Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1679 Untitled
September 5th, Yi Jing

At 1:15 AM, witnessed by 100,000 people of Yijing, civil and military officials, and Empress An Miaoyi, Ye Mingsheng, dressed in full regalia, held a investiture ceremony for Dariyachi, officially bestowing upon Dariyachi the title of Great Khan of Luobei!
Daryachi, who was granted the title of Great Khan of Luobei, also emphasized his loyalty to the Great Qian Dynasty in front of these witnesses, stating that he and Luobei would always be loyal to the Great Qian Dynasty, and to Ye Mingsheng and his descendants!

Ye Mingsheng expressed high praise for Dari Achi's attitude, and also bestowed upon Dari Achi 200,000 shi of grain, 50,000 bolts of cloth, and some daily necessities such as pottery and earthenware jars.

Daryachi, who received the reward, immediately beamed with joy. With the Second Army of the Great Qian Dynasty heading north, the Kipchak Khanate was now restrained, and the calamity of the extermination of the Luo Bei tribe was considered to have passed.

But this does not mean the end of everything; in a sense, it is even a new beginning!
The protracted war left both the Golden Horde and the Lopi people exhausted, but the Lopi, who were at a disadvantage, suffered even greater losses!

In the past few months, in order to resist the Kipchak offensive, the Luobei leaders, such as Daryachi and Urgenbayar, have basically sent all the men in the Luobei tribe who are capable of fighting to the battlefield.

While this approach had some effect in repelling the Kipchak offensive, the tribe's production suffered due to a lack of sufficient labor. Therefore, without external assistance, Luo Bei would have a difficult winter; several thousand would likely starve or freeze to death.
Therefore, Ye Mingsheng's current rewards can be said to have relieved the Luo Bei tribe from its urgent crisis.

With these rewards, the Luobei tribe, if not having a prosperous year, could at least avoid losing many people!
What pleased Daryachi the most was that the price he paid for these rewards was negligible. In addition to allowing full trade, he was also allowed the Great Qian to send teachers to Luobei to teach the Luobei children Chinese characters.

When Daryachi heard this request a few days ago, he thought he had misheard!

He never expected that the price Ye Mingsheng paid for him with grain, cloth and ceramics would be to allow teachers from the Great Qian Dynasty to come to Luobei to teach children!

This is hardly a price to pay!
This person is an absolute philanthropist!

The Central Plains have always referred to them as barbarians. Some enlightened individuals within the Luobei tribe also knew that their tribe had many shortcomings in terms of culture. Therefore, envious of the culture of the Central Plains, they tried various methods to find some scholars from the Central Plains to spread knowledge to their tribe.

However, the people of the Central Plains, especially the scholars, held many stereotypes about the Luo people. Therefore, unless they were abducted by the Luo people, these scholars were generally unwilling to live and work in Luobei…

Having fought his way through countless battles, Daryaqi had, to be honest, no interest in culture before coming to Yijing. He even believed that such things would make people weak and corrupt the will of soldiers.

However, this trip to Yijing not only broadened Daryachi's horizons but also changed many of his perceptions.

After visiting Yijing's military factories, schools, libraries, barracks, Houde Street, and other places, Dari'achi, overwhelmed by feelings of inferiority, envy, and jealousy, gradually made a decision: he too would emulate the Great Qian Dynasty and diligently develop the Luobei...

However, it is easy to talk about emulating the Great Qian Dynasty, but in reality it is very difficult, especially since the Luobei, as a nomadic people from the grasslands, had a very poor foundation in developing industry and commerce, and especially lacked talent!

Therefore, Daryachi, who intended to emulate the development of the Great Qian Dynasty, was also troubled about where to find talent. He himself had the idea of ​​having the Great Qian Dynasty send people to the grasslands to spread culture and teach!

So just as he was thinking about how to bring up this idea, Su Yi took the initiative to propose a plan to send teachers to Luobei, which was exactly what Daryachi wanted.

Although Dari Achi was very curious, why was Ye Mingsheng, who never acted without a profit and lacked trust in Luo Bei, now treating Luo Bei so well, giving him gifts and people.

But after thinking it over, Dariachi felt that this was a win-win situation for him, that he had won twice, and that he was getting tired of winning!
Therefore, Dari Achi quickly reached an agreement with Su Yi, which allowed the investiture ceremony to be held swiftly.

Looking at Dariachi, who was expressing his gratitude to him profusely, Ye Mingsheng said some polite words on the surface, but in his heart he sneered.

