[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers":3,"chapter-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-344":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Restoring the Mountains and Rivers",{"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},2364613,4623,"Chapter 344: Compliance Test","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-344",344,"\u003Cp>Yangxin Palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After reviewing the case files submitted by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the senior officials all grew grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the envoy’s account, the King of Annan had been internally proclaiming himself Emperor of Đại Việt for decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In recent years, it had grown worse—during foreign campaigns, he openly flew the banner of the Đại Việt Empire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had successively swallowed up over a dozen nations, including several vassal states of Great Yu, and now he was launching military operations against the Eight Burmese regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to these concrete acts of rebellion, the error in drafting the state letter had become a trivial matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, the Annamese are fiercely ambitious and have been expanding outward for decades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If we continue to tolerate them, they may become a second Northern Barbarian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Minister of Works Shen Qiyuan was the first to voice his stance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One Northern Barbarian has already thrown Great Yu into chaos; if another emerges, none of us will be able to sleep at night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great Yu has suffered misfortune after misfortune in recent years, with internal unrest and external threats erupting simultaneously, leaving this aging empire exhausted and running in all directions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Curbing Annan’s further expansion is essential, but the court’s current condition makes it unsuitable to wage war in the south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even sending troops for deterrence is beyond our means.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Annamese must have seen our weakness, which is why they chose this moment to test us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more critical the moment, the more cautious we must be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the interrogation results provided by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, after their last military expansion, Annan’s total forces neared four hundred thousand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If war breaks out along the southern frontier, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, and Guizhou will all become battlefields.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet among these four provinces, only Guangdong’s finances are self-sufficient; logistical support must come from the rear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Bai Lian rebels have not yet been crushed; the court cannot fight on multiple fronts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I recommend we handle the envoy case with extreme caution.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pang Chengjie spoke with obvious reluctance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an era that upholds \"When the lord is troubled, the minister is shamed; when the lord is humiliated, the minister dies,\" the Annamese's actions were an outright challenge to the moral bottom line of the feudal scholar-officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, everyone knew the Annamese were restless, but no one realized they harbored such grand ambitions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that the window paper had been pierced, no one could pretend not to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to ancestral tradition, we should have long since sent troops to punish them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfortunately, under fiscal pressure, this Minister of Revenue must urge restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Minister Pang speaks wisely—the envoy case must be handled with caution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To minimize fallout, the intelligence uncovered by the Embroidered Uniform Guard should not be widely circulated; suppress it for now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Border regions must also exercise restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as Annan does not provoke a major war, minor issues can be temporarily tolerated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the situation improves, we can settle accounts with Annan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Junhui immediately voiced his support.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the current circumstances, the best course is to classify the envoy case as a clerical error.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All other evidence, we pretend not to see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the possible shadows behind the envoy case, we cannot dig deeper now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply interrogating the envoy members has already unearthed so many explosive revelations; further investigation would only deepen the court’s embarrassment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Chief Grand Secretary is prudent and experienced—do it this way!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guard will oversee it—ensure all those who know remain silent. I do not wish this matter to become public gossip.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emperor Yongning gritted his teeth as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deep within his heart, he had already marked Annan for a heavy reckoning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One day, when Great Yu achieves revival, Annan will be the second kingdom he destroys.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We obey Your Majesty’s decree!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ministers replied in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wen Siyuan, Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments, broke into a cold sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earlier, to shift blame, he had reported the matter immediately, forgetting to issue a gag order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He guessed the envoy case was already spreading throughout the capital.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, trying to keep it secret was like waiting for cold tea—too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew it, but dared not tell the emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The envoy case had already made Emperor Yongning displeased with the Court of Imperial Entertainments; if he added further discomfort, he himself would suffer the consequences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief moment of panic, he quickly regained composure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether the matter could be kept secret from the outside didn’t matter—so long as the emperor believed it had been suppressed, the humiliation was as if it had never happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuchang City.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than a month had passed since the Huguang Campaign ended; aside from scattered skirmishes, Huguang had largely stabilized.