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

Chapter 691 Jinling in Chaos Jinling in chaos, is Jinling in chaos or not?
Forget whether Xia Lin is doing official business in his office or not, just ask if the stewed swan in the iron pot is delicious.

Emperor Jingtai was actually quite sensible. He knew that matters between men and women were not something worth mentioning. Besides, their illicit affair had been going on for a while, so he just pretended not to see it and moved on.

"This matter has been handled exceptionally well. Right now, all the nobles in the capital are investigating each other, all determined to bring the other down."

Emperor Jingtai picked up a piece of goose meat and put it in his mouth, but the scalding hot meat burned his face, causing him to spit it out. He quickly drank a beverage made from aloe vera that he had just picked from the courtyard of the island in the middle of the lake.

"I never expected things to turn out this way."

Xia Lin lowered his eyes to look at the boiling, churning iron pot and chuckled to himself: "Not enough yet, this is just the beginning. Everyone here is smart and knows what I want, so this is only the beginning."

After he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his eyes and looked at Emperor Jingtai: "Anzi has been dead for three months, there are still nine months left."

Emperor Jingtai paused, silently put a piece of meat into his mouth and chewed slowly. He didn't speak, but he had already answered everything.

Little Sprout then raised a question: "Aren't you afraid of damaging the foundation of the country by doing this? Even a rabbit will bite when cornered."

"There's a move in chess called 'surrounding three and leaving one open,' and the same applies to strategy. If I don't fill all the paths, they'll naturally assume there's still room for maneuver, so they won't resort to their final plan unless absolutely necessary. You yourself belong to a prestigious family, so let me ask you, what is the foundation of a prestigious family?"

"The core base..."

The little bean sprout pondered this word for a long time, and finally figured out its meaning by relying on its strong comprehension ability.

If that's the case, the foundation of powerful families lies solely in land and people. Vast amounts of land and extensive networks constitute their core strength. From the economy to politics, and even the power of discourse, they control it all.

If the emperor is disobedient, then the dynasty is overthrown; if the ministers are disobedient, then they are exiled or sentenced to death. This method has been used for many years, and the core power of this regime comes from its vast wealth and influence.

“That’s right.” Xia Lin leaned back in her chair, blew on a few pieces of freshly stewed shiitake mushrooms, put them in her mouth, and then smiled in agreement with what Xiao Douya had said.

"Every change of dynasty was actually a matter of choosing sides and playing a game for them. In the alternation of history, it was not that no one was eliminated, but it was always the same group of people who stood there."

“You don’t need to tell me, I know it very well.” Little Sprout said without the slightest modesty, “The Dugu family are masters in this field.”

Old Zhang, who had been burying his head in his food, finally looked up: "So we gave them a chance to choose sides, then let them fight like dogs, and finally dragged the winning dog out and threw it into another cage to fight it out."

"You guys are so vicious..." Little Sprout said with wide eyes, "Aren't you afraid they'll realize what's going on?"

"What else can they do? The new army is holding firm here, and the surrounding warlords have been mostly wiped out. The people they've recently supported... hehe, that has to be kept secret. The grasslands have just had a marriage alliance, and the Li Tang dynasty is closing itself off to deal with internal strife. What other options do they have? They only have one path left: to seek solutions internally. And isn't this exactly what we need—a three-sided encirclement with one side missing?"

Old Zhang's short sentence perfectly captured the viciousness of their scheme, making it seem as if they had hired someone to carry out the Dali Temple massacre. But in reality, Little Sprout knew very well that they couldn't have done it. She even had some rumors about the mastermind behind it, but she didn't have any concrete evidence to share.

Isn't that what those noble and wealthy families are busy with right now? They want to find out who did this and use it as a pledge of allegiance to determine the list of the next generation of new aristocrats.

They all shared the same idea: fortune favors the bold.

But actually, there is a complete version of this saying: "Fortune and wealth are sought in danger, and lost in danger as well; when you seek it, one in ten, but when you lose it, nine in ten."

Give them a chance to surround three sides but leave one side unattended, then let things develop for a while, use their inherent devouring nature to complete the first round of harvesting, and then repeat the same method several times.

What? They won't fall for it? Nobody in the world is immune to being fooled. If you don't believe me, ask Little Sprout. The answer will be revealed to her. Will she fall for it?

This question made Bean Sprout feel uneasy, because after thinking it over, he realized that this was a calculated move, an opportunity presented to him. If he accepted it, there was still a sliver of hope at this moment; if he didn't, that tiny bit of hope would be extinguished.

