103: Brother, you really dare to think

“Yes, as long as we cherish what we have, that’s enough.”

But this is the thinking of Mortals, and only the thinking of Mortals.

“Little brother, I’m afraid the people in the imperial court won’t think that way.”

Mortals seek stability, but the imperial court wants to devour people’s flesh and blood.

Qingzhou was previously abandoned by the imperial court because the demonic forces here were too strong. Now that the demonic forces have been eliminated, and only some well-behaved demons remain, the situation is completely different.

Now, Qingzhou is like an ownerless cake, sweet and delicious. The hungry tigers and wolves will come sniffing for it.

How does that saying go? The tree desires tranquility, but the wind will not cease. It’s not that if you don’t stir up trouble, you can live a stable life.

There are always people who want to extract marrow and suck bones from you, to exploit and plunder.

Shen Jianhong’s fingers tapped lightly on the tea table, making a dull “thump, thump” sound.

Shen Jianxing’s heart sank.

Of course, he understood what his elder brother meant; this was a problem he had been avoiding.

The imperial court has a policy called the “Land Restoration Order.” Any recovered lost territory must be jointly inspected by the Ministry of War, Ministry of Revenue, and Ministry of Works.

After the inspection, it would be followed by the Three Policies of Taxation, Conscription, and Grain Levy.

The displaced common people, who had just regained their homes with great difficulty, would soon become fish on the imperial court’s chopping block again.

What made Shen Jianxing even more uneasy was that his elder brother never spoke without purpose.

“Has elder brother heard any rumors?”

“Three days ago, Wang Chongfa, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, already set off south.”

Shen Jianhong took out a secret letter from hisPregnant, “Accompanying him are three hundred Black Armor Guards.”

“So fast? How did the imperial court get the news?”

Shen Jianxing unfolded the letter. The few words on it sent a chill down his spine.

“…By imperial decree, to investigate Qingzhou’s ‘rebellious assets.’ All ownerless land shall be confiscated…”

“What a ‘rebellious asset’!”

Shen Jianxing laughed in anger.

“When the common people were slaughtered by demons, they were nowhere to be seen to rescue them. Now that the demons are gone, they come to seize what’s already made!”

“It is said that the imperial family has a Fox Immortal in their service. Half a month ago, the Fox Immortal predicted that the great calamity in Qingzhou would soon pass, and it would become the next most suitable place for humans to live.”

Shen Jianxing scoffed at Shen Jianhong’s words.

“Fox Immortal? Any demon or monster dares to call itself an Immortal! They are nothing but fiends who survive by bewitching people’s minds!”

“If it truly had the ability to foretell the future, why didn’t it predict the Qingzhou catastrophe earlier, instead of waiting until after the demons ran rampant to make such grand pronouncements?”

“I see clearly that behind this fox demon, there are people who want to carry out plunder under the guise of prophecy!”

Shen Jianhong raised a hand to signal his brother to calm down, his fingertips rubbing the edge of the secret letter: “Regardless of whether the prophecy is true or false, the imperial court’s plan has already been set in motion. The Black Armor Guards are always the Chancellor’s personal guards. Their accompanying Wang Chongfa this time means they are likely serious.”

His gaze, heavy, looked out at the darkening sky outside the window, “Once the Three Policies of Taxation, Conscription, and Grain Levy are implemented, the lives of Qingzhou’s common people, who have just begun to recover, will only get worse.”

Qingzhou is in Lord Chuping’s territory, but Lord Chuping is a deity and probably unwilling to manage such trivial matters.

However, relying on the current imperial court is not a good option.

The imperial court is too weak. In its confrontations with demons over the years, it has always been at a disadvantage, and the entire court is a nest of incompetents.

It’s clearly getting worse and worse. If Qingzhou were handed over to them, it would probably be sold off in a few days.

“Then are we just going to watch?”

“Elder brother, when we led the common people against the demons back then, we were never afraid! Now, to protect them from being oppressed by the imperial court, we certainly cannot back down!”

