Star River Empire, Imperial Palace of the Celestial Immortals.
"pan".
A deafening roar shot straight into the sky, impacting the hearts of everyone present, which raced through their veins.
"Riots, riots, riots again."
Long Aotian's hand, holding the memorial, trembled with rage.
"Tell me, who among you has a way to resolve this matter? I will reward you handsomely," Long Aotian said, forcing himself to remain calm.
The Mahayana monk, kneeling on the ground, remained motionless, as steady as Mount Tai.
"What's wrong? Why are you all silent? Weren't you used to be so eloquent, wanting the whole world to know how good you were at speaking? Now, after three blows, you haven't even uttered a fart. Are you trying to tell me that you are incompetent and talentless?"
Long Aotian was furious and blurted out some vulgarities.
Now is not the time to nitpick; the ministers remained silent.
"Speak, speak! Are you all mute? If you don't come up with a way to quell the riots, I'll take your lives!" Long Aotian said frankly this time.
Concerned for their own lives, the ministers were restless and eager to act.
"Your Majesty." General Liu was unlucky; he had drawn the worst possible lot again.
"General Liu," Long Aotian said through gritted teeth.
It was all his fault. If it weren't for his tactic of making an example of someone, how could the people of the empire have revolted and rebelled against the government? Long Aotian was furious, wishing he could tear him apart and sleep on his skin.
Long Aotian blamed him for his poor handling of the situation, while General Liu also had a lot of grievances to vent. Yes, it was his idea to make an example of someone, but he had only suggested imprisoning them for a year or two as a lenient punishment. Treating people like poultry to be sent to the butcher was a pointless act by Long Aotian, a perverse move that only made things worse for himself. Now that the empire was unstable, what did it have to do with him?
"Your Majesty, the empire is plagued by a series of problems. To solve them, we must address the root causes." General Liu took a breath and continued, "The people live in constant fear. If Your Majesty can make a promise, they will surely recognize their mistakes and correct them."
Liu carefully chose his words, afraid that even slightly explicit remarks would provoke the enraged Long Aotian.
"A promise?" Long Aotian asked, puzzled. "What promise?"
General Liu took a deep breath and said, "Your Majesty, if you can terminate the agreement with the Dark Emperor, stop sending people to Dark Star, and release the innocent people imprisoned there, the riots in the empire will gradually subside."
Ultimately, the people of the empire did not want to die.
Without a second thought, Long Aotian refused General Liu, "No, we'll have to find another way." He had finally managed to sign an agreement with the Dark Emperor; how could he go back on his word and unilaterally break the contract? Before he could conquer Sacramento, he needed the Dark Emperor, this ill-intentioned ally.
"But, Your Majesty..."
"There are no 'buts,' let's think of other ways."
He was no fool to have overcome so many obstacles to become emperor, and Long Aotian knew perfectly well the root cause of the rebellion. His furious outburst was merely a show for those incompetent ministers; without pressure, there's no motivation.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider." General Liu knelt down and kowtowed vigorously.
An elderly man, speaking with hoarse voice, earnestly and earnestly admonished Long Aotian, but Long Aotian remained unmoved, finding General Liu's voice grating and irritating.
General Liu tried his best, but the minister's heart was as hard as iron, and all his efforts were in vain. He shook his head almost imperceptibly at the other ministers on the ground, "I did my best. As for the rest, whether they wail and howl or offer their own death as remonstrance, it's up to you."
General Liu left in dejection, and the Heavenly Immortal Palace fell silent once more.
"Speechless again?" Long Aotian said helplessly.
As the saying goes, mountains may crumble, rivers may flow away, but relying on yourself will never fail.
"If that's the case, then I'll give you some advice. Listen up, from now on, if any riots break out within the Empire, one word: arrest. All those ignorant people who harbor resentment and malice towards the Empire, arrest them all, not a single one will be spared. Don't you want to be sent to Dark Star? Fine, they dare to disobey me, and their fate will be clear to you. I will list them all out, one by one. Anyone who engages in demonstrations or riots will be imprisoned and sent to Dark Star next year. Don't think I'm a pushover! I am the King of the Star River Empire, a god reigning over all under Heaven. My words are the will of Heaven. Those who disobey, ha..."
Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.
"Ha," Long Aotian chuckled disdainfully.
"What a joke! I, Long Aotian, am the rightful emperor of the Star River Empire. Those foolish and ignorant people should know their place and willingly submit to his divine power for all eternity."
Forces are reciprocal. Long Aotian pushed the people of the Star River Empire to their limits, and the people of the Star River Empire made a desperate gamble. Wasn't this a case of the people forcing the officials to rebel, which completely enraged Long Aotian?
"Your Majesty, public opinion is like water; it should be channeled rather than blocked. The best way to stop the frequent riots is to follow it..."
The ministers chattered on and on, but Long Aotian ignored them completely. His mind was made up, and no amount of persuasion from anyone could change it.
"That's settled then. My beloved subjects, go and carry it out!"
The ministers looked at each other, thinking of giving it another shot.
"What? The flames of the ignorant people's rebellion have spread to my palace? My words no longer carry weight?"
"No, we will go down now."
Never mind, never mind, honest advice is hard to swallow.
Long Aotian's officials were skilled at arresting people and committing arson. In just a few days, they gathered enough "poultry" from prisons on various planets to be sent to the Dark Star for the first three years.
"Let me go, let me go, I'm just pursuing my own rights."
"Don't arrest me! I didn't participate in the riot just now. I'm innocent."
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