Li Yucheng

Hearing those words, a faint smile could not help but rise in Xu Yuan's heart. Once such a statement was made, it no longer mattered whether his old man had truly said it back then. If the Crown Prince merely followed up with, "Would you be willing to walk this path with me?", even if the listener did not fall to their knees in immediate allegiance, their heart would inevitably stir with temptation. Unfortunately for him, the person he was attempting to recruit was Xu Yuan. Still, to give credit where credit was due, the Crown Prince's methods of winning people over were indeed far more refined than Li Junqing's. Li Junqing purely painted pies in the sky for you alone, whereas the Crown Prince inserted himself into the picture, sketching a vision where both of them would strive side by side. He made no promises, yet left one longing for it. Smiling inwardly, Xu Yuan turned his mind to how he should respond if the man truly did try to recruit him. Given the character of his current identity, even if he were sorely tempted, he would most likely decline such an outright invitation. After all, this son of the Vice Minister of War was a gentleman, not a scoundrel. The Vice Minister of War belonged to the core faction of the Chancellor's Manor; as his scion, it was impossible not to know this. In other words, if he accepted the olive branch the Crown Prince extended here, it would be equivalent to agreeing to stab his own biological father in the back. Evidently, Li Yucheng had considered this as well. His soft, gentle voice drifted once more through the elegant, quiet private chamber. Instead of attempting a direct recruitment, he asked softly, "Young Master Wang, what do you make of Duke Xu's words?" "..." Hearing this, Xu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly. Asking for his evaluation? Naturally, he thought the words were correct, objective, and hit the nail right on the head. The problem was, could he actually say that? His most basic political instincts told Xu Yuan that, stepping into the persona of the "son of the Vice Minister of War," he could not pass judgment on the realm governed by those two old men. The two who had spoken those words had now become Emperor and Prime Minister respectively. Mentioning such things after achieving supreme success was considered a charming tale of statecraft. But coming from the mouth of the younger generation, it would sound rather treasonous. After all, sitting right before him in the flesh was the current Crown Prince. With Xu Yuan's present identity and character, it was impossible for him to casually pontificate about statecraft to his face, even if the other had brought it up first. Roleplaying required one to get into character first. As these thoughts flickered through his mind, Xu Yuan put on an expression of well-measured hesitation and said in a wavering tone, "Duke Xu's words... what right or qualifications do I have to—" "Young Master Wang is mistaken," Li Yucheng interrupted with a light laugh, smiling as he said, "Tonight's conversation is merely casual talk. We need only speak heart to heart." *That's exactly what I was waiting for you to say.* Xu Yuan smiled inwardly. Roleplaying was troublesome, but getting into character was essential. Letting out a breath, he said, "Since Your Highness is so candid, it would be bashful of me to hold back. However, I must confess that I somewhat disagree with Duke Xu's words." Li Yucheng raised an eyebrow slightly. A flicker of surprise crossed his mild features, followed by a smile. "Young Master Wang, please, speak freely." Xu Yuan took a deep breath and cupped his hands in a formal bow toward the Crown Prince opposite him. "I make bold to ask Your Highness: in your view, what defines an age of peace and prosperity?" Li Yucheng's gentle brows knitted slightly. Brushing his fingertips across the grain of the tea table, he replied casually, "Are you saying that because individuals define an age of peace and prosperity differently, their conclusions will differ as well?" "Yes." "Then in Young Master Wang's view, what is an age of peace and prosperity?" "If there is no peace, how can it be called an age of prosperity?" "..." Li Yucheng did not reply immediately. He raised the porcelain cup before him, took a light sip of the fragrant tea, set it down, and looked at him with profound eyes. "Young Master Wang certainly harbors a heart of concern for the common folk. If you become a pillar of the imperial court in the future, it will be a blessing for the people of Great Yan." He mentioned only concern for the people, not concern for the realm. Clearly, the Crown Prince did not agree with what Xu Yuan had just said. Of course, Xu Yuan didn't agree with it either. He had spoken those words mainly to play the part of the Vice Minister of War's son well. After all, the lesson of blowing his cover in front of Li Junqing last time was still vivid in his memory; he couldn't afford to play himself again. Following the policy of releasing cultivation techniques to the commoners across the realm—which had unleashed productive forces—Great Yan's national strength was countless times greater than it had been in those earlier years. After all, what his old man and Li Yaoxuan had done was not merely open up access to cultivation techniques; they had also opened pathways for commoners to study array patterns, beast taming, building materials, pharmacology, and many other Daoist arts. Decades ago, his old man's assessment of Great Yan was already that it was an age of prosperity. Over the decades since, Great Yan's national strength had expanded to the point where it could fight a civil war while simultaneously sparing hands to combat foreign tribes. If this wasn't an age of prosperity, what was? "This is merely my humble, singular opinion." "Young Master Wang is too modest." Li Yucheng maintained that gentle tone and said softly, "Then in your view, how should this matter of peace be resolved?" *Hah...