Longevity begins with slaying demons and eliminating demons

Chapter 563 The emperor is watching you

After the aftermath work came to an end, Gu Xu summoned his subordinates and held a rare meeting.

Gu Xu never liked holding conferences.

He believes that most so-called "brainstorming" meetings are efficiency traps.

Some people made a lot of noise at the meeting, and there was no conclusion for several hours. There was no difference between the meeting being held and the meeting not being held.

Others either lowered their heads and dozed off, or were absentmindedly thinking about the "morning meal" at noon, and just hoped that their superiors could announce the "dismissal" of the meeting earlier.

In contrast, Gu Xu prefers to find a few people with "specialized skills", consult their opinions, and then make decisions quickly.

Only when encountering something significant or involving a wide range of things would he choose to gather everyone together.

The first topic discussed today is, of course, the national title.

As soon as Gu Xu finished speaking, Luo Chuan, who was at the head of the crowd, stepped forward and said the suggestion "Xia". Zhao Changying followed closely and agreed.

"Any other suggestions?"

Gu Xu looked around, his eyes sweeping over everyone.

Since he was promoted to a saint, his power has grown day by day. Anyone who is stared at by him will lower their heads involuntarily, for fear that his sharp gaze will penetrate the secrets in their hearts.

Seeing that everyone was silent, Gu Xu announced that Luo Chuan's memorial had been passed unanimously.

From now on, Gu Xu added the title of "Lord of Xia Kingdom" to the long list of previous titles.

The Grand Master of Qi - no, he should be called the staff Wang Jian now, was also among the ministers at the moment, with his head lowered, and he carefully glanced at the young man on the high seat with his peripheral vision.

Wang Jian has not been in court for decades.

Emperor Tianxing stayed in the palace for a long time and ignored the government affairs, leaving all government affairs to Princess Zhaoning and the cabinet. Every time Wang Jian participated in discussing national affairs, it was basically at the princess residence instead of the palace.

What he saw and heard today gave him a long-lost and unfamiliar feeling.

Then Gu Xu raised a second topic: "Should we pursue the victory and attack Luo Jing?"

Now the ministers were arguing.

A group of people, led by the former Khan of the Grassland, Altan, and the recently resigned Imperial Minister Chu Fengge, believed that now the rebel army - no, Daxia was in full swing, and Emperor Tianxing was seriously injured after losing a projection. We should work hard to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop and end the war as soon as possible.

Another group of people headed by Zhao Changying and Shangguan Jin pointed out that the Luojing Tianlong Formation still existed and the Tai'a Sword was still in the hands of Emperor Tianxing. The fighting power of Emperor Tianxing's body and projection are incomparable, not to mention that he can mobilize the fate of the whole country for his own use through the Tai'a Sword.

Zhao Changying vividly described how terrifying the golden divine thunder summoned by Emperor Tianxing was that almost killed him, and sincerely expressed that with the emperor's astounding speed of improvement, there was no need to rush, the future was destined to belong to the great world. summer. Maybe it only takes a while to accumulate strength, and then we can steadily push Daqi forward.

Shen Qiu, who was responsible for managing money for Gu Xu, also stood up at this moment, expressing with a gloomy face that Daxia's finances were tight and it was difficult to make ends meet to meet the expenses of another war.

Gu Xu quietly listened to everyone expressing their opinions without making a sound or interrupting. He just secretly ordered Luo Chuan to step in to maintain order when necessary to prevent some people from getting too excited and talking endlessly.

"Money is a trivial matter." As soon as Shen Qiu finished speaking, Chu Fengge immediately stood up and retorted, "There was a lot of money in Emperor Xing's inner treasury that day. As long as he entered Luojing and occupied the imperial city, all the money would be gone. is ours."

Hearing his words, Shen Qiu glanced at him as if he were a fool, and said calmly: "Now the money for food supplies in the army, the money for elixirs and magic weapons, the money for rewards for soldiers, and the money for condolences and pensions are all yours." Come out?"

Chu Fengge took a deep breath, intending to fight back without thinking, but then realized that he really couldn't conjure money and food resources out of thin air, so he could only hold his breath back and silently retreated to the team.

Seeing that the "Recuperate Your Energy Faction" was getting stronger and stronger, many officials who had been hesitant at first joined in. For a time, the "Quick Fight and Quick Decision Faction" were almost speechless and retreated steadily.

However, as the referee, Gu Xu has not announced the result of this dispute for a long time, and there is no trace of emotion in his calm eyes.

