Chapter 665: The Emperor Has No Private Affairs, He Establishes the Realm

As Luo Fu neared his proclamation as king and establishment of his court.

Jinling, the former capital of the fallen dynasty, had grown increasingly bustling and lively.

Daqing operated under a dual-capital system, with its northern and southern capitals resembling those of the Ming.

Logically, Jinling—as the birthplace of Daqing’s rise—should not have so swiftly and completely submitted to Luo Fu.

But the southern gentry of Daqing were no different from those of late Ming: self-serving, preoccupied with their own interests; when Luo Tian’s army spread its edicts and secured the region, every noble and scholar rushed to pledge loyalty to Luo Fu, leaving no time or energy to restore the old capital.

Because Luo Fu had seized only half the empire and had not yet launched large-scale purges against former Daqing officials, these men mistakenly believed that even with the old order overturned, they could continue their revelry and retain their wealth and status.

This had made Luo Fu appear, in the southern lands, as the undisputed choice of the people.

To some extent, Luo Fu’s current strategy resembled the Qing’s entry into the pass: first deceive the gentry into joining his side, then, once the realm stabilized, seize land, shave heads, and change clothing.

One must admit, the Qing handled this with remarkable cunning: when the gentry realized they had been deceived and the Qing revealed its fangs, they had lost all capacity to resist, for the Ming system had already been shattered; in their scattered state, they were powerless before the executioner’s blade.

Of course, Luo Fu would never be as brutal as the Qing.

Even these so-called gentry, he would not slaughter en masse as the Qing did—but the former Daqing officials would certainly not enjoy any special status in the new dynasty, and neither would these gentry escape misfortune.

Jia Yucun, who had defected to Luo Fu and actively helped spread his edicts to secure southern cities, changing their banners and flags, was tasked with stabilizing the southern base.

Although Luo Fu’s true base lay in himself and his twenty-thousand-strong Luo Tian Army—each man capable of holding off a hundred, their yang qi strong enough to shatter gods and earth spirits—the moment the south fell, Luo Fu would not plunder and leave; he would develop it as a foundational territory.

This required the south to remain stable in operation until the northern Daqing was utterly defeated.

At the very least, the regional gentry must not drag Luo Fu’s heels.

In this, Jia Yucun performed exceptionally well; moreover, upon his return, he brought Luo Fu a gift.

“Shifei, Itachi’ve done excellently. Itachi’ve worked hard!”

After reading the surrender petitions and petitions urging him to ascend the throne that Jia Yucun had submitted from across the south, Luo Fu could not help but admire him even more.

One must admit, though Jia Yucun was ungrateful and treacherous, he was undeniably capable; otherwise, he would never have drawn Lin Ruhai’s attention.

Lin Ruhai valued Jia Yucun not merely because he was handsome, with a face of upright, dignified features.

Though Lin Ruhai’s personal abilities were not top-tier, he was still an outstanding talent; Jia Yucun had first won the favor of both Lin Ruhai and Wang Ziteng—his ability was the true key.

“Your Highness flatters me. This is my duty—how dare I speak of hardship? Your Highness wages war against the tyrannical Daqing, follows heavenly principle, responds to the people’s will, and replaces the old with the new—that is true hardship.” Jia Yucun bowed deeply, his expression solemn, utterly devoid of flattery: “Your Highness, please take great care of your health.”

Luo Fu knew Jia Yucun’s real point was coming.

Sure enough, he shifted tone, adopting a considerate air: “Your Highness, the people of the south are deeply grateful to Itachi and have specially entrusted me to present several maidservants to attend Itachi. Your Highness bears the fate of millions—I could not refuse outright, so I accepted only two. One of them is even a Buddhist disciple who has taken vows but still retains her hair, praying for your blessing. Please, Your Highness, do not refuse. The south’s loyalty to Itachi is wholehearted; Itachi must not discourage the gentry’s devotion!”

Jia Yucun truly had skill: he presented women as if refusing them would offend the southern gentry.

More crucially, he clearly understood that a Buddhist disciple with hair intact would, in the future, become a form of erotic allure.

