DLWAV CH46

Time rewinds to the ninth month of Yuanxi Year 25.

After tiring of the “making a ragdoll” game, Xia Jingyao left the Eastern Palace and went directly to the temporary palace outside the Imperial Mausoleum.

His purpose was naturally not to visit Consort Xian and the First Prince out of kindness.

He simply went to tell them the truth.

After all, these things weren’t suitable to be said in public.

Otherwise, Emperor Yuanxi and the entire civil and military court would surely label him as having deep schemes and harboring ill intentions, and then strongly oppose his relationship with Ao Ruize.

One can imagine how furious Consort Xian and the First Prince were upon learning the truth.

But it was too late to say anything.

As soon as Xia Jingyao left, they began to complain about and curse each other, eventually escalating to physical fights.

The result was that before Emperor Yuanxi passed away, Consort Xian died first—literally angered to death, giving Emperor Yuanxi no chance to take her with him.

—Since it was Emperor Yuanxi who had punished Consort Xian, those pedantic scholars naturally couldn’t blame Ao Ruize.

But if Emperor Yuanxi died while Consort Xian was still alive, those scholars would inevitably pressure Ao Ruize to release her.

After all, she was Ao Ruize’s biological mother in name.

Precisely because of this, Emperor Yuanxi generously granted her a burial with the rites of a concubine.

On Ao Ruize’s side, after two months, he finally remembered the Milk Dumpling he had locked deep in his sea of consciousness.

He immediately released the Milk Dumpling.

Grass had nearly grown under the Milk Dumpling’s feet.

Ao Ruize subconsciously touched his nose.

Honestly, seeing it like this, he really felt a bit guilty.

“Well, listen to my explanation…”

Unexpectedly, the next second, the Milk Dumpling interrupted him directly, eyes brimming with tears: “I understand, I understand everything. Who told me not to cultivate into a human form yet…”

So it could only talk big.

Otherwise, how could it let that dog Ao Ruize snatch the initiative?

—It had seen through Ao Ruize.

He was a scum man.

Leaving aside the fact that he snatched its wife again.

Don’t forget, Zhong Chi was still waiting for him in the Underworld.

Yet this dog thing turned around and cheated immediately.

Pity its poor Chichi, who got cucked without doing anything.

Pity its poor Jingyao, who became a homewrecker in a confused daze. Wuwuwuwu.

Ao Ruize: “…”

For no reason, he felt even more guilty.

He thought for a moment: “How about this? In the future, I’ll give you half of all the extra rewards I get.”

Anyway, he didn’t lack those things.

“Okay.”

Before his voice had even faded, the tears in the Milk Dumpling’s eyes vanished instantly.

Almost simultaneously, a supplementary contract appeared in front of him.

It was as if the Milk Dumpling crying its heart out just now had been his hallucination.

Ao Ruize: “???”

The Milk Dumpling had been waiting for exactly this sentence.

Since Ao Ruize was already its fixed host, according to the agreement, unless Ao Ruize died, they couldn’t dissolve the partnership.

So all it could do now was plot for Ao Ruize’s points.

It decided: it would not only take half of this dog thing’s extra rewards but also secretly skim off his regular rewards.

In short, it wanted this dog thing to leave with nothing, and then use the merit points dug from him to compensate Chichi.

It was truly too hard for it; not even a year old, and it already had to experience the deceit of society.

Thinking of this, it clenched its fist and urged, “Hurry up and sign!”

Ao Ruize: “…”

He felt something was weird somewhere.

But just then, a eunuch came to report that the Minister of Rites had an urgent matter to see him about. Ao Ruize couldn’t pay attention to the dumpling anymore, so he signed his name directly on the contract and went to see the Minister of Rites first.

The days following passed like flowing water.

Ao Ruize did not use the scientific technologies compiled by the Milk Dumpling again.

Because social progress relies on the collective advancement of all mankind. Although forcing growth could promote productivity in the short term, it could also cause an imbalance in the social system.

And the things they had brought out before were already enough for Great Yang to digest for several decades.

In Yongping Year 5:

Great Yang’s tax revenue increased to forty million taels.

In Yongping Year 6:

Great Yang began its second round of major construction, including rebuilding government offices in various prefectures and counties, building free libraries, constructing low-rent housing, establishing medical schools to train barefoot doctors, and setting up engineering schools to train excellent craftsmen…

In Yongping Year 8:

Great Yang raised official salaries again. A Primary Seventh Rank official’s salary was raised to 400 taels, and a Primary First Rank official’s to 5,000 taels.

In Yongping Year 9:

Great Yang’s grain output reached an astounding 600 billion jin, far exceeding the demand. Grain prices began to plummet. Unable to maintain their livelihood solely through farming, vast numbers of farmers were forced to enter towns and factories, spurring the development of industry and commerce.