Because Ye Mingsheng's time was very precious, at his request, the Ministry of Rites streamlined the ceremony, eliminating many unnecessary formalities. Therefore, the entire ceremony lasted only one hour.
Amidst the respectful farewell of 100,000 people, Ye Mingsheng and An Miaoyi returned to the palace together in a carriage.

As Ye Mingsheng was pondering his upcoming inspection tour of Hebei and Henan provinces, An Miaoyi, sitting beside him, spoke up:

"His Majesty has been quite generous to this Khan of Luobei this time!"

An Miaoyi's words interrupted Ye Mingsheng's train of thought. Ye Mingsheng turned to look at An Miaoyi and knew that although An Miaoyi's words were not particularly warm or cold, she was trying to express something.

In fact, it wasn't just An Miaoyi; many officials in the court also felt that Ye Mingsheng had been too kind to Luo Bei this time, sending him both gifts and a teacher. They worried that Luo Bei might have ulterior motives and would betray Ye Mingsheng's kindness.

The couple looked at each other for a few seconds, and Ye Mingsheng smiled and said:

"Miaoyi, how many kinds of rule do you think there are in this world?"

Faced with Ye Mingsheng's sudden question, An Miaoyi frowned slightly. Although she was a little unsure of Ye Mingsheng's intention in asking this, after thinking for a moment, An Miaoyi answered:

"All rule in this world is based on force. Without force as a foundation, rule is just a castle in the air that will crumble with the slightest breeze!"

Hearing An Miaoyi's words, Ye Mingsheng smiled slightly and said:
"Miaoyi, what you said makes a lot of sense, but the cost of ruling by force alone is just too high!"

"Moreover, if you rely solely on military force to rule, the other side may outwardly submit but inwardly remain subservient, and they may turn against you once your military strength weakens!"

Upon hearing Ye Mingsheng's words, An Miaoyi couldn't help but ask:

"Your Majesty, are you trying to use both carrot and stick tactics?"

Ye Mingsheng shook his head and said:
"It's not just about using a combination of carrot and stick; more importantly, it's about changing mindsets!"

"In terms of ideology? What do you mean by that, Your Majesty?"

"People are naturally drawn to strength, so to maintain rule while reducing its costs, you need to make the other side believe from the bottom of their heart that your actions are progressive. This can be considered a set of values..."

Upon hearing Ye Mingsheng mention the term "values" again, An Miaoyi couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Your Majesty, you often talk about values. What exactly does that mean?" "In short, values ​​are your views on the value of things. For example, if you believe that integrity is more important than money, then that is your value. Values, along with your outlook on life and your worldview, are collectively known as the three views!"

"When it comes to people and things, it's best to find someone whose values ​​align with yours; this way, you can achieve twice the results with half the effort!"

Listening to Ye Mingsheng's eloquent speech, An Miaoyi immediately asked:
"Your Majesty, did you see this in a Western book?"

Hearing An Miaoyi say this, and feeling the way she was looking at him, Ye Mingsheng suddenly felt a little awkward for some reason.

Just as Ye Mingsheng was rapidly searching for an excuse, An Miaoyi withdrew her gaze and calmly said:
"Your Majesty, we have been married for more than ten years. Over the years, I have been trying to understand you, but every time I think I understand you enough, I find that there is always a fog surrounding you that I cannot see through!"

Hearing An Miaoyi say that, Ye Mingsheng felt something was off. However, just as Ye Mingsheng was about to say something, An Miaoyi changed the subject and asked:
"When does Your Majesty plan to inspect Hebei, Henan, Shandong, and Hebei?"

Seeing that An Miaoyi had asked this question, Ye Mingsheng answered without hesitation:
"The matter of bestowing the title upon Dari'achi took up time, but now that it's finished, I plan to set off in the next few days..."

"Miaoyi, is something the matter?"

An Miaoyi fell silent upon hearing this. Ye Mingsheng was also puzzled, feeling that An Miaoyi was acting very strangely today.

Under Ye Mingsheng's gaze, An Miaoyi hesitated for more than ten seconds before speaking:

"Your Majesty, why don't you take Jingren with you on this trip?"

"Bring Jingren?"

"Yes, Jingren will be eleven years old soon. This child has lived in the palace since he was a child. Although Your Majesty has taken him on several incognito visits, I feel that he still knows very little about the suffering of the people!"

