The Immortal Seeker: Legend of Bronze Mirror

After a grand welcoming ceremony, the old Emperor showed his face and intentionally enjoyed the festivity with the "people."

The term "people" is indeed subject to discussion.

After all, the "people" who could reach the old Emperor were carefully selected.

If one doesn't look beyond Jiangnan, the Great Yu Dynasty indeed appears to be a flourishing era.

In reality, although the old Emperor declared magnificent martial prowess, crushing assassination attempts from all forces and severely injuring two Martial Saints, many internal contradictions were merely temporarily suppressed and not fundamentally resolved.

Throughout these years, every year there have been severe natural disasters.

Where there are natural disasters, there are bound to be human disasters.

In the South Zhili area, people are born in a land of joy; in some provinces, enduring long-term droughts, they still have to suffer from land annexation and the exploitative one-whip law, with disaster victims everywhere and corpses of the starved filling the wilderness...

All are subjects of the Great Yu, and in some places, the landlords' living standards are not even as good as the workers in Jiangning Prefecture's workshops.

If Xu Qing continues to develop Jiangnan's commerce and industry, coupled with the vast profits from maritime trade, this gap will only grow in the future.

…

…

In the palace, the Emperor summoned Xu Qing alone.

Facing the old Emperor with his Heavenly Demon Body, Xu Qing could clearly feel his "Demon Body" very uncomfortable, with a strong impulse to escape.

The Dynasty Destiny, the Emperor's Dragon Qi, combined with a terrifying cultivation technique practiced by the old Emperor, could indeed pose a threat to Xu Qing's Demon Body.

However, his truly fearsome aspect lies in the Heavenly Demon Consciousness. Even if he loses his Demon Body, his consciousness can escape and instantly enter the dreams of those who "never forget" about him.

In terms of self-preservation abilities, Xu Qing is probably unmatched in the world today.

Moreover, the old Emperor would only act against Xu Qing if he were mad.

Because if the old Emperor and Xu Qing break ties, the hard-won great situation is destined to fall apart.

This is not an alarmist talk.

The power in the old Emperor's hands is indeed immensely strong, able to sweep away any opposition forces within the Great Yu Dynasty.

The problem is that destruction is easy, but construction is difficult.

Making people kneel is easy, but making them obedient and diligent is something even immortals cannot achieve.

Passive resistance, outward compliance but inner opposition…

People, after all, are not livestock.

Even livestock, under extreme oppression, have the potential to rebel.

Not to mention the old Emperor's subordinates are also human; once he overdoes it, they are bound to become disloyal and disobedient.

Although the Emperor holds supreme power, it must be used in moderation, and he cannot recklessly overdraw his credibility.

Only when the people of the world recognize him is he truly the Emperor; otherwise, he is merely a despot.

People will fear the Emperor, but they will not fear a despot.

"Xu Qing, you are very good, this palace, I like it very much."

Xu Qing smiled privately, thinking everything was hurriedly constructed; indeed, from the outside, it looked imposing, but the details inside were coarse to an outrageous extent.

The old Emperor was speaking forcibly for lack of better words.

Xu Qing naturally did not want to spoil the mood, so he went along with it, praising the Emperor's sage wisdom.

The old Emperor, indeed, took much interest in chatting leisurely with Xu Qing.

The nearby attendant, Chen Zhong, listened secretly with envy.

Brother Xu is indeed remarkable; in his life, he had never seen the Emperor take the initiative to chat with anyone.

After much small talk, the old Emperor got to the main point,

"The Feng clan has given birth to a son for Prince Yu, a great contribution to the imperial family. I have already made her the concubine of Prince Yu. Additionally, isn't Feng Qintian, Feng's father, working under you? I plan to appoint him as a thousand households of the Embroidered Guard."

It's only natural and reasonable for the Empress's relatives to receive titles and ranks.

Such a position of a thousand households is typically honorary, but once favored by the Emperor, it can rapidly become a position of real power.

"Your Majesty is wise; I thank you on behalf of Feng Qintian for this favor…"

"The imperial doctors have all seen, and the royal grandson is very robust, destined to live a long life. I intend to follow the example of Emperor Chengzu and establish a Crown Grandson. In the future, you will be his tutor. But this matter, only we as monarch and minister know in our hearts."

Xu Qing understood clearly; this was a hint from the old Emperor.

He knew that Xu Qing and Prince Yu were not on good terms, so, to alleviate Xu Qing's concerns about future repercussions, he specifically hinted to him that in the future, the Crown Grandson would ascend. He need not worry about future reckonings and should work boldly and diligently!

In reality, Xu Qing understood the old Emperor better than anyone else.

Although it seemed that the old Emperor valued the Crown Grandson more, it was actually that the old Emperor felt threatened by Prince Yu's status as the Crown Prince.

Because the old Emperor's current assertive manner, although it had temporarily silenced opposition, had also increased dissatisfaction with him from all sides.

This opposition force would ultimately converge on Prince Yu.

After all, the Crown Prince and Emperor are natural adversaries, especially as the Crown Prince ages and the old Emperor grows increasingly frail, this conflict will become irreconcilable.

Even Emperor Taizong of the previous dynasty consciously suppressed his Crown Prince, illustrating how irreconcilable the natural conflict between Emperor and Crown Prince can be.

The old Emperor first chatted about home, then family matters, and finally national affairs.

"Next, there are two major tasks. First is to implement the policy of officials and gentry being equal in labor and paying taxes in Jiangnan. I will personally take charge at Yingtian Prefecture and watch you carry out the work; second is the abolition of household slavery."

