【Some viewers might ask, host, host, wasn’t Xiao Yu always the Prefect of Lin’an? And didn’t the Department of Water Management consistently ignore his suggestions? So why did he leave behind such achievements? You’re right, but here’s the thing—Xiao Yu was stubborn. Even though his ideas were never adopted, he still spent all his free time, day after day, researching solutions to manage the Yellow River. And then… he actually managed to figure it out.】
(Xiao Langzhong was truly amazing. Later, Da Qian actually built the Three Gorges of the Yellow River based on his blueprints. It’s bizarre—he came up with water and sediment regulation in that era.)
(Historical records unearthed seem to support this. It really was one man’s effort to balance water distribution across the land.)
(But I remember the project was overseen by the then Chancellor, the one with the same name as Jun Youcheng. Did I learn wrong in high school?)
【The Three Gorges of the Yellow River was indeed not overseen by Xiao Yu, because he never got to do it himself.】
Fusang and the danmaku went back and forth.
【Why didn’t he get to do it himself? Because…】
【He died.】
【Xiao Yu died too early. He didn’t even survive the Jiangnan Corruption Case. Just as he was pulled out of the mire by the Martial Emperor and saw hope, everything ended just like that. What a pity, what a lament.】
(What a pity, what a pity. It was so close. If Xiao Yu had held on for just one more year, the Martial Emperor would have reclaimed part of the Yellow River basin from Shuo, and Xiao Yu could have completed his project.)
(What does “heaven envies talent” mean? The Martial Emperor’s reign had no shortage of such tragedies. It was an era of chaos, with the Central Plains leaking from all sides. The cause of restoring Da Qian back then was like Nüwa mending the heavens—so many noble-hearted individuals threw themselves into it, one after another…)
(I used this example in my high school essay. Just one year short, alas. It can only be said that time waits for no one.)
The danmaku revealed a very troubling trend. Upon hearing this, Wu Nao could no longer care about etiquette or propriety and looked worriedly at his childhood friend.
Xiao Yu wore a puzzled expression. He truly couldn’t understand how he would die. Logically, he was the most careful about preserving his life, and with a ruler as brilliant and ambitious as the Martial Emperor, he shouldn’t have died from depression or frustration.
With his dream of serving a wise sovereign and managing the nation’s water resources seemingly within reach, why would he die?
Could it be that he was just that unlucky in this lifetime, falling ill at this very moment and missing out on every good opportunity? That couldn’t be, could it?
【Why did a hydraulic genius like Xiao Yu perish before he could accomplish anything? Because of a great fire.】
【Pirates from the southeast, having been indulged and allowed to grow over seven years, had become a formidable force. Hearing that a prince from Jinling had been appointed as the Jiangnan Inspector, they planned to capture the leader first by infiltrating Lin’an for a major strike. At that time, the entire Nan Qian’s security system was as full of holes as a sieve. Those at the top were only concerned with factional strife, so naturally, those below couldn’t do their jobs properly. And so, these pirates actually managed to infiltrate this millennia-old cultural city.】
【These people, reportedly seeking revenge against the court, set fire to Zhiyuan Temple, which had been constructed under the supervision of the King of Wuyue, Qian Liu. Unexpectedly, their actions coincided with certain factions still engaged in political strife locally, both aiming to kill Xiao Yu, who had come to pay respects to the Buddha in accordance with ritual protocol. The political factions sought to silence him, while the pirates intended to humiliate the court. With two layers of oil fueling the flames, the fire blazed fiercely, reducing countless scriptures to ashes. Most terrifying of all—among them were hundreds of Xiao Yu’s engineering design blueprints.】
【Zhiyuan Temple had always been a tranquil retreat where Xiao Yu enjoyed strolling during his leisure hours. According to the local records of Lin’an from the mid-Da Qian era: “Whenever he paused official duties on rest days, he would ride a donkey out of Qiantang Gate to rest at Zhiyuan Temple.”】
This time was no exception. When the two layers of fire erupted, Xiao Yu was in the sutra repository studying his blueprints for the Yellow River water conservancy project—the very project later realized by Jun Youcheng, which became the Three Gorges of the Yellow River project.
The temple attendants reacted swiftly upon discovering the fire, pulling Xiao Yu out immediately, but they forgot to retrieve Physician Xiao’s blueprints.
