Ling: These people were crueler to their own than the Feranmut / Some things weigh next to nothing off the scales, but once weighed, even a thousand pounds cannot hold them down

"Pointing out mistakes gives us a chance to make amends, and that's the significance of this drama. Perhaps people will always repeat history, but at least we might be able to prolong this golden age a little longer."

"... You're right, kid. We need to leave something for our descendants."

Chen Qi's words silenced everyone present, but Wei Yenwu broke the silence. He gestured with his hand and addressed the crowd:

"We're doing something that will benefit generations to come. What does temporary stigma matter? Even I, a Duke of Zhenguo, am playing the biggest villain here. Everyone, let's get moving!"

"Yes."

After Wei Yenwu finished speaking, the Rat King and the others naturally had no complaints. In fact, thinking that this was for the sake of the Great Yan, Liang Xun and the others were even more energetic and immediately put their personal reputations out of their minds.

Not far away, watching the people who had been encouraged by Chen Qi's words and started to move, Ling drank his wine while mentally speaking to Chongyue beside him:

"Our thirteenth brother is more insightful than his two sisters. I thought he just wanted to stand up for our family."

"Thirteenth Brother is a man of great wisdom. Among the Feranmut, he is still very young, but he hasn't wasted his time like we did back then. From the moment he realized he was 'human,' he has been working for 'humanity.'" Chongyue also expressed his appreciation for Chen Qi very frankly, saying with a smile:

"I once thought that if he were just a human being, I would be willing to be his close friend despite the age difference. Now that I know he is our brother, the joy in my heart is truly indescribable."

"If one day all thirteen of us brothers and sisters can regain our freedom... or at least most of us can, then our thirteenth brother will be our greatest hero."

"Yes... the number one contributor."

Ling nodded slowly, but her gaze was subtly fixed on Xi and Nian not far away. They seemed to have behaved a bit after being reprimanded; Xi had toned it down considerably, but she still hadn't given up, and Nian... seemed to have been scolded a little too harshly, still looking somewhat melancholy?

Ling felt a pang of guilt, but ultimately suppressed her sisterly affection. She didn't tell Chongyue about it yet, lest her elder brother punish them again. Ling's bottom line was that, at least within the Great Yan territory, her two younger sisters must not get too close to Chen Qi, lest it make Great Yan nervous!

But once outside of the Great Yan... she can't see or control these worldly ethics, but at least within the Great Yan, one absolutely cannot do anything impulsive.

During filming, Chen Qi and his entourage had already finished shooting the scenes featuring Wei Yenwu and the Emperor of Great Yan before leaving the palace. With the Prince Yu's Consort giving birth to a prince, Emperor Jiajing, played by Wei Yenwu, naturally went to see his grandson.

It's quite ironic that Jiajing himself had such a tense relationship with his son, Prince Yu, who feared his "god-like" father like the plague. Yet, Jiajing, who always acted mysterious in front of his officials, couldn't hide his affection for his grandson.

"You have rendered meritorious service." Wei Yenwu, out of affection for the Prince Yu's Consort, naturally bestowed many rewards upon her as well, saying, "I won't reward you with anything else, but since your family was born into poverty, I will grant your father a marquisate."

"This year, Gouwu more silk; bestow 100,000 bolts upon the household of Prince Yu's Consort."

It must be said that when this scene was filmed alone, no one found it strange. But when combined with the second episode, Mr. Nothing's character, Yang Jinshui, shamelessly sells 500,000 bolts of silk to a foreign merchant, it clearly demonstrates Jiajing's extravagance.

Especially when the court's finances were so strained, he didn't even care that the officials of Gouwu had already ruined the people of Gouwu for the sake of 500,000 bolts of silk. He only cared about the result, not the process.

Therefore, when Lü Fang, played by Lee, brought him Hu Zongxian's memorial, he had no intention of reading it at all. Of course, Jiajing knew that Hu Zongxian's memorial was a suggestion to convert rice paddies to mulberry fields. But as long as he didn't read it, he would be "unaware" of it. At that time, the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry fields would proceed as planned, and no matter what tricks Yan Faction played in Gouwu, Jiajing would not bear any responsibility.

As for Yan Shifan Yan Faction, played by Lin Yuxia, she naturally understood Jiajing's intention when she saw the emperor reject the memorial without even reading it. She, as the "scapegoat," should do all the dirty work for the emperor.

