Chapter 645: Great Momentum

Zhi Shou heard Chen Yan's words and fell silent for a long while.

To be honest, as a great master of the Buddhist Establishment, he had studied karma deeply, but no one had ever spoken to him about karma like this, and he had never thought of it that way.

But if he thought it over carefully and recalled various deeds in history, Zhi Shou couldn't help but fall silent.

He had to admit that Chen Yan's argument was truly reasonable, giving him a tremendous shock.

At the same time, Zhi Shou also understood Chen Yan's decision.

That was a tremendous resolve to either succeed or die trying.

Zhi Shou sincerely admired and said: "Before coming here, I earnestly inquired about your deeds since you took office; perhaps because my status is low, I don't know much."

"But I have walked through Weinan County, seen the local sentiments, glimpsed a corner, and guessed the whole picture."

"You have great ambition and are not lacking in great determination."

"I hope that one day you can truly realize your ambition, overturn heaven and earth, and bring more good things to this era."

Chen Yan gave Zhi Shou a deep look, slightly nodded, and said: "I thank the master's kind words; life is like a journey, and I am also a traveler."

"I dare not guarantee anything; I can only say that on this road I will keep walking."

"Perhaps one day I will reach the end, or perhaps I will fall along the road... My meaning is that before I fall, I will not stop my steps."

"Good." Zhi Shou smiled with relief, lowered his head slightly, and said: "Your Majesty, I have heard what I wanted to hear and met whom I wanted to meet."

"This parting, I fear we may never meet again."

"I wish Your Majesty peace and health."

"Master, I will see you off." Li Shimin heard Zhi Shou's meaning, wanted to rise to see him off, but the latter shook his head to stop him: "No need, Your Majesty; I am alone and have nothing to see off."

"I hereby take my leave."

After speaking, Zhi Shou stood, bowed to Li Shimin, then bowed to Chen Yan, and slowly departed.

Li Shimin and Chen Yan watched him leave, gradually disappearing inside the hall, with no one speaking.

Only after Zhi Shou walked far away and his back vanished completely did Li Shimin say: "At first, I also thought he had come to speak up for the Buddhist Establishment."

"It seems Your Majesty was mistaken." Chen Yan laughed.

Li Shimin blinked, gave him an annoyed glance, and said: "Look at all the civil and military officials, the inner and outer palace, all the people under heaven—besides you, who dares say I am wrong?"

"Looks like the Twenty Great Boards didn't hurt you at all!"

Hearing this, Chen Yan's face darkened immediately: "Your Majesty, it's not me saying this—I am truly innocent; it's all because of your dear daughter."

"She not only deceived Sizi and the Retired Emperor, but also dragged us into it—I had no idea at all."

Li Shimin: "What do you mean by my dear daughter? Isn't she your dear wife?"

"They say the husband leads and the wife follows; I don't believe you have no influence in this."

"Heavens!" Chen Yan exclaimed: "You don't know Gao Yang's nature? Her heart is completely black; whenever she gets a chance, she tries to destroy us—I am also a victim."

"Forget it." Li Shimin said disdainfully: "I don't want to argue about this with you."

"Come on, follow me out for a walk."

Having said that, he gave Chen Yan no chance to refuse and strode straight out.

Chen Yan felt helpless and had no choice but to follow.

Although I didn't know what Li Shimin intended to do, each time like this it was nothing more than sighing about life or complaining about getting old.

By the time he went out, Chen Yan had already braced himself mentally.

But this time he seemed to have misspoken.

While Li Shimin strolled with Chen Yan through the palace, he casually asked: "Zi An, what are your plans for the future?"

"Well..." Chen Yan pondered: "Actually I don't have any great plans; I intend to vigorously develop the Ministry of Revenue, see if I can find a few usable nodes, and gradually build up momentum."

"Then, in the future, I will use this magnificent momentum to crush all opposing voices."

"Is this why you earlier proposed a progressive tax but never dared to implement it?" Li Shimin chuckled: "It's just that the timing hasn't arrived yet."

Chen Yan replied: "Whether the time has come or not, why ask me? You should know it yourself."

"Let me say something you don't want to hear: when you first conquered the realm, you relied on the aristocratic meritorious nobles; governing the realm likewise depends on them, and moving them is tantamount to moving the foundation of your rule."

"Doing this, a single misstep means eternal ruin; naturally I must be cautious, cautious again, and then cautious once more."

"Bit by bit we accumulate, step by step we advance, day by day we build momentum; eventually all these will gather together to become a great momentum capable of crushing everything."

Li Shimin first nodded, then turned and asked: "Just now, Zhi Shou asked you what karma is; now I ask you a question."

"Please, Your Majesty, speak."

"What do you think... is the great momentum?"

"Great momentum..." Chen Yan pondered this question for a long time without giving an immediate answer.

Li Shimin was not in a hurry, hands behind his back, walking slowly ahead, patiently waiting.

After a long while, Chen Yan replied: "The so-called great momentum can be understood from many aspects: first, heavenly will; second, popular sentiment; third, combined force, etc."

"If we speak from the perspective of force, the so-called great momentum is not something that can be driven by a single person or single force, but the result of countless individuals, groups, forces, reforms, trends acting together."

"The direction toward which this 'combined force' points is the direction of the great momentum."

"The fall of the Sui dynasty is actually a very good example."

Li Shimin tilted his head slightly: "To sum up, then?"

Chen Yan replied calmly: "What is great momentum? That which is irreversible is great momentum; those who go with it flourish, those who go against it leave no bones."

"Then what aspect does your 'building momentum' refer to?"

"Well..." Chen Yan chuckled lightly: "There are many aspects to this; for example, the workshop I opened already barely qualifies as a technological innovation."

"As long as I maintain the workshop's stability, over time it will become another single-force great momentum aimed at one aspect."

"As long as I take the lead and persist, becoming a pioneer, later generations will surely follow my example."

"Then part of the populace will no longer have to rely solely on farming; they can support themselves through handicrafts."

Li Shimin frowned, thought for a moment, and asked doubtfully: "Why are you so sure that later people will definitely learn from you?"

"You can offer such high wages because you have a conscience; others wouldn't even talk about paying wages—they might just buy a few slaves and consider giving them a full meal a good deal."

"......"