Transmigrating to the Primordial Era as a Peerless Great Witch, Changing Fate in the Primordial Worl

Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang refused to look at the chaotic scene.

Supported by palace maids and eunuchs, he turned and slowly walked towards the Forbidden City, which symbolized supreme authority but had suffered a great humiliation tonight.

His silhouette appeared exceptionally old and cold against the firelight and the night.

A momentous palace coup that shook the world has temporarily come to an end.

But the enormous waves it caused have only just begun to sweep across the land.

The projection, now incarnated as Wei Xiaobao, this former "favored minister" and "city lord," has already taken the most intense and resolute approach...

They officially stepped onto the stage to compete for supremacy.

He became the most unpredictable variable and tycoon of this era.

"Let's go, let's go back to Yangzhou immediately."

The projected Wei Xiaobao gazed at the silhouette of the Forbidden City receding into the distance and finally disappearing from sight, a relieved yet somewhat stern smile appearing on his face. He then gave the order in a deep voice.

This thrilling hostage situation, standoff, and escape in Beijing, though perilous,

But ultimately, they escaped unscathed, achieving their predetermined goals: not only did they completely confront Kangxi, but they also rescued Jianning.

More successfully, it tore off the last seemingly unbreakable veil of authority from the Qing court in front of the world, declaring its independence and rebellious intentions.

More importantly, he managed to escape unscathed.

Upon hearing this, everyone's spirits lifted.

Zhao Yun and the other guards breathed a long sigh of relief, finally able to relax their nerves after nearly half a month of tension.

Although the future remains uncertain, the greatest victory would be to leave the capital, a den of dragons and tigers, alive and reunite with the lord.

Without further delay, the group changed into the clothes of ordinary merchants or travelers that had been prepared beforehand, mingled with the southward-bound refugees and caravans, and hurried along the official road towards Yangzhou.

Everyone was in a good mood throughout the journey.

Although the future is uncertain, their narrow escape from death and the completion of a near-impossible mission have boosted the team's cohesion and morale to unprecedented levels.

Even the usually spoiled Princess Jianning seems to have matured considerably after experiencing this dramatic change.

Although she still clung to Wei Xiaobao, she was less unreasonable and more dependent and quiet.

The group chatted and laughed, discussing their experiences along the way and imagining what it would be like to return to Yangzhou. This helped to alleviate much of the boredom of the journey and the anxieties about the future.

As luck would have it, one day when they stopped for a meal in a small town on the border of Shandong and Jiangsu, the projection of Wei Xiaobao encountered someone in a teahouse.

The man was about thirty-five or thirty-six years old, thin, wearing a faded blue scholar's robe, with a serious and unsmiling face. He sat alone in a corner with only a pot of tea in front of him, but holding a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand, which he was reading with great concentration.

Wei Xiaobao glanced over it, not caring at all.

But out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the bamboo slips were not ordinary poems or prose, but rather densely packed legal provisions and annotations, written in vigorous handwriting with sharp insights.

He had a sudden thought and asked Zhao Yun to step forward and start a conversation.

After some conversation, I learned that this man's name was Li Dian, and he came from the Legalist school of Qi-Lu.

He has studied the principles of law, tactics, and power since childhood, and has profound and unique insights into the evolution of laws, governance, punishment, and institutional construction throughout history.

He traveled to various places, attempting to put his Legalist ideas into practice.

Some served as staff members, while others wrote books and established doctrines.

However, due to differences in ideology or turbulent times,

Having been frustrated and unsuccessful, he is now planning to return to his hometown to live in seclusion.

Upon hearing this, Wei Xiaobao's eyes gleamed.

He desperately needs a talent like this who is proficient in institutional development and can lay the legal foundation for his future "sacred dynasty".

Li Shi was skilled in civil administration and economics, Zhou Yu excelled in military affairs and conquest, Shi Poyan was a fierce general on the battlefield, and Zhao Yun was a loyal bodyguard.

But what he lacks is a core figure who can build an order framework and define rules and regulations for him from the perspective of "law".