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The struggle between Zhejiang and Jiangxi had temporarily come to a halt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Imperial forces had retaken most prefectures and counties in both provinces; the rest had fallen into Wu’s hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to logistical strain, imperial forces had been forced to halt operations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu, which had seized the advantage, now faced its own troubles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu had only a little over three hundred thousand troops; the remnants of Chu’s forces were nearly equal in number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With so many troops, if they were not fully reorganized, Wu could not launch any major external campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both sides had reasons to cease hostilities; miraculously, the war along the southern bank of the Yangtze River came to a standstill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The results from the capital have come in—exactly as we predicted: the court chose to ignore it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They did not investigate deeply but immediately labeled the envoy case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The seed has been planted; now we wait for it to take root and sprout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After retaking Nanjing, we can initiate the Jiaozhi campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But you must be clear—the court can offer only limited assistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even for the cost of suppressing the rebellion, the court gave us nothing but official titles, forcing us to sell them ourselves.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing the news brought by Li Yuan, Li Mu could only laugh bitterly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the principle that stability overrides all, no one cared about the details of the envoy case; everyone only wanted to bury it as quickly as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had already prepared to step forward and clean up the mess if the scheme unraveled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet all his careful planning had turned out useless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The court has released so many actual posts—don’t they fear local powers will grow too strong?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu feigned surprise and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Selling offices was also part of historical tradition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most famous practitioners could be traced back to the Eastern Han.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prices were clearly marked, honest for young and old alike; even an official position exchange market was established.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At its peak, even the Three Excellencies’ posts were put up for sale by the emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later rulers learned from this lesson, either banning the sale of offices or imposing restrictions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As history evolved, during the Mongol Yuan period, the art of selling offices flourished again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to these predecessors, Great Yu's office sales were mere child's play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pricing was chaotic, with no uniform standard, lacking brand credibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if one bought an official post, one was still looked down upon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Orthodox scholar-officials ignored them; military officers despised them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If one obtained an actual post with a formal appointment, that was one thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least one entered the ruling elite and received official status and benefits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who bought only honorary titles were purely symbolic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their privileges were limited to not bowing before officials, wearing official robes, residing in residences matching their rank, and exemption from corvée labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actual power was virtually zero; social status improved slightly, but not significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The actual posts offered by the court are mostly low-ranking positions in remote prefectures and counties, at best a seventh-rank county magistrate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if one gains local authority, influence remains extremely limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, officials have fixed terms; once their term ends, they are reassigned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the nature of these scholar-officials, such purchased offices will be prime targets for scrutiny by the Ministry of Personnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finding faults is too easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most of them, after serving one term, will be sent home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If their conduct is even slightly more egregious, the Three Judicial Offices can unite to investigate corruption and sweep them all away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yuan spoke with disdain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such low-ranking posts, whether civil or military, held no appeal for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially in remote regions—positions no one wanted. A single recommendation letter to the Ministry of Personnel could secure one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, you’ve guessed wrong this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once the sale of offices begins, it cannot be stopped.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The imperial examination path is not easy, even for scholarly families—not everyone can pass to become a jinshi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the early stages, people looked down on these bought-offices; aristocratic sons felt it would shame them and refused to stoop so low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only merchants and wealthy country landowners could afford such maneuvers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Over time, people gradually grew accustomed to it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Formerly excluded family members from non-official lineages also began to shift their views.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Local great clans happily placed their own kin in government offices to serve their interests.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once they entered officialdom through donation, the situation changed entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of Personnel enforces strict controls—but only against outsiders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it comes to connections, they still show leniency.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As time passed, the number of those entering officialdom through donation kept rising, and their career ceilings were continually broken.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu shook his head and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These weren’t his wild guesses—they had actually happened in his past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many had risen through donation to become Ministers of the Six Ministries or Grand Councilors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the dynasty’s final years, after the imperial examination system was abolished, donation became the primary route into office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation continued to deteriorate; the court needed money and grain to sustain its rule, and resorted to poison to quench its thirst.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the later stages, it was inevitable that donation would crowd out examination-based appointments.