Behind the Scenes (Continued)

At this moment, Si Ming urged, "Senior Su, it will be too late if we don't leave now."

Knowing that further persuasion would be useless, Su Yingbo sighed and said, "What a stubborn guy. Although I knew from the beginning that the chances were slim, but... well, let's not talk about anything else. In the future, when you feel tired, just retire and come stay with me. Don't sacrifice yourself so easily."

"I see."

"Don't give up the fight just because fate is playing tricks on you; here's a successful example."

"Ha, I'll try my best."

The Royal Palace of France, Wuben Building.

The new emperor was engrossed in reviewing memorials and handling state affairs. He had been working continuously for fourteen hours from morning till night, but the number of memorials on his desk had not decreased at all, and night had already fallen outside the window.

"Ah, the French Emperor is truly diligent in governing and loves his people."

A night breeze pushed open the window, blowing in a delicate fragrance. Several petals swirled in the air, quickly transforming into a figure dressed in a dark red suit and wearing an ornate top hat—it was none other than Ming Nether Lord of the Remote Heaven Society.

Despite the fact that an outsider had intruded, the two guards standing at the door remained motionless, as if they hadn't noticed anything. Han Hao himself wasn't surprised either; he didn't even raise his head and continued reviewing memorials.

"Alas, there's nothing I can do. Although I was betrayed by my most trusted Imperial Army, imprisoned in the palace, and had my power usurped, leading to chaos in the country, the slaughter of nobles, and the suffering of countless people, as the ruler of a nation, incompetence is the greatest fault. Therefore, I have issued an edict of self-reproach to apologize to the people. Moreover, nothing demonstrates my sincerity to the nation more than diligent governance."

"Ha, the Emperor is quite frank, making the casualties of tens of thousands sound so light. Aren't you afraid that it will chill the hearts of the people if word gets out?" Nether Lord threatened meaningfully.

"Ha, that depends on who spread these words. For example, Remote Heaven Society's an organization as outrageous as the Miaotian Society, no one will believe what they say."

Han Hao put down his pen, stretched his arms, and yawned.

He got up, went to the window, looked at the night sky, and said, "Such a large country is in turmoil, and yet the responsibility is all placed on one person, who is deemed guilty. Doesn't that seem absurd?"

"There's nothing absurd about it. Rights and obligations are equal. Since this person and his Lineage have enjoyed immense prestige and unlimited power, they have an obligation to bear responsibility, and it's only natural that they should be criticized."

"Yes, but some people enjoy honor and power, and some are even the ones who actually handle government affairs, yet they use the emperor as a shield, hiding behind him. When chaos breaks out in the country, they then demand that the emperor be held accountable on behalf of the people. This is just too unfair."

"This is the rule. You are born with immense power, and even the struggle for the throne is just a contest between a few. Yet they have to defeat hundreds of millions of opponents to emerge victorious. Since they have put in so much effort, it is only natural that they enjoy some privileges."

Han Hao shook his head and said, "Nothing in this world is a given. I want to change this unfair system. For example, I will relinquish some power while retaining my noble status, thereby shifting most of the responsibility to those who are actually in power. When the country suffers a disaster, I will stand up and hold them accountable on behalf of the people—those who do the work will inevitably make mistakes, but those who find fault will not."

"Hehe, an interesting idea."

Nether Lord didn't continue his commentary, but changed the subject, asking, "What if Su Yingbo doesn't hold back? Although he's sentimental and weak-willed, humans are inherently illogical beings, often doing things that defy logic and common sense. What if he doesn't choose to imprison you, but instead eliminates you completely? Then your plans won't work out."

"No plan is guaranteed to succeed. The Remote Heaven Society full of capable and wise people, and this plan was meticulously calculated, but in the end, didn't it still end in complete failure? Everything requires weighing the pros and cons. Given Su Yingbo's character, the chances of the plan succeeding are already very high. I am not the kind of person who would 'cherish my life' when undertaking great tasks. Compared to the enormous benefits that can be gained, this small risk is completely worthwhile."

While explaining, Han Hao didn't forget to make a sarcastic remark, which made Nether Lord smile bitterly. He continued, "One-third of the country's nobles are gathered in the capital, and they are all high-ranking nobles. Eliminating this group of nobles will reduce the resistance to my abolition of noble privileges by 60%. More importantly, I won't get my hands dirty. The murderer is the Heaven-Defying Society, and the traitor is Su Yingbo. I am just a manipulated victim."

