The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

It can be said that the compensation given by Zhao Qing definitely far exceeded the losses of the villagers, and it was clearly a generous gift!

"Probably... no less than 10 billion..."

Although he had only worked in Jianlu's blacksmith shop in the past and had been working under Mr. Zhao Si, Zhao Yi had no chance to be independent, but he was a master who had been working outside for more than ten years. After a little calculation, he quickly came up with the answer:

“After being hit by the unexpected disaster of the stone ball, not only was there no casualties, but he became rich overnight, and his life and destiny were changed. He became the envy of the world!”

"Once such a bizarre thing spreads, naturally countless people will also be eager to encounter such a 'good thing' themselves, and thus look forward to our future actions. They will no longer resist the arrival of the next 'stone ball', and may even take the initiative to welcome it and facilitate its passage."

"But the people in Changling City will not get such benefits - after all, the court will not allow us to go in and provide disaster relief. The losses they suffered can only be relieved by limited relief organized by Yuan Wu and others. The comparison between the two naturally shows a huge gap."

"It is not the scarcity that is worrying, but the inequality; it is not the poverty that is worrying, but the insecurity. The Qin government is not only unable to guarantee the safety of the people in the capital, but the subsequent compensation and comfort are far inferior to ours."

"If this continues for a long time, the people's hearts will naturally waver, and their resentment and dissatisfaction with Emperor Yuanwu will also grow."

“No matter where you go, the people at the bottom of society will only recognize one simple truth: whoever can make their lives better, whoever can make their lives easier and more dignified for them and their families is a good person and should be supported.”

"One billion may sound like a lot, but it is a good deal if used to win people's hearts and build momentum."

In recent days, because of his ordinary background and deep understanding of the sufferings of the people, Zhao Yi believes that the emperors and generals of each dynasty are not good people. Therefore, he has great longing for an ideal society. He often listens to relevant governance concepts on the radio, and his horizons and thinking have also broadened a lot.

After deep thinking and research, and shifting to a new analytical perspective, he was able to glimpse some of the subtleties of layout and strategy, no longer limited to the excellence in practice and swordsmanship. What he said at this moment was quite insightful.

"However, if Yuan Wu vents his anger on these innocent people who benefited, not only will he confiscate the distributed wealth, but he will also block the information, frame them with crimes, label them as spies who rebelled against Qin, throw them into prison for interrogation, or send them to a bitter cold place to perform heavy labor, wouldn't that harm them?"

"In the early years of Yuanwu, countless sects, court officials, and even the military involved in the Bashan Sword Field were brutally purged, and countless classics were burned. It can be seen that those people in the Changling Palace are not afraid to use such cruel means to quell all dissatisfaction and resistance with killing."

"The Qin laws were harsh. The number of prisoners sentenced to military service or exile in Longxi, Beidi, Jiuyuan, Yunzhong, Yuezhi and other places was no less than one million. Adding a few thousand or tens of thousands of people would not be too abrupt and would hardly cause any stir. All we need to do is give a 'reasonable' explanation afterwards."

Not far away, the petite Zhao Si was carrying another large bag and throwing things into the houses on the roadside while walking. At the same time, he was distracted and listened to Zhao Yi's answer and also expressed his own opinion:

"Sister Qing, you should have a solution to this problem, right?"

Although she was deeply impressed by the stone ball attack and the process of dispersing the wealth, and felt that this thorough revenge really vented the frustration that had accumulated in her heart for more than ten years, and her national hatred and family feuds were also somewhat comforted, she still couldn't help but worry about the subsequent chain reaction.

Many times, plans cannot keep up with changes, and we have to consider more unexpected situations and make corresponding plans.

No one can guarantee that Yuan Wu, Zheng Xiu and other rulers of the Qin Dynasty will completely lose their minds and do all kinds of crazy things because of this series of provocations and psychological attacks.

At that time, only ordinary people in the world will suffer, which goes against their original intention.

