The Heavens: A Qing, the Yue Girl at the beginning

"With so many noble children dead, is it really okay?"

Using telescopes, it was observed that several marquisates had been destroyed, with only a few maids and servants left. Ji Tianxue, who was standing by, was also shocked: "Even the noble families whose ancestors had made great contributions to the late emperor were not spared. This incident may cause a huge wave and trigger countless attacks and impeachments!"

"Most people will not investigate what serious crime the deceased committed, or what kind of lawlessness and deception behind it. As long as someone seizes on the killing of the descendants of meritorious officials and spreads this chilling fact wantonly, and misleads the common people, it will become a crisis that is difficult to resolve!"

"Public opinion is surging, and the multitude of opinions can melt gold. In the court, the in-laws and old friends of the family will certainly unite to attack. Not only will they turn the tables and claim that the relevant evidence is a deliberate fabrication in an attempt to eliminate dissidents, they will also take this opportunity to demand that the murderer be severely punished in order to uphold the law."

"If they collude with those ambitious royal children and instigate the army and the people to launch a coup d'état in the name of maintaining Chu's traditions and the honor of meritorious officials, then Yingdu will surely fall into greater chaos, and the Chu Dynasty will be in danger. This is exactly what the Qin people are trying to do to sow discord!"

"How can you say I've fallen into a trap? What does the Qin's plan have to do with me?" Zhao Qing raised his head slightly, his expression calm: "I only care about whether the established goal has been achieved, and those who have caused chaos in the workshop and betrayed Chu and joined Qin. If I shrink back because of a little criticism, the Great Chu will be in real danger."

"If there is anyone who dares to 'clear the court' and wants to kill me, even if he gathers a million troops and tens of millions of people, or even lets the Qin army in, I will not be afraid even if I fight alone with only one sword. If there is injustice, I will be the one who does it. If there is injustice, I will be the one who does it!"

"Kill until the enemy is scared and surrenders?" Ji Tianxue frowned. "Regardless of whether you really have the ability to pacify the world with a sword, the means of killing are too bloody and too direct. How can you stop the public from talking about it? How will people in the future comment on such brutal behavior?"

"Heaven is benevolent and teaches people etiquette; Heaven punishes those who are guilty and punishes them." Zhao Qing smiled leisurely: "I will not forcefully block the mouths of others. I only do what I think is right. For the Chu State and the world, these people are cancer, and naturally I have to cut out the cancer."

"In addition, in this operation, I temporarily only dealt with those high-ranking nobles who had no strong backers and no close ties with the Great Chu royal family or military generals. Killing the chicken to scare the monkeys will not cause too much backlash. Then I will slowly divide and disintegrate them and defeat them one by one."

She did not continue her story, but instead made a remote move and brought hundreds of thousands of golden elixirs in front of her. With several flashes of light, they intertwined and entangled with each other, gradually condensing into the shape of a ten-foot-long green phoenix, with misty incense filling the air and auspicious clouds lingering.

Then, Zhao Qing rode on it directly. The blue phoenix raised its head to the sky and let out a long cry, which shook the clouds. Then it soared towards the direction of the Chu Palace in the east. Its body was agile, and it left a brilliant light and shadow wherever it passed.

The furnace of heaven and earth hanging high above Yingdu had disappeared behind the clouds, but its blazing flames were still burning. It was still constantly smelting new dan mercury sword pills, endowing them with spirituality, and preparing for the next plan.

For Zhao Qing, her previous planning was to seek the upper limit of the harvest, so she compromised on many things and focused on tolerance, persuasion, improvement and correction. But now, in order to maintain the lower limit of the harvest, she had to clear up everything and no longer tolerate it.

What actual contributions did the meritorious nobles of the feudal dynasty make to the people of the world? They were just meritorious to one family and one surname, so if they were destroyed, they would be destroyed. Anyway, Zhao Qing was just temporarily using the name of the Great Chu Dynasty to act, so he couldn't control too much.

The west gives birth to dryness, and dryness gives birth to metal. Its virtue is cleanliness, its transformation is tight and restrained, its politics is strong and sharp, its orders are dry, its changes are severe and murderous, and its disaster is the fall of the earth.

