Chapter 42 My Wise Wife? No, She's My Career Enthusiast
Yun Zhan's swift and decisive elimination of the major corrupt officials led by Li Gang was like throwing a boulder into a stagnant pool, the ripples of which quickly spread throughout the court and beyond.
The people, who had given up all hope for the "tyrannical ruler" Chu Yin, were first astonished, then incredulous, and finally burst into enthusiastic cheers! In teahouses, taverns, and streets and alleys, everyone was talking about this young emperor who seemed to have been reborn overnight.
"Have you heard? The Emperor has wiped out Prime Minister Li's entire gang!"
"Heavens above! What an upright and just official! Those corrupt officials should have been killed long ago!"
"I knew it! Our Emperor was definitely faking it all along! It was to lull those treacherous officials into a false sense of security!"
"Your Majesty is wise! We common people have hope!"
In an instant, cries of "Your Majesty is wise" and "The Emperor is valiant" resounded everywhere. Yun Zhan had indeed gained a great deal of goodwill in the hearts of the people, and the image of a "wise ruler" who was patient, decisive, and wise in eliminating treacherous officials was initially established.
Inside the palace, the atmosphere was refreshed. Although it remained solemn and dignified, the oppressive atmosphere of the powerful ministers had dissipated considerably, replaced by a more vibrant and energetic feel.
Yun Zhan sat in the imperial study, looking at the praises he had received from all over the country, collected by Eunuch Gao, as well as the memorials from some upright officials requesting reforms to the corrupt practices. He felt a sense of satisfaction, as if he had drunk a bowl of chilled plum juice on a sweltering summer day, feeling completely refreshed.
"System, did you see that? The people's hearts are with me! Wasn't my move awesome?" He couldn't help but gloat to himself.
[The host has successfully eliminated the primary threat group, achieving a phased victory and significantly consolidating public support. Overall rating: B+.] System Xiaoqi's objective evaluation: [However, please note that reputation management is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind. If subsequent policies cannot keep up, the initial accumulation will be rapidly depleted.]
"I know, I know! Can't you system let me be happy for a little while longer?" Yun Zhan pouted, then rubbed his hands together eagerly. "The next step is to put our 'own people' in key positions! Let Li Muyan and Zhao Polu officially enter the court as officials and give full play to their talents!"
The more he thought about it, the more brilliant the idea seemed. These "concubines" were talented and ambitious, and after this period of "secret training," their loyalty and abilities had withstood the test, making them the best choice when needed!
However, ideals are often grand, while reality is often harsh.
When Yun Zhan tentatively proposed at the court assembly that he wanted to promote several "talented and virtuous" palace "servants" to participate in government affairs, it was like pouring cold water into a boiling oil pan, instantly causing an uproar!
"Your Majesty! This is absolutely unacceptable!" An old patriarch, with white hair and beard and known for his rigidity and stubbornness, immediately jumped out, heartbroken and indignant. "The empress dowager must not interfere in politics; this is an ancestral law! Concubines serve the emperor and should adhere to their duties within the inner court. How can they be placed in the court, ranking alongside civil and military officials? If this precedent is set, the moral order will be lost, and the country will cease to exist!"
“Yes, Your Majesty! Lord Li, Guard Zhao… well, although they may be talented, their status is special. If they were to enter the court, it might cause controversy and damage Your Majesty’s reputation!” Another censor followed closely behind, speaking earnestly.
Following suit, several self-proclaimed "pure and upright" old ministers stepped forward to second the motion, citing classical texts from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors to lessons from previous dynasties, all with one central idea: allowing male favorites to hold official positions? Absolutely not! Ancestral rules cannot be broken!
Sitting on the dragon throne, Yun Zhan looked at the old ministers kneeling below, kowtowing repeatedly, and felt utterly overwhelmed. He tried to explain Li Muyan and the others' talents and achievements, and tried to emphasize the principle of "appointing the virtuous without avoiding relatives," but in the face of the golden signboard of "ancestral family law," his explanations seemed pale and powerless.
