[{"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-8":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},2364277,4623,"Chapter 8: Aftermath","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-8",8,"\u003Cp>Within the imperial palace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianyuan Emperor, already troubled by the front’s military defeat, turned green with rage upon hearing Prince Fu’s account.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was already burdened enough, and now his trusted right-hand man, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, had gone and created a disaster for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a secret police and law enforcement agency, their methods might be harsh, but they must still have limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This incident was a textbook case of failure: not only did they injure countless civilians, but seven retainers of the Prince's Mansion were also lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for the luck that a Hanzhong Guard Commander happened to be inside the teahouse, his own younger brother might have fallen into the hands of the criminals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Younger brother, I understand the full course of events. Please go rest for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I will make sure you receive proper redress for this unjust suffering today!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianyuan Emperor said, looking exhausted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Majesty, please take care of your imperial health!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My affairs are not urgent—it’s nothing serious, so you needn’t dwell on it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Fu immediately urged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dealing with a few lowly Embroidered Uniform Guard soldiers required no action from the Emperor—the censors’ memorials alone would see them crushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He came to the palace to complain not because the matter was small, but because it was too large—he had to make his position clear as the victim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm, I understand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianyuan Emperor nodded slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, his good elder brother would have comforted him thoroughly, but not today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The catastrophic defeat in Liaodong awaited his attention; compared to this minor failure by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, it was utterly insignificant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he left the imperial study, Prince Fu collided head-on with the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander, Gu YuanSong, who had rushed over to beg for pardon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gu YuanSong, Commander Gu, why are you rushing about like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Fu said coldly, his tone dripping with sarcasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The younger brother causes trouble; the elder brother bears the blame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A doomed Embroidered Uniform Guard Company Commander wasn’t worth lowering himself to confront.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he was going to fight, it had to be against the Embroidered Uniform Guard Commander—that was the only fitting response for his status.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Highness, forgive me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This incident was caused by my subordinates’ incompetence—I’ve already ordered a full investigation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once the results are in, I will personally come to your door to beg forgiveness with thorns on my back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But right now, military affairs are urgent—I must see His Majesty immediately. Please forgive any discourtesy!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Knowing the man before him was dangerous, Gu YuanSong swiftly yielded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Prince Fu frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man was ultimately the Emperor’s trusted confidant; if he pushed too hard, everyone’s face would be lost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Gu YuanSong had chosen to stand his ground, Prince Fu would have struck back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since the man had come straight in to apologize, it was now difficult for him to continue pressing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“See to it that your men are properly controlled—I will not tolerate a repeat of this!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the evening, Li Yuan returned to the Hou Fu, weary and burdened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As one of the core figures of the noble elite, he had once been the strongest opponent of military reform; now, with the front defeated, he was the one most eager for its success.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Military reform had indeed damaged the noble elite’s interests, but it brought great benefit to the state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Yuan had studied history and knew full well what a combat-capable army meant to a nation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianyuan Emperor had succeeded in military reform not only due to his political acumen, but also because the noble elite’s opposition had been half-hearted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their interests were too thoroughly intertwined—prosperity or ruin was shared by all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, his changed mindset was also tied to the Emperor’s sincere openness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Raised under Confucian culture, the principle that the ruler is the pillar of the minister had long been ingrained in his bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the Emperor himself had privately admitted fault, then past grievances could be laid to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now came the time to clean up the mess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, today Mu’er...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the Marquis’s wife could finish, Li Yuan waved his hand to interrupt:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know everything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just now in the palace, His Majesty mentioned his name—I sent someone to investigate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The daytime incident was purely accidental, but Mu’er has, by misfortune, gained favor—he’s now on the Emperor’s radar.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter concerns the court’s dignity and must be handled discreetly; public commendation is not possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once he enters official service, the imperial family will compensate him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Later, I will remind Mu’er to handle his relationship with Prince Fu carefully.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fanzhen princes were a special presence in the Dayu Dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could not be offended, nor could they be approached closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianyuan Emperor’s push for royal reform was largely driven by frustration with these worthless men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either they bullied the people and seized women in their fiefs, or they extorted property—local officials dared not touch them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Worst of all, they bore the blame while the real gains went to local powerful clans.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The recent Lu Wang case was a classic example.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through extortion, he seized forty thousand hectares of fertile land and ran illegal salt trade, nearly collapsing local tax revenues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the scandal erupted, the Tianyuan Emperor decided to make an example of Lu Wang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He expected to seize a fortune and relieve the court's financial crisis, but when they seized the estate, they found the Prince of Lu Mansion's annual income listed at only forty thousand taels of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excluding commercial income and attributing everything to land rents, the average annual income per hectare was just one tael of silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deeper investigation revealed that local gentry had bribed the Prince of Lu Mansion's Chief Secretary to register illegally seized lands under the Prince's Mansion name to evade imperial accountability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Prince of Lu bore the blame, while others reaped the profits—even the Prince's Mansion Chief Secretary earned more than he did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the title “foolish prince” echoed throughout the entire Dayu Dynasty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Enraged, the Tianyuan Emperor executed all the Prince's Mansion officials and exiled the foolish Prince of Lu to guard the imperial mausoleum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were more such fools among the Fanzhen princes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prince Fu had been enfeoffed before coming of age, and now he appeared to have the potential of a virtuous prince—but precisely because he might become virtuous, he was even less to be approached closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A foolish prince fraternizing with court officials was no concern to the Emperor—those men were all useless, incapable of success and guaranteed to cause failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But a revered virtuous prince was different: they were sensible, had good reputations, and if they acted, it would always be something major.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, Lady, Young Master Mu is waiting outside!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The servant’s voice rang out; the two exchanged glances, and the Hou Fu Lady spoke:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, you speak with Mu’er. I have matters in the inner quarters—I’ll take my leave.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Li Yuan understood his wife’s concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the Emperor had merely mentioned him in passing, Li Mu’s obstacles to official service had already been cleared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coming conversation would inevitably involve court affairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Women must not interfere in state matters—that was an ancestral rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In noble families, this was not strictly enforced; privately, husband and wife could discuss such things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in public, even before a nephew, it was a sign of poor upbringing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lady, go as you please.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take Mu’er to the study—I’ll join you shortly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1257,"2026-06-21T08:09:02.410Z",1,"Qwen3.5 397B","2d0ddd327264727ebbe1a8854f168cdbaf37b5e83135cd2154a584bb8bcde64f","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-9","restoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-chapter-7",391,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Frestoring-the-mountains-and-rivers-cover.jpg"]