Chapter 126 The Scholar Who Favored His Concubine Over His Wife (18) Taking Pure Love to...
Upon hearing this, Song Ce gently put down his teacup, stood up, walked to the front of the hall, and slowly said, "Does Your Highness still remember the flooding of the Ji River in Qizhou three years ago, when Your Highness came to Qizhou on imperial orders to distribute grain from the granaries?"
Xiao Yunzhan frowned slightly and said softly, "Of course I remember."
"How much of the disaster relief funds allocated by the court at that time were left in Qizhou?" Song Ce asked.
Xiao Yunzhan remained silent for a long time before gritting his teeth and saying, "Not one in ten will survive."
"After Your Highness finished providing relief to the disaster-stricken people and returned to the capital, how did you report to the Emperor?" Song Ce asked again.
Xiao Yunzhan: "..."
Song Ce sighed, looked directly into Xiao Yunzhan's eyes, and said softly, "Does Your Highness wish to tell me that you were truly powerless to do anything back then?"
Xiao Yunzhan was taken aback, a lump of cotton lodged in his throat. He vividly remembered the flood three years ago. After returning to the capital from the disaster relief efforts, he immediately sent a "message" to the palace of the First Prince, Xiao Yunqi. Having obtained enough benefits from Xiao Yunqi, he concealed the truth about the disaster relief funds in his report, only stating that "the people are deeply grateful for the Emperor's grace and have been kneeling in submission for a long time." Such flattering words embellished the situation.
Song Ce looked at the old tree in the courtyard and said slowly, "The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain. What are ordinary people in your eyes? Nothing more than ants."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yunzhan abruptly stood up and said in an icy tone, "Mr. Song, is this your excuse for privately repairing the city walls, refusing to pay taxes, and forging weapons?"
Song Ce smiled and said loudly, "Not so. In the eyes of Lord Wang and me, there are some things that are far more important than interests, and that is the common people who are insignificant in your eyes. Officials should think about serving the people. The people of Qizhou City, or even the people of the whole country, have suffered for a long time. Lord Wang and I have only done what we can."
Xiao Yunzhan looked at Song Ce's calm and composed demeanor, his fingernails almost piercing the skin of his palm.
"You flatterers! You claim to put the people first, but where do you place my Great Wei? Where do you place the Emperor?" Xiao Yunzhan sneered.
Song Ce smiled faintly, his eyes holding an expression that Xiao Yunzhan couldn't understand, and said softly, "Hasn't Your Highness learned the words of the sages since childhood? The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important. The people have their own scales in their hearts, and they can tell at a glance whether the people's hearts are on their side or not."
"Sir, be careful with your words! The laws of the Great Wei Dynasty cannot be trampled upon! Building city walls without authorization, refusing to pay taxes, and privately forging weapons are all heinous crimes of treason!" Xiao Yunzhan slammed his hand on the table and shouted angrily.
"Why not?" Song Ce asked rhetorically.
"What?" Xiao Yunzhan suddenly raised his head, incredulous.
“Even if it is treason, what’s wrong with it?” Song Ce laughed.
The air in the hall froze the moment Song Ce finished speaking. Lian Yun and Zhang Ruochong gripped their sword hilts, ready to strike at any moment. Xiao Yunzhan, however, stared intently at Song Ce's calm face, still puzzled, and said, "You...you are a citizen of my Great Wei, why do you utter such arrogant words? Do you intend to commit treason?"
"Your Highness," Song Ce suddenly spoke, his tone as calm as if he were talking about everyday matters, "Are you afraid?"
"Afraid?" Xiao Yunzhan's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth as he gritted his teeth and said, "Why should I, Your Highness, be afraid?"
"Because you fear that life in Qizhou will be exposed to the world; you fear that the people of Great Wei will know who the real officials are; you fear that they will see that children in Qizhou can have enough to eat and study, while their own children are starving and freezing in the streets of neighboring states; you fear that they will discover that the city walls here are strong, the granaries are overflowing, literature and martial arts are flourishing, and the people live in peace and prosperity; you fear that the common people who have been exploited and deceived by you will awaken and rise up in rebellion; and you fear even more the loss of power, so that you can no longer act recklessly and enjoy wealth and honor." Song Ce said gently.