These veteran officials were not treacherous like Li Gang; most of them genuinely believed that this action violated centuries-old traditions and would shake the foundations of the nation. Yun Zhan could forcefully suppress it with imperial power, but that would inevitably chill the hearts of these relatively upright veteran officials and might even trigger greater turmoil in the court.
Ultimately, the appointment had to be temporarily shelved.
After the court session, Yun Zhan returned to the imperial study, seething with anger. He rolled up the sleeves of his dragon robe and slumped into a chair, completely disregarding his image.
"I'm furious! These old fogies! They're so stuck in the past! In what way are Li Muyan and his ilk inferior to those mediocre talents who only know classical Chinese?!"
[Based on data analysis, resistance from traditional viewpoints and vested interest groups is expected. The probability of failure for the host to forcefully push forward is 68.5%. A postponement strategy aligns with the principle of maximizing current interests.] The system calmly analyzes.
"I understand the logic, but I just feel so frustrated!" Yun Zhan grabbed a piece of pastry and stuffed it into his mouth in frustration.
At this moment, Li Muyan quietly entered, carrying a cup of ginseng tea. He was still wearing that moon-white scholar's robe, exuding an elegant air, but his brows had lost some of their initial coldness, replaced by a sense of composure and peace.
"Your Majesty, please have some tea." He gently placed the teacup beside Yun Zhan.
When Yun Zhan saw him, he felt even more sorry for this talented scholar and sighed, "Mu Yan, you've heard about what happened in court today, haven't you? I'm sorry you had to suffer. It was my oversight; I didn't expect the resistance to be so great."
Li Muyan shook his head, a faint smile even playing on his lips: "Why does Your Majesty say such a thing? I do not feel wronged."
He raised his eyes, looking at Yun Zhan with clear and sincere eyes: "It is a great honor for us to be trusted by Your Majesty, to participate in important matters, and to do our part in eliminating treacherous officials and stabilizing the court."
He paused, his voice gentle yet firm: "What we, your subjects, seek is nothing more than to have a chance to use our knowledge and skills, to witness firsthand that under Your Majesty's rule, the world is peaceful and prosperous, and the people live in peace and contentment. As long as we can do something practical for the world and the people, what does it matter whether we stand in the court or what position we hold?"
His gaze fell on Yun Zhan's face, carrying an indescribable trust and... a hint of dependence? "Moreover, to be able to accompany Your Majesty so often, to share Your Majesty's worries and solve Your Majesty's problems, I... am also satisfied."
Yun Zhan was deeply moved by Li Muyan's profound sense of righteousness and selfless dedication when he heard the last sentence, especially the subtle pause in his tone and the word "satisfied," and his heart suddenly skipped a beat!
Wait a minute! That tone...that look...something feels off!
He instinctively shrank back, chuckling dryly, "Ha, ha... I'm so pleased that you think this way, Mu Yan! Well... it's getting late, you should go back and rest early!"
Li Muyan seemed oblivious to Yun Zhan's unusual behavior, and respectfully bowed, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, I take my leave. Please take care of your health, Your Majesty." With that, he gracefully turned and left.
Watching Li Muyan's departing figure, Yun Zhan touched his wildly beating heart and let out a long sigh of relief.
"System! Did you see that? The look in Consort Li's eyes just now! Was he... was he looking at me..." Yun Zhan panicked a little.
[Based on micro-expressions and tone analysis, the target character, Li Muyan, shows a significant increase in his favorability and dependence on the host, with a 74.3% probability of emotional inclinations exceeding the bond between ruler and subject.] The system presented a statistic that sent chills down Yun Zhan's spine.
"It's all over! I only wanted talented people, not a harem!" Yun Zhan wailed, clutching his head. "What am I going to do? I have a family... well, although my family probably wants to grind me to dust right now..."
In the stillness of the night, Yun Zhan lay alone on the large dragon bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Li Muyan's words and gaze from earlier that day lingered in his mind.
He sighed and complained to the system in his mind: "System, tell me, if Yan Linye could be as sensible and understanding as Consort Li, and understand my good intentions, and obediently give up his rebellion, wouldn't that be wonderful?"
