Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 558 Emperor Ninghe is Dying (11,000 words)

"Although there are thousands of people, I am going!"

This quote comes from Mencius, Book 1, Part 1: Gongsun Chou asked Mencius, "If you were to attend court with Guan Zhong and Yan Ying, would you feel ashamed?" Mencius replied, "If I examine myself and find myself in the wrong, even if I wear coarse clothes, I would not be afraid. If I examine myself and find myself in the wrong, even if there are thousands of people, I will go."

The word "缩" here refers to being upright and honest, rather than retreating.

It means that if, after self-reflection, the truth is not on my side, I will be terrified even when facing ordinary people; but if, after self-reflection, I confirm that the truth is on my side, I will forge ahead even when faced with the obstruction of millions. It depicts the spirit of a scholar, the core of which is not reckless courage, but the civilized responsibility of doing what is known to be impossible.

However, it was later extended to mean that as long as you stick to your ideals, what does it matter if you fight against the whole world?

Like a lonely, tragic hero.

Here, Song Yan uses the extended meaning.

Although it has a touch of adolescent angst, it has to be said that this sentence is incredibly powerful.

As I said before, Song Yan still harbored some arrogance as a transmigrator... He always felt that since he had transmigrated here, he had to do something, even if he couldn't become an ancestor, he should at least leave his name in history.

Song Yan also has some ambitions.

He knew he didn't have the ability to transform the world into a modern society, but at least he hoped that through his efforts, the people of the Central Plains would have food to eat and clothes to cover their bodies; he hoped that the people of the Central Plains would have land to cultivate, houses to live in, wages to work, education for the young, and medical care for the sick.

In this feudal era, being able to do this would probably qualify one as a wise and sage ruler.
As for the land that the sun and moon shine upon and the rivers flow through, all of it is Han territory.

If we can achieve the previous goal, a little effort wouldn't be impossible... At the very least, we should slaughter all the Japanese pirates, at least wipe out the Koreans, at least ensure that future Han Chinese never have to learn English again, right?

Thinking about it this way, I realized that I was actually quite greedy.

Cui Yingying paused for a moment, then chuckled: "In my opinion, your plan, whether implemented now or in the future, is acceptable, but... it will face unprecedented resistance, and may result in a lot of deaths."

"Then let heads roll!"

"The road ahead is uncertain; perhaps we will be reduced to ashes."

"Then there will be no remains of their bodies."

“Now I understand.” Cui Yingying smiled lightly. “If my husband is prepared to implement the new policies in the fiefdom immediately, the resistance he faces at present is relatively small. After all, my husband has the reputation of being the ‘Madman of Jingguan’, has the merit of annihilating hundreds of thousands of foreign tribes, holds absolute military power, has a strong deterrent effect on the officials under his jurisdiction, and has the support of countless common people. Therefore, not many people dare to offend my husband at this time.”

Cui Yingying raised her head to look at Luo Yuheng: "I apologize, Your Highness, what I am about to say may be somewhat presumptuous."

"It's alright, please speak freely." Luo Yuheng smiled, clearly not minding.

Cui Yingying then spoke again: "If my husband only intends to maintain a peaceful and stable life in one corner of the country, then implementing such new policies is certainly not a problem. It can be said that if these new policies are truly implemented, the recovery speed of Anzhou and Pingyang will be beyond imagination. Originally, I estimated that it would take at least fifteen years, or even more, for the two prefectures to recover. But now it seems that perhaps the population of the two prefectures can double within ten years."

At this moment, Cui Yingying changed the subject: "But if you, my lord, have your sights set on the world, then the reputation brought by this new policy will become your biggest obstacle. All the aristocratic families, gentry and landlords in the entire Ning Kingdom will regard you as their greatest enemy, because they know that you are here to plunder their wealth and suppress their status."

“If you succeed, they, their families, and their social class will lose their former privileges.”

"It can be said that, from the root of the matter, my husband and they are enemies."

"They are still the kind of enemies whose contradictions can never be reconciled."

