ha?

Yu Siqian's righteous and courageous words, which were ready to die for his country, stunned everyone present.

The Caishikou he mentioned was the place where death row inmates were beheaded.

Chengtian Gate was the place where the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate jointly tried death row inmates (these three were also collectively known as the Three Judicial Offices).

Clearly, when Yu Siqian participated in the metropolitan examination as a candidate for the provincial examination in Wuzhou, he was already prepared to die the moment he wrote down his essay on pacifying the border on his examination paper.

Throughout history, which dynasty or era's reforms didn't begin with bloodshed?

In ancient times there was Shang Yang, and in the Tang Dynasty there was Yu Siqian;

The merits and demerits, right and wrong, will be judged by historians of later generations.

This is why Yu Siqian disregarded everything and engraved the entire text of the Pingbian Strategy on the wall of the death row cell.

This action made the mysterious person who had infiltrated the prison at night take a few more glances at Yu Siqian.

"Come on, lead the way!"

Seeing that the visitor had not taken any further action, Yu Siqian said somewhat impatiently, "But if we're going to the marketplace, at least let me eat my fill before we set off, okay?"

"No matter how urgent things are, there's no need to rush to this last meal before your execution!"

"presumptuous!"

At this moment, a burly man standing next to the mysterious man glared at Yu Siqian with a cold look in his eyes and shouted angrily, "You audacious scoundrel, don't be so unreasonable!"

Just as the burly man was about to make his next move, he was stopped by the mysterious man beside him.

The young, mysterious man continued to stare at Yu Siqian with great interest, a mocking look in his eyes as he said in a playful tone, "Yu Siqian, you are, after all, a scholar from Wuzhou, a student who has been well-versed in the classics since childhood;"

"Where have you put all that you've learned about the Four Books and Five Classics, ethics, morality, loyalty, filial piety, and integrity?"

"How can the great and glorious China, the Celestial Empire, assimilate and integrate with foreign lands?"

"Without a martial populace and a valiant army, can mere theoretical concessions, tax reductions, intermarriages, and education truly make the northern barbarians of the Gobi Desert, the Tibetans of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the foreign tribes along the Silk Road in the Western Regions, and the natives of Goguryeo east of the Liaodong Peninsula accept the culture of the Central Plains?"

"And, to make them willingly sacrifice their lives to maintain the unity of the Central Plains culture?"

The young, mysterious man pressed on, continuing to speak slowly and deliberately: "Yu Siqian, have you ever been to the battlefield? Do you know what the northern barbarians on the Gobi Desert look like?"

Do you know how sharp the scimitars of the Western Region tribes are?

Have you ever seen foreign soldiers treat the women and children of the Central Plains dynasties as walking sheep to be their food?

Faced with the questions posed by the mysterious young man who was pressing closer and more aggressive, Yu Siqian was momentarily at a loss for words and instinctively retreated under the pressure.

Until, with nowhere else to retreat, he passed the exam and stood on the wall inscribed with the essay on strategy.

The mysterious man before him continued his rapid-fire rebuke: "Yu Siqian, do you think you've read a few days' worth of Confucian classics, witnessed the suffering of people in a remote corner, and seen the so-called conquests of dynastic armies?

"Does he really see himself as a savior who can relieve suffering and save all living beings?"

"Does one person think they can challenge the etiquette and social order that the Central Plains dynasties have inherited for thousands of years, and oppose the border-pacification foreign policy established by the monarchs of successive dynasties?"

"Single-handedly, he transformed the hierarchical order that has existed for thousands of years?"

Are you qualified?

Whoosh!

With nowhere left to retreat, Yu Siqian finally stopped backing down and instead stood up straight, his eyes fixed on the mysterious man who was closing in on him.

Although he clearly felt overwhelmed by the imposing presence of this young, mysterious man;

However, Yu Siqian's tone remained as firm as ever.

He then declared firmly, "That's precisely why someone must stand up and change all of this."

