Chapter 32: Enrollment Begins at the Da Xia Academy

Da Xia Imperial Palace.

Heavenly Heart Hall.

The hall's four sides are coated with jiao oil, emitting a faint fragrance.

At this very moment.

The great hall is quiet.

Late at night the Da Xia Capital is unusually silent, everything feels extremely strange.

"Why?"

In front of the jade desk, Emperor Yongsheng's expression shows a hint of coldness as he looks at Minister of Rites Yang Kai and asks.

"Your Majesty."

"The Gu Family's power is overwhelming; they also control the Divine Feather Army's military tally. Within the clan six sons hold marquisates and ministerial posts—some command the capital gates, others serve as Minister of Punishments. Now Heaven's Destiny Luck has shown favor, making it hard to guarantee the Gu Family will not harbor ulterior motives."

"Please, Your Majesty, think it over."

Yang Kai spoke; he feared nothing and offered candid counsel.

It was precisely because of these words that Minister of War Zhao Yiyang and Minister of Revenue He Yan changed color.

Even the eunuch Wei Xian beside Emperor Yongsheng showed a flash of alarm in his eyes.

The Gu Family's power is known throughout Da Xia; yet their authority stems from repeated choices and battlefield achievements, not from any scheming shortcuts.

They are truly loyal ministers, otherwise they could not have been granted the title Duke of the Nation.

Now that they have received Heavenly Destiny Luck, revoking their military command is overly sharp.

Undoubtedly it is meant to make the Emperor and the Gu Family turn hostile.

Everyone in Da Xia watches the Emperor's every move; a single word or thought can set countless events in motion.

If the military command is truly withdrawn, it can be guaranteed that the minds of all civil and military officials will become active, leading to unintended consequences that are truly headache‑inducing.

Therefore, in front of the jade desk, Emperor Yongsheng spoke.

"Audacious."

"Gu Aiqing followed the founding ancestor in establishing the Da Xia Dynasty, a founding minister who contributed countless heroic deeds, and also launched the arduous task of building virtue alongside me, purifying Da Xia's righteousness."

"I bestowed the name Duke of the Nation upon Gu Aiqing because of his loyalty to the throne; Heaven's Destiny Luck descended precisely because of that, an indisputable fact."

"Yang Aiqing, I know you have long been at odds with the Gu Family, especially in recent days; I can understand you."

"But as Minister of Rites, how dare you speak such reckless nonsense? If it spreads, won't it trap me in an unjust position?"

Emperor Yongsheng began.

His gaze was full of anger, yet his words contained something odd.

The final sentence made one unable to stop pondering.

"Trap me in an unjust position?" He did not blame Yang Kai for his reckless words, nor deny they were wrong; he merely thought Yang Kai's behavior would lead him into an unjust situation.

Could it be understood that, if phrased differently, the Emperor could avoid criticism from the world and still act against the Gu Family?

The Emperor's words are always ambiguously sharp.

Whether they are true or false must be judged oneself; once discerned, they may subtly elevate or demote, but if undecided, one can peacefully return home to farm.

Yet regardless, one must not act on one's own accord, or the outcome will be terrible.

"Your Majesty, calm your anger."

"I speak plainly for the court, with no personal agenda."

"As for the Gu Family's grievances, I care not for childish squabbles."

"The Gu Family has become a towering tree; now that the Duke of the Nation has received this Heavenly Destiny Luck, I hope Heaven remembers his loyalty."

"Yet throughout history, ministers usurping the throne and generals plotting rebellion occur repeatedly, especially—"

Yang Kai continued word by word.

But halfway through, a resounding blast erupted.

Boom.

Above the jade desk, Emperor Yongsheng struck down with a palm; the jade and stone table shattered into four pieces, emitting a massive roar.

"Audacious."

"Yang Kai."

"You are far too arrogant."

"I have always respected the Duke of the Nation; when the arduous task of building virtue began, treacherous ministers in court wished to recruit the Duke with a foreign‑named king, and the Duke had countless opportunities to capture me."

"Yet the Duke of the Nation never acted so."

"Now the new dynasty is established; you, swayed by Heavenly Dao Luck, arbitrarily assign baseless crimes, yet still claim you bear no personal grievance?"

Emperor Yongsheng spoke.

His voice thundered, rebuking Yang Kai.

He gave the impression of placing utmost trust in the Duke of the Nation.

"Your Majesty, calm your anger."

"Minister Yang merely worries for Your Majesty."

"Please pardon Minister Yang's bluntness."

At this moment, He Yan's voice rose; as Minister of Revenue, he naturally stepped forward to smooth things over.