At this time, Wang Jian noticed that Gu Xu's eyes fell on him.

"Is he suggesting that I come forward to speak?" He frowned slightly, secretly guessing the young monarch's thoughts - this was also a rare experience for him in the North Korea of ​​the King of Qi.

As a mortal, Princess Zhaoning always respected him very much and would never give him such a sense of oppression.

As for Emperor Tianxing... he would not let others express their opinions, and he would rarely let others guess his thoughts; he would only issue orders arbitrarily and then kill all those who were unwilling to execute them.

As the previous official finished speaking and returned to the queue, the lobby suddenly fell into an awkward silence.

Wang Jian thought for a moment, then took a step forward and said: "Emperor, I think we should pursue the victory and capture Luojing as soon as possible."

Although the officials present witnessed with their own eyes the great master of Qi being captured by Luochuan, they also heard that he was inspired by the emperor's personality and chose to abandon darkness and turn to the bright side, determined to serve the emperor.

However, when they actually saw Wang Jian at the meeting and heard him stating his views in front of the emperor like other Daxia officials, they still had an extremely unreal feeling.

The Imperial Master, known as the mainstay of Da Qi, has become a follower of the emperor; four of the former "Five Saints" of Da Qi are now serving under the emperor.

This made more and more people deeply feel that the emperor was really a god who came to the world and was destined to return.

And Wang Jian's opinions were somewhat beyond everyone's expectations - this once the most loyal minister of Da Qi, now he is so eager to see the destruction of Da Qi?

I only heard Wang Jian slowly say: "After the emperor tolerated my sins and allowed me to stay with him and serve him, I disguised myself and visited Liangzhou, Zhaowu, Zhangye and other cities. I saw the officials in various places administering the Qingming Festival. Everyone performs their duties, there is no violation of laws and disciplines, oppression of the people, no indolence in work, arrogance and lewdness, no fighting for power and internal fighting... When tax collectors collect taxes, they will not deliberately kick their heads; every subsidy to the poor people will be It can be delivered to the corresponding person without fail..." Hearing his words, the officials present couldn't help but secretly complain: The emperor is watching us! Anyone who dares to do this may be tired of living and no longer wants his own head.

In their view, although working for Gu Xu and working for Emperor Tianxing both faced tremendous pressure, the sources of the pressure were completely different.

Being an official in Daqi requires them to polish off their edges as quickly as possible and become as oily and slippery as a loach. Your mouth should be sweet and your writing should be gorgeous. Backing up the mountain, finding a way out, taking the blame... are all skills that must be learned. Only in this way can you be promoted and make a fortune, otherwise you will be stepped on by others.

But under Gu Xu's hands, it was a completely different experience.

They can only do the facts conscientiously and do not dare to neglect or slack off.

Although I was tired physically, I felt much relaxed mentally. Because they no longer need to work hard to curry favor, nor do they need to worry about being harmed by the villain’s slander.

As long as you do the job at hand well, you will have the opportunity to be promoted.

"I also saw the common people in the northwest," Wang Jian paused, and continued, "It may be a bit exaggerated to say that every household is well fed, clothed and carefree. But at least, they can cultivate their own land in peace and quiet. With three acres of land, you can seek help from the local government when you encounter trouble, without having to worry that the officials will ignore it or ask for bribes.

“These are undoubtedly the contributions of the emperor and everyone present.

"I know that the emperor is a sage who has the world in mind and great ambitions. Although the territory of Daxia currently only occupies a corner of the wilderness, in the emperor's heart, he should have regarded all the people in the world as his own subjects—— And most of them are still living in dire straits, suffering from demons, monsters and corrupt officials.

"If we spend a few years to rectify the situation in the northwest, those people will have to suffer in the sea of ​​misery for a few more years. Maybe hundreds of thousands of people will become the food of ghosts, or suffer from hunger. Frozen into bones on the roadside.

"Everyone should be aware that morale is a thing that grows rapidly, declines again, and is exhausted three times. Now that Emperor Tianxing has been defeated and Master Jueming has returned to Lingshan Temple, it is the time when the Daqi Dynasty is at its weakest.

"We are accumulating strength in the northwest, and they will also recuperate. If they are allowed to take a breather, there may be more variables.

"Therefore, I implore the emperor to seize the opportunity to pursue the victory and defeat the poor bandits. This morning, the people of the world will be under your protection. All living beings in the wilderness will remember your merits."