"It is precisely to prevent the tragedy of the 'Five Barbarian Invasions' after the Jin Dynasty from repeating itself that we must unconditionally promote the great integration of ethnic groups."

"Only when they are treated as human beings, not as barbarians, will they genuinely identify with Central Plains culture."

"Similarly, only after they recognize the culture of the Central Plains will they treat the people of the Central Plains dynasty as human beings, instead of slaughtering them like livestock, and they will not allow the women and children on the border to become walking sheep in their eyes!"

Finally, Yu Siqian raised his head proudly and said, word by word, "Although my strategy for pacifying the borders has not been verified by facts and has its shortcomings, its implementation will be difficult and fraught with obstacles."

"However, for the sake of the eternal prosperity of the Central Plains dynasty, for the long-term peace and stability of the people on the borders, and for a golden age throughout the land, this matter ultimately needs someone to take the lead in implementing it;"

"If implementing the strategy of pacifying the borders inevitably begins with bloodshed;"

"Then, let's start with me, Yu Siqian!"

Whoosh!

Yu Siqian's words immediately silenced everyone present.

Even the disheveled, unkempt death row inmate in the next cell couldn't help but lift the long hair covering his face at that moment.

Under the flickering candlelight, the weathered face revealed was none other than that of Su Chen, the former governor-general of Liangjiang and a high-ranking official who had served two dynasties.

"Good, well said!"

Suddenly, the mysterious young man who had appeared in the prison led the applause and cheers, and ordered the burly man accompanying him, "Xiao Po, bring the wine!"

"I, the Emperor, wish to drink three cups with Yu Siqian, a scholar from Wuzhou!"

ha?

Now it was Yu Siqian's turn to be completely dumbfounded!

Wait, what did this mysterious young man just call himself again?

He calls himself "朕" (Zhen, the imperial emperor)?

Could it be—

Just as Yu Siqian was completely bewildered, his mind a jumbled mess due to the mysterious man's identity, several more figures hurriedly entered the corridor of the Ministry of Justice prison.

Immediately afterwards, the announcement from the prison guards came through: "The Duke of Wei has arrived—"

A moment later, Chang Yuchun, the Duke of Wei, who had changed into a court robe, hurriedly arrived at the cell where Yu Siqian was imprisoned and knelt down in front of the mysterious young man standing in front of Yu Siqian.

He muttered to himself, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Immediately afterwards, all the Ministry of Justice officials present knelt down and shouted "Long live the Emperor!" in unison.

In the next cell, the Governor-General of Liangjiang, Su Chen, also kowtowed alone, silently chanting in his heart: "Your Majesty, I, Su Chen, pay my respects to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Such a commotion in the Ministry of Justice prison late at night, with shouts of "Long live the Emperor!" naturally woke up all the prisoners in the cell.

In an instant, countless prisoners wearing handcuffs and shackles scrambled to their feet, desperately clinging to the bars of the cell and craning their necks out, all in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the face of the reigning emperor, Emperor Zhaowu of the Tang Dynasty, Chen Huai'an.

The next moment, countless soldiers of the Golden Guard, clad in golden armor and with ring-pommel swords at their waists, flooded the corridor of the Ministry of Justice's prison, preventing the prisoners in the imperial jail from disturbing the emperor.

Soon, Xiao Po, the commander of the Imperial Guard who had been ordered to fetch the wine, hurriedly returned with a tray carrying two wine cups. Behind him were Imperial Guard soldiers carrying a jar of aged wine.

"Your Majesty, the wine is here!"

Chen Huai'an waved his hand and ordered, "Fill it up!"

Then, holding a glass of wine in each hand, he personally handed one of the glasses to Yu Siqian, who was still in a daze, and said with a smile, "Yu Siqian, for your strategy of pacifying the border, drink three cups with me!"

Despite being personally offered wine by the emperor, Yu Siqian in the prison cell did not show any signs of being "overwhelmed with gratitude".