These were the culmination of over a decade of painstaking research since Xiao Yu’s youth—the only hope in an uncertain future for reclaiming lost territories, mitigating the Yellow River’s floods, and restoring fertile farmland to thousands of households along its banks.
Thus, instead of fleeing to safety as the attendants urged to await the fire’s extinguishment, Xiao Yu turned back midway. In the end, as the sutra repository collapsed, the attendants only had time to take the hundreds of weighty blueprints from Xiao Yu’s hands.】
【To save those hundreds of blueprints soaked in his life’s work, Xiao Yu threw himself into the flames. During the unresolved period of the Jiangnan Corruption Case, he perished in the fire alongside Zhiyuan Temple, turning to scorched dust that drifted with the early summer breeze over the West Lake he had poured his heart into, over the Six Wells, over the Qiantang Sluice Gate he had overseen, and to the water’s end.】
【Ultimately… all rivers flow into the sea.】
【In the very end, Xiao Yu’s sworn brother Wu Nao scattered the ashes of Zhiyuan Temple into the Qiantang River, returning them to the embrace of heaven and earth. Thus, Xiao Yu’s life came to an end. He died by fire, the mortal enemy of the cause he had pursued all his life, yet ultimately followed the Qiantang River into the sea. The Three Gorges of the Yellow River, which he had devoted his life to studying, began construction a decade after his death, though he never lived to see it.】
Fusang’s voice remained steady as he let out a sigh, his gaze drifting to a distant place.
【All those years facing West Lake, pondering how to tame the surging Yellow River of your northern homeland—what were you thinking then?】
(When you unrolled scrolls at Zhiyuan Temple, with diagrams of the Yellow River’s northern and southern embankments covering the sutra table, the Bodhisattva bowing her head, and outside the window, painted boats breaking through the glassy mirror of the lake, scattering the reflections of the Three Pools and the moon—what were you thinking then?)
(The waters of West Lake are utterly different from those of the Yellow River. Facing the serene and gentle West Lake, like silk, how did you contemplate taming the heavenly waters of your northern homeland?)
(Yet, against all odds, he conceived a solution.)
【Yes.】 Fusang offered a gentle smile. 【Against all odds, he conceived a solution. In the turbulent mid-Da Qian era, as Da Qian fragmented and warlords carved up the land, the dynasty had forgotten its soul. The majestic vigor with which Emperor Taizu, wielding the Sword of the Emperor, had pacified the realm and swept away the Three Kings a century earlier had long been eroded by time, shattered along with the territory. Xiao Yu could not save the people struggling under the Yellow River’s floods during Emperor Ling’s reign, but fortunately, in the end, he saved his own soul.】
[Yes, a fragment of soul.
Every person who desires to leave their name in the Historical Records possesses such a fragment of soul—a condensation of their lifelong pursuits and achievements. It is like Jing Ke’s dagger, the Tiger Tally of the Han Dynasty’s great general, Xuanzang’s sutras, or the First Emperor’s imperial seal…
It is the essence of their monumental legacy, everything they distilled from their brief decades of life.
For Xiao Yu, this fragment of soul was one of those hundreds of drawings. It was also a significant artifact unearthed from the Qianwu Emperor’s tomb, ranked among the fourth batch of national cultural relics prohibited from being exhibited abroad: the “Copper Rubbing of the Submitted Regulations Map for the Three Gorges of the Yellow River (Mid-Qian Period).”
A seemingly weightless copper rubbing of regulations, yet capable of holding back the Yellow River’s silt.
A corner of it was burned away, but the drawing was densely inscribed with the principles of silt control.]
[It recorded the fundamental measures Xiao Yu implemented to manage the Yellow River, summarized in eight characters: water and sediment regulation, flood and ice-jam prevention. A remarkably forward-thinking idea. Minister Xiao, this hydraulic genius, was truly a marvel. Facing the gentle, silk-like West Lake every day, he discerned the root cause of the Yellow River’s frequent flooding—the elevated riverbed caused by silt accumulation.
Thus, he tackled the problem at its source. Utilizing the natural hazards of river bends, he deepened tributaries to store water, regulated flood peaks, and, when necessary, released floods to scour downstream silt deposits, preventing the elevated riverbed from worsening further. A Yellow River folk song once sang: “The earth dragon turns for three full years, the riverbed drops by three feet and eight inches!”