Therefore, she quickly made a decision, a ruthless decision—to destroy the dikes and flood the fields!

Once the dikes are breached and the floodwaters inundate the fields, the people will have no way back. They will have no choice but to sell their land to wealthy silk merchants arranged by Yan Faction in order to exchange for a meager amount of food to survive. It's like demolishing a house; once the house is demolished, it can't be rebuilt. At that point, you'll have no choice but to sell it, even if you don't want to.

Write letters to Zheng Michang and He Maocai, telling them to ignore Hu Zongxian and just go for it!

With the Emperor Jiajing's backing, Lin Yuxia spoke with even more confidence, her voice icy and cutting. "The Dragon Boat Festival is our only chance, no matter what."

"--Flood those nine counties first."

Lin Yuxia's words sent chills down the spines of everyone supervising the filming. Her friends, Chen Huijie, found it even more unbelievable that these words would come from Lin Yuxia's mouth...

"Nine counties, that's tens of thousands of people... How could this be? How could this be?"

Chen Huijie muttered to herself unconsciously, her hand gripping the Chi Xiao at her waist. Judging from her expression, if Lin Yuxia really did turn into this in the future, her Chi Xiao might actually be able to cut Lin Yuxia's neck.

Fortunately, a hand was placed on Chen Huijie's palm at that moment, and Chen Qi, who was supervising from the side, relaxed Chen Huijie a little. He said:

"No, Lin Yuxia won't become like that. As long as you're all here, this day will never come."

"Now is the time when we need your integrity the most, Huijie, you need to be prepared."

Chen Qi chose Chen Huijie to play Hai Rui because he valued her upright and unyielding character! If Chen Huijie believed something was wrong, she would dare to point her sword at the enemy, no matter who they were. Now, Chen Qi had Chen Huijie watch the play to further enhance Chen Huijie sharpness.

After all, she was going to act opposite Wei Yenwu later on, and Chen Huijie absolutely couldn't be intimidated. The best way to do that was to let her confront these treacherous figures in officialdom.

The scene shifts to Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, and his scene with Tan Lun. The two old friends are reunited after a long separation, but Tan Lun is very concerned about Zuo Xuanliao's stance: whether he wants to continue to collude with Yan Faction or take the opportunity to join their Clear Stream Faction.

Zuo Xuanliao, however, gave a wry smile, completely unconcerned, and said, "I, Hu Zongxian, have no way out."

"... It seems they do have a good eye for people." Tan Lun understood Zuo Xuanliao's meaning upon hearing this, but Zuo Xuanliao immediately replied, "You mean those people around Prince Yu, right?"

"Then forgive my bluntness—they're nothing but empty talkers, mere scholars."

With a single sentence, Zuo Xuanliao utterly denigrated Xu Jie, Gao Gong, and Zhang Juzheng, deeming them utterly worthless. He also held these Clear Stream Faction Party members, who were only interested in factional infighting and political stances, completely ignoring practical matters and the true needs of the people, in the same contempt, saying:

"Everyone in the court and among the people knows that I was promoted by Grand Secretary Yan. In the annals of history for all eternity, I, Hu Zongxian, will still be Grand Secretary Yan's man."

"But why do you, Tan Lun, and those Purists in the court still value me? It's because I, Hu, have never failed the country or the people in matters of great importance."

"My hometown erected three memorial arches for me. I'm over seventy years old, and even if I live to be a hundred, I'll only live a few decades longer. I won't let my hometown people tear down these arches."

"You all think you know people and understand the situation. But how many of you truly do? Take the current national policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields, for example, and the resulting impact."

"So many people want to take advantage of this opportunity to seize land. Have they considered that nearly half the people in Zhe City will immediately lose their land?"

"And so many landless people, gathered in this place of seven mountains, two rivers, and one part farmland, if they don't rebel this year, if they don't rebel next year, the year after that, they will definitely rebel!"

"When the time comes, with Seaborn on the outside and rebellious people on the inside, the first criminal will be me, Hu Zongxian! My sins will be nailed to Zhe City for all eternity! So whether you come or not, I will not let them do this! Whether you want to persuade me or help me, there will only be one consequence—you will mess up the overall situation."

The gap between ideals and reality was starkly revealed in Zuo Xuanliao's words. How much of the so-called "people-benefiting" national policy, hastily conceived by higher authorities, truly considered the needs of the people and the implementation by local governments?

