Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

The fourth year of Tianxin ended with the rising fireworks. At the beginning of the new year, the new emperor changed the era name, intending to follow the mandate of heaven and bring blessings to all people. Thus, he named the era name Tianshun.

April of the first year of the Tianshun reign.

A decree was issued from the imperial court, and 208 imperial edicts were sent out from Qi'an City, officially opening the prelude to the reform.

With the support of the new emperor, people were drawn from the Hanlin Academy to establish a new Reform Bureau, headed by Zhuang Sheng, a scholar from the Hanlin Academy, who introduced twelve new laws.

The new law, centered on Qi'an City, is expected to be implemented simultaneously in various prefectures within three years and promoted throughout the entire Great Qi within ten years.

Reduce corvée labor, decrease taxes, weaken the power of feudal lords, and execute corrupt officials...

These are just basic operations. With Jun Cheng'an's strong support, Zhuang Sheng either doesn't do them at all, or he goes to extremes.

The second measure of the reform was to remeasure all the land in the country to ensure that every household had no less than ten mu of land, and that any vacancies would be filled within one year.

The third point of the reform was even more drastic: to directly establish free schools in county towns at all levels to teach local people various skills and the Thousand Character Classic compiled by the Hanlin Academy, so that everyone could master a skill to make a living, broaden people's knowledge, and educate the masses.

The fifth article of the reform directly targeted the powerful families and various feudal lords, requiring that, regardless of status, every household must perform labor services in accordance with the court's regulations based on the number of people in their household.

If someone is unable to serve in a school or clinic for other reasons, they can pay exemption money to reduce or waive related duties.

The ninth article of the reform further proposed that newly appointed scholars should conduct free teaching in various towns and villages for half a year before they could take up a post in the imperial court, in order to promote the enlightenment of the people.

The tenth article of the reform required a thorough investigation of the archives of county governments in various places, to eliminate wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice, and to trace back three years the cases of any violation of the law, strictly in accordance with the laws of the Great Qi Dynasty.

Article 12 of the reform directly addressed the martial arts world, stating that martial arts practitioners could break the law. It required all major sects to compile their own property records and disciple files and submit them to the imperial court for filing. Anyone who violated the law or committed suicide in private would be dealt with strictly according to the law.

When the imperial edict was delivered to Qishan Road, Mu An only glanced at it before throwing it into the fire.

Staring blankly at the bright yellow imperial edict engulfed in flames, Mu An finally let out a soft sigh.

"I overestimated him; I didn't expect him to be just a fool..."

Wang Le, who was waiting nearby, added at the opportune moment, "This imperial edict is a bit too radical and is bound to cause trouble."

Mu An spoke again only after the imperial edict was burned to ashes. "Never mind him. Daqi is Daqi, and Qishan Dao is Qishan Dao. What does Daqi's imperial edict have to do with us?"

I hereby order that all twelve prefectures within the territory of Qishan Road shall continue to be governed by the original laws and regulations, and proceed at our own pace.

Trying to accomplish in ten years what would take hundreds of years? There are hardly any miracles in the world.

The situation in the Great Qi Dynasty was already chaotic; to continue in this manner would only be digging its own grave.

If the imperial court sends anyone down, I will not see them! If anyone objects, throw them out immediately!

After a pause, Mu An seemed to have thought of something. He tapped the table and then added a sentence.

"Intensify the training of soldiers, increase the research and development of firearms, and increase relevant drills in military formations so that they can master the relevant skills as soon as possible."

If any major changes occur in Lingzhou, we will simply swallow the entire Lingzhou this time.

The world is about to descend into chaos, and the territory of Qishan Road is still too small.

Although we don't know what the emperor was thinking, this one imperial edict could not possibly be resolved without a self-reproaching edict.

Although the imperial court was powerful, the various local warlords were not to be underestimated.

This unrest will likely continue for at least two or three years, and the imperial court will not have the resources to manage local affairs.

Wang Le was still somewhat hesitant. He asked softly, "Sir, wouldn't this be too radical? Perhaps we should feign compliance and deal with the imperial envoy appropriately?"