This was not merely Jia Yucun’s own scheme—it had long been a practice among the gentry.

Just as in Luo Fu’s previous life, there were four famous categories: the slender horses of Yangzhou, the wives of Datong, the nuns of Mount Tai, and the boatwomen of West Lake.

Among them, the nuns of Mount Tai were the ancient version of uniform fetish.

When Luo Fu saw the names of the two so-called maidservants, he could not help but sigh.

Whether ancient or modern, no wonder so many chased after power—truly, the taste of wielding supreme authority was intoxicating.

Had Luo Fu never entered the shared space, never raised rebellion, never seized half the empire, he would have been powerless.

Even with his exceptional talent, to gather all the Golden Hairpins of Dream of the Red Chamber into his arms, he would have had to consider every faction.

But now, with only Lin Daiyu—because Luo Fu had just captured Yangzhou and his troops were mostly rough men from the Caobang , with no scholar-gentry class—he urgently needed such people to help build his organization, with a degree of political marriage involved.

As for the others—Xue Baochai, Xue Baoqin, Xiangling, and now Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan, who would soon arrive—Luo Fu need not lift a finger; even without expressing desire, people would come to him voluntarily.

When Luo Fu finally secures the realm, whether the Twelve Beauties of the main, secondary, or tertiary rolls, all will be his—merely by hinting at his wish, countless others will rush to fulfill it.

Luo Fu understood his own position clearly.

The world he inhabited had an extremely low ceiling; the so-called gods and earth spirits depended merely on human incense and worship.

Even before this shared space, Luo Fu had already possessed the power to seize all Three Realms.

Under these conditions, his potential for power growth was severely limited.

His only possible path was to unify the realm, integrate the Three Realms, and consolidate the three titles—Heavenly Emperor, Human Sovereign, and Yin Emperor—into himself.

As for thoughts of elevating the world itself, Luo Fu had entertained them—but he knew such a feat could not be accomplished by mere impulse.

After all, among all the Luo Fus in the shared space, who had truly propelled world elevation?

Including, but not limited to, the Demon Luo Fu, the Qinyu Nian Luo Fu, the Naruto Luo Fu—they each forged distinct systems, yet remained within the world’s original framework, never advancing it further.

Enhancing one’s own power and elevating the world were entirely different concepts.

In fact, this was precisely where nearly all Luo Fus were now stuck.

With no clear path to elevate the world, wielding supreme authority and reclining on beauties’ knees became the natural choice for all Luo Fus.

Among these, wielding supreme authority was the prerequisite; reclining on beauties’ knees was the inevitable consequence.

When one held supreme power—especially as a founding sovereign—even the moral and ethical constraints that gentry used to check a peaceful emperor were trampled underfoot by the revolutionary founder.

No one dared challenge the authority of a founding sovereign.

Even if Luo Fu merely hinted at a preference, countless others would rush to fulfill it—exceeding expectations.

Just as Jia Yucun did now: Luo Fu’s original order to him was merely to respond to the southern cities that had surrendered under edict, ensuring their banners were changed.

Yet in the process, Jia Yucun had casually, like gathering grass while chasing rabbits, delivered Miaoyu—the main roll of the Twelve Beauties of Jinling—and Xing Xiuyan—the secondary roll.

Clearly, the allure of power was intoxicating.

At this stage, Jia Yucun remained highly useful to Luo Fu—he was, in fact, a very convenient tool.

Jia Yucun might not be a good man, but in Luo Fu’s eyes, he was an exceptionally useful tool.

Since Luo Fu intended to use Jia Yucun as a tool, he must also reassure him.

Smiling faintly, Luo Fu spoke in an intimate tone: “Shifei, the realm is not yet stable, the world not yet unified—wouldn’t that make people think I am a debauched, foolish ruler?”

Jia Yucun clearly heard the insincere tone in Luo Fu’s voice—and the false warmth.

His face, already full of upright dignity, now radiated even greater fervor.

