as to launch a coup and have them all revealed."

"At that time, you will inform Jin Nian, have him make all preparations, and kill them all."

"Right?"

When Emperor Yong Sheng said this,

his gaze fixed firmly on the Qin King.

the latter still remained silent.

but his breath had become somewhat disordered.

Because his father had guessed correctly, missing only one link.

The final link.

"Second Brother."

"Father knows, it hasn't been easy for you."

"But the palm and the back of the hand are both flesh."

"Since ascending the throne, Father has actually considered changing the heir many times over these countless days and nights."

"But the mistake is that you were born a few years late."

"In this life, Father owes you too much."

"If we are father and son in the next life, Father will surely repay you."

When Emperor Yong Sheng said this, he could not help but tear up.

These words are from the bottom of his heart.

He knows how much the Qin King has sacrificed, how, when they followed him in rebellion back then, they truly endured much hardship.

Every time they charged into battle, it was this son of his who went forward.

"Why? Because he is his son; to raise morale, he had to send him forward."

"Otherwise, how could the troops obey? Yet each time they charged, he was anxious and worried."

Fearing to hear bad news.

At this moment.

The Qin King's eye sockets were red-rimmed; he lowered his head, tears wetting his front hair, yet still he did not speak.

"Second Brother."

"Jin Nian has done too much for our Li family."

"Some matters should also be handled by our family; it's impossible for everything to be left to Jin Nian."

"After these matters are settled."

"Father will take you to campaign; we father and son will strike the Xiongnu King's Court and strike the Vast Sea."

Emperor Yong Sheng said up to this point.

He involuntarily drew a deep breath, then rose and left.

After Emperor Yong Sheng left.

After a while.

The Qin King held back tears, picked up a pastry, slowly bit into it, chewing mixed with tears.

It was not Emperor Yong Sheng's heartfelt words that moved him.

But rather, everything his father had guessed matched exactly what he had thought.

This means that.

His own father knows him and also believes in him.

And at this moment.

In the Ministry of Revenue.

Many officials of the court also gathered here.

It is naturally about the grain tax revenue of Jiangzhong Commandery.

The officials discussed.

After more than an hour, the final result of the discussion was that the Minister of Personnel, the Minister of Rites, and the Minister of Revenue would together re-enter the palace to ask Emperor Yongsheng for mercy, requesting exemption from Jiangzhong Commandery's tax for this year.

However, the result was obviously unchanged.

This left the entire Ministry of Revenue completely silent.

Finally, helpless, the Ministry of Revenue sent several officials to follow Minister of Rites Yang Kai personally to Jiangzhong Commandery.

The reason for sending Yang Kai is simple.

To slightly reduce the impact, so as to avoid any conflict.

And thus.

In the blink of an eye.

Another three days passed.

Prince Qin has already returned to his residence; he will soon take up his fief.

But no one knows exactly when that will be; anyway, Emperor Yongsheng has not issued an edict.

Meanwhile, the grain tax revenues from various places have been arriving one after another.

At the same time, a piece of good news also arrived.

News from Jiangnan Commandery.

The fundraising reached fifty million taels of silver, and merchants from all over Jiangnan Commandery were willing to donate grain, farming tools, draft cattle, and large amounts of timber to help rebuild homes in the three major disaster areas.

This matter was announced by Prince Qin's mansion, because a distant relative of Princess Consort Qin, who is one of the wealthy merchants of Jiangnan Commandery, took the initiative to rally support and contributed greatly.

No one cared who this distant relative of the princess consort was.

As for the Ministry of Revenue,

The silver and various supplies raised by Jiangnan Commandery are what they truly need.

This relieved a great deal of tension.

Afterward,

Another three days passed.

Within the peaceful Da Xia Capital, at this moment, two things happened.

First,

Gu Jin Nian emerged from seclusion.

Second,

Jiangzhong Commandery finished the wheat harvest, and Yang Kai received the total tax revenue for Jiangzhong Commandery this year.