The wise monarchs of ancient times once used grand court ceremonies to attract talented individuals. Though the Emperor’s purpose in doing so today differs, the effect remains the same.
The Emperor sees clearly – not oblivious to the undercurrents within Jianping – and possesses means to restrain her ministers. Yet, having the situation entirely under her control, she still chooses to extend leniency.
Yuan Yanshi nodded and sighed, “This is what is meant by ‘holding the world with virtue.'”
He had once worried that the Emperor leaned more toward authority than virtue, only now realizing it was an unnecessary concern. A ruler like the present emperor, possessing both capability and magnanimity, would undoubtedly become a sovereign of remarkable achievement, no matter the era!
At this moment, Wen Yanran, who was not watching the Nuo dance up close, was actually not far from the bonfire.
She was seated inside a typically unused palace hall, gazing into the distance by the window, surrounded by the imperial guards ensuring the Emperor’s safety.
The captain surnamed Zhang had been brought here and was now kneeling to one side.
This captain’s name was Zhang Liang. After a meticulous investigation by the Oblique Dungeon, it was discovered that this was indeed his real name. The reason he had not been found suspicious earlier was precisely because the identity he assumed was authentic.
Zhang Liang came from a respectable family in the Central Plains. In his youth, lacking opportunities for official appointments, he became a wandering knight. Once, encountering bandits, he remained undaunted in the face of danger and drove them off, earning him some renown. The local officials wanted to recommend Zhang Liang to the central camp, but just then, his elder family members passed away. Due to the mourning period, he couldn’t immediately join the imperial guard. By the time the mourning ended, it was already the late Changxing era, and the realm fell into turmoil. One by one, Zhang Liang’s remaining relatives perished from starvation. He alone survived thanks to a passing Taoist, Xuanyangzi, who saved his life. Grateful for this kindness, Zhang Liang began working tirelessly for Xuanyangzi from then on.
Because Zhang Liang sought nothing beyond repaying this debt of gratitude, he always appeared diligent and uncomplaining in his duties. After the imperial guard rebellion and the events at Northern Park, the three guard divisions repeatedly purged their ranks. For his superior, Yan Xiaolou, who valued merit and talent above all, this actually made it easier for Zhang Liang to stand out and rise through the ranks.
Wen Yanran gazed at the smoke rising from the burning letters, the distant flames dancing in her dark eyes. Since this was only a temporary stop, not many candles had been lit within the hall. Even those nearby found it difficult to discern the Emperor’s expression, sensing only the absence of any obvious joy or anger on that face.
Zhang Liang said in a hoarse voice, “Such petty tricks indeed cannot deceive Your Majesty.”
Since he had prepared for assassination, whether he succeeded or failed, his identity as a subordinate of Xuanyangzi would be impossible to conceal. Therefore, among the correspondence left at his home, while most were genuine, quite a few were counterfeit items passed off as genuine. The key was to mix truth with falsehood, using various information to confuse the court’s judgment and muddy the waters further. If the Emperor believed the contents of the letters and cut off his own trusted aides, that would naturally be better. Otherwise, even if it only planted a thorn in people’s hearts, preventing harmonious relations between the Great Zhou ruler and her ministers, that would not be a bad outcome either.
However, this Emperor, capable of inferring the current situation from the grain theft incident, would naturally not have her judgment clouded by such schemes.
Zhang Liang couldn’t help but ask, “Among those who wrote the letters, there are also those who genuinely harbored divided loyalties and secretly corresponded with us. Does Your Majesty truly not wish to know who they are?”
It is difficult for people to resist their own nature. Some, even knowing full well that letters might contain an enemy’s malicious intent, cannot help but open them to look. And once opened, a ruler’s heart will inevitably harbor some misgivings, while ministers will consequently become apprehensive and suspicious.
Yet now, all those schemes aimed at undermining the mind were being reduced to ashes by the flames.
Wen Yanran smiled. “I truly do not wish to know.”
Even if those people genuinely harbored divided loyalties, in the long run, it would not hinder her in any way.
Wen Yanran glanced at the rebel on the ground and instructed her attendants, “Demote this man to an official menial and send him to Liubo Canal tomorrow to dredge the river for five years.”
Zhang Liang was silent for a moment, then said, “Your Majesty might as well kill me instead.” Lifting his head, he continued, “If Your Majesty releases a tiger back to the mountains, that fierce tiger will eventually return.”
As a wandering knight, as long as he lived, he could not abandon the mission of avenging Xuanyangzi. Yet he also felt grateful to Yan Xiaolou for his promotion and did not wish to continue implicating him.
Wen Yanran rose to her feet, looking down at the man on the ground from her height. With a faint, ambiguous smile, she said, “If that is the case, I shall wait and see with keen interest.”
As long as they were not rebels who could immediately threaten her life, Wen Yanran was willing to appear somewhat lenient, sparing their lives first to add bricks and tiles to her future path as a tyrannical ruler.
Zhang Liang abruptly lifted his head, casting a glance at the Emperor as if wanting to say something. However, in the end, he remained silent and was led away by the imperial guards without any resistance.
As night had already fallen, Wen Yanran instructed the eunuchs to escort the ministers who had entered the palace to watch the Nuo dance safely back to their residences. She herself boarded the carriage and returned to Western Yong Palace. But just at that moment, the system panel began flickering abnormally once again.
Back when she had first transmigrated into this world, the system had displayed certain prompts resembling current objectives, such as “Ascend the Throne” and “Rebellion in Jianping.” However, since then, it has not given any new main tasks.
