Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

Li Xian was struck dumb, his eyes wide open, staring intently at Pei Yuan.

He lived most of his life and believed in Confucianism for governing the world for most of his life.

Compared to Pei Yuan's grand yet cold and cruel theory of capitalist plunder and expansion, it appears so pale, narrow, and utterly vulnerable.

Pei Yuan's words were not only an insult to him personally, but also a shattering of his lifelong beliefs.

"You...you're practicing demonic arts...you're plunging the Ming Dynasty into an abyss of no return..."

Li Xian was breathing heavily, his withered fingers trembling as he pointed at Pei Yuan.

But he couldn't even utter a complete rebuttal.

Because deep within him, a faint fear arose that he himself dared not admit.

He was afraid that Pei Yuan was right.

He feared that the rules these civil officials had upheld for a century were truly just a cage trapping the Ming Dynasty.

Pei Yuan looked at Li Xian's near-collapse and a hint of pity flashed in his eyes.

But it instantly transformed into a cold, resolute determination.

He bent down, leaned close to Li Xian's ear, and whispered his last words.

"Your era has come to an end, Grand Secretary. The future of the Ming Dynasty has no need for a bunch of living bodhisattvas who only know how to chant scriptures."

"After you leave, please convey my regards to the late Emperor. Tell him that I have done a good job of protecting the Ming Dynasty for him, and that it will be even better than he imagined."

This sentence became the last straw that broke the camel's back.

Li Xian's chest heaved violently, and his face turned from deathly pale to bluish-purple.

Throughout his life, he prided himself on being upright and honest, and on being a pillar of the nation.

In the end, not only did they fail to bring down this treacherous official, but even the crown prince was assimilated by him.

Now, even his most prized governing principles have been trampled underfoot and crushed into dust by the other side.

Extreme anger, despair, and the pain of collapsing faith exploded within his chest.

"puff!"

Li Xian's eyes suddenly bulged out, and he tilted his head back, spitting out a mouthful of foul-smelling, thick black blood like a blood arrow.

It splashed onto Pei Yuan's black crane cloak.

His emaciated body convulsed violently twice.

Those cloudy old eyes stared intently at the dark dome of the prison cell, as if denouncing this absurd world.

A moment later, his hand, which was gripping the hay, loosened weakly.

Its head lolled to the side and slammed heavily onto the cold stone slab, whereupon it fell silent.

The Grand Secretary of the Ming Dynasty and a leader of the reformist faction.

Thus, in this dark and gloomy prison, he was so enraged that his liver and gallbladder ruptured, and he vomited blood and died.

Pei Yuan stood quietly in place, watching the corpse gradually stiffen.

He did not show any disgust as he wiped the specks of black blood from the hem of his clothes.

He picked up the cup of warm wine that was on the ground and slowly poured the liquid in front of Li Xian's body.

"Farewell, Your Excellency."

Pei Yuan's voice remained calm, without the slightest ripple.

He turned around and walked out of the blood-soaked death cell with composed steps.

The torches outside the passageway flickered, illuminating his cold and sinister face.

The imperial court is now missing a loyal minister who risked his life to remonstrate with the emperor.

It's just that one stubborn old piece is missing from the chessboard.

The sun will still rise in Beijing tomorrow.

And the giant ship of the Ming Dynasty, laden with cannons and greed, will be steered by this immortal traveler.

Sailing unhindered towards that vast and boundless sea of ​​stars.

……

A sudden cold snap, accompanied by drizzle, shrouded the capital in a misty, melancholic atmosphere.

The sound of bells and drums at dawn pierced through the layers of palace walls, echoing dully in the damp, cold air.

The usually bustling Chang'an Avenue was unusually quiet today.

The officials heading to Chengtian Gate for court all had their heads bowed and were walking hurriedly.

He didn't bother to clean the hem of his official robes, which were splashed with mud and water.

Everyone remained silent.