Of course, the Yellow River is, after all, not the Min River, and the Three Gorges of the Yellow River did not share the fortunate fate of another hydraulic engineering masterpiece, Dujiangyan. After over a thousand years of relentless struggle, the Yellow River ultimately prevailed. Today, only some winding historical remnants remain at the Three Gorges of the Yellow River, testifying to the hydraulic engineering marvel that once astonished history.]
[However, there is indeed another remarkable hydraulic engineering project near the present-day Three Gorges of the Yellow River.]
[Its name is Xiaolangdi.]
(What is this if not legacy? I’m crying nonstop.)
(Xiao Yu: I may be dead, but that doesn’t mean I can’t keep wrestling with the Yellow River.)
(The original document of this paper was also well-preserved and unearthed from the Martial Emperor’s tomb. Sadly, a millennium is too long; nothing remained. Thankfully, Chancellor Jun made the copper rubbing… The Martial Emperor truly guarded the souls of his ministers well, weeping. The burial goods were the life’s work of his ministers.)
(And so, the newly risen Qian Dynasty also began to burn like a flame, starting from the Yellow River.)
(This is the kind of moment we read history for, ahhh! The thought that the content on this copper rubbing was over a decade of Prefect’s painstaking effort, then cast into copper bones by Chancellor Jun, and finally unearthed from the Martial Emperor’s tomb for us a millennium later to see—it makes me unbearably excited! It’s moments like these that make me bounce around with manic energy in the middle of the night!)
(I study history precisely for this!)
(I study history precisely for this!)
…
This Celestial Screen and the danmaku were exceptionally gentle, so gentle it brought tears to one’s eyes. Wu Nao, always prone to emotional extremes, didn’t care that Xiao Jingchuan was still present. He threw his arms around Xiao Yu and wailed loudly: “Wahhh, Brother Xiao, you’re so amazing! But don’t die so early! How will I survive in the official circles without you? I’ll offend a bunch of people and get sent to join you!”
Xiao Yu was initially quite moved, but upon hearing this, he nearly died of anger: So you know exactly how punchable you are!
Xiao Jingchuan watched the interaction between his two newly acquired talents below and nodded in satisfaction.
Since he was here now, the future would definitely not unfold as the Celestial Screen had described. Xiao Yu’s project would be built by himself, and he wouldn’t let Jun Youcheng be overwhelmed with work anymore. In the coming days, he needed to keep an eye on the factions within Lin’an who refused to submit and the movements of the pirates.
And also…
…Although he was genuinely moved and grateful for the admiration from future generations, did this mean… his tomb had been excavated?!
Xiao Jingchuan belatedly realized.
However, after the initial shock, Xiao Jingchuan quickly consoled himself.
So what if his tomb was excavated? In a thousand years, everyone’s tomb would be dug up anyway. At least he was unearthed as a cultural relic, not by some random grave robbers.
He hoped that after his death, the officials from the Ministry of Rites would be reliable enough to dress him up decently, making him look at least somewhat presentable, so as not to frighten future generations.
Jun Youcheng watched the shifting expressions on his emperor’s face. He knew this man too well and could instantly tell what he was thinking and worrying about.
Hmph, if he were in charge of Xiao Jingchuan’s funeral arrangements, he would definitely make sure this guy embarrassed himself thoroughly in front of future generations.
Xiao Jingchuan glanced at Jun Youcheng. He knew this man too well and could instantly tell what Jun Youcheng was thinking: “You’d better outlive me this lifetime.”
Don’t rush off to follow Gu Yue and leave your emperor behind to rely solely on the State Preceptor.
No one knew how, in those final years, even he and the State Preceptor—the two most talkative people—had grown silent.
But the greatest shock brought by the Celestial Screen’s information didn’t end there.
Fusang spoke: 【Fortunately, the Martial Emperor did not make Officer Xiao’s soul wait too long.】
Even though the danmaku scrolled quickly, the officials, trained in their bureaucratic work to read ten lines at a glance, caught that line: (Just hold on for one more year, and the Martial Emperor will reclaim the portion of the Yellow River basin envisioned by Xiao Yu from Shuo’s hands.)
