Chapter 302 Stubborn and Corrupt Old Ministers
"Jinli!" He opened his arms wide and embraced her tall, soft body tightly. "Jinli...you've finally come to see me! Fifteen years, I've waited for you for fifteen years! I won't allow you to close the time portal again! I won't allow you to leave me again!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly realized that his arms were empty.
Looking up suddenly, I saw that Ning Jinli was standing two meters away again.
"Jinli, you..." Xiao Qidi's eyes were filled with astonishment, "Why are you avoiding me? Don't you want to be with me?"
Ning Jinli just looked at him with a half-smile.
A sharp pain shot through his heart, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "You love me too, don't you? Even though we've had our disagreements, I... I still want to be with you."
Ning Jinli remained silent, her smile becoming even more enigmatic.
Xiao Qidi was furious, clenching his fists and roaring, "Was all the life-and-death bond we shared, all the deep feelings we had, just a lie? Tell me, what... what am I to you?!"
“Little brother…” Ning Jinli finally spoke, “Around the Central Plains are the Western Rong, Northern Di, Southern Man, and Eastern Yi. Beyond the Rong and Di, there is an even wider world to explore.”
Xiao Qidi was slightly taken aback.
Immediately, Ning Jinli waved her hand as if by magic, and a huge world map appeared in front of Xiao Qidi.
Xiao Qidi was stunned. He unconsciously searched for the territory of Da Xuan on the world map. The more he looked, the more he felt that compared with the whole world, Da Xuan's vast territory was nothing.
“I understand,” Xiao Qidi’s deep eyes gleamed, “I will take over the whole world and give it to you as a betrothal gift!”
Ning Jinli gently shook her head, "What I wanted was never a betrothal gift, and... do you really want to be the emperor that badly?"
Xiao Qidi saw a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
That faint look of disappointment was like a fine, sharp needle, slowly and precisely piercing Xiao Qidi's heart.
At the same time, Ning Jinli's figure rapidly became blurry and transparent, about to disappear completely.
"No...no! I didn't!" Xiao roared, "Jinli! Don't go!"
A roar jolted him awake.
All the previous scenes vanished instantly, replaced by a study filled with books and documents.
Xiao Qidi lay on his desk, and after looking up, he was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses. He realized that he had fallen asleep at some point and had a strange dream.
A dim radio lamp beside the desk illuminated his stubble-covered face.
Fifteen years have passed, and he has matured a lot, but his features are still the same as they were back then.
Xiao Qidi pinched the bridge of his nose, turned his head to look at one wall of the study, where there were two maps.
One map shows the current territory of the Great Xuan Kingdom, and the other is a complete map of the entire world.
He closed the documents on his desk, got up, walked to the map, and looked at it quietly.
Before we knew it, the sky was beginning to lighten.
Outside the study, the guards on duty began their changing of the guard.
The former royal guards have now been reorganized into a security force, and their uniforms have changed from bronze and iron armor to black combat uniforms.
When a tall, burly fifteen-year-old boy with a buzz cut appeared with his rotating team, the guards on night duty saluted in unison.
Although the guards were all more than ten years older than the buzz-cut boy, their respect for him was genuine.
Just as the guards on both sides finished changing shifts, a person hurried over from a distance.
"Captain Xing, those people have come to see us again," the man said with a helpless expression. "They also said that if they still don't get permission to see us this time, they will kneel at the palace gates and go on a hunger strike until they die."
The short-haired youth's eyebrows furrowed, his face grim. "These stubborn, old-fashioned idiots are like flies, constantly bothering us. This time they even came over at the crack of dawn. I've put up with them for too long! They're asking for it, aren't they? I'll grant them their wish!"
A dozen minutes later.
The short-haired boy arrived alone at the gate of a palace.
Dozens of people were kneeling outside the door.
The youngest is over forty years old.
They were all wearing official robes from more than ten years ago. As soon as they saw the short-haired boy, they kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, we humbly request an audience with you. We beg General Xing Lie to grant us permission!"
Xing Lie glared angrily and emphasized, "Last year, a notice was issued that officials would no longer refer to themselves as 'subjects,' and Mr. Xiao would no longer refer to himself as 'king,' completely abolishing the old system of ruler and subject! Do you ignore the rules?! If Mr. Xiao hadn't stopped me, I would have beaten you all up long ago!"
