Chapter 766: What to Do?
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Regardless of how superb or influential the School of Kismet State was, it was not nearly as good as Supreme Cloud.
The solution that could be applied to the emperors of other countries in history was completely inapplicable to the Empire of Yutang, so they could only depend on other influences - by leveraging upon Supreme Cloud's reputation!
In spite of the fact that Supreme Cloud's identity had been revealed and his enemy being the continent's top sect - the Four Seasons Tower - they would certainly not live long as they loathed each other and would fight each other to the death; even the School of Kismet State could seize the opportunity to carry out an in-depth operation.
As long as Supreme Cloud died, the magnificent benefits of deification which affected the whole world would all belong to the School of Kismet State!
Even the royalty of Yutang could not get much profit from it; at most, the profits were scant.
Why should not they do it, with this being the case?
Besides, the timing was a godsend.
The trend of Yutang had already been established - the military was now expanding the empire's area of influence, yielding unparalleled merits, while the civil side and scholars' talents had become barely employed at this time.
That would be a great achievement in uniting Tianxuan!
It would be a pity if one could not have a finger in the pie.
Those who had official positions were still powerful, but how about those intellectuals with no official position?
It was simple; each of them would be given a title, so they could start preaching.
As long as they preached well, there would naturally be merits; in the future when the world was unified, they would all be meritorious officials because they had achieved merit in the war of unity!
Besides, the School of Kismet State had made contributions by indoctrinating the people of the world, and that was half the battle. It was unshakable!
The heresy and extreme tactics of sizing people up were a great market for many scholars!
Yes, one could prepare biographies for Supreme Cloud and the School of Kismet State now; once the nation was united in the future, one would naturally make a name for one's self.
At that time, the credentials would be solid and genuine, wherever one was.
One need not fight or even work, but just open one's mouth or put pen to paper. There wasn't even the slightest danger; only writing biographies and licking someone's boots. What a convenient task!
It was far easier than those fools who carried their heads into the battlefield, right? Moreover, they would be ranked much higher than those crude bastards who only knew coarse language and bloodshed when they were made officials…
This was clearly a good deal - would these scholars not come rushing for it?
Were they wrong in doing so? Was Supreme Cloud the hero of their country? What was wrong with one publishing a biography for him? Was it a crime? One should not do something for Lord Supreme Cloud? What did this mean? A rebellion?
Right, there were objections, but consigning the opposition to eternal damnation was just a snap!
It was worth mentioning that the School of Kismet State's move was indeed a brilliant tactic - capturing the mindset of Yutang's people.
If one was loyal and grateful, one's gratitude and loyalty would be put to good use.
If one was despicable and an opportunist, one's despicableness and opportunism would be used.
The virtue and evil instinct in human nature were all in the consideration!
…
"Now, the tides are fierce and the repercussions will be far-reaching. It is really difficult to deal with."
Qiu Jianhan sighed. "Everything else is fine. The crux of the matter is that they bind themselves up with the names of Supreme Cloud and even the Nine Supremes. Is it the butterfly effect. Even if we can take any measures, there will be little effect and almost no better countermeasures under these circumstances."
His Majesty was even more frustrated upon hearing Qiu Jianhan's explanation. How could he have not known this; he knew the key points and the severity of the matter. He just hoped that Qiu Jianhan and the others could somehow provide a solution. Who would want to listen to the root cause of the situation? That was already unimportant.
His gaze was like a flying dagger, flittering around the faces of the four personages, and finally, he let out a sigh. "The damage of public-opinion uproar has its limits. As long as the officials intervene, it is easy to suppress any form of controversy at once. However, someone has been manipulating things this time around, and the coverage has extended far and wide. It is a fact that the law cannot be enforced when everyone is an offender, and these people still have every chance to kick up a fuss. The will of the people have always been easy to stir, so it is difficult to have a long-term foresight and sense of crisis."
Yun Xiaoyao and the rest frowned as they nodded their heads in agreement to the point.
The commotion caused by this matter was undoubtedly serious, and the subsequent events were even severe. However, just like the emperor had said, once the mastermind behind this manipulation had been taken down, things could still be easily dealt with.
The problem would then turn to the School of Kismet State.
There were not many disciples in the School of Kismet State. How many people could there be in a school that had stayed reclusive all this while? Nevertheless, due to this reason, the disciples had intimidating abilities, and their high cultivation base was formidable!
If they were to be in complete opposition to each other, it was also foreseeable that their proficient martial skill would bring great harm to the Empire of Yutang's higher authorities. What was more, Yutang had no ability to stop it!
Fang Qingtian stroked his brow. "This matter has happened so abruptly. We have been exceptionally passive and were taken by surprise, yet we did not know the real motives of the sudden appearance of the School of Kismet State."
"The thoughts of these recluses are unreasonable. They have been at peace in the past; why did they suddenly resurface at this juncture?" Yun Xiaoyao did not understand this.
