If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1012 Summoning Foreign Troops to the Capital

Xiao Yu said, "Prime Minister Li, I have a question for you."

If an emperor reaches the end of his dynasty and knows that his destiny is over and he is about to become the last emperor.

He should choose to live a dissolute life, filled with hatred, ignite the flames of karma, burn the entire world, and drag all living beings down to hell.

Should we cultivate our character, practice self-discipline and restore propriety, earnestly fulfill our duties as rulers, treat the people kindly, and strive to ensure that the last years of the dynasty bring less disaster and more peace?

Li Si said, "If the emperor cultivates his character, treats the people kindly, and shoulders the responsibilities of a human emperor, thus ensuring that the world suffers less disaster and enjoys more peace, how could the dynasty have come to an end?"

Xiao Yu looked at him strangely and said, "I didn't expect Prime Minister Li to view the late Emperor in this way."

Li Si's expression changed, and he said urgently, "Don't talk nonsense! The situation in Qin is completely different from the example you gave. The First Emperor died for other reasons, not because the late emperor was unkind or irresponsible."

Xiaoyu said, "What nonsense did I say? You tried to be clever and avoid answering my question directly, but your cleverness backfired."

Li Si was about to call out again when Wei Liaozi said impatiently, "Prime Minister Li, you only need to make a choice, yes or no. Don't make things worse and waste everyone's time."

Li Si said in a muffled voice, "Anyway, the mandate of heaven has been lost, so the result is the same. Just do as you please and follow your heart."

Xiaoyu shook her head and said, "Look at you, you subconsciously put yourself in the role of the 'last emperor'."

But you are only the prime minister. In my hypothetical last dynasty, you are more likely just an ordinary citizen.

As a court official or an ordinary citizen, would you want the emperor to indulge in such behavior?

“Everyone longs for a wise and benevolent ruler, but what’s the use of just longing for one?” Li Si sneered.

Xiaoyu nodded and said, "Yes, just hoping won't help. They will make their choice with the hoes and sickles in their hands."

Choosing to join the righteous army with a wise ruler will hasten the demise of the unfortunate emperor and lead to an even more tragic end.

Both were states that perished, but the ways in which they perished were vastly different. Some might preserve their ancestral temples and fiefdoms, while others might be wiped out as a clan.

For example, the Western Zhou Dynasty destroyed the Shang Dynasty.

The royal family of the Shang Dynasty not only survived, but also preserved their ancestral temples and established the State of Song.

The remnants of the Shang dynasty, unwilling to submit to the Zhou dynasty, established the Joseon Kingdom under the leadership of Jizi, far from the Central Plains.

From the Western Zhou Dynasty to the present day, how many kingdoms have been completely wiped out, with clansmen dying and ancestral temples extinct?

The westward migration of the Ying clan was not a random idea conjured up by Meng Qi or Ying Zheng on a whim.

This has precedents in China.

But if the reputation is too bad and the public resentment is too great, like in her previous life in the Qin Dynasty, the entire clan would be wiped out.

Li Si said, "The principle of 'the will of the people and the mandate of heaven' is self-evident, without you needing to explain it."

"Now let's just talk about the dragon veins! Are the earth veins of the Nine Provinces going to betray the Ancestral Dragon and willingly side with the rebellious dragon veins?"

"It's not impossible," Xiaoyu said.

Li Si pondered for a while, then said, "In that case, let's do as you say!"

After saying that, he gave her a disdainful look and said, "Just say it like that, don't bring up Confucian benevolence and love. That topic is over."

Xiao Yu sneered inwardly and asked, "Prime Minister Li, now that you know the celestial phenomena have changed and turmoil will soon break out across the land, what good plan do you have?"

"I am currently discussing this with my ministers," Li Si said.

“You’re the Prime Minister, you can’t be completely empty-headed and have no substance, can you? Share your thoughts first, and we can discuss them together,” Xiaoyu said.

Li Si sensed a trap in her words and ignored her, turning instead to several senior officials, saying, "Now that we've seen the star map, let's return to the office and discuss this further!"

Wei Liaozi said irritably, "The change in the celestial phenomena was observed by Grand Tutor Yu. What's the point of avoiding her?"

Feng Quji also advised, "There are no outsiders here. Prime Minister Li, please speak freely about your thoughts."

Li Si said with a blank face, "Prime Minister Feng, tell me, what preparations should we make if Chen Sheng and Wu Guang's band of bandits are going to cause trouble?"

