A Little Ploy Devised on the Spot
The Divine Ability Realm is a watershed moment.
This realm cannot be said to be absolutely strong, but many profound and complex techniques originate from the Divine Ability Realm.
Most importantly, cultivators at the Divine Ability Realm begin to possess sufficiently strong self-protection abilities.
Even if they are not good at fighting, cultivators can use their realm to intimidate and suppress villains.
The ability to intimidate from a higher realm is almost a powerful weapon. It can effectively suppress cultivators at the Consciousness Creation Realm and below, and also provides a high chance of quickly protecting oneself when encountering assassination attempts by cultivators at these levels.
With the survival rate greatly increased, it's not surprising that cultivators at the Divine Ability Realm are entrusted with important tasks.
Many positions require wisdom, but wisdom cannot prevent hard work from overcoming cleverness. The most important prerequisite for doing anything is not to do it well, but to survive while doing it.
When interests are involved, countless bloody cases serve as a stark reminder to those in charge that no matter how well they perform, the dead are worthless.
This also became an ironclad rule for the imperial court in selecting important talents.
Unless one's wisdom and knowledge reach an extraordinary level, there are very few junior cultivators at the higher levels.
"I've seen many wailing madmen along the way; this seems to be a result of intimidation and suppression," the new emperor said, taking the bowl. "Congratulations on reaching the Divine Ability!"
"I'm just a fake Divine Ability right now," Zhang Xuezhou blinked and said, "I have the suppressive power of the Divine Ability Realm, but I don't have the Law Power of the Divine Ability Realm!"
"How is that possible?" the new emperor exclaimed in astonishment.
"My head's two bridges to heaven and earth were broken, making it difficult for me to fully reach the Divine Ability Realm, so I've become a half-baked expert," Zhang Xuezhou said.
He reached out and clapped his hands, and a deep blue Law Power light surged in his palm, proving that his Law Power had not yet undergone a transformation.
This gave the new emperor a bit of a headache.
The new emperor witnessed an extremely peculiar realm of cultivation. Zhang Xuezhou had not reached the Divine Ability Realm, but he possessed the ability to intimidate and suppress those at the Divine Ability Realm.
Even Li Guang was taken aback by this state, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou's Divine Ability Realm was somewhat mediocre.
"And what about your Divine Ability abilities?" the new emperor asked tentatively.
"No, my Law Power hasn't even undergone a transformation, how could I possess any Divine Ability abilities!"
Zhang Xuezhou waved his hand, indicating that he had only obtained the most important deterrent and suppressive ability of the Divine Ability Realm, and had not obtained any of the others.
Your situation is a bit complicated!
"If I can repair the two bridges of heaven and earth, I will definitely be able to enter the Divine Ability Realm!"
If Zhang Xuezhou's Technique Method were limited, the new emperor felt that his opponent was likely the weakest Divine Ability Realm cultivator in history.
When faced with Technique Method, Zhang Xuezhou's Law Power was slightly inferior, and he would find it difficult to defeat a cultivator at the Divine Ability Realm.
This is undoubtedly a distressing matter, but considering that the Imperial Medical Academy went so far as to open up the Empress Dowager's head to verify her illness, the new emperor could understand.
He couldn't help but feel a little regretful, thinking that a genius cultivator like Zhang Xuezhou had actually stopped here.
He had met Zhang Xuezhou when he was young and knew very well about the other's cultivation level, as well as how much talent such a person needed to reach the Divine Ability Realm in just a few years.
If nothing unexpected happens, he felt that Zhang Xuezhou had a high probability of reaching the Sole Self Realm under the right conditions, and might even achieve True Self in the future. Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs" in life, and things cannot be undone.
"Focus on refining the medicine. Once that young master Li you invited arrives in Chang'an City, make sure you refine it well," the new emperor instructed. "Try to take the medicine and cure the illness!"
Thank you!
Zhang Xuezhou clasped his hands in thanks.
He used Li Guang's words to inform the new emperor about the plight of the poor, and he also took action along the way.
As long as the new emperor still cares about the people's livelihood, the other party will inevitably find this place, which will likely lead to a conversation and allow Zhang Xuezhou to make some judgments.
It would be difficult for a group of young people to advance their cultivation and enter the imperial court in just six months; the current emperor still lacks talent.
Although a long time has passed, the new emperor's attitude has not changed.