"This time, I'm sending him along on this inspection tour with Your Majesty. On the one hand, it will allow him to appreciate the magnificent landscape of our Great Qian Dynasty. On the other hand, I hope that after witnessing the suffering of the people, he will be inspired to study hard and strive for excellence!"

Upon hearing this, Ye Mingsheng felt that An Miaoyi's words made a lot of sense. After pondering for a moment, Ye Mingsheng also said:

"During this inspection trip, I may have to endure wind and rain while traveling. Miaoyi, are you willing to let me go like that?"

Upon hearing this, An Miaoyi hesitated for a moment, but after a few seconds of hesitation, she seemed to have made up her mind and said:
"No problem! I've spoiled Jingren too much, it's time for him to learn a lesson!"

Seeing An Miaoyi's determined look, Ye Mingsheng felt that his wife was acting very strangely today!
Although An Miaoyi had high expectations for Jingren's studies, she always doted on him in his daily life, treating him like a precious gem.

Furthermore, the idea that they know about the hardships of ordinary people is utter nonsense!

An Miaoyi comes from a powerful and wealthy family; in their eyes, ordinary people are meant to be oppressed and fooled...
After becoming his wife and the matriarch of the Fengwu Army, An Miaoyi, out of political necessity, appeared to care a great deal about the people and the families of the soldiers. However, Ye Mingsheng knew very well that An Miaoyi didn't care at all. In their eyes, the people were only slightly better than cattle and horses!
Therefore, Ye Mingsheng felt something was off when he heard these words coming from An Miaoyi's mouth!

Before Ye Mingsheng could think any further, the carriage entered the palace, and Ye Mingsheng and An Miaoyi parted ways. Ye Mingsheng returned to his study to work, while An Miaoyi returned to her own courtyard.

After a stick of incense had burned, An Miaoyi was in her room, gently stroking a black cotton-padded jacket. Her mind was filled with memories of the past ten years with Ye Mingsheng. As she thought of the sweet moments with Ye Mingsheng, the corners of An Miaoyi's mouth unconsciously turned up.

Despite choosing Ye Mingsheng, this man was never An Miaoyi's type.

She admires the kind of upright heroes, the kind of emperors who possess great talent and ambition and whose legacy endures through the ages.

There was a time when An Miaoyi also thought Ye Mingsheng was this type of man.

However, as their relationship deepened, An Miaoyi discovered that although Ye Mingsheng had unified the world and accomplished many revolutionary feats, she felt that he was neither a towering hero nor a monarch with great talent and ambition. On the contrary, she believed he was a suspicious and hypocritical villain…
However, this villain has one advantage: he is self-aware. He knows that his abilities are mediocre, so he delegates authority to make the best use of his talents.

From this perspective, Ye Mingsheng and Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang) have many similarities.

Both came from official backgrounds; Liu Bang was a village head, and Ye Mingsheng was the commander of the Imperial Guards.

They all seized power from the border towns and became emperors who dominated the world.

However, Ye Mingsheng had more principles and was also luckier. He didn't kick his son off the carriage during the escape, nor did he demand a share of the spoils from his father after he was captured.

Although I sometimes look down on Ye Mingsheng's hypocrisy and think he is pretentious and affected, even though he has stained his hands with countless blood and done countless bad things, he still pretends to be full of bitterness and hatred and compassion.

Such behavior is inconsequential in front of others, but he continues to do so in front of his wife. It's better to let An Miaoyi think that Ye Mingsheng is a hypocrite who wants to maintain a virtuous image while being a prostitute.

In addition, Ye Mingsheng's exclusive favor towards Pei Zhixiu also made An Miaoyi extremely jealous.

She couldn't understand why Ye Mingsheng, who usually seemed so shrewd, couldn't see through Pei Zhixiu's true nature. He genuinely thought Pei Zhixiu was some pure white lotus, untainted by the mud and unblemished by the clear water, and that he and Pei Zhixiu were kindred spirits. He couldn't see through her at all, or rather, he intentionally didn't want to recognize her true nature.

The thought of Bae Ji-soo and his son Kyung-hyun immediately turned An Miao-yi's eyes cold. Her beautiful eyes still held a trace of warmth.

However, looking down at the black cotton-padded coat in her hands, her expression became conflicted again, as if she was hesitating over some important decision.

After agonizing for what felt like an eternity, her conscience finally prevailed, and she promptly locked the black cotton-padded coat she was holding into the closet…