Meanwhile, Zhao Yiyang remained silent.

He is the Minister of War, who once served under Grandfather Gu as a soldier; had the Emperor not unleashed his fury, he would have spoken out long ago.

Now hearing the Emperor's rebuke of Yang Kai, he was delighted.

Inside the hall.

Yang Kai remained silent, his attitude still clear.

And the Yong Sheng Emperor did not continue discussing this topic, but simply spoke slowly.

"If there is no evidence in the future, do not speculate wildly here."

"Otherwise, I will certainly not show leniency."

The Yong Sheng Emperor spoke, issuing a stern warning.

Afterwards, he turned his gaze to Yang Kai and continued.

"Yang Kai."

"The Da Xia Academy has been fully entrusted to Mr. Wen Jing; if there are no other matters, you need not participate in its affairs."

"Next, focus on compiling the Da Xia Canon; this is the most important matter in the court."

"Furthermore, the Da Xia Literary Assembly must also be addressed; this is also one of the grand events of the dynasty's founding. I want the world to watch, and all required funds will be allocated from the Ministry of Revenue."

"Do you understand?"

The Yong Sheng Emperor looked at Yang Kai and said thus.

His tone calmed, lacking the earlier ferocity.

"I will obey the decree."

Yang Kai nodded and said no more.

But He Yan's voice immediately rang out.

"Your Majesty."

"I also have a matter to report."

He Yan spoke, presenting the memorial.

He took the memorial, read it carefully, and after a moment his brows furrowed involuntarily.

"Your Majesty."

"Currently, the floods in the Two Rivers are severe, possibly due to demonic mischief; along the riverbanks the suffering is unbearable, and if not guarded against, it may lead to grave disaster."

"For now it can be controlled, but if another mistake occurs, the flood disaster will spread to Jiang Ning Commandery, which would truly be a huge trouble."

He Yan spoke.

He related a matter.

"Flood disaster."

"The Da Xia Dynasty appears prosperous and flourishing, yet in reality, countless calamities, great and small, occur each year."

"Although the Immortal Sect helps, natural disasters are hard to resist, especially when involving demonic interference, which makes things even more troublesome."

"Zhou Aiqing."

"I intend to issue an edict ordering the Lantern Bureau to send personnel to investigate the riverbanks; if demons are truly at work, immediately summon the Immortal Sect to jointly subdue them."

"However, as a precaution, let Jiang Ning Commandery focus on preparing grain and supplies, transporting them into the city; if a flood truly occurs, open the granaries to distribute grain, putting the people first."

The Yong Sheng Emperor spoke, issuing the decree.

But upon hearing this, He Yan showed a troubled expression.

"Your Majesty."

"If we prepare grain and supplies, I have calculated that at least fifty million taels of silver are needed."

"Moreover, this only guarantees that the city's populace will not be troubled by disaster."

"If a flood breaks out, refugees from the surrounding nineteen prefectures will flock here. Therefore, we must prepare four times the supplies, transport them to Jiang Ning City, which amounts to two hundred million taels of silver."

He Yan spoke, informing of the current situation.

Upon mentioning money, the Yong Sheng Emperor's face grew somewhat unsightly.

"Although he has governed diligently for twelve years and the state overall thrives, the biggest problem has arisen: the treasury has no money."

"It is not anything else; mainly, after the enthronement of Emperor Jian De, to manifest the sage king's rule, over these twelve years countless tax reductions, big and small, have been enacted."

"Using the most practical methods to win popular support."

"This has led to the present situation."

"How much silver remains in the treasury?"

The Yong Sheng Emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, we can barely scrape together fifty million taels of silver; if only used for early relief in Jiang Ning Commandery, it would suffice, but compiling the Da Xia Canon and repairing the palace, in preparation for the Da Xia Literary Assembly, requires vast funds."

"Furthermore, some silver cannot be freely allocated, as it must sustain court operations; we can only muster fifty million taels of silver with difficulty."

"Your Majesty, I believe that prevention is paramount; the grand ceremony and the literary assembly can be postponed slightly."

He Yan spoke, putting forward his opinion.

"Compiling the grand ceremony and the literary assembly are merely face projects for the dynasty; delaying them a bit is no big deal."

"Early warning is the true kingly way."

"If a flood truly occurs and the food problem is not solved immediately, troubles will pile upon troubles, describable as catastrophic loss."

But the Yong Sheng Emperor did not answer.

Instead, he remained silent.

He was contemplating.

After a quarter of an hour, he gave his reply.

"How likely is it that this flood will spread to Jiang Ning Commandery?"

He asked.