Zhang Xuezhou is considered an unreliable member of the new emperor's camp, but he is also one of the more skilled cultivators among the younger generation, which gives him considerable value.
This impromptu little scheme demonstrated Zhang Xuezhou's abilities and freed him from having to guess at the new emperor's thoughts.
He felt confident that he could still be valued by the new emperor.
"It's good that you care about the disaster victims, but sending food and meat isn't something that can be done in the long run. Let me ask you, where will they find their next meal after this one?"
The new emperor blinked slightly, and after understanding the situation, he didn't press further. Instead, he chose a question to ask.
"Is it assessment time again?" Zhang Xuezhou asked curiously.
The new emperor nodded and said, "You haven't answered for half a year; it's time to start resuming the response!"
"Your question has really stumped me," Zhang Xuezhou said. "They are old and frail, and they speak a dialect from the Northern Border. Only a handful of them can communicate normally in Chang'an City. They have no clothes, no houses, no tools, no 'ritual' (frugal rules), and no money. It's difficult for them to do anything, and it's also difficult for them to have their next meal!"
"Is there no solution to this?" the new emperor asked doubtfully.
"For some people, they may be able to use their power to arrange things for others to make a living, but getting them to be self-reliant is extremely difficult," Zhang Xuezhou nodded and said, "I still can't think of a solution!"
"Oh, can't they cultivate the land and clear the wasteland to earn their next meal?" the new emperor asked.
"Clearing land for farming seems feasible; they've already cleared over fifty acres," Zhang Xuezhou nodded. "But clearing land requires a lot of physical exertion, and it also requires a constant input of farm tools and seeds. The harvest period is very long, and they don't have any surplus food. In years with poor harvests, they'll have nothing to eat!"
Zhang Xuezhou pointed to the fields beyond the thorns.
The land reclaimed by the people of Zhang Household Village was not in good condition. Due to a lack of tools such as digging, the weeds in these fields were extremely difficult to remove. They would usually grow back after being pulled out, and even now they are still overgrown with weeds.
The harvest from such fields will be mediocre, even with guidance from Xu Yuan and Xu Ji.
If it weren't for the fact that the people of Zhang Household Village were located in a mountainous area rich in wildlife, they would almost certainly be in a dead end.
Otherwise, Zhang Xuezhou wouldn't have needed to rely on money for such a long time.
"Having lived to this age, don't they have any other skills to make a living?" the new emperor asked.
"Some of them are veterans from the Northern Border Military Region," Zhang Xuezhou said. "These men have learned some rudimentary martial arts and can engage in some hunting, but wild animals are scarce in this area, making it very difficult to survive by hunting!"
"A veteran from the Northern Border?"
While the new emperor was also deep in thought, Li Guang felt a slight stirring in his heart.
"I'm also a veteran from the Northern Border are you from?" Li Guang turned to Zhang Baojia, who was in charge, and asked.
"I used to patrol under Li Su, the valiant captain of Shanggu County. I served as a squad leader for a while by killing two Xiong State. But I was too old and weak and had to retreat back to the village," Zhang Baojia replied cautiously.
"If you could serve as a sergeant until your retirement, you should have at least ten strings of cash by then. You could have lived a very comfortable life in the city. How did you end up like this?"
"Ten strings of cash? Wasn't the dismissal and severance pay only five hundred and a half taels of silver?"
"Um?"
After Li Guang asked a few questions, his expression turned grim.
"Even corporals get five hundred and a half taels of silver before they retire," Zhang Baojia. "That's how we all get it. Ordinary soldiers without rank get one hundred and a half taels of silver when they retire. Zhang Houtu's leg was broken, so wounded soldiers like him get an extra fifty and a half taels of silver in severance pay!"
"Absurd!"
Before Li Guang could speak, the new emperor, who had overheard the conversation with Zhang Xuezhou, felt that the problems in the Northern Border Military Region under Li Guang's jurisdiction were extremely serious.
Setting standards at the top and implementing them at the bottom are obviously two different things.
If years of military service only yield a hundred and a half taels of silver, barely enough for a meal for someone in Chang'an City, what ordinary person would be willing to risk their life to fight the enemy?
The imperial court supplies the Northern Border Military Region with a huge amount of money every year, but this money is clearly not being used effectively.
The new emperor immediately felt that Li Guang had a very serious problem.