The Nether Lord revealed a mocking smile, "You've clearly killed so many people."

"I once read a novel that said, 'Revolution is not a dinner party; it is a violent act by which one class overthrows another.' I wholeheartedly agree with this. Revolutions inevitably result in many deaths and much bloodshed. Fortunately, what I am doing is not a revolution, but reform, so the number of deaths will be enough."

"It seems I must commend His Majesty for his benevolence."

"I deserve this praise. To achieve the same results, others would inevitably suffer millions of deaths and bloodshed, while I have successfully minimized the casualties. The only drawback is that my methods were not entirely ethical, and I feel somewhat sorry for Su Yingbo. But how can one person's interests be compared to the interests of the nation? I have a clear conscience!"

Even Nether Lord had to admit that Han Hao had some confidence in his words, but he still said sarcastically, "Even if you managed to deceive the world this time, a person who uses tricks and schemes and tastes the sweetness of success will never change his habit of taking shortcuts. Sooner or later, he will slip up and let others see his Zhenmian."

"Therefore, I... am choosing to retire while I am still at the peak of my career. As a successor, I never aspired to be a powerful and ambitious ruler. I would be content as long as I am praised as a 'benevolent ruler' after my death. If I continue to sit in this high position, my true nature will eventually be exposed. Only by retiring and becoming a figurehead, even if I slip up in the future, it will only be a trivial matter."

"You do have some self-awareness, if you really can do it."

"If you've seen my profile, you wouldn't have this question. I've given up gambling, drugs, and sex, so what can't I give up?"

"Physical addictions can be overcome, but emotional addictions cannot."

Han Hao turned around and gave Nether Lord a confident smile, "My past experience as a gambler has taught me a lesson: only those who take small wins and leave can remain undefeated in the long run."

Nether Lord chuckled twice, not continuing the topic, but instead stating the purpose of his visit. "I have extended an invitation as agreed, hoping that Your Majesty will join the Heaven-Defying Society."

"... If your operation succeeds, I'll probably agree."

Han Hao expressed his refusal in a different way.

"Why?"

"To be honest, I'm also very interested in the Sea Continent after the Eternal Barrier disappears, especially the possibilities you predicted, but only if you succeed—I have no interest in being one of the losers."

"To destroy the Divine Pillar means to make an enemy of all the conservatives in the world. There is no way things will go smoothly. It is only natural to encounter one or two setbacks. How can Your Majesty assert that we will definitely fail?"

"I'm not asserting that you will definitely fail. As I've said before, everything has to be weighed against its pros and cons. I just think the chances of you failing are very high, high enough that it's not worth risking my reputation to join you."

"Reason?"

"According to the gambler's theory of luck, after you severed the Divine Pillar in the Su State, you were just beginning to show your talent and hadn't yet become enemies of the world. You should have been in a period of good fortune. Even if you suffered setbacks, you should have reached the peak of your success before experiencing the Proud Dragon Repents. But before you could even take flight, you were knocked back with a single blow. There must have been some variable involved... Whatever that variable may be, I'm not optimistic about your future and I won't bet on you."

Nether Lord stared at Han Hao's face for a while, seemingly with malicious intent, but he glanced at the bookshelf beside him, smiled, and didn't act on it. He said in a nonchalant tone, "It seems the Dharma Emperor has made up his mind."

"I'm sorry, my relationship with you was purely cooperative. You used me to divert the attention of the Mohist Knight Guard, and I used you to remove obstacles to the reform. Your failure was your problem. I adhered to the agreement throughout and did not cause any trouble. Now that the cooperation is complete, this relationship should naturally end. By the way, I'll also add that starting Heaven-Defying Society and list you as unforgivable criminals."

As he spoke, Han Hao gave a look towards the bookshelf, calming the faint atmosphere there.

"That's a real shame. It seems I've come all this way for nothing." The figure of the Nether Lord became increasingly indistinct, petals spiraling upwards. "I'll take my leave now."

"By the way, may I ask you a question? What is your relationship with the Nether Master?"

"Heh, is this a gambler's intuition? Too bad, it's a private secret. If you're willing to join the Remote Heaven Society, I'll tell you."

"Then forget it. My curiosity isn't that strong; on the contrary, self-control has always been something I'm proud of."