—We're asking you, so why are you making me talk again?

Feng Quji muttered to himself, but habitually refrained from disobeying Li Si.

He thought for a moment and said, "First, we will draw 50,000 elite troops from Dang County and Yingchuan County to garrison Pengcheng in Sishui County."

If Chen Sheng and his followers dare to start an uprising, suppress them immediately with overwhelming force.

“Relying solely on county and prefectural troops is probably not enough. Chen Sheng’s band of rebels already possesses all sorts of strange and secret techniques, and they also have the audacity to support the imperial court and steal the fortune of immortals,” Li Si said.

Feng Quji said, "There are still 250,000 people in Guanzhong."

Li Si shook his head and said, "The Guanzhong army must protect the capital and guard against any changes in the northwest. It should not be mobilized lightly."

After hesitating for a long time, Feng Quji reluctantly said, "How about we transfer a cavalry unit from the Great Wall Army, led by General Meng Yi, back to the Central Plains to quell the rebellion?"

Li Si said calmly, "If the Central Plains are in chaos, the barbarians will surely try to move south."

Astrologically speaking, this year indeed foretells a calamity of barbarian invasion of China.

Feng Quji began to understand his old friend's thoughts.

But he wouldn't say it; we had to make him speak.

Prime Minister Feng sighed inwardly, turned to Wei Liaozi, and asked, "What does the Grand Commandant think about summoning a group of military officers from outside the Central Plains to Guanzhong to defend the Emperor?"

"Who should we mobilize?" Wei Liaozi asked.

Prime Minister Feng glanced at Li Si.

Li Si said, "Transfer people from Marquis Lieyang's Eastern Navy Legion, or have Marquis Lieyang return directly."

Marquis Lieyang, Wei Liaozi, sighed softly, "To bring him back and expect him to behave himself, I'm afraid we'll have to reward him with a royal title."

“A prince is a prince. Now even Lao Ai has become the Prince of Changxin. The late emperor’s prohibition on bestowing princes has long been broken,” Li Si said.

Feng Quji said, "We can bestow the title of 'King of Fusang' upon Marquis Lieyang, and let him establish a kingdom and rule in Dongsheng Shenzhou."

Wei Liaozi looked around and saw a cold smile on Xiao Yu's face. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "Does Grand Tutor Yu have any different opinions?"

"I have only one question for Prime Minister Li." Xiaoyu looked at Li Si and said, "What did you just say? You understand the principle that the will of the people is the will of Heaven."

He added, "If I had just told you the result, you would have understood and accepted it much sooner."

—You have such patience!

I only gained a verbal advantage, but you've been waiting until now to find something to use against me!
Li Si thought to himself, but said calmly, "I still have to say it, just get straight to the point."

“Alright, I’ll get straight to the point.” Xiaoyu nodded and said, “If you and the other officials truly believed in the power of ‘the people’s will,’ you wouldn’t be focusing solely on force right now.”

Sending troops to suppress the rebellion is like trying to control floods by blocking them instead of dredging them. It does little to change the hearts and minds of the people.

"If you don't send troops to suppress it, what do you plan to do?" Li Si asked.

Xiao Yu said, "It's simple. Show your benevolence to the world and demonstrate the court's compassion."

For example, immediately declare a general amnesty.

All the laborers were sent home, and all the prisoners, except those convicted of serious crimes such as murder, arson, rape, and kidnapping, were also released back to their hometowns.

The notices were posted throughout the land, and each prefecture and county, depending on the circumstances, reduced or exempted taxes for three, five, or even ten years.

The sentence may be reduced or exempted as appropriate.

Even for capital crimes, tortures that cause permanent physical harm were abolished.

at last."

She glanced at the assembled officials, whose brows were already furrowed, and continued, "The older officials among you should retire now."

Or, to proclaim to the world and to all the unserving heroes of the land, the court expressed its determination to recruit talented individuals, reform corrupt practices, and revitalize the nation.

The imperial court will select virtuous and talented people from among the common people to serve as officials, with the highest position being prime minister.

If you want to go even further—”

Li Si raised his hand to interrupt her, "Don't go any further. What you're saying now is beyond my tolerance."

Xiaoyu laughed and said, "You don't understand the principle of 'the will of the people is the destiny of Heaven' now?"

"A pedantic scholar, not worth discussing anything with!"

Li Si stood with his hands behind his back, his back straight, his brows furrowed with genuine arrogance and disdain. "My lords, let's go!" Wei Liaozi pondered and said, "Grand Tutor Yu's suggestion may be worth a try."

