Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 666 - 422: Reinforcements Incoming

Chapter 666: Chapter 422: Reinforcements Incoming

Reform means conflict, and conflict signifies death.

Everything that is happening now, whether it’s the countless deaths in the Barbarian Tribes’ wars, the undercurrents swelling in the Northern Frontier’s Three Prefectures, or these commoners dying in the dead of night with none to inquire—these are just a prologue.

As long as one of the Sects, the Imperial Family, or the Prime Minister’s Mansion doesn’t back down, then many, many more people are destined to die.

In light of this, the deaths happening now really don’t seem like much.

But...

"You’ve misunderstood."

Listening to Li Yunqing’s mocking inquiry, Xu Yuan’s gaze slowly fell to the city wall below.

He looked at the bustling crowd, striving for a few coppers to survive, and spoke softly:

"Yunqing, what do you think made those two back then choose this path they’re on now?"

Li Yunqing’s eyes narrowed slightly, and then he chuckled:

"To sweep across the universe and restore universal peace to the world."

Xu Yuan smiled faintly and shook his head:

"That’s their elders’ ideal you’re talking about. I was asking about what made those two harbor this ideal in the first place."

Speaking of which,

Xu Yuan looked back and glanced at the Third Prince, who was sitting without proper bearing, and countered:

"Isn’t it precisely because of these low-ranking commoners? Isn’t it because they wanted a world without demonic calamity and disaster, a peaceful and prosperous age where they could live and work in peace and contentment?"

"Sacrifice is indeed a necessary presence on this path, but being accustomed to sacrifice doesn’t mean one can become numb to it."

Li Yunqing’s eyes flashed with complexity, then he returned to normal, shaking his head and chuckling lightly:

"Then I do hope you can maintain your convictions."

Xu Yuan took a deep breath, sat down next to Li Yunqing, and laughed:

"That was a bit far-off. I did indeed become somewhat angry just now, but not because of the death of the commoners themselves; rather, it was the inaction of the officials in this county city that made me feel a sense of powerlessness."

Li Yunqing’s expression became somewhat odd:

"The highest official in a mere county is but a Seventh Grade County Magistrate, and yet he can make you, the Third Young Master, feel powerless?"

Xu Yuan turned his gaze back to the Third Prince’s eyes and asked:

"A County Magistrate alone wouldn’t be enough to do that, but how many County Magistrates are there within the Dayan Territory?"

"....."

Li Yunqing suddenly fell silent.

Xu Yuan also did not continue to speak for a while.

He thought about the fearful gaze of that commoner he had seen earlier.

To stand up, not kneel—the six words inherently conflicted with the feudal Imperial system, but Xu Yuan felt they should not be so fearful at the very least.

This was the kind of fear that appears only when life and death are completely unprotected, where one might be struck down at any moment.

To see a world in a grain of sand,

If one continues to explore the root cause of this scene, what emerges is a reality that is deeply horrifying upon reflection.

The Dayan legal system is collapsing.

And the root of this collapse lies in the countless grassroots officials of the Dayan Empire....

This, truly, is quite disheartening.

Sitting atop the city gate and watching the rising sun slowly climb over the eastern horizon, Xu Yuan sighed softly:

"I always thought that, with cultivators sent from The Imperial Court to oversee, these grassroots County Magistrates wouldn’t dare to have double-dealings. It seems now that I was rather naive."

Li Yunqing chuckled softly, laid back directly on the city gatehouse, hands cushioning his head, and casually remarked:

"You, pampered as the Third Young Master, have never dealt with these mud-legged commoners; the problem with grassroots administration doesn’t lie with the County Magistrates, but with the gentry within these cities.

"Leading the Imperial Family’s commercial ventures, I often have to interact with these local tycoons. Through various means like intermarriage, affiliations, and co-opting industries, they’ve become deeply entrenched over generations, or even over a dozen generations.

"Apart from the officials directly appointed by The Imperial Court, most other minor officials are monopolized by them. Most County Magistrates have to cooperate with these people to implement decrees. Once they taste the sweetness of such collaboration, they typically end up wallowing with these people.

"The same goes for the cultivators that The Imperial Court dispatches, after all, cultivation also requires silver."

"....."

After listening intently to Li Yunqing’s tirade, a hint of surprise appeared in Xu Yuan’s eyes.

In his perception, compared with the Sects that controlled the military force, these grassroots gentry were just a group of pigs waiting for slaughter.

After all, with the grand justice of the superior world on their side, exterminating some secular families was quite easy.

But as soon as this thought flashed, he immediately dismissed it.

He suddenly understood what Li Yunqing meant.

Humans are creatures of desire.

Killing these people is easy, but new ones will soon grow in their place.

These issues are not the primary conflict at this stage. As long as these grassroots officials generally obey and do not openly defy The Imperial Court’s decrees, then all this sordidness lies within the tacit approval of The Imperial Court.

Realizing this, Xu Yuan let out a light sigh.

Watching Xu Yuan’s expression, Li Yunqing asked with a chuckle:

"Changtian, what do you plan to do?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuan turned his gaze aside, hooked the corner of his mouth, and retorted:

"What do you think I’ll do?"

