Oppress the common people, convert the fields even if they all die; when it is your turn, you are just a country boy

Another month later, Chen Qi finally sent someone to deliver the contents of the third episode of "The Great Yan Dynasty" to the palace. The Great Yan Emperor reacted quickly, choosing a day off to summon all the officials to watch the latest two episodes together.

"Previously, we summoned all officials to discuss how to balance official duties with the needs of the people, just like Hu Zongxian did. It seems that this time, Director Chen Qi has provided us with the answer."

The Emperor of Great Yan was actually quite pleased. Although the drama "Great Yan Dynasty" tells the story of a declining Great Yan, they could glean many insights from it.

From the very beginning, when the rulers of the Great Yan established a nation to rebel against the gods and create "humanity," it took generations of accumulation and development to finally force the gods to bow their heads and drive them out of this land. Under these wise rulers, the Great Yan enjoyed too much peace, seemingly remaining in its Great Yan. But could the Great Yan continue to be so glorious?

The Emperor of Great Yan knew this was unrealistic. Although their status as immortal beings gave them ample time to cultivate the next generation and minimize the possibility of a tyrannical ruler, he hadn't forgotten that a time bomb lay beneath the imperial city. With his Second Brother Sui, the bomb could explode at any moment, and he had to be prepared to die suddenly—especially since he didn't yet have a prince.

If he can't pass the throne to his older brother this time, then it will most likely be just like what was said in the Great Yan Dynasty: Wei Yenwu will still sit on the throne, and it will be Wei Yenwu's descendants who will sit on it in the future. So, he has to leave something for his descendants.

Even if a war were to break out with the Sui Dynasty, and a glorious Great Yan couldn't be established, at least some advice and guidance for handling troublesome matters should be left behind, right?

With this in mind, before Chen Qi sent the third episode, he had already collected all the memorials from the officials. He looked at the reports from the officials about how they would take care of both sides if they were Hu Zongxian. Everyone had different ideas, but each had their own meaning, which made the Emperor of Great Yan very satisfied.

Even those who couldn't think of a way to consider both sides chose to prioritize the people's interests. One even wrote, "National policies can be discussed again, and trade can be postponed, but it is difficult to regain the people's hearts once they are lost. We should avoid the difficult issues and focus on the people's interests," demonstrating the awareness of a wise minister in a prosperous era.

Unfortunately, both the Emperor of Great Yan and his officials subconsciously forgot one thing—that is, to analyze each situation specifically. Their approach might have been a good method in the prosperous Great Yan. But in the drama, they were facing the Emperor Jiajing, and their imagined superiors were the Yan Faction. Neither of these sides would allow them to get what they wanted.

So, as the Emperor of Great Yan and his officials watched the third episode with great interest, the more they watched, the more alarmed they became. Gradually, the events unfolded in ways completely beyond their wildest imaginations...

"Destroy the dikes and flood the fields?! This is the idea of a subject of my Great Yan Dynasty—no, no, who but a beast could come up with such a thing?!"

"Isn't this driving the people to their deaths?"

"If this continues, the people will rebel! Our Great Yan Dynasty will not be destroyed by the 'year' (a period of decline), but by a popular uprising!"

When Lin Yuxia in the drama made up her mind to buy the people's land by destroying the dikes and flooding the fields, and Zheng Michang, He Maocai, and even Yang Jinshui of the Directorate of Ceremonial supported this plan, they all angrily denounced the Yan Faction, wishing they could jump into the screen and skin them alive.

But the Emperor of Great Yan noticed the crux of the matter and thought to himself:

"The Jiajing Emperor did not initially read Hu Zongxian's memorial... If he had truly grasped the Yan Faction's power, he should have been aware of Yan Faction methods."

"So that means... he tacitly approved of it? As long as the production of 500,000 bolts of silk can be achieved and the national treasury can be replenished, then no matter what the Yan Faction does, he won't stop them. Is that why Yang Jinshui didn't object?"

Clearly, the most terrifying thought in the heart of the Great Yan Emperor has been confirmed. The Great Yan in the drama is already ill... The root of the disease is not the Yan Faction, nor the Purists, but the emperor of Great Yan, the Emperor Jiajing.

If it weren't for his tacit approval, with his abilities, it would have been impossible for the Yan Faction to grow so powerful. He allowed the Yan Faction to exist so that it could amass more wealth for the Great Yan and replenish the national treasury. Moreover, the blame could be placed on the Yan Faction, and Jiajing would not bear any responsibility. He only cared about the results.