Far from being flattered, he didn't even show any change in expression, maintaining the same wooden look as before, appearing somewhat at a loss.

Even now, Yu Siqian is still in shock and cannot extricate himself from it. Everything that is happening in front of him is like a dream to him.

The prison, late-night talks, the emperor, imperial wine, and the duke—all these seemingly unrelated things were connected at this moment, making Yu Siqian wonder if this was something out of a ghost story, or if it was all an illusion.

However, I clearly and truly felt that all of this was actually happening.

The imperial prison, the emperor, the imperial wine, and the duke are all real entities!

In fact, just after Emperor Zhaowu Chen Huai'an introduced himself as "I" and announced his identity, the Duke of Wei, Chang Yuchun, who had rushed over, led a group of yamen runners from the imperial prison to kneel and pay homage to the emperor.

Yu Siqian instinctively wanted to join the crowd who were shouting "Long live the Emperor!" and perform the grand ceremony of three kowtows and nine prostrations to the founding emperor of the Tang Dynasty.

Unfortunately, due to excessive tension, his body seemed to be out of his control, and he couldn't even perform the simple act of bowing to the wall.

How should I put it? It's as if I've been frozen in place by a spell cast by a deity; I can neither move nor speak.

But he knew perfectly well what was happening before his eyes.

This feeling is really not pleasant!

"Hey, young scholar, why aren't you kowtowing and thanking the Emperor for his grace!"

Suddenly, a hoarse voice broke the eerie and quiet atmosphere, booming in Yu Siqian's ears like a chant, instantly waking him up.

The person speaking was Su Chen, the former Governor-General of Liangjiang, who lived next door to him.

A high-ranking official who was imprisoned and sentenced to be executed in the spring for his involvement in a tea-horse smuggling case in four provinces and eight prefectures after the founding of the Tang Dynasty.

Speaking of their time together in prison, although Governor-General Su Chen of Liangjiang and the young and impetuous scholar Yu Siqian argued, Su Chen actually developed a great fondness for the young man.

If I hadn't ended up in jail, I might have considered taking him in as my son-in-law.

However, there are no "what ifs" anymore.

Now, Su Chen, already a dying man whose entire family would be implicated and executed, was not afraid of bearing the crime of disturbing the emperor's presence, and still wanted to remind Yu Siqian, the young man he had his eye on.

Perhaps, Su Chen saw his younger self in him!

Sure enough, after Su Chen's reminder, Yu Siqian, who had come to his senses, hurriedly knelt down in front of Chen Huai'an, performed the three kowtows and nine bows, and did not forget to shout "Long live the Emperor!"

"No need for formalities, please rise!"

Chen Huai'an waved his hand, indicating that Yu Siqian should rise and not stand up.

Out of the corner of his eye, he unconsciously glanced at Su Chen, the former Governor-General of Liangjiang, in the next cell. Su Chen quickly buried his head back on the ground, not daring to meet Chen Huai'an's gaze.

After getting up, Yu Siqian did not reach out to take the imperial wine from Chen Huai'an's hand, but simply kept his head down and maintained a bowing posture.

Hahaha!

Chen Huai'an suddenly burst into laughter, saying in a somewhat mocking tone, "What, are you afraid I'll poison this wine?"

"Or is it that the guy who just made that righteous statement, saying that if implementing the strategy of pacifying the borders requires bloodshed, then starting with me, Yu Siqian, is nothing but a fame-seeking scoundrel?"

"They wouldn't even dare drink a cup of poisoned wine, yet they shamelessly claim they're willing to die for the eternal prosperity of the Central Plains dynasty, for the long-term peace and stability of the border people, and for a golden age throughout the land?"

As he spoke, Chen Huai'an suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming sharp and stern. He said in a stern voice, "Yu Siqian, raise your head, look me in the eyes, and answer me—"

"Are you a mediocre talent and coward who only knows how to talk big and seek fame?"