All other paths have been blocked. The groundwork laid over the past few years was to cut off their escape route, and even the division of the world into three kingdoms was taken into account.

The harm caused by the large number of wealthy families fleeing to Li Tang last time is still fresh in our minds. Even now, the construction of the new Xianyang has not stopped, and the path to Li Tang is not open.

The path of coordinating with the Hu for deterrence has also been cut off, because the former barbarians of the grasslands have now declared themselves emperors and are even flying a huge Han flag. Once a certain force starts vying for legitimacy, the rules of the game will have to be completely changed. In addition, the Northern Han has just suffered an unprecedented defeat. Although they will definitely retaliate, if they go to the Northern Han now, as long as the other side is not out of their mind, they will be beheaded and sent back as gifts, and the wealth they bring will become the tacit silence of mature politicians.

The newly cultivated warlords are not yet a force to be reckoned with. The troops in their own camp are still fighting a sham battle against the warlords they have cultivated. Without the imperial court's order, they cannot return. A forced withdrawal would be considered a rebellion, and they would then face a double attack from the new army and the Po Lu army.

The common people couldn't be instigated; those who could be instigated had already been instigated, and those who could be used had already been used. A large number of people were sent to Jiangnan Road, hoping to overwhelm the area. But who knew that Jiangnan Road not only absorbed those people but also provided them with a stable life.

If this isn't digging one's own grave, then they can't think of any other behavior that could be considered self-destructive...

So in the end, all they had left was to jump into the octagon and fight their former allies and in-laws.

As the little bean sprout sat there, a grand blueprint seemed to appear before his eyes, meticulously laid out bit by bit over many, many years. The one who sounded the horn to switch from defense to offense was neither the emperor nor a virtuous prime minister nor a general from outside the capital, but rather that white-robed, law-abiding official.

"Did they... or rather, we, have no other choice?"

“There’s no choice.” Old Zhang raised his head, and for a moment his eyes glowed like a cat hunting at night: “Because they chose it themselves.”

After he finished speaking, he looked at the two people beside him. Emperor Jingtai was drinking, and Xia Lin was eating meat. Neither of them answered, but their expressions said it all.

"Oh, right." Emperor Jingtai suddenly looked up at this moment: "What was the yield per mu of that corn that my cousin sent over the other day?"

"It's still around two thousand catties now."

"Two thousand catties... that's too much. If he weren't my hardworking and reliable cousin, I would have thought it was nonsense, an exaggeration." Emperor Jingtai paused and then said, "I've tasted it, and it's quite sweet. It's not comparable to so-called grass roots, tree bark, bran, or rice husks."

"His Majesty has even eaten grass roots and tree bark?"

Little Bean Sprout wisely changed the subject, asking with a hint of teasing, "Is it delicious?" Emperor Jingtai laughed and said, "I've eaten it, and it's not delicious, of course it's not delicious. That's why I dare not have nine dishes in one meal. Thinking that eighty percent of the people in the world rely on these to get through the winter, I feel guilty and sad. Ah, Daosheng."

"Ok?"

"Whether it's corn, sweet potatoes, or other sweet potatoes, will we be able to eat them in the future?"

"Yes, everyone can eat."

Emperor Jingtai nodded: "That's good. Then when I die and meet my father and ancestors, I won't have disgraced myself as emperor."

"Don't rush, we'll start promoting it once we're done with this phase. Even the King of Heaven himself can't stop the thought of having a full meal."

"Two generations." Old Zhang held up two fingers: "It will take two generations, and we may not even get to see it."

"It's alright, we can see as many as we can. Our children and grandchildren can handle their own affairs. We just need to do our best to protect them from the storms of life." Emperor Jingtai muttered, "Then what should we do now? They're still fighting it out there, and it might take a while longer. Are we just going to sit here and watch?"

Xia Lin stroked his chin and pondered for a moment: "Let's hold the whole sports meet."

Upon hearing that he was coming up with new terms again, the people around him became curious, and Emperor Jingtai asked, "What is a sports meet?"

"Well... how should I put it? We'll organize some competitive events, similar to the martial arts examination, but more gentle, like running, swimming, archery, horseback riding, and so on. Then we'll invite heroes from all over the world, whether it's the Tang Dynasty, the Great Wei, Goguryeo, or the Northern Han, to gather together and compete." Xia Lin turned to look at Old Zhang: "Then the first place winner will receive a generous reward. This will firstly demonstrate the magnanimity of the Great Wei, and secondly, it will allow the world to see the development of the Great Wei over the years, making them envious."

