Genshin Impact: I, the Winter Prince, reign supreme.

"The head of the Kun family on Yaoguang Star holds the exclusive production and sales rights for the arsenal."

"Tian Shu Xing Tian Shu has monopolized the catering industry in Liyue."

The Liyue Sept are essentially seven prominent business leaders in Liyue, forming a management body representing the interests of various industries. Their primary purpose is to balance and resolve conflicts of interest between these industries.

"From the perspective of you wealthy merchants, it's certainly not wrong to protect your own interests. But who among you can speak up for the interests of the majority of the Liyue population, the common people?"

The seven members of Liyue lowered their heads and remained silent, not daring to meet Su Yu's suffocating gaze.

While it wasn't as exaggerated as Su Yu described, it was essentially true. This group of people practically controlled everything in Liyue, monopolizing all aspects of life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation, and holding the economic lifeline of Liyue in their hands.

"Big cities are the illusion of this country; small towns are the truth of this country."

Su Yu further explained to them.

"The bustling, prosperous scene of Liyue Harbor is just a small microcosm of Liyue. The true face of Liyue is not in Liyue Harbor, but in those small fishing villages and mountain villages."

A tremendous wave of emotion surged within Ke Qing's heart.

Her concept of "rule by man" simply considers rejecting immortals and gods. However, is this truly the "age of man"?

The answer is: No.

Prince Winter's answer today made her realize for the first time that if she didn't care about the ordinary people of Liyue and didn't consider the interests of the poor at the bottom, then her so-called "rule by man" would seem superficial and naive.

After realizing what had happened, Keqing still asked with some disappointment, "Your Highness, do you support 'divine rule'?"

Su Yu did not answer her question directly, but instead asked the others, "Tell me, what are the benefits of 'divine healing'?"

In fact, the other Seven Stars present at this time were overjoyed to see that Prince Zhidong did not approve of Keqing's "rule by man" philosophy.

The long-standing debate between "divine rule" and "rule by man" has finally come to an end, and all the arguments can now cease.

Tian Shu Xing Shu, being the most senior, spoke first: "'Divine rule' is beneficial to our internal unity. As Your Highness just said, the seven of us actually represent the interests of seven different industries. Over time, none of us will submit to the others, but as long as the Emperor is here, we will unite as one and work together."

Yao Guangxing continued, "Our family has been managing the Blackrock Factory for many years, specializing in the production of various weapons and equipment. We are also responsible for commanding the Thousand Rock Army of Liyue. Whenever foreign enemies wreak havoc on Liyue or monsters invade, the Thousand Rock Army is the backbone of protecting our homeland. But as long as the Emperor is here, no enemy dares to truly attack Liyue. The Emperor is the guardian of Liyue."

Tianjixing said, "My shipping company manages all of Liyue's transport fleets. Those desperate pirates are intimidated by the Emperor's reputation. Although they also rob our fleets, they never dare to harm Liyue's crew members."

Kaiyangxing said gratefully, "Thanks to the Emperor's blessing, the sales of fabrics and clothing sold by my clothing industry have been increasing year by year. By the way, Your Highness, this year, Zhidong bought up a lot of fabrics from Liyue again."

Finally, Ningguang said, "The existence of the Emperor provides a guarantee for Mora. Even after Winterfell became the most economically developed country, Liyue Harbor remains the most prosperous port, thanks to the Golden House's minting rights. And those immortals have been secretly helping and protecting Liyue, eliminating the demons and monsters that threaten us humans."

With the exception of Bai Shu, the other five members of the Liyue Seven Stars expressed their opinions one after another.

In short, Liyue cannot exist without the Geo Archon and the Celestials.

Ke Qing stood up and angrily accused them.

"All the goods circulating in the market are clearly the result of our hard work as humans. They don't rely on the Emperor's divine power in the slightest. You all speak so nicely, attributing all the credit to the Emperor. What about the efforts of the workers and laborers? The Emperor isn't here today, so you don't need to put on an act."

"The Emperor can protect us for a time, but what about after a hundred years, five hundred years, or a thousand years?"

Keqing and the others began debating again.

Having just been "educated" by Su Yu, her support for "rule by man" has changed—

Ke Qing now sees the hard work and dedication of ordinary laborers.

Seeing that their argument was getting more and more heated, Ningguang tried to dissuade them, saying, "Gentlemen, don't you want to hear His Highness the Prince's opinion?"

