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

Chapter 814 What's the big deal?
"Let me tell you (chew chew chew), the court no longer takes me seriously (chew chew chew), but I don't care about that. Let them do what they want. If they make a scene, I'll send troops to quell the rebellion and cleanse the court of corrupt officials (chew chew chew). Narcissus, get me another one."

"The emperor himself is going to purge the court of corrupt officials?" Xia Lin clapped his hands, took a scrap of paper used for calligraphy practice, wiped the oil off his hands, and said, "Aren't you just being ridiculous?"

"It doesn't matter. To be honest, they wouldn't dare. They can't overturn my table now." Emperor Jingtai tapped the table and said, "It's just that they don't take me seriously, and that's what makes me uncomfortable."

He did appear indignant, but Xia Lin was not one to blindly follow what others said. He traced back the words of Emperor Jingtai and discovered three obvious logical problems.

Firstly, if the civil and military officials didn't take him seriously, how could the policies of Gyeonggi Province, which replicated those of Gangnam Province and were even considered heretical, be implemented? That's impossible, since many policies directly harmed the interests of officials at all levels and their relatives. For example, officials at all levels were not allowed to engage in business, and their families were subject to supervision. In thousands of years of history, when have officials ever suffered such injustice?

Even in this situation, the government still issued decrees, which shows that Emperor Jingtai's words still carried considerable weight.

Secondly, the news reports show that people in various regions loved and respected Emperor Jingtai, and there were even signs of his being mythologized. Moreover, there was not much praise or slander, which shows that people in the court did not deliberately spread bad rumors, and the vast majority of people were conscientious and virtuous.

This may be related to the fact that after the execution of the powerful families, they dared not cause any more trouble for a while. But ultimately, the usual practice of suppressing the emperor's reputation did not occur. Of course, it may also be related to the fact that it was completely impossible to suppress it. After all, the emergence of newspapers has been a game-changer in terms of controlling public opinion. In addition, scholars from all over the country went down to the countryside in batches, and newspapers were distributed to various places by postmen. Now the traditional rumor system is on the verge of collapse.

Thirdly, Lao Zhang did not send a warning to Jiangnan Province. Xia Lin might not believe it, but how could Lao Zhang not believe it? This point is crucial.

In summary, this gluttonous, delusional emperor is just feigning helplessness. He's nothing but a nobody being ostracized; he's just pretending to be pitiful.

Sure enough, just as Xia Lin figured it out, Emperor Jingtai picked up another mugwort cake with his chopsticks, put it to his lips, blew on it, and said, "Look at me, my own brother wants to kill me, the imperial clan doesn't give me a good look, the palace is full of mediocre women who came by marriage, and now even the officials don't like me. What's the point of me being emperor?"

"Third Master is trembling with fear." Xia Lin sneered and continued, "The brother who wanted to kill you has been dead for many years. You talk about the vulgar women in the palace, but if you think about it from another perspective, aren't those vulgar women also birds trapped in a cage? They are the ones who are being devoured alive in the deep palace. As for you saying that the main family doesn't give you a good look, and you're even going to reduce the power of the princes, who is really giving whom a bad look?"

"Whose side are you on? What do you say about those civil and military officials bullying me?"

Xia Lin said nothing. At that very moment, Emperor Jingtai's teacher, who was also the Grand Tutor, was at home, weeping and wailing. He cried to the ministers who came to visit him, "It is my incompetence that has led His Majesty to this state. I have failed you all and the nation..."

The others stood there with their heads bowed, letting out a long sigh: "Grand Tutor, please don't take it to heart. You're already ill; don't deplete your vital energy. His Majesty is merely childlike in nature, not incompetent or senile. He..."

The group offered their advice, but they couldn't think of any reason to comfort the grieving Grand Tutor. They could only stand there sighing.

However, considering the purpose of their visit, one of them finally spoke up: "Grand Tutor, I think we still need to call His Majesty back. We came here today for this very reason. We can't persuade His Majesty to come; only you, Grand Tutor, can do it. But... your health is not good, so we really can't bring ourselves to ask."

"I'll go!" The Grand Tutor stood up, trembling. "I'll go even if it kills me!"

After that, the nearly seventy-year-old man led a group of old men on a spontaneous night trip to Baideng.

However, Emperor Jingtai was unaware of all this. He was soaking in the hot spring with a relaxed expression, and even patted his increasingly swollen belly.

"Daosheng, I was once full of vigor, but now I look old. You, on the other hand, are still as charming as ever."

