Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 782 Please stop courting death.

If we're talking about madness, Xia Lin probably wouldn't even make the top three. Whether he's playing the pirate Li Shimin outside or the rock musician Tuoba Jing here, they're all top figures in the world of madness. Compared to them, Xia Lin is like a firefly vying for the moon's brilliance.

Who says people in ancient times weren't crazy? They were so crazy that Xia Lin didn't even know how to rein in these runaway horses.

What's more crucial is that people like Tuoba Jing, after seeing and experiencing much, have almost lost interest in those low-level pleasures. Beautiful women, gold and silver treasures—they hold no meaning for such people.

BYD is now pursuing perfection. He was originally a master of poetry and prose, and now he's really excelled. Fuliang has a rebellious and angry atmosphere from the very beginning. Plus, the academies here are large and numerous, which means there are many students, and many students mean many young people.

Hundreds of thousands of young people come here to study and seek truth. Many of them have received math and science education since childhood, rather than classical Chinese texts. These people have a fiery spirit in their hearts.

This is like a pretty widow meeting a woodcutter; of course, things just spiraled out of control.

Emperor Jingtai was mediocre at writing lyrics, but his composing skills were first-rate. However, by sheer coincidence, Xia Lin left behind so many lyrics that no one could possibly use them all. All he had to do was extract the most murderous lines and set them to suitable music, and it would become a huge hit.

But he completely forgot one thing: if he really continued, he might stir up an anti-imperialist and anti-feudal wave here. What would he do then, and what would happen to the hundreds of thousands of royals?
Xia Lin didn't lack the desire for revolution; rather, it was clear that the time for revolution hadn't arrived yet. A smooth transition period was needed. After all, he was different from his predecessors, who were determined to break through the darkness with all their might, often resulting in overexertion. But Xia Lin was confident in achieving a smooth transition.

After all, he has already eliminated more than half of the aristocratic class, leaving only 30-40% trembling in fear. Given time, he can cut off the nutrients of this huge cancer and let it wither away slowly. He has already used extreme methods and is covered in bloodshed. Now he can be more gentle to prevent the beneficiaries from going down in flames.

After recounting the story of Louis XVI, Emperor Jingtai fell silent, as did the two third princes. Xia Lin, sitting there observing their expressions, spoke up: "You think stirring up a wave is a cool thing, like your performance, but do you really want a revolution? Or are you just trying to look cooler? You use them as weapons to attack your chosen targets, but have you ever considered that you yourselves are the targets? I've finally managed to temporarily balance the fear of the upper nobility and the anger of the common people. Do you want it to suddenly erupt in an uncontrollable way?"

Xia Lin spoke with great skill. After hearing these words, the student who had been conscripted by Emperor Jingtai and his men truly realized just how high Xia Daosheng's level was, and he was idolized by millions. Although he was still a little flustered, he knew that he had something to brag about for the rest of his life.

He formed a band with the emperor and was scolded by Xia Daosheng, who pressed his head down.

Each of these was quite remarkable, but luckily he wasn't the one primarily bearing the brunt of the firepower. As the saying goes, when the sky falls, the tall ones hold it up, and here, Emperor Jingtai was naturally the one who took the most hits.

"You should return to Jinling as soon as possible."

Xia Lin directly ordered Emperor Jingtai to leave: "Go back to being your emperor, stand on the imperial city and look out over your country's peace and prosperity."

"Can we discuss this matter further?"

Emperor Jingtai naturally did not want to go back. The dragon robe was not as beautiful as his shiny clothes, the dragon throne was not as exciting as his drum set, and the memorials presented by the ministers in court were not as powerful as the drumsticks.

He's been away from the capital for so long, and the world has not only not descended into chaos but has become even more orderly, with people living in peace and all living beings living in harmony. What would he do if he went back?

"No," Xia Lin said firmly. "If you stay here any longer, who knows what trouble you'll cause."

“It’s not impossible.” At this moment, Emperor Jingtai’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he patted Xiao Chen, the boy who had been conscripted into the army: “Would you be willing to come with me to the capital to develop your career? Don’t worry, I won’t treat you badly.”

Xia Lin glanced at Emperor Jingtai, who said without any hesitation, "Once we get back to the capital, no one will care. I'll find a way to put on a show in the square outside the palace. You know, those natives in Nanjing have never seen anything like this before. Let's go back and show them what it's like."

Aside from Emperor Jingtai, everyone else frequently glanced at him. Any spark from their conflict could easily turn their mountain into a raging inferno.

While speaking, Emperor Jingtai kept observing Xia Lin, hoping that he would stop his plans at this critical juncture and then helplessly let him stay.