The Liyue Seven Stars, led by Tianquan, fell silent after Ningguang spoke. Of course, it wasn't entirely due to Ningguang's words; Prince Winter's status was currently second only to the Emperor, and they had to give him the respect he deserved.

Moreover, judging from their brief time together, Prince Zhidong often possesses insightful and profound wisdom.

However, what he received in return was a cold comment from Su Yu.

"You are all lying!"

"In Liyue, a country where the rich and the poor are severely polarized, supporting 'divine rule' is nothing more than using the influence of the Geo Archon to divert the hatred of the lower classes from you and to stifle their spirit of resistance in the name of the gods."

Su Yu then looked towards the Wanwen Collection House in the distance.

Judging from the figure seen through the tea room window, Zhongli was still sitting there, clearly observing the dinner party.

"In your eyes, it doesn't matter whether the people support the Liyue Seven Stars or not, as long as it doesn't affect making money. Because you know that as long as Morax is still around, no one dares to rebel."

"Whether you like it or not, the gods and immortals of Liyue are just tools you use."

Chapter 75 Thousand Rock Army

The people of Liyue are sometimes dissatisfied with the work of the Liyue Sept and certain policies, and even have some complaints.

However, under the influence of the Rock King Emperor, they dared not speak out against it.

Because the people all know that the Seven Stars of Liyue act on the will of the Emperor.

Coupled with years of deliberate promotion by the Liyue Septate, the atmosphere in Liyue has gradually begun to go astray—

Criticizing the Liyue Sept is equivalent to criticizing the Geo Archon.

Opposing the Liyue Sept is equivalent to opposing the Geo Archon.

As public opposition gradually diminished, who would dare to oppose the emperor?

In a sense, the Emperor and the Immortals became the talismans of the Seven Stars of Liyue.

"Today I refuse to serve as regent, and you are all quite disappointed, aren't you? You could have used me as a shield, standing in front of you to protect you from the wind and rain, just like you used the gods of Liyue."

Today, at the banquet, Prince Zhidong tore off this fig leaf in front of them all, making them feel embarrassed.

For a moment, all seven stars of Liyue fell silent, each with their eyes slightly closed, as if reflecting or worrying.

They originally thought that Prince Zhidong supported "divine rule," but they did not expect that he would also point out the problems, and that the problems were even more serious than those of Keqing of Yuheng Star.

As for the high-ranking personnel of the eight departments under the General Affairs Department, who were serving drinks to the audience today, they dared not speak at all, and were even a little frightened, worried that they might be silenced.

This is only possible because of Prince Winter. If anyone else were to speak to the Seven Stars of Liyue like this, they would be considered heretics, imprisoned, and executed, even if what they said was almost entirely true.

Among the seven stars, Keqing is probably the only one who is in a relatively relaxed mood.

Prince Winter pointed out the flaws in her "rule by man" approach and also ruthlessly exposed the hypocritical "divine rule" ideology of others. In today's ideological battle concerning the future of Liyue, there are no winners.

Keqing, being straightforward, immediately asked respectfully, "Your Highness, what should we do next?"

"Whether Liyue's future should be governed by 'human rule' or 'divine rule' is a shared responsibility of the Liyue Seven Stars and Morax, or rather, it is the meaning of your existence as the Liyue Seven Stars."

"You hold high positions; how to design the future of Liyue, how to make the people of Liyue happier, and how to find the most suitable path for Liyue's development are the things you should focus on."

"The Liyue Seven Stars have been hiding behind the gods for too long. They should step forward and face everything. If they're only after Mora, I suggest they voluntarily step down from their positions and let those who truly care about the country and its people take their place."

Su Yu pointed out all the problems and issues in Liyue.

He naturally had his own solutions to the problem, but since he hadn't agreed to Morax's appointment as regent, there was no need to explicitly tell them.

Liyue is not the Winter Solstice, so he has no obligation to govern it.

In fact, during his mission to the six countries, from Inazuma to Mondstadt and then to Liyue, he communicated with the rulers about almost every problem that existed in each country.

Whether they are willing to correct their mistakes, and how they intend to do so, is their business.

His excessive involvement could be seen as interference in the internal affairs of other countries.

Let Lei's movies, Barbatos, and Zhong Li take care of their troubles.

Especially Zhongli, who hid in Wanwenji House and eavesdropped on everything.