At that time, whether the matter succeeds or fails, Jiajing will bear no responsibility. The world's condemnation will only fall on Yan Faction, while Jiajing is clearly aware of everything, has a perfectly good excuse to claim ignorance due to his well-known "twenty years of not attending court."

"Jiajing... Excellent, truly worthy of being the most cunning emperor of our Great Yan Dynasty. He has used all his imperial skills on this."

The Great Yan Emperor, enraged, laughed coldly. Having seen through Jiajing's true colors, he felt a deep contempt for this so-called most cunning emperor. The reason was that Jiajing, despite his exceptional talent and ability to govern the Great Yan effectively, chose not to focus his efforts on his so-called "great achievements" of "becoming Feranmut."

The Great Yan Emperor didn't know if Jiajing would eventually become Feranmut, but in order to achieve this goal, he spent so much that even Yan Shifan in the drama complained about it. In addition, he hadn't attended court for more than 20 years. If this situation continued for so long, it's likely that the Great Yan would be ruined before the Feranmut was even formed.

That's why he tolerated the Yan Faction, because Yan Faction could provide him with the money he needed to become Feranmut. In the eyes of the Great Yan Emperor, Jiajing hadn't even become a "god" yet, but he already had no regard for "humanity."

If such an emperor were to one day become a "god," could one expect him to care about the people? Would the Great Yan then be ruled by humans, or by yet another "god"?

The Emperor of Great Yan was filled with sorrow. As the plot unfolded, Ma Ningyuan, without Hu Zongxian's knowledge, blew up all nine dikes. At the moment when the floodwaters surged, everyone in the hall fell silent.

Thanks to Xi's painting skills, this scene was filmed in a way that was many times more thrilling than the original drama. When the officials and the emperor saw the soldiers of the Great Yan build a wall with their own bodies, but all of them drowned in the raging flood, forcing Hu Zongxian to divert the floodwaters to submerge two innocent counties and minimize the losses, the entire hall was filled with an eerie atmosphere.

The scene, lasting less than ten minutes, broadcast the most touching moments. In an instant, some people in the hall were angry, some wept, and some sighed... But without exception, they never expected that the descendants of the Great Yan would become such beasts.

A moment later, the camera pans to Hu Zongxian, who has resolved everything, sitting in the main hall. Ma Ningyuan has already taken off his official robes. He believes he has relieved Hu Zongxian, who was overwhelmed by orders from above, from his predicament. As the villain, he is bound to die, but before he dies, he still hopes that Hu Zongxian, who promoted him, can understand his intentions.

"I've let down the minister... but my heart remains loyal to him."

"I was born a scholar who passed the imperial examinations, and I even spent several years trying to become a tribute student, but without the appreciation of the ministers, I would at most be a county magistrate now."

"Furthermore, my family never dreamed that I would become the prefect of Zhe City today."

"From the year I accompanied you, Minister, to repair the seawall, I knew that I would be your man in life and in death."

"Now... I finally have a chance to repay the minister. This future was given to me by the minister, and now I'm returning it to him."

"I will take the blame for all the crimes. I only hope that the Minister can get past the Grand Secretary, the Junior Grand Secretary, and Prince Yu and those people."

As Ma Ningyuan expressed his gratitude to Hu Zongxian for recognizing his talent and mentorship, tears welled up in his eyes. Many officials who had harbored resentment towards Ma Ningyuan for his wrong decisions softened upon seeing his Ma Ningyuan his mentor.

Ma Ningyuan did not leave a good impression on the officials and the Emperor of Great Yan. Initially, he led the Celestial Master to cover up the Green Sprouts and spoke rudely to the people of Zhe City, showing no demeanor of a local official.

However, his current display of unwavering loyalty to Hu Zongxian has successfully made his minor role more substantial. Unfortunately, everyone with an omniscient perspective knows that Ma Ningyuan's good intentions backfired this time, and his actions have ultimately ruined his mentor.

"He has petty righteousness but no great loyalty; he's a complete fool." The Emperor of Great Yan also dismissed him with disdain, coldly judging, "Take the blame? Can you bear it? Such a calamity—how can your parents, wife, and children escape unscathed? If your entire clan is executed, do you really think your mentor can escape unscathed?"

"Smack!"

As expected, when Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, walked up to Ma Ningyuan, he slapped him across the face without any mercy, channeling all his disappointment, anger, and sorrow into that one slap.

"--How clever of him." After a long while, Zuo Xuanliao finally squeezed out those few words through gritted teeth, expressing his endless bitterness and sadness that this trusted confidant he had personally promoted still didn't understand right from wrong.

