Chapter 035: "Seek Common Ground While Reserving Differences"
Before Wei Wanlan had a chance to look at the man’s appearance, his ears were filled with the rapid-fire sound of the man’s words, crashing like a storm of bamboo being struck by rain:
"Since the implementation of the Yushi (Censorate) system, over a thousand corrupt officials have been arrested throughout the various regions in just over a month."
"I admit this has greatly benefited the court and the common people."
"But I’ve heard rumors: A person can attend court in the morning in front of the Regent, have their midday meal, and if they are still alive by evening, their entire family celebrates."
"Is this really the kind of court we want?"
"Steal fifty taels and you’re killed. Steal five hundred taels and you’re killed. Whether it’s five thousand or fifty thousand taels, the result is still death."
"Wouldn’t this lead officials who’ve only taken five coins to realize they’re doomed and then proceed to completely oppress the people, making things worse?"
"The prisons of the three judicial departments are filled to capacity, and Hanyuan Hall is filled with mourning ministers."
"Kill a thousand today, two thousand tomorrow, and tens of thousands after that—who would dare become an official anymore? Who would serve the Wei Dynasty?"
"Since the Regent took power, all you’ve relied on are these ruthless, iron-fisted methods. Why not just kill all the officials and replace them with soldiers from the loyal Su family? You wouldn’t even need to establish laws anymore."
"It’d be just like today’s suppression of Qin Zhen’s rebellion: you raise your arm, and the court responds in unison."
"The court will become your one-man show. Whatever you say goes."
The hall fell into stunned silence at these words.
Wei Wanlan: …
What a fierce man!!!
Since being transported into this power-struggle narrative, Wei Wanlan had never seen anyone dare to speak to Su Jingzhi like this.
Even though the man’s speech was so fast that Wei Wanlan couldn’t fully follow his logic, he was completely impressed by his tone and courage, as well as his ability to stay rational in front of the great villain.
Wei Wanlan was utterly in awe of this brave soul.
How come when this guy opens his mouth, he can spit out words like a machine gun, but when I face Su Jingzhi, all I can do is cry? The gap between people really shouldn’t be this wide!
Wei Wanlan glanced at the brave man again.
The Regent’s voice sounded in his ear.
It was calm, neither rushed nor slow, but each word landed with the weight of a thousand pounds:
"What does it mean to use severe laws in times of chaos? How many times did the previous dynasty’s attempts to punish corruption amount to nothing more than a superficial effort?"
"Is stealing one coin not considered corruption?"
"You acknowledge that this benefits the court and the people, yet you vehemently oppose it. What are your true intentions?"
The brave man fell silent, albeit briefly.
In that short silence, Wei Wanlan realized the man had been stumped by Su Jingzhi’s words and was searching for a response.
Wei Wanlan had thought the Regent would become enraged and simply order the man’s execution.
But instead, the villain calmly reasoned with him—after the man had said so much, Su Jingzhi had only responded with three sentences!!!
Then the brave soul found new words to counter the Regent, and the debate resumed, with both sides locked in a fierce verbal duel.
Wei Wanlan couldn’t get a word in edgewise. He was entirely a passive observer.
The criteria for determining the winner were simple:
Whoever spoke less.
Whoever maintained a calmer expression.
Whoever left the other speechless first.
Wei Wanlan’s eyes darted back and forth, like a small owl caught between two predators.
Even the system, which was usually quick to interrupt, was now fully focused on processing the intense debate between the Regent and the brave man, not bothering to disturb Wei Wanlan.
As for Wei Wanlan’s simple brain, he was completely overwhelmed after just a few rounds. It felt like countless words were being hurled at him.
He scratched his head, feeling dazed and dizzy from the exchange.
Some people say one of the highlights of the Battle of Red Cliff was the "verbal sparring with scholars." But here, with only two people, they were tossing around more historical references and examples than an entire street full of scholars could manage.
In the end, the debate reached no conclusion.
The Regent’s brows furrowed slightly, clearly unwilling to listen to the other man’s nonsense any longer.