“Your Highness errs. The way of civil and military rule requires balance—since rising in rebellion, Your Highness has never rested a moment. Now that the south is secured, it is only right to consider your heirs. How could this be called debauchery? It is a necessary act to stabilize the realm!”

In mere words, Jia Yucun transformed Luo Fu’s concubine-collecting into a selfless act for the realm’s stability.

Your Highness is mistaken; the way of civil and military affairs requires tension and relaxation. Since your Highness raised troops, Itachi have never rested for a moment, and now the south is firmly secured. It is only natural to consider the succession—how could this be seen as indulgence in wine and lust? It is done out of necessity to stabilize the realm.

In feudal times, in a certain sense, the emperor had no private affairs—especially regarding succession, where even a slight misstep risked shaking the very foundation of the state.

Luo Fu’s greatest weakness now was his lack of an heir.

He was still young, but if he were any other founding sovereign who had seized half the empire without a son, the situation would be terrifying.

The emperor’s sons were always an extremely serious matter—indeed, a matter of national survival.

When Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang learned of Zhu Biao’s birth while besieging Jiqing, he was so elated he carved a stone on the mountain: “He who comes to this mountain shall never lack heirs.”

When Emperor Wu of Han remained childless for years, the moment Consort Wei gave birth to Crown Prince Liu Ju, he immediately made her Empress—demonstrating how, in feudal times, heirs were a matter of life and death for any leader.

Luo Fu’s age was truly shocking—he had seized half the empire before reaching adulthood.

Under these circumstances, his heir was the single most pressing concern for every officer and scholar in the Luo Tian Army.

For other emperors, being flooded with gifts of women would damage their reputation—but for Luo Fu, refusal would make his ministers suspect his intentions.

Since taking Jinling, many cities surrendered swiftly under edict—perhaps partly because he had taken Xue Baochai into his palace.

Setting aside all else, from the standpoint of his ministers, Luo Fu taking Xue Baochai—regardless of her origin—proved one thing: his body was sound; his lack of heirs was merely due to youth.

Merely by taking Xue Baochai, he had secured the loyalty of many who had previously wavered.

But this was not enough. As a future emperor—especially a founding sovereign—Luo Fu must prove to his subordinates that his body was sound; the best way was to take many concubines and produce heirs.

If Luo Fu had an heir, it meant the new dynasty would not lack succession.

If he had no child—especially a son to inherit the throne—the consequences would be terrifying. How many knew of Luo Fu’s divine powers?

Governing the mortal realm could not rely on religious faith.

Even if Luo Fu were truly immortal, that was a future matter—now, he must prove to the fence-sitters that the new dynasty’s succession was secure.

One must admit, Jia Yucun had given Luo Fu an exquisite justification—and one that was, at this stage, the best and only choice to stabilize hearts.

Instantly grasping this, Luo Fu’s gaze toward Jia Yucun grew even more appreciative.

Only Jia Yucun could say such a thing; others under Luo Fu either lacked the status or the audacity.

The former were the Luo Tian soldiers granted the Yuan Energy Seed and bloodline powers; the latter were men like Lin Ruhai.

But Lin Ruhai had been resurrected by Luo Fu—he knew Luo Fu’s divine powers, and thus did not view him as an ordinary mortal emperor.

Aside from Lin Ruhai and Luo Tian soldiers, others either lacked the standing to advise Luo Fu, or considered themselves too upright to speak such words.

Only Jia Yucun—the man who would do anything to climb—could use this method to draw closer to Luo Fu while consolidating the new dynasty’s foundation.

Nodding slightly, Luo Fu said: “Shifei, bring the two maidens.”

Hearing Luo Fu refer to Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan as “maidens,” Jia Yucun’s heart leapt with joy.

He hurriedly summoned the two women, who had waited outside the hall for a long time.

After bringing Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan in, Jia Yucun wisely took his leave at once.

Soon, the hall held only Luo Fu, the trembling and fearful Xing Xiuyan, and the uncertain Miaoyu.

In a short time, the grand hall was left with only Luo Fu, Xing Xiuyan, her face filled with anxious unease, and Miao Yu, her thoughts unsettled.

(End of chapter)