[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-nothing-is-taboo":3,"chapter-nothing-is-taboo-nothing-is-taboo-chapter-363":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Nothing Is Taboo",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2310748,4514,"Chapter 363: Foreign Ways Are Better","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-363",363,"\u003Cp>After hearing the words “new artisan,” Xu Yuan no longer cared about Gao Wanli’s origins or intentions:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She is my enemy!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The stepmother is an old artisan, and she despises new artisans above all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mere sixth-rank artisan dares to challenge the stepmother? What nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what Yan Lao wanted to say was not this—he told Xu Yuan: “Gao Wanli is an extremely stubborn new artisan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She firmly believes all ancestral mechanical arts are outdated and that today’s problems must be solved with foreign methods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She often tells people: Is it so hard to admit you’re inadequate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we’re weak, we must accept it; if others are stronger, we must learn from them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan found this utterly baffling: “Aren’t the battles we’ve fought against the Snow Saber Devils and the Red-Haired Barbarians all victories? How can our ancestors’ methods be inadequate?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Lao took a sip of wine and sighed helplessly: “It’s not just Gao Wanli—there are many in the Northern and Southern Capitals who have always distrusted the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, after several major wars with foreign powers, they’ve always insisted the court’s battle reports were falsified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We must have lost, they claim, but frontline commanders lied about their achievements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court, in turn, never exposes the lie and instead proclaims a great victory to the realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others insist that even though we won, we did so at the cost of countless lives—saying we kill one Snow Saber Devil at the price of three soldiers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They claim that sinking one small foreign sailboat in the South Seas costs us three five-hundred-dan warships!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan was even more confused: “Where do they get these numbers? Did they personally fight in the battles and count every casualty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Lao shook his head: “Who knows?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan could understand their distrust of the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, even Master Xu had to admit in his heart: the Ming Court is rotten to the core.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if you distrust the court, why do you so revere foreign ways?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The key is, the foreign powers have lost every battle against the Ming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are you trying to spin their defeats as victories with your words?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Lao glanced at the others—the banquet had reached its later stages; Shi Bading and the rest were already drunk, pulling at each other, trying to outdrink their rivals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drunkards in this state always think: The opponent is done for; if I just hold on a few more cups, he’ll fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one noticed him and Xu Yuan, so Yan Lao felt safe—he pulled Xu Yuan close, their heads nearly touching, and whispered: “Gao Wanli’s family strongly advocates buying new cannons and new ships from foreign lands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’re one of the biggest players in Zhengzhou specializing in this trade!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli came to Champa specifically to compete with you for the position of Chief of Champa, so her family can more easily transport goods bought from the Red-Haired Barbarians back to Zhengzhou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan understood: “So there are many in the court who support them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Lao smiled: “You’ve truly matured—you saw right through the scheme at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan sneered: “It’s always the same—just profit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly.” Yan Lao nodded. “The court’s procurement used to be handled entirely by the major artisan guilds in Zhengzhou; all the benefits were already divided up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some people couldn’t get a share, so they grew jealous and impatient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, if the court opens procurement from foreign lands, they can slip in and skim profits for themselves—fill their pockets to the brim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So many who support the Gao family don’t truly believe foreign goods are better—they just want the profits from buying them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan’s breath grew heavy with anger; Yan Lao patted his shoulder: “Xiao Yuan, do your job well. When you and the Commander enter the Northern Capital, you’ll have the chance to act—pluck out these parasites one by one and crush them!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Lao returned to Luocheng the next day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Yan Lao and Ma Tianshou had full confidence in Xu Yuan now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Previously, as a Police Inspector, Xu Yuan had driven out He Youxing and Xie Qingman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he’s Chief, why would he fear a mere deputy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan led his men to see Yan Lao all the way to the city gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon returning, Xu Yuan officially took over the Champa Office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The largest office room, once belonging to He Youxing, now naturally became Xu Yuan’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan sat in the main seat and tapped the table with his fingers: “Gather everyone—we’re holding a meeting.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Shi Bading, Wan Yun, Fu Jingyu, Mao Dabin, Jia Yi, Di Youzhi, and others arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did Xu Yuan tell Lang Xiao Ba: “Go fetch Senior Gao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli entered with her subordinates and found the office packed with people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only one seat remained—on Xu Yuan’s left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was different from Xie Qingman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xie Qingman had shallow roots and relied entirely on her “close friends” in the Northern Capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she took office, she brought only Wan Yun.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Gao Wanli came with two full squads provided by her family—one led by a seventh-rank Spirit Cultivator, the other by a sixth-rank Alchemy Cultivator!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli came as a “mighty dragon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, in this office, Master Xu appeared “strong and well-equipped”; Gao Wanli couldn’t help but sneer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan used “Wang Ming” to observe Gao Wanli.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t had time to look at her properly the day before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this glance revealed something…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan remained expressionless and pointed to the seat beside him: “Sit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since their first meeting, when Gao Wanli had spoken disrespectfully to him, Xu Yuan had treated her with cold arrogance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli resented that he wouldn’t even address her as “Senior Gao”; she snorted and sat down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had entered with her sixth-rank Alchemy Cultivator and seventh-rank Spirit Cultivator, but now only one chair remained—they had to stand behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli quickly decided to strike first, asserting her strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She herself was a sixth-rank Artisan Cultivator; in this age, Artisan Cultivators were held in higher esteem, and Gao Wanli had long felt her status superior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her competition with Xu Yuan for the position of Chief of Champa, she had thoroughly investigated him and knew he was merely a sixth-rank Alchemy Cultivator, with a side study in “Commercial Law,” his level uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since he’d studied Commercial Law only briefly, it couldn’t exceed seventh-rank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, in the Champa Office, there were three sixth-ranks—she controlled two.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In raw strength, she utterly surpassed Xu Yuan—why should she tolerate him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli spoke up: “Senior Xu, bring two more chairs for Mr. Lu and Mr. Jiang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The office was already cramped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no room for more chairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Xu Yuan could refuse, Gao Wanli said: “Mr. Lu is?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shi Bading and the others were genuinely surprised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli had arrived with a sixth-rank subordinate!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing their expressions, Gao Wanli was pleased—this was exactly the effect she wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She continued: “If there’s no room for more chairs, those without the right to sit should generously give up theirs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Xu Yuan coldly asked: “May I ask what positions Mr. Lu and Mr. Jiang hold in the Purification Office?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gao Wanli replied: “They hold no official posts—I’m preparing to appoint them as Police Inspectors.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Yuan replied without mercy: “Since they’re not members of my Purification Office, and today’s meeting is for the Champa Office of the Purification Office, please ask them to leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1247,"2026-06-20T12:07:24.624Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e14a691654dd911605c46a2649b0d002cf4d8e064cbbd10467457eb9fd2cb7c0","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-364","nothing-is-taboo-chapter-362",413,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fnothing-is-taboo-cover.jpg"]