Both these major tasks were included in the "Five-Year Plan" of Xu Qing's governance outline given to Elder Liang.

Originally, Elder Liang was in charge of its execution with Xu Qing's strong support.

Old Liang executed a clever move, using Xu Qing's "death" as an opportunity to shed his responsibilities like a golden cicada casting off its skin.

Huo Jing assumed the position of Grand Secretary, originally believing he could turn the tide like Sima Guang of the previous dynasty, to halt the reform and restore the ancestral system.

However, the power displayed by the old Emperor in the Battle of Taihe Mountain shattered Huo Jing's illusions.

The current situation is that the role of Grand Secretary is not something you can take up or leave at will.

The old Emperor clearly stated in private that if Huo Jing dared to retire, the blade of reform would be directly placed upon Huo Jing's hometown.

The old Emperor might not be able to kill all the scholars under heaven, but exterminating your entire clan is within his reach.

This time, Huo Jing naturally followed on the southern tour.

He has no other choice now. After all, the five-year plan has already been approved by the Cabinet and the Ritual Supervision, leaving no legal loopholes.

Under the strong coercion of the old Emperor, Huo Jing, the Grand Secretary, truly has no room to resist.

The Emperor intends to use Huo Jing, the leader of the Conservative Faction, as a stamp and mascot, while the real executors of the reform are Xu Qing and Zhang Tai'a, who is in mourning.

To be honest, having the leader of the Conservative Faction carry out reform indeed has a twisted satisfaction.

In fact, the decree that officials and scholars should perform duties and pay taxes is not to actually make them do so, but to abolish their privileges from a legal standpoint. In doing so, they would lose their lawful right to control the landless peasants.

As for abolishing slave status, it is due to the increasingly sharp conflict between masters and slaves in the Jiangnan area.

Even if the old Emperor does not abolish it, uprisings among Jiangnan slaves are a frequent occurrence.

Therefore, these families often hire Taoists and build martial halls. It is not entirely for rebellion but to strengthen their own military power to suppress potential slave uprisings.

With the development of Jiangnan's industry and commerce, along with the huge profits brought by maritime trade, these house slaves can actually be integrated.

Because developing overseas requires a substantial population.

Abolishing the slave status is also to compete with Jiangnan scholars for the population.

The decree for officials and scholars to perform duties and pay taxes is essentially a test of loyalty in capturing the population.

If there are objections, they are directly eliminated, and those who remain will naturally comply.

The undertaking of this task is extremely difficult, and it is only with the great victory of the old Emperor and the support of Xu Qing that the task's initiation can be accomplished.

Of course, taking the first step is often the hardest.

Once this step is taken, there is still a great hope for success.

Because as time progresses, the nobles turned entrepreneurs will also realize that the existence of slave status severely impacts their workshops and businesses.

After all, the only constant in the world is that people change easily.

Especially the nobles, their stances are not firm. They sway with the wind.

Xu Qing read history in a past life: During the late Ming, when the rebels had reached North Zhili, the civil servants and nobles in the capital were unwilling to donate funds to aid Chong Zhen. Even Chong Zhen's father-in-law was unwilling to contribute money. Later, when the rebels entered the city, they all became obedient.

Because the civil officials and nobles in the capital were well aware that the Emperor was failing, and contributing money would be in vain, not to mention the Emperor's blade was no longer sharp!

People are all realistic.

The secret meeting between ruler and ministers directly determined the upcoming situation in Jiangnan.

…

…

"Elder Huo, you must stand up for us."

Two decrees issued caused immediate and fierce opposition from Jiangnan's scholars and nobles.

They dare not directly find the Emperor and Xu Qing, pinning their hopes on Huo Jing, who had just assumed the Grand Secretary's position.

Huo Jing is now tormented internally.

If he had known earlier that the position of Grand Secretary was a volcano's mouth, he would never have taken it.

Now he doesn't even hate Xu Qing and the old Emperor; he hates Wang Gong the most. If Wang Gong had been a bit more competent, he would have been the Grand Secretary, freeing Huo Jing.

Moreover, if Wang Gong became the Grand Secretary, he couldn't continue as Minister of Personnel, allowing Huo Jing to assume that position, which is quite appealing.

Not much worse than being Grand Secretary!

Now everything is ruined.

The old Emperor almost explicitly indicated that if Huo Jing dared to leave, the Huo family would no longer need to exist.

Huo Jing has no choice but to push forward reluctantly.

He's practically splitting his mind.

Previously, he criticized the reform harshly; now, he has to promote and support it diligently.

The office has to be filled still!

These past few days, Huo Jing has been studying the reform decrees.

People, after all, are led by their interests.

The more he studies the reform, the more he considers it an unprecedented good policy.

These nobles are only focused on their own agenda, completely blind to the grand scheme of the world.

As Grand Secretary, Huo Jing can see the bigger picture.

Of course, as the Grand Secretary, he must play both sides.

He has no choice but to reassure the nobles, saying, "Everyone just pays a little money, and this duty and tax issue will pass without alarm."

The nobles pondered, is this about duty and tax issues?

This is about our invasion of privileges!

Huo Jing, seeing the crowd still in upheaval, sighed: "The Emperor and Xu Gongming are determined to strike the whole world. We have no way out. It's better to endure temporary humiliation and wait for Prince Yu to uphold justice in the future and give the world a bright and clear sky."

He decided not to act personally and to shift the blame!