"absurd……"
Song Ce walked into the courtyard, looked at the passersby coming and going outside the government office, and asked with a smile, "Your Highness, during your secret investigation of Qizhou these past few days, have you seen any commoners who spoke ill of us?"
Xiao Yunzhan was taken aback, then clenched his hands and remained silent.
"Your Highness," Song Ce's voice came softly from the courtyard, "when you wrote in your memorial that the people were deeply grateful for the Emperor's grace, did you ever think about what those starving and dying people were really thinking?"
These words struck Xiao Yunzhan's heart like a heavy hammer. When he was young, before the Xiao family had gained control of the country, the tutor his father had hired for his brothers had told them, "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world." At that time, he naively asked the tutor, "How can one win the hearts of the people?"
At that moment, the Master stroked his white beard, his voice gentle yet each word carrying immense weight: "My child, remember this: even with ten thousand acres of fertile land, one can only eat three pints of rice a day. Even with a thousand mansions, one can only sleep in eight feet of space at night. What the people ask for is nothing more than three meals a day and a peaceful night's sleep. If you can achieve these things, you will win the hearts of the people."
Looking back now, the will of the people was probably already written in the streets and alleys of Qizhou City.
"Are the people of Qizhou truly living in such peace and contentment?" Xiao Yunzhan murmured.
Song Ce walked slowly to his side and said calmly, "To this day, the population of Qizhou has increased from 80,000 to 200,000. Some of them moved here from nearby cities, while others fled here. Your Highness, do you know why they are willing to stay in Qizhou? Because here, regardless of gender, they can eat their fill, sleep well, have their children learn to read and write, and be able to support themselves."
Xiao Yunzhan raised his eyes, his tone no longer as forceful as before, and asked in a low voice, "Even if the people in Qizhou City live peacefully, once the news of your unauthorized weapon-making and tax evasion spreads, other prefectures will follow suit, and the world will surely descend into chaos! Is this the situation you want to see, sir?"
"Does Your Highness believe that the chaos you speak of will originate from Qizhou?" Song Ce turned around, his gaze piercing. "Three years ago, there were six prefectures along the Ji River, but only the people of Qizhou are now living in peace and prosperity. Those people in other prefectures who starved to death, those parents who sold their children—have their wronged souls ever caused the court even the slightest sense of remorse? Just now, Your Highness said that the laws of the Great Wei cannot be trampled upon by us, but if the laws cannot protect the people, what is the point of their existence?"
Xiao Yunzhan lowered his head slightly and remained silent.
Seeing his master so dejected, Lian Yun couldn't help but step forward and say, "Sir, you live in a small city like Qizhou. Do you really want to be an enemy of the entire Great Wei? What will you do if the enemy surrounds the city one day? In our opinion, Qizhou doesn't lack that tax money. Why not pay it in full so that Qizhou won't arouse the emperor's suspicion, and so that His Highness can have an explanation to his superiors? What do you think?"
Song Ce smiled slightly and asked in return, "Does Your Excellency mean that, in order to avoid arousing the Emperor's suspicion, Qizhou should take the initiative to show weakness and seek peace?"
Lian Yun nodded slightly and said earnestly, "That's how it should be! If you insist on going against the entire Great Wei, it's no different from throwing an egg against a rock! The Great Wei's military strength is formidable. Even if Qizhou City's walls are sturdy, how long can they hold out?"
Song Ce stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance, and shook his head calmly.
"Sir, are you unwilling? What about Lord Wang? As the magistrate of Qizhou, are you just going to stand by and watch this person stir up trouble in Qizhou?" Lian Yun asked.
Upon hearing this, Wang Sushou stroked his beard and smiled, then said loudly, "Mr. Song's intention is exactly my intention."
No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Ruochong, who was standing to the side, suddenly drew his sword and shouted angrily, "Traitor, take this!"
Song Ce smiled faintly, and suddenly a strange weapon they had seen at the gate of Qizhou City appeared in his hand. With a soft "click," the thick, long cylinder was pressed against the middle of Zhang Ruochong's forehead.
"Would you like to test whether your sword is faster or my musket is?"
