Chapter 298 - 186: Called Wanwan

Chapter 298: Chapter 186: Called Wanwan

He said no more, simply closing his eyes again. The Bodhi Seed in his hand resumed its slow rotation, one bead passing after another.

"I understand."

~~~~~~~~~~

「During the fourth watch.」

The watchman’s clapper had just sounded, and Luoyang City was still sunk in a night as black as ink.

The village headmen of several wards were secretly led to an abandoned warehouse in the south of the city.

Cobwebs hung from the warehouse beams, and moldy fodder was piled in the corners. In the center of the room, an oil lamp on a broken wooden table cast a dim yellow glow, barely illuminating a series of perplexed and uneasy faces.

A man in a dark cyan robe stood on an overturned wooden crate, his hands clasped behind his back. His figure blended into the shadows; only his voice came through clearly.

"The Holy One now presides over the court. Her virtue blankets the common people, and her grace extends to the wildlands. The populace, basking in her benevolent transformation, now turns their hearts toward the palace. They wish to spontaneously express their sincere support. You are all elders of your wards, well-versed in the ways of the world. I trust I do not need to explain the details."

The old village headman at the front, whose surname was Chen, spoke with a stooped back and a trembling voice. "Your Excellency, forgive my impertinence. About this ’spontaneous’ display... what is the procedure? This old man is slow. I’m afraid I might not grasp it correctly and ruin this important affair."

The man chuckled softly and produced a name register from his sleeve. "It’s the same as last time. However, this time, each ward must supply people according to the household registers. There must be men and women, old and young. At 7:00 AM tomorrow, you will assemble by ward in front of the Vermilion Bird Gate. Not a single person can be missing."

"What if... someone is unwell? Or... or what if they simply refuse to come?"

"We’re counting heads. For each person who shows up, their household will be exempt from half of this year’s mandatory labor. For those who don’t..." He paused. "The prisons of Jingzhao Prefecture have been rather empty lately."

A younger village headman in the corner couldn’t help but ask in a low voice, "Your Excellency, you still haven’t told us what the plan is this time?"

"Cry when it’s time to cry, laugh when it’s time to laugh, and shout when it’s time to shout."

The man’s gaze seemed to sweep over, and the younger man immediately lowered his head.

"It’s only eight words, not difficult. You’ll get it after practicing it twice."

Outside the warehouse, several carriages were being quietly unloaded. The chests were opened to reveal brand-new coarse cloth clothes, deliberately made to look old, yet clean and neat.

~~~~~~~~~~

「Daybreak.」

Soldiers posted a proclamation outside the Imperial Palace.

Many people crowded around to look.

"...For the six prefectures suffering a locust plague this year, the grain tax is fully waived, and the silk tax is halved... For the four provinces, impoverished due to the salt trade, the salt tax is reduced by thirty percent, and the land tax is reduced by three-tenths..."

Someone said in surprise, "The Eldest Princess is canceling taxes."

News of the tax exemption would be posted here first, and later announced in every city in Great Xia. Since the notice was already up in Luoyang, it was only a matter of time before express riders carried the decree to every other affected city in Great Xia.

"...Where land is scarce and the population dense, We now grant special permission for households to relocate to Luoyang. Those who migrate from... and other such provinces to Luoyang and its surrounding Ji Counties will be exempt from taxes for two years."

One piece of good news after another was read out.

Before long, the crowd of onlookers erupted into a powerful cheer.

It is unknown who in the crowd was the first to shout out the phrase—one that had long been circulating, but never spoken so clearly.

"The Holy Mother arrives, may the empire prosper forever."

And so, the crowd’s emotions were thoroughly ignited.

"The Holy Mother arrives, may the empire prosper forever."

The crowd repeated the slogan endlessly. The sound swelled, wave after wave, finally merging into a veritable sea of voices.

And amid this vast crowd was an inconspicuous old woman with a stooped back, carrying a bamboo basket.

Her husband and children had all died on the battlefield; now, she had nothing left.

The old woman felt the rice tucked into her robes.

It was hard, real. Someone had given it to her before she came, telling her that her bereavement stipend would be issued soon.

So.

’Who cares who becomes the emperor? As long as there’s rice for the pot, I won’t have to go hungry tonight.’

So she too joined the chant: "The Holy Mother arrives, may the empire prosper forever."

The crowd began to surge into the streets.

Several people who looked like ordinary citizens but had exceptionally bright eyes walked at the forefront, guiding the crowd’s direction. The slogans became increasingly uniform, the sound so powerful it startled sparrows into flight from the eaves.

Not far away, someone slipped silently into a secluded alley.

"Go report back. The momentum is set. No one can stop the petition now."

In truth, this was not the first public petition.

Before General Shi returned to court, around the time the rebel princes were suppressed, there had already been one petition in Luoyang. The momentum at that time was not nearly as great, and it didn’t even stir the majority of the populace.

The officials of Luoyang were already well aware of Leng Xuanshuang’s intentions. No one who was qualified to stand in the imperial court was a fool.