Until now, it is still unclear what kind of person Zhao Qing is, but he is willing to lead the disciples of Jianlu to cooperate with her. What Zhao Si really values ​​is naturally not just the guidance on sword practice given by the other party, but the character and courage she shows that far surpass his own, and the mind to benefit the world and spread the teachings to all directions.

If Zhao Qing disregarded the lives of many innocent people simply to vent her anger, even those Qin people who had invaded Zhao, then she would not deserve Zhao Si's heartfelt respect and following.

At least, we can no longer support each other wholeheartedly like we do now.

"What you said are indeed possible situations, but..."

Zhao Qing smiled slightly, and casually called out a piece of paper with words printed on it, letting it float lightly in front of Zhao Si's eyes: "Have you read the contents of these in detail? The answer is right there."

“Apart from the explanation and apology about the origin of the stone ball and an ordinary breathing practice, do these pieces of cardboard have any other hidden information?” Zhao Si was slightly stunned when he heard this. He subconsciously took the piece of paper and perceived it again with his true energy and divine sense.

This time, she finally discovered the hidden mystery!
Below the ordinary text on the surface, inside the cardboard, there was actually another layer of thin pages sandwiched in between, with many words written on them that were obviously not meant for the public to read.

With Zhao Si's level of cultivation, he had only glanced at it roughly before without carefully examining it because he thought that this kind of wholesale flyers could not contain any important secrets. But now, he focused his attention and immediately saw through the surface and discovered the secrets inside.

"It's actually a long letter to Yuan Wu? Why is it that he is always thinking about this guy, objectively analyzing the situation, and offering advice? He even praises him as a rare and promising king in ancient times, saying that if he can follow the will of heaven and sympathize with the people, he will surely achieve great achievements for thousands of years?"

"What are you doing..." Zhao Si was surprised and continued reading.

The content of the letter was clear and the tone was sincere and calm, without any hint of hostility or provocation. It was as if the letter was sincerely considering the future of Daqin and worrying about state affairs, hoping that Yuanwu would stand up and become the supreme emperor who would save the people of the world.

What is even more confusing is that it expounds a series of suggestions on the philosophy of governing the country, improving people's livelihood, optimizing Qin law, and how to consolidate imperial power. All of them are based on Yuanwu's perspective, analyzing the shortcomings and hidden dangers of the entire Qin Dynasty. There is absolutely no empty talk, and they are all practical solutions.

Anyone who read this long letter would not be able to associate the writer with the traitor who had just attacked Changling, caused heavy losses, and intended to overthrow the Qin Dynasty. Instead, they would think that this person must be the most loyal aide of Emperor Yuanwu, who was contributing his wisdom and strategies to the king's ambitions.

In addition, although some reasons can be found to question whether the strategy written in the letter is the optimal solution and may have buried some hidden dangers, and was intended to create internal and external conflicts and lay the groundwork for certain actions in the future, the grand vision for the emperor described in the letter cannot be false.

In fact, even if measured by the most stringent standards, the depth and breadth of the state governance strategy proposed in this letter are enough to be breathtaking. It is not just a pile of many policies, but also a profound insight and plan for the future development direction of the country.

With Zhao Qing's meticulous calculation ability and her wisdom from many modern and contemporary political studies, she was naturally far ahead of the entire era, completely surpassing the insights of all the advisers in the Qin Dynasty, and deeply in line with Yuanwu's ideal empire, which made him feel as if he had met a close friend.

Since all these scattered pieces of paper contained this impurity layer, as long as the Qin army arrived, any one of them could use divine sense to detect one of them and discover the existence of the text, and then hand it over to the top officials of the court.

"Sister Qing, what are you talking about? Are you trying to...use force before courtesy? No matter what, there is absolutely no possibility for me, Zhao Jianlu, to reconcile or compromise with Yuan Wu!"

Zhao Yi, who also took a piece of paper and looked at it carefully, was also confused. He really couldn't understand Zhao Qing's intention and couldn't help but ask.