What did this mean?
The impact of this line was so great that the officials in Jinling City could hardly process it.
“One year later… one year later? Reclaim the Yellow River?”
Bai Gong, the Minister of Works, stared blankly at the Celestial Screen as if reading an utterly absurd text, yet it was personally endorsed by the Junior Fate Master. The Immortal, high above, used the Celestial Screen to tell them that this was true.
This was a future described by words flowing upstream from later times, its authenticity repeatedly verified. Even the undisclosed details of the Jiangnan Corruption Case matched perfectly, along with Xiao Yu’s never-realized Yellow River hydraulic engineering plans…
He had seen them with his own eyes.
Back then, when Xiao Yu submitted those Yellow River management blueprints, they were directly presented to him—then the Vice Minister of Works—by the Department of Water Management. But under Emperor Ling’s rule, governance was chaotic, and the influence of the Secular Monks even temporarily surpassed that of the noble families and officials. Bai Gong had asked himself back then:
Could this be submitted?
The blueprints meticulously detailed every aspect of the Yellow River’s waterways, highly practical, yet their origin was a Prefect of Lin’an who might not have even laid eyes on the Yellow River after coming of age.
Xiao Yu was a genius, an undeniable genius. Even though Bai Gong’s position as Vice Minister of Works was obtained by siding with the Secular Monks in their dispute with aristocratic officials, and even though Bai Gong himself was merely an ordinary craftsman, he knew this fact all too clearly.
No one could fail to be captivated by such a breathtaking and flawless vision.
But could it be presented to the emperor?
Given Emperor Ling’s shortsightedness, presenting this blueprint would likely be less effective than offering him a few novel trinkets.
This blueprint, crafted with immense effort, would likely end up being casually tossed by the attending eunuchs into a pile of unimportant clutter, eventually turning into scattered fragments, forgotten for eternity.
The time was not yet right.
That was what Bai Gong thought at the time. So he picked up his brush and wrote a letter of rejection, turning down Xiao Yu’s request.
It was better to preserve his own life’s work himself. The reign of Emperor Ling was not the time for such an extraordinary and monumental project to see the light of day.
But who could have imagined that not long after, Emperor Ling journeyed west, and the entire Da Qian Empire crumbled in an instant. Emperor Yunqi established the capital in Jinling, and Bai Gong rose from Vice Minister of Works to Minister of Works. However, Da Qian had become Nan Qian, having lost vast territories along the Yellow River.
Regret? Sorrow? Pain?
There had been such feelings once, but since he had survived, all of that no longer mattered.
But… but…
The vision of the Three Gorges of the Yellow River and water and sediment regulation ultimately became a reality a thousand years later. Indeed, the reign of Emperor Ling was not the time for its realization; it was the reign of the Martial Emperor.
But no matter how glorious or legendary the Martial Emperor’s reign was, how could it possibly… reclaim the Yellow River basin within a single year?
Qi Zhou, who had established Northern Qian from scratch, had already been campaigning westward in the north for seven years.
Perhaps, perhaps the danmaku was mistaken? After all, the Celestial Screen had broadcast so many times, and the danmaku often contained errors and corrections. Only the words spoken by the Fusang Envoy on the Celestial Screen were true. Maybe the Fusang Envoy would refute it soon…
Fusang sighed: 【Speaking of this, one cannot help but marvel at the Martial Emperor’s sheer military prowess. As the danmaku said, it took only a year to sweep all the way to the north of the Yangtze River. Looking across all of history, it is hard to find an emperor who could reverse the entire situation with such a world-altering momentum. One Qian Taizu, one Qianwu Emperor—the Xiao family is truly adept at reclaiming the realm during times of division and chaos.】
The Fusang Envoy once again confirmed that line of danmaku.
Now, no one questioned the future Qianwu Emperor mentioned on the Celestial Screen, who would reverse the entire situation. Many officials from prominent aristocratic families even reluctantly thought: If the Qianwu Emperor could truly reclaim the Yellow River basin, then even if this Martial Emperor had been a fool before, they would accept it.
The wind blew from the capital, and in Jinling City, someone was weeping.
No, not just one person—countless people, officials, scholars, merchants, and laborers alike, all had tears in their eyes.
