Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 683 The Cunning Young Man
“I want enough like-minded people to do this, but the emperor needs to know about it and support it, and there needs to be a reason why we can’t send troops.”

"But weren't you still plotting rebellion after all?" Emperor Jingtai asked curiously. "What you did was, to put it bluntly, treason."

“Brother, you are mistaken. What is treason? To plot against the emperor is treason. But we support the emperor, we respect the emperor above all others. How can there be treason between those who are above the emperor?”

"Wouldn't that be considered 'purging the court of corrupt officials'?"

"Not entirely. The so-called 'purging the emperor's inner circle' is merely a pretext used by feudal lords and kings, utterly meaningless. We are innocent commoners, only seeking to serve our country. What need is there for such talk of 'purging the emperor's inner circle'? Besides, my plan is not to target the emperor and his generals first, but to start from the bottom up." Di San'er's brows suddenly furrowed as he said this: "A country is like a wall of earth or a mountain ten thousand feet high. If a country is about to rot, it will definitely start from the bottom up. Right now, whether it is His Majesty or the capable ministers, they only see the top. This will not do."

Emperor Jingtai glanced back at Xia Lin, but instead of speaking, he told Xia Lin to continue.

"My idea is to rebuild a wall and reshape a mountain. But to reshape this mountain, we can't just cut off the top; we have to uproot the whole mountain. This requires a massive chaos and a disorderly battle."

At first, Emperor Jingtai looked down on the boy somewhat because of his identity and humble origins, but when Di San'er mentioned this, everyone, including Xia Lin, sat up straight.

"Who will kill?" Xia Lin narrowed his eyes. "And who will be killed?"

“The people will choose for themselves. Whoever deserves to be killed will be killed. There is no right or wrong, only killing. Whether you are a powerful family or an ordinary citizen, kill them all.”

These words made Xia Lin break out in a cold sweat. He double-checked that this guy's surname was Di, not Huang. This move was too ruthless.

"What happens after the killing?"

“Let the emperor kill me again.” Di San raised his neck: “The crime is on my head, but justice will be served by the country. I am a sinner, and history will not exonerate me, but who cares? I am not one of those high-ranking officials in the court. I am just a piece of duckweed in this muddy world. I should have died long ago, and I have already died. Every day I live is for revenge, but if revenge alone is a bit monotonous, I might as well choose a path that has the best of both worlds.”

"But many people will die." Emperor Jingtai paused for a moment, then asked, "Is it worth it?"

“Brother, I know you find it hard to understand. Judging from your clothes and demeanor, the three of you should come from wealthy families, or perhaps you are among those destined to be killed. The world you see is different from the world I see. Some things must be done by someone, and some evils must be committed by someone. If you and I don't do it, then our descendants will. If our descendants don't do it, then we will be cattle, horses, pigs, and dogs for generations. They have never treated us as human beings. Confucius once said: ‘If you repay evil with kindness, then what will you repay kindness with?’ Confucius also said: ‘A scholar must be resolute and persevering, for his burden is heavy and his journey is long.’ I want to avenge my family and serve my country. This is my dragon-slaying technique.”

Xia Lin laughed at this moment: "The method is good, but the idea is still immature. I have three questions, could you please answer them?"

"Excuse me."

"First, the sword is drawn with the wind, but how can it be sheathed? Second, it may be feasible in a single prefecture or county, but the world is vast, how can we advance and retreat together? Third, we are surrounded by external enemies, and if there is internal strife and unrest, is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

After saying that, Old Zhang laughed: "You say we are a wealthy family, but we are not. There are no winners in this world, and you probably won't understand that for some time. It's the worst of all evils."

Emperor Jingtai then began to comment: "I also have a question I'd like you to enlighten me on. What you're planning is even more ambitious than Shang Yang's reforms. How will you persuade others to join you in this, and how will you convince the emperor to participate in this high-stakes gamble? If I were the emperor, I wouldn't dare. It would be tantamount to throwing the entire nation and its people to the line. The lives of millions of people, the very soul of Chinese orthodoxy, are all on your shoulders. Let's not discuss the pros and cons for now; just consider this stake: if you were the emperor, would you dare?"

Di San'er looked up at the vines above him, took a deep breath, and said, "I don't know either..."

A look of bewilderment crossed his eyes. He had designed a grand plan, but he hadn't figured out how to bring this grand vision to fruition.

He only thought about revenge and serving his country, but did not think carefully about how to rebuild after the reshuffling. Killing is not the goal but the means. The ultimate goal is to make the country strong and the people peaceful, not to kill anyone.

Perhaps killing is indeed the quickest way, but it also presents the most problems.

Di San sat there somewhat blankly, the questions Xia Lin and Emperor Jingtai asked swirling in his mind, making him feel like a child who had just been slapped in the face.