Li Si's eyes widened, and he exclaimed, "She's got a brain injury, and you're getting one too?"
I wholeheartedly agree with reducing the scale of labor for imperial tombs and the Epang Palace, so as to allow the people to rest and recuperate as much as possible.

If all the laborers are sent back, who will repair bridges and roads and transport grain and fodder?
With a series of major battles to come, how will the imperial court continue to function?
Everyone knows that conscripting laborers will cause widespread resentment among the people.

Therefore, the first batch of laborers were mostly people from the left and right sides of the village.

Those sons-in-law, vagrants, laborers, and unregistered wanderers were all people of low status.

Ordinary people look down on them and despise them.

If they are only made to perform corvée labor, the property-owning people will surely welcome them wholeheartedly, and the impact on people's livelihood will be minimal.

Even seeing the lowly serving in the army while they themselves were exempt from corvée labor, despite the heavy taxes levied on the lowly, brought them extra joy from the contrast and the distinction between social classes, making the country more peaceful and harmonious.

But now, those lowly people like lazy sons-in-law have all been conscripted and are gone. What can we do?
Strict laws are necessary.

If the law is not strict, how can those good citizens with military merits and titles lose their status?

How can one become a lowly person without committing crimes or losing one's status?

How can the common people agree to the government's decision to exile them to the frontier and force them into hard labor if they don't become lowly people?

Those Qin people who risked their lives on the battlefield to earn military merits, obtain military titles, and are allocated land, mansions, and servants, and who are exempt from or have to perform less corvée labor, would surely have wanted to devour Li Si alive if they heard his words.

"Everything in the Great Qin can change, except the laws! If the laws change, the system will perish, and the Great Qin will also perish."

Whoever uses the laws of Qin in the future will surely become the new 'Qin' that unifies the world!

Li Si's expression was resolute, and his voice was firm.

Using the law to justify the exploitation of ordinary people is inhumane and extremely cruel.

But as it turned out, Li Si was right.

Liu Ji followed the example of the Qin Dynasty and unified the world; Xiang Yu did not follow the example of the Qin Dynasty and lost the world.

The Qin Dynasty lost its Mandate of Heaven not because its laws and systems were out of step with the times.

In fact, the Qin system was too "advanced" and too powerful.

Historically, when Xiao He followed Liu Bang into Xianyang, the first thing he did was rush into the palace and collect all the documents, including legal texts, geographical maps, and household registration records, which were under the control of the prime minister and the imperial censor.

He almost perfectly replicated the Qin system for Liu Laosan.

The subsequent Chu-Han Contention was almost a replay of the Western Qin's sweep of the six states.

By exploiting the Qin Dynasty's "excellent system" that squeezed the people dry, they eventually wore down Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, to death.

The Overlord always wins, while Liu Laosan always loses.

The winners couldn't hold on any longer, while the losers continued to exploit the Qin system, draining their resources.

The Qin Dynasty lasted only two generations, while the Han Dynasty, inheriting the Qin system, became the most influential and renowned dynasty in Chinese history. Without fundamentally changing the system, it only needed to adjust the pace, slow down the activity, and give the people more freedom and breathing room.

Different road non-phase plan.

Xiaoyu did not argue with Li Si.

She had long seen through the people of Da Qin, or rather, she had seen through the difficulty of carrying out large-scale reforms within a mature system.

There must be a sufficiently powerful and urgent external threat to bring about change.

Otherwise, even if she makes Qin better, they will still think to themselves: perhaps sticking to the original way would be better?

It's a waste of effort and doesn't bring any reward. It's also a waste of time during the period of rapid spiritual growth, and it delays one's own cultivation. Why bother?
Li Si and Wei Liaozi left the Imperial Observatory.

They still need to discuss how to deal with the potential unrest in Kyushu this year, and Xiaoyu does not intend to participate.

"Master Yu, are you going to set off immediately to the southeast to investigate the rebels and search for the dragon vein?" Master Guan asked.

“Li Si is currently challenging me to a duel, searching for extraordinary individuals to vie for the position of Grand Tutor! How can I leave at this time?” Xiao Yu said.

Yang Li, the young Taoist, curled his lip and said, "Prime Minister Li is too naive. Does he think the Imperial Observatory is just an office that anyone can come in and then make us submit?"
Even though he was the prime minister, he didn't have much prestige within the Imperial Observatory.