"Didn't I tell you? This letter is to guarantee the safety of the victims. It has no other meaning."

Zhao Qing smiled and explained calmly, "To put it simply, he tried every possible way to put Yuan Wu in a high position and actively maintain his image as a 'wise ruler' in front of the princes and important officials that he had to care about - these people are not like ordinary people who can be easily replaced or thrown into prison."

"When Yuan Wu found out that we, the 'rebels', actually wanted to bring peace to the country and prosperity to the people, and were even willing to offer advice, and that the contents of this letter would soon spread among the high-ranking officials in Changling, he could no longer act arbitrarily, but had to consider the feelings of his base."

"In this way, the subsequent handling of this attack and the incident of dispersing wealth will also be discussed in the court, forming a certain public opinion. As an emperor who wants to win the hearts of the people and establish achievements, it is naturally impossible for him to openly declare that he wants to harm his own people. He needs to weigh the opinions of all parties."

"Faced with the threat of the resurgence of the remnants of the Bashan Sword Field, the divisive tactics of using one faction to fight another, and the 'attitude' of the other side that although they act radically and violently, they are ultimately working for the country and the people, these high-ranking dignitaries will undoubtedly have wavering thoughts. I hope Yuanwu will make the most 'wise' choice and give confidence to the ministers."

"If Yuan Wu did the opposite, it would be equivalent to showing his cowardice in front of his subjects, proving that he was extremely afraid of the return of Bashan Sword Field and the fact that 'that person' might still be alive, so much so that he had to use such a cruel and absurd method to barely maintain his rule."

"Even your enemies are praising you, helping you, and hoping that the country will become better, but you are afraid and evasive, and you ignore their words because of their personality. You only know how to suppress the people and disrupt your own position. In this way, how can you convince many powerful people and lead the Qin Dynasty to conquer other countries and achieve unification?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi and Zhao Si both looked thoughtful and gradually understood Zhao Qing's intention.

Indeed, many times, rulers are not afraid of external enemies, but are very afraid of internal collapse.

Yuanwu may not care about the thoughts of tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of people, but he can never ignore the opinions of the kings, princes, generals and ministers who hold power, otherwise, he will not be able to sit firmly on the throne.

"This... is indeed an extremely clever strategy. It gives the people a protective amulet."

Zhao Yi hesitated for a moment and raised a new question again: "But in my opinion, every word in this letter makes sense, and the value is still too great... If Yuanwu really adopts your suggestion, wouldn't Daqin become even more powerful?"

"There are 400,000 Qin troops stationed around Changling. If we count the rotating guards on the periphery, there are as many as one million. A few peak practitioners simply cannot break through such a heavy wall and rush to Yuanwu. Even someone as strong as... Wang Jingmeng was stopped a dozen streets away from the palace."

"If we allow him to win the hearts of the people, work hard to govern the country, and appoint talented people, with time, the Qin flag will fly high over the territories of the other three dynasties in less than ten years. Wouldn't this be helping the enemy and digging our own graves? When that happens, what should we do?" "So what if he becomes powerful? What I want is for the Qin Dynasty to prosper and for the people to live in peace!"

Zhao Qing turned his head and looked at the hazy outline of Changling City in the distance, as well as the vast mountains and rivers of Guanzhong:

"The ones who have a grudge against Jianlu are always the evil culprits such as Yuanwu and Zhengxiu, not the more than 90 million people of the entire Qin Dynasty, nor this vast land that gave birth to the Chinese people and many brilliant civilizations."

"Since I have the ability and am willing to see the people of the world live a good life, I will naturally not hesitate to give some suggestions that benefit the country and the people. Under the condition that I cannot overthrow Yuan Wu for the time being, it is not unacceptable to let others realize these ideas so that the people can enjoy happiness sooner."