Zhongli had countless ways to replace the Liyue Seven Stars, but these people were, after all, his trusted confidants whom he had personally promoted. Even if they had made mistakes, he should give them a chance to make amends.

This is a good opportunity to demonstrate the emperor's benevolence.

The seven members of Liyue are all shrewd and intelligent, so they will naturally understand the Emperor's benevolence and be grateful.

While enjoying wealth, the Liyue Sept also bear the expectations of the people of Liyue. They must shoulder unprecedented and enormous social responsibilities to solve the problems raised by Prince Winter, to consider the future and destiny of Liyue, to design the future development direction of Liyue, and to lead the country forward.

He himself could then take the opportunity to relinquish his position as emperor and retreat to the background.

It can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

Ningguang raised her glass, saying admiringly, "Your Highness is right. In the past, the direction of Liyue's development relied on the Emperor's verbal instructions at the annual Summoning Ceremony, with the Seven Stars of Liyue merely responsible for execution and implementation. From now on, we must learn to think about these issues independently. Let's all raise our glasses to His Highness's teachings, cheers!"

After offering the toast, Tian Shu Xing Shu said, "Your Highness, Sister Gan Yu once said that Mora is the measure of life in Liyue, and I wholeheartedly agree. So I would like to ask, do you really intend to mass-produce Mora and engrave the image of the Executor [The Rich] on it?"

“Oh… I forgot to introduce you, Your Highness. Gan Yu is the secretary of the Liyue Seven Stars. She is an immortal. I originally invited her to the banquet, but she declined because she was busy with official duties. She also asked me to tell Your Highness that she hopes you will not be angry about it.”

Ningguang smiled and said, "Uncle Tian, ​​you're really drunk. The matter of engraving your image on Mora was just a joke His Highness used to comfort his subordinates."

"I'm getting senile, so I'll punish myself with a drink."

Next, the Kun family patriarch, who was in charge of the Black Rock Armory and commanded the Thousand Rock Army, asked Su Yu for advice on how to lead troops into battle.

For the past three years, the soldiers of the Fools and the Winter Solstice Kingdom have been the envy of the Kun family patriarch for their execution ability, spirit of sacrifice, and absolute loyalty to the Ice Queen. For this reason, he even set up a research department to study the training methods of the Winter Solstice Kingdom, but he did not achieve any results.

After extensive observation, they discovered that the training methods and philosophies of the Winter Solstice Kingdom were not significantly different from those of the other six kingdoms.

"Your Highness, why is it that the soldiers of Zhidong Kingdom are far more powerful than those of the other six kingdoms, even though we all use almost the same training methods?"

Ningguang, Keqing, and the others looked slightly surprised.

It should be noted that the Thousand Rock Army has the greatest reputation among the armies of the Seven Kingdoms.

The predecessor of the Thousand Rock Army, the Thousand Rock Corps, once followed the Emperor in the war between demons and gods more than three thousand years ago, and became famous in all directions.

Then, more than a thousand years later, due to the loss of control of the Dragon King Ruoduo, the Emperor led the Thousand Rock Army to stop him, and the civil war between the immortals and demons in Liyue broke out.

Finally, the Dragon King Ruoduo was sealed away, and the Thousand Rock Army annihilated the Rock Dragon Lizard troops, achieving great feats.

Five hundred years ago, when Kanria was destroyed, the Abyss forces invaded the Rocky Abyss. Fushe Yaksha commanded the Thousand Rock Army and successfully repelled the enemy.

After three major battles, the Thousand Rock Legion established its absolute prestige among the seven kingdoms, and no other legion of the other six kingdoms could rival it.

At tonight's banquet, the head of the Kun family, as the Grand General of Liyue, is asking Prince Zhidong for advice, which is tantamount to publicly admitting that the Thousand Rock Army of Liyue is no longer as strong as Zhidong's.

"The answer is obvious, isn't it? Every subject of Zhidong has absolute faith that Prince Zhidong can lead them to victory, without any doubt."

"Mental strength can unleash the potential of soldiers, giving them extraordinary willpower and combat effectiveness."

Su Yu didn't mind telling him the reason.

Because the successful experience of the Winter Solstice Kingdom could not be replicated by the other six kingdoms.

The Kun family patriarch asked with a puzzled look, "But Your Highness, the Thousand Rock Army also believes that the Emperor is invincible."

"Completely different."

At this moment, Su Yu looked down at Sky Island high in the sky, hidden in the dark clouds.