In the same year, the court announced the closure of brothels, promoted monogamy, and encouraged the use of vernacular language.

Starting from Yongping Year 7:

Various countries began sending students to Great Yang. By Yongping Year 12, Great Yang had established diplomatic relations with 113 countries.

News that “Great Yang is paved with gold” quickly spread throughout the world with the return of these students.

In Yongping Year 13:

The world entered the Little Ice Age. Great Yang, relying on high-yield sweet potatoes and the subsequently found corn and cassava, was not significantly impacted.

However, other countries were not so lucky.

Precisely because of this, starting from this year, the court began providing fair-priced grain and interest-free loans to friendly nations. The interest-free loans alone amounted to 15 million taels annually. When funds and grain were insufficient, they were drawn from the Emperor’s private treasury.

But the human heart is often more terrifying than natural disasters. Even so, dozens of countries fell into famine and war.

In the 1st Month of Yongping Year 14:

A peasant uprising broke out in the maritime kingdom of Nanyang (Southern Ocean). The leader of the uprising was a former student in Great Yang. Out of admiration for Great Yang, after overthrowing the King’s rule, he did not proclaim himself emperor but instead chose to submit a memorial to the Great Yang court, requesting annexation.

After declining repeatedly, seeing his persistence, the Yongping Emperor reluctantly agreed to his request.

In the 6th Month of Yongping Year 14:

The Yongping Emperor renamed the kingdom to Haizhou (Ocean Prefecture), appointed the rebel leader as the Duke of Haizhou to manage it, and vigorously supported Haizhou’s economy and livelihood.

With this, Great Yang possessed its first overseas territory.

Within just five years, Haizhou leaped to become the most prosperous region in Nanyang and the sixth-largest port in the world.

Seeing this, people in other countries and regions followed suit, submitting memorials requesting annexation by Great Yang.

In Yongping Year 19 alone, Great Yang added five more overseas territories.

In Yongping Year 20:

An article titled “It’s been 130 years. The city walls of Yunzhou have been expanded three times, and my ancestral home has been renovated six times, yet the Imperial Family’s Taimiao (Imperial Ancestral Temple) and palace, which leak whenever it rains, haven’t been repaired even once” appeared in tabloids everywhere, causing nationwide emotional arousal.

Led by upright scholars and local gentry, people across the country donated enthusiastically. Even foreign envoys and students opened their purses generously. Finally, nine million taels were raised and donated to the court to repair the Taimiao and the Imperial Palace.

Deeply moved by the people’s enthusiasm and the friendship of allies, the Yongping Emperor donated eight million taels in the Emperor’s name during the Taimiao renovations.

On the left side of the Taimiao, the Shrine of Sages and Worthies was built to honor national heroes.

On the right side, the Shrine of Friendly Nations was built to honor the wise monarchs of friendly nations throughout history. Friendly nations were sincerely invited to provide relics of their wise monarchs to be stored in the shrine, symbolizing the friendship between Great Yang and various countries.

Behind the Taimiao, the World Museum was built to showcase the customs of various nations.

Also in this year, a student named Jiang Chaonan from the Great Yang Engineering Academy invented the musket…

In Yongping Year 21:

Feeling that the Crown Imperial Younger Brother was ready to take charge, Ao Ruize passed the throne to him. Then, after throwing a large bag of dragon scales into the pearl-farming estate to ensure it could be used for another one or two thousand years, he simply patted his butt and left this world with Xia Jingyao.

However, the Milk Dumpling was in no hurry to leave this world. unlike the previous world where they only made a small splash, in this world, they had changed history—

So it desperately wanted to know how future generations evaluated them.

To this end, it drilled directly into a crack in spacetime…

Year 2022, a history class at a certain university in Beijing.

“Today we talk about Yang history. First, let’s talk about Emperor Taizu of Yang, Zhao Yi. Born in poverty…”

The professor skillfully opened the PPT with the mouse.

For the students below, having learned this history from middle school to high school, and then to university, they could recite it backward.

So while the professor lectured above, they were already chatting in the group chat.