This Li Dian seems to have been tailor-made for him.

So Wei Xiaobao humbled himself and took the initiative to talk to Li Dian, discussing everything from the current chaotic world to the philosophy of governance, and from the essence of Legalism to future plans.

Although he was not a great scholar, as a "projection body" he possessed a macroscopic perspective brought about by the "Casting the Holy Dynasty" method, and he could often hit the nail on the head with his words, offering insights that even Li Dian found moving.

In particular, Wei Xiaobao spoke of his desire to establish a new order characterized by "strict laws, credible rewards and punishments, impartiality towards relatives and strangers, no distinction between the noble and the lowly, and judgments based solely on the law."

And when it was implied that this order would transcend the dynasties of a single family or clan, aiming to gather fortune and forge an eternal foundation,

Li Dian's serious and rigid face finally showed a hint of emotion.

The two hit it off as they talked, feeling as if they had known each other for a long time.

Li Dian was a man of great ambition, but he always lamented the difficulty of finding kindred spirits and the frustration of not being able to realize his aspirations.

Seeing that Wei Xiaobao, though young, possessed extraordinary bearing and exceptional insight, and even more remarkably, placed great importance on his own principles of "rule of law,"

There is even a subtle tendency to place it above "rule by man".

Moreover, it seems that it truly has the potential and determination to realize this ambition. The fact that it was able to take the emperor hostage from the capital and escape unscathed has already proven its extraordinary methods and strength.

Ultimately, Li Dian was moved by Wei Xiaobao's sincerity and "blueprint" and agreed to go to Yangzhou to serve.

However, he still had an elderly mother to settle at home and some manuscripts to organize, so he agreed to leave for Yangzhou immediately after finishing these personal matters.

The projection of Wei Xiaobao was overjoyed. He immediately left a token and ample travel money, and provided contact information after arriving in Yangzhou.

The unexpected discovery of a talented individual made Wei Xiaobao's return journey even more pleasant.

The group continued south, traveling at a leisurely pace.

However, the closer they got to Yangzhou, the heavier their hearts became with the sights they saw along the way.

The world is truly in chaos.

Moreover, the chaos was appalling.

The once bustling official road is now lined with emaciated refugees, their families in tow.

Most of the villages were dilapidated, the fields were barren, and weeds grew rampant.

Checkpoints were set up everywhere, with strict inspections. Soldiers in various uniforms looked fierce and extorted money from passersby.

What's even more alarming is that almost every slightly larger town is forcibly conscripting soldiers.

The vicious yamen runners and soldiers kicked down doors from house to house, dragging young men out like livestock. Whether they wanted to or not, they would put on a tattered uniform, hand them a sharpened wooden stick or a rusty knife, and that was considered "enlistment."

The cries of wives and children, the pleas of elderly parents, and the shouts and beatings of soldiers intertwined, creating a series of human tragedies.

It seemed that every household with male members was destined to be sent to the battlefield.

Most of these forcibly conscripted soldiers looked pale and sickly, with blank or fearful eyes, showing absolutely no fighting spirit.

If they went to the battlefield, they would probably be no better than cannon fodder.

"Why,

Prosperity brings suffering to the people;

"When the country falls, the people suffer."

Hopefully, this war will end soon.

The projected image of Wei Xiaobao, riding on horseback, watched as another group of young men, bound by ropes and escorted to some unknown battlefield, appeared by the roadside. His brows furrowed, and he couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh.

He pursued power, plotted to rule the world, and desired to establish a holy dynasty, but he was not cold-blooded or ruthless.

These tragic scenes only strengthened his resolve to end the chaos and establish order as soon as possible.

But this path is destined to be paved with more blood and bones.

After traveling for several more days, the majestic Yangzhou city wall finally came into view.

Seeing the familiar, even more imposing city walls after being raised and reinforced, and the spirited, well-armored guards patrolling on the walls, Wei Xiaobao and the others finally felt a sense of security, as if they were returning home.