“Even if the most evil person in the world suddenly starts doing good things one day, I will be happy to see it happen, applaud it, and even provide various kinds of help. As long as these good things are real and can make the world a better place, that is enough - of course, this does not affect the ultimate necessity of sanctions.”

"Sanctions? When Yuan Wu became a wise and holy emperor praised by the people and his prestige was at its peak, how could we have the opportunity to sanction him? To risk the infamy of thousands of people to assassinate an emperor who was almost perfect in both civil and military affairs, wouldn't it be no different from being a madman? We should be condemned by the whole world."

Zhao Yi couldn't help but frown, feeling that something was wrong, but he couldn't tell what was wrong.

According to common sense, Zhao Qing's idea is undoubtedly too naive and wishful thinking.

However, all the arrangements and calculations made by the other party before were extremely accurate and admirable. It seemed that they had already seen through many changes in the future and there should not be such obvious omissions. No matter how "perfect" and "wise" Yuanwu was, he could not give up the crackdown on the remnants of Bashan and Jianlu.

So, what exactly was Zhao Qing’s plan?

Did she really believe that a long policy of ten thousand words written by herself could change the nature of a cold-blooded emperor, make him give up his deep-rooted desire for power and even his endless pursuit of ultimate spiritual practice, and turn him into a benevolent monarch who was consistent both inside and out?
"Why can't we kill him?"

Zhao Qing looked at him strangely. "What does the world's common views have to do with me? Do whatever you want, kill if you want, isn't this the purpose of Zhao Jianlu's 'Death Sword'? Why do you care so much?"

"Even if this action will be condemned and cursed by countless people, you will still not change your mind?" Zhao Si at the side asked solemnly.

"Of course it's not easy!" Zhao Qing replied sternly, then smiled leisurely, knowing that this was one of Zhao Jianlu's tests or rituals for recruiting new disciples, and it was also a way to show him their firm stance and belief. He immediately nodded in greeting, expressing his approval and appreciation:
"In fact, whether Yuan Wu implements the new policy according to my advice or not, the final period of his life will not exceed half a year, so he will not have time to accumulate too much fame..."

"Because, by that time, I will have officially entered the eighth realm, and will be able to defeat an entire country alone, destroy Changling with my sword, and take his head."

"'If you want to take something, you must first give it.' By adopting the tactic of decapitating the top leaders, we can complete the coup d'état with as little bloodshed as possible, receive their legacy, and avoid large-scale casualties among the middle and lower levels."

"When Yuan Wu is anxious and feels that there is some disaster hidden in the 'proposal', but cannot resist the temptation and follows the plan, and it works well, that is when I will take action again, take away everything from him, and lay the foundation for the future new dynasty!"

"This is my real intention."

After she finished speaking, she laughed loudly, tapped her toes lightly, and floated up like a big bird. She landed on the roof of a house not far away, stood with her hands behind her back, then opened the bag, and with a slight thought, she controlled all the papers around her to fly high into the sky.

They turned into a sky full of white, like a sudden heavy snow, spreading across the sky, and seemed to sow the seeds of hope and change, rising up with the wind, rolling up and down repeatedly, foreshadowing the coming storm and rebirth.

"Surpassing the cultivation achievements of our former master? Got it..."

There was a scorching light flashing in Zhao Si's eyes, and she was obviously deeply touched. She knew that the reason why Zhao Qing designed this was probably to make Yuan Wu and others behave as much as possible in the near future, so that they could have a stable and undisturbed period of retreat and practice to break through.

However, although she and Yuan Wu are both in the eighth realm, she dares to take his life easily. What's more, the other party has a huge empire and countless practitioners behind him to support him. Her self-confidence and domineering attitude that looks down on the world have reached an unprecedented level!
There was no time to wait for the two to continue being shocked. Zhao Qing smiled slightly, thinking that the subsequent impact of the "new type of plant-based magic species" that he had secretly spread, as well as the "health-preserving and physical training techniques" used to treat common physical discomforts caused by overwork among ancient civilians and improve physical fitness, might not be affected by the letter.