Even colleagues who usually love to exchange a few pleasantries on the street only dare to make a fleeting eye contact before looking away as if they've been electrocuted.

Last night, news of death came from the Northern Garrison Prison.

Li Xian, who served three emperors and rose to the highest position in the cabinet, died in prison vomiting blood.

His death was gruesome, with his eyes wide open. It is said that the stone slabs of that death cell were covered with black blood he coughed up.

This news was like a silent avalanche, instantly crushing the last remaining shred of integrity and uprightness in the Ming Dynasty court.

Those officials and censors who had once followed Li Xian, speaking passionately and kneeling to remonstrate before Fengtian Gate, now felt a chill run down their spines.

It felt as if the Embroidered Spring Blade of the Imperial Guard was already at his neck.

The Right Governor's Office on the shore of Shichahai Lake.

In the study in the inner courtyard, the animal-shaped charcoal in the brazier emitted a faint red glow, dispelling the damp chill that filled the room.

Pei Yuan changed into a moon-white casual dress and held a freshly brewed Junshan Silver Needle tea in his hands.

Looking at the fine drizzle outside the window, his expression revealed a sense of vicissitude and serenity, as if he had seen through a hundred years of history.

As time flows on, the prime ministers of the Ming Dynasty have come and gone.

From Yang Shiqi and Yang Rong back then to Li Xian today.

He, the immortal guest, coldly watched them take the stage and then watched them fall into obscurity.

The obsessions of mortals are, in the eyes of immortals, nothing more than fleeting lyrics on a stage.

"grown ups."

Lu Zheng, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, lifted the bamboo curtain and quietly entered the study.

He glanced at Pei Yuan's calm and composed face, swallowed hard, and reported in a low voice.

"Grand Secretary Li's remains have been taken home by his family. His Majesty has issued an edict from the palace."

"It was said that, considering Li Xian had served three emperors and although he had committed the crime of forming factions, since death extinguishes all guilt, he would not be investigated further. He was posthumously awarded the title of Grand Protector, given the posthumous name Wenda, and granted a state funeral."

Pei Yuan slowly skimmed the foam off the teacup, took a sip, and a faint, mocking smile appeared on his lips.

"Wenda? The Emperor's posthumous title is quite profound. 'A scholar is insightful'—this is a reminder to all scholars that officials must be pragmatic and understand the Emperor's will."

"Don't be as stubborn as Li Xian. This emperor's imperial tactics are becoming more and more sophisticated."

Lu Zheng grinned from the side.

"Your Excellency is right. The scene at the morning court session this day was truly unprecedented. Outside Fengtian Gate, all the officials stood like wooden stakes, not a single one coughed."

"The Emperor asked about several political matters, and the ministers and vice ministers below all nodded and agreed, not daring to say a single word of nonsense."

"Those censors who usually make the most noise are now all shrinking back, looking like frightened quails."

"Of course they have to be afraid."

Pei Yuan placed the teacup on the table, picked up a folding fan, and gently tapped his palm.

"Li Xian is their backbone. If their backbone breaks, the backbone of this faction will also break. What they fear now is not that I will exterminate them, but that the Emperor will use Li Xian's faction as a pretext to launch a major purge."

"Give the order that the Garrison Command should behave themselves these next few days. Apart from their daily city patrols, they should not loiter around the residences of those civil officials."

Lu Zheng was taken aback, somewhat puzzled.

"My lord, now is the perfect opportunity to press our advantage and wipe out those rebels in one fell swoop. Why should we stop now?"

Pei Yuan shook his head, a shrewd calculation in his eyes.

"Killing someone is just a matter of a beheading, but if we wipe out all these pedantic scholars who can write essays, who will govern the people for the court? Are we supposed to send our Imperial Guards with swords to collect land taxes and adjudicate lawsuits?"

"In the imperial court, there must always be a few oxen and horses to work for the emperor. As long as they are obedient and no longer obstruct my business of opening up the sea and setting up the market, keeping them around will actually show the emperor's benevolence."