The brave man, realizing that he hadn’t won the argument and faced a vast power disparity, began to sense the looming threat to his life.
Suddenly, the brave man turned his head and threw a question at Wei Wanlan, who had been watching intently:
"—Why didn’t Your Majesty look directly at the ministers when they fainted?"
His tone was eight times sharper than before.
His gaze locked onto Wei Wanlan’s still-youthful face, questioning him so quickly that there was no time to think.
Caught completely off guard, Wei Wanlan straightened up, blinked, and answered honestly: "I… I was a little scared."
"What are you doing!!!!"
404’s reaction nearly deafened Wei Wanlan with its roar:
"Both of them are incredibly smart. I’m barely keeping up with the logic, and now you’ve let yourself get tricked! The brave man has just manipulated you into opposing the Regent."
Wei Wanlan quickly covered his ears with his dragon robe.
But this only made him appear even more frightened.
The once harmonious atmosphere of the court seemed to shatter with that one simple statement.
The mood in the hall became even more tense...
"What was all that hand-holding along the Dragon Tail Path, then? An act?"
"Mutual respect between the ruler and his ministers?"
"Looks like the little emperor is almost scared to death by the Regent! It’s impressive he kept up the act for so long!"
"Exactly! The poor boy was resting peacefully in the palace, but now he’s dragged out by Su Jingzhi to face bloodshed every day. How could he not be scared?"
"And now that he’s blurted out the truth, the emperor doesn’t support the Regent’s methods. He’s as good as dead!"
In that instant, Wei Wanlan felt as though he could hear the thoughts of the court ministers.
But when he strained to listen, he heard nothing.
From the early morning assembly until now, the situation in Chang’an, which had just stabilized, suddenly seemed to grow turbulent again.
Wei Wanlan sat on pins and needles, cold sweat running down his back, even his scalp, which had just been hot and feverish, now felt icy.
Su Jingzhi’s lips pressed together tightly, his posture even more rigid.
His gaze darkened, and his expression was inscrutable.
In his calm tone, there seemed to be a deeper, probing question:
"—Does His Majesty also believe that what I’ve done is wrong?"
Wei Wanlan felt his face freeze.
404’s voice sounded dangerously in his ear:
"I told you on the first day—the Regent is a dictator in this power narrative. The author sacrificed even the romance plotline to establish this! His allure lies in his absolute authority to give or take life."
"He despises political enemies the most! Host, if you answer incorrectly, it will be your death."
…
Wei Wanlan gulped, closing his eyes.
But Su Jingzhi’s gaze felt as though it pierced through his thin eyelids, forcing him to open them and directly answer the Regent’s question.
He was almost petrified with fear.
Yet he couldn’t avoid finishing this round.
This was, after all, his first time attending a grand court assembly. He didn’t want to die, didn’t want to embarrass himself, and certainly didn’t want the court to appear fractured at its core.
So, Wei Wanlan had no choice but to speak.
Stammering, he said:
"I… I think you’re… not entirely right."
Su Jingzhi inhaled lightly.
Wei Wanlan, terrified, quickly tried to explain, his ears trembling:
"—But I think this minister’s point isn’t entirely right either. You both agree that the Yushi system is beneficial, which means it’s a good law, something you both acknowledge. So why are you arguing?"
Since childhood, Wei Wanlan had been slow to anger and grew up in a loving environment. His empathy was strong—he felt for animals, appreciated nature, and admired the people around him.
You could say he was a peaceful little dove.
So, when faced with the question of whether to side with the Regent or the brave man, Wei Wanlan decided that if he had to mediate, he wouldn’t take sides. They should all just be friends.
He thought about it, recalling snippets of the brave man’s speech. From his throne, he carefully chose his words, making sure to smooth things over with the villain:
"I think this minister’s objection isn’t to the system itself. Maybe he doesn’t even realize it, but he seems dissatisfied with the Regent’s temperament…"
Wait! How could he say the villain has a bad temper?
Even if it were true, he couldn’t say that out loud!
So he quickly softened his tone, treating Su Jingzhi like a large, temperamental dog that might explode if spoken to too harshly.