Moreover, the historical records were clear: the story of the Holy Virtue Empress from several hundred years ago was still fresh in everyone’s minds. Leng Xuanshuang was practically copying the Holy Virtue Empress’s methods to the letter.

Thus, that first petition had stirred up resistance as heavy as a mountain within the imperial court.

The wave of opposition was so fierce that the entire affair lasted only a single morning before Leng Xuanshuang personally suppressed it, on the grounds of disturbing the peace of the Capital City.

But today was different.

To say nothing of the fact that today’s crowd of petitioners was several times larger than the last, encompassing people from nearly every social class.

The imperial court itself had also changed drastically.

In two years, through a series of demotions and appointments, many had died. The court’s blood had been replaced. And now, General Shi, with his earth-shattering merits, stood firmly behind Leng Xuanshuang.

Therefore, even if a few old ministers who hoped to return power to the former ruler remained, it was already futile. Their last-ditch effort had been personally crushed by Leng Xuanshuang several days prior, using the Young Emperor’s own mouth.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Young Master Lu, do you think Leng Xuanshuang can succeed?"

Lu Changyuan glanced at the Little Ancestor of the Compassionate Palace, who was holding his hand.

The commotion had woken him, and he’d decided to come out and see what was going on. But the Silver-haired Maiden, who had been pretending to be asleep, immediately followed him.

That left only the Black Skirt Fairy sleeping soundly in the inn... along with a fox.

’So much for the pure and desire-free Third Princess being artless.’

"Her surname is Leng."

Lu Changyuan couldn’t help but think of his own disciple.

His disciple had told him at the time, "Because I am also of the Royal Family and share the surname Leng, the ministers thought that even if I didn’t return the throne to my younger brother, as long as I eventually married and had a child, the throne would still belong to the Leng Family. That’s why they didn’t fight me to the bitter end."

Naturally, the ministers of the Holy Virtue Empress’s reign could never have guessed that their Empress, after ruling for a few years, would run off to seek immortality. In the end, she never married and even returned the throne to her own brother.

Su Youwan moved a little closer to Lu Changyuan. "Is Young Master Lu saying she will succeed because her surname is Leng?"

Lu Changyuan shook his head.

"My point is, while she may be a Leng, she’s a far cry from her ancestor. If she hadn’t relied on the Owl Race to win the war, if she had let the people rest and recover after defeating the Great Yue, she might have been considered a decent ruler."

"This so-called lowering of rice prices and tax exemptions is just robbing the future to pay for the present."

Su Youwan said softly, "But if she continues to win by relying on the Owl Race, transferring the suffering that should have been borne by the people of Great Xia to other countries, maybe she really can let the people of Great Xia live a good life."

This was Leng Xuanshuang’s plan.

All the grain being distributed now was plundered from the Great Yue.

On the surface, as long as she kept winning, she could just about maintain this cycle.

But would it really be so?

Lu Changyuan shook his head. "It’s not that simple. Even if she could keep winning, the Great Yue people she’s exploiting will sooner or later erupt in rebellion. The more she wins, the greater the chance of that happening."

"Even when a victor imposes harsh servitude on the vanquished, there is a limit. Once that limit is exceeded, they will be met with ceaseless rebellion."

"It is harder to keep an empire than to win one."

Su Youwan nodded. "A life is a life. The Great Xia People, the Great Yue People—they are all part of the Human Race. All sentient beings suffer."

Lu Changyuan looked at Su Youwan in surprise.

He was reminded of the first time he had seen the Silver-haired Maiden. She had been on the surface of a lake, like a goddess from some unknowable place—transcendent, beyond the mortal coil, without sorrow or joy, a Supreme existence above the heavens.

The maiden continued, "Mortal suffering stems partly from the daily struggle for sustenance, leaving no time to ponder why their lives are so. The other part... stems from the desires of mortals in high positions."

The Compassionate Palace values mortals and does not wish for them to suffer, yet it seems there is no end to mortal suffering.

When a Cultivator’s desires grow too strong, a Desire Demon comes to corrupt them.

But what about mortals?

When the desires of the powerful and wealthy grow too strong, who is there to stop them?

Even Immortals cannot save mortals. The only ones who can save mortals are mortals themselves.

The Silver-haired Maiden paused.

"Young Master Lu, there’s a change in the Dragon Vein."

The Dragon Vein of Great Xia was in turmoil, even beginning to blur fate and fortune. It was the same back in the Upper Jade Capital. This was a side effect of a change on the throne.

Lu Changyuan grunted in acknowledgment.

"I’m going to the Imperial Palace to take a look. You and Yuehan keep an eye on that painting. Don’t let the thing inside it escape."

Su Youwan tilted her head. "Wanwan."

"What?"

"Call me Wanwan, and Youwan will help you."

Seeing Lu Changyuan at a loss for words, the maiden’s lips curled. "I’m just teasing. I’ll help even if you don’t call me that."