In East Brilliance Pavilion, the silence continued for quite some time.
Emperor of Qi withdrew his finger and smiled. "What extravagant ambitions you have, Jiang Green Sheep!"
Beneath the tassel beads, shadows seemed to cross his face—the cloud-shadow cast over this great empire. "Even I cannot claim that everything has gone as my heart wishes, that this life has fulfilled all my desires."
Jiang Wang said, "This subject believes that following one's heart and fulfilling one's desires is the foremost right. Your Majesty stands supreme, commanding the East State; the imperial heart is Heaven's heart. How could there be anything that fails to please Your Majesty?"
"He who enjoys the foremost rights must bear the foremost responsibilities," Emperor of Qi said. "The higher one stands, the farther one sees, and the more one must consider. It is not that you may simply do whatever you wish. To follow every whim is the way of a foolish ruler; to indulge in reckless excess is the way of a bandit lord. Receiving the offerings of ten thousand people, how can one fail to consider those ten thousand people?"
Jiang Wang lowered his eyes. "This subject's vision is as narrow as a rat's."
Emperor of Qi said faintly, "Could it be that you think, because you suffered enough in the Demon Realm, I could not bear to treat you harshly again?"
Jiang Wang said, "This subject does not understand. This subject only knows that Your Majesty wishes to reward him."
The Emperor was angered into laughter. After two cold chuckles in succession, he said, "The Dharma of True Insight can only be sought by oneself. But learning by analogy and drawing inferences is not impossible. You, Jiang Green Sheep, have rendered great merit to the Human Race. You may peruse all the True