Zhang Ruochong's hand holding the sword remained motionless. The icy touch of the musket traveled through his forehead. He wondered what the purpose of such a strangely shaped weapon was. Was this man truly so confident that this musket could block his swift sword?
"Ruo Chong, step back!" Xiao Yunzhan's expression hardened as he reprimanded him.
"Your Highness! If this traitor is not killed today, he will surely become a great threat in the future!" Zhang Ruochong urged loudly.
Xiao Yunzhan waved his hand coldly, and Zhang Ruochong, though unwilling, could only obediently sheath his sword. Seeing this, Song Ce calmly put away his musket, as if the tense scene just now had never happened.
"Sir, have you made up your mind?" Xiao Yunzhan asked coldly.
Song Ce paused, then said with a light smile, "Yes, now that we've made our choice, we won't turn back."
"Very well, I just hope that one day you won't regret it, sir." Xiao Yunzhan snorted coldly. "Lian Yun, Ruo Chong, let's go."
Wang Sushou and Song Ce exchanged a glance and both laughed heartily, saying, "Respectfully seeing off Your Highness."
Xiao Yunzhan harbored a deep resentment, and his journey back to the capital took only nine days. As soon as he rode his horse through the city gates, he didn't even bother to return to his residence to rest; he immediately submitted his credentials and entered the palace.
Emperor Wenyuan, dressed in plain clothes, heard the chief eunuch Quan Ying bow and report, "Your Majesty, the Fourth Prince has entered the palace to request an audience."
"Fourth brother? He's back so soon? Quickly, summon him in."
Xiao Yunzhan strode into the hall, his black robes billowing in the breeze. His expression was solemn as he knelt on one knee and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Emperor Wenyuan raised his hand to gesture for him to rise, "No need for formalities, Fourth Prince, did your trip go smoothly?"
Xiao Yunzhan dared not conceal anything and recounted everything he had seen and heard in Qizhou City in detail. When Emperor Wenyuan heard that Song Ce and others had been privately forging weapons and repairing the city walls, his face immediately darkened.
"These traitors have such audacity! How dare they act like this!"
Seeing Emperor Wenyuan's furious expression, Xiao Yunzhan quickly prostrated himself on the ground, touching his forehead to the earth, and cried out to his father to calm down.
Emperor Wenyuan slammed his fist on the dragon throne in anger, "Fourth Prince, tell me, how should this matter be handled?"
Xiao Yunzhan wiped the sweat from his forehead, gritted his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty should... immediately send troops to suppress this, as a warning to others."
Emperor Wenyuan gave a cold laugh, pondered for a moment, and said, "This matter is of great importance. I will discuss it with the ministers at the morning court tomorrow. You may leave now!"
"Yes, Father."
The next day, the atmosphere in the imperial court was heavy. Upon hearing of the rebellion in Qizhou, the officials began to discuss it endlessly.
The eldest prince, Xiao Yunqi, stepped forward and said vehemently, "Father! Qizhou's actions are clearly a blatant provocation against the majesty of our Great Wei! If we cannot suppress it in time, the stability of our Great Wei will be jeopardized! Father! Your son is willing to go! Please lead 50,000 elite troops to raze the entire city of Qizhou and uphold the prestige of our Great Wei!"
"Absolutely not!" The Minister of Rites stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, Qizhou's unauthorized casting of weapons and refusal to pay taxes is indeed a serious crime. However, Prefect Wang Su and that Mr. Song Ce have governed Qizhou well and are deeply loved by the people. If we rashly send troops, we may cause resentment among the people! I believe that we should first send envoys to persuade them, offering them high-ranking positions and generous salaries, so that they will voluntarily confess their crimes and return to the capital. This is the best course of action."
"Nonsense!" The Vice Minister of War strode forward and shouted angrily, "I believe that Qizhou has become too powerful to be controlled. If we do not take swift and decisive action, it will surely cause trouble in the future! Your Majesty, I am willing to lead troops there to relieve your worries!"
In the imperial court, the officials were divided into two factions, each holding their own opinion and arguing fiercely.
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Author's note: Holidays are great! [Cat emoji] Happy holidays everyone!
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