“I walk about 100,000 steps a day on average, while you can eat 21 glutinous rice cakes in one meal. It’s not surprising that you are like this.” Xia Lin leaned there, feeling a little dizzy because of the water temperature. “I have measured every inch of this land with my feet, every field, every stream, and every inch of mountain. I didn’t copy poems to ask for an official position back then for the sake of enjoying life.”

Emperor Jingtai didn't speak, but simply picked up a towel and covered his face. After a long while, he said, "Then what are you after?"

"Me?" Xia Lin yawned and said, "My request in this life is very simple: that no one in this world will ever starve to death again. I'm kind-hearted and can't bear to see that. I'll live to at least seventy, right? So, on the day I die, I don't want to see wars that destroy nations or people starving to death. That's not a difficult request, is it?"

"What are you talking about? This is too difficult." Emperor Jingtai sighed, "The world is in turmoil, and things can change in an instant."

The two fell silent again. After a long while, Emperor Jingtai finally spoke, "What is Jinlian doing now?"

Xia Lin sat up abruptly: "Are you out of your mind? You're asking me about your private property?"

"I haven't seen her for quite some time; I've been so busy that I almost forgot about her."

When this was mentioned, Xia Lin could only smile helplessly. For people in the royal family, being too detached from worldly affairs was perfectly normal. However, compared to the concubines in Emperor Jingtai's harem, Jinlian was already quite good. At Xia Lin's suggestion, she opened her own silk shop and developed a brand-new silk dyeing technique with Tang Bao'er. Now she was a well-known silk merchant, frequently traveling between Fuliang and the capital.

When Xia Lin mentioned her, he could only smile bitterly and shake his head, because she still wanted to have a child with Xia Lin. How could he do such a thing? That's why it's said that throughout history, none of the women named Jinlian have been easy to deal with.

"Well, as long as she's alright, that's enough." Emperor Jingtai sighed. "After thinking it over, I still prefer young girls in their teens and twenties. I'll go and flirt with one later."

Just as he was about to flirt with the young girl, a man came in from outside. Before he could even see the man's face clearly, he bowed and said, "Father, Uncle."

Emperor Jingtai took off the towel and looked over, only to find that it was none other than his bastard son, Tuoba Shang. But the more he looked, the more unfamiliar he seemed. He was wearing the academy's robes, the standard dark blue trousers and a worn-out crossbody bag, and he looked refined and gentle, without the wicked look that had been there before.

"My son?" Emperor Jingtai pointed at Tuoba Shang and said, "You had someone cast a curse to bring him back to life?"

"What do you know? This is called the power of love."

"love?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jingtai was alarmed. How could he not know his son's character? He quickly stood up and said, "Come, come, take me to see him." Tuoba Shang was already the head of student management at the academy. Xia Lin had changed his previous titles, such as "fierce tiger" and "azure dragon," to "student council." Compared to when he was the Crown Prince, Tuoba Shang now carried real responsibility, making him look much more energetic and imposing. Standing next to Emperor Jingtai, the tall and imposing Tuoba Shang even made his father look like a city hoodlum.

Tuoba Shang was seventeen or eighteen years old at this time. If it weren't for his studies, he would already be of marriageable age. Zhang Jianzhi's older sister was the same age as him. When Emperor Jingtai saw this young girl, he found her quite pleasing and asked about her family background. When he heard that she was a merchant, he frowned.

“This background is not easy to deal with.” Emperor Jingtai turned his head and glanced at Xia Lin: “You know that the imperial family is quite strict about this.”

Xia Lin wasn't surprised by this. Let alone the royal family, even those so-called wealthy merchants wouldn't accept just anyone. Although Emperor Jingtai was the Son of Heaven, he didn't really have much autonomy when it came to marriage and funerals. Otherwise, wouldn't he have married Jinlian long ago?

He doesn't even have the title of emperor, so how come he has the title of crown prince?
But seeing the interaction between the young couple made him truly envious. He had been a prince for half his life and an emperor for the other half, and had experienced all kinds of worldly splendor, but he had never experienced the passionate and pure love of his youth. However, the thought that the two of them would most likely be forced to separate in the future due to their status made Emperor Jingtai feel quite bitter.

"What can you do? If you force them to be together, that kid isn't very bright, won't he hate me for the rest of his life? I have a good father, he doesn't, he's a pitiful child too."

Emperor Jingtai finally asked for help. Although he was a muddle-headed person, he was still an emperor. He had rarely asked for help in his life, but this time he was genuinely asking for a favor.

"Her younger brother is my student."

"That's enough." Emperor Jingtai's eyes immediately lit up. "This is sufficient. I'll go check on your disciple."

Because they were currently at Zhang Jianzhi's home, and Zhang Jianzhi had just gone out, Emperor Jingtai waited a while before finally seeing Zhang Jianzhi.