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These issues could indeed occur, but the likelihood is low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You know the Emperor’s nature—he won’t trust those who bought their way into office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All officials rose through merit; they won’t allow the court’s talent selection system to be shattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adding a few more donated officials won’t change the balance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget it—these troubles are the civil officials’ problem to worry about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Currently, the court sells only civil posts as real positions; military posts are all nominal and have little to do with us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yuan smiled and said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court sells offices this way partly because civil posts are easier to sell, and partly because they dare not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Civil officials, no matter how corrupt, can at most cause local suffering without threatening Great Yu’s foundations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Military commanders are different—real posts mean command over troops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If they develop dangerous ambitions, unrest could erupt at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Especially when signs of major turmoil emerge, the court’s vigilance over military power far exceeds any previous era.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, since matters are settled, I’ll return to Liangguang to prepare.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Mu said calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To secure support from the noble elite, all future campaign merits had already been traded away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under these circumstances, it was clearly inappropriate for me, the ever-victorious general, to remain on the front lines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, even if others won battles, outsiders would suspect I was directing them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First-impression bias is hard to change.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best choice is to hold the rear, relinquishing frontline command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The situation has now reached a point where imperial forces hold the upper hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All that remains is steady, methodical pressure to gradually shrink the rebel forces’ operational space until they’re annihilated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Replacing me with someone else would merely prolong the suppression and increase losses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You really should return—married for years with no child? What does that look like?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Your top priority is to produce an heir as soon as possible, to pass on the legacy of your Han River Marquisate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing his uncle push him to sire a child, Li Mu looked utterly aggrieved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For the past few years, he’d either been commanding battles or on his way to command them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With spouses separated for long periods, conceiving a child would be the real anomaly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uncle, rest assured—I’ll hurry this along.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He agreed readily on the surface, but inside, Li Mu had no confidence at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This return would grant him at most a few months’ rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the front-line campaign faltered, he’d be sent back to battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great Yu’s medical conditions are limited; pregnancy depends on luck—no one can guarantee conception within this window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nanjingcheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Emperor’s rescue plan failed; the court pulled off a substitution—the prisoner in the cart was a condemned criminal impersonating Prince Chu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The real Prince Chu has been secretly transported to the capital; his current whereabouts are unknown.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Jingren feigned sorrow as he spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The rescue attempt for Prince Chu Wang Weijiarui was purely a political theater.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu had absorbed much of Chu’s legacy; now, Wu’s high command wanted Wang Weijiarui dead most of all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But out of consideration for Chu’s surrendered officials, they staged a rescue doomed to fail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Wang and I are inseparable—I must rescue him from the court’s grasp.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Contact all White Lotus adherents, quickly determine the convoy’s location, then dispatch elite troops to save him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Haoxuan immediately ordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those unaware of their relationship might truly be moved by this brotherly sentiment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But anyone with eyes knew—if their bond were truly so strong, the White Lotus Holy State would never have split.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, I swear I will spare no effort to rescue Prince Chu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yang Jingren’s reply was full of artistry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It sounded eager, but only promised maximum effort—not guaranteed success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, here is the latest reorganization plan—please review!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of War’s Minister Fan Xiwen’s words drew the attention of Prince Chu’s former officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Army reorganization directly affected their interests; they could no longer afford to care about Wang Weijiarui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caring for their old lord was merely to demonstrate loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no matter how much loyalty they displayed, they had all defected to Wu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Chu Wang Weijiarui’s death at the court’s hands was the best outcome for all of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he were rescued, they—the former officers—would be the most embarrassed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I find this plan excellent. Let’s all discuss it—any objections may be raised.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After today, we will implement the reorganization according to the agreed rules.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fu Haoxuan spoke lightly, but the former Chu generals were tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None were fools; they knew their position well—they had no power to refuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pretending to invite opinions was merely a loyalty test.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Emperor already said the plan was good; criticizing it meant slapping the Emperor’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anyone who dared that had no future in Wu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",2458,"2026-06-21T08:09:04.021Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","37ce1e6c00f740d51ef4f6cc7bcc31e437d4b25f57dd1c0fb3ff9b27334cea05","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-345","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-343",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]