Chapter 44: Battle Reports Don't Lie

Hearing Cai Jing’s words, the surrounding officials cast sharp, knife-like glances at him, yet Li Chen seemed to have been suddenly inspired.

"Very well, your suggestion is quite good; but the ministers are not wrong either! The grounds of our ancestors can be relocated, but they must not be abandoned! The original ancestral temple will be converted into a business school, and the Hall of Supreme Harmony shall become the institute of engineering! Shen Wanyi! When you build the Royal Academy, take the opportunity to renovate the imperial palace for Us as well, and rebuild an ancestral temple!"

With that, Li Chen strode away, paying no heed to the reactions of those around him. Everyone understood that this was the emperor's final word. To a certain extent, this could already be considered a concession; pressing any further might provoke disaster.

"Lord Ouyang, why did you remain completely silent just now?" Bai Lian, who was on good terms with Zhang Cong, asked with a hint of perplexity in his expression.

Ouyang Yu looked at Bai Lian, a flash of bewilderment crossing his face. "His Majesty does things entirely according to his own judgment. If others fail to understand, can it be that you fail to understand as well?"

Hearing Ouyang Yu's words, Han Xin nearby could no longer hold back. "If our emperor were not blessed by fortune to be born into the imperial family, what remarkable achievements could he possibly claim? Do all his previous actions prove him to be an enlightened sovereign? To step back even further, assuming he is an enlightened ruler, can tearing down the ancestral temple and abandoning the residence of former emperors truly be considered the mark of an enlightened king?"

Coming from a military background, he had managed to hold his tongue earlier, but now that the emperor was gone, he was freed from restraint. As soon as he spoke, his words were thick with hostility.

Yet before Ouyang Yu could reply, another official chimed in tremblingly. "Indeed, His Majesty has gone too far this time. Even if we dare not voice our complaints, history and future generations will likely condemn him as a foolish ruler! Who knows how he will face his ancestors and former emperors when his time comes?"

The officials muttered back and forth, their words consisting of little more than grievances against Li Chen's decision. In their eyes, Li Chen had undoubtedly become a foolish tyrant rarely seen through the ages.

Shortly after, at the Prime Minister's Estate...

Having listened to the officials' grievances, Ouyang Yu returned to his estate and immediately shut himself in his study, forbidding anyone from entering to disturb him.

Opposite his desk hung a portrait of the late Emperor of the Great Zhou. Gazing at the portrait for a long time, Ouyang Yu could not help letting out a heavy sigh.

"Your Majesty, this subject has not failed your expectations. It is simply that I have perhaps grown old and nearly became a stumbling block to His Majesty. Nor has he failed you; he is far wiser and more brilliant than any of us anticipated. Although he possesses a certain arrogance and decisiveness, that is precisely how an emperor ought to be."

As he spoke, Ouyang Yu produced a copy of an official document from the side and set it ablaze before the portrait.

"Your Majesty, if you have the time, do take a look. The Great Zhou is finally beginning to flourish once more. Moreover, His Majesty has accomplished a great task that we have desired to execute for years yet never dared to undertake!"

"He wishes to curb the power of the vassal states, and he is doing it with such subtlety that even if the opponents recognize the scheme, they are utterly helpless. It will not be long before the hidden perils within our Great Zhou are completely eradicated. When that day arrives, he will undoubtedly be hailed as the most enlightened sovereign in history, and you may finally rest in peace beneath the earth!"

As Ouyang Yu spoke, recalling the poignant memories he shared with the late emperor, his eyes unconsciously grew moist.

A few days later, within the imperial palace...

Li Chen had just swallowed a grape fed to him by Wan'er and was about to tease the little girl when an imperial servant hurried over from afar.

"Your Majesty! Urgent military intelligence from the front lines! The Prime Minister and the lords are already waiting for you in the Imperial Study!"

Over the past few days, Li Chen had been plagued with anxiety over the military situation, secretly wondering how long Zhao Kuo and Huo Huan's meager capabilities could possibly hold out. Hearing of this dispatch now, he immediately assumed that the front lines had suffered a defeat and sent someone back to plead for reinforcements.

Unable to spare another glance at the portrait of the beauty before him, he hastily strode out of the chamber.

Inside the Imperial Study, the ministers were already engaged in heated discussion. Because Ouyang Yu had ordered the news suppressed, the specifics remained under wraps, leaving everyone aware only that a dispatch had arrived, while remaining completely in the dark regarding its contents. Many officials were whispering among themselves, speculating on just how dire the military situation had become.

"His Majesty discarded renowned generals with glorious battle records in favor of a nobody like Zhao Kuo. In my view, this campaign is doomed to disaster!"

"Indeed. No matter what, the Japanese nation dispatched seasoned generals and mobilized an army of one hundred thousand. Yet over here, we treated the matter like a child's game. Once the defeat is confirmed shortly, His Majesty will likely have no choice but to swallow his pride and beg the Grand General to turn the tide!"

Hearing these remarks, Han Xin felt a surge of secret triumph, though his words outwardly took the opposite stance.

"You fellows should not inflate the enemy's prestige while destroying your own morale! Has the battle report not been returned yet? How can you speak in such a manner? If His Majesty hears of this, beware of being charged with a crime!"

The others knew Han Xin was only joking, as truly no one held any faith in Zhao Kuo's competence.

At that very moment, Li Chen walked in from outside, his face beaming with smiles as if he already knew the outcome. Catching sight of Li Chen's expression, Ouyang Yu felt his heart stir with intense excitement, convinced that the emperor was supremely confident in the grand army.

Without delay, Ouyang Yu hurriedly retrieved the battle report and, alongside the soldiers returning from the front, stepped forward to report to Li Chen.

"Congratulations, Your Majesty! Our army has crushed the Japanese forces at the border! Although both sides remain at a stalemate for the moment, the Japanese no longer dare to cross our frontiers!"

Hearing this, Li Chen felt as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning.

Yet the very next second, that familiar, chilling chime rang out in his mind.

[The Sovereign has acted as an enlightened ruler, causing the National Fortune of the Great Zhou to increase by 1,000 points. Current remaining points: 10,550.]

[Friendly reminder: Based on the current rise in National Fortune, 1 point of Doom Value has been converted. Current Doom Value: 9.6. Once the Doom Value reaches its maximum, the Sovereign shall endure the Nine-Day Heavenly Thunder Tribulation!]

For an instant, Li Chen was nearly driven to fainting by the shock, and the smile vanished abruptly from his face.

However, the ministers' reactions were the exact opposite. Those who had previously flattered Han Xin now wore expressions of utter astonishment, quickly realizing the situation and rushing to shower Li Chen with praise.

"His Majesty is truly an enlightened sovereign! To think he could unearth two such hidden pearls!"

"I understand now! His Majesty did this on purpose! He bypassed so many famed generals and instead employed General Zhao Kuo and his companion precisely because he had long foreseen their true abilities, using the two of them to lull the enemy into complacency and strike a decisive blow!"

"Wait... His Majesty does not seem very happy?"

The ministers spoke one after another, brimming with boundless excitement. Yet after some time, someone finally noticed that Li Chen's expression was profoundly amiss.

Ouyang Yu gazed at Li Chen, his heart overflowing with secret admiration.

"Unspoiled by victory, undaunted by defeat—truly, His Majesty is the sagacious monarch best suited to unify the realm. By comparison, we ministers appear rather pathetic indeed!"

Thinking thus, he was about to step forward to offer words of praise when he heard Li Chen urgently questioning the returning soldier.

"Tell Us, how on earth did this battle end in victory? This makes no sense at all!"