I Rely on Beauty to Stabilize the Country - Chap 52
The several talented students were selected from the Imperial Academy and National Academy. Naturally, they were not following Gu Yuanbai closely but trailing behind, led by eunuchs to observe the rice fields.
The term “five grains” in the context of the five cereal crops generally refers to rice, millet, barley, wheat, and beans. In ancient China, barley held a high status and was considered the leader among the grains. The term “sheji” in the phrase “jiangshan sheji” (the prosperity and stability of the nation) refers to barley.
However, as time went on, rice gradually became the highest-yielding staple food. Millet and barley required less water, so they were gradually cultivated in dry highland fields.
Naturally, the current rice yield could not compare to the future. Gu Yuanbai also lacked the ability to research hybrid rice. He didn’t have the power or the necessary conditions.
Walking along the narrow paths in the fields, Gu Yuanbai’s steps were leisurely. His gaze occasionally swept the surroundings, nodding slightly as he observed the newly planted fields.
Although it seemed carefree, a sense of alertness had already risen in secret.
The people protecting Gu Yuanbai were fully tense, both openly and covertly, fully prepared. The captain of the guards had a serious expression, which was his usual calm demeanor, so he didn’t draw attention to himself.
However, Xue Yuan’s sharp instincts had already cast suspicious glances at the captain of the guards several times.
Fully tense and ready to attack at any time, Xue Yuan narrowed his eyes and scanned the group of guards, noticing that quite a few of them were in the same state.
Lost in thought, he smiled wryly, somewhat unexpectedly.
Suddenly, someone approached Gu Yuanbai from behind, and when he turned his head, Xue Yuan grinned sinisterly and said, “Your Majesty, is your humble servant inferior to Captain Zhang, the head of the guards?”
This statement was inexplicable, but Gu Yuanbai casually replied, “Why would Captain Xue say such words?”
Xue Yuan said, “Your Majesty, my loyalty to you is evident to heaven and earth.”
So, what exactly was he being kept in the dark about?
Gu Yuanbai chuckled. For some reason, although Xue Yuan had been increasingly loyal in recent days, every time he heard him express loyalty, Gu Yuanbai felt like laughing.
And with this laughter, Xue Yuan became completely baffled.
The group of people walked out of the fields. The students at the back saw that the Emperor had already moved far ahead and hurriedly wanted to catch up. “Your Excellency, let’s go quickly.”
However, the eunuch smilingly stopped them, saying leisurely, “Gentlemen, don’t rush. Why not take a closer look at these rice plants?”
The students could only suppress their anxious hearts and once again pondered what was different about these rice plants.
Meanwhile, Gu Yuanbai had already led his entourage into the shade of the forest beside the fields.
The guards found a spot for Gu Yuanbai to sit, while the trailing guards tied the horses to trees and went to fetch some clean water to freshen up the Emperor.
Tian Fusheng wiped away the sweat on Gu Yuanbai’s forehead and whispered, “Your Majesty, can you bear it?”
Gu Yuanbai looked up at the sun through the swaying leaves and nodded, “Although it’s hot in the countryside, it’s bearable.”
Tian Fusheng responded and remained silent.
The guards discreetly surrounded the Emperor, ready and waiting for enemy assassins to make a move, prepared to counter their every move.
Underneath the calm surface, an undercurrent of turbulence seemed to lurk.
Suddenly, Xue Yuan’s eyelids twitched, and he swiftly drew his sword.
Several fierce-looking assassins wielding large blades emerged from the forest, pouncing recklessly towards Gu Yuanbai. With a calm expression, Gu Yuanbai tightened his grip on the hidden crossbow within his sleeve and even had the leisure to take a sip of the cool tea from his water pouch.
Tian Fusheng shouted, “Protect the Emperor!”
The guards who had already received the message swiftly shielded Gu Yuanbai, engaging the attackers without mercy. Swords clashed, chaos ensued. Xue Yuan’s heart raced as he cleared a bloody path towards Gu Yuanbai, but as he looked up at him, he saw an assassin raising his hand to strike.
Xue Yuan’s heart skipped a beat, bloodshot eyes filled with determination. He mustered all his strength and hurled his sword, a flash of cold light, directly knocking the blade out of the assassin’s hand.
The assassin was dumbfounded.
Gu Yuanbai, who had planned this assassination attempt to feign injury and counterattack, was also dumbfounded.