The leader, an elderly man with a long beard, spoke with righteous indignation and deep sorrow:
"With the unification ceremony imminent, we, your subjects, must remonstrate with Your Majesty to the death! The ancient system must not be abolished! If Your Majesty is not Your Majesty, then your subjects are not your subjects. How can you expect the people to learn about the idea of equality for all, and allow women to attend school like men? This has led to unruly people daring to challenge officials, openly discussing politics, and even daring to call Your Majesty by his name! The whole atmosphere has become increasingly devoid of respect and order! How can the Great Xuan Dynasty survive under such circumstances!"
"Old fogey, believe me or not, I'll slap you right now?" Xing Lie was too lazy to waste words with him and directly issued a warning.
A look of fear flashed quickly across the long-bearded old man's eyes.
He knew very well how formidable the boy in front of him was.
It is said that when Xing Lie was just learning to walk, he already had the strength of a strong adult man.
At the age of ten, he was already able to single-handedly defeat an enemy army of a hundred men.
Between the ages of thirteen and fourteen, he participated in many major battles, repeatedly achieving remarkable feats, including taking the head of an enemy general amidst a vast army.
Even renowned generals like Mu Cheng, Qi Zhan, Duan Wu, and Li Yao praised him as the greatest warrior of all time.
Now that China is unified, he has become Xiao Qidi's personal bodyguard and commands a guard regiment of thousands of men. His strength and status are extraordinary.
"I'll give you a chance. Either take your men and get out of here, or..." Xing Liexing's eyes narrowed slightly, "...become like this stone pillar!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he casually picked up a marble block weighing several hundred kilograms next to him, tossed it several meters into the air, and then kicked it in mid-air, shattering it into pieces!
The guards standing watch by the palace gate were practically staring at him.
Among the crowd kneeling on the ground begging for an audience, some wet their pants in fear, some lay trembling on the ground, and others trembled and wanted to retreat.
The long-bearded old man turned pale with fright, but still forced himself to say, "General Xing is brave and fierce, and we are certainly powerless to resist. But if you insist on taking my life, then take it! I will be recorded in history and remembered for eternity, while you, General, will be branded as a traitor who murdered a loyal minister of the Great Xuan!"
"Do you think I care?" Xing Lie sneered. "Looks like it really is necessary to make an example of someone!"
After saying that, he stepped forward, picked up the long-bearded old man with one hand, and was about to break his neck in front of everyone.
When the long-bearded old man saw that he was serious, he was terrified and was about to beg for mercy.
But before he could even beg for mercy, a deep rebuke came from behind Xing Lie.
"Xing Lie, put him down."
Upon hearing this voice, even with his murderous intent, Xing Lie obediently put the long-bearded old man back on the ground.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty!" the long-bearded old man cried bitterly, "You've finally agreed to see this old minister!"
The remaining dozens of people immediately performed the full kowtow, shouting "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Xiao Qidi slowly walked up to them, his brows furrowed, and looked them over one by one.
Before conquering the six kingdoms and unifying the Central Plains, the royal family and nobles of the Great Xuan Kingdom had all been dealt with. Therefore, after the unification was completed, no former ministers or nobles of the original Xuan Kingdom came forward to stop him from changing the system.
However, among the original six kingdoms, there are still many people who want to do their best to maintain the ancient system, and they are all former court officials and nobles of the original kingdoms.
Even though these people had submitted to the Great Xuan, they were fundamentally resistant to abolishing the monarchical and aristocratic systems.
Even though a year has passed since the complete unification, they still live and act according to ancient customs in all aspects and try their best to obstruct the implementation of the new system.
Xiao Qidi's face showed almost no obvious expression. He stared for a moment and said calmly, "Let's have a meeting at noon and have lunch together."
The kneeling ministers looked at each other, wondering what their emperor was up to.
But then I thought, at least I have the opportunity to offer my advice to the emperor.
They all kowtowed and said, "Your subjects obey!"
As the group got up and backed away, a shadow fell over Xiao Qidi's eyes.
"Xing Lie, tell me... am I becoming more and more soft-hearted?" he suddenly asked softly.
Xing Lie replied without hesitation, "Yes, you're too soft-hearted. If it were before, they wouldn't have survived until now! These stubborn old fogies don't understand your intentions and long-term vision at all. Since you can't reason with them, there's no need to. Just kill them. Otherwise, they'll think you can't even lift a knife anymore!"
Xiao Qidi suddenly laughed, raised his hand and touched Xing Lie's hedgehog-like head, "Time flies so fast. In the blink of an eye, you've gone from a baby to a half-grown boy, and I'm already thirty-three... You haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Come on, let's go get something to eat."