【Here it comes, the Strongest Opportunist King, Yang Taizu.】

【Because the Big Brother and his arch-enemy Wang Sheng beat the Yuan Dynasty to a pulp, then accidentally fell off a horse and died, he inexplicably became the one to end Yuan rule and picked up an empire for free.】

Professor: “Then there is Emperor Gaozu of Yang…”

【The Mediocre Yang Gaozu.】

Professor: “Then Emperor Taizong of Yang…”

【The Mediocre Yang Taizong.】

Professor: “Then Emperor Suzong of Yang…”

【The Mediocre Yang Suzong.】

Professor: “Then Emperor Zhongzong of Yang, Emperor Yuanxi…”

【The Mediocre Yang… no, the First Person of Eugenics, Yang Zhongzong.】

【Too difficult. Because he felt his sons were too stupid, he ignored the opposition of the entire court and forced through the ban on marriage between close relatives within three generations during his reign.】

【I’m having a hard time too. Because of this, when we write family conflict novels now, we can no longer write about scum men cheating with their female cousins, unless we set the time before Yang Zhongzong.】

Professor: “Next is Emperor Shizu of Yang, the Yongping Emperor, Zhao Ruize. This is the main focus of our lecture today.”

“The Yongping Emperor, Zhao Ruize, the sixth emperor of the Great Yang Dynasty, the eighth son of Yang Zhongzong, an outstanding statesman, thinker, and economist…”

“The Yongping Emperor was physically weak from a young age, so he was excluded from the line of succession early on. Thus, during that period, he didn’t leave many records in the history books.”

“It wasn’t until he was sent by Yang Zhongzong to Yunzhou for disaster relief, and recovered from his illness by a twist of fate, that this Emperor of the Ages formally stepped onto the historical stage.”

“The Yongping Emperor was intelligent and decisive, and skilled in using troops. During the Yunzhou disaster relief, because the secondary collapse of the dam washed away a large amount of relief grain, and the court couldn’t raise enough grain in a short time, he thought of using the merchants’ profit-seeking nature to raise grain…”

“In the fourth month of Yuanxi Year 25, because the Oirat Little Prince molested the Fifth Princess in the street, to prevent Oirat retaliation, the Yongping Emperor led 80,000 troops to attack the Oirat and other nations on the grounds that the Oirat disrespected the Great Yang Court and Emperor.”

“It took him less than two months to annihilate the Oirat, which possessed 150,000 cavalry, invade the Chongnan Kingdom, tear the Chongnan King apart with five horses, and force the Neimati Khan to burn himself to death.”

“With this, Great Yang’s vassal states all became obedient.”

…

“However, after ascending the throne, he changed his previous sharp style, pursuing a policy of governance by non-action, vigorously developing people’s livelihood, and building infrastructure…”

“During his 21-year reign, Great Yang’s population exploded from 90 million to 150 million. Grain production skyrocketed from 80 billion jin to 500 billion jin. Per capita income soared from 2.4 taels to 11.3 taels… Great Yang thus leaped to become the world’s number one power.”

【The high salaries of Great Yang officials are also noteworthy. In the Yongping era alone, salaries were raised three times. By Yongping Year 21, a Primary Seventh Rank official’s annual salary plus benefits reached as much as 1,000 taels (in today’s terms, being a county magistrate for five years would allow you to buy an apartment in Beijing), and a Primary First Rank official’s annual income exceeded 15,000 taels.】

【Therefore, simultaneously, Great Yang was also the dynasty with the strictest penal code. To curb corruption, the Yongping Emperor enacted laws: embezzling 1 tael demoted you three ranks; 10 taels got you fired and sent home; 100 taels meant immediate strangulation; 1,000 taels meant the extermination of three generations of your family. He also perfected the supervision mechanism.】

【Precisely because of this, early Great Yang was almost the country with the cleanest officials in the world.】

【Coupled with his foreign policy of peaceful coexistence—extending a helping hand whenever a foreign country asked for help—he was revered by various countries as ‘The Great Emperor’ while alive. After his death, disregarding ritual laws, civil and military officials skipped over his father Yang Zhongzong to give him the posthumous title ‘Shizu‘ (World Ancestor).】

【I can recite all this backward too.】

Seeing this, the Milk Dumpling showed a satisfied expression.

【Is that the most important thing? Isn’t the most important thing the beautiful love story between him and the Duke of Wei?】

【He came out of the closet when he said he would; he didn’t open a harem when he said he wouldn’t; he was buried with the Duke of Wei when he said he would be. The entire court didn’t dare make a peep.】

【Damn, even ancient emperors knew to keep male virtue, yet modern gays and lesbians still cheat into marriages?】

【Heh, it’s always these few sentences back and forth. Aren’t you tired of saying them? I’m tired of hearing them.】

【Exactly. What ‘Emperor of the Ages’, what ‘World’s Number One Power’? Just an Emperor of the Ages built on sweet potatoes and cassava, and a Number One Power sold on aphrodisiacs.】

【???】

【What the hell?】

【Did you learn history in a dog’s belly?】

Seeing this, the Milk Dumpling’s face scrunched up instantly.

Although it wished it could beat Ao Ruize up right now, that didn’t mean others could insult him.

