Inside Wanhua Tower.
As the noise outside grew louder, the guests inside couldn’t help but lose focus.
“What’s going on out there? I think I heard fighting.”
“Did something happen?”
Everyone was full of worry and unease.
Lin Ming, however, continued drinking as if nothing had happened and praised, “What good wine! I’ve long heard that Wanhua Tower’s floral wine is exceptional. Now that I’ve tasted it, the reputation is truly well-deserved!”
Outside Wanhua Tower.
The 3,000 Imperial Guards were completely surrounded!
Hu Lin drew his sword and looked around, discovering that there were already 1,000 archers alone in position!
And 5,000 Lin family troops!
Plus 1,000 heavy cavalry transferred in from the Black Cavalry unit!
In other words, they were now the ones trapped in the pot!
“We’ve fallen into a trap! This is a trap!”
Inside, Empress Ye Qinghuan collapsed onto the couch, her face pale, and said in despair, “That Lin Ming… actually predicted my move! How could this be possible!”
Li Qiushui’s legs gave out; she couldn’t even stand properly.
“The entire place is surrounded by Lin family soldiers! It’s over, Your Majesty! Even if we wanted to retreat safely, it’s almost impossible now! What do we do?”
Even the composed Ye Qinghuan could no longer stay calm. Her almond-shaped eyes widened. “I… have no more moves left!”
“What?” Li Qiushui was horrified, her voice trembling. “Why not have General Hu break through the siege? As long as one person returns to the palace with the news, we can immediately deploy tens of thousands of Imperial Guards for reinforcements!”
“You think the 30,000 Black Cavalry stationed outside the city are just for show? If we do that, the capital will be drenched in blood by tomorrow!” Ye Qinghuan trembled in anger, her body quivering.
“And who knows which side the six noble houses will take! Even that old fox Wei Zhongxiang might sit back and watch the tigers fight!”
If a battle really broke out, she couldn’t guarantee a victory—and others might just swoop in and steal the prize.
Li Qiushui was completely lost. “Then what should we do now…”
“Observe and wait.”
After a long silence, Ye Qinghuan said quietly, “The best move right now is to stay still. As long as we don’t make a move, the other side won’t know our full hand. That uncertainty will make them cautious and hesitant.”
“Besides, I’m still his…”
Mid-sentence, Ye Qinghuan realized she had said too much and quickly corrected herself, “Anyway, just don’t do anything. That’s the best course.”
Li Qiushui, however, caught her slip and teased with a grin, “Your Majesty was about to say—you’re his fiancée, so how could he bear to harm his future wife, right?”
[Ding! Empress’s anger +999! Lifespan extended. New achievement unlocked: Slight Success! Reward: Talent – Skill Replication.]
[Skill Replication: Can learn and mimic all techniques seen without limit (ineffective if the level difference is too great; affected by host’s martial cultivation).]
Upon hearing the system notification, Lin Ming couldn’t help but smile.
Skill Replication? Damn! With so many experts in the Lin household, wouldn’t he be able to learn all their techniques?
He could even secretly copy the Empress’s techniques!
And this was the first time he’d seen a full 999 anger value—clearly, the Empress next door was absolutely fuming.
Gold-tier system—always quality!
With the support of [Grandmaster-Level Military Wisdom], how could he not anticipate that the Empress would have a backup plan?
Not to mention, his Unseen Ones had been monitoring all movements in the capital.
The Empress privately mobilizing troops? That huge a commotion had been on his radar for a long time.
Pretending not to know was just to lure the prey into the trap.
At that moment, with the poetry and music performances over, the young guests began expanding the scope of their discussions.
Men, once tipsy, often liked to talk about state affairs.
Especially the imperial exam runner-up, Xie Lingyun, who passionately spoke of the empire’s current state, eloquently declaring, “Our Great Duan Empire has a history of eighty years since the founding of the Great Ancestor. We are currently in a time of prosperity. Yet beneath the surface, crises are beginning to emerge.”
Someone interrupted, frowning, “Careful with your words, Young Master Xie. Don’t say anything that could harm unity!”
