Chapter 117.1
The scenes before her eyes, contrasting sharply with the understanding she had formed over the past decade or so, created a strong dissonance and shock.
She couldnt make sense of it, but she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
So, she stealthily sneaked into the imperial palace to uncover the truth that night
She searched all over and finally found the Emperors sleeping quarters, where she encountered the Emperor of Great Xia, the notoriously foolish Emperor Lin Beifan.
At that moment, the foolish Emperor Lin Beifan she saw was embracing a stunningly beautiful woman and enjoying exotic delicacies while watching a court dance performance.
With numerous palace maids and eunuchs attending to him, hes indulging in a life of drunken dreams and extravagant pleasures.
Once again, she was bewildered!
This Lin Beifan is the epitome of a foolish emperor!
Could such a foolish emperor really have created the prosperous spectacle of the great empire?
It seems somewhat unbelievable!
Just then, she sensed a lethal danger.
Out of nowhere, a sword thrust quickly towards her, less than 30 centimeters from her neck.
She swiftly became alert and dodged the deadly strike: Whos there?
No sooner had she spoken than the sword silently lunged at her again.
Although there was no sound, the attack was incredibly fierce.
She sensed that the assassins reach was in no way inferior to her own, compelling her to exert her full strength in response.
The two engaged in a fierce battle atop the palace, the tremendous noise of their fight awakening those within.
An assassin! Quickly, protect the emperor! The Imperial Guard rushed to the scene.
It was then that she realized, to her surprise, that the assassin was also from the imperial palace; in both skill and appearance, they were a match for her.
Do not be mistaken, I am not an assassin. I did not come to assassinate His Majesty! the woman explained.
Youre not an assassin? Then what are you doing here so late at night? Bai Zhu demanded.
Im just a bit confused and wanted to find some answers here! the woman explained once again.
Ridiculous! Youre confused and you come to the imperial palace to find answers?
Bai Zhu shouted. Do you think we would believe such an excuse? Ill kill you!
The two women began to fight swiftly, with Bai Zhus moves being ferocious, while the other woman focused primarily on defense.
As for the others, they could only watch as spectators, unable to intervene.
Wait! Lin Beifan called out.
Your Majesty! everyone bowed.
Let her come over! Lin Beifan commanded again.
But Your Majesty, she
Her brows look upright and principled, not like a villain, and she doesnt have a murderous aura, shes probably not an Assassin! Besides, with you all protecting me, what is there to fear? Lin Beifan said with a smile.
Yes, Your Majesty! The crowd let her pass but still watched her closely.
The woman walked step by step towards Lin Beifan, and as she drew closer, she couldnt help but notice his handsome and upright appearance, devoid of any sly or evil traits.
Yet, when considering the actions he had taken, not one was free from the folly of an emperor.
Mobilizing the nations resources, they cleared the wilderness for farming, built bridges and roads, mined and constructed houses, and even erected an imperial palace that could rival those of dynasties. They even arranged work for the women, having them engage in textile production
Nearly the entire population was serving one man!
And look at him now, feasting on the finest delicacies from the mountains and seas, dressed in silk and satin, each garment of considerable value!
All of these were the hard-earned fruits of the common peoples labor!
Yet, despite committing such outrageous acts that would enrage both gods and men, one would think the people would have revolted by now, and the country would have fallen. However, his nation only grew stronger and even achieved a golden age that one could only dream of in the Heavenly Empire!
All of this was utterly baffling to her!
With these complex emotions, she had already come before Lin Beifan, clenching her fists and bowing with a salute customary of the rivers and lakes: This girl Song Yufei pays respect to Your Majesty!
No need for formalities! Lin Beifan said with a smile.
Looking at the beauty before him, she had actually been discovered by Lin Beifan shortly after arriving in the capital city.
After all, a young Innate master might do something to harm his nation if he does not pay close attention to her.
But to his surprise, after this young woman arrived in the capital city, she simply wandered around, touring the entire city.
At night, she even stealthily infiltrated the imperial palace to spy on him.
Her various actions truly piqued Lin Beifans curiosity.
With nothing pressing at hand, Lin Beifan summoned her to see what she was up to.
Lin Beifan waved to the Imperial Guard, You all may leave. Having Bai Zhu and the Eunuch here is sufficient!
Yes, Your Majesty! The Imperial Guard withdrew, and the palace finally became spacious and empty.