If local governments had people like Hu Zongxian who could consider the people's interests, that would be good. But how many Hu Zongxian are there in this world? And how many people would dare to risk being the first to speak out, withstand the greatest pressure, and go against the orders of their superiors?

The turmoil caused by the factional struggles between the Yan Faction and the Purists faction ultimately affected the common people. Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, saw through this and thus scorned both factions. For a pragmatist like him, neither the corrupt Yan Faction nor the armchair Purists could bring good things to the country.

"A pillar of the nation..." Even Wei Yenwu couldn't help but sigh as he watched this scene. All the other spectators looked at the righteous Zuo Xuanliao with admiration, firmly remembering the integrity of this key official.

"In the next ten years, I fear all officials in the Great Yan will take you Zuo Xuanliao, as their role model. You are a truly good official who serves the country and its people... A true man should be like this."

Chapter 283: Order: These people are more ruthless than Feranmut when they harm their own people!

"If you, Tan Lun, hadn't come back then, I could have spoken to Grand Secretary Yan, or submitted a memorial to the Emperor explaining the situation. I could have taken my time."

Seeing that Tan Lun still didn't seem to understand, Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, began to explain his solution in the simplest and most understandable way:

"For example, the plan to convert half of the rice paddies into mulberry fields this year could be divided into three years. Slow and steady wins the race, and there's still room for maneuver."

"Because of your arrival, everyone from top to bottom sees me, Hu Zongxian, as someone involved in factional strife. How can I possibly continue doing what you want me to do?"

Zuo Xuanliao was also helpless. What could have been a peaceful resolution turned into a situation where both the Yan Faction and the Purists faction wanted him to take a stand because of Tan Lun's arrival. This brought the factional struggle in the court to the local level, resulting in irreconcilable differences. In order to win his opinion, both sides would do more and more outrageous things to force him to make a statement.

When the time comes, no matter what measures he wants to implement, there will be another faction opposing him. The Purists is backed by Prince Yu, and on the other side is Yan Song, who promoted him. Which side can he afford to offend?

As for the Purists, Zuo Xuanliao was even more dismissive, saying indifferently:

"If the Purists faction truly wanted to obstruct this national policy at the beginning of the year, they shouldn't have allowed it to be implemented in Zhe City."

"Now, I'm in a situation where what I say won't be listened to by the higher-ups. And what I wanted to do in Zhe City, they won't let me do anymore."

Ultimately, Hu Zongxian found himself unable to appease either the people or Yan Song. Yan Faction, fearing his defection to the Purists, would intensify their land grabbing and pressure him to make a statement. How could he then protect the people?

Whatever Hu Zongxian does at this moment will inevitably arouse suspicion, and he will be unable to save the people even if he wants to.

"Sigh... partisan strife."

Wei Yenwu, who could now see through everything, couldn't help but take a sullen drag on his cigarette. Beside him, Wenyue remained silent, simply holding Wei Yenwu's hand, unsure of what to say about the scene before her.

Wei Yenwu Wenyue were both extremely wild people back then. The fact that they hit it off immediately and supported each other for so many years was largely due to their high degree of consistency in experiences and values.

Both were born into the royal families of their respective countries and possessed strong political talent and martial arts skills. However, because their talents were too great and they saw the bloodshed of political struggles too early, they immediately fled their original lives, changed their names, and went to Lungmen to become the rulers of this controversial place at the time.

In Lungmen, after years of hard work and paying a heavy price, Lungmen finally became a land untouched by political infighting. The rulers were a husband and wife who would never be in dispute, and those in important positions in Lungmen were either trusted brothers or nieces who would never betray them.

What were they doing all this for? To stay away from this dirty struggle... And now, witnessing it all again, Wei Yenwu Wenyue couldn't help but sigh—it was still Little Chen who was exposed to these things.

Both Wei Yenwu and his wife had high hopes for Chen Huijie, believing she was the best senior superintendent in the Lungmen Guard Department. They reasoned that Chen Huijie possessed the purest sense of justice and a chivalrous spirit that hated evil, making her the best enforcer of the law—but certainly not a ruler.

