How can one cultivate immortality without learning modern knowledge?

The two vice ministers had a blood feud with the village of Hexi Valley, which was the site of their fathers' deaths, and naturally they wanted to wipe them out.

And what about His Majesty?

Is he willing to suppress them?

How is that possible!

Which emperor would be willing to use heavy weapons against his own subjects? At best, it would damage his prestige; at worst, it would leave a stain on his reputation in history.

When faced with popular uprisings, suppression was always the last resort for emperors.

It was something we had no choice but to do, something forced upon us by circumstances.

It's definitely not a priority option!

"Wen'er, you... continue!" Zhou Liangsheng said slowly.

Zhou Wenju held up his third finger: "Thirdly, that is Your Majesty's option. I have learned about the pressure on the four borders of the Great Yu Kingdom. To the north is the Great Yan, to the east is the Eastern Wilderness, to the west is the Western Mausoleum, and to the south is the Yelang. The four kingdoms have been at war for years, and the imperial cavalry on the borders is also stretched thin."

Old Qi's eyes lit up: "Young Master means that, in fact, the regular army of the Great Yu Dynasty simply can't spare any manpower?"

"The regular army is under immense pressure, and His Majesty's biggest headache right now is manpower!" Zhou Wenju said. "Father, Lao Qi, you might want to think about this: what would His Majesty do if he knew that ordinary people could transform into spearmen overnight, that with just a few hundred men they could annihilate the Cangshan Sect and the He family's thousand-strong guard, and that with just a hundred men they could sweep away three thousand garrison soldiers like a whirlwind?"

Lao Qi was greatly shocked and speechless for a moment.

Zhou Liangsheng frowned deeply, utterly bewildered: "What...what will happen?"

He was a Confucian scholar, not a military strategist, and could not immediately understand the meaning behind Zhou Wenju's words.

Zhou Wenju said, "From the perspectives of sentiment, reason, the current situation, and military strategy, he would not risk the enormous stain on his historical record by raising an army to exterminate the people under his rule. The best option would be to bestow imperial favor upon the 30,000 villagers of Hexi Valley and make them serve the dynasty!"

Zhou Liangsheng's eyes lit up.

He finally understood.

Once he understood and interpreted it, his whole experience was like riding a rollercoaster.

Could it be that such a serious incident will indeed have an unexpected ending, just as my son said?

At first glance, it seems impossible.

Launching a popular uprising to directly destroy the hometowns of two powerful figures in Beijing—what a taboo this is!

However, the son started by discussing the other party's coping strategies, and he spoke eloquently about them.

The state and prefectural guards are troops that high-ranking officials in the court can directly mobilize.

However, this force was insufficient to counter the three thousand spearmen in the Hexi Valley.

Therefore, the only option left is to use the nation's most powerful weapon: the imperial army.

In this way, the Vice Minister would no longer have the authority to make decisions; it would all depend on His Majesty's pen!

When the matter reached His Majesty, it suddenly took a turn for the worse.

His Majesty has no concept of family feuds, so what does the Vice Minister's family feud have to do with him?

He wouldn't fall into a mad obsession with avenging his family; he would only calmly weigh the options, and in doing so, a glimmer of hope emerged before him...

Zhou Wenju creates a magical artifact that allows ordinary villagers to transform into the most terrifying warriors overnight...

What do you think His Majesty will choose?

Is it really necessary to force these villagers into rebellion and then wipe them out?

Why can't he turn the villagers into the soldiers he needs most?

In this way, the most terrible upheaval in the history of Qishan County will have an unexpectedly good ending... Is that really possible?

Is it really possible?

God is my witness, Zhou Liangsheng has already prepared for the worst.

He went to the execution ground alone, leaving his son, wife, and daughter to flee to the southern Chu...

But with just a few casual words from his son, the situation took a complete 180-degree turn...

For a moment, his mind was in complete turmoil.

"Young Master, tell me again, what should we do next?" At this moment, Old Qi was already impressed by the Second Young Master in some way.

"What else can we do? Father has always acted with integrity and uprightness. How could he possibly deceive his superiors and cover up such a major event? Naturally, we should immediately submit a memorial to His Majesty, truthfully reporting the cause and effect, the whole story."