Winter is approaching and the weather is getting colder. Although cotton cultivation was introduced here much earlier than in normal history, cotton jackets and quilts have been quite popular hundreds of years ago, perhaps due to Emperor You. However, the output is limited and cannot satisfy the general public, so they can be imported.

Different from the general criteria of national strength, military bravery, and high tax revenue, her focus is on the daily needs of the people and how they live. This is also what Zhao Qing believes is the direction to win the hearts of the people.

In contrast, simply distributing money cannot change the total output of these daily necessities. It is only a temporary measure and cannot benefit the general public. Only by promoting the development of productivity in the entire society from the root can everyone live a good life.

"Let's go, it's time to go to the next place. Our time is very tight."

After she finished speaking, she took a step forward. In a few flashes, she and the deflated bag disappeared into the distant horizon. Only a fading green shadow and the papers falling from the sky remained.

Zhao Yi and Zhao Si looked at each other, then quickened their pace and followed closely.

……

After a while, in the south of Changling City, the rhythm of life did not change at all due to the sword meeting or the stone ball attack. It was an old, dilapidated and increasingly desolate residential area.

The bright afternoon sun shines on the gray walls and black tiles, reflecting a solemn luster.

Not long ago, Ye Celeng, who had cooperated with Zhao Qing to escape and then killed the Bashan traitor Mu Fengyu, walked briskly through the streets and alleys, humming an unknown tune, the tune was melodious but a bit unruly.

She looked as if she had thrown off all the shackles and jumped out of the barriers, and even the white dress she was wearing seemed to have become much brighter.

She was holding a black oil-paper umbrella and walking towards an old arch bridge.

This is a rare old bridge in Changling that is not accessible by horse-drawn carriages. It is only preserved for the convenience of traffic for some nearby shops. The stones of the bridge are covered with mottled marks, and even the bridge arch under the bridge is in ruins.

On one side of the bridge pier, there grew a rare pomegranate tree. Even this pomegranate tree was very old, and its dry branches were like the bony fingers of an old man, pointing weakly to the sky.

There is a sesame oil shop on one side of the bridge, and next to it is a tofu shop. In a narrow alley between the two shops, there is a blind fortune teller sitting on a bamboo chair.

The blind fortune teller was not very old, only about thirty years old, and had a fair complexion. He looked like a down-and-out scholar, without that mysterious air, so he didn't seem to be doing any business and was quite deserted.

She walked straight towards the blind fortune teller, walked from his side to his back, and asked, "Where is your stringless harp?"

The blind fortune teller did not respond.

She stepped back until she was in front of the blind fortune teller, then looked him in the eye, laughed, and said, "You are indeed a fake blind man and a real deaf man."

The blind fortune teller looked at her and his body suddenly trembled.

"Don't have any special reaction." Ye Celeng took a deep breath and quickly repeated, "Where is your stringless harp?"

"Follow me." The blind fortune teller stood up without any hesitation and walked into the alley.

The narrow alley was dark and deep. The walls on both sides were covered with moss, and occasionally a few unknown grasses poked their heads out from the cracks between the bricks.

Inside the alley, there is a small courtyard.

When the two men walked into the yard and went straight into the only bedroom, the blind fortune teller's body began to tremble violently again, as if he had finally been relieved.

A long-lost light appeared in his eyes, and he looked at Ye Celeng's lips with such seriousness that it made people feel a little perverted.

"I have contacted the remnants of another Bashan Sword Field, or rather, I have found out about the new leader of Bashan. I know that the other party has moved to Chu Territory in the past ten years and has recovered a lot. He has the power to help us."

Ye Celeng also looked at him. She understood that the fortune-teller was deafened by the practice of the "stringless harp" technique and had to read lips. She naturally slowed down her speech: "I want to meet Zhang Shiwu. We have something very important to discuss."

...(End of chapter)