……

In the twilight, a dim light shone through the slightly opened door of the Golden Throne Hall in the Great Chu Imperial Palace, like the slightly opened mouth of a monster.

This temple is one of the greatest buildings in human history so far. Every detail in it, even the reliefs on every beam, took a top craftsman decades of hard work. It is so gorgeous and majestic that it is hard for ordinary people to imagine.

At this moment, thousands of ministers of different ranks gathered in this palace, which looked slender from the outside but extremely spacious inside, and each sat in his own seat.

Their respectful gazes were all directed towards the Emperor of Chu who was leaning on the dragon throne in the distance. A strange light flickered in the depths of their eyes, containing awe, expectation, and a hint of imperceptible uneasiness.

There was not a trace of wind, but the hanging beaded curtains seemed to be moved by some breath, gently hitting each other and making crisp sounds, "ding ding dang dang", which echoed long and long in the silent hall, like ringing an ominous alarm bell.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, a minister slowly stepped out, wearing a tall crown, dressed in gorgeous clothes, holding a jade scepter in his hand, with a confident smile on his face, as if he was confident that he could resolve the current predicament.

He bowed deeply, raised the jade tablet above his head with both hands, and then said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don't know whether I should say it or not."

The Emperor of Chu raised his eyebrows slightly, casually fiddled with the two jade seals with his left hand, and waved his sleeves with his right hand, motioning him to continue.

The minister coughed lightly and said slowly: "Your Majesty, although this disaster is serious, I think some things should not be investigated too deeply. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish; if the person is too careful, there will be no followers. Sometimes, appropriate concealment and whitewashing are also for the purpose of maintaining the stability of the overall situation."

The King of Chu put down the jade seal, looking somewhat displeased: "Tell me your reasons."

The minister nodded, his expression solemn: "Your Majesty, have you ever heard of the stories of 'The Old Woman's Wisdom' and 'The Spear and the Sword'? Sometimes, pursuing the truth too much can be counterproductive." In order to enhance his persuasiveness, he began to describe these two examples in detail:

"About sixty or seventy years ago, in the territory of Qianjiang County of our dynasty, there was an old woman living in a mountain village who accidentally obtained an incomplete cultivation method. She found a private school teacher in a nearby town to teach her how to read and understand the sentences, and practiced on her own. She unexpectedly entered the Fourth Realm by accident, and it only took her a few years."

"Then, a master who passed by discovered her talent and thought that the old woman was a rare genius in cultivation. So he corrected and supplemented her cultivation methods, and taught her some secrets on identifying acupoints and opening the orifices, and concentrating the five energies. He thought that the old woman might even have a chance to become his last disciple."

“But no one expected that, knowing that she had been circulating Qi and Meridians incorrectly and breathing randomly, the old woman was terrified and confused, and soon fell into a state of obsession. Her cultivation level plummeted, and she never made any progress from then on. She could only stay in the third realm for the rest of her life.”

"It is precisely because she learned the truth that she lost her original naturalness and purity, and lost her mindset that conformed to the principles of the energy of heaven and earth. She wanted to put the seemingly chaotic but actually delicately balanced true energy flow in her body back on track, but ended up causing a major collapse that affected the entire body."

The minister paused, and seeing that the Emperor of Chu was listening attentively, he continued, "More than a decade ago, Chu Youyun, the nephew of Master Chu Qifeng of Tiangong Pavilion, who also reached the level of 'Saint Hand', once privately organized some competitions to test the performance of his own workshop's products. Your Majesty may have heard of this."

"At that time, he found two young men with the same cultivation and fighting power, and gave them a sword and a spear respectively. Although the sword was not good-looking, it was made by Chu Youyun himself; and although the spear was exquisite and gorgeous, it was made by an ordinary craftsman in the workshop."

"However, when informing the two men of the origins of their weapons, Chu Youyun deliberately reversed the facts, saying that the sword was made by an ordinary craftsman, while the spear was made by him personally. As a result, in the contest between the two sides, the spearman actually won in a narrow victory. After that, they competed several more times, and it became easier and easier for the spearman to win."