In the moment they locked eyes, Xue Yuan had already rushed over with a murderous aura. Without a weapon, many assassins took advantage of the situation and attacked him, but he fended them off barehanded. In an instant, his body was stained with blood. Xue Yuan’s expression turned grim as he casually picked up a large sword from the ground, swung it behind him, and then extended his iron arm to hold Gu Yuanbai in his embrace.
After embracing Gu Yuanbai, they rushed towards the sweat-soaked warhorse.
Only when Xue Yuan helped Gu Yuanbai mount the horse did he whisper in a suppressed voice, “Xue Yuan—”
That motherfucker was one of his people!
Covered in blood, Xue Yuan held onto Gu Yuanbai’s waist, his arm tightened, and with a fierce tone, he said, “Don’t speak.”
With a flick of the reins, the sweat-soaked warhorse leaped forward, galloping at lightning speed, swiftly leaving the chaotic battlefield behind as if riding the wind.
While still dealing with the assassins, one of the leaders exclaimed with a hoarse voice, “Fire the arrows!”
As a hundred arrows chased after them, the guards hurriedly rushed forward to slay the assassins. Xue Yuan, on horseback, heard the sound of arrows cutting through the air and exerted force to pull the warhorse to a stop. He dismounted and used his sword to cut down the incoming arrows.
With the horses running far away, the leader of the assassins gnashed his teeth. Due to the rushed situation, no one knew if they had injured the Emperor. Now they could only wait for news from the court. He shouted in a stern voice, “Retreat!”
Tian Fusheng was completely bewildered by Xue Yuan’s actions. With no time to think, upon hearing the assassins preparing to retreat, he sneered and loudly proclaimed, “Master Zhang, it’s up to you now!”
The Emperor had said that it would be enough to leave around ten of the assassins alive as messengers. The rest, who dared to show disrespect to the Emperor, should pay with their lives!
Zhang Xu, the captain of the guards, replied with a deep voice, but he was still in a panic. The forest by the field was vast, with countless dangers lurking. What if something went wrong?
He sighed one after another, regretting that he hadn’t secretly reminded Xue Yuan.
Not only Zhang Xu, but others who were already familiar with the plan also panicked. The assassins who had pretended to be involved in the assassination attempt, nearly killed by Xue Yuan, were also in a state of panic.
Tian Fusheng felt even more anxious. But after dealing with the group of assassins, he had to follow the Emperor’s orders and hurriedly return to the palace with his men. The horse carriage sped up, and everyone’s expressions were filled with sorrow. Once they arrived at the palace, a large number of imperial physicians were immediately summoned to the imperial chamber for treatment. The palace attendants in the chamber had solemn expressions, as if blood was being carried out of the hall in basins.
In less than half a day, news of the Emperor being attacked and injured during the visit to the countryside spread within a certain range.
No one was allowed to enter the palace to visit, but this calculated move was not meant to incite panic among the officials of the court. Therefore, Tian Fusheng dispatched people to visit every household and reassure them that the Emperor was fine, having only experienced some fright and minor injuries.
At the same time, officials from the Ministry of State Affairs and the Supervisory Council emerged. The Vice Minister and the Supervisory Councilor graciously received the national affairs that the Emperor held in his hands. The composure and calmness of these two ministries were like two large stones that pacified the officials of the court.
As the trusted confidants of the Emperor and the heads of government and military affairs, along with the Surveillance Department and the Dongling Guards, they naturally knew what the Emperor was planning. Following the Emperor’s instructions, they suppressed the unrest before it could rise, proceeding with everything in an orderly and calm manner.
But to those who participated in the Jiashen Society, this calmness appeared to be nothing more than a facade of peace.
With a hundred assailants attacking, only a dozen survived in the end. The outcome of this assassination attempt was unbelievably catastrophic, a result that no one had anticipated. The leader of the assassins had already despaired, but upon hearing the news from the court, that despair turned into ecstatic joy.
The Emperor was injured!
They spent a large sum of money to gather information from inside the palace. After learning that the faces of the people in the imperial chamber were solemn and the imperial physicians were uneasy, and seeing blood being carried out from the palace, they could hardly hold back their laughter.
This was not a minor injury!
It was clearly a severe injury that would shake the court!
The leader of the assassins burst into laughter. “The dog Emperor must have been hit by our arrows while being protected and fleeing!”
Others were equally excited. “The archers who were killed by the Emperor’s lap dogs have been killed! Sir, we must avenge them!”
