Let Me Explain, Fairy
Chapter 742 - 463 Li Yucheng_2

Chapter 742: Chapter 463 Li Yucheng_2

Yet, if one feigns humility and refrains from speaking, it is a lack of discernment. Such people are not worth recruiting, for even if you do recruit them, they will eventually reveal their inadequacies within the Prime Minister’s Mansion.

However, as an illegitimate child possessing talent but languishing in frustration, suppressed on all sides, one would develop a character that is both arrogant and insecure. Therefore, Xu Yuan had to play this part to fit the persona.

Watching Li Yucheng’s expression, Xu Yuan chuckled softly and, stopping the conversation, then said,

"...Such a difficult question, though I have no certainty, I do have some personal insights that I hope can be refined by your Highness."

Li Yucheng’s fingers, rapping on the table, came to a pause, and he said with a gentle smile,

"Prince Wang’s mind indeed contains depth."

Xu Yuan raised two fingers, softly smiling as he said,

"There are two causes, in my view, leading to the disturbances in Great Yan’s territories."

"..."

Li Yucheng nodded with a smile, a hint of surprise flashing through his eyes.

He had thought that the man before him would only cite the Sects as the reason, but unexpectedly, there were two points.

Under Li Yucheng’s gaze, Xu Yuan slowly began,

"Firstly, the local Sects, having wandered abroad for more than two decades, the Sects wish to quell the chaos for the common folk, and then local calamities and human disasters will cease to exist."

Li Yucheng, upon hearing this, showed a complex smile on his gentle face:

"The Sects would never be willing."

Xu Yuan smiled slightly,

"Your Highness, I believe the Prime Minister and His Majesty must have a strategy in place for this after decades of planning."

"...."

The unequal distribution of information caused Li Yucheng to show an appreciation in his eyes upon hearing this.

The decrees sent down by the Imperial Court were often only understood in their execution, not in their underlying purpose, by many high officials. To be able to see the planning of those two through these peripheral decrees was no small feat.

For instance, when the decree was issued for local governments to repair a road leading to a Sect’s gate, some officials considered it a symbol of reconciliation between the Imperial Court and the Sects, others thought it facilitated trade and travel; but very few realized it was preparation for future military deployment.

Li Yucheng’s lips curled into a smile, but then the smile faded, and he shook his head gently,

"The Emperor and they do indeed have a plan, but... heh."

Li Yucheng stopped mid-sentence, looking at Xu Yuan with a smile.

Seeing this, Xu Yuan immediately rolled his eyes internally.

If he didn’t already know what the second half of that sentence was, he might have felt like wringing the head of this enigmatic man.

Showing an appropriate hint of curiosity, Xu Yuan did not inquire further, and Li Yucheng then said with a clear laugh,

"Prince Wang, what about the second point?"

At that, Xu Yuan tapped lightly on the table with the raised fingers,

"Your Highness, Great Yan’s territory is too vast."

Li Yucheng frowned slightly, his gaze a bit puzzled:

"Prince Wang, what do you mean by that?"

Xu Yuan explained softly,

"When a country’s territory surpasses its means of communication, control inevitably declines, and diminished control ultimately results in chaos."

In previous eras, even those considered golden ages of peace had strongmen and bandits in their territories, and similar issues persisted into the millennia around when mobile phones became widespread.

Li Yucheng, hearing this take for the first time, was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly:

"Prince Wang truly has a depth of thought, I have not considered such problems until tonight."

Xu Yuan smiled lightly, saying softly,

"Your Highness, being a noble of the Imperial Family, you cannot freely leave the Capital, so it’s normal not to notice these trivial matters. However, the solution to this issue is quite simple. Once the technology of the Formation Patterns within the Communication Crystals advances, the problem will solve itself."

At this, Li Yucheng’s political instincts made him frown lightly, saying softly,

"As Prince Wang sees it, to what extent does this Formation need to be advanced to solve the issue?"

A hint of hesitation flashed through Xu Yuan’s eyes as he spoke in a low voice,

"Bringing it to every household, to the countryside..."

Li Yucheng fell silent for a while, then slowly stood up from before the tea table, shook his head, and said in a low voice,

"Prince Wang, your thoughts are too idealistic."

As he spoke, he walked slowly towards the outer terrace behind the silk curtains of the private chamber:

"With information circulating, perhaps rural chaos can be solved, but the hearts of the common folk will no longer be pure. Now, the Emperor has already preached to the common folk far and wide; in the future, if someone secretly exploits this, it could be just as harmful as the trouble caused by the Sects."