Mu An snorted coldly and made her decision.

"No need, they don't have time for that. This is a battle between Jun Cheng'an and the entire court of civil and military officials. His enemy is the entire Great Qi."

Zhuangzi's idea was commendable, but it was impossible to implement. In the end, it would only exacerbate the situation and make people's lives even more difficult.

With just a little guidance and the addition of rules and regulations to the legal text, those who should have benefited from the reforms could be transformed into victims of the new laws, and ultimately become their enemies.

In other words, apart from Jun Cheng'an, Zhuang Sheng would have no supporters behind him.

The reforms won't last long; the outcome will be clear in a few months.

Jun Cheng'an was a rather shrewd man. Although he studied at the Wenchang Hall, his style of doing things was quite different from those old scholars. As the emperor, he couldn't possibly gamble everything.

Seeing that Wang Le was taking notes with paper and pen, Mu An decided to say a few more words.

"Dynasties have their own cycles, which is an inevitable part of history. The Great Qi Dynasty has reached its twilight years, and it is almost impossible to change it."

Zhuang Sheng was merely chosen by chance by Jun Cheng'an to become his public spokesperson. They can't hold out for long; at most, within a few months, Zhuang Sheng will either be imprisoned or die.

Wang Le listened and took notes, but he still had some questions and asked them.

"My lord, the Great Qi Dynasty has a history spanning a thousand years, boasts millions of powerful soldiers, and has terrestrial immortals suppressing the world. Is it truly destined for destruction?"

After Mu An finished reviewing a document and affixed his seal, he looked at Wang Le.

"Whether it's the various feudal lords, the officials of the court, or even the royal family members themselves, they all have their own thoughts."

No dynasty lasts forever; ideas change, people's hearts change, and everything in the world changes.

Leaving aside the Celestial Master's Mansion, which sits high in the mountains overlooking the world, how long can the land immortals of the Great Qi royal family live?

If a regime relies on military suppression to maintain its rule, it cannot afford to show any signs of weakness, otherwise things will only get out of control.

Most importantly…

"What's the most important thing?" Wang Le asked, half-knowingly.

"If Zhuangzi's reforms had succeeded, the Great Qi Dynasty would have perished even faster."

Wang Le was increasingly puzzled, and like the most sincere student, he sought advice from Mu An.

"My lord, what do you mean by that?"

Mu An glanced at him quietly and asked in a teasing tone.

"I remember more than ten years ago, you were just an ordinary soldier in the Anshan Patrol Division. You could only eat meat once every seven or eight days and occasionally learn something beyond your knowledge."

Now you are the chief strategist of Qishan Dao. Even if you are not second only to the emperor in Qishan Dao, you can still command a large following.

You study diligently every day, often reading late into the night. You feel that the more you read, the more ideas you have than before.

If I asked you to go back to your old life, would you still be willing?

Wang Le was stunned for a moment, and immediately knelt down.

"My lord, I swear to serve you to the death!"

Mu An waved his hand, not letting Wang Le kneel down, and shook his head with a smile.

"There's no need for that. Having more ideas isn't necessarily a bad thing. If you don't think about anything, how can you serve me?"

There are no perfect solutions in the world; every advantage has its disadvantages.

Enlightening the people is certainly not a bad thing; otherwise, I wouldn't have set up so many schools in Qishan Road.

However, where this path will ultimately lead remains unknown.

Wang Le lowered his head and remained silent for a while. After a long time, he raised his head again and spoke with a firm and resolute tone.

"My lord, everything Wang Le has today is thanks to you. No matter what the future holds, I, Wang Le, and my descendants will dedicate everything to you and Miss Ling'er!"

Mu An glanced at him and nodded slightly, which was considered as acknowledging his statement.

"You can go now. We'll be very busy these days. We can't control what happens to Daqi, but we absolutely cannot allow any trouble to occur on Qishan Road. I don't want to see any cultists causing trouble on our territory!"

"Your subject will certainly do his utmost!"

……