“We must seek revenge,” the leader of the assassins laughed harshly. “Since the dog Emperor is injured, he won’t have the energy to manage South Jinghu and Jiangnan. He might even lose his life. We must hurry back and report to our general. We should seize this opportunity to make these two regions completely ours, the Jiashen Society’s territory!”
Gu Yuanbai’s face turned wooden, his black hair wrapped in the wind. Xue Yuan emanated a bloody smell, mixed with the aura of killing and determination forged between the flashes of blades and sword shadows.
After a while, Gu Yuanbai resigned himself to the situation and could only silently pray for the plan to proceed as he desired. He took the initiative to say, “Are you injured?”
Xue Yuan, who was always attentive to any movement around them, replied with a bloody tone, “I’m fine.”
Once he was sure that no one was following behind him, Xue Yuan slowly pulled on the reins and stopped the horse, which was galloping in delight. The horse let out a neigh, and Xue Yuan dismounted, leading the horse towards a tree.
His body was covered in bloodstains, but it was unclear whether it belonged to others or himself. His voice was hoarse, perhaps due to having killed so many people. A chilling aura surrounded him, making him resemble an evil spirit crawling out from hell, gloomy and oppressive.
Gu Yuanbai looked at the several gashes on Xue Yuan’s body caused by swords and blades, as well as the minor wounds on his sleeves from the arrows. His expression was complex.
Gu Yuanbai never expected Xue Yuan to come to his rescue in such a reckless manner.
When Xue Yuan ran towards him, his expression was terrifying, bordering on ferocious. He didn’t even have a weapon in his hand, yet he took determined steps without hesitation.
That blood-filled gaze was something Gu Yuanbai couldn’t forget with just one glance. It clearly conveyed the message: Whoever dares to touch Gu Yuanbai will die.
The overwhelming killing intent, honed on countless battlefields, startled the “assassins” who had attempted to kill Gu Yuanbai. Gu Yuanbai also noticed Xue Yuan’s expression, a furious and ferocious anger that seemed capable of incinerating everything, which momentarily stunned him.
In that moment of distraction, Xue Yuan swept him up onto the horse.
Why did he risk his life to save him like this?
Gu Yuanbai pondered, finding it hard not to doubt whether Xue Yuan’s professed loyalty to the Emperor was genuine.
…It was difficult not to question it, but the reality was right in front of him.No matter how many calculations were made, no one could have predicted that Xue Yuan would act this way.
Gu Yuanbai sighed silently. Xue Yuan tied the horse’s reins to a tree, stretching his shoulders and flexing the muscles on his back. He remained gloomy, resembling the fiercest bandit leader on a bandit-infested mountain, devoid of any official demeanor.
Xue Yuan turned around and reached out his hand towards Gu Yuanbai, who said, “I can get down by myself.”
However, Xue Yuan approached silently, treating Gu Yuanbai as if he were a precious treasure that had nearly been lost, and lifted him down.
Once he held Gu Yuanbai, he didn’t let go, and some of the fresh blood on him smeared onto Gu Yuanbai’s body. Gu Yuanbai said, “Put me down.”
Xue Yuan’s brows furrowed, his face impassive and silent.
Gu Yuanbai repeated one last time, “Xue Yuan.”
“Your Majesty,” Xue Yuan finally parted his lips. His lips had already become cracked and scabbed, his voice hoarse and parched. “Didn’t you notice, Your Majesty? You frightened this humble servant.”
Gu Yuanbai paused, remaining silent for a moment, then said, “There’s no need for that.”
Xue Yuan wanted to laugh, so he did.
What’s the point of saying there’s no need?
Who the hell could know?
Xue Yuan placed Gu Yuanbai on a clean rock and went to inspect the things hastily brought on the horse. He had a large knife and a dagger on him, and the horse carried a bag of water pouches. Other than that, there was nothing else.
Gu Yuanbai stood up and looked around. In the deep forest, trees covered the sky, and the sound of birds and insects filled the air. He glanced around and fixed his gaze on an old tree, walking up to it and pulling off the clinging Usnea.
Xue Yuan followed, lifting his eyelids to take a glance. “What’s this?”
“Usnea,” Gu Yuanbai replied in a flat tone, continuing to gather the moss. “It can stop bleeding and detoxify. It’s a useful thing.”
There were only the two of them here, so it was evident who it was for. Xue Yuan’s tense body relaxed slightly. He looked at the side profile of Gu Yuanbai, his mind still filled with the image of the large blade coming towards Gu Yuanbai just moments ago.