"This is a great idea." Old Zhang nodded. "It's an unprecedented publicity campaign. Whether we win or not doesn't matter. The goodness of Great Wei will definitely be etched into their hearts like a nail."

Emperor Jingtai also fell into deep thought: "Swimming..."

"Stop messing around, there's no way we'll let you participate."

"Why!" Emperor Jingtai sat up abruptly. "Am I not swimming fast enough, or am I not swimming gracefully enough?"

"Who's responsible if someone drowns?!"

His words silenced everyone. After a long while, Emperor Jingtai sighed, "It's on me, it's on me..."

"What are you babbling about?" Little Sprout rolled her eyes. "Whether you can make money or not, just say it."

"How can I put it? You think there's no profit to be made? Your brain isn't working properly anymore." Xia Lin showed no mercy whatsoever: "Think about it, if the traffic picks up, how much information will be circulated? During this time, we can also set up a grand market in the open space of Nancheng, gathering the best products from all over the world. Let's not even talk about anything else, just how much can we make from logistics alone? And how many jobs will it create? How many industries will it drive? The income from small commodities, the income from clothing, food, housing, and transportation—wouldn't that make money? Isn't this turning the world's money into our productivity? All the lessons I taught you were wasted, they went straight to the dogs."

Little Bean Sprout stroked his chin, calculating, while Old Zhang chuckled: "Whether it went into the dog's belly or not, I don't know, but it definitely went into the belly."

Emperor Jingtai slapped the table in admiration, then burst into laughter: "You rascal, how did you come up with all these outrageous remarks!"

"I am naturally clever."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get it done quickly." Little Sprout seemed oblivious to their conversation, focusing instead on the massive transfer involved: "I've estimated that if this event can really be organized, it could leverage nearly 20 million taels of industry. It would directly generate over 3 million taels in profit, equivalent to one-tenth of Tian Wei's current tax revenue and one-seventh of Li Tang's current tax revenue."

"Alright, I'll bring this up during court tomorrow and see what their thoughts are. If it's feasible, we should make preparations as soon as possible and try to get it done by next spring."

"I'm afraid there's not enough time; site development will take more time." Old Zhang looked at Xia Lin: "Right?"

"Give me the money!" Xia Lin rolled his eyes. "The construction team in Fuliang is a way to absorb idle young men and maintain social stability. You want to mobilize them without paying? No way! I had to beg and plead with Li Tang to get 30,000 people transferred over there."

Emperor Jingtai rubbed his hands together: "Money is no problem, it's just that swimming..."

"No way!" Xia Lin refused decisively: "You can just swim a little in the wild by yourself, and at most you can show off your swimming style with the champion during the final bow."

"Really!?" Emperor Jingtai's eyes burned: "I dare not deceive the emperor."

At this moment, Old Zhang clicked his tongue and said, "In that case, I would suggest that the imperial court could also hold one. The Six Arts of a Gentleman cannot be limited to just reading. His Majesty should also participate. Yes! Crossing the Yangtze River, His Majesty leading civil and military officials to cross the Yangtze River."

"Isn't it... a little too wide?"

Emperor Jingtai was somewhat worried: "That Yangtze River has something special about it, I haven't lived enough yet."

"Don't worry!" Old Zhang patted his chest loudly. "Back in the day, I was known as the swimming god of the Luo River."

"Stop for a moment." Emperor Jingtai frowned. "Are you the swimming goddess of the Luo River?"

"Yes! Back in Luoyang, I was unbeatable in swimming. I truly deserved the title of the Swimming God of the Luo River."

Emperor Jingtai slapped his thigh: "I've finally found you! Come on, let's have a match, I refuse to believe it! Right now!"

Old Zhang wanted to refuse, but Emperor Jingtai was too stubborn, so the two middle-aged men stripped naked and came to the water's edge. Little Bean Sprout had avoided it long ago; Xia Lin had invited her to watch, but she said it was disgusting and left…

Surrounded by numerous guards, the two elderly men jumped into the river. However, since it was still the transition between spring and summer, the water was too cold, and the two middle-aged men had not exercised for a long time. One of them got a cramp and was dragged ashore, while the other choked on water and was pulled onto the boat.

"Look at the way you two are courting death," Xia Lin scolded as he started a fire nearby. "You two aren't young anymore."

(End of this chapter)