Seven years… a full seven years… Countless people whose hometowns were in the north and who could see the Celestial Screen uncontrollably knelt to the ground at this moment.
If they could fight their way back in just one year, if they could return to their northern hometowns in just one year…
Then what did it matter if they had to endure hardship and suffering within that year?
Many secretly resolved that, no matter what happened, the Sixth Prince, Prince Xiao Chuan, was the unwavering future.
If the Third Prince’s Faction and the Crown Prince’s Faction still harbored any delusions, they would not hesitate to employ any means necessary for the new sovereign.
The officials in Jinling City exclaimed, “What Third Prince’s faction or Crown Prince’s faction? I have always been a loyal supporter of the future heir, the Sixth Prince, the Martial Emperor, ahhh!”
Many even began to envy and resent Xiao Yu.
Why was this guy the first to get to know the Sixth Prince, who had just left the palace and stepped onto the political stage?
However, not every corner was swept up in the fervor stirred by the danmaku’s revelation of reclaiming lost territories a year later.
Amidst the boiling excitement of Jinling, within the magnificent and lofty Yunxing Hall, the Third Prince and the Crown Prince both realized something and trembled as they knelt on the ground. Yet, Emperor Yunqi remained calm.
He even wore a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, as if genuinely pleased for his sixth son, who had transformed from a fool into the heart’s desire of the court in just a few hours.
Finally, someone had accomplished what he could not.
And that person was his own descendant.
He had completely forgotten his earlier frantic attempts to erase the stain that was Xiao Chuan.
Emperor Yunqi gazed at the Celestial Screen with an expression that seemed both amused and mocking. The First Prince, formerly the Crown Prince, could not decipher his father’s thoughts and could only glance at his third brother beside him.
But he noticed something was off about his third brother’s state.
The Third Prince was trembling.
Why was he trembling? The First Prince wondered. Now that the dust had settled, and there was no longer any need to fight over an impossible heir position, why was his third brother still trembling?
[Of course, the danmaku also mentioned this: The emperors of the Xiao family were not only skilled at conquering lands but also at being charismatic figures, especially Emperor Taizu and the Martial Emperor. Countless people were captivated by them at first sight, forsaking their lives and reputations to follow the Martial Emperor wholeheartedly. After all, following the Martial Emperor required no sacrifice—you only had to wait for victory. Who would refuse a deal where you only gain and never lose? Moreover…]
[The Martial Emperor was a remarkably humane person. My evaluation of him is the same as that of Emperor Taizu. In a sense, the ultimate goal of the Martial Emperor’s cosplay was achieved. Yes, the impression they left on us was more like that of a person rather than a political machine that instilled fear. Emperor Taizu’s title as the “Chivalrous Prince of Chang’an” during the Three Kings’ Conflict was not without reason. His descendants, to varying degrees, retained some of these “chivalrous” traits, with the Martial Emperor being the greatest embodiment of them. He even brought the achievements and lifelong efforts of each of his ministers into the Qian Imperial Mausoleum, like a chivalrous wanderer who had collected stories all his life, surrounded by the relics of old companions, drifting into a deep slumber on a sun-drenched afternoon, never to wake again.]
[It is easy for us to believe that the Martial Emperor was very happy, because his remains… were found with a smile on his lips.]
(This is truly one of the most harmonious teams since the Shu Han founding team! Both founding teams of the Qian dynasty were so wholesome, wuwu.)
(If I had to choose a ruler to serve, I would definitely pick one of the two Xiao family members. Both are upright and good-tempered—a rarity among emperors.)
(Wuwu, the Martial Emperor sent the souls of his ministers into the Qian Imperial Mausoleum. Even after a thousand years, their legacies remain evergreen.)
(He truly understood what life meant to each of his ministers.)
“World Ancestor! World Ancestor!”
The officials had all seen what the danmaku said.
Many officials suddenly felt like crying. With a ruler like this, what more could one ask for?
Whether one rises through military prowess or enters the civil service, their ultimate goal is inseparable from a wise and virtuous ruler.
And now, the ruler’s wisdom and virtue are recorded in the annals of history, so what is there to dwell on?
