An Edict of Self-Reproach (Part Two)

After reading it aloud, he unfolded the new edict and read it aloud again, comparing it to the original:

"I hereby issue this edict of self-reproach, to serve as a warning to future generations: Any descendant of the Great Qing Dynasty who follows in my footsteps and allows immortals to oppress the people will be condemned by the entire world! Any official of the Great Qing Dynasty who stands idly by while immortal sects oppress the people will be denounced by the entire world! Any citizen of the Great Qing Dynasty who suffers harm from immortal sects, Aristocratic Clan, or clans and is driven to desperation may take this edict and go to the capital to appeal for justice!"

He placed the two scrolls side by side, his voice cold:

"The old edict said 'the whole world has abandoned it,' the new edict said 'the whole world has abandoned it, the whole world will condemn it, and people will go to the capital to appeal for justice.' The words are getting harsher and harsher, but where are the people? The Nanzhao Royal City has been besieged for half a year, and the court has not sent a single soldier. The Southern Frontier has fallen, and the court has not sent a single soldier. The border troops and navy of Great Qing have all gone to defend Xianmen."

He paused, then his sneer deepened:

"This edict is less of a 'self-reproach' and more of a 'condemnation,' and it's unclear which immortal sects will be branded as the culprits of the Nanzhao Rebellion. If the court wants to deal with the immortal sects in the future, this will be the 'last edict of the late emperor.'"

Silence fell over the hall for a moment.

After a moment, Yang Xiu picked up his wine cup, then put it down again, finally unable to resist speaking:

"This edict, throughout, speaks of 'self-reproach,' yet it's entirely an attempt to exonerate the court. The rise of the Immortal Sect is due to my indulgence; the arrogance of my ministers is due to my leniency; the resentment of the Witch Department is due to my coercion. All three crimes are 'my' fault. But upon closer inspection, which one doesn't say the Immortal Sect harmed the court? Which one doesn't say the Immortal Sect forced the court to be lenient?"

He paused, a hint of coldness creeping into his voice:

"Especially this new edict, which changed 'temple renovation' to 'local administration reform.' The old edict used family matters to pad out the wording, while the new edict uses national policy as an excuse. It's clear that they were afraid people would say they only cared about the immortal sects, so they deliberately added 'replacing local administration reform' to appear 'fair.' But 'replacing local administration reform' was a national policy established by Taizu and Taizong. Emperor Renzong was merely following it. What crime did he commit? Why take the blame for the national policy? It was to link the crime of 'replacing local administration reform' with 'excessive indulgence of immortals,' making the immortal sects bear the blame."

Su Yao put the two scrolls into his sleeve, stood up, walked to the palace entrance, and looked towards the southern horizon.

That area, in the direction of the Nanzhao Royal City, is now a scorched wasteland.

He remained silent for a long time before slowly saying:

"When that edict of self-reproach was issued decades ago, Renzong had just died, the crown prince had not yet been established, and the court was in turmoil. That edict was intended to stabilize public sentiment and pave the way for the new emperor's ascension to the throne. Now, this one has been issued again at the same time— Proclaiming Earth has swept through Nanzhao, the capital has fallen, the royal family has disappeared, and the court is shaken. Two edicts, exactly the same timing, exactly the same wording, exactly the same purpose."

He turned around and looked at the crowd, his gaze deep and calm:

"It seems that His Highness the Crown Prince, who has been stationed in Qingzhou for decades, is finally going to return to Jiankang and ascend the throne."

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Ying Qi whispered, "If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, what changes will there be in the affairs of Nanzhao?"

Su Yao shook his head. "I don't know. But one thing is certain."

He gazed towards Jiankang, his eyes piercing through the sea of clouds and snow outside the palace, landing on the distant, faintly visible imperial capital. His voice was soft, yet extremely clear:

"This new emperor has the air of Taizong."

The hall fell silent again.

As Yang Xiu watched Su Yao's retreating figure, he suddenly remembered something and whispered:

"Brother Dao, the old edict specifically mentions 'excessive indulgence of immortals' in the section on 'various immortal temples establishing private courtyards in Nanzhao and other places.' Doesn't this mean that the courtyards we established in Nanzhao were 'usurping authority'?"