"Why is that?" The Emperor of Chu could not help but ask. "Your Majesty, please understand." The minister bowed, bending deeper than before: "Sometimes, a person's mentality and beliefs are often more important than actual weapons. And the formation of mentality is closely related to the truth that a person knows."

"So using appropriate lies and misleading information is also an emergency measure to stimulate potential."

"When the spearman learned that the spear in his hand was made by a master, his confidence increased, his fighting spirit was high, and even the circulation of his true energy became more flexible and changeable; while the swordman thought that he was holding an ordinary weapon, he was afraid before the battle and did not dare to fight head-on. The more frustrated he was, the more he believed in this."

"In view of this, Tiangong Pavilion just realized that when testing the performance of weapons, it is necessary to eliminate the interference of psychological factors as much as possible, and it is best to conduct it without the knowledge of both parties. Therefore, the rigorous and fair testing process was later established."

After telling the two stories, the minister took a deep breath, looked directly into the eyes of the Emperor of Chu, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, now the people in the court and the country, inside and outside Yingdu, are all panicked because of what happened today. If we delve deeper, it will only make more people feel uneasy and fearful."

"I think the most urgent task is to stabilize people's hearts and restore order, rather than obsessing over the truth. It is best not to disclose some details of this disaster to the public, and to prioritize the dignity and stability of the court, so as to provide the people with a relatively safe environment."

"As long as Your Majesty can show magnanimity, I believe that those families and forces affected will be grateful for the court's kindness and serve Your Majesty more loyally."

As soon as these words were spoken, a chorus of agreement was heard in the Golden Palace.

Many officials nodded in agreement, thinking that what he said made sense and his proposal was very pertinent. They whispered to each other, and the tension on their faces gradually eased.

"How ridiculous!" Before the minister could return to the queue and sit down, Fan Wugui slapped the table in front of him heavily. With a loud "bang", the teacups on the table jumped up.

He stood up and began to argue: "Trying to suppress the disaster in every possible way can indeed help our dynasty to maintain stability for a while, but this matter can be concealed from the people of Da Chu, but how can it be concealed from the Qin spies and Qin army who planned this?"

"'The old woman's wisdom is broken', 'The spear and the sword are only the mind'? Haha, the current Great Chu has already reached the state of the old woman in the first story who went astray and fell into a state of decline. It is truly weak, not the temporary balance before the problem was pointed out. How can it possibly revive and recover its cultivation level because of a new lie?"

"General Fan is wrong! So what if we can't hide it from the Qin? At least we can try to hide it from the Qi and Yan dynasties, so that they won't immediately have the intention of taking advantage of the situation. It can also buy some time for our Great Chu to breathe and recover."

Another important official in a purple robe, who was obviously of a high rank, spoke up. He obviously agreed with the previous official's point of view, thinking that the overall situation should be given priority at the moment, and that everything that could be concealed should be concealed as much as possible. He took the initiative to stand up and spoke in a deep voice:
"Our Great Chu is now facing many difficulties. If we can get some peace for a while, we can plan for the future. This is a temporary solution. The case of corruption in the workshop is not only related to the Qin Dynasty. Qi and Yan can also benefit indirectly from it. If we force them too much..."

"If you're being pushed too far, are you going to rebel?" In the meeting hall, a clear young girl's voice interrupted the man's words. It was Zhao Qing's spokesperson, Xia Mi, who had been strolling around Yingdu these days. She was sent here in advance to participate in the meeting and act accordingly:
"Out there, there's already a bloodbath and families are being destroyed. Haven't you guys heard the news yet?"

"What?" As soon as Xia Mi said this, there was an uproar in the Golden Palace, and many people showed a look of astonishment.

Even Fan Wugui and the important official who was arguing with Fan Wugui all looked at Xia Mi with horrified expressions: "Miss, what do you mean by this?"