[Alright, alright, we’ve strayed from the topic for too long. Let’s return to our main storyline—the Jiangnan Corruption Case. As a novice, the Martial Emperor encountered such a thorny case, involving all high-ranking officials of the court. Naturally, the obstacles in the investigation were immense. Collaborating with the future Three Dukes of Mid-Qian—the Chancellor, the State Preceptor, and the General-in-Chief—he made no progress for three days.]
…I’m really speechless. I remember back then, these three key ministers who cosplayed the Three Founding Dukes with His Majesty were all representatives sent by the Third Prince and the Crown Prince’s Faction to investigate the Jiangnan Corruption Case.)
(Martial Emperor: No problem, I’ll gladly accept the Third Prince’s people, I’ll gladly accept the Crown Prince’s people too, and as for A Cui, this Ancestor Qing Zhu, I won’t let anyone from the State Preceptor’s Mansion go either—I’ll gladly accept them all!)
(Didn’t expect the Martial Emperor to be such an old acceptor.)
(Don’t learn from Emperor Ling’s Buddhist devotion, ahhh! No old acceptor, no old acceptor! PTSD triggered!)
Fusang continued: 【Fortunately, walls have ears. Following the clues along the most severely corrupted coastal defense line, they traced a thin, blood-stained red thread. And at the end of that red thread…】
【…was the famous fence-sitter, Minister of Works Bai Gong.】
【Yes, Bai Gong is a fence-sitter.】
(Yes, the fence-sitter is actually Bai Gong.)
From the moment Bai Gong saw his name appear on the Celestial Screen, he had already started demanding paper and brush in his mansion to write his will.
“Master, master, what are you writing?”
A young servant in the mansion curiously peeked over. Bai Gong chuckled and patted him aside: “Writing the only thing I can leave behind.”
He hoped the Celestial Screen would go easy on him. Of course, if it didn’t, there was nothing he could do—mainly because he was currently in Jinling City, unlike Xiao Yu and Wu Nao, who were at least still in Lin’an. Even if the Black Dragon Guards were to kill on sight, it would still take time.
“Run quickly. Who knows, maybe the Minister of Works’ mansion will be gone soon.”
Bai Gong chuckled, tapped the servant’s head, and cheerfully said something terrifying.
If the Celestial Screen showed no mercy, then the will he was writing now would be useless anyway—might as well consider it self-comfort.
【Although he’s a fence-sitter, he sways with the wind! I hope all fence-sitters in the world can learn from Bai Gong on how to sway with the wind—every time he sways, it’s just right.
In the previous dynasty, Emperor Yunqi and Emperor Ling of Qian had subtly formed factional struggles. At that time, Bai Gong was still a Vice Minister of Works. Because his superior was on Emperor Ling of Qian’s side, he naturally joined that side too. But guess what? Back then, Prince Yunqi was obsessed with calligraphy and painting and didn’t want to become emperor, so he simply gave up. Thus, Emperor Ling of Qian smoothly ascended to the throne without a hitch.】
(Good news: Emperor Yunqi knew his limits. Bad news: He knew them too well.)
(Emperor Yunqi, why did you give up? Once you gave up, wasn’t it all over? Look at the mess your brother made.)
As for Jinling City? Jinling City was already used to it.
The First Prince and Third Prince, those two unlucky souls, were still kneeling. Emperor Yunqi was also accustomed to the Fusang Envoy and the danmaku above occasionally speaking wildly—he even felt like laughing now.
Finally, someone was cursing that lunatic brother of his along with him! He always said that guy was a lunatic!
【This was Bai Gong’s first successful factional alignment—choosing Emperor Ling of Qian over Emperor Yunqi. Then came Emperor Ling of Qian’s reverence for Buddhism. Between his own mentor and the rising secular monks, Bai Gong relied on his exceptional foresight to choose the latter.
Thus, Bai Gong’s mentor, the Minister of Works, was exiled to Hexi for submitting a memorial advising against Emperor Ling of Qian’s policies, while Bai Gong himself, by clinging to the secular monks, successfully became the only Dual Dynasty Elder remaining in the entire Ministry of Works.】
This was Bai Gong’s second victory in choosing sides. Soon after, Emperor Ling moved his camp westward. Among all the civil and military officials, only Bai Gong deliberately joined the entourage of Xiao Quan, who was then the Prince of Jinling, during the westward journey—because at the time, a project under the Ministry of Works, which we just saw, the West Lake dredging project planned by their acquaintance Xiao Yu, then the Prefect of Lin’an, required the Prince of Jinling to show leniency and open the street-facing passage of his princely residence for the repairs to proceed. Thus, as Xiao Yu’s superior, Bai Gong prepared to travel with the Prince of Jinling, Xiao Quan, to build connections.