Speaking slowly and gently, he continued:
"If the Regent could be a bit more consistent and transparent in his punishments... Even if the punishments are severe, perhaps he wouldn’t be so opposed to the Yushi system now."
Throughout this speech, Su Jingzhi’s gaze remained fixed on Wei Wanlan.
Wei Wanlan couldn’t read his expression, and his nerves were about to snap.
To make things worse, Xin Buyi, the brave man, nodded thoughtfully and then stepped forward to ask, cupping his hands:
"Your Majesty, please enlighten us further."
He wanted Wei Wanlan to elaborate.
Wei Wanlan’s face flushed red, his throat tightening: System, help! I can’t explain this any further!
404, having listened intently for a while, finally caught up and organized Wei Wanlan’s scattered thoughts.
It guided its host to repeat after it:
"Both sides should seek common ground while reserving differences. The issue lies in the sentencing standards."
"The punishments can be strict, but the sentencing standards must be clearly defined. Only then can the system operate smoothly, without causing panic or leading to rebellions."
"You are all wise ministers and should understand the meaning behind my words."
"Seek common ground while reserving differences?"
When those four words were spoken, the entire court was stunned.
The phrase was concise, powerful, and capable of resolving most disputes.
Wei Wanlan was equally shocked. He had learned that phrase before, but why hadn’t he used it earlier?
The ministers couldn’t help but look at the emperor with newfound respect. The emperor, who had seemed naive and inexperienced, now appeared to possess a depth of wisdom far beyond what they had imagined.
Su Jingzhi’s posture straightened even more, and he let out a faint hum, repeating the phrase slowly:
"…Seek common ground while reserving differences."
But that hum sent a shiver down Wei Wanlan’s spine.
He could only continue trying to smooth over the villain’s fur.
His small brain worked hard:
"Yes, yes, seek common ground while reserving differences."
"I know the Regent is excellent at governing, and I’ve said before that I support you. You just want to scare people so they won’t make mistakes, right?"
"But sometimes, even those of us who haven’t made mistakes… we still feel a teensy, tiny bit of fear. Please, don’t kill people too easily."
Wei Wanlan made a small, delicate gesture with his fingers, his ears drooping.
To the Wei Dynasty’s ministers, the emperor’s initial words had seemed like a sincere attempt to reason with the Regent.
But those last two sentences... They were more like a child throwing a tantrum, pleading with the Regent for leniency.
No one knew how the Regent would respond to this rebellious behavior. After all, the Regent despised political enemies the most. All eyes turned to the emperor, then back to Su Jingzhi, as Hanyuan Hall fell into a brief silence.
After a few moments passed, Su Jingzhi finally spoke, addressing the brave man and the court:
"From today forward, the sentencing standards for corrupt officials exposed by the Yushi system will be clearly defined. The specifics will be decided by the three judicial departments. Xiao Shiren of the Secretariat will draft a decree on behalf of the emperor, publicizing these standards for all to know. After a three-year trial period, this system will be written into the laws of the Wei Dynasty."
"Regent, you are wise!!!"
The ministers praised in unison, and the brave man cupped his hands in respect. They all exhaled deeply in relief.
But what was even more astonishing: the little emperor had actually managed to persuade the Regent to make a concession.
If before, the ministers had shown respect to the emperor out of deference to the Regent, now, hearing the emperor’s brilliant "seek common ground while reserving differences" speech, which deftly resolved the conflict between the Regent and his opposition, they couldn’t help but feel their hearts race.
Their gazes grew even more complex.
—The emperor of Wei, though outwardly naive, was skilled at using softness to overcome hardness, able to bide his time and endure. He was definitely not to be underestimated.
The ministers bowed again: "Long live the emperor!!!"
Ding.
"Host has gained significant prestige in the court. The grand assembly has ended successfully. You’ve earned the system reward of one day’s rest."
Wei Wanlan’s nerves finally started to settle. Hearing the system’s notification, he couldn’t believe it, his ears twitching in excitement as he exclaimed:
"Nice!"
Aww another day's rest for our hard working emperor
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