Xia Lin found his appearance understandable, after all, he was just a young man under twenty years old with a lot of room for growth. Although even a radical like Xia Lin thought his ideas and concepts were too radical, they were much better than those who shouted all day long that they could conquer the world with words. At least he was a pragmatist.

"Some things can't be rushed. How many like-minded people do you have now?"

Di San looked up at Xia Lin, revealing an expression that seemed to want to laugh but couldn't. After a long while, he finally raised a finger.

"One hundred?"

"Ten?"

"There can't be only one, right?"

Di San's face was flushed. He looked around for a moment, then lowered his head and said in a deep voice, "Hmm..."

"One..." Emperor Jingtai sighed, "Oh, so all your grand plans were just a deception?"

"No... I think if someone could provide support, it could be faster."

Xia Lin raised his hand and pressed it down: "Call your only companion over first."

After a while, he came over with a nine-year-old child. The child looked very clever, but after all, he was only nine years old. The two of them, one big and one small, stood in front of Xia Lin and the others, looking at each other as if they had made a mistake. The child even couldn't help but laugh...

"Kid, what's your name?" Old Zhang patted the little brat's head: "You seem pretty clever."

"I am Di Renjie, my third brother's staunch ally!" Xia Lin's hand holding the teacup trembled. He looked up at the child, stared for a moment, and muttered, "Holy crap..."

"What? You know each other?"

"I don't know him, but I think the name sounds really powerful, Renjie."

Emperor Jingtai laughed heartily after hearing this: "Yes, Renjie, Renjie, is a good name."

After he finished speaking, Emperor Jingtai rummaged in his pocket for a while, took out a few silver notes, and then stretched out his hands to Xia Lin and Lao Zhang: "Come on, come on, take some out. Let's become shareholders in him and see what earth-shattering things this mistress can do."

Old Zhang searched his entire body and pulled out more than 800 taels of his private savings, while Xia Lin was a bit embarrassed. Even if he pulled out all the bills from under his shoes, he only had 50 taels.

"That's it?"

Emperor Jingtai looked at the frugal fifty taels of silver in surprise: "No, you've really fallen to this level?"

"I don't usually spend much... and I'm too embarrassed to keep asking my family for money, so I just save a little bit of my wages from my daily work..."

Xia Lin spoke with a rather weak tone; he genuinely had very little wealth, to the point that no one would believe him if he told them.

"Bring it to you."

Emperor Jingtai took away the fifty taels of silver as well, and handed the silver notes in his hand to Di San'er: "I will check your progress every month. If you achieve something, I will continue to add more. If you achieve nothing, the day this silver runs out will be the day our relationship ends. Do you understand?"

"understand!"

Old Zhang glanced at Di San, raising an eyebrow slightly: "If you dare to lie, I have plenty of strength and means to deal with you."

Xia Lin was relatively gentler; he simply patted Di San on the shoulder and looked at Di Renjie beside him, saying, "Do a good job."

The three of them walked out of the dilapidated place and walked for a long time without saying a word. By the time they reached the banks of the Jinling River, it was already dark. The ten-mile-long silk market was lit up, presenting a scene of extravagant prosperity.

Can he do it?

Emperor Jingtai suddenly turned around and asked Xia Lin, "Actually, I really want to see this. It's a path that has never been imagined before."

Xia Lin spread her hands: "I don't know."

"Let's wait and see," Old Zhang said, leaning against a willow tree and looking at the magnificent scenery on the Qinhuai River. "A single spark can start a prairie fire."

“Yes!” Xia Lin nodded in agreement. “A single spark can start a prairie fire.”

"Actually, I'm a little scared. I'm afraid that if they make a scene, I might lose my life in the end."

“No.” Xia Lin turned to look at him and smiled. “You will be turned into a god. But after becoming a god, you probably won’t be so free.”

"Don't worry, I can disguise myself!"

"Stop talking." Old Zhang pointed to a painted boat in the distance: "The food at that restaurant is the best. I'm hungry."

Upon hearing this, both Emperor Jingtai and Xia Lin fell silent. Finally, Xia Lin turned to him and asked, "You still have money?"

Now the three of them were standing on the banks of the Qinhuai River, scratching their heads while starving.

However, none of these three people are decent people, especially Xia Lin and Lao Zhang. What kind of background do they have? They're freeloaders in Luoyang. Although many years have passed, they haven't forgotten their skills.

So the two of them started a challenge: to each find a way to earn enough money for dinner while it was still early.

Emperor Jingtai became interested upon hearing this and quickly echoed his sentiments.

"How does Brother Jing plan to make money?"

"Don't worry about it." Brother Jing waved his hand: "I have a brilliant plan."

Where's Lao Zhang?

Old Zhang stroked his chin: "I'm going to draw someone's portrait, what about you?"

Xia Lin laughed heartily: "I only have a brilliant plan."

(End of this chapter)