Li Yucheng

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan couldn't help but smile.

Once these words were spoken, it no longer mattered whether they were actually spoken by his father years ago. As long as the Crown Prince then asked, "Would you be willing to go with me?", even if the person who heard them did not immediately bow down, they would at least feel a little tempted.

Unfortunately, the person they were recruiting was Xu Yuan.

However, to be fair, this Crown Prince's methods of recruiting people are indeed much more sophisticated than Li Yunqing's.

Li Yunqing is simply offering empty promises, while the Crown Prince is putting himself in the picture and painting a rosy picture of the two of them working together.

Without any promises, it still inspires longing.

Wan'er on his lips as Xu Yuan began to ponder how he should respond if the other party were to recruit him.

Given his current status and personality, even if he were tempted by such a direct offer, he would most likely not agree.

Because the son of the Vice Minister of Ministry of War is a gentleman, not a villain.

The Vice Minister of Ministry of War was a direct descendant of the Prime Minister's Estate, and it was impossible for his son not to know about such matters.

In other words, if he were to agree to the Crown Prince's offer, it would be tantamount to agreeing to betray his own father.

However, it was clear that Li Yucheng had also considered this point. His gentle voice rang out again in the elegant and quiet room. He did not choose to directly recruit him, but instead asked softly:

"Young Master Wang, what do you think of Lord Xu's words?"

"."

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.

When asked for his evaluation,

He certainly thought that this statement was correct, objective, and incisive.

But the question is, is it even acceptable to say that?

Xu Yuan's most basic political instincts told him that, given his identity as "the son of the Vice Minister of Ministry of War," he could not comment on the country under the rule of those two elders.

The two who said those words are now an emperor and a Prime Minister, respectively. After achieving great success, mentioning this matter again can be considered a beautiful story.

But for the younger generation to say it would seem rather rebellious.

You must understand that the Crown Prince is sitting right in front of him, and given Xu Yuan's current status and personality, it's impossible for him to establish a government right in front of him, even if the other party brings it up first.

To play a role, you must first get into character.

A thought flashed through his mind, Xu Yuan's face showed just the right amount of hesitation. He said hesitantly in his voice:

"What merit or ability do I, Wang, possess to speak words of Lord Xu?"

"Young Master Wang, you are mistaken."

Li Yucheng chuckled, interrupting Xu Yuan, and said with a smile, "Tonight's conversation was just a joke; we can all put ourselves in each other's shoes."

That's exactly what I've been waiting for.

Xu Yuan smiled inwardly. Role-playing was troublesome, but he had to get into character. He exhaled.

"Since Your Highness is so frank, then I, Wang, am somewhat hesitant. However, I do disagree with Lord Xu said."

Upon hearing this, Li Yucheng raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing across his gentle face, before he smiled and said:

"Young Master Wang, please speak freely."

Xu Yuan took a deep breath and bowed to the Crown Prince opposite him:

"I dare to ask Your Highness, what is your opinion on a peaceful and prosperous era?"

Li Yucheng's gentle brows furrowed slightly upon hearing this, his fingertips tracing the texture of the tea table as he casually replied:

"Are you saying that different people have different definitions of a peaceful and prosperous era, and therefore different conclusions?"

"Yes."

"In your opinion, Young Master Wang, what constitutes a peaceful and prosperous era?"

"Without peace, how can it be called a prosperous age?"

"."

Li Yucheng did not reply immediately upon hearing this. He picked up the porcelain cup in front of him, took a small sip of fragrant tea, put it down, and his eyes were deep and unsettling.

"Young Master Wang does indeed have a heart that cares for the people. If he can become a pillar of the court in the future, it will be a blessing for the people of Great Yan."

They only express concern for the people, but not for the country.

Clearly, the crown Crown Prince did not agree with what Xu Yuan had just said.

Of course, Xu Yuan himself did not agree.

He said this mainly because he needed to play the role of the son of the Vice Minister of Ministry of War well.

After all, the lesson of being exposed by Li Yunqing last time was still fresh in her mind, and she couldn't afford to play herself again.

Thanks to the policy of opening up Cultivation Method to all people, which liberated productive forces, the national strength of the Great Yan is now immeasurably stronger than it was back then.

It's important to understand that what the old man and Li Yaoxuan did wasn't just opening the door to Cultivation Method; they also opened up avenues for the common people to learn array patterns, beast taming, building materials, pharmacology, and many other Daoist arts.

Decades ago, my father described the Great Yan as a golden age. And in the decades since, the Great Yan's national strength has expanded to the point where it can fight a civil war while simultaneously dealing with foreign invaders. If this isn't a golden age, what is?

"This is merely Wang's personal opinion."

"Young Master Wang is too modest."