Therefore, they did not want Chen Huijie to get involved in politics, but only to remain a senior police superintendent. This was the last bit of compensation they could make for their niece who had lost her parents at a young age... Sometimes, the more you know, the more troubles you have, and the less you can stay true to yourself, turning into the kind of person you hate the most.

Thinking of this, Wei Yenwu glanced at Chen Qi, who had dragged Chen Huijie into this power struggle without explanation, and felt a little resentful. But just then, Chen Huijie's voice drifted over:

"... Don't look at Chen Qi like that. Wei Yenwu, didn't Chen Qi say that just because you can't see something doesn't mean it didn't happen? I think maybe I've just not seen enough, which is why I'm so shocked by all this."

"But I still know very well what is right and what is wrong. Perhaps there is no absolute right or wrong in this world, but I think at least I have conscience and morality to judge which should be chosen."

"I should thank Chen Qi for letting me see these things; otherwise, I probably wouldn't be able to imagine the extent to which evil and greed can reach in this world."

Chen Huijie answered word by word, her eyes shining even brighter. Clearly, filming this drama had taught Chen Huijie a lot, and she had a premonition that in the subsequent filming, the "Hai Rui" she played would not only teach her what to do, but also how to do it, so that she could be worthy of the people and heaven and earth.

Returning to the story, Mr. Nothing's character, Yang Jinshui, is now visiting the Manufacturing Bureau with Liang Xun and Ning Ciqiu. This time, however, they are joined by another figure— the Emperor!

That's right, the Emperor was also brought in by Chen Qi to film this time, and the role the Emperor plays is an important character in the drama, a government official and businessman from the Jiangnan Manufacturing Bureau, and the richest man in Zhe City, "Shen Yishi".

However, this time, the tycoon played by the Emperor is completely different from the moment he appears. Unlike the Emperor himself, who always wears sunglasses and a big gold chain because of his love for hip-hop, the character he plays this time is very reserved. Whether it is his personality or his clothing, he doesn't seem like a tycoon from the beginning.

"These are people who make things difficult for themselves." In the drama, Mr. Nothing plays Yang Jinshui, couldn't help but tease the emperor when he drank the fine tea offered by the Emperor, only to find that the Emperor himself was only drinking plain water.

"Three thousand looms, tens of thousands of acres of mulberry fields, and hundreds of silk and tea shops, yet you yourself drink plain water, eat vegetarian food, and wear coarse cloth clothes. Haha, who are you trying to fool with this act of poverty?"

However, the Emperor himself showed none of the airs of a billionaire. He was nothing like the arrogant, domineering local bullies portrayed in some movies and TV dramas, who looked down on even ministers and the Emperor. Instead, he spoke up:

"My looms and silk shops are all for the Manufacturing Bureau. Even if Lord Yang takes a dislike to me one day and kicks me to the curb—I'll still live."

The Emperor meant that all his businesses were directly connected to the palace; he was merely a manager and didn't make a fortune from them. The palace simply needed his businesses, and this wealth didn't truly belong to him—after all, everyone in the palace would take a cut, so how much would be left for him?

Soon, the Emperor had finalized the purchase of mulberry fields with the group. The Emperor was already aware of the plan to destroy the dikes and flood the fields. He negotiated the price of the grain to be paid for the farmland with Mr. Nothing, and the matter was quickly settled.

The next step is to find a scapegoat. After all, the matter of destroying the dike and flooding the fields will definitely be investigated. Losing lives is a minor matter; if their entire families are executed, no one will be able to cover it up.

Therefore, after discussing it among themselves, they concluded that only one person could take the blame, and that was Ma Ningyuan, whom Hu Zongxian had personally cultivated.

"What?! They actually kept the matter of breaching the dike and flooding the fields a secret from the Minister?"

"It's not that we're trying to keep it from the Minister; it's that the Grand Secretary and the Junior Grand Secretary have spoken up." Ning Ciqiu promptly corrected him. Ma Ningyuan naturally knew that Hu Zongxian was promoted by Yan Song, and apart from Yang Jinshui, who was played by Mr. Nothing, everyone here was a member of Yan Faction; they were all in the same boat.

"The Grand Secretary and the Junior Grand Secretary, do they no longer trust the Minister?"

"It's not that I don't trust him." Liang Xun also started to deceive Ma Ningyuan. In order to make Ma Ningyuan take the blame, he could only bring up Hu Zongxian, whom he respected the most. Ma Ningyuan was born into a humble family and was promoted by Hu Zongxian. Although he had become an official and then turned against the common people who were once like him, he was still willing to go through fire and water for his mentor.