Wang Jian's words were high-sounding and dedicated to the public good.

If it were someone else, he might have thought that he was using this to cover up his selfishness and wanted to gain more personal benefits through a quick decision.

But when Wang Jian was a national advisor in Da Qi, he was a self-denying and devoted man. What he said today is quite consistent with his personality.

"Now you finally know that the emperor is the sage with the world in mind," Luo Chuan on the side couldn't help but comment, "Not long ago, who was still shouting loudly to sacrifice his life for that fatuous king Luo Jing? "

"I'm blind." The Imperial Master lowered his head, not wanting to argue with the villainous former head of the Qi Dynasty.

Gu Xu, who was sitting in the main seat in the lobby, finally nodded slightly at this moment, and a hint of approval finally appeared on his calm face.

The change in his demeanor aroused the emotions of everyone present. They couldn't help but speculate: "Did Wang Jian hit the emperor's fancy?"

Some speculators who had not made up their mind at first suddenly took a step forward. While expressing their approval of Wang Jian's words, they claimed passionately that the emperor is the holy master who wins the hearts of the people in the world. The battle must be won.

Only Shen Qiu saw Gu Xu's agitated look and couldn't help but said nervously: "Emperor, our rebels... no, Daxia's money is really not enough!"

If it hadn't been in full view of everyone, Shen Qiu might have rushed forward and grabbed Gu Xu's sleeve, begging the emperor not to be impulsive with tears and snot on his face.

"Shen Jun, don't panic," Gu Xu smiled and comforted Shen Qiu, "Although Daxia's money is not much, it is more than enough to support a war to destroy the country."

Then his eyes fell on Luo Chuan: "Wenchang, tell everyone here what you have done recently!"

Luo Chuan cupped his hands and said: "Emperor, I have recently visited Wensu Mansion, Ganzhou Mansion, and Congling Mansion, which have just surrendered, and found several large sects in the area, such as Danfeng Valley, Mingxin Pavilion, and Bieyun Tower. , and powerful families, such as the Zhang family in Ganzhou and the Wei family in Xuanhe, etc., illegally occupied a large amount of land that should have belonged to local farmers to grow elixirs and sell them at exorbitant prices.

"In addition, they also colluded with the local officials. On the one hand, they concealed information and evaded taxes. On the other hand, they drove up the prices of elixirs and other spiritual resources to amass money crazily, making it difficult for ordinary monks to enter the country for normal practice.

"The head of Danfeng Pavilion has been so extravagant that he has more than 120 dishes for each meal, including not only delicacies from the mountains and seas, but also purple salvia for soup, snake saliva fruit for appetizers, and black gastrodia elata for seasoning.

"The head of Bie Yun Tower rides in a chariot pulled by four deers. He also built six villas with different styles on the mountain and raised seventy-two rooms of beautiful concubines.

"In my opinion, if we thoroughly investigate the illegal income and illegally plundered practice resources of all sects and clans in Daxia, the treasury will be filled in an instant, and we will no longer need to worry about insufficient military expenditures. "

Although Gu Xu had seen through the astrolabe the extravagance and lust of these wealthy clans, when Luo Chuan mentioned it again today, he still couldn't help but feel emotional.

"Even I, the king of the country, can't get together six horses of the same color without mottled colors when traveling in a carriage. I have to use the 'talisman and finishing' technique to rub the horses myself. I only have one wife," he complained in his heart. "But the head of Bie Yun Tower can actually afford to use a rare spiritual beast like Lu Shu to pull the cart, and he even imitated the emperor and raised 'three palaces, six courtyards and seventy-two concubines'."

The life of a dignified and powerful saint in the seventh realm is worse than that of a fat man in the fifth realm.

This made Gu Xu feel that it was really boring to work hard to start a rebellion.

After Luochuan finished speaking, the surrender officials in the mentioned areas were all terrified.

One by one, they fell to their knees and kowtowed: "The emperor clearly shows you! We are not aware of what those villains are doing! There is absolutely no collusion, cover-up or connivance!"

Gu Xu looked at them and said with a faint smile: "Whether we did it or not, we will know after an investigation. If you are really innocent, you will naturally not be punished."

Then, he looked at Luochuan again and ordered: "Wenchang, I leave this matter to you. Your celestial deduction skills can discern the world's affairs. I believe you will not miss any guilty person, nor will you miss any guilty person." Any innocent person will be wronged.”

(End of this chapter)