Longzang

Chapter 571 Pressure
It was the height of summer, and the days were long. By the time the officials hurriedly arrived at the Jin Kingdom's palace, it was already getting light.

Cai Shizhi was among the later arrivals. He was walking leisurely along the palace road when someone suddenly caught up with him and walked alongside him.

Cai Shizhi didn't even need to look; he knew from the footsteps that it was his mortal enemy, Liu Wenkai. This fellow had heard that Cai Shizhi had become a Hanlin scholar in the Western Jin Dynasty, so he had traveled thousands of miles to join the Western Jin and become a minor official in the Ministry of Rites, all to oppose him.

“Unsolicited kindness is always suspicious! Minister Liu, why are you getting so close? Do you have some wicked scheme in mind?” Cai Shizhi naturally didn’t give him a friendly look.

Liu Wenkai remained calm and said, "As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together. Since we are like-minded, we should naturally get closer."

"Bah! Who's like you? You old codger, you just married two sixteen-year-old concubines, aren't you afraid of breaking your back? Humph, that's against human ethics!"

Liu Wenkai remained calm and said, "When the Four Saints Academy's teacher was 1200 years old, he was engaged in dual cultivation with a 90-year-old female cultivator. Why didn't you go and say that? Could it be that you are jealous of my pair of beautiful sisters?"

Cai Shizhi was somewhat speechless, and said, "That is the orthodox method of immortal cultivation, how can it be the same as you, you lecherous old thief?"

Liu Wenkai continued, "Alright, let's not talk about that for now. I have another question for you. Last month, you published five proclamations denouncing Wei Yuan, saying that he disregarded human life, caused immense suffering, and killed hundreds of thousands of refugees. Let me ask you this: among the refugees in the world, are there distinctions of high and low status? Just this one question, do you dare to answer it loudly?"

Cai Shizhi raised his eyebrows and said, "Why wouldn't I dare? All refugees in the world are the same, they are all of the same kind as us! Before we cultivated ourselves, we were just ordinary people, so how are we any more noble than them?"

Liu Wenkai continued, "Fine! You say Wei Yuan has harmed hundreds of thousands of refugees, let's set aside the question of right and wrong for now. But right now, there are also hundreds of thousands of refugees at Hanyang Pass, on the verge of death, unable to move forward or backward, about to starve to death! Why does Mr. Cai turn a blind eye to this? Are your eyes merely for decoration?"

“These are two different things.”

Liu Wenkai raised his voice: "How can they be two different things? You just said that all refugees in the world are the same. What, are these hundreds of thousands of refugees inferior and just waiting to die? You're not blind, you just don't dare to say it!!"

The two were arguing quite loudly, attracting a large crowd of officials who had come to court. Cai Shizhi's old face flushed red as he retorted, "Nonsense! I am upright and incorruptible, who am I afraid of?"

Liu Wenkai laughed and said loudly, "The Qingming refugees went to the battlefield to fight against foreign invaders, and at least they died a worthy death! Hundreds of thousands of refugees inside Hanyang Pass have nowhere to go because the gates are closed, and they are going to starve to death. This is a man-made disaster! Just as Mr. Cai said, these are indeed two different things and cannot be equated!"

You, Cai Shizhi, bark wildly at the heavens, yet remain silent in response. Isn't that because you're afraid of the Xu family? A fame-seeking, bullying-the-weak-and-cowardly scoundrel like you dare to speak of righteousness and literary courage, dare to speak of the integrity of scholars? I think you should just take off that scholar's robe, lest your ancestors in heaven know and be enraged by you."

Cai Shizhi's face turned pale, then red, as he retorted, "How could I be a person who fears power..."

Before he could finish speaking, Liu Wenkai interrupted him: "You are!"

A voice rang out from the side: "I wonder how my Xu family has offended Mr. Liu?"

The officials turned around and saw that it was Xu Gong, the Minister of Revenue, and they all bowed. Liu Wenkai also bowed and said, "I am just stating the facts and I can't stand the behavior of this scoundrel surnamed Cai."

Xu Gong snorted and said, "This is a private matter between the two of you. Don't drag the Xu family into it, or you'll bring trouble upon yourselves."

Liu Wenkai laughed heartily, showing no fear whatsoever, and said, "Lord Xu, you are mistaken. I am also a master, and not just anyone can step on me. If you dare to interfere, you will easily be bitten back. Besides, Lord Xu is a direct descendant of the eldest branch of a noble family, of high status. Wouldn't it be beneath your dignity to personally beat up a lackey like me?"
Liu was nothing but a lackey, and since Lord Xu disliked him, he needed to find a lackey himself. And wouldn't you know it, there was just one stray dog ​​right there.

Cai Shizhi finally lost his temper and said with a dark face, "Just watch what I do!" With that, he turned and left.

Looking at his retreating figure, Xu Gong's expression also turned sour.