"That Tan Lun is by the minister's side, and he's keeping it from the minister in order to keep those above him in the dark."

"So you still don't trust the Minister?" Ma Ningyuan clearly knew that his mentor was being suspected by Yan Faction and wanted to prove his mentor's innocence. At this moment, Yang Jinshui, played by Mr. Nothing, finally spoke up:

"I'm asking you, you listen to Minister Hu, but who does Minister Hu listen to?"

"... Of course we'll listen to the Grand Secretary and the Junior Grand Secretary."

"Isn't that settled?" Mr. Nothing smiled slyly, continuing his deception, "Being willing to work and acknowledge superiors is your strength. But being willing to work isn't something you can just do by being pointed at and bowing down."

"You acknowledge Minister Hu, and Minister Hu acknowledges the Grand Secretary, so you should act according to the Grand Secretary's wishes. How could that be wrong?"

"Furthermore, the Grand Secretary's instruction to keep it from Minister Hu was also intended to protect him."

Liang Xun also slowly stood up. In order to help Ma Ningyuan make up his mind, he finally used his ultimate move, "righteousness," to make Ma Ningyuan believe that he was standing up to protect his mentor. With righteousness in mind, he could also make Ma Ningyuan sacrifice himself to protect all of them.

"Otherwise, if Tan Lun and the others find out and report it to Prince Yu, the first person to be punished will be Minister Hu."

As expected, under the influence of Liang Xun, Mr. Nothing, and the others' persuasion, and with the explanation that his current fortune was all thanks to his mentor, and that he was willing to sacrifice his own life to help his mentor overcome this crisis, Ma Ningyuan a long time before finally uttering two words in a low voice:

"--I'll do it."

"But the important thing is, so many counties have been flooded, people can't starve to death! I can't let the Minister be embarrassed then!"

Afterwards, Ma Ningyuan asked the Emperor for two century-old ginseng roots, intending to present them as a tribute to his mentor, Hu Zongxian. Mr. Nothing responded with a smile:

"Excellent! Loyalty and righteousness—that's the kind of person who can accomplish great things!"

"Loyalty and righteousness, humph, those two words, coming from the mouths of these beasts who destroyed the dikes and flooded the fields, utterly tarnish those two good words."

Such a scene was so disturbing that even the "elders" like Chongyue couldn't bear to watch, let alone Wei Yenwu and Chen Huijie. They couldn't help but sigh and say:

"Nianmei said before that these people were no worse than the Feranmut... But it seems they are even more ruthless than the Feranmut. At least the Feranmut beasts would admit that what they did was wrong, but they still have to put on a cloak of righteousness for their selfish desires and sins."

"... Director Chen Qi, next up is the filming of Xi Mei's painting, right?" Chongyue had no desire to comment on this. He had no interest in such heinous acts. If he had a choice, he would have tried to stop it all... But he was just an outsider and could only watch helplessly as it happened.

"Yes, we'll go to Xi's Scroll World in a bit and record the entire process of the dike breach and flooding of the fields." Chen Qi nodded, announcing the end of this segment as he answered:

"This time, we must show this human tragedy to the officials of the Great Yan. We must film the entire process of the dike breach and flooding of the fields as a warning. In the future, I'm afraid the officials of the Great Yan will not have the opportunity to witness such a horrific event firsthand. We must teach them a lesson they won't forget."

Chapter 284: Some things are weightless until weighed, but once weighed, they are as heavy as a thousand pounds.

The group arrived in Xi's painting world. Led by Ma Ningyuan, Xi surveyed all the dikes of Zhe City and the villages and towns below them. Finally, she created a completely realistic depiction of Zhe City and copied it into her painting.

"Everything is ready." After Xi led Chen Qi and the others to the embankment, everyone was already standing on the embankment. Under Xi's power, the painting was now engulfed in a raging storm.

Normally, this would be the time for Ma Ningyuan, the prefect of Zhe City, to request the Ministry of War to mobilize the Zhe City Great Yan army to fight floods and prevent waterlogging in the surrounding towns and villages. But unexpectedly, in the drama, he came here to destroy the dikes and flood the fields, sacrificing millions of people for the sake of the factional struggle between Purists and Yan Faction.