"They will spare no effort to fund your rivals in order to cut off your path forward. Even some of your loyal followers may turn against you."

"Moreover, with the pen in their hands, your reputation will likely be tarnished for eternity."

"Of course, it's not without its benefits. If you have enough confidence in your army, you can take this opportunity to sweep through and completely eliminate all the powerful families, gentry, and landlords in Ningguo, thus solving the problem once and for all."

Cui Shi'an, standing next to him, was already covered in cold sweat.

He had no idea what Song Yan had written on that sheet of paper. Why did his third sister suddenly want to completely eradicate all the powerful families, gentry, and landlords of the Ning family? Why did she suddenly want to make enemies of the whole world?

Are you crazy?

Furthermore, if the powerful clans are eliminated, what will become of the Cui family?

The Cui family can be considered one of the prominent families, right?
Even Luo Yuheng frowned, somewhat puzzled.

Song Yan seemed quite satisfied and nodded: "What if we implement this in the future?"

“If we only levy commercial taxes for now and put the other new policies on hold for the time being, that would naturally be fine.” Cui Yingying slowly exhaled, giving her throat a few seconds to rest: “Actually, I also think that would be better. First of all, levying only commercial taxes is enough for you to support your army.”

Cui Yingying has changed her way of addressing Song Yan from "Your Highness" to "My Husband".

This woman was quirky and clever, and even though Song Yan noticed it, he didn't expose her little scheme.

"As for the aristocratic families, gentry, and landlords, they can completely understand the gentleman's behavior. Although it may infringe on some of their interests, it is not serious. Therefore, they will not have too strong a resistance to the gentleman. Moreover, aristocratic families, gentry, and landlords have always been masters of changing their stance according to the wind."

"If your forces are extremely powerful, sir, you might even come to surrender on your own initiative."

Cui Shi'an looked embarrassed.

The Cui family was one of the prominent families that took the initiative to seek refuge with them.

"In this way, the obstacles you face in unifying the world will be much smaller. Once you hold power in the world and implement new policies, those who try to obstruct the new policies and stand in your way will be crushed into dust in an instant."

"However, it is possible that some of your long-time followers might feel that you are discarding your usefulness after you have served your purpose, and that you might harbor resentment and then rebel."

Song Yan simply kept Cui Yingying's analysis in mind. This matter involved a great deal, and he would not make a decision lightly.

As Song Yan picked up the teacup on the table and moistened his throat, the invisible and intangible pressure that had been lingering in the living room finally dissipated considerably.

After a long while, Song Yan spoke again: "Third Sister Cui is learned and talented, and must be very knowledgeable about the general situation of the world. I wonder what Third Sister thinks of the current situation of the four kingdoms in the Central Plains?"

To unify the world, one must naturally understand the countries under heaven.

Cui Yingying smiled and said, "The world is bound to unite after a long period of division and divide after a long period of unity. Now that the Central Plains has been divided for more than a hundred years, it is time for us to unite and return to one."

"Then, Third Sister, who do you think will become the next ruler of the world in this vast Central Plains?" By this point, Song Yan's tone had become much more casual.

Cui Yingying, however, pondered for a moment and said, "I once thought it would be the Emperor of Chu."

"After all, the King of Chu can be considered wise and powerful, and the State of Chu can be considered rich and strong. This can be seen from the wars Chu has fought against foreign powers in the past two years. Chu has never lost. But now I don't think so. On the contrary, I think that Chu may face a great calamity in the next two years, or even this winter. If it cannot overcome it, I'm afraid that Chu will no longer exist in the world."

Originally, after finishing their business, Song Yan planned to chat casually, perhaps even discussing heroes over tea. However, Cui Yingying's words piqued Song Yan's curiosity: "Oh? I wonder why Third Sister says that?"

The possibility of the Chu state's demise seemed almost impossible to Song Yan.

After all, the strength of the Chu army was something even Song Yan dared not underestimate. Perhaps the Pingyang army's individual soldier quality and even weaponry far surpassed that of the Chu army, but the Chu army had a larger number of soldiers.

