Chapter 240: That Is No Shao Bao—He Is a Celestial Immortal, [Zhibei Political Essentials]

Lu Yu looked at the decree, roughly tens of thousands of characters long; though he couldn't understand it, if it were a martial arts manual before him, he might have been more interested.

But there were people in the room!

Liu Wen, Dou Gu, and others treated the text as if they wished to enshrine it.

He could only feel: mysterious, yet awe-inspiring.

Lu Yu wondered: could his elder brother have read not Daoist texts on Mount Zhongnan, but books on statecraft?

Yu Ke's gaze slowly swept the room; outside the window, the sky was gradually turning pale.

He knew his personal simulation was nearing its end.

He hoped his direct participation this time had not been in vain.

He turned his gaze once more toward the crowd in the hall.

And behold!

Zhou Jinyu, that woman resembling a "Kunxu Reba," stared intently at the passages describing alliances among several states, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Clearly, the brilliance and audacity of these strategies far exceeded her expectations.

Liu Wen and Dou Gu meticulously examined each line of the decree; their expressions shifted as they read—from initial calmness to shock, then to deep contemplation.

Prince Zhou Cheng appeared even more focused, copying each line beside him, his pen gripped tightly as he made annotations on the paper.

Whenever he encountered a passage that moved him, he would pause, a smile lighting his face.

Yu Ke shook his head, a thought rising in his mind.

"I need only make a slight move, and I've already reached the limit of this world!"

Five thousand years of vibrant transformation—these were not written with thunder and lightning, but by the hands of ancient sages.

Yu Ke turned his gaze to Lu Yu, who had already drifted far beyond the room.

Lu Yu felt his brother's gaze and "put on an act," picking up a sheet of paper, swaying his head as he pretended to read, muttering praise:

"Brother, these few points you wrote are truly excellent!"

Yu Ke couldn't help but laugh at his younger brother's innocent, carefree demeanor, warmth rising in his heart.

This brother of his—whether meeting for the first time during the simulation in the northern camp,

or standing now in the Taihe Hall—seemed unchanged.

Yu Ke smiled faintly.

Still a pure heart!

At this moment!

Li Xuedian, the Lu Family Army's supply officer, wore the most expressive expression.

One moment he glanced at the Shao Bao, the next at the words on the paper.

His face showed utter disbelief!

One or two decrees were understandable, but thousands upon thousands written in a single night, all at once?

Li Xuedian felt he had wasted his years studying the sages.

He had once been from a great northern clan, passing the imperial examination as top scholar before turning twenty.

But after the Northern Wind's Tuoba Shu ascended the throne, his family's support for the "Second Prince" led to the extermination of his entire clan; he alone escaped.

Li Xuedian's mind brimmed with curiosity and confusion; he finally couldn't hold back and asked:

"Shao Bao, are all these exquisitely brilliant decrees entirely your own conception?"

He had always deeply admired the Shao Bao's military genius; every battle the Lu Family Army fought—winning against greater odds—proved the Shao Bao's extraordinary strategic vision and command.

On the battlefield, no one in the world could match him!

Yet!

Governing a state differed from waging war; Li Xuedian could not imagine the Shao Bao surpassing these well-read advisors in statecraft.

Then what use were they?

Yu Ke, upon hearing this, gently shook his head.

Seeing this, Li Xuedian inwardly nodded, thinking this was only reasonable.

After all, if someone truly possessed such foresight alone, it would be like a celestial immortal descending—too incredible to believe.

So!

Li Xuedian pressed further:

"Then, Shao Bao, where did these decrees come from?"

He secretly speculated that these statecraft strategies might have been the collective work of ancient sages or wise men, somehow acquired by the Shao Bao by chance.

As soon as he spoke:

Zhou Cheng leaned in, listening intently.

Dou Gu lifted his paper, awaiting Lu Chen's answer.

Liu Wen listened with rapt attention.

All eyes turned to you.

Yu Ke, hearing this, smiled faintly and said slowly:

"Gained from wandering the Immortal Realm."

"Immortal Realm?"

Li Xuedian frowned, puzzled; he knew the Shao Bao was steady and never spoke recklessly, yet "Immortal Realm" sounded too ethereal, deepening his confusion.

The others murmured softly: "Gained from the Immortal Realm?"

Yu Ke continued calmly:

"That realm is the Immortal Realm!"

"I saw people living in peace and contentment, the elderly cared for, the young nurtured, the virtuous chosen, trust upheld, harmony cultivated—doors left unlocked."

"Then, within that Immortal Realm, I conversed with celestial sages for five thousand years."

Li Xuedian grew even more confused; in today's warring states, where could such a paradise exist?

Not even in ancient times, nor in the future—likely impossible!

Perhaps only in dreams.

Zhou Jin, listening nearby, chuckled softly, her laugh clear and pleasant.

"Only immortals can reach the Immortal Realm!"

"Then the Shao Bao is no less than a celestial immortal."

As soon as she spoke:

The others froze.

Li Xuedian suddenly understood: there was no "Immortal Realm"—the Shao Bao was merely being modest.

Lu Yu merely smiled.

Yu Ke paid no mind; he looked around the Taihe Hall, where lantern light illuminated every face.

The palace maids, though yawning constantly, still forced themselves to stay alert, not daring to slack.

The brilliantly lit Taihe Hall, its ceiling adorned with lifelike golden dragon heads.

Was this truly a simulation?

Before he could ponder further!

At that moment!

He felt the 【Kunxu Cauldron】 within his mind tremble slightly.

As if an invisible force was pulling him.

【Personal Participation Time Ended.】

Immediately!

An indescribable force enveloped him; the world spun wildly.

Slowly opening his eyes, he found himself back in his familiar quarters, a complex emotion rising within him.

He moved his hands, astonished to find his body not exhausted as expected, but unusually light—as if the entire experience had been a dream.

It felt as if he had merely "subbed in."

He quickly looked at the desk before him!

When he had chosen 【Personal Participation】, Yu Ke had spilled the water from his cup onto the desk.

Now he looked:

The water had only just begun to spread.

Then!

It slowly dispersed, droplets falling to the floor.

Yu Ke withdrew his gaze, deep in thought: one night of 【Personal Participation】.

Such a time differential.

In reality, only an instant had passed.

Truly unbelievable!

Moreover!

This simulation's duration was clearly much longer than the first.

It seems "A Ding" has been quietly growing stronger!

Yu Ke gazed out the window; it was still dark.

Continue the simulation!

…………

…………

【Taihe Hall!】

【A pale fish-belly glow rose from the mountains; the morning sun climbed up, its light streaming through the windows, and long shadows stretched across the doorway.】

【Autumn in Chaoling brightens alarmingly early.】

【After dawn, the sun rose!】

【Dou Gu, Liu Wen, and the other three copied sheet after sheet of paper into bound volumes.】

【Liu Wen and Dou Gu, after consulting with the other three, asked you.】

【You paid no mind.】

【Liu Wen held the brush, Dou Gu blew on the ink to dry it, and Li Xuedian gripped the paper tightly to keep it from shifting, writing with solemn care.】

【【Essentials of Governance in Zhibei】】

(End of Chapter)