“Don’t be reckless.”

Shen Jianhong pressed on his brother’s shoulder.

“Xiaoxing, what kind of person do you think His Majesty is?”

Shen Jianxing was startled by the question, the surface of the tea cup reflecting his furrowed brow.

“His Majesty? He’s nothing but a Puppet, hollowed out by powerful officials.”

The current His Majesty is the fourth son of the former emperor, who ascended the throne two years ago.

When this fourth prince ascended the throne, Shen Jianxing had already been lying in bed for a full year.

He only occasionally heard from his subordinates that this newly appointed fourth prince was neither skilled in literary arts nor martial arts, and was only supported by the ministers to become emperor because there were truly no other options.

In the imperial court, Chancellor Liu made all the decisions.

“Wrong.”

Shen Jianhong suddenly lowered his voice.

“His Majesty is only twenty-three this year. At the beginning of his reign, he was constrained by powerful officials, faced constant external threats, and the people’s livelihood was in decline.”

Shen Jianhong tapped his fingertip lightly on the tea table, causing tiny ripples on the surface of the tea.

“But in just these two short years, His Majesty silently removed most of Chancellor Liu’s cronies and used the demonic chaos to purge more than half of the corrupt officials in the Ministry of War.”

Shen Jianxing was startled. How was this news completely different from what he had heard?

“Elder brother means… all of that was…”

“What about the Fox Immortal served by the imperial family?”

“Just a fox demon. People can be bought off, and fox demons… are no different.”

“So, the fox demon betrayed the imperial family?”

“You could say that.”

With that, Shen Jianxing completely understood. It seemed this newly appointed His Majesty was indeed quite pitiful.

But what did that have to do with their Qingzhou?

“Elder brother, after all this talk, why are you asking me these things?”

Amidst the curling tea smoke, his elder brother’s next words startled Shen Jianxing so much he nearly knocked over his teacup.

“Xiaoxing, what do you think about persuading His Majesty to have the entire country believe in Lord Chuping?”

Shen Jianxing stared blankly at his elder brother’s handsome face.

Elder brother, you really dare to think big!

Shen Jianxing’s fingers unconsciously tightened around the teacup, his knuckles turning white. It took him a while to find his voice again: “Elder brother, are you… planning a rebellion?”

Shen Jianhong, however, smiled, though the smile didn’t reach his eyes: “Rebellion? No, we are saving Qingzhou.”

He stood up and walked to the window, looking towards Qingzhou City in the distance.

Night had fallen deep, with scattered lights from myriad homes, those of the common people who had just begun to recover from the demonic scourge.

“What the imperial court wants is Qingzhou’s land, taxes, and able-bodied men, but what Lord Chuping wants is faith.” Shen Jianhong’s voice was low and firm, “Rather than let Qingzhou be bled dry by the imperial court, it’s better to let it become a Dao field for a deity.”

Shen Jianxing frowned: “But will His Majesty agree? Even if he is no longer constrained by powerful officials, it’s impossible for him to easily allow a nation to change its faith…”

“He will.” Shen Jianhong turned around, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, “Because Lord Chuping has already given him a reason he cannot refuse.”

“What reason?”

“Immortality.”

Shen Jianxing’s pupils contracted.

Since ancient times, what emperors sought was nothing more than eternal life. If Lord Chuping could truly bestow immortality, then for this young emperor, it would be a bargaining chip more important than the empire itself.

“But… will Lord Chuping really agree?”

Shen Jianxing hesitated.

“This matter doesn’t require Lord Chuping’s agreement. As long as there is a possibility, people will be like donkeys with a carrot dangling in front of them, tireless and fearless.”

“Elder brother, you actually compared the emperor to a donkey!”

Shen Jianxing admired his elder brother immensely. His logic was rigorous, and his thinking was broad, unlike himself, who only thought about fighting… No wonder he was the elder brother!