The sharp blade, about to strike Gu Yuanbai.
A piercing sound reached his ears, and Gu Yuanbai followed the source. It turned out to be Xue Yuan’s hand inadvertently pressing down on the knife handle, causing it to scrape against the scabbard, creating a continuous sharp noise.
“Xue Yuan?”
Xue Yuan stared at Gu Yuanbai absentmindedly, not hearing him.
Gu Yuanbai removed his hand from the knife handle.
Xue Yuan snapped out of his thoughts and took off his blood-stained outer garment, revealing several knife wounds that were still bleeding. Gu Yuanbai placed the usnea on his wounds, and the light green usnea became stained with red blood. Xue Yuan remained silent as Gu Yuanbai treated the prominent wounds on his body. Gu Yuanbai asked, “Are there any more?”
Xue Yuan lifted his inner garment, revealing another bloody wound on his side.
Compared to him, Gu Yuanbai only had some of Xue Yuan’s blood on him.
Gu Yuanbai personally applied medicine to Xue Yuan, sighing inwardly.
The antagonist’s army sent someone to assassinate him, and he used the assassination attempt to his advantage, but he couldn’t tell Xue Yuan about it.
Except for his trusted confidants, no one else could know.
Because behind this assassination attempt was Gu Yuanbai’s plan to force those people to rebel and target the powerful Lords.
The situation within the Jiashen Society was currently in chaos. They had few troops and limited food supply. Their leader, Xu Xiongyuan, lacked strategic acumen but was extremely arrogant. Although he could put on a show of appearing respectful and deferential, his inherent greed made him prioritize personal interests above all else.
The reason he followed Lu Feng was that Lu Feng provided him with a lot of gold and silver. Now, as long as there was money and food, he dared to crush the powerful landlords for these things.
In ancient times, there was a term called “military disaster.”
A military disaster was a calamity akin to locusts. This was a disaster initiated by Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty. When Liu Bang was conquering the world, he was extremely impoverished, and his peasant army was a group of rogues. In order to obtain military pay and rewards for his soldiers, every time he captured a city, he would let his soldiers plunder everything in the city.
The lands, crops, gold and silver of the powerful landlords, as well as the women and food of ordinary families, were looted. Some soldiers, driven by rage, would even kill ordinary people to vent their frustrations.
That was a military disaster.
If you wanted to maintain strict discipline in the army, ancient soldiers could only rely on military pay to establish a complete system of discipline and create a well-trained army. But without military pay, why would soldiers risk their lives for you?
The Jiashen Society, which lacked military pay, would also act in the same way. In the chaos of the South Jinghu region, the powerful landlords were never their partners. They would directly seize everything from the landlords. If they were already planning to rebel and didn’t care about the emperor, why would they care about the landlords? They would seize the wealth of the landlords, continue to expand their troops, conquer one city after another, and ideally trample all the powerful landlords. This way, the new dynasty would be clean and free from the control of powerful landlords and aristocratic clans, just like Liu Bang’s situation.
The imperial troops were the royal army, an army of benevolence and righteousness. They couldn’t resort to the robbery and banditry of rebellious forces. Some things required using others as a tool to achieve the desired results.
And if the Jiashen Society didn’t rebel, the powerful landlords would become local overlords. They enslaved the tenants in their lands, collected taxes for their own use, controlled the government, and built their own little kingdoms. Over time, the imperial court would weaken, the country would crumble, uprisings would occur everywhere, and more importantly, there were hostile foreign powers eyeing their country.
After being the emperor for three and a half years and holding power for half a year, Gu Yuanbai clearly saw the flaws in the Daheng Dynasty. He truly wanted to be a good emperor and genuinely wanted to create a prosperous and peaceful era.
But here’s the problem.
Is it better to promote the rebellion of the antagonist’s army now, causing the people of two provinces to suffer from military disaster in order to uproot the powerful landlords and curb their momentum? Or is it better to let the entire Da Heng Dynasty fall into turmoil in the next twenty or thirty years?
Neither option was good.
Between controllable disasters in two provinces versus future chaos throughout the entire Da Heng Dynasty, Gu Yuanbai didn’t know how others would choose, but he had chosen to secretly promote the development of the rebel forces. Before making this decision, he had doubted and hesitated, feeling that he was too cold and ruthless. But indecisiveness was not in Gu Yuanbai’s character.