The State of Chu claimed to have an army of 800,000.

That's right, it's 800,000.

The situation in the Central Plains seems to have always been like this. Whether it was the Tang Dynasty or the Ming Dynasty, once the country was unified, it seemed that suddenly they could not find soldiers who were good at fighting.

An army of 100,000 or 200,000 is no easy feat.

On the contrary, during the Warring States period and the Three Kingdoms period, even though a country only occupied a small area, it would often have an army of 300,000, 500,000, or even a million troops.

The situation in the Central Plains is similar now, so while Chu's claim of an army of 800,000 is exaggerated, Song Yan has little doubt about it. If Chu didn't possess such a large army, why would it have been able to successively attack Liang, Zhao, and Ning, while also having to defend against the Xiongnu and the Western Rong?
"I do not deny that the Chu army is powerful." Cui Yingying frowned slightly. "However, Chu has made too many enemies. Liang, Zhao, and Ning all have grudges against Chu. Of course, this cannot be entirely blamed on the Chu emperor. It is due to the military merit system established by the Chu founding emperor. The military merit system means that Chu generals can only be ennobled by conquering cities and capturing many enemies, and even then, they are often only granted low-ranking titles such as earl, viscount, or baron, which cannot be inherited. Only by destroying a country can they perhaps be ennobled as marquis or duke."

"Therefore, the generals on the borders of Chu were all extremely warlike in order to gain military merit. Sometimes they would even deliberately provoke others just to find an excuse to send troops. Ning and Zhao were considered to be better off, while Liang was the most severely bullied."

"This year is another year of severe cold. The Xiongnu suffered a great loss at your hands, sir, with countless casualties and a sharp decline in their numbers. They may not dare to raid southwards again, but the Western Rong to the west of Chu are no easy opponents either. Their ferocity and bravery are no less than that of the Xiongnu. Without food, the Western Rong will surely raid eastwards from Chu. If the Western Rong attack Chu, will Liang send troops from the south to avenge the invasion of our territory?"

"Will the State of Zhao also take this opportunity to interfere?"

"Even the Xiongnu in the north, if they see that the Chu Kingdom is preoccupied with its own troubles, wouldn't they also see this as an opportunity? What if the Liang Kingdom, the Western Rong, and the Xiongnu had already made contact in advance?"

Song Yan frowned.

Cui Yingying has a strong sense of the big picture and excellent analytical skills, and Song Yan will not take her words lightly.

I originally thought that the Chu army was extremely strong, but now it seems that the Chu army is facing considerable troubles.

Lin Xueke is still in the State of Chu.

After a moment of contemplation, Song Yan slowly asked, "What kind of country is Liang?"

For some reason, Song Yan had a premonition that Liang Kingdom was likely to play an extremely important role in the chaos this winter.

"Liang was once a powerful country. The current Liang emperor was wise and powerful in his early years. In his youth, he used force to suppress many tribes and chieftains in the south. If we only consider the number of vassal states, it may be the most among the four countries in the Central Plains."

Indeed, Ningguo has declined and has no vassal states. Zhaoguo has nothing but money. Chuguo is bordered by the Xiongnu to the north and the Western Rong to the west, both extremely powerful states. Liangguo, on the other hand, has a multitude of states of all sizes to the south. Perhaps a county-level area is a state in itself. If we only consider the number of vassal states, no one can compare to Liangguo.

"However, the current Emperor Liang is already old, and it is said that he is over seventy years old."

At over seventy years old, in this era, it is definitely considered a long life.

Among emperors, that would be considered the longest lifespan imaginable.

"If Emperor Liang had died of old age and illness twenty years ago, he might have earned the title of a wise ruler." Cui Yingying's voice was filled with regret. "Unfortunately, after the age of fifty, Emperor Liang became increasingly senile, especially after the Southern Barbarians presented him with a beauty. He became extravagant and corrupt, indulging in the harem every day, which led to the gradual decline of the once prosperous Liang Kingdom."

