Unifying Their Thinking, Promoting the System Nationwide

Qin Wu collected his thoughts, his gaze sweeping over the civil and military officials in the Golden Palace, his expression solemn:

"I have decided to order the Secret Guard to promote the Fairness System throughout the country, and all the people of Qin State must bind to the system."

In addition, effective immediately, the Qin State's taxes will be levied in Energy Points instead of coins, but the amount cannot be set too high. The salaries of all officials will also be changed to Energy Points.

"Lü Zixuan, you will take the lead in coordinating the cooperation of officials from various departments to formulate a reform plan and submit it to me. This matter must be completed within three days; there can be no delay."

As soon as the words were spoken, the expressions of the officials in the hall changed drastically, instantly causing a huge uproar.

They originally thought that only Qin State officials were bound to the system, and that the powerful and wealthy could exclusively seize this fortuitous opportunity. Little did they expect it to be rolled out nationwide.

Immediately, people stepped forward and offered their advice in a cacophony of voices:

"Your Majesty, please reconsider! If all the people of Qin State are bound to the system, they may become difficult to control in the future, and might even breed rebellion!"

"This Fairness System is enough for us high-ranking officials; ordinary people are not worthy of even a touch!"

"Your Majesty, if all the people possess such a system, the dignity of the court will crumble, and if this continues, the nation will cease to exist!"

"Your Majesty, those who use martial arts to break the law will be able to use the system to become stronger."

"In the future, there will likely be even more people trying to assassinate His Majesty, and your danger will increase dramatically!"

Qin Wu listened to these words with a cold look in his eyes, knowing that some people were genuinely worried about the Qin State, while many others were plotting to monopolize the system.

He suddenly let out a cold snort, his voice echoing throughout the palace. "Foolish! Even if the court doesn't promote it, the Fairness System has already quietly spread throughout the Qin State."

Proactive promotion now is the only way to seize the initiative; otherwise, you won't even get the Energy Points from the promotion system.

Furthermore, the System Store sells grain and high-yield grain seeds, which can just solve the famine caused by the current drought.

He paused, his tone becoming even more serious. "Moreover, it's not just in Qin State; it's already being systematically spread throughout the Central Continent."

In the Eastern Desolation, both the cultivation Immortal Realm and the mortal world have long been bound to the Fairness System.

As for your fear of a popular rebellion, why should I be afraid?

Even if they were all divine dragons, I am confident that I can control them.

These words struck like a thunderbolt, causing a tremendous shock to the hearts of all the civil and military officials.

They had only recently been bound to the system and were unaware of the current situation. Only upon hearing Qin Wu's words did they realize the urgency of the matter.

This is no longer a matter of whether to promote or not; it's about how to seize the initiative in this systemic wave and preserve existing power and interests.

For a moment, all the civil and military officials in the court looked at each other in bewilderment, and there was no sound.

Lü Zixuan bowed respectfully, his tone carrying a hint of solemnity:

"Your Majesty Sagacity! However, isn't it too radical to change the tax from currency to Energy Points?"

"This could trigger public unrest; could its implementation be postponed?"

Qin Wu slowly shook his head, his tone resolute. "There's no time to waste! This matter must be handled as quickly as possible."

We must complete the tax reform thoroughly before the people of Qin State realize the true value of Energy Points; otherwise, it will be impossible to implement it later.

Moreover, we urgently need Energy Points to quickly increase our strength; only in this way can we stabilize the current situation in the Qin State.

His gaze swept across the hall, and his tone suddenly became more serious. "The Qin State has long since reached a point where change is imperative, and we do not have much time to waste."

If you hesitate, you will be lucky to even save your Longevity, let alone achieve immortality.

The reasons for this are probably clear to everyone.

Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials' expressions changed, and the previous commotion instantly subsided. Everyone lowered their heads in deep thought, and the atmosphere in the hall became solemn.

Lü Zixuan's expression hardened, and he bowed again. "Your Majesty's words are absolutely correct, this humble subject has no further objections."

