Chapter 965: Give the Emperor a simulation

In plain terms, Chen Wuji's actions appear loyal on the surface but are treacherous underneath.

This isn't a matter of who says what; it's the consensus across the Da Yu court and populace.

Jia Yujing stood up first and said, "Reporting to the Military Governor, I fear I must speak a few words of great impropriety: Da Yu… its fate is exhausted, the Court is swarming with serpents, worms, rats, and ants, and those great rats have already hollowed out Da Yu's foundations."

The present Emperor is actually a wise ruler, but alas, even the Emperor faces times when a skilled housewife cannot cook without rice. When a wall's interior and its base are full of rat holes, even the most skilled craftsman, aside from tearing it down and rebuilding, will have no good solution.

The rat holes inside the wall might be patched to hold for a while, but the countless rat holes beneath the base, unseen and untouchable, will cause the high wall to collapse with just a heavy rain.

Jia Yujing spoke very bluntly and also very arbitrarily.

Using the four words "fate exhausted" is just to say bluntly that Da Yu is finished!

Even though Chen Wuji shared the same view, he still asked, "In your opinion, does Da Yu have no way to turn the tide?"

"Exactly!" Jia Yujing glanced at Chen Wuji, his sharp yet smooth gaze suddenly becoming extremely firm and solemn, "Military Governor, Yan Yan and Ruan Yuchang, the two biggest rats, have respectively taken control of the Huangcheng and the Capital, leaving the Emperor no freedom; what chance does Da Yu have left?"

If nothing unexpected happens, before long, people all over the world will likely raise armies to support the throne, but how many of them truly sincerely wish to support and protect the emperor? Throughout history, such cases have been too many; I could easily list a great many.

Of course, this isn't absolute either; there are still loyal ministers who serve the emperor and the state, but the chances are slim. At least in ancient history, I have not seen a situation where the tide was turned back; most often, feudal lords rose in parallel and a new Court was established.

Da Yu may not perish, but it will certainly change its form!

His words were bold enough to have already sentenced the current Court to death on his own authority.

If he were in Jingcheng saying these words, countless people might already have rushed out to try to take his life.

Chen Wuji nodded and looked toward Zhao Chen.

Zhao Chen was left stunned by Jia Yujing's words, but upon feeling Chen Wuji's gaze, he immediately stood up, saying, "Military Governor, although I dare not fully agree with Jia Yujing's view, I also hold no optimism about the Court's current situation."

Tell us your differing view!

Zhao Chen took a deep breath, "Whether Da Yu can reverse the current perilous situation depends entirely on the Emperor; if the Emperor has the means to regain military authority over the Capital Region and the resolve to reorganize the court, then the present chaos will be temporary; if the Emperor cannot… the result, I fear, will be just as Jia Yujing said."

Furthermore, what I said is time‑limited. The Emperor must at least achieve this before the feudal lords grow to a certain extent, otherwise it will be useless.

Chen Wuji asked, "What exactly is the 'certain extent' you referred to?"

Before the feudal lords devour one another, for example, in the south……" Zhao Chen stopped mid‑sentence, "Just like before the feudal lords in the Southern Dynasties declared independence."

Just a few simple words made him break out in a cold sweat instantly.

Fortunately, there really was a Southern Dynasty in the past.

Zhao Chen's words not only made him nervous, but Jia Yujing was nearly scared half to death, his face turning several shades paler.

Chen Wuji, however, gave it no thought at all.

There's nothing he cannot say about what he does; there's no need to hide it.

He used not to care much, but Xu Zengyi and others repeatedly urged him to pay attention to his reputation, and only then did he deliberately focus on it; otherwise he wouldn't have cared at all.

"Man does, heaven watches"—he felt that what he did, being blameless before his conscience, was entirely appropriate.

However, from this conversation one can see that Zhao Chen is indeed a pragmatic faction, and moreover a very forthright pragmatic one.

Upon first meeting, before trust had been established, this guy almost used him as an example—something only someone with a twisted mind would dare to do.

But at the same time, it also proved Zhao Chen's ability.

His vision is extremely venomous, and he sees the overall situation with extraordinary clarity.

Chen Wuji smiled faintly and asked again, "According to your two views, can the Emperor achieve this? I often correspond with the Emperor by letter, and the Emperor's resolve is absolutely there; all you need to consider is whether, given the Emperor's current circumstances, he can accomplish the two things Zhao Chen just mentioned."

Jia Yujing and Zhao Chen were both somewhat surprised upon hearing that.

They never imagined that Chen Wuji actually corresponded with the Emperor by letter.

But is that reasonable?

The Marquis Zhenyuan's rebellious actions have long been obvious—how could His Majesty the Emperor possibly still be corresponding with him? It must be fake.

Chen Wuji saw through their doubt in their eyes and smiled faintly, saying, "You need not doubt the truth of my words; His Majesty the Emperor did not send the Elder Princess to marry me merely because he was compelled by my power."

"Given your abilities, I believe you can figure out the reason; no matter how great my power, I am merely holding fast in Nanjiang and still pose no threat to the Capital."

It so happens that Jia Yujing and Zhao Chen had indeed previously discussed this matter in private.

After all, the Elder Princess's marriage is a rare event, and for the Emperor to bestow her upon someone in Nanjiang who is practically openly rebelling as a Military Governor is even rarer still.

Naturally, the result they reached was that His Majesty the Emperor intended to use the Elder Princess's marriage and the granting of a title as a price to appease Chen Wuji, temporarily ensuring peace in Da Yu's Nanjiang region and preventing Chen Wuji from marching his troops north.

They never imagined that Chen Wuji actually had a private relationship with His Majesty the Emperor.

Although they were surprised, they quickly turned their thoughts to the question Chen Wuji had raised; this matter is hard to weigh, and both spent some time on it.

Only when the dishes began to be served did Zhao Chen speak first, saying, "Reporting to the Military Governor, even if the Emperor has sufficient resolve, turning the situation in the Capital Region around is extremely difficult."

"My reasons are roughly threefold. First, the Emperor has lost his freedom; Yan Yan controls the Huangcheng, meaning the Emperor's edicts cannot leave the Huangcheng—this is the greatest constraint."

"Second, Yan Yan is ruthless by nature; what he now values and guards against most is surely the Emperor regaining military authority, so his control over subordinates must be extremely strict."

"Even if the Emperor finds an opportunity to send his edicts out of the Huangcheng, it would still be hard to order the Loyalty and Righteousness officials to regain military authority; should this happen, Yan Yan and Ruan Yuchang would surely join forces to slaughter them."

"Third, the reason I lack hope is actually this: if the information I have been receiving is correct, the Capital Region seems to have hardly any Loyalty and Righteousness officials."