When breakfast was mentioned, Xing Lie's eyes lit up, and he immediately agreed.
Xiao Qidi had the kitchen staff deliver breakfast directly to his study.
Considering Xing Lie's large appetite, he asked the kitchen to prepare extra food, and his desk was almost completely covered with meat.
Xing Lie ate the whole roast duck with both hands, his mouth dripping with oil.
He would be mindful of his image in front of outsiders, but he didn't need to worry about that in front of Xiao Qidi.
Seeing him wolfing down his food, Xiao Qidi joked, "It's a good thing our country's productivity has increased by leaps and bounds, otherwise I wouldn't be able to afford to support you."
Xing Lie grinned, "I heard that some researchers have bred new breeds of livestock and poultry that have more meat and taste better. When can I get some to try?"
"Hahahaha!" Xiao Qidi laughed loudly and said, "They haven't even tasted it yet, and you're already eyeing it, you gluttonous brat!"
Xing Lie said, "Those uncles and aunts once told me that they would work hard to build up our place so that everyone here could live the same good life as in their original world. Uncle Qidi, when do you think we can reach that level? I find it incredible just from hearing their descriptions."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qidi fell silent.
Xing Lie continued excitedly, "They also said that our country's overall level has barely reached that of their parents' generation. I really want to go to that world and see it for myself. Oh, and I also want to see Fairy Jinli in person!"
From the time Xing Lie could remember, his mother had told him countless stories about what happened before he was born.
The Xing family was full of loyal martyrs, especially his father and grandfather. They were deeply moved by the fact that King Xiao Qidi of Xuan Kingdom wiped out the entire noble class of Xuan Kingdom in order to prevent the people from being exploited by the royal family and nobles. They wanted to follow suit, but were ordered by the King of Ze Kingdom to be executed along with their entire families.
Xing Lie's mother almost didn't escape the pursuit.
Ultimately, they were fortunate enough to encounter Ning Jinli and Xiao Qidi, which saved the Xing family's remaining bloodline.
Under his mother's guidance, Xing Lie always felt grateful to Xiao Qidi and Ning Jinli. In addition, he had spent most of his time with Xiao Qidi for the past fifteen years, apart from studying, and his feelings for Xiao Qidi were like those for his biological father.
As for Ning Jinli, he felt not only gratitude and respect, but also a great deal of curiosity.
Xing Lie had heard countless legendary stories about Fairy Jinli since he was a child. Moreover, if she hadn't come into this world and selflessly helped Da Xuan with all her might, how could the world have been unified and peaceful so quickly, and how could the people of Da Xuan have lived a life of plenty so soon?
"Uncle Qidi, what on earth has the fairy been doing?" Xing Lie continued to ramble on. "It's been fifteen years, why hasn't she shown up? And those hundreds of uncles and aunts doing research, aren't they all from the fairy's world? Doesn't the fairy want to take them home so they can visit their families?"
Crack—
Suddenly, a cracking sound was heard.
Xing Lie then noticed that Xiao Qidi's expression was terrifyingly cold, and even the teacup he was holding had been crushed into powder.
“Uncle Qidi…” Xing Lie quickly sat up straight and said cautiously, “Did I say something wrong again…? I’m sorry.”
Many times before, whenever he mentioned Fairy Jinli out of curiosity, Xiao Qidi's reaction would become strange, but Xiao Qidi always said it was nothing.
This time, he got carried away with his excitement and talked too much, which resulted in Xiao Qidi's even stronger reaction.
Xing Lie added, "Uncle Qidi, I will never mention her again, please don't be angry."
Xiao Qidi hesitated, then finally softened his expression and sighed softly.
"Mr. Xiao!" A voice called out from outside the study door, "I have something important to tell you!"
Xiao Qidi said, "Please come in."
The door was pushed open, and an official hurried in, placing a large stack of documents and books he was carrying on the table.
"Huh? What's this?" Xing Lie wiped his hands and picked up a book.
The cover prominently displays the four characters "True Dragon Son of Heaven".
He immediately flipped through it, and after a few glances, his expression turned sour.
The official wiped his sweat and said, "Mr. Xiao, that group of conservatives who are dedicated to maintaining the monarch-minister system secretly compiled a book called 'The True Dragon Emperor's Book,' which promotes the rules of the monarch-minister system and the classification of princes, nobles and commoners. They were preparing to distribute it to the public. Fortunately, we discovered it early and seized it in time. We are also trying to recover the parts that have already been distributed."
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