"What Grand Secretary, what Prince Yu, what passage through the gates? Do you even know how deep the waters run in the imperial court?"

Zuo Xuanliao gently stroked Ma Ningyuan's official robes, his eyes and tone filled with helplessness and bitterness. He said softly, "You actually colluded with them to do such a big thing, keeping it from me! And you still say your heart is loyal to me..."

"... I don't want to hide anything from you, Minister, and I won't collude with anyone. I'm sorry, Minister."

However, Ma Ningyuan still seemed to have missed the point of Zuo Xuanliao's words. He knew his mentor would be disappointed by his decision, but he still did not regret playing the bad guy for his mentor.

Finally, with a sigh, Ma Ningyuan murmured to himself, "There are many things in this world that are... done despite knowing they are impossible."

Ma Ningyuan's last words seemed to express his own bitterness, and also the bitterness of many officials who walked on thin ice in the imperial court, fearing that one day they would be dragged out to take the blame and "repay favors".

The Emperor of Great Yan, having no desire to say more, sighed deeply, closed his eyes, and wearily murmured:

"Knowing it's impossible yet still doing it... officials protecting each other, treating the symptoms but not the root cause... in the end, who has the people's well-being in their heart?"

"Knowing only petty righteousness but lacking great loyalty... How foolish, how foolish... Our Great Yan Dynasty actually has such a fool, and he's even a fourth-rank prefect! We truly have no one else to rely on."

The Emperor of Great Yan was weary. Just thinking about how Great Yan become made him feel powerless to reverse the situation, no matter how diligent he was. He felt an unprecedented weariness, even more unbearable than the physical form of "Sui" beneath his feet, making him feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

If the Great Yan truly becomes like this in the future... then we shouldn't have started a war with "Sui". This Great Yan is even more terrifying than "Sui", and every official there is more ruthless towards human life than a "god".

Chapter 287: Oppressing the people, even if they all die, it will change things; but when it comes to myself, a country boy...

"Your Majesty, how was the third episode of 'The Great Yan Dynasty'?"

A few days later, Chen Qi and his group successfully returned to the palace from Gouwu. Chen Qi and his group would go to Gouwu to film on location again and again, but of course they wouldn't spend so much time traveling there again.

Xi also left a painting in the court where Gouwu. This painting can be used as a teleportation portal, allowing Chen Qi and others to freely travel between the palace and Gouwu. This saves a lot of time and makes it easier for Chen Qi and others to film between the two places.

This time, Chen Qi deliberately lingered on the road for a few days, giving the Emperor of Great Yan and his officials time to digest the content of the third episode. Only when he felt it was enough did he return to the palace and ask the Emperor of Great Yan for advice on his own.

Now, the Great Yan Emperor, who looked like he hadn't slept for several days and whose complexion was rather poor, was asked this question by Chen Qi. After a long while, he sighed again and asked in a low voice:

"Director Chen Qi, in your vision of the future, will the Great Yan really look like this?"

The Emperor of Great Yan could see that the Great Yan of 1566, as depicted by Chen Qi, was quite different from the Great Yan of today. Although everyone could understand the meaning of "Grand Secretariat," "chief minister," and a series of official titles, the Emperor of Great Yan understood that in the Great Yan setting, after the deaths of the two brothers, the power structure of the Great Yan officialdom underwent a dramatic change.

In particular, the power of civil officials has been greatly expanded... But this is understandable. After all, after eliminating the huge threat of "Sui", the defense power of Great Yan was weakened. However, with a major threat eliminated, it is understandable that civil officials would gain more influence during the period of recuperation and development.

But neither the Ursus raids in the drama, nor the threats posed by the Higashi's Church of the Deep and the Seaborn to the southeast, could be as terrifying as these internal hidden dangers in the Emperor's eyes... He had already seen the signs of the Great Yan's demise in them.

Some say that the emperor is the roof of a country, and in the face of a great crisis, the emperor should be the first to step up and support it.

"However, I have a different understanding... The people of Great Yan are too kind-hearted, and Great Yan's golden age has lasted too long, causing many of them to forget their suffering. I believe that the emperor should be the foundation of the country; his abilities and his actions should be to safeguard the nation."

"If the emperor is stable, the foundation is stable, and the house can continue to be built. At that time, as long as there are enough pillars, the building can be built as high as it can be. But if the foundation is not stable, no matter how tall the building looks, it is a dangerous building. With one kick, it can collapse with a crash."