* Right out of the gate with a question like that? Xu Yuan sighed faintly in his heart and replied softly, "My learning is shallow, and regarding such a difficult problem..." *Tap, tap... tap.* Midway through his sentence, Xu Yuan heard a faint tapping sound. Li Yucheng's expression remained mild, but his fingertips began to rap softly against the tea table before him. Seeing this, Xu Yuan knew he had acted enough. Li Yucheng had made a special trip tonight both to turn him and to assess him. If Xu Yuan continued along that line of false modesty, the Crown Prince would most likely give up on him immediately. One who first made grand, boastful claims overturning the Prime Minister's words, yet could offer no substantive insight when pressed on real-world affairs, was someone not worth recruiting at all. On the other hand, deliberately holding back under the guise of humility showed a lack of discernment. There would be no point in recruiting such a person either, because even if they were recruited and placed inside the Prime Minister's Manor, they would be exposed sooner or later. Yet as an illegitimate son who possessed both talent and cultivation, only to be frustrated and suppressed at every turn, his formed personality would naturally be both conceited and insecure. Xu Yuan had to put on this performance to fit the persona. Gazing at Li Yucheng's expression, Xu Yuan chuckled softly, dropping his earlier line and pivoting, "...Regarding such a difficult problem, though I cannot claim certainty, I do have a few insights of my own. I hope Your Highness will favor me with your corrections." Li Yucheng's tapping finger paused, and he smiled gently. "Young Master Wang truly possesses profound depths within his breast." Xu Yuan raised two fingers and said with a light smile, "In my view, there are two root causes behind the local turmoil in our Great Yan." "..." Li Yucheng nodded with a smile, though a flicker of surprise flashed in the depths of his eyes. He had assumed the person before him would only cite the sects, not expecting there to be two points. Under Li Yucheng's gaze, Xu Yuan said slowly, "First, the local sects. Having lived adrift outside for over twenty years, I have seen that if the sects were willing to quell unrest on behalf of the commoners, local demon plagues and human tribulations would cease to exist." Hearing this, a complicated smile appeared on Li Yucheng's mild face. "The sects, in all likelihood, will never be willing." Xu Yuan smiled slightly. "Your Highness, on this point, I imagine the Prime Minister and His Imperial Majesty have already devised a strategy through their decades of planning." "..." Owing to the asymmetry of information, an immediate gleam of admiration showed in Li Yucheng's eyes upon hearing this. Even many high-ranking local officials only knew the *what* and not the *why* of the edicts issued by the imperial court. To see through these marginal decrees to discern the schemes of those two was already no easy feat. For instance, when an edict was issued ordering local authorities to repair an official road leading to a sect's mountain gate, some officials would think it a symbol of reconciliation between court and sects, while others would think it was meant to facilitate merchant travel. Rarely would anyone think it was preparation for the future deployment of military arrays. A smile curved Li Yucheng's lips, but it quickly faded, and he shook his head gently. "Imperial Father and the others do indeed have a settled strategy, but... heh-heh." Midway through his sentence, Li Yucheng trailed off, gazing at Xu Yuan with a narrow, smiling gaze. At that, Xu Yuan rolled his eyes inwardly. Had he not been the Prime Minister's son who already knew what the latter half of the sentence was, he would probably have wanted to wring this riddler's neck. Revealing a well-measured hint of curiosity in his eyes, Xu Yuan did not press further, and Li Yucheng laughed heartily. "Young Master Wang, and what of the second?" At the question, Xu Yuan tapped the table before him lightly with his raised finger. "Your Highness, Great Yan's territory is too vast." Li Yucheng frowned slightly, a touch of confusion in his eyes. "Young Master Wang, what do you mean by that?" Xu Yuan explained softly, "When a country's territory outstrips its means of communication, control inevitably weakens. And the ultimate result of weakened control is rampant turmoil." In the ancient times of his past life, even during dynasties celebrated as golden ages of peace and prosperity, local outlaws and bandits were rife; even around the turn of the millennium, when mobile phones were spreading, many similar things still occurred. This was the first time Li Yucheng had ever heard such a concept. After a brief silence, he smiled slightly. "Young Master Wang truly possesses profound vision. Prior to tonight, I had never even considered such a problem." Xu Yuan smiled faintly and said softly, "Your Highness is of imperial blood and cannot leave the capital at will, so it is only natural that such minute matters would escape your notice. However, the solution to this problem is quite simple: once the array technology for communication crystals undergoes advancement in the future, it will resolve itself naturally." Hearing this, Li Yucheng's political instincts caused him to frown immediately as he asked softly, "In Young Master Wang's view, to what extent must this array technology advance to resolve it?" A flicker of hesitation passed through Xu Yuan's