Who would have thought? This effort to build connections ended up shaping his own future. After the Qian-Severing Rebellion, Bai Gong followed Emperor Yunqi southward, supporting him in establishing his court in Nan Qian. As the only senior official from the Ministry of Works rescued by Emperor Yunqi from the chaos of the rebel army, he rose to become the Minister of Works.
This was Bai Gong’s third victory in choosing sides, and what I’m about to discuss next is the most crucial fourth time—though certainly not the last.]
(I’m dying of laughter, what does it mean to be a true master of choosing sides?)
(Germany should take notes from Bai Gong when picking teammates.)
(No matter how the tides of the era surge, with heroes rising and falling, our Bai Gong never missed a beat.)
(This guy is oddly optimistic, always smiling, yet behind that cheerful face, he accomplished a lot—and nothing small.)
[Haha.] Fusang forced a laugh: [Not just small—it was enormous.
Let’s continue. As soon as Emperor Wu and his future core supporters arrived in Lin’an, they sought out the Circuit Intendant, who was eager to find a scapegoat, in order to save Xiao Yu. As a Circuit Intendant in such a hurry to find a scapegoat, you must know something, right? You can’t possibly claim that you were too lazy to work or investigate, so you just picked a lucky subordinate to take the blame for you, while you, a Circuit Intendant, happily enjoyed the rewards from Jinling, resolving a major case in such an unclear manner?
Maybe these guys could get away with such tricks before, but the Circuit Intendant failed to realize that the reason he hadn’t faced consequences earlier was because someone in Jinling was covering for him. Now, with Emperor Yunqi—His Majesty—investigating the issue, who would dare to cover for him if he tried to deceive?
No one.
The Circuit Intendant, caught red-handed, had only one outcome. After Emperor Wu placed him under temporary custody, awaiting orders from Jinling City, the Circuit Intendant committed suicide that very night.]
(Really… his actions were swift enough. Did he ever consider his own fate when forcing innocent people to sign those confession statements? This Circuit Intendant has certainly made his mark in the historical records in this way.)
(Don’t just leave any kind of mark recklessly!)
Xiao Jingchuan quickly reacted upon reading this: “Send someone to check immediately—”
However, before he could finish speaking, Jun Youcheng, who had left earlier, hurried back, his expression grim as he shook his head at Xiao Jingchuan.
The Chancellor of Da Qian was quicker to react to such matters than Xiao Jingchuan. The moment the Celestial Screen began discussing Xiao Yu, he had seized the opportunity to slip away, fearing that someone might target the only lead—the Circuit Intendant who had stepped forward.
But it was already too late.
From the time he was taken into custody by the people Xiao Jingchuan brought from the palace until now, barely half an hour had passed, and the Circuit Intendant was already dead.
Before his death, he left a blood-written message at the temporary holding place.
“One in a hundred.”
[“Not one in a hundred.” These four words were all that remained at the scene, yet they stirred up a massive storm throughout the royal city of Jinling.]
Fusang paused: [“Not one in a hundred”—isn’t this just a word puzzle? The answer is an old acquaintance, a single character: ‘White’ (White).”]
Bai Gong of Jinling City: Hahaha, fantastic! I knew the Celestial Screen wouldn’t let me off the hook. Good thing I wrote my will—now I can rest easy!
[Even a fool could tell this was another attempt to shift blame. But this time, the other side showed genuine sincerity by offering up a figure as high-ranking as one of the Six Ministers. In principle, since we’re all respectable people, and I’ve shown such sincerity, you should show some leniency. Unfortunately, it was useless. Emperor Wu was famously intolerant of even the slightest wrongdoing and was determined to investigate to the very end.]
[At the time, the future Emperor Wu, then still the Sixth Prince, reported the matter verbatim to Emperor Yunqi. Emperor Yunqi adopted a completely hands-off approach, leaving everything for the Sixth Prince to handle himself. Thus, Emperor Wu met once again with the legendary fence-sitter, Bai Gong.]
