leonardwarren Chapter 524 The Conflict Between the Old and the New
Chapter 524 The Conflict Between the Old and the New
Chapter 524 The Conflict Between the Old and the New
An Jing took out a booklet and handed it to An Taixuan in front of him.
An Taixuan opened the booklet and found it filled with a large number of numbers.
An Jing said, "These conclusions were drawn by several geniuses from the academy based on detailed information collected from various places and precise analysis and calculation using mathematics."
"What?" An Taixuan asked curiously.
An Jing smiled and said, "With the implementation of the new policies, the national treasury's revenue will double within three years, and the benefits from local construction will be even greater. The demon and ghost cultivators within the country will also be less rampant... As a result, the country will become rich and powerful, and the influence of local gentry will decrease. At that time, we can further weaken the power of some aristocratic families..."
"Father, you just need to be patient a little longer, and many things will be resolved."
An Taixuan raised an eyebrow, picked up the booklet and flipped through it for a while. The sheer volume of information and data presented was far more convincing than the conclusions drawn by some officials of the Imperial Observatory through calculations.
An Taixuan said quietly, "Three years, but they're not stupid..."
Some cunning old foxes in the imperial court will not be willing to see their own faction weakened.
During this period, some people have been doing a lot of things behind the scenes.
The practice of sending members of the royal family to various regions to be lured and won over is one of the retaliatory tactics employed by certain powerful clans.
If it weren't for the fact that certain figures were involved in too many relationships and had such high status and reputation that even he, as the emperor of a country, couldn't easily touch them, he would have already fallen out with certain families.
Especially some conservative Confucian scholars, each with numerous disciples and a wide reputation, are really not easy to fall out with.
Some time ago, a highly respected Confucian scholar who was living in seclusion suddenly came to Tai'an City to advise An Taixuan.
They say things like the ancestral laws cannot be changed, and that the new laws might cause unrest in the country and the nation...
That great Confucian scholar had been the late emperor's teacher and had also taught An Taixuan Confucianism, which meant that An Taixuan could only put on a smiling face whenever he met people.
An Jing slowly said, "So Father Emperor still needs to be more assertive, but not too assertive. Some things can't be rushed. And right now, the one who should be most anxious is not us, but them."
An Taixuan stroked his chin, narrowed his eyes slightly, and chuckled, "That makes sense!"
An Taixuan paused for a moment, then asked, "I heard that the pilot counties have had very good results. Could we add more?"
Upon hearing this, An Jing said softly, "It's not feasible for the time being. According to the intelligence coming back from various places, apart from Kaiyang County in Hongzhou, which exceeded expectations, the other pilot counties, although effective, have encountered considerable obstacles within expectations."
"Because of the pilot program, some officials and talented individuals have already died in those areas. Adding more would easily provoke certain local powers to act rashly..."
Anjing receives news about events happening in those pilot counties immediately.
She was well aware that expanding the pilot program wouldn't be easy and could provoke a greater backlash.
An Taixuan frowned upon hearing this. This was a power struggle between the old and new forces, and those involved were bound to face life-threatening situations.
He remembered that the magistrate of Kaiyang County was clever; had he orchestrated a preemptive strike against him earlier? As a result, he was less targeted by local forces and even used this as an excuse to reorganize Kaiyang County.
Unfortunately, there are still too few officials who will stand on their side and are truly loyal to the emperor and love the people.
An Taixuan said quietly, "I went to the Imperial Observatory yesterday and found that the national fortune of An Kingdom has been declining. I don't quite understand it. The new policies are so good, it shouldn't be like this."
"The officials at the Imperial Observatory said it was a major change in the cosmos, not related to the new policies and reforms. Without the new policies, the nation's fortunes might have declined even faster, or they might have remained stable..."
"No matter what, I don't want to be a ruler who brings about the downfall of his country, but I also don't want to be a mediocre ruler. My position was earned through struggle! So I will fight them to the very end! Either I become a benevolent and wise ruler who will be remembered for all time, or I will perish with them..."
An Taixuan's eyes were deep, gleaming with intense fighting spirit.
Suddenly, An Taixuan turned his head slightly and looked to the east.
Through a bloodline connection, he knew that An Xuyang and those criminals had been beheaded.
This incident will likely cause another uproar in Tai'an City. As for whether the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, even he, as the emperor, cannot know for sure.
However, since he had chosen to cut off those people's heads, he had also made all the necessary preparations.
An Jing noticed An Taixuan's gaze and quickly realized what was going on.
An Jing said softly, "A country cannot be without laws; the benefits of this matter outweigh the drawbacks."
……
"This little girl, she runs really fast..."
Yun Xiao stood on the floating clouds and calculated with his fingers for a while, but he still couldn't find Qing Yi's location.
He thought for a moment, then used his magic again to deduce Xuan Lang's location.
Yun Xiao has left his mark on all the disciples of Qingyang Palace, so it's not difficult to find them.
"Hmm, not far..."
With a flick of his sleeve, Yun Xiao soared through the clouds, flying swiftly towards a location.
After some time, Yun Xiao arrived in the mountains and fields.
Looking down, one could see Xuan Lang in a village in the mountains, seemingly treating someone.
Yun Xiao landed in a flash and appeared in front of Xuan Lang, asking, "Why are you here alone? Did Lu Zheng send you to visit and treat the people?"
Yun Xiao knew that Lu Zheng had always liked to do this, so he assumed that Lu Zheng had assigned Xuan Lang this task, which could be considered a kind of training.
Upon seeing Yun Xiao, Xuan Lang immediately bowed respectfully and said, "Grandmaster Uncle! A plague has broken out here..."
Xuanlang recounted what had happened in Cang County.
Yun Xiao's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, "Insect plague?"
He then looked at the bamboo staff in Xuan Lang's hand and clicked his tongue, saying, "You even lent me this? Not bad, not bad. It seems Lu Zheng still approves of you!"
Yun Xiao had seen Lu Zheng use the Su Wu bamboo stick before and knew that it was quite extraordinary. It was rather strange that Xuan Lang would use it.
Xuan Lang smiled sheepishly upon hearing this; he had personally experienced the extraordinary nature of this bamboo staff.
Yun Xiao smiled and said, "Do a good job. I'll go to the county town to find him first. This thing is a good treasure. Take it and try to understand its mysteries. Don't waste this opportunity."
“Yes, Grandmaster Uncle.” Xuan Lang nodded emphatically.
Yun Xiao didn't linger and quickly flew towards Cangxian County to find out what was going on.
Xuan Lang continued to treat patients, showing no arrogance whatsoever as a top-tier Taoist disciple.
Yun Xiao flew a distance, then glanced to the side and saw a small black dot approaching from the distance.
The black dot grew rapidly, making Yun Xiao's expression strange.
The black dot was actually a large net containing over a hundred people, which Qingyi had woven with her spiritual power.
Despite her small size, Qingyi possessed immense power. Carrying the large net, she flew straight towards Cangxian County.
(End of this chapter)