Li Yunqing stroked his chin and grinned:

"Given your temperament, you’re unlikely to tolerate these things."

"Indeed."

Xu Yuan nodded, braced himself on his knees, and stood up: "Having seen such things, I cannot ignore them."

Li Yunqing also sat up, asking with interest:

"What do you plan to do?"

"Lou Ji has already gone to the county office here."

"..." Li Yunqing.

With a moment of silent mourning for the scholars and officials in Huizhou County, Li Junqing immediately stood up and prepared to leave the city tower:

"Since that is the case, I must excuse myself first."

Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and asked lightly:

"What are you up to?"

Li Junqing looked back:

"While you deal with the filth here, I, having no grand ambitions, thought I might as well experience the local customs and manners now that I’m here."

With that said,

Li Junqing chuckled and with a leap...

...

...

...

Li Junqing lied.

Instead of seeking the pleasures of Huizhou County as he said, once out of Xu Yuan’s sight, he aimlessly wandered about the county.

Huizhou County was the typical small county town of the Northern Frontier, its night-time glamor fading, everything returning to plainness.

Buildings of brick and wood lined the roads, the opened markets now gradually occupied by vegetable farmers and traders who came to the city, and occasionally one could see an opulent carriage passing through the streets, likely containing some young noble who had just spent the night in a brothel.

Strolling on the street, observing the diverse people around him, feeling the everydayness of the market, Li Junqing’s relaxed gaze still ruminated over the conversation that had just taken place.

The affairs he discussed with Xu Changtian on the city tower, Li Junqing had never truly pondered them deeply.

After all, what he knew of governing a country, as described in his readings and taught to him by the Imperial Academy professors, and as he encountered in reality since taking over the trades, was this:

Officials protecting each other, scholars colluding; this was the foundation of Dayan’s bureaucracy.

It had a dark side, but it kept things functioning.

It had been so for a thousand years, a hundred years ago, now, and presumably, it should continue like this in the future.

Reflecting on the earlier conversation, Li Junqing suddenly found himself unable to comprehend what the Third Young Master was truly after.

That young man,

Seemed to pursue certain things much greater than what both his fathers wished to accomplish...

At that thought, Li Junqing paused in his steps and looked up at the sky, which the warm sun had cleared of mist, his gaze complicated.

Staring blankly at the sky for a few breaths, Li Junqing sighed quietly, but then a hint of a smile formed at the corners of his mouth.

He found it unrealistic, but he, a fatalist, had no right to criticise others.

Despite his skepticism, he hoped the young man would keep his earnestness intact...

"Your Highness..."

Lost in thought, a voice as gentle as an orchid interrupted Li Junqing’s reverie, sounding in his ear.

Hearing this voice, Li Junqing showed no change in expression, nor did he respond; continuing along the market street, he walked past the most bustling areas and turned into a narrow alley.

The alley, paved with green bricks and stone tiles, was deserted and quiet; on both sides rose tall, connected courtyard walls.

Going deeper and turning several crossroads, Li Junqing stopped in front of a closed stone and red brick courtyard gate.

He pushed open the gate, and inside the courtyard was overgrown with plants, where a bewitching woman was waiting for him.

The moment she saw Li Junqing, the bewitching woman in the courtyard bowed respectfully:

"Your Highness, you have arrived."

Li Junqing entered the courtyard, glancing around:

"You must have arrived only yesterday? Where did you get this courtyard from?"

The bewitching woman glanced at the inner room, her voice soft:

"I’m just borrowing it."

Li Junqing raised an eyebrow, glanced at the courtyard’s inner room, sensed two unconscious commoners inside, and shook his head slightly:

"Remember to keep it secret."

The bewitching woman narrowed her beautiful eyes and nodded:

"Yes."

"Don’t let anyone die."

"...." said the bewitching woman.

Li Junqing walked to the stone table in the courtyard and sat down, patting his thigh with a grin:

"Come here, I haven’t seen you in a long time, I’ve missed you a bit."

The bewitching woman’s eyes flickered, her cheeks slightly flushed as she walked slowly forward, hooked her arms around Li Junqing’s neck, and sat on his thigh with a tilt of her hips.

Li Junqing casually wrapped his arm around the bewitching woman’s slender waist and asked with a smile:

"How goes the investigation of the information I gave you before?"

The bewitching woman hesitated, speaking in a low voice:

"The Third Young Master Xu seems to have encountered some issues upon his arrival here."

"Oh?"

A soft sound of curiosity echoed in the silent courtyard, but Li Junqing’s eyes did not register much surprise.

With the Xuanying Attic’s resources, Xu Yuan could have returned to Di’an City without resting, but instead, he chose to stay in Huizhou County.

Li Junqing did not believe there was no trickery involved.

Thinking this, he tightened his grip slightly and asked with a frown:

"Was it an assassination attempt?"

"Most likely," replied the bewitching woman, enduring the tremor from the man’s roving hand, "And moreover, it’s likely that the assailant has a high level of cultivation."

Li Junqing sighed upon hearing this:

"Tsk, they actually came... Do you know which power is behind it?"

The bewitching woman fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly:

"I do not know that, but I followed the information Your Highness left, and a few days ago near Pingye Tomb, I sensed the Saintess of Jiatiange leaving..."