The Emperor of Great Yan spoke slowly, the contents of the third episode of the Great Yan Dynasty still vivid in his mind. Just thinking about Yan Shifan's destruction of the dikes and flooding of the fields, the collusion between officials of Great Yan, and the people and soldiers who died in this man-made Catastrophe... he felt heartbroken.

"Director Chen Qi, you wrote this script. I don't know if you actually saw the future, but I only want to ask one thing... Does the Great Yan you depict still have a future?"

The Emperor of Great Yan knew that with an emperor like Jiajing on the throne, Great Yan had no hope and would only slowly head towards destruction. What the Emperor of Great Yan wanted to know was whether Jiajing had ultimately become Feranmut.

If Jiajing were to truly become Feranmut, then the calamity of the Great Yan would truly befall it... A "god" with an endless lifespan, against whom the Great Yan would have no power to resist, would become a new shadow looming over the Great Yan, satisfying his selfish desires with the blood and flesh of the Great Yan's millions of people. Such an emperor would be far more terrifying than "Sui" (岁).

As long as Jiajing lived, the Great Yan had no future! The Great Yan emperor firmly believed this, and rather than hoping that Jiajing would change his ways, he placed his hopes on the next generation.

However... although the Great Yan Emperor was portraying Prince Yu, he did not expect the character of Prince Yu to rebel against his own father. During the performance, he clearly felt Prince Yu's soul-deep trembling at Jiajing, and he knew that this boy was weak and indecisive, and not fit for great responsibility. It would be good enough if he wasn't scared to death by his father; he had no hope of him becoming anything special.

Faced with this question from the Emperor of Great Yan, Chen Qi, who naturally understood the future developments, saw his worry and immediately said:

"Although it's not in the script, I have indeed considered the later plot. If Your Majesty would like to hear it, I can tell you."

"Jiajing ultimately failed to become Feranmut. After Prince Yu ascended the throne, he changed the reign title to 'Longqing' and heavily relied on officials from the Purists faction during his reign. This allowed the Great Yan to recuperate and rebuild after Jiajing's death, finally showing signs of a revival."

"Phew... thank goodness it didn't work out."

At this moment, Chen Qi's words were clearly taken seriously by the Emperor of Great Yan. Upon hearing that Jiajing had not become Feranmut, he breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed considerably. As a result, he did not immediately notice the hidden meaning in Chen Qi's unfinished words.

Chen Qi naturally didn't intend to tell him that the Prince Yu in the drama, or that his child in the drama led the Great Yan to a real abyss... If he said this, he was afraid that the Emperor of Great Yan wouldn't be able to handle the shock and would have a seizure on the spot.

Chen Qi didn't linger on the topic and immediately addressed the Emperor of Great Yan:

"Your Majesty, we still need your help with the filming of the fourth episode. There's still some time before you go on set, would you like to take a look first?"

"... Very well, I'll see how that idiot Ma Ningyuan decides to handle this."

The distraught Emperor of Great Yan did not refuse and returned to his seat. In his palace, there was a "screen" that Xi had specially painted in reality. Through this, the Emperor of Great Yan could watch Gouwu's filming even though he was in the palace thousands of miles away.

After Ma Ningyuan crashed the truck and uttered the phrase "knowing it's impossible but doing it anyway," Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, was so angry at his words that he almost laughed out loud. Seeing that his student was still clueless, he finally began to educate him.

"I usually ask you to read the Commentary of Zuo and the Comprehensive Mirror, but you don't seem to care."

"I asked you to read the books of the philosophers of the Great Yan, but you dismissed them even more."

"And what's with this talk about watching some damn 'Yes, Prime Minister' and claiming half a Uyghur drama can govern the world?"

"Now I ask you, what was the original meaning of the sage's saying, 'Knowing it cannot be done, yet doing it nonetheless'?"

In the opening scene of the fourth episode, where Hu Zongxian is instructing Ma Ningyuan, Chen Qi also makes a small joke about his previous works, and also takes a jab at those Terra people who say "half of a Uyghur drama can rule the world". Now, as Chen Qi's fame grows, many of his film and television works have been elevated to a level that does not belong to him.

Therefore, Chen Qi issued a "disclaimer" for his work here. "Even if the dramas I make are considered masterpieces, please don't actually believe the jokes you make about me."

How can one truly understand the ways of an official through a single drama? Just look at Ma Ningyuan in the show; what became of him?

Faced with Ma Ningyuan's silence, Zuo Xuanliao promptly spoke up, "The sage tells the world: when doing something, don't ask if it's possible, but ask if it's right or wrong?"