Don't let his current thin and small stature and seemingly incompetent appearance fool you; his sharp tongue, designed for witty remarks, is already taking shape. Just one conversation from him makes Emperor Jingtai feel as if this man is Zhang Zhongchun rejuvenated...

"Oh, I see. Then let me ask you another question: if you were the magistrate of a county, and a famine struck, how would you handle it?"

Zhang Jianzhi glanced at Xia Lin, then cheerfully replied, "That depends on the situation."

"The grain is only enough for ten days, but the relief grain will not arrive for thirty days." Emperor Jingtai asked with a smile, his hands behind his back: "Because of the plague, no one is allowed to leave the county."

After listening, Zhang Jianzhi pursed his lips, and his expression became particularly serious: "The only way to deal with this is to gather all the grain, let the old, weak, sick, and disabled die, and protect the young, strong, children, and infants."

Emperor Jingtai was slightly displeased upon hearing this answer: "The Jingtai Dynasty was founded on the Five Virtues."

"Which is more righteous, living halfway or dying completely? As the master said, extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. Reputation is valuable, but there are many things more valuable than reputation."

Emperor Jingtai chuckled, but with a hint of helplessness, he clapped his hands and said, "Very well, very well, your own faction, indeed. Then let me ask you, if someone were to usurp the throne, and you were to serve under that usurper, what would you do?"

"Now that you're an official, what else can you do but work?"

Upon hearing this answer, Emperor Jingtai's veins bulged. He pointed at Xia Lin and said, "Is this the good disciple you've taught?"

But Zhang Jianzhi chuckled at this moment: "Usurping the throne is their business. As for loyalty to the emperor, it doesn't say which emperor to be loyal to. It doesn't matter which emperor."

"What if it's a different race?"

Emperor Jingtai was already angry, and he pressed on again, trying to save face for Xia Lin.

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate. I will not die unless I am absolutely certain. If I am absolutely certain, I will reclaim our beautiful land." Zhang Jianzhi replied earnestly, "However, if my death can bring about a shared hatred of the enemy, then it would be worth it. It's just a pity that this is difficult and requires a gradual approach. Only by surviving can there be hope."

Emperor Jingtai sighed, hands on his hips, "Can't you learn from your master? You haven't learned any of his stubbornness."

“If Master had truly been tough, he wouldn’t have gone to the current emperor to show off his literary talent back then. Nor would he have flattered the late emperor and offered gifts. If he had truly been tough, he should have gathered three thousand local militia and marched north to ask Great Wei to die. But Master didn’t do that. He begged and pleaded with all sides, enduring hardships and compromises, and it took him more than ten years to get to where he is today.”

These words almost brought Xia Lin to tears, causing this man in his thirties to tilt his head back at a 45-degree angle to look at the sky, trying to hold back his tears.

Emperor Jingtai glanced at Xia Lin's arrogant demeanor and, somewhat unconvinced, continued, "Then what do you think of His Majesty the present?"

"Your Majesty," Zhang Jianzhi said, smacking his lips, "there are some things that are not for me to comment on; I am not qualified. Sir."

"Just say it. There are no outsiders here. Your master and I are good brothers."

Zhang Jianzhi said "Oh," and then said, "His Majesty is mediocre. He is not as good as the late emperor in literature, nor as good as Li Yuan in military affairs. His governance is also average. He would not even be a good ruler who can maintain the status quo under normal circumstances."

"I'll just strangle you." Emperor Jingtai rolled up his sleeves: "You brat."

"However, as Master once said, 'The roc rises with the wind, soaring ninety thousand miles high.' Although His Majesty's abilities are limited, he possesses a unique destiny. Even with good blood, good blood must be matched with the right timing. This is the right time. Because the Li Tang lies between the Northern Han and the Great Wei, it naturally provides a barrier. In addition, the Li Tang's internal losses force them to fortify their cities and fight a protracted war, unable to advance south or north for the time being. This gives the Great Wei an opportunity to recuperate, which is the right place. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, he has been lazy in governing and neglecting his duties. However, this has led to the emergence of a large number of young and promising officials who are not controlled by powerful families, thus opening up a new landscape, which is the harmony among people."

At this point, Zhang Jianzhi began to summarize: "Generally speaking, His Majesty is not a good emperor. He is neither diligent in his duties nor has any special skills. But His Majesty is destined by Heaven. He can achieve good governance and national prosperity by indulging in eating, drinking, and traveling. I don't know if anyone will come after him, but he is certainly unprecedented. However, no one can say anything about it. After all, destiny is also part of one's ability, something that others cannot obtain."

(End of this chapter)