"Truly?" Old Qi's forehead veins throbbed.

To be honest, it's hard to tell the truth. Every single thing you've done, young master, is like walking a tightrope. Your own father wrote the memorial to the throne, and it would be really unreasonable if he didn't "reward" you at the end.

Zhou Wenju laughed: "Of course! Oh, by the way, the memorial needs Father's attitude. Father should maintain a high degree of consistency with the two Vice Ministers and refrain from making any excuses on this matter! Father will clearly inform His Majesty that his unfilial son, Zhou Wenju, has acted recklessly and disregarded the laws of the court, and has been arrested by this criminal subject to await the court's judgment!"

Zhou Liangsheng and Lao Qi looked at each other in bewilderment...

Zhou Wenju turned and left the council hall.

Outside, the lady stood quietly in the darkness, holding a bowl of soup. As soon as she saw Zhou Wenju, she immediately came forward and handed him the bowl of soup: "Wen'er, you haven't had dinner yet, drink it quickly."

"Thank you, Mother!" Zhou Wenju drank it all in one gulp.

"Wen'er, tell your mother, what exactly happened?"

"It's nothing, Mother, don't worry!" Zhou Wenju said. "Even if something does happen, it'll definitely be something good."

"That's good, that's good..." Mother breathed a long sigh of relief. "Your father was so anxious these past two days that he almost climbed onto the roof. I was worried that you two had a big fight. It's good that nothing bad happened. As for good news... I really didn't dare to hope for anything good..."

The door creaked open, and Old Qi came out.

His mother took the bowl from him and went back to the kitchen.

On the dimly lit corridor, only Lao Qi and Zhou Wenju remained.

"What did my father say?" Zhou Wenju leaned closer.

"He didn't say a word, but I think that the master should... give in!" Old Qi said.

Zhou Wenju chuckled softly, "Shall we go for a walk outside?"

The sound of footsteps faded into the distance.

Two figures walked out side by side.

Zhang Yun, another constable guarding the back gate, was slightly startled as he watched their backs.

He knew some things, and he had a firm belief that the young master should be locked up tonight no matter what. But why did the master not stop Captain Qi from going out for a walk with him?

Forget it, I won't bother with this.

Zhou Wenju and Lao Qi left the county government office and strolled along the East River embankment.

This section of the river embankment is part of the county town's river embankment, made of bluestone, ancient and serene.

Although the night was a bit chilly at this time of year, it was only a slight coolness to the two of them.

"Old Qi, when you were in the capital, you were in charge of the Lingyan Pavilion. You must be quite knowledgeable about the ins and outs of the imperial court, right?" Zhou Wenju said.

Old Qi's eyes widened immediately. What do you mean I'm in charge of the Lingyan Pavilion in the capital?

What do you mean I should be familiar with the Dynasty?

Second Young Master, you not only do things that are sure to shock, but your words are also sure to shock...

I declined to answer.

Zhou Wenju glanced over, saw Lao Qi's expression, and smiled: "Don't be so nervous! At least on this matter, there are no secrets between us!"

"Young master... what exactly do you want to say?" Old Qi stopped in his tracks.

"I'll draw something for you to see if you recognize it..." Zhou Wen raised his hand and stretched out, a seven-colored light came out from his fingertips, and drew a... bowl in the air.

Painting in the air is a truly magical thing.

However, after learning that he was at the Dao Mountain Realm, Old Qi became immune to this skill.

Focus only on the bowl itself.

The bowl formed by true energy is actually very simple, with just a few lonely lines, but it gives people a sense of calm and grandeur.

"This bowl is pure gold!" Zhou Wenju said. "The dragon pattern inside is engraved; when filled with water, a golden dragon appears to float in the water, just like this!"

With a slight movement of his finger, a golden dragon appeared in the bowl.

lifelike.

This is a skill he learned during his six years at Mount Huding: drawing the shapes of objects. Now, with the help of Wen Gen and the literary world, he has improved several levels from his original level, until he can perfectly replicate what he sees and draws.