Qin Wu nodded slightly, then changed the subject, his tone becoming more expectant:

"If you all can work together with one heart, the Qin State can become Fortune Dynasty like the Great Ming Fortune Dynasty in the Eastern Desolation."

At that time, you will all be blessed by the nation's destiny, your cultivation speed will advance by leaps and bounds, and Longevity an immortal will not be a pipe dream.

These words were like a shot of adrenaline; the solemnity on the faces of the civil and military officials vanished instantly, replaced by barely concealed excitement. They all bowed and responded in unison:

"Your Majesty, rest assured! We will do our utmost to promote the system's adoption."

Qin Wu looked at everyone's expressions and nodded in satisfaction.

He didn't care what these people were really thinking, as long as they cooperated fully in promoting the system.

Once I accumulate enough Energy Points, I can improve my cultivation level and then have the strength to fight against the Demonic Flame Sect. Even if I am defeated, I can still help others escape with ease.

Whether the people of Qin State evacuated with him or remained in Qin State was their own choice.

Once the court session ended, Qin State's bureaucratic system sprang into action like a machine.

Once the Qin State officials and soldiers were bound to the Fairness System, the system was quickly rolled out nationwide.

Meanwhile, Wu'an Commandery, thousands of miles away, had long since become a different kind of hell on earth.

It has been almost a year since the last drop of rain fell here. The land is parched and the furrows are so cracked that you could fit a fist in them. Forget about planting crops; even the soil is so dry that it crumbles at the slightest touch.

The once lush forests are now just bare branches, and the wild vegetables and roots that could provide sustenance have long been dug up and eaten.

The people in the county were all emaciated, with high cheekbones and sunken eyes; the situation was so dire that people resorted to cannibalism.

If it weren't for the imperial court's continuous allocation of relief grain, barely keeping the county afloat, Wu'an Commandery would have long been littered with corpses and starving people.

Even so, despair continues to spread.

If it weren't for the large number of troops stationed inside and outside Wu'an City to suppress the rebellion, the starving people would have already risen up in revolt;

Even with the army stationed there, more than a dozen civilian uprisings have broken out within six months.

Each crackdown resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries; the blood had long since soaked this parched land.

Long lines stretched out in front of the relief point, as disaster victims, young and old, slowly made their way to receive a bowl of thin porridge.

The scene was eerily quiet, without a single sound. This wasn't because they were particularly well-behaved.

It was because everyone was so hungry that they were saving the energy to even speak.

Only the occasional cry of a child barely broke the deathly silence, making people aware that there were living, breathing people around them.

That bowl of what was called porridge was actually more like murky muddy water, with a few grains of rice floating in it, but mostly fine, gritty sand.

The disaster victims who received the porridge gathered in a group, some squatting and some sitting.

Holding the chipped, broken bowl, he greedily licked every single grain of rice inside, not even letting go of the dirt and sand.

"This porridge is getting thinner and thinner, with hardly any rice and more and more sand mixed in. If this continues, we'll starve to death sooner or later," someone said in a hoarse voice.

"How about... we escape? Leave Wu'an Commandery and go to other counties to find food?"

A young disaster victim suggested in a low voice, his eyes full of hope.

"Wang An, you silly boy!"

Chen He sighed and shook his head, "With our physical condition, we'd be exhausted to death before we even left Wu'an Commandery. Even if we could hold on, we'd starve to death halfway there."

Another victim chimed in, his voice filled with despair:

"The surrounding counties aren't much better off; the disaster situation is just slightly worse, but you'll still go hungry if you go there."

"If I stay here, at least I can get a bowl of thin porridge every day to keep me alive."

"Sigh... when will this famine end? Too many people have already died..." someone sighed, causing everyone around to fall silent.

At this moment, Wang An suddenly lowered his voice. "I heard that someone is secretly organizing the people, saying they want to rob granaries and wealthy merchants, and if they get the grain, they won't go hungry..."

"Don't do anything foolish!" Chen He interrupted him hastily, his voice trembling slightly.

"Those people are a cult! A while ago, several thousand people were incited by them to rebel, and they were all killed in the end."

At least we have some thin porridge now, so we won't starve. Let's wait a bit longer; things will get better once the drought is over."