Not to mention those extraordinary people of unknown origin.

“Li Si will definitely select a few renowned True Immortals,” said True Immortal Grey Crane.

"Did the real person receive the message?" Xiaoyu asked.

Grey Crane Master shook his head and said, "There is no definite news. I only know that he sent letters to various Dao Palaces, and those invited were all highly virtuous masters."

Yang Li sneered, "Even if there are truly powerful beings willing to come to Xianyang, can they mobilize the dragon energy of the Qinling Mountains?"

To replace Master Yu, one must possess Taoist magic that surpasses hers.

Otherwise, who would be convinced?

When Xiaoyu first came to the Imperial Observatory, this guy looked down on her quite a bit, but now he's almost become a "Xiaoyu fanboy".

Master Guan said, "A group of fellow Daoists who study the Celestial Masters sect want to enter the secret vault of the Imperial Observatory to borrow the treasure maps and classics."

If Master Yu won't be leaving Xianyang anytime soon, should we take some time to meet with them?

Xiao Yu paused for a moment, then asked, "Where did this fellow Daoist come from? What is your relationship with the Imperial Observatory?"

"Most of them are Taoist cultivators from the blessed lands of the Nine Provinces, including true immortals and Qi cultivators who have not yet become immortals."

It has no direct connection with the Imperial Observatory.

"However, as fellow Daoists of the Xuanmen, it is common for us to visit each other," said Master Guan.

Xiao Yu asked, "Which secret vault do they want to enter, and what precious book do they want to borrow?"

Master Guan pondered for a moment and said, "There are quite a few fellow Daoists who have come this time, and their requests are all different."

Some people heard about the legendary story of Master Yu fighting alone against the gods of the Four Rivers and Five Sacred Mountains a few days ago, and were very shocked. They became curious about the True Form Map and wanted to borrow it to see.

Some people wanted to go to the Black Ice Terrace Library to look up the late emperor's research on the world beyond the borders.

Some people wanted to train Dao soldiers for their own Daoist temples and asked for several methods of training Dao soldiers.

In short, with so many people and such diverse needs, every request must be approved by Master Yu.

"Are they coming to the Imperial Observatory to become the Heavenly Masters?" Xiaoyu asked.

"I don't think I have that idea."

Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment, then asked, "In the past, how many people were unwilling to serve the Qin Dynasty but still wanted to borrow its secret manuals? How were they usually dealt with?"

Master Guan hesitated and said, "When the late emperor was still alive, let alone outsiders, even the Great Qin Celestial Master needed to obtain the Emperor's Decree to enter the secret vault and look through certain documents."

Even the emperor wouldn't allow it in many situations.

After the death of the Human Emperor, Meng Zhenjun became the Grand Tutor. In order to win over the various Taoist sects in the land, he drastically changed the rules.

Basically, whenever a fellow Daoist from the Xuanmen sect makes a request, Grand Master Meng will open the door to convenience, and whatever the request, there will surely be a response.

For this reason, Meng Zhenjun even earned the nickname "Old Mengchang".

Xiaoyu's lips twitched slightly as she slowly said, "I also want to change the rules; I don't want to be a 'little Mengchang' (a legendary figure known for his generosity)."

To gain an advantage over the Qin Dynasty, one must first serve the Qin Dynasty.

My demands are not high; based on their needs, I will have them serve as 'temporary Grand Tutors' in the Imperial Observatory for a period of time.

The day before yesterday, when I attended court, Li Si mentioned that the Imperial Observatory was short-staffed and that some mythical birds and beasts had escaped from the Bureau of Celestial Beasts.

There is also the 'Medicine Bureau'.

"There's a severe shortage of alchemists; we can't even refine a high-grade Nine-Turn Bone-Changing Pill. It's too shameful."

Master Guan said tactfully, "Master Meng is not giving away benefits for nothing. Even cultivators of the Xuanmen sect have their pride. Having received benefits from the Qin Imperial Observatory, wouldn't they repay the favor when the opportunity arises?"
Now the Qin Dynasty has lost its Mandate of Heaven.

If they had hesitated even slightly when they entered the world to support the imperial court, today's favor would have been well worth it.

Master Yu directly exchanged benefits with them; there was no personal relationship, only calculation. Even if they became 'temporary masters,' would they be grateful to the Great Qin or to you, Master Yu?
They're probably feeling resentful, and even if they don't have the chance, they'll find a way to annoy you and the Qin Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)