It's not that the capital is bad, but that the capital doesn't have the environment for their kind of performance. The atmosphere there is more serious, and the daily entertainment is more traditional. Plus, there are a lot of old scholars there, so young people don't really have much freedom.

On the contrary, Fuliang, a new city with a new atmosphere and new style, is a perfect fit for their brand-new performance style.

Unfortunately, Xia Lin sat there with her eyes half-closed and no expression changed, as if she had made a tough decision.

Seeing his resolute attitude, Tuoba Jing's eyes darted back and forth. He knew that he had gone a bit too far this time. Openly advocating rebellion could break the stable balance that Xia Lin had worked so hard to maintain, and provoke the few remaining noble lords. If they took risks, it could cause large-scale casualties.

But he really didn't want to leave...

"Alright, Your Majesty, it's time for you to go back. A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. It's really going too far for you, as the ruler, to always be away from the palace."

"Third brother, you..."

Just as Emperor Jingtai was about to speak, he felt his leg being pinched. He immediately realized what was happening, nodded slightly, and sighed, "Then allow me to go back and make some preparations."

The four men quickly scattered, and only after they had gone far away from Xia Lin did Emperor Jingtai lower his voice and ask, "Third brother, why did you pinch me just now?"

"Brother, how could this person have made such a huge mess?"

Emperor Jingtai rolled his eyes: "If you come here to bother me, then I won't be polite. Speak your mind, use your tricks."

The Third Prince sighed, "He's really angry right now. Look how dark his face is. But it's not his fault. He could reprimand or discipline anyone else, but when it comes to my brother, he really has no choice but to just ignore it."

At this moment, Emperor Jingtai swung his arm and said angrily, "Did I ask you to analyze the cause and effect? ​​I asked you what to do."

“What else can we do… avoid his sharp edge.” Li Yuanji sighed at this moment, “Your Majesty should just stay away from him these days. He only wants Your Majesty to return to the capital, but he can’t drive you away. As long as you stay here, things will be fine after a while when his influence diminishes.”

"What a pathetic emperor..."

“Brother, don’t be cowardly anymore… Even when Father was young, he didn’t dare to speak out against you in public. Someone like you would be whipped in front of the ancestral tablets at the Imperial Clan Court. It would be worth it to be beaten to death.”

"Isn't that pathetic?"

Emperor Jingtai looked around and saw that the two third princes nodded in agreement, saying that it was truly not a cowardly way for an emperor to be like this. Xia Lin was a regent left by the late emperor, who had been able to punish the tyrannical ruler and execute the treacherous ministers. For an emperor to openly instigate a rebellion under such circumstances was no different from performing a pole dance on the ancestral graves while taking off his clothes.

In such situations, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs would typically unite with civil and military officials at all levels to place the emperor under house arrest in the palace due to health reasons. If he didn't recover within three years, he would be forced to die. Those with sons would have their sons succeed them; those without sons would have their nephews succeed them; and those without nephews would have their daughters succeed them. If he didn't even have a daughter, then they would have to find a long-lost descendant among the common people… Currently, Emperor Jingtai's basic condition can be considered that he has lost his mind and has automatically forfeited his right to the throne. Normally, Xia Lin, as the regent appointed by the late emperor and holding military power, would normally contact the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs to have Emperor Jingtai's eldest son prepare to succeed him. And the best outcome for Emperor Jingtai…

It was probably like someone in the psychiatric ward of a medical school, clinging to the iron bars and singing "In the sea of ​​people, there is you and me."

So it's not accurate to call Emperor Jingtai incompetent at this point. He was way ahead of his time, but he didn't seem to realize that this was the 7th century AD...

In the following days, Emperor Jingtai did indeed quiet down, reportedly having gone to the countryside with his two younger brothers in search of inspiration. However, Xia Lin heard that these few men had gone to the mountains and wilderness to survive and build their own houses.

You know, wilderness survival is his favorite activity, but people don't include him in it.

However, he was too lazy to pursue the matter, since he hadn't finished his annual leave yet, and his proper vacation was supposed to last until the tenth month of the lunar calendar.

These days, Zhang Jianzhi still comes to see him often, chatting about the daily rumors and news from school. It wasn't until recently that Xia Lin learned that Zhang Jianzhi's father travels between Huizhou and Fuliang most of the year, away from home for half the year. His mother occasionally goes to take care of his father, and he only has an older sister who takes care of his daily needs. His sister is only sixteen or seventeen years old. What he's really seeking from Xia Lin is a sense of security that comes from his father.

"Uncle, let me tell you something."

