Chapter Twenty-Six: Your Majesty is Truly a Sage Monarch for the Ages!

Watching the Emperor sweep away in a fit of rage, the assembled ministers stood stunned, unable to process what had just happened.

Had His Majesty truly just left like that?

Bai Che stood with his head bowed, dazed for a moment, before a look of self-reproach crossed his face as if he had realized something. Beside him, Bai Lian stepped forward to offer comfort.

"You need not take it to heart. Our Emperor has always been this way. His anger just now was not directed at you."

She offered a bitter smile to the other ministers. "My lords, I fear His Majesty will not see us again today. Shall we continue to wait here in misery, or should we return for now and join forces with the other officials tomorrow to submit a petition, requesting that the Emperor retract his decree?"

Bai Che suddenly spoke up. "No, the Emperor’s fury was justified. I did not handle matters well enough, nor was my conduct appropriate. Once I return, I shall draft a confession of guilt and request His Majesty’s punishment."

Bai Lian was about to intervene, but Zhang Cong’s voice cut in first.

"Doctor Bai, you are new to the officialdom; you have done well enough to reach this point. However, this is truly not your fault. It is the Emperor. The political decree he announced at the ceremony today was nothing short of madness. I suspect that when he summoned you just now, he had already made up his mind to use you as a scapegoat to brush us off."

No sooner had he finished than Ge Siwang, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.

"Ministers Bai and Zhang, I believe you are mistaken this time."

Because the former Minister of Personnel had retired due to illness, Ge Siwang was currently acting in his stead, serving as an interim minister. Though he had harbored doubts about this petition, he had been unable to refuse and thus joined them. Yet, after seeing Li Chen earlier, he had experienced a sudden epiphany.

"Think about it. Of all the Emperor’s previous actions, which one did not appear harmful at first glance? And yet, what was the outcome?"

Zhang Cong sighed, offering a reminder. "That may be so, but even if His Majesty has the heart of a wise ruler, it is imprudent to repeatedly play such dangerous hands!"

"Not so, not so. His Majesty is broad-minded and has his eyes set on the world; it is merely that we are shallow and always a step behind. Take the Great Wall, for instance. I am certain His Majesty knew of the gold mine long ago, which is why he insisted on building the wall."

"Are you saying...?"

Bai Lian seemed to grasp the implication, her tone filled with shock.

"Exactly. The Great Wall may seem like a way to cut off foreign invaders, but I fear that in His Majesty’s heart, it was merely a ruse to deceive the public." The more Ge Siwang thought, the more confident and even excited he became.

"The Great Wall is indeed a massive drain on labor, but this gold mine can sustain the imperial treasury for at least twenty years. Surely you all understand which is of greater importance? His Majesty was angry earlier because the wall was not yet complete, yet Minister Bai had already begun excavating the mine."

"Think about it: if news of this were to leak out and invite the greed of others, would that not be a grave disaster? That is why His Majesty was so furious! I suggest that when Minister Bai returns, he should keep the news under wraps and, at the very least, protect the mine and the ore vein maps!"

Bai Che nodded slightly, clearly having already planned to do so.

Zhang Cong remained unconvinced and reminded Ge Siwang, "Even so, the Emperor’s decision today is truly detrimental to the nation! I have pondered it for a long time and cannot see any benefit in it. Even if his previous actions were correct, we ought to remonstrate with him regarding this matter!"

Bai Lian nodded as well, her expression growing increasingly worried. She sighed to Ge Siwang, "We are all scholars; we know how difficult those ten years of study are. If one is unlucky or faces unforeseen circumstances, one might not pass the examinations for twenty years, let alone enter officialdom."

"Now, with a single word, the Emperor has severed the future of countless scholars. If they grow resentful and abandon the Great Zhou to serve elsewhere, it will be a tremendous loss for our nation."

"Even if they do not leave, this remains a massive source of instability. If a riot breaks out, it will be no small matter!"

Ge Siwang, however, laughed. "In my view, this matter is not without a solution. Though the Emperor has cut off the path of the imperial examinations, this 'Imperial Academy' might well serve to select talent for the country. Besides, these scholars are already educated and possess an advantage over others. As long as they have perseverance and a heart for the nation, how much of an impact can this truly have? What we should be guarding against are those with ulterior motives."

...

While the ministers were debating, in the inner palace, Li Chen was on the verge of a mental breakdown.

[The Emperor has performed the actions of a wise ruler, causing the Great Zhou’s national fortune to rise by 1000 points. 4050 points remain.]

[Friendly reminder: Based on the current rise in national fortune, it has converted into 0.5 points of misfortune. Current misfortune: 2.6. Once the misfortune meter is full, the Emperor will endure the Nine Heavens Lightning Tribulation!]

Watching his hard-earned national fortune suddenly rise by another 500 points, Li Chen almost regretted sending Bai Che to build the Great Wall. Although he had managed to slash 5000 points of national fortune in one go just moments ago, the thought that it had inexplicably risen again left him in a dark, depressed mood.

Especially when he considered that once the misfortune meter was full, the Nine Heavens Lightning Tribulation would be triggered. A sense of impending doom washed over him like a tide.

"This cannot go on. It seems I must find a way to corrupt the national fortune as soon as possible."

"Should I put luxury and gourmet food on the agenda? But in this era, transportation and storage are difficult. Even if I want to focus on food, it seems I can only start with extravagance. How much impact could that possibly have?"

As he muttered to himself, Wan'er’s voice suddenly came from the doorway.

"Your Majesty, I have prepared some snacks for you. Would you like to try them?"

Hearing the word "snacks," a new idea instantly flashed through Li Chen’s mind. He hugged Wan'er tightly.

"That’s it! Snacks! Go to the Imperial Kitchen at once and have them make every kind of pastry they know how to bake!"

Wan'er was confused, but she dared not disobey Li Chen. She nodded blankly and hurried away.

Elsewhere, at the Tingyun Academy:

"Everyone, I believe that even though we do not hold office, we are, after all, citizens of Great Zhou who have spent years studying the teachings of the sages. Now that the Emperor has become so absurd, we should jointly submit a petition requesting that he retract his decree!"

"And that is not all! Ever since the Emperor ascended the throne, he has done so many unfathomable things. In my opinion, we should request that he issue an Edict of Self-Reproach!"

The scholars gathered together, growing more agitated as they spoke. In the end, they even harbored thoughts of forcing the Emperor to issue an Edict of Self-Reproach. Yet, even so, none of them felt anything was wrong; instead, their discussion only grew more heated.