Wen Yanran had never understood the operating mechanism of Guide to Becoming a Tyrant. She didn’t know that after she had resolved the “Rebellion in Jianping” with a wave of extreme actions before it had even officially begun, the system had activated an emergency protocol. It temporarily disabled the display function for the current main quest to prevent giving the player any hints. Other similar information was also block as much as possible, to prevent the individual concerned from straying further and further down the wrong path.
However, the system failed to realize that the path a player ultimately takes is not solely determined by system prompts, but also by their personal actions and choices.
Wen Yanran gazed at the suddenly appearing prompts on the panel – “Local Rebellion (I),” “Local Rebellion (II),” and “Trouble Breeds Within the Walls.” Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Local Rebellion (I)” and “Local Rebellion (II)” clearly referred to the Western Tribes unrest and the Eastern Region rebellion. These two quests should have appeared long before she set out for Shangxing Pass. Yet they had only just now surfaced, a delay that clearly could no longer be explained by mere information lag.
If system prompts are constantly malfunctioning, they’re probably useless.
Wen Yanran’s luck hadn’t been great even before her transmigration – she often encountered bugs while playing games – and things didn’t seem to have improved much after crossing over. Of course, considering the insufficient power of the world’s will, this might not be entirely due to her luck.
After mentally grumbling about the system for a bit, Wen Yanran, now gradually accustomed to the extent of her cheat device’s uselessness, could even find some solace in her predicament. She mused that perhaps her compatibility with Guide to Becoming a Tyrant was actually quite high – given the limited functionality of this golden finger and its frequent bugs, it really required a player like her, who didn’t strictly follow the game’s prompts, to step up and carry the game.
Many ministers in the capital sensed that the current emperor’s enthusiasm for work far exceeded her interest in attending banquets. Even during the New Year period, she maintained constant correspondence with the Eastern Region. Because the war in the Eastern Region was still in a critical concluding phase, neither the Ministry of War nor the Ministry of Revenue could enjoy holidays like other departments. However, to ensure that the ministers’ social obligations were not affected, Wen Yanran arranged for the officials in those ministries to work in shifts, essentially allowing them to work one day and rest the next.
Today, she had summoned the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy and Lu Yuanguang to inquire about the progress of establishing local government schools.
In this era, the daily grain consumption of an adult was about four liter, with children receiving half that amount. A single township had a population of roughly ten thousand households, each containing four to ten people, averaging around six. Thus, even in just one township, the number of children exceeded ten thousand. Considering only their food requirements, this would necessitate at least thirteen to twenty six thousand tons of grain annually.
Fortunately, both the government schools and the township schools were established by the imperial court and were engaged in the virtuous endeavor of education and cultural enlightenment. Even the powerful local clans, if only for the sake of their own reputations, would be willing to provide financial support.
Wen Yanran integrated the government and township schools with the government-managed farm, setting aside a portion of farmland in each colony specifically to support the schools with their yields.
“The current situation is promising. This year, we can try implementing this in Dan and Tai Provinces as well.”
Wen Yanran added, “I would appreciate it, Chancellor, if you could compile a list of books suitable for teaching students in the official schools.”
The current Chancellor of the Imperial Academy came from the Wen imperial family. With the Imperial Academy gradually becoming marginalized and losing its former status, he had primarily been coasting along, never expecting to encounter such an energetic new emperor…
After all, it was still the New Year period, so Wen Yanran did not keep her ministers in the palace for too long. Just an hour later, she dismissed the two. As they left, Lu Yuanguang appeared spirited, looking as if she could continue working overtime. As for the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, his body language perfectly illustrated what it meant to be distracted and light on his feet.
In Western Yong Palace, Chi Yi held a wooden tray containing letters from the Eastern Region – Tao Jia, despite his authority to act on the Emperor’s behalf with the imperial seal, never forgot to communicate the situation at the front with Jianping. With his mature and steady nature, he carried out the mopping-up operations after the rebellion without the slightest hint of impatience, preferring to proceed slowly rather than rashly, leaving the enemy no opportunity to stir up trouble. Additionally, Chu Fu had also written a letter, beginning with an apology, expressing regret that he could no longer tutor the two princes in calligraphy on behalf of the Emperor, and begging Her Majesty’s forgiveness for breaking his promise.
Back then, in order to force Sun Wuji to retreat, Chu Fu had directly set the Right Camp ablaze. This location was a crucial stronghold in the eastern passes, and its reconstruction would require an incalculable amount of manpower and resources. Although he felt no regret, he remained uneasy and thus wished to stay in the Eastern Region to participate in the rebuilding efforts. He also recommended his niece, Chu Sui, to the Emperor.
Chu Sui, who had originally wanted to retire into seclusion: “…”
She suspected that escaping with her life from the rebel forces had already overdrawn all the luck from the second half of her life. So much so that she didn’t even have time to celebrate the New Year; under her uncle’s arrangements, she simply packed her bags and followed the courier’s convoy all the way to Jianping. For now, she was temporarily settled in the Chu family residence.
After reading Chu Fu’s letter, Wen Yanran said to Chi Yi, “Since Minister Chu’s household has gained a new member, send an additional festive gift as a gesture.” Then she added with a smile, “The Junior Minister Chu held the prestigious title of Strategist General in the Eastern Region, but here in my court, I’m afraid she’ll have to start from a minor position. After the New Year, let Junior Minister Chu spend some time at the Imperial Academy. With her outstanding scholarship, she should be well-suited to serve as a teacher to students.”
Chi Yi couldn’t help but smile. Chu Sui’s scholarly abilities were indeed exceptional, and she had accumulated numerous writings over time. This was precisely why Dian Wue and others had been able to piece together a complete polemic from fragments of her work. Although the court had since clarified the matter, in this era, information traveled slowly, and corrective news spread even slower. For many years to come, that polemic would likely continue circulating under Chu Sui’s name.
