Chapter 46: Tea Splashed Before the Palace Represents Mountains and Rivers; A Peerless Hero Shocks Wen Ding

The bronze giant gates of the royal palace slowly opened with a dull creaking sound, as if an ancient beast had opened its mouth to devour everything.

Three hundred imperial guards stopped outside the palace gates; only Commander Zhao Kuo led the mother and son, Princess Yin Rong and Chen Yuan.

They stepped onto the imperial road, paved with white jade and leading directly to the pinnacle of power.

Princess Yin Rong's palms were slick with cold sweat, and she held her son's hand tightly, walking with trepidation at every step.

Although she was the King's sister, the majesty and coldness of this palace were enough to freeze any familial affection.

Chen Yuan, however, walked as if he were in his own backyard, his small head slightly raised, his gaze sweeping calmly over the armored soldiers standing solemnly on both sides.

Passing through layers of halls, his gaze finally landed on the Star-Plucking Tower, which towered into the clouds and symbolized the supreme authority of Great Shang.

That was the true Tianyuan point of this chessboard.

...

The Golden Hall.

The blue smoke rising from the incense burners carried a suffocating sense of oppression.

King Wendin sat high upon the throne, expressionless, his deep gaze like a hawk, locked firmly onto the child brought into the hall by Zhao Kuo.

The entire court of civil and military officials, hundreds of gazes—some curious, some disdainful, some grave—all converged here.

"Your Majesty!"

Before King Wending of Shang could speak, Vice-Chancellor Fei Lian took a step forward, trembling as he exited the ranks, pointing at Chen Yuan with a stern and harsh tone.

"This child is the demonic boy from the Chen residence who bewitched his father and wantonly slaughtered the local gentry! At such a young age, his heart is vicious; he is truly a bane to our Great Shang!"

"Your subject implores Your Majesty to cast him into the celestial prison, interrogate him strictly, and uphold the law of the land!"

Fei Lian's voice echoed in the great hall, filled with a tone of righteous indignation.

Many civil officials echoed his sentiments, and for a moment, the entire court was filled with verbal attacks against a five-year-old child.

Princess Yin Rong turned pale with fright and instinctively knelt to plead for mercy, but she was gently held back by Chen Yuan's small hand.

He ignored Fei Lian's clamoring and did not even look at the King of Shang, who sat high above.

His gaze fell upon the attendant who had just stepped forward, preparing to serve tea to the mother and son.

The attendant carried a black lacquer tray, upon which sat two cups of steaming tea.

Just as the attendant bowed and was about to hand a teacup to Princess Yin Rong, Chen Yuan seemed to trip over his own feet.

His small body lunged forward abruptly, colliding with the attendant's legs.

"Clatter!" A crisp sound rang out.

The tray overturned, and two cups of scalding tea splashed entirely onto the mirror-smooth golden brick floor.

The tea splattered, instantly forming an irregular water stain on the floor, winding and flowing.

"Audacious!"

"Showing disrespect before the throne! What is the penalty for this!"

Fei Lian seized the opportunity and immediately shouted in rebuke.

The attendant was so scared that his Soul Flying Away and Spirit Scattering, dropping to his knees with a thud and kowtowing desperately. "Your Majesty, spare me! Your Majesty, spare me!"

The entire hall was in chaos.

However, Chen Yuan, the instigator, acted as if nothing had happened.

He stood before the spilled water stain, lowered his head, and reached out his small foot, lightly stepping on the edge of the stain, leaving a shallow imprint.

Then, he raised his head, and his young yet clear voice pierced through all the noise, ringing in everyone's ears.

"This is Qingyuan County."

A single sentence brought the uproar in the hall to an abrupt halt.

Everyone was stunned.

Fei Lian's angry curse stuck in his throat, his face filled with astonishment.

King Wendin's slightly angry gaze also froze instantly.

Chen Yuan pointed to the largest water stain on the floor and continued in a steady voice.

"Here is the old course of the Yellow River, where flooding has occurred for years, swallowing fertile land and leaving the people displaced."

As he spoke, he strode on his short legs to another water stain, using his toes to draw a line connecting it to the main stain.

"This is the diversion canal my father is currently digging. With water, it is better to divert than to block. We must lead the overflowing river water to this wasteland in the west."

He pointed to an area that had just been soaked by the tea.

"In this way, the danger to Zhaoge can be resolved."

His movements were fluid, and though his voice was not loud, every word was clear, carrying an unquestionable logical force.

The entire court, including those battle-hardened generals, were all dumbfounded.

They watched as a five-year-old child used the floor as paper and water as ink.

Right here in the Golden Hall, he deduced a massive project concerning the nation's fate with perfect clarity.

This was no disrespect before the throne; this was clearly... spilling tea to paint mountains and rivers!

"Nonsense!"

