A Few Words Contain a World; How Could One Side's Story Suffice?

"Brother Kong, you're too kind." Qiu Yan treated him with courtesy, showing no sign of anything amiss, a composure that Meng Wei and the others secretly admired.

What they didn't know was that, in Qiu Yan's view, the fate of Fleshly Body or a reputation were all part of experiencing Human Path. Being able to come into contact with people of different mindsets through this was a gain in itself, so why bother taking it to heart?

Kong Sanwei paused slightly upon hearing Qiu Yan's reply, his expression becoming more solemn. He offered a few words of flattery, and finally said, "Brother Qiu, I should have been a good host, but with the nation in crisis, how can I afford personal enjoyment? It's one thing for the court to disregard the disaster victims and insist on sending troops, but the imperial envoys sent to provide relief are all incompetent and incompetent, making the situation even worse. It's truly heartbreaking."

When Qiu Yan heard that he had finally gotten to the point, he invited him to sit down.

"I came here today for two reasons. Firstly, I want to exchange ideas and verify what I have learned with Brother Qiu. Secondly, I want to ask Brother Qiu for his opinion on the drought in Hebei." Kong Sanwei said this without any ceremony after sitting down.

Upon hearing this, Meng Wei secretly curled his lip; it wasn't hard to guess what he and the other two guards were thinking.

"This man really knows how to pat himself on the back, sparring with the compiler? The compiler is a top scholar, a master of classical texts, and led a band of slaves on the Grasslands, invincible in every battle. What kind of person is he?"

"He's an inexperienced scholar who's only read a few books, yet he claims he can exchange ideas with you, sir, and even verify his knowledge. He's far too presumptuous! It's rumored that even great Grand Confucian Grandmaster have fought over your calligraphy, not to mention the extraordinary phenomena that Metropolitan Examination!"

"Questions and Answers his opinion on the drought? What a joke! He's just a scholar with no official position or practical experience, yet he acts like a secretary seeking advice. It's truly laughable."

These thoughts flashed through their minds. They exchanged a glance, understanding each other's intentions, and secretly sneered.

However, Kong Sanwei was naturally unaware of their thoughts. He was already somewhat famous, and along the way, while traveling and enjoying the scenery with his companions, composing poems and exchanging verses, they all spoke of taking the rise and fall of the nation as their own responsibility, harboring their own ambitions and ideals.

In this respect, Qiu Yan's predecessor was also ordinary, possessing a simple ideal.

However, if one ignores everything happening around them, their ideals will inevitably become inflated, they will lose their sense of priorities, and they will do things that seem bizarre to others.

Such things were not uncommon in Qiu Yan's previous life. Many people, unaware of the hardships of ordinary people and lacking expertise, could still pontificate and act as if they were the only ones who mattered, believing themselves to be superior to the most accomplished figures—something that seemed unbelievable to outsiders. Yet, those who were immersed in this were completely oblivious, their words and actions already overlapping with their delusional self.

Once seated, Kong Sanwei recounted everything he had seen and heard.

He had originally intended to take the Metropolitan Examination during his study trip, but due to some matters, he missed the deadline and had to give up. Since the Imperial Examinations was no longer required, his compassion for humanity arose. Thinking of the severe drought in his hometown, he rushed here. What he saw along the way made him furious.

Qiu Yan, however, was not concerned about the other party's change of State of Mind. Instead, he asked, "According to you, the chaos in the heart of Hebei Circuit has been quelled by Commissioner Lu, and the disaster has been temporarily alleviated? There was only some commotion in dealing with the refugees?"

The Commissioner Lu he mentioned was the very same imperial envoy sent to deal with the drought.

From Kong Sanwei's words, Qiu Yan gained a general understanding of the drought situation in Hebei Circuit.

In fact, the drought wasn't too severe in the first year, but it worsened over time due to government negligence and failure to make timely preparations.

In fact, the opposition to this national war in the court was partly due to the drought in Hebei Circuit. Many ministers were inclined to negotiate peace because they considered that disasters and military affairs were both logistical Black Hole, and if things went wrong, they could damage the foundation of the country.

However, with the appointment of the new imperial envoy, the situation gradually improved—before this, there had been other imperial envoys who had failed to achieve anything significant.

This Commissioner Lu changed the style of his predecessors. Although he also mobilized resources for disaster relief, he also severely punished those who embezzled or embezzled. In addition, he also carried out large-scale Great Prosperity and water conservancy projects from south to north.

After Qiu Yan entered the pass, he saw only the northern landscape of Hebei Circuit, which was still a blind spot in governance and appeared serious.

"If it weren't for Brother Kong's mention, I, Qiu, would almost have fallen into the trap of generalizing from a single instance, like the blind men and the elephant, mistaking the situation on the Northern Frontier for the entire Hebei Circuit." Later, Qiu Yan with emotion, "This Commissioner Lu does indeed possess some qualities of a capable official."

This was his spontaneous statement. The Divine Spirit Body in Hebei Circuit had no tradition of worship, and even if they possessed some spirituality, they were merely at the level of Hearts Aware of Gods and Ghosts, making it difficult for them to develop a Domain of Law. Therefore, he did not understand the situation in the Dao. Under such circumstances, it was easy to take what happened in one corner of the land and apply it to the entire region.

Simply put, upon hearing of the severe drought in Hebei and witnessing the situation in the far north, people felt that the entire Hebei was a living hell. Under such circumstances, the imperial court not only failed to exert all its efforts in disaster relief but also mobilized animal resources to fight against the Rouluo in the Grasslands, which was undoubtedly an act of militarism.