"Destroying dikes and flooding fields is an act of wickedness and moral depravity. It harms the country and the people! Is this what they call 'doing what is known to be impossible'?"

Zuo Xuanliao's voice wasn't loud, nor did he subject Ma Ningyuan to a severe scolding, but his reasoned and well-founded instruction was far more effective than any reprimand or complaint in making Ma Ningyuan understand his mistakes. However, with no way back now, he could only lower his head and sullenly reply:

"... Your subordinate only understands that you should share the burden for your superior."

"Nine counties, millions of people! Flooded fields, a sight never seen before in history! And you claim it's to share my burdens?" Seeing that Ma Ningyuan remained obstinate, Zuo Xuanliao's tone grew even harsher, saying:

"This crime is so heinous that even the extermination of your entire family wouldn't be enough to atone for it!"

"Everyone says I, Hu, am good at recognizing and appointing people, so how could I have chosen someone like you to be the Prefect of Zhe City and concurrently the Chief Supervisor of the Waterways?"

However, it's unclear whether it was Hu Zongxian's (played by Zuo Xuanliao) phrase "extermination of nine generations" that made Ma Ningyuan belatedly realize that he intended to take the blame for his mentor and even asked Yang Jinshui and the others to treat him kindly after he took the blame. But was this really a crime he could bear?

Upon realizing this, Ma Ningyuan finally panicked and immediately knelt down in the direction of Zuo Xuanliao, his voice trembling as he said:

"I shouldn't have become an official—but, Your Excellency, my elderly mother, my wife, and my son—you all know they are honest, simple country folk!"

"I implore Your Excellency... to protect them!"

After saying this, Ma Ningyuan bowed deeply to Zuo Xuanliao. However, everyone watching this scene knew that it was too late for Ma Ningyuan to do this now.

"Country bumpkin... When you destroyed the dikes, flooded the fields, and buried people's crops, did you not remember that you were a country boy?" At Gouwu's scene, Wei Yenwu also looked down on this. He had no sympathy for people who sought death and drove themselves to their doom.

The Great Yan Emperor shared this sentiment, muttering to himself with utter disdain:

"If he's a country bumpkin, then the people of the Great Yan are truly cursed for eight lifetimes to have allowed such a beast who has forgotten where he came from to become an official."

The brothers' words did not reach the scene. Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, seeing that things were out of control, tried to find out through Ma Ningyuan who made the decision to destroy the dike and flood the fields, so as to postpone the national policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields.

However, how could Ma Ningyuan possibly say such a thing? Ma Ningyuan knew very well that all of this was Yan Song and Yan Shifan's decision, but digging up a radish with mud on it meant that if it implicated them, his mentor would truly be doomed.

"The dam wasn't destroyed; it was our subordinates who failed to repair it properly last year, which led to this disaster." Ma Ningyuan insisted that it was all his responsibility, and with a righteous expression, he said, word by word:

"Hopefully, after the fields are flooded, the imperial court's policy of converting rice paddies to mulberry fields can be implemented, so that you, Minister, won't be caught in the middle."

"My head... it's worth losing!"

As Ma Ningyuan finished speaking, everyone, from Zuo Xuanliao in the drama to the people outside the drama, felt a chill. Faced with Ma Ningyuan's "righteous and awe-inspiring" demeanor, Chen Huijie, Lin Yuxia, and the others did not feel that his behavior was noble at all, but they could not quite put their finger on what was wrong with it.

However, Wei Yenwu and other veteran politicians understood the meaning behind Ma Ningyuan's words. Fortunately, Zuo Xuanliao in the drama also slowly spoke, expressing their innermost thoughts:

"You are in me, and I am in you... This is where things go wrong."

"They risked your life for silver, and the lives of so many people in Zhe City for money—and you're still expected to protect them wholeheartedly? And you even claim it's for the court? For national policy?"

"For the imperial court? What national policy? What about converting rice paddies to mulberry fields? How much of the money earned actually goes into the national treasury?"

In the end, Hu Zongxian, played by Zuo Xuanliao, was also disheartened and had no choice but to tell Ma Ningyuan to hide in the back. He knew that Ma Ningyuan never be able to understand everything unless he saw through it all.

"Listen with your own ears to see what kind of hearts and minds those you're protecting really have! Even if you die, you can't die a foolish death!"

Zuo Xuanliao's words were very clear. At this moment, the Emperor of Great Yan couldn't help but sit up straight. The teachings left by his ancestors said that forming cliques for personal gain was a serious crime. He knew it was a serious crime, but the officials of Great Yan not openly divide themselves into factions like in the TV series.