"Natural disasters and human calamities, I dare not assert definitively, but based on the present situation, at least thirty percent, the danger is extremely great."

He Yan did not answer directly; such matters must not be spoken rashly—if correct, fine, but if wrong, it would cause trouble.

It cannot be said lightly, nor exaggerated; after all, transporting so much supplies and grain, if it turns out to be unnecessary worry, then these grains would be wasted by thirty or forty percent, which adds up to an astronomical figure.

Then his position as Minister of Revenue would come to an end.

But if it really happens, and I fail to offer timely counsel, then it will be utterly troublesome.

So it's best to speak neither too lightly nor too heavily; say what needs to be said, and let you decide.

Indeed.

Upon saying this, the Yongsheng Emperor's expression became even more solemn.

After a moment, his voice sounded.

"Allocate one hundred million taels of silver from the national treasury to prepare for the transport of grain and supplies to Jiangning Prefecture."

"The compilation of the great canon must not be neglected, nor must the literary assembly."

"I recall that in one month the autumn harvest will arrive; then let the Ministry of Revenue draft an order, allowing the two prefectures near Jiangning to transport half of their grain tax to Jiangning Prefecture, just in case."

"At the same time, postpone Jiangning Prefecture's grain tax for six months until the flood subsides."

The Yongsheng Emperor gave his answer.

This plan is already excellent; it does not affect the compilation of the great canon nor the literary assembly.

The funds should be allocated; after waiting one month for the autumn harvest, even if a flood breaks out, the surrounding areas can still transport grain over.

If no flood occurs, preparations can be made in advance, allowing for advance and retreat as needed.

As long as no extremely dire event occurs, there will basically be no problem.

At that moment, He Yan bowed before the Yongsheng Emperor.

"Your Majesty is sagacious; I will immediately attend to this."

Afterward.

Minister of War Zhao Yiyang also submitted a memorial concerning border affairs.

"Your Majesty."

"Recently, in the northwest border, there have been 272 incidents of pillaging and killing."

"Among them, seventeen merchant guilds were extorted and killed, resulting in a total of 644 deaths."

"Please, Your Majesty, make a decision."

Zhao Yiyang spoke up.

"Strengthen border defenses, temporarily set it aside, and have the stationed troops escort caravans."

"Furthermore, convey my orders to secretly dispatch two thousand iron cavalry, behead six thousand enemies—regardless of men, women, old or young—and hang their heads on the city walls as a warning."

The Yongsheng Emperor said in an icy tone.

When such things happen on the border, he naturally hates them.

But now Da Xia cannot wage war; it's not just a matter of money and silver, but more importantly, there are too many domestic affairs to handle.

He cannot free his hands.

Yet it is impossible to simply be bullied like this.

Kill six hundred Da Xia people.

Behead six thousand enemies of the hostile state.

Tenfold repayment.

"I, your subject, receive the order."

"Your Majesty is wise."

Zhao Yiyang bowed deeply, feeling approval of the Yongsheng Emperor's iron-blooded methods.

Meanwhile,

The Yongsheng Emperor continued speaking.

"Now Heaven's Mandate has been bestowed."

"The Da Xia Academy is also of utmost importance, but I will chat briefly with you all."

"Mr. Wenjing has an eccentric temperament, but his talent is outstanding; I have appointed him to take charge of the Da Xia Academy, which I expect will bring some discomfort."

"However, some things must be changed."

"If Mr. Wenjing has done anything wrong, I will first let you all know on his behalf."

"Please show understanding."

"That's enough; you may go back early."

Having said this, he said no more.

And the three of them fully understood the meaning of these words.

Your Majesty is telling them not to disturb Su Wenjing.

"May Your Majesty be in good health."

"We, your subjects, take our leave."

The three had no objections and turned to leave.

After the people left.

The Yongsheng Emperor's voice sounded again.

"Wei Xian."

"Send some scouts to Jiangning Prefecture to inspect the situation."

"Then go to the border to scout the reality."

"Also, regarding this matter of Heaven's Mandate, there will surely be many rumors among the populace; let the Office of Sentinels keep it under tight control."

"If there is the slightest word of defiance, arrest them and throw them into the great prison, punish them severely; the wicked shall be exiled to the frontiers."

The voice was calm.

It was filled with a chill.

I, the servant, have received the order.

Inside the hall.

Wei Xian's voice rang out immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

Just like that.

In the blink of an eye.

Seven days passed.

Inside the Da Xia Capital.

A piece of news instantly attracted attention throughout the capital.

This is it: the Da Xia Academy's enrollment announcement has been posted.

(End of chapter)