But Xie Lingyun, emboldened by the wine, shouted, “The rise and fall of a nation concerns every citizen! I am not like those bootlickers in the court! As a subject of the Great Duan, I must do my part to share Her Majesty’s burdens!”
“Not long ago, didn’t the court try to resolve its fiscal crisis by implementing a new policy in Jiangnan—‘Switch Rice Fields for Mulberry Fields’?”
The moment he said this, the entire room went silent.
Even the Empress in the next room instinctively held her breath.
“Switching rice fields for mulberry” was a national policy she introduced early in her reign to increase revenue.
Jiangnan was an economically prosperous region, especially in silk trade. The annual silk export revenue was in the millions of silver taels. The late emperor had established a state-run weaving bureau there, even sending eunuchs to oversee it, in an attempt to bring that income under state control.
But reality often deviated from intentions. The silk tycoons in Jiangnan were all local powerhouses. The state’s silk export trade was routinely divided and dominated by these families.
“So when Her Majesty ascended and changed the era name to Zhenming, the first thing she did was to take back the silk trade from those Jiangnan elites and use it to strengthen the treasury!” Xie Lingyun said.
“That’s why Grand Councilor Yan Song proposed replacing rice with mulberry in the south—force farmers to uproot their rice and plant mulberry trees to produce silk instead. That way, the court could bypass the aristocratic families and claim the profits!”
“But the result was total chaos in Jiangnan, almost leading to a massive uprising!” Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Nangong, seated beside Lin Ming, couldn’t help but add.
Xie Lingyun nodded, confused. “That’s what I don’t understand. Her Majesty’s intention was good, and the returns from mulberry are clearly higher than from rice. The people should’ve been happier making more money. Why did it cause unrest?”
In the next room, Ye Qinghuan sighed regretfully. “This problem… not even I can understand, let alone a newly appointed scholar.”
To ensure that people still had enough to eat after switching to mulberry, she had even issued a decree to import grain from other provinces to Jiangnan—and forbid price hikes.
Yet the people still rebelled.
Lin Ming understood.
He’d read about this case in the study. This was one of Empress Ye Qinghuan’s earliest political moves, and it had nearly sparked civil war in Jiangnan.
At that moment, Wan Canglong straightened and said confidently, “As for that issue, I actually know the reason.”
“Back then, in order to push the switch to mulberry, corrupt officials like Yan Song forcibly made farmers uproot newly planted rice seedlings, even broke dikes and flooded fields. People were driven from their homes. Then, those same officials and merchants seized the opportunity to buy land at dirt-cheap prices.”
The price of land varied drastically between good and bad years—at least four to five times!
“Eventually, the Jiangnan people couldn’t take it anymore and rose in revolt! The policy had to be canceled!”
“So, the failure of ‘Switch Rice for Mulberry’ and the chaos in Jiangnan were caused by the corruption and greed of officials like Yan Song!”
Hearing this, everyone suddenly understood.
“So that’s how it was!”
“Who would’ve thought Young Master Wan, despite living in Chang’an, has such deep insight into national affairs! Admirable!”
“Surely, he is a man destined to serve the court—one who begins as a humble scholar and ends up in the halls of power!”
Hearing all the praise, Wan Canglong humbly waved his hand, but inside he was ecstatic.
He had prepared for this speech long in advance!
His real goal was not to impress these people—but to impress the Empress next door!
He wanted to showcase his political talent!
At that moment, Li Qiushui, who had listened from start to finish, was moved and said, “Wan Canglong truly is something. Not only does he write poetry well, he even offers sharp and timely insights into governance. A true talent for statecraft! Your Majesty, why not consider recruiting him? He might even help the court reinstate the ‘Switch Rice for Mulberry’ policy.”
Ye Qinghuan nodded slightly. “He does make some sense. His words hit the mark.”
However, after the Jiangnan riots, in order to quell the unrest, she had executed Yan Song and his entire clan and sent upright officials from the court to calm the region and reintroduce the policy.
But even then, the results were far from ideal—worse, in fact, than under Yan Song’s tenure.
If, as Wan Canglong claimed, it was simply due to corrupt officials, why had honest officials also failed?
Just as she pondered this, Lin Ming’s voice rang out at the most inappropriate moment.
“What a load of crap!”