"Actually, the School of Kismet State has come to me…"
The Emperor chuckled humorlessly. "Speaking of this, perhaps it is… it is God's plan and destiny. In fact, the people of School of Kismet State did not want to do it in such an extreme manner either; but the reality of the situation compels them to do so. If I disregard my standpoint, I could even understand their choices, their approaches, they … are not likely to feel good, and may not be easier than our helplessness."
"What do you mean?" asked Yun Xiaoyao with shock.
The emperor bit his tongue immediately, eyes staring daggers at Yun Xiaoyao, and he remained silent.
Everyone could not help but have a peculiar feeling of amusement about this.
His Majesty was about to tell the whole story and what he had known. Nonetheless, upon hearing Yun Xiaoyao's question, which was obviously out of courtesy to connect the previous and next statement; he stopped speaking in a fit of pique. "Others can ask, but I won't speak if you are the one who asks!"
After a moment of awkward silence and speechlessness for a long while, Yun Xiaoyao looked at the emperor in bewilderment, carefully choosing his words, "Brother? You…"
The emperor gritted his teeth as if he wanted to devour someone and said, "Your son is superb, a living legend! You can ask your son; you wouldn't have had to ask me!"
Had this not already passed? Why was it turning back?
Yun Xiaoyao was even more perplexed and dumbstruck for a very long time.
Qiu Jianhan and the others could not help but burst out laughing, despite speaking about such a serious topic, especially being in front of the emperor.
The quarreling atmosphere of both royal brothers was truly amusing. Everyone's eyes shone particularly when the authoritative emperor with great talent and bold vision was nursing a grudge. It was indeed a scene that was rarely seen.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean?" Qiu Jianhan asked quickly as he started to laugh so hard that he had to stop himself from shaking.
The emperor snorted. He began to calm down as he had really taken things personally, and solemnly, he said, "The initial intention of the School of Kismet State was to support Dongxuan, including the previous battle of Dongxuan's invasion on the border of the Fortress of Resilience. They had all been a trick of theirs."
"Oh." The masses were well aware of the situation and came to a realization immediately.
"However, they had not expected that Dongxuan could still lose the battle eventually, despite having such a big advantage!" A mocking smile surfaced on His Majesty's face, and said, "So… They have no choice but to turn the target around now…"
The group immediately understood everything.
Going against one's initial intentions, violating one's conscience; I would be embarrassed if I were a member of the School of Kismet State!
"The School of Kismet State has always been hitting the mark once they have set their sights on their targets from within. There have been no exceptions, not since ancient times. This has also fortified the positiveness of their identities in the annals. This time, however, due to the turn of events, they have been forced to choose passively from the outside, and have to use public opinion to coerce us into acknowledging their status, so that they can continue to benefit."
"Of course, this is also because we do not recognize their status!"
The emperor said, "Hence, this commotion. That being said, they have chosen the right time to initiate the commotion. It was simply apt and the timing was perfect."
Fang Qingtian said, "You're right. If the timing had been any earlier, the news would dissipate, provided that we ignore it. If it had been later, the situation of the continent would have been decided; and whether Supreme Cloud's background and identity would have been exposed or not, and what would have been the choice of the School of Kismet State - these are inconsequential. Nonetheless, the point of time is just intricate. It is right when Yutang has just risen and commenced the final war to conquer Tianxuan, and it even falls in the delicate juncture where domineering Ziyou is already set in stone but has not been completely accomplished."
"Stop bragging about those shameless fellows who are trying to save their faces. I'm getting a headache from figuring out how to react next. It will be better to think of a way right now."
Yun Xiaoyao sighed heavily, and said, "From how I see it, the most abhorrent thing now is those scholars who take advantage and escalate the situation further by adding fuel to the fire! Scholars are not a good thing. Those faithful to kinship are mostly butchers and lower-classed people while those who are ungrateful are mostly scholars and the educated ones - that it an inconvenient truth!"
Fang Qingtian was somewhat fairer in his assessment. He said, "I'm afraid what King Yun has said is rather biased. There are still many scholars in the Empire of Yutang who are awe-inspiring, while many civil officials in the imperial court who are devoted to the public interests and have wholeheartedly served the nation and its people. There are only a few of those who are involved in fanning the flames and stirring up havoc; they are mere scum."
"These people want to take the opportunity to gain fame and embark on an official career, and they even hope their reputations can leave an eternal legacy. It is indeed a filthy thought…"
Leng Daoyin then said, "They are speculative at this time, and it is the best moment as well. If this is also what the School of Kismet State has planned for a long time, then this is the point that they have designed and grasped perfectly. The plot they have set up is remarkable."
"I'm afraid we martial people cannot give any better suggestions on this matter."
Qiu Jianhan said, "Your Majesty may as well summon the chancellor, the grand tutor, and the others to hear what they have to say about this."
Fang Qingtian and Leng Daoyin both chortled.
This old man was still as crafty as ever!
Using scholars against intellectuals…