[By the time they met, Bai Gong was already half a prisoner. The Black Dragon Guards acted swiftly, surrounding the entire Bai residence so tightly that not even a breath of air could pass through. Yet Bai Gong still faced the Sixth Prince with a smile. He rambled on about a bunch of irrelevant things before finally realizing he couldn’t divert the topic. Surrounded by the Black Dragon Guards and members of both the Crown Prince’s faction and the Third Prince faction, and just before being hauled off to the Imperial Prison under everyone’s watchful eyes, he tossed out this single sentence:
“If Your Highness the Sixth Prince believes me, you may repeat my words before His Majesty: the blood letter from the Circuit Intendant was not my doing—it was instructed by the Third Prince!”]
In Jinling City, Bai Gong threw down his brush. His page boy approached and asked, “Does the master not need to continue writing?”
Bai Gong shook his head. “Which coffin shop in the city is the best? Go order a coffin for me first—I’ll be needing it soon.”
Danmaku quickly flooded the screen.
(Third Prince: ??? Bro, what are you talking about?)
(The Third Prince nearby thought he was just watching the show, only to find himself becoming the show.)
(Bai Gong really dares to speak. Honestly, I think this guy isn’t just a fence-sitter—he’s genuinely insane. With one sentence, he plunged the entire Third Prince faction into a survival horror mode.)
(The Minister of Revenue, Chen Su, nearby must have looked at him like he’d seen a ghost: Bro, are you that bold? Just blowing up on the Third Prince like that? So righteous!)
(If you were in Central Qian during that period, you’d go mad too, hahaha. Ever since I started working, I’ve really understood Bai Gong. This is clearly a black pot thrown at me—why should I take it? I’ll blow up on them, and I’ll blow up right in front of the boss!)
(Bai Gong really did blow up right in front of the boss.)
The tone of the danmaku and Fusang could even be described as lighthearted, but the unfortunate people of Nan Qian couldn’t afford such ease.
Bai Gong’s words on the Celestial Screen were enough to make anyone capable of independent thought ponder the hidden implications behind the Jiangnan case.
The Third Prince… how could it really just be the Third Prince?
Officials in Jinling City shuddered in unison, feeling a chill run down their spines.
If it was the Third Prince… what did that mean?
After all, the one supporting the Third Prince was the State Preceptor.
In Jinling City, the Third Prince and the Crown Prince almost wished they could turn themselves into paper figures pressed flat against the ground. The Crown Prince finally understood why his third brother had been trembling so violently earlier—so it was you who caused this massive case that killed so many people, drove Father Emperor mad for days, and tormented countless others!
The Crown Prince suddenly felt a pang of desolation. While he was still pondering why Jun He had died, his third brother had already independently committed such a weighty crime. No wonder Father Emperor favored the Third Prince—he dared to do such things. But now, third brother, you’d better watch out for yourself—
The Crown Prince’s wandering thoughts were abruptly severed by a flash of cold light.
[The Martial Emperor’s decisiveness has always been remarkable. He—]
Just as the Fusang Envoy on the Celestial Screen opened his mouth, ready to answer the questions filling all of Jinling, a dragon-like roar echoed from its sheath. A blade of icy, frosty light shot forth from the imperial throne, cutting off the Fusang Envoy’s voice.
Trembling, the Crown Prince glanced sideways and saw Emperor Yunqi’s stern expression. It was not anger, nor any other human emotion like fear. That face, which could shift between madness and gentleness, now held no expression at all—like an exquisitely carved statue from the Wangu Changqing Palace.
In his hand was the Sword of the Emperor, passed down through generations of the Qian dynasty, now gleaming with a faint golden light.
Emperor Yunqi stood there quietly. The Crown Prince slowly shifted his gaze, squinting secretly toward the Celestial Screen.
The direction of the Celestial Screen showed no image at all—only a silver-and-gold intertwined, jagged, wound-like crack slowly healing.
When the Emperor wielded his sword, even the Celestial Screen could be severed.
Author’s Note: —————————
After some thought about which type of minister to feature in this VIP section, I finally decided… indeed, the Yellow River is the MVP.
Reiterating: This is all fictional!