He stroked his chin with a whimsical expression: "Hey, system, do your assessment. If I were to take that bastard Yan Linye into my harem and make him empress or something, what would the success rate be? He's good-looking and capable. As empress, he could definitely help me manage the harem... uh, I mean, manage the world!"
[...] The system remained silent for three seconds, its electronic voice seemingly fluctuating in response to these outrageous remarks. [Warning: The host's thoughts are extremely dangerous and illogical. Target Yan Linye's hatred towards host 'Chu Yin' is at MAX level, and his emotional entanglement towards host 'Yun Zhan' is at an S-level. The success rate of adding him to the harem is less than 0.0001%, and it is highly likely to cause the host to prematurely enter the 'skull artwork' production process. The host is advised to immediately cease such unrealistic fantasies.]
Yun Zhan: "...Okay, I was just thinking about it."
After being mercilessly struck down by the system, Yun Zhan's thoughts about Yan Linye became even more active. He'd been gone so long, what happened to that guy...? Did he really hate "Chu Yin" as much as he seemed to? And how did he react to "Yun Zhan's" departure?
“System,” Yun Zhan’s voice deepened, carrying a hint of tension and anticipation he himself didn’t realize, “What’s the situation with Yan Linye? How far along is his rebellion?”
Based on the summary of indirect information and the deduction of the situation,] the system's electronic voice remained steady, but the content made Yun Zhan's heart tighten: "Since the host left, the target Yan Linye's emotional state has been extremely unstable, and his behavior patterns have deviated significantly. His uprising preparations have essentially come to a standstill."
"Stagnation?" Yun Zhan was stunned. "Why?"
[Core Reason: The host's disappearance has dealt an unexpectedly heavy blow to the target. Information indicates that Yan Linye is currently depressed, drinking heavily, refusing to handle most military and political affairs, and focusing his energy on searching for the host's whereabouts. His subordinates have repeatedly tried to dissuade him, to no avail.] The system calmly stated, "In short, your escape, host, has inadvertently bought your dynasty a precious respite."
As Yun Zhan listened to the system's description and imagined Yan Linye's drunken despondency and neglect of politics, his heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, and a sharp pain spread through him, even more intense than when he heard "crushed to ashes".
That once spirited and ambitious man, who seemed to have everything under his control... has become like this because of him?
Shouldn't he hate "Chu Yin" to the core, and instead be working diligently to accelerate the rebellion? How could he...?
A complex mix of emotions—heartache, guilt, bitterness, and an indescribable fluttering—wrapped tightly around his heart like vines, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
"System!" Yun Zhan sat up abruptly, his voice urgent and tinged with a barely perceptible sob. "Activate real-time monitoring of Yan Linye's situation! Immediately! Right now! I need to see how he is!"
[Request rejected.] The system's reply was cold and helpless. [The target person, Yan Linye, is the 'Chosen One' of this world, shrouded in destiny and protected by the world's rules. This system lacks sufficient permissions to conduct real-time monitoring or deep consciousness probing. We can only indirectly analyze and deduce based on the impact of his behavior and external information.]
"What?! You broken system! What good are you! You can't even turn on the monitoring! Useless! Trash!" Yun Zhan was both angry and anxious, cursing without thinking, but his worry and anxiety burned like wildfire.
[The core function of this system is to assist the host in self-rescue, not to be a tool exclusively for voyeurs. Please remain calm.] The system responded without any emotion.
Yun Zhan slumped back onto the bed, covering his eyes with his arm, feeling a tightness in his chest and waves of panic.
The fact that the system couldn't access his information meant he couldn't even confirm Yan Linye's current situation. He could only rely on those cold, hard "information displays," "rumors," and "deductions" to imagine how depressed and miserable Yan Linye was.
This feeling of helplessness was more unbearable for him than facing the attacks from those old-fashioned officials in the court.
Swallows approach the wilderness...
He silently repeated the name in his heart, his heart clenching with a mix of ache and pain.
How are you...?
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