However, in reality, the tragic situation in Northern Frontier was not only caused by natural disasters, but also largely due to the invasion of the Grasslands. The Karma relationship here is complex and difficult to unravel.

However, looking at the south of Hebei Circuit, the scene was quite different. It is worth mentioning that one of the important measures taken by the Commissioner Lu relief was to select young and strong men from among the disaster victims and refugees to be responsible for building water conservancy projects, and to provide them with food, lodging and wages.

This move was criticized by many people. Kong Sanwei, who was in front of Qiu Yan, expressed his indignation, believing that Commissioner Lu did not cherish the people's strength and was a cruel official who wanted to use the people's blood to stain his official hat. In his description, the construction site was extremely tragic and could be described as a living hell.

However, Qiu Yan noticed something amiss in the other party's description: he didn't mention any deaths at the construction site, indicating that what he said differed from the facts and was mixed with his own emotions.

This is not a judgment made by Qiu Yan based on personal bias or stance. Judging from Kong Sanwei's tone, it is clear that he deeply abhors this work-for-relief approach. If someone dies, he will definitely bring it up and criticize it vehemently.

In fact, the method of providing work relief has existed since ancient times and can be described as killing two birds with one stone. On the one hand, it can provide disaster victims with a place to stay, and on the other hand, it can solve the problems of food and supplies.

On the other hand, it can confine disaster victims, preventing them from moving around and turning them into refugees.

For the rulers of a dynasty, a large-scale migration of people was a huge threat. Just like the jobs in Qiu Yan's previous life, in the eyes of ordinary people, employment is related to income and life. But in the eyes of the ruling class, employment represents not only economic value, but also the ability to restrict the movement of young and middle-aged people and maintain stability. Compared with this, economic value is just an added value.

This principle applies to all cultures and throughout history, regardless of the flowery language used to embellish it; the only difference lies in the effectiveness of the publicity.

Besides these two aspects, the project itself can also alleviate the disaster and rebuild the social economy. In fact, many things in ancient times are the same as in modern times; they are just not described in the corresponding language.

Now, thanks to the leadership of Commissioner Lu, the southern and central parts of Hebei Circuit have escaped the most dangerous situation and are able to be self-sufficient to a certain extent. However, he has not stopped applying for supplies to maintain investment and support the work-for-relief program.

However, the worst thing about such things is that someone dies. Once someone dies while working, people will associate the incident with disaster, impeach, rebuke, and curse—those who talk are naturally less likely to make mistakes than those who do the work, thus gaining the moral high ground.

Therefore, from the fact that Kong Sanwei did not criticize the murder case, Qiu Yan could easily judge that the situation at the construction site was not consistent with the other party's description, at least it was not the kind of dark and bloody place. With the help of emotional perception, this could be even more corroborated.

But as they talked, Kong Sanwei gradually shifted his focus to the policies he had observed when he accompanied his relatives to their posts, and offered some insights.

"From what I'm saying, Brother Kong, are you confident that you could Commissioner Lu?"

"I wouldn't dare say I've done better, but at least I know how to write the words 'benevolence and righteousness'!" Kong Sanwei said resolutely. "Only by striving for the well-being of the people can I live a life without regrets!"

Qiu Yan smiled but didn't say much. He knew that some things couldn't be understood without experiencing them firsthand.

Human Path in this world is full of constraints. Some people are full of ideals before they even encounter difficulties, believing that they can overcome obstacles and resist temptations. But when they actually face these challenges and run into obstacles, they often choose to compromise and back down. Only those who are determined to achieve their goals no matter what can stand out. Of course, such people are not necessarily good people.

Seeing that Qiu Yan didn't respond, a hint of displeasure flashed in Kong Sanwei's eyes, rendering his prepared words useless. Fortunately, he remembered the purpose of his visit, so he smoothly changed the subject. "Brother Qiu is a reasonable man. Seeing the tragic scene outside the city, he must have been moved, and he donated quite a bit last night. This shows that his reputation is well-deserved. But why not go a step further?"

"Oh? How to take it a step further?" Qiu Yan asked calmly.

"It is like this," Kong Sanwei said solemnly, "I want to call on the merchants in the city to donate their family's money and grain, but I am of low status and my voice is weak, so there will inevitably be many obstacles. Brother Qiu, on the other hand, is famous throughout the land. If you step forward, they will certainly not dare to act selfishly. It will be a good story to spread."

"Young Master Kong," Meng Wei interjected, sensing something amiss, "The Compiler has important matters to attend to and cannot linger here. Your suggestion..." This was true; Qiu Yan's journey to the capital was by imperial decree, and the Meng Clan's smooth reception of him was thanks to Qiu Yan's change of course when leading his troops south, which gave them the upper hand. But how could ordinary people know such things?

"Who are you? Do you have the right to interrupt when I'm talking to Brother Qiu?" Kong Sanwei glanced at Meng Wei, his disdain evident upon seeing his attire. He rebuked him, then turned to Qiu Yan and said, "If Brother Qiu is unwilling, he may leave. However, if the disaster victims outside the city find out that Brother Qiu stood idly by, it may be detrimental to his reputation."

"You!" Meng Wei was first slighted, then heard the threat, and immediately became furious.

But before he could react, a woman's voice that Qiu Yan recognized came from outside the door—

"Kong Sanwei, you are still as self-righteous as ever, hopelessly addicted to your own desires. But this time you have gone too far. Are you perhaps trying to use the People's Wishes to threaten Young Master Qiu?"

ps:

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