Li Yucheng maintained his gentle tone and said softly, "Then, in Young Master Wang's opinion, how should we interpret this peaceful situation?"

Wow.

Is this the first question you're asking?

Xu Yuan sighed slightly and replied softly:

"Wang is of limited talent and knowledge, and is ill-equipped to handle such difficult problems."

"Tap tap. Tap."

Halfway through his sentence, Xu Yuan heard a soft knocking sound.

Li Yucheng's expression remained gentle, but his fingertips began to tap lightly on the tea table in front of him.

Upon seeing this, Xu Yuan knew he had done his part.

Li Yucheng came here tonight specifically to both win him over and to test him.

If the conversation were to continue at this point, the Crown Prince prince would most likely give up immediately.

Those who first make grand pronouncements to overturn the Prime Minister's words, but then fail to provide any concrete evidence when it comes to practical matters, are utterly useless and have no reason to be recruited.

If someone deliberately remains silent and pretends to be humble, then they lack discernment. There's no need to recruit such a person, because even if you recruit them and keep them within the Prime Minister's Mansion, they will eventually be exposed.

However, as a talented but frustrated illegitimate son, Xu Yuan's personality, formed under the suppression of various aspects, should be both arrogant and insecure. Therefore, Xu Yuan had to perform such a scene to fit the character.

Staring at Li Yucheng's expression, Xu Yuan chuckled, stopping his previous conversation and saying:

"While I am not confident in solving such a difficult problem, I do have some insights of my own, and I hope Your Highness will correct me."

Li Yucheng paused his tapping on the table, and smiled gently:

"Young Master Wang indeed possesses profound wisdom."

Xu Yuan raised two fingers and chuckled softly:

"In my opinion, there are two reasons for the chaos in my Great Yan region."

"."

Li Yucheng nodded with a smile, but a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He thought the person in front of him would only talk about the sect's reasons, but he didn't expect there to be two points.

Under Li Yucheng's gaze, Xu Yuan slowly spoke:

"Firstly, the local sects: I, Wang, have been wandering for over twenty years. The sects are willing to quell the chaos for the common people, and the local demonic and man-made calamities will no longer exist."

Upon hearing this, a complex smile appeared on Li Yucheng's gentle face:

"The sects should always be unwilling."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly:

"Your Highness, I believe the Prime Minister and His Majesty have already reached a decision on this matter after decades of planning."

"."

The information asymmetry caused a hint of appreciation to immediately appear in Li Yucheng's eyes upon hearing this.

Even many high-ranking local officials only knew the decrees issued by the imperial court, not the reasons behind them. It was already quite remarkable that they could see through the schemes of those two through these seemingly minor decrees.

For example, when a government order is issued to local officials to repair a road leading to the gate of a sect, some officials may see it as a symbol of reconciliation between the court and the sect, while others may see it as a way to facilitate the travel of merchants. However, few people would think that this is actually preparation for the future military campaign.

A smile appeared on Li Yucheng's lips, but it quickly faded as he gently shook his head.

"Father and the others did have a plan, but heh heh."

Li Yucheng paused halfway through his sentence, staring at Xu Yuan with a smile.

Upon seeing this, Xu Yuan immediately rolled his eyes inwardly.

If he, as the son of the Prime Minister, hadn't already known the second half of the riddle, he probably would have wanted to twist the head off the person who posed it.

A hint of curiosity flickered in his eyes, but Xu Yuan didn't press the matter. Li Yucheng, on the other hand, laughed heartily:

"Young Master Wang, what's the second one?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan gently tapped the table in front of him with his raised finger:

"Your Highness, the territory of the Great Yan is too vast."

Li Yucheng frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes:

"Young Master Wang, what do you mean by that?"

Xu Yuan explained softly:

"When a nation's territory exceeds its means of communication, it will inevitably lead to a decline in its control, and the ultimate result of this decline in control is widespread chaos."

Even in ancient times, in those dynasties that were considered peaceful and prosperous, there were still bandits and thugs. Even around the turn of the millennium when mobile phones became widespread, there were still many similar incidents.

This was the first time Li Yucheng had heard this statement. He remained silent for a moment, then smiled slightly.

"Young Master Wang is indeed a man of great wisdom; I had not even considered such a question before tonight."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly and said softly:

"Your Highness, as a member of the imperial family, cannot Li Capital without permission. It is normal that you cannot detect such trivial matters. However, the solution to this problem is quite simple. When the Communication Crystal array technology is updated in the future, it will be easily broken."

Upon hearing this, Li Yucheng's political instincts immediately made him frown, and he said softly:

"In your opinion, Young Master Wang, at what point can this formation be broken?"

A hint of hesitation flashed in Xu Yuan's eyes, and he said in a low voice:

"Going to households and going to rural areas"

Upon hearing this, Li Yucheng remained silent for a moment, then slowly stood up from the tea table, shook his head, and said in a low voice:

"Young Master Wang, your ideas are too idealistic."