It's said that Liu Wenkai has close ties with the Bao family, so he can't be easily messed with. But what about Cai Shizhi? A wandering ghost, a pedantic scholar, not even well-liked within the Four Saints Academy—a true loner. Moreover, ever since he left Qingming and wrote articles vehemently criticizing Wei Yuan, all the major aristocratic families have kept their distance from him. When aristocratic families employ people, they look first at loyalty, then virtue, and only then talent. They see more than just right and wrong; in their eyes, Wei Yuan initially treated Cai Shizhi with courtesy, but after a disagreement, Cai Shizhi not only turned away immediately but also published articles vehemently criticizing Wei Yuan. So, he's an ungrateful dog; nobody will use him.

As the court assembly began, Prince Jin had just finished his opening remarks and asked, "What matters do you gentlemen wish to report?" when Cai Shizhi stepped forward from the end of the line and declared loudly, "The garrison commander of Hanyang Pass has arbitrarily closed the pass, leaving hundreds of thousands of refugees with nowhere to go, and many are starving to death every day! This act is heinous and immoral, a crime of unparalleled severity, and only execution can appease public anger..."

Cai Shizhi, worthy of being called a great Confucian scholar, spoke eloquently and fluently, concluding by stating bluntly that if the Prince of Jin did not deal with the matter, he would be a foolish ruler. If the Xu family protected him, they would be sinners against the world.

The Prince of Jin looked grim, as did the Xu family officials. Only the Lü family members were gloating, their happiness practically written all over their faces.

Cai Shizhi, however, ignored the warnings and continued his rambling. Finally, the Prince of Jin had to interrupt him, saying that he was aware of the matter and would deal with it, but that the matter needed to be clarified first, and only then was he finally allowed to return Cai to his place in the ranks.

After the court session ended, the Prince of Jin ordered Liu Quangong to summon the Left Chancellor to the imperial study and immediately asked, "Who put that thing in the court?"

The Left Chancellor calmly said, "When Li Weisheng first proposed that a court full of upright officials would make the country strong, Your Majesty also deeply agreed with him. Since then, the old minister has recruited many talented scholars with literary reputations, and this Mr. Cai is one of them. After that, Liu Wenkai and others came to join us one after another."

The Prince of Jin angrily said, "This is no great Confucian scholar, he's clearly a mad dog! There are refugees every year, everywhere! Is it necessary to discuss this in the court? You recruited this person, and now this matter has blown up. What do you suggest we do?"

"This matter is easy. If the Holy King doesn't want to provoke the Xu family, then there's only one word: delay. In any case, investigating this matter can take a few days or even a few months. If so many refugees really die at the pass, it's actually a good thing. The Xu family's reputation will be ruined. They will definitely try to cover it up, and these will be all loopholes and handles."

The Prince of Jin nodded slowly and said, "Then let's do it this way."

Just as the Left Chancellor was about to take his leave, the Prince of Jin suddenly asked, "What does Wei Yuan need so many refugees for?"

The Left Prime Minister said, "I have heard that the Azure Nether Immortal Stone itself has a secret technique called 'Instantaneous Living Beings.' Once activated, it can double the strength of mortals, giving them the ability to forge their bodies. Wei Yuan used refugees to fill the battle lines and then used the Instantaneous Living Beings technique to enhance their potential, instantly turning the refugees into soldiers who could fight. This is how he managed to withstand the attack of the Witch Clan."

Wei Yuan recruited nearly a million refugees, which was equivalent to Qingming having a million more soldiers, laying the foundation for their later great victory over the Wu tribe.

"As expected of a celestial stone! In that case, we shouldn't give Wei Yuan too many refugees."

The Left Prime Minister said, "That's not the case. First of all, this method can only be used in Qingming. As long as you don't step into the Qingming domain, there will be no problem. Right now, Qingming is like a hedgehog, with more defense than offense, which is just right for guarding the western border."

Secondly, the way of Heaven is constant; this method overdraws the potential of the refugees, inevitably leading to their weakening and premature demise. Wei Yuan filled the front lines with refugees, and it is said that only one in a thousand survived. He used the witch clan to eliminate all the refugees whose potential had been exhausted, demonstrating ruthlessness. But this also shows that after using the "momentary masses," the refugees are useless and can only be eliminated early.

The Prince of Jin's expression softened considerably, and he nodded, saying, "That makes sense. You handle the matter of Hanyang Pass."

The Left Chancellor took his leave.

At this moment, Wei Yuan was standing on the magnificent flying boat, exchanging greetings with Wei Boyang.

Wei Boyang led Wei Yuan by the arm into the cabin, laid out wine and dishes, and said, "Lord Wei, we have all witnessed your bloody battle against the Wu tribe over the past three months, and we admire you from the bottom of our hearts! Originally, the court appointed you as the garrison commander of Qingyang, but now it seems that it will actually be implemented. I will have to return in a couple of days, so please feel free to tell me if you have any business to attend to!"

Wei Yuan said, "There is something I need to discuss. I've heard that Hanyang Pass has stunning scenery. Why don't you visit it before returning to the capital, General?"

Wei Boyang laughed and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely take a closer look."

(End of this chapter)