He had made this decision half a year ago, so now he would make the greatest effort and plan meticulously to protect the people of these two provinces, but that was all he could do.
The situation of a country does not tolerate an emperor’s indecisiveness. The conscience of a modern person must be suppressed to match the conscience of an ancient emperor at this time.
Perhaps the protagonist and the antagonist in the original text also made the same choice.
But this kind of matter couldn’t be discussed with a minister. Regardless of whether Xue Yuan had genuine loyalty to the emperor or whether he would remain loyal to Gu Yuanbai in the future, Gu Yuanbai would never disclose such matters to him.
After a while, the bleeding stopped. Gu Yuanbai felt a bit heavy-hearted. He casually sat down, and after Xue Yuan put on his clothes, he approached and asked in a hoarse voice, “Are you uncomfortable?”
Gu Yuanbai casually replied, “No.”
Xue Yuan leaned closer, chuckling softly, “I don’t believe you, Your Majesty.”
Gu Yuanbai glanced at him lightly, and Xue Yuan sat down beside him, saying, “Since Your Majesty is not in a good mood, let me tell you an amusing story.”
Even with his own injuries, he still wanted to cheer up Gu Yuanbai. Gu Yuanbai felt like he was oppressing his ministers, so he touched his nose and smiled helplessly, saying, “Just take care of yourself.”
Seeing him smile, Xue Yuan suggested, “Your Majesty, the sun is setting, and it might be nightfall on the way back. It’s not safe to ride in the woods at night. How about finding a cave nearby and spending the night here?”
Gu Yuanbai nodded and stood up, saying, “Let’s go.”
The luck of the two was good. After riding for a while, they found a dry cave not far from a stream. Inside the cave, there was a grass bed and a dirty blanket, probably a cave where a hunter occasionally rested.
Xue Yuan went to find some firewood and looked at the nearby flowing stream. Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. “Your Majesty, would you like to wash your face?”
Gu Yuanbai replied, “No need.”
At this point, he didn’t care about anything anymore and added, “You are injured, so you shouldn’t wash either.”
Xue Yuan obediently replied, “Yes.”
After tidying up the cave, Gu Yuanbai and Xue Yuan strolled through the jungle to find some wild fruits to eat. Gu Yuanbai came across several snake berries and picked a few, but when he looked up, he saw Xue Yuan jumping down from a tall tree with a bunch of wild fruits in his arms. With a casual glance, Gu Yuanbai suddenly froze, his tone stern, “Don’t move!”
Xue Yuan immediately stopped in his tracks, furrowing his brow and speaking calmly, “Snake?”
A slender snake was sticking its head out from behind the branches, staring intently at Xue Yuan’s neck.
Short and thin tail, colorful patterns on its body, triangular-shaped head—it was a venomous snake!
Gu Yuanbai dropped the snake berries from his hand, took out a small crossbow from his sleeve, loaded it with a good arrow, and raised his arm, aiming at the venomous snake.
Xue Yuan still had the leisure to laugh and said, “Your Majesty, please don’t shoot me.”
“Shut up,” Gu Yuanbai’s eyes were sharp, and he slowly approached, “Don’t speak.”
The sound of the whooshing arrow would startle the venomous snake, so it was best to get closer and deliver a fatal blow before it could react. Squinting his eyes, Gu Yuanbai aimed three short arrows at the snake’s head, seven inches down its body, and its tail.
Xue Yuan appeared relaxed, but his entire body was already tense. One of his hands moved towards his dagger. Just as the two of them held their breath and focused, a rabbit suddenly darted through the grass!
Gu Yuanbai thought to himself, “This is bad,” and almost in the next second, he activated the crossbow. The three arrows flew through the air towards the venomous snake. However, the snake was startled by the rabbit’s movement and lunged towards Xue Yuan’s neck.
Almost simultaneously, Xue Yuan turned around and swung his dagger. At the moment the arrows hit the snake, he had already cut it in half.
The snake convulsed on the ground and died completely. Gu Yuanbai breathed a sigh of relief, his features relaxed. He asked, “Are you injured?”
Xue Yuan lowered his head and glanced at his forearm, sighing.
Just as Gu Yuanbai approached him, his eyelid suddenly twitched.
“Your Majesty, I’ve been bitten,” Xue Yuan said, “It tore my clothes.”
Veins bulged on Gu Yuanbai’s forehead. He endured it, but couldn’t hold back and angrily shouted, “Why the fuck didn’t you say so earlier?”