Xu Yuan watched the other’s retreating figure, a slight surprise in his eyes.

He suddenly realized that none of the Princes of the Imperial Family were easy to contend with.

Hearing this idea, they could immediately consider the future threats to the foundation of the Imperial rule.

However, the other party still failed to break free from the limitations of the feudal era’s perspective—or rather, the Imperial Family’s perspective.

Standing up as well, Xu Yuan followed to the terrace, where the cool breeze met their faces. Together, they looked out at the bustling ancient cityscape of Di’an City by night. Glancing at Li Yucheng’s profile, Xu Yuan began to speak slowly,

"Your Highness, there was a mendicant monk who once discussed this issue with me, and he gave an answer to this problem."

"A monk?"

"Yes, a monk. It’s not an idea of my own."

"....." Li Yucheng.

Xu Yuan said somberly:

"He offered five strategies."

"Oh? What five strategies?"

"The ignorant, the impoverished, the weak, the toiled, and the humiliated."

"...."

Li Yucheng’s pupils slightly contracted, and he suddenly looked back, his gaze towards Xu Yuan turning somewhat peculiar, tinged with a hint of astonishment and doubt.

Xu Yuan exhaled softly, his breath turning into a mist that dissipated in the air, and he slowly explained:

"To make the people ignorant, guide public opinion to unify their thoughts. To weaken them, enforce strong governance, so that they fear the officials. To toil them, give them endless tasks, exhausting them to the point where they have no time to concern themselves with other matters. As for the strategy of humiliation, it aligns with making them weak, stripping the masses of their dignity and confidence...."

"Enough."

For the first time, Xu Yuan heard a tone from Li Yucheng that was different from his gentle voice.

It was soft, but somewhat cold.

The cold wind felt like a knife on his face as Xu Yuan turned his gaze, meeting the eye of the Crown Prince.

Li Yucheng stared at him, his hand gently resting on the wooden railing in front:

"I had not expected that Young Master Wang indeed possesses great talent for governing the world. If these five strategies were to be used to control the people...my worries just now were indeed somewhat superfluous."

Xu Yuan met his gaze with a slight smile:

"Your Highness, as I have already said, these five strategies were suggested by that monk."

"...." Li Yucheng.

Li Yucheng took a deep breath, his eyes fixated on Xu Yuan’s, and he said word by word:

"Whether it was Young Master Wang who thought of them, or that alms-begging monk, I hope never to hear of such poisonous schemes for controlling the people spreading in the world again."

"...."

With his words settling, there fell a silence over the railing.

Xu Yuan felt a touch of surprise at the bottom of his heart.

"The Art of Controlling the People" is quite adaptable and could be employed in any era, within any context, with a few modifications—it need not belong in a world of "one-punch heroes."

He didn’t quite understand why the Crown Prince had such a strong reaction.

They remained silent for a long time.

In the end, Xu Yuan still broke the stillness and asked:

"Your Highness...are there any issues with these five strategies?"

Li Yucheng shook his head, looking down at the bustling streets below the Xuan Yue Tower, where people walked and laughed, and spoke faintly:

"There’s nothing inappropriate about them, it’s just that I do not wish to see my people thus."

"...."

Xu Yuan stared deeply at this man who had already reached middle age, and he suddenly felt a complexity rising in his heart.

If the other party could truly ascend to the throne, perhaps he would indeed be a benevolent ruler....

"Huh... ’The ruler is the boat, the people are the water,’ huh."

"What?"

"Hmm?"

"Just now, Young Master Wang, you said...."

Li Yucheng looked back, murmuring softly, "...’The ruler is the boat, the people are the water’?"

"...."

Xu Yuan was slightly taken aback, then softly laughed:

"Just a jest, Your Highness. No need to take it seriously. Today’s rulers may be the boats, but the water is not made up of the people."

Dressed in his Crown Prince’s dragon robe, Li Yucheng’s eyes held a trace of contemplation; after a long while, he also shook his head lightly:

"Indeed, that is so. Perhaps, if one day the majority of Great Yan’s people can cultivate, maybe then this water that bears the boat...can become the people."

Xu Yuan smiled wanly:

"By then, Great Yan would indeed be an Immortal Dynasty."

"...."

Li Yucheng gave no response to the jest, his gaze wandering over the prosperous streets of Di’an City imbued with a hint of longing.

After a long silence,

Xu Yuan suddenly heard a faint murmur, like the whisper of a mosquito, coming from beside him:

"I, wish to try."