eyes as he lowered his voice, "Entering every household, reaching down to the villages..." Hearing this, Li Yucheng fell silent for a moment. He slowly rose to his feet from before the tea table, shook his head, and murmured, "Young Master Wang, your thoughts are far too idealistic." As he spoke, he walked slowly toward the exterior balcony behind the silk curtains of the private chamber. "Under interconnected information, rural turmoil might indeed be quelled, but the minds of the common folk will no longer remain pure. Now that Imperial Father has already disseminated the Dao to the commoners of the realm, if someone were to exploit this in secret in the future, it would pose a threat no weaker than that of the sects." Xu Yuan looked at his back, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He suddenly realized that not a single one of the imperial family's princes seemed to be an easy mark. The moment Li Yucheng heard the idea, he immediately grasped how it could one day threaten the foundations of imperial rule. However, the man still had not broken free from the limited perspective imposed by a feudal era—or rather, the perspective of feudal royalty. Xu Yuan rose as well, following him onto the exterior balcony. Standing together as the cool breeze brushed against their faces, they looked out over the bustling night scenery of the ancient Di'an City for a long while. Glancing at the Crown Prince's profile, Xu Yuan spoke slowly, "Your Highness, an alms-begging monk once discussed this matter with me, and he offered an answer to this problem." "A monk?" "Yes, a monk. Not my own thoughts." "..." Li Yucheng. Xu Yuan said in a faraway tone, "He proposed five policies." "Oh? Which five?" "Keeping the people ignorant, keeping them poor, keeping them weak, keeping them weary, and keeping them humiliated." "..." Li Yucheng's pupils constricted slightly. He turned his head abruptly, the look in his eyes shifting into something strange, tinged with a few shades of shock and suspicion. Xu Yuan exhaled gently, his warm breath turning to white mist and dispersing in the air, and slowly explained, "Keeping the people ignorant entails guiding public opinion to unify their thoughts. Keeping the people weak entails strong governance by the authorities so that the people fear officials. Keeping the people weary entails finding endless labor for them, running them ragged so they have no leisure to dwell on other matters. As for keeping the people humiliated, it works on the same principle as keeping them weak—stripping the commoners of their self-esteem and self-confidence..." "Enough." For the first time, Xu Yuan heard a tone from Li Yucheng other than his mild voice. It was soft, yet somewhat cold. The biting wind blew against their faces like a blade. Xu Yuan turned his gaze to meet the Crown Prince's eyes. Li Yucheng stared at him, his hand lightly gripping the wooden railing. "I never imagined that Young Master Wang was truly a grand talent for governing the realm. If these five policies were used to rule the people, my earlier worries would indeed have been quite superfluous." Meeting his gaze, Xu Yuan smiled slightly. "Your Highness, I said earlier: these five policies were spoken by that monk." "..." Li Yucheng. Li Yucheng took a deep breath, staring into Xu Yuan's eyes as he enunciated each word, "Whether it was you who thought of them, Young Master Wang, or that alms-begging monk, I do not wish to ever hear of such poisonous stratagems for ruling the people circulating in the realm again." "..." As his words fell, silence descended upon the balcony. Xu Yuan was somewhat astonished inwardly. Shang Yang's methods of subjugating the populace—the very man who was ultimately torn apart by chariots—could be adapted and applied in almost any era or setting, provided it wasn't placed in a world like *One-Punch Man*. He didn't quite understand why the Crown Prince reacted so strongly. A long silence stretched between them. In the end, Xu Yuan spoke up to break the quiet, asking, "Your Highness... is there something amiss with these five policies?" Li Yucheng shook his head, gazing at the merry pedestrians on the bustling streets beneath Xuanyue Tower, and said wistfully, "There is nothing amiss with them. It is simply that I do not wish to see the common folk reduced to such a state." "..." Xu Yuan stared intently at this middle-aged man for several breaths, a complex mix of feelings suddenly stirring in his heart. *If he truly ascends the throne, perhaps he would be a benevolent ruler after all...* "Phoo... 'The ruler is the boat, the people the water,' is it?" "What?" "Hm?" "Just now, Young Master Wang, you said..." Li Yucheng looked back, murmuring softly, "...'The ruler is the boat, the people the water'?" "..." Xu Yuan was caught slightly off guard, then chuckled softly, "Merely a jest, Your Highness; you need not take it to heart. In this day and age, while the ruler may be a boat, the water is not the common folk." Clad in the python robes of the Crown Prince, Li Yucheng's eyes carried a contemplative look. After a long while, he too shook his head gently. "Indeed so. If one day the majority of Great Yan's subjects are capable of cultivation, perhaps the water carrying the boat could truly become the common folk." Xu Yuan smiled faintly. "By then, our Great Yan would truly be an immortal dynasty upon the mortal earth." "..." Li Yucheng did not reply to this light remark, yet a hint of yearning crept into his eyes as he gazed across bustling Di'an. Silence lingered for a long time. Just when Xu Yuan assumed tonight's conversation had come to an end, he suddenly heard a murmur from beside him. It was very soft, yet tinged with a faint reluctance to yield. "I... want to try."