Fei Lian finally reacted and argued forcefully, "Diverting water into wasteland is merely an expedient measure! To wantonly slaughter the descendants of meritorious officials and massacre local gentry for this is tyranny!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan turned his head and looked him in the eye for the first time.

That gaze was so calm it held not a ripple, yet it made Fei Lian feel an inexplicable palpitation.

"Vice-Chancellor," Chen Yuan said indifferently, "You only saw that my father killed three people, but you did not see how many people would die if this flood were not quelled?"

He reached out his small hand and gestured in the air, as if measuring the entire territory of Great Shang.

"You also haven't calculated what this would bring to our Great Shang once the flood is quelled."

He pointed again to the water stain on the floor that had been defined as "wasteland."

"This place is called Yunmengze; it appears barren, but in reality, the soil is deep and rich. The Yellow River water brings fertile soil from the upper reaches, and in just three years, this land can be transformed into a million acres of prime farmland."

"One acre of prime farmland produces three shi of grain annually. A million acres would mean three million shi of grain."

"Three million shi of grain," Chen Yuan's voice rose slightly. "It can support an additional two hundred thousand elite troops, ensure the northern border no longer worries about food shortages, and keep the Great Shang treasury full for ten years!"

"This is what you call flood control."

Boom!

"Three million shi of grain!"

"Two hundred thousand elite troops!"

These two numbers, like two bolts of thunder from the Nine Heavens, struck fiercely upon the heads of every noble and minister!

Their breathing quickened, their eyes widened, and they stared fixedly at the water stain on the floor.

It was as if they no longer saw tea, but fields of golden wheat and invincible armies!

They understood flood control.

But to turn a disaster relief effort into a grand strategy for territorial expansion and national prosperity... such vision, such calculation! Let alone a five-year-old child, who among the entire court had ever thought of this?!

Fei Lian's complexion turned from red to white in an instant, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

His proud words of attack seemed so pale and ridiculous in the face of such grand strategic interests.

Chen Yuan did not stop.

His gaze shifted from the Yunmengze area and fell upon a few dry floor tiles that had been splashed by the tea.

The corners of his mouth curled into a faint arc.

"Of course, it is not that easy to turn prime farmland into a granary."

"There are always some local vermin who like to dig holes in the canals, hoard grain, and drive up prices, hoping the flood-control army will starve, hoping for the floods to be catastrophic, so they can continue to profit from national disasters."

As he spoke, he used his toes to lightly tap on those few dry floor tiles.

The position corresponded exactly to the location of the major clans in Qingyuan County!

The entire court fell into instant silence.

Numerous gazes, like sharp swords, shot simultaneously toward the pale-faced Vice-Chancellor Fei Lian!

Who didn't know that the Qian Family and Zhang Family of Qingyuan County had deep ties to the Vice-Chancellor's mansion!

At this moment, everyone understood.

What Chen Lie had executed was no local gentry! He had clearly severed the black hands that certain people had stretched toward the nation's lifeline!

"You... you are slandering me!" Fei Lian's sweat poured down, and he pointed at Chen Yuan, screaming hoarsely.

However, no one was listening to his defense anymore.

The entire hall was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

All eyes bypassed the panicked Fei Lian and the stunned officials.

Finally, they converged on that small figure.

He stood there quietly, withdrawing his foot, as if he had just done a trivial thing.

Yet, in the eyes of everyone, his small figure was constantly towering, towering...

Finally, it transformed into a giant standing between heaven and earth, looking down upon the entire court.

An unparalleled national scholar!

These four words emerged uncontrollably from the depths of countless people's hearts.

On the throne.

King Wendin's fingers gripping the armrests had long since turned white at the knuckles.

He stared fixedly at Chen Yuan, the shock in his eyes gradually being replaced by a deeper, heavier emotion.

It was a complex light mixed with ecstasy, wariness, and... bone-chilling coldness.

A five-year-old child who could calculate the gains and losses of a county, the rise and fall of the world, and the hearts of the court.

If used for oneself, he could pacify the world.

If not... then he was a sharp sword hanging over the head of royal power, ready to strike at any moment!

King Wending of Shang slowly stood up and walked down the King Rank step by step; everyone in the hall held their breath.

He walked up to Chen Yuan, his massive figure completely shrouding the child.

He did not look at Fei Lian, nor did he pacify the officials; he simply lowered his head and looked at Chen Yuan before him with an unprecedented, scrutinizing gaze.

After a long while, he spoke, his voice hoarse and deep, carrying an unquestionable pressure.

"The tea, you spilled it on purpose."

This was not a question, but a confirmation.

Chen Yuan raised his head, met those bottomless imperial eyes, and nodded calmly.

"Yes."

The simple answer made everyone's hearts tremble once again.

King Wending of Shang's eyes became incredibly cold in an instant, like the cold wind of the twelfth lunar month, scraping across everyone's hearts.

He leaned down, his face almost touching Chen Yuan's, and asked word by word, his voice so soft that only the two of them could hear.

"Who... exactly are you?"