【Did we say anything wrong? Wasn’t Great Yang’s grain output built on sweet potatoes and cassava?】

【And where was the Yongping Emperor smart or decisive? The method of using merchants’ profit motive to raise grain during the Yunzhou relief was basically plagiarizing the wisdom of Fan Zhongyan from the Northern Song Dynasty.】

【Later, if not for his luck in picking up Mr. Lai Tuanzi’s travel notes, discovering the Fuzhou gold mine and Zhaoxian natural gas mine, plus his eldest and fourth brothers being incredibly stupid, could he have become Crown Prince and eventually Emperor?】

Milk Dumpling: “???”

To be fair, I feel sorry for the First and Fourth Princes. Their stupidity has now gone down in history forever.

【???】

【By your logic, the Yongping Emperor eliminating Liu Chaoying, pacifying Fuzhou, wiping out bandits nationwide, destroying the Oirat, Chongnan, and Neimati… was all him stealing the Duke of Wei’s credit?】

【After all, before that, he hadn’t even read many military books, and he always took the Duke of Wei with him on campaigns.】

【That’s exactly it.】

【Otherwise, how do you explain that after ascending the throne, the Yongping Emperor just coasted on his past achievements and didn’t achieve anything significant?】

【And he was boastful and craved greatness. To get the title ‘The Great Emperor’, he gave away over a hundred million taels to other countries for nothing over a dozen years, and spent huge sums building the Taimiao and World Museum. You have to know that at that time, over twenty million people in Great Yang still lived below the poverty line…】

【???】

【If your mom drank a little less water when giving birth to you, you wouldn’t have so much water in your brain that hasn’t drained yet.】

【Yes, after Yongping Year 13, Great Yang provided over 15 million taels in interest-free loans to disaster-stricken countries annually, and most of that money was never paid back. But if Great Yang hadn’t been so friendly, would Haizhou, Chenzhou, and Tuota later have tried every means to join Great Yang? Could Great Yang have gained twenty-three overseas territories with a total area of over four million square kilometers without wasting a single soldier?】

【Although many of these countries later became independent, they developed deep national affection for China. When China was first established, they provided a lot of support. After China’s rise, they became staunch supporters.】

【China being one of the world’s two top superpowers today is partly thanks to them.】

【The Yongping Emperor spent huge sums building the Shrine of Sages, Shrine of Friendly Nations, and World Museum. But don’t forget, when the Fifteen-Nation Alliance invaded our country back then, they didn’t dare fire a single shot within the range of the Shrine of Friendly Nations, because their ancestors and their ancestors’ relics were enshrined there. Because of this, countless ordinary people who hid inside were saved.】

【Now, no matter which country’s leader visits China, their first stop is to pay respects at the Shrine of Friendly Nations. China’s World Museum remains the world’s largest museum, with endless streams of tourists every year. Ticket sales alone bring in billions.】

【The Yongping Emperor has been dead for eight hundred years, Great Yang has fallen for six hundred years, yet we are still enjoying his legacy.】

【And you still can’t see the Yongping Emperor’s wisdom?】

【Also that line about ‘twenty million people living below the poverty line’… if you read more books, you’d know how high the poverty line was set in Great Yang back then. In today’s terms, even if you earn ten thousand a month, in Great Yang, you’d only be considered poor.】

【And what’s wrong with selling aphrodisiacs? If not for the aphrodisiac money subsidizing us, do you think you could enjoy the benefit of 50% medical reimbursement without buying medical insurance?】

【So what if I love being called a ‘Citizen of the Aphrodisiac Nation’? If you don’t like it, get out of our country. I’ll pay the 250 bucks for your citizenship change fee.】

【Wait, why do I feel like there are a lot of people slandering Emperor Shizu recently?】

【Not just him. Recently, a lot of people have popped up insulting the First Emperor (Qin Shi Huang) and Emperor Wu of Han.】

【Something’s wrong. Something’s wrong. Admin, can you check who those people slandering Emperor Shizu just now were?】

【I’ll check.】

【Huh, these five accounts are all guest accounts, not students from our school.】

【What?】

【Intuition tells me there’s a conspiracy.】

The Milk Dumpling thought so too.

It immediately traced the internet cables and found that these people were indeed up to no good. Although they were all Chinese, they had taken money from Country N. Country N’s goal was to slander China’s heroes, destroy the national confidence of the Chinese people, and thereby undermine the Great Yang Alliance led by China—just as they had easily undermined the prestige of Traditional Chinese Medicine in China back then.

Hearing these people say things like “This money is so easy to earn,” the Milk Dumpling exploded with rage.

It spent a day and a night digging all these people out and handed the list directly to the police.

Finally, amidst the wailing of those guys, it returned to Ao Ruize’s sea of consciousness, feeling vindicated.