As soon as school was over today, Zhang Jianzhi rushed to Xia Lin's house and, leaning against the wall, hurriedly said, "Today, an extremely beautiful girl came to our academy. She seems to be fourteen years old, a year older than me. She is truly stunning, with beauty that could shame the moon and make the flowers blush. My heart skipped a beat when I first saw her."

"You're so young, where do you get all this excitement? Come in, wash your hands, and have some date cake."

Xia Lin took a plate of pastries out of the house and placed it on the small stone table, then said, "And you really changed your affections quickly. Just a few days ago, I got scolded because you flirted with that little sister Dugu. Now look what's happened, you've taken a fancy to someone else."

"Uncle, you don't know." After washing his hands and drying them on his clothes, Zhang Jianzhi sat on the stone bench. "So many older students came to see her today. She's really so beautiful."

"How good can it be?" Xia Lin pouted. "Alright, hurry up and eat. Don't eat too much, or your sister will scold you if you don't eat dinner tonight. Take it home as a snack."

"How pretty can she be? Let me put it this way, she's just as pretty as my aunt, but she's a bit younger."

"impossible!"

Xia Lin immediately expressed his doubts. Putting aside the height difference, Dugu Han was the most handsome person he had seen in all his years of traveling around the country. If Nuwa created humans with clay, then Dugu Han was the meticulously sculpted clay sculpture, while the others were just mud splatters thrown out at random.

To be comparable to her, one would need at least several generations, or even a dozen generations, of continuous genetic optimization and combination. It's not possible to just randomly come out and say that someone is as beautiful as a bean sprout.
The Dugu family specializes in investing in emperors; wouldn't that be an insult to the Dugu family?
"Fine, don't believe me if you don't want to. I wouldn't believe it either if I didn't see it. But I have a day off tomorrow, so I'll take Uncle to see it."

"Do you know where they live?"

"I know, she doesn't live here. She lives in the school dormitory. I even helped her get her bedding. Here's what I'll do: tomorrow, Uncle, give me some money, and I'll go and ask her out."

Xia Lin shook her head: "Forget it, I'm past the age of looking at pretty little girls. You should stay home and help your sister with some housework tomorrow."

"Then I'll call her here tomorrow!"

“Jianzhi, can you stop exaggerating? You haven’t even grown a hair yet. If she’s really as you say, just wait, the people who want to ask her out tomorrow will be lining up all the way to Leping Township.”

"Uncle, don't look down on me. If I invite you out, you'll treat me to roast lamb."

"I'll give you the whole sheep to eat!"

"A word is settled!"

Xia Lin didn't really take the words of the child who came to keep him company every day to relieve his boredom to heart. After Zhang Jianzhi left, Sister Chuntao came out carrying a basin and said with a smile, "Master, this child is quite interesting."

"Of course, how could it not be interesting? He's the one who brought an end to a dynasty." Xia Lin muttered to herself, then turned around and said, "Sister Chun Tao, prepare some extra snacks for him tomorrow. He doesn't have any adults around him, and his daily life is quite tough."

The next day, while Xia Lin was still immersed in the long-awaited tenderness between Chun Tao and Shui Xian, there was a knock on the door. He quickly got up, dressed, and called out "Wait a moment" before opening the door while brushing his teeth.

Zhang Jianzhi stood outside the door, grinning broadly. Xia Lin, her mouth full of foam, tilted her head and looked at him: "You're here to bother me so early in the morning, aren't you?"

"Look who this is!"

He stepped aside to make room, then reached out with one hand, and a small girl came out to greet him.

The little girl bowed gently to Xia Lin and uttered a soft cry.

“I am Wu Hua… It was because Zhang told me that you were treating me to roast lamb today that I came.”

Xia Lin was visibly taken aback when he saw her. A poem popped into his mind: "Tomorrow I will visit the imperial garden, and quickly inform spring; the flowers must bloom overnight, lest the morning breeze urge them on." Then, a slideshow of his life began to flash rapidly back.

"Your father is Samurai Hachi?"

Upon hearing this name, the young woman's expression changed drastically: "How did you know, sir?"

“I worked with him for a few years.” Xia Lin frowned slightly. “How is he?”

“My father passed away two years ago… After my mother and I were kicked out of the family, my mother brought me here, where she makes a living by sewing and washing clothes.”

Xia Lin glanced at Zhang Jianzhi and then at the girl next to him who called herself Wu Hua. He scratched his head, stepped aside, and let the two of them in.

Has the bond between these two arch-enemies actually begun here? As for who this Wu Hua is, under normal circumstances, she should have been given the name Meiniang by Li Shimin this year.

(End of this chapter)