You say you have doubts in your heart, so you came here seeking answers
Lin Beifan poured a cup of wine and had it sent to Song Yufei, saying with a smile, I am very curious. What kind of doubts do you have that you need to come to my imperial palace to find answers? I hope you will answer truthfully, for if there is a single lie, I shall not be merciful!
Song Yufei took the cup of wine but did not drink it.
This is my first time coming to Great Xia! What I have seen and heard in Great Xia has truly opened my eyes, but it has also left me with many questions! Why is it that all the actions you take, Your Majesty, seem to be foolish and wasteful, yet the people are able to live and work in peace and contentment?
Lin Beifan smiled, Youre not the first to ask this question, and Im afraid you wont be the last! Do you really want to know the answer?
Song Yufei stepped forward, Yes, I really want to know. Please enlighten me, Your Majesty. I would be immensely grateful!
Drink this cup of wine, and I will tell you!
Song Yufei hesitated for a moment, then picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.
Great tolerance for liquor, great courage! I truly admire you!
Lin Beifan beckoned, Come, sit here. I will tell you slowly!
After hesitating for a moment, Song Yufei then came to sit at the table in front of Lin Beifan.
Lin Beifan added, Bring a bowl, bring chopsticks!
Thank you, Your Majesty, but this common girl has no appetite. Please, Your Majesty, satisfy my curiosity instead!
If you wont enjoy the food when its offered, then I shall partake myself!
Lin Beifan picked up a pair of chopsticks and grabbed a piece of bear meat, slowly chewing it in his mouth: Mmm! Truly delicious! Rich but not greasy, fragrant and savory, indeed the ultimate delicacy! Do you know how I came to possess these bear paws?
I do not! Song Yufei shook her head.
There are specialized hunters who capture and kill them for me!
As Lin Beifan continued to eat, he said, There are about seventeen or eighteen of these hunters. They venture deep into the mountains every day in search of wild bears, and they manage to find one about once a month! Once they locate a wild bear, they set traps to capture and kill it!
The wild bear is extremely large, and it requires all the hunters to work together to take it down! After capturing the wild bear, to ensure the freshness of the ingredients, they cannot kill it. Instead, they must keep it alive, escorting it all the way to the capital city!
In this process, it requires about 20 people and takes over two weeks to transport it to the capital city and deliver it to the imperial kitchen!
Afterwards, it is up to the imperial chefs to handle it, cooking it into a delicacy for me to enjoy!
One could say that for me to taste this bear paw, there are roughly 40 people working hard behind the scenes!
Song Yufei listened with a heavy heart, looking at the bear paw in front of her, she felt it was a sin.
She couldnt help but speak out to persuade: Your Majesty, as the ruler of a nation, you should be strict with yourself. You should not exhaust your people and waste resources just for your own desires, this is not the behavior of a wise ruler!
Lin Beifan laughed: Well said! This is indeed not what a wise ruler would do! As a wise ruler, one should be strict with oneself, not indulge in luxury, and certainly not exhaust the people and waste resources!
Your Majesty, its good that you can recognize this, Song Yufei encouraged.
Lin Beifan spread his hands: But have you thought about it? If I really do as you say, and stop eating bear paws, then what about the hunters and the armed escort teams that transport the bears? They will all be out of work with no money to earn!
They have families behind them, with wives, children, and elderly to care for. Altogether, thats at least a hundred people. They will all end up with no food to eat, starving! This responsibility
Lin Beifan slammed the table and stood up, exclaiming, Can you bear it?
This! Song Yufei was shocked.
Let me ask you another question, do you think I enjoy eating bear paws?
This isnt it so? Song Yufei countered.
Lin Beifan shook his head, Although I do enjoy eating, its not to the extent that I must eat it or I cannot survive. I can eat, or I can choose not to. But I must eat, because a lot of people will end up unemployed if I dont!
Those hunters, those armed escorts transporting bears, they would all lose their jobs! Once theyre unemployed, it would be very difficult for them to find new work! Because those hunters know nothing else aside from capturing wild bears! And the carriages of the bear-transporting armed escort have been completely modified, they cant transport anything else but bears!
So, now you tell me, should I eat this bear paw, or should I not?
Song Yufei didnt know how to respond and remained silent.
***
Sponsored Chapter by Lost Record
28/36
We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Translators/MTLers are welcome!
Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw
This chapt𝙚r is updated by fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com