As he spoke, he slowly walked towards the outer railing behind the silk curtain in the side room:

"With information sharing, the turmoil in the countryside may be resolved, but the hearts of the common people will no longer be pure. Now that the Emperor has preached to the common people, if someone secretly takes advantage of this in the future, it will be no less of a threat than that of the sects."

Xu Yuan watched the other person's retreating figure, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He suddenly realized that none of the princes in the royal family seemed to be easy to deal with.

Upon hearing this idea, one can immediately envision the foundation that might one day threaten the rule of the royal family.

However, the other party still failed to break free from the limited perspective brought about by the feudal era, or rather, the perspective of the feudal royal family.

He stood up as well, and followed the other person to the outer railing. A gentle breeze caressed their faces as they gazed together at the bustling night view of the ancient Di'an City. After a while, Xu Yuan glanced at the other person's profile and slowly spoke:

"Your Highness, a monk who was begging for alms once discussed this matter with me, and he gave me an answer to this question."

"A monk?"

"Yes, monk, it wasn't Wang's own idea."

"." Li Yucheng.

Xu Yuan said quietly:

He offered five solutions.

"Oh? Which five strategies?"

"Fooling the people, impoverishing the people, weakening the people, exhausting the people, humiliating the people."

"."

Li Yucheng's pupils contracted slightly, and he suddenly turned around, his gaze towards Xu Yuan becoming somewhat strange, carrying a hint of surprise and doubt.

Xu Yuan exhaled softly, the warm breath turning into white mist and dissipating into the air, as he slowly explained:

"The way to keep the people ignorant is to unify their thoughts through public opinion guidance. The way to weaken the people is for the government to strengthen its rule, so that the people fear the officials. The way to exhaust the people is to create tasks for them, keeping them busy and preventing them from having time to attend to other matters. As for the way to humiliate the people, it is the same as the way to weaken them, making the common people lose their self-respect and self-confidence."

That's enough.

For the first time, Xu Yuan heard Li Yucheng's tone of voice, which was different from his usual gentle one.

It's very light, but a little cold.

The cold wind felt like knives on his face. Xu Yuan turned his gaze and met the Crown Prince's eyes.

Li Yucheng stared at him, his hand gently gripping the wooden railing in front of him:

"I never expected that Young Master Wang would be such a capable ruler. If he can govern the people with these five policies, then my previous worries were indeed somewhat unnecessary."

Xu Yuan met the other person's gaze and smiled slightly:

"Your Highness, as I just mentioned, these five strategies were proposed by that monk."

"." Li Yucheng.

Li Yucheng took a deep breath, stared into Xu Yuan's eyes, and said, word by word:

"Whether it was Young Master Wang who came up with it, or that alms-begging monk, I do not wish to hear of such a vicious scheme to control the people ever again."

"."

After he finished speaking, silence fell over the railing.

Xu Yuan was somewhat surprised.

As long as Shang Che Lie's method of controlling the people isn't placed in a "One-Punch Man" world, it can be used in any era and background with some modifications.

He didn't quite understand why the Crown Prince was reacting so strongly.

There was a long silence between the two.

Finally, Xu Yuan broke the silence and asked:

"Your Highness, is there anything wrong with these five strategies?"

Li Yucheng shook his head, gazing at the laughing and joking pedestrians on the bustling street Mystic Moon Tower, and said softly:

"There is nothing wrong with it, it's just that I don't want to see the common people like this."

"."

Xu Yuan stared intently at the middle-aged man for several breaths, a complex feeling suddenly rising in his heart.

If he truly ascends the throne, perhaps he will be a benevolent ruler.

"Call upon the people's boats and waterways?"

"What?"

"Um?"

"Just now, Young Master Wang, you said..."

Li Yucheng turned around and murmured softly, "... The boat of the ruler, the water of the people?"

"."

Xu Yuan was slightly taken aback, then chuckled softly:

"It was just a joke, Your Highness need not take it seriously. The current ruler may be the boat, but the water is not the people."

Li Yucheng, dressed in a Crown Prince's python robe, had a thoughtful look in his eyes. After a long while, he gently shook his head.

"Indeed, if one day most of the people of my Great Yan could cultivate, perhaps this water carrying a boat could become the people."

Xu Yuan Wan'er:

"By then, our Great Yan will be a celestial dynasty on earth."

"."

Li Yucheng did not respond to this jest, but a hint of longing appeared in his eyes as he gazed at the bustling Di'an.

It was quiet for a long time.

Just when Xu Yuan thought the conversation was over, he suddenly heard a murmur coming from beside him.

It was very light, and carried a hint of resentment.

"I want to give it a try."