"Emperor Liang doted on the beauty, and out of love for her, her relatives were also given important positions. Even though they were all from the southern barbarians, they were still granted official titles and ranks in Liang. The upright ministers of Liang, together with the four princes, knelt before Emperor Liang's palace, kowtowing and begging Emperor Liang to execute the beauty, get rid of the treacherous officials, and restore order to the court."

"Emperor Liang was furious. He took up his sword and killed three of his sons in one day."

Song Yan couldn't help but feel a slight tremor in his heart. Wasn't this a perfect replica of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Li Longji?
He was no match for Li Longji in bravery in the early stages, but he was just as incompetent as Li Longji in his later years.

"The youngest son of the Liang Emperor escaped from the palace under the protection of some ministers and eunuchs. It is said that the beauty's brother and cousin led a large army to search for him in the Liang Kingdom, but twenty years have passed and he has not been found... Some say that the youngest son of the Liang Emperor has already fled to other countries, while others say that the youngest son of the Liang Emperor has already been killed by the Southern Barbarians."

"Now, twenty years later, the Southern Barbarian tribes have occupied half of the country in the Liang Kingdom's court."

“Even the Liang army is largely controlled by the brothers of the beauty.” Cui Yingying looked helpless. “These southern barbarians are violent and cruel, killing people at the drop of a hat. They also covet the vast and fertile land of the Central Plains and have always advocated going north to attack the Chu state.”

"If this round of internal strife in the Central Plains eventually turns into a calamity by foreign tribes, then for the people of the Central Plains, this would probably be the real hell."

This topic is rather heavy.

Because of the great distance, Song Yan didn't know much about the Liang Kingdom and never expected it to be like this.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the reception room became somewhat oppressive.

For so long, Luo Yuheng had been listening quietly, but now she finally couldn't hold back any longer: "Niece of the Cui family, if the world really descends into chaos, what do you think Ningguo will do?"

Cui Yingying hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Ningguo may not participate in the chaos in Chu, but... Ningguo is very likely to fall into chaos on its own first."

"Why?"

"Because His Majesty, Emperor Ninghe... may die."

Upon hearing this, Luo Yuheng's pupils suddenly contracted.

Even Song Yan frowned.

This was absolutely disrespectful. It was only because there was no one else present that Cui Yingying was beheaded for these words alone.

Or does Cui Yingying already know about Emperor Ninghe's health condition?

Cui Yingying pursed her lips. She was aware of the impact her words would have, but her status as the only daughter of the Cui family made her believe that neither Song Yan nor Luo Yuheng would easily harm her. This was her trump card.

Luo Yuheng slowly exhaled, trying to control the impulse in his chest: "Continue."

"From what I've observed, Your Majesty's recent actions are relentless in their attacks on the Yang family, as if venting the pent-up oppression and grievances of the past twenty years... Your Majesty is adept at forbearance; when you strike, it's decisive and deadly. Clearly, Your Majesty's recent behavior is not normal."

"His Majesty seems completely unconcerned about the Yang family's retaliation."

"No, to be more precise, His Majesty seems to be hoping that the Yang family will take revenge on him."

There was one more thing that Cui Yingying never said.

Consort Shu once secretly summoned the head of the Cui family, who was also the father of Cui Yingying and Cui Shi'an, and Consort Shu's own brother, to the palace to pay homage. She entrusted the head of the Cui family to seek out various rare medicinal materials. In her words, she mentioned that Emperor Ninghe had been suffering from splitting headaches and unbearable pain recently.

Cui Yingying suspected that Emperor Ninghe might have contracted some serious illness.

"According to information obtained by some of the Cui family's spies... the Yang family has arranged for Yang Hexin, one of the seven elders of the Yang family, to go to Dongling."

Luo Yuheng's pupils contracted slightly: "You mean, Yang Hexin will harm His Majesty?"

“No!” Cui Yingying shook her head: “The Yang family went to Dongling this time to seek peace. After all, the Yang family also needs time. I mean…”

"His Majesty will make all the people of Ning Kingdom believe that it was the Yang family who harmed him!"

(End of this chapter)