Su Yao didn't turn around, but said calmly, "So this edict is not just paving the way for the new emperor. It is also a 'proclamation,' defining the existence of the Immortal Sect in Nanzhao as 'usurpation.' If the court wants to take action against the Immortal Sect in the future, this will be the 'last edict of the late emperor.'"

Xuan Yan's face darkened. "So all these years we've guarded Nanzhao, blocking demons, monsters, and Proclaiming Earth, have turned out to be 'overstepping'?"

Su Yao turned around, looked at him calmly, and said, "Do you think the court cares what we've done? They only care that we're 'present'."

Xuan Yan was speechless for a moment.

Su Yao walked back to the stone table and sat down, unrolling the two scrolls again and laying them side by side. He pointed to the lines of text and said:

"Look, whether it's the old edict or the new one, it all says, 'The number of ordination certificates for the immortal temples has been repeatedly increased, and the tax exemptions for the immortal lands have become increasingly lenient.' These two sentences describe the 'privileges' of the immortal sects. But how many ordination certificates does the immortal sect in Nanzhao have? How many immortal lands does it have? Our Qixia Temple in Nanzhao only has two branch temples, one at Cibi Lake and the other at Golden Ao Mountain. The branch temple at Golden Ao Mountain is less than three hundred li in circumference. The branch temple at Qingnuo Mountain is just a single mountain peak. But what does the edict say? 'The immortal sects have grown too powerful, becoming a country within a country.'"

He paused, then gave a cold laugh:

"These eight words shifted all the blame for the fall of Nanzhao from the court's 'replacing native chieftains with appointed officials' and 'using immortals to control witchcraft' to the 'great power' of the immortal sects. If the court were to deal with the immortal sects in the future, these eight words would be the best excuse."

Mo Li said in a muffled voice, "Then what do we do? We can't just let this mudslinging get thrown on our heads."

Su Yao put away the two scrolls and said slowly, "No rush. This edict is ultimately only for the people of the world to hear. But the people of the world are not all fools. What did Proclaiming Earth do in Nanzhao? What did the imperial court do in Nanzhao? What did the immortal sect do in Nanzhao? Put these three things together, and public opinion will judge who is loyal and who is treacherous."

He paused:

"But ultimately, everything comes down to strength."

Immediately afterwards, he stood up, walked to the palace entrance, and looked up at the sky. The sky was filled with the raging, tri-colored light of Proclaiming Earth.

"What truly concerns me is not the edict of self-reproach," he said slowly, "But what the Crown Prince will do after he ascends the throne."

Yang Xiu walked to his side and whispered, "Brother Dao, do you think the Crown Prince will take action against the Immortal Sect?"

Su Yao remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "I don't know..."

Silence fell over the hall once more.

Zilin stood up, walked to Su Yao's side, gazed at the vast expanse of Proclaiming Earth light on the horizon, and whispered:

"So, what should we do?"

Su Yao withdrew his gaze, looked at her, then at the crowd in the hall, his voice not loud, but so clear that every word seemed to echo on the stone wall:

"Let's do what we're supposed to do. The matter with Nanzhao isn't over yet. As for the matter with Proclaiming Earth, we'll just do what we're supposed to do. As for the imperial court..."

He paused, gazing towards Jiankang, his eyes deep and calm.

"The outcome will become clear after the Crown Prince ascends the throne. I imagine the officials have already made their decision."

There is a word cloud:

The dead write the edict, the living act it out.

For whom does this self-reproach serve? It's merely a stepping stone for the new emperor's ascension to the throne.

The Nanzhao was reduced to scorched earth, its people displaced and suffering; who cared for them?

Who put pen to paper?

The rise of immortal sects was originally bait; excessive indulgence of immortals was a trap.

Eight thousand years of empire history are as fragile as paper; a mere flick of the wrist can change everything for one's own benefit.

Forget about the plight of the common people, just watch the game of chess.