"The meaning is very simple. My 'Master' personally took action and quickly eliminated those who were involved in the arson case, the workshop fraud and corruption, and the assessment fraud. Now, in Yingdu, not including those who are discussing matters in the palace, all the noble children and officials who deserved the punishment have been executed."

Xia Mi smiled slightly, jumped onto the table in front of her, looked around at the panicked and terrified ministers, her black and shiny ponytail swaying constantly, stretched out her index finger, picked it up, and calmly reminded:

"As for which families and mansions were wiped out, the children of officials who were deeply involved, and those who committed crimes and violated the law, I'm sure many of the adults present here should be able to guess a thing or two and have an idea in their minds."

She concealed a hypnotic power in her voice and secretly released the realm of the spirit of words, causing many people to immediately accept this tragic and exaggerated fact, believe it without a doubt, and have a fierce reaction that was difficult to conceal.

"This... this is simply crazy!" A minister trembled, cold sweat dripping down his cheeks, and couldn't help shouting in a trembling voice: "Killing officials in the capital wantonly and annihilating nobles, how dare she do this? So many people died at once, isn't she afraid of causing chaos in the world?"

"Too brutal!" Another courtier also looked horrified, fell to the ground, shook his head, and echoed: "This move will surely arouse the anger and backlash of countless people, and may even provoke a mutiny and civil unrest. She is destroying her own foundation!"

"I think she wants to cover up everything and put her will above your majesty's. This is really treasonous!" Another minister gritted his teeth and said, with a gleam of resentment in his eyes: "How is this behavior different from that of the Qin people? She is pushing the Great Chu Dynasty into an abyss of no return!"

"Her wolfish ambitions are obvious! We must take her down immediately!" Someone was extremely angry and stared at Xia Mi not far away with red eyes, his hand on the scabbard at his waist: "And this witch, kill her together to set things right! Only by cutting her into pieces can I relieve my hatred!"

The Golden Throne Hall was in chaos, with ministers discussing and arguing with each other. Some were filled with anger, some were panic-stricken, and some were silent, thinking to themselves. The slender-waisted palace maids standing in the distance held their breath, lowered their heads, and kept silent, fearing that something might happen.

Xia Mi sat on the table, quietly listening to the accusations and curses of these people, with a smile on her face, as if these words did not hurt her at all. She did not even look at the minister who threatened to kill her, but just said a few words lightly:
"You gentlemen are so 'filled with righteous indignation'. Do you think that those who are corrupt, pervert the law, and betray their country should not be killed? Or have you already determined that the people in your family have committed too many crimes and cannot be spared? You regard me and the 'Master' as enemies who have killed our relatives and families, and want us to pay with our lives?"

"How about this! I'll listen to your previous opinions and both sides will take a step back. Whether it's the arson case, the corruption in the workshop, or this serial murder case, don't pursue them further! The majesty of the court is the most important thing in everything. We can't let the trap be revealed in front of the people and the outside court, which will affect our mentality."

"After all, as you said, sometimes, appropriate concealment and whitewashing are indeed for the purpose of maintaining the stability of the overall situation, right? As long as my 'Master' and I never mention these things again from now on, I believe you will be able to turn hostility into friendship and reach a reconciliation on this matter."

Xia Mi jumped down from the table lightly, her movements like a clever kitten, and slowly walked to the official who liked to give examples at the beginning, and asked with a smile: "My lord, what do you think of my proposal? Are you willing to reach this little tacit understanding with me?"

The official felt guilty when Xia Mi stared at him. His eyes wandered, not daring to look her in the face. He still said firmly, "Humph, you have committed such a heinous crime, and you still want to just brush it off? You are just daydreaming! I tell you, there is no such thing in the world!"

Xia Mi smiled lightly, turned around and walked towards the next important official who was speaking. "So, old sir, what do you think? Do you want to continue pursuing this matter and fight to the death with us, or stop here and maintain the stability of the court and Yingdu?"

Facing Xia Mi's question, the purple-robed important official frowned, pondered for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "This matter is of great importance, and it is not something I can decide alone. However, if it can ensure the stability of the court and Yingdu, perhaps we can consider..."

...(End of chapter)