The assembled ministers exchanged glances, their gazes not born of admiration for a brilliant stratagem, but rather a stunned disbelief at Xi Meng Fu’s apparent madness!

Only a single Sang Fu separated Huai Qing Fu from Xia Du Gui Yi. To surrender the entirety of the lands south of Huai Qing Fu was tantamount to relinquishing half of the Great Xia’s territory, leaving the very heartland exposed to the forces of Chu!

What manner of man was this Xi Meng Fu, and how had he been so utterly terrified by the Qi that he could conceive of such a “marvelous” plan?

“Pray, allow this humble one to elaborate,” Xi Meng Fu declared with utter conviction, facing the assembly of civil and military officials who regarded him as if he were a lunatic. “The Chu’s reluctance to offer aid stems from but a few reasons. Firstly, our history with the Chu is rife with conflict, and deep-seated resentments linger. Secondly, the Southern Domain’s terrain is treacherous, with the Book Mountain serving as a natural barrier, and the Li and Yue acting as protective screens, not to mention the intricate web of sect forces. Whether the Chu forces come, or we venture forth, the cost would undoubtedly outweigh the gains. This was precisely the reason the late Emperor chose to advance eastward in those bygone years. Thirdly, the great war between Qin and Chu, not long past, has rendered the river valley plains barren. The pressure from the Qin cannot be ignored by the Chu. Should they send only a meager force, it would be akin to casting sheep before tigers. Should they send a vast army, they would fear the Qin making unpredictable moves…”

“The only force capable of dissolving these impediments is but one – **Interests**!”

“With sufficient interest, resentment is forgotten. With sufficient interest, the risks are deemed worthwhile. Should we proactively cede land, the Book Mountain would have no grounds for interference. Thus, past grievances are resolved, future prospects are clear, and present obstacles are removed. How then could the Chu army find reason not to march?”

Xi Meng Fu rambled on, somehow managing to twist reason into a semblance of logic.

“This is a strategy of drinking poison to quench thirst! Xi Meng Fu, what is your true intent?!” The envoy to the Chu, An Guo Hou Jin Ling, was flushed with indignation, his ears burning. He cast aside all honorifics, even neglecting to address Xi Meng Fu as ‘National Teacher’, and with the cultivation of a Divine Arrival realm expert, directly addressed the True Person by name.

“An Guo Hou, pray, do not become agitated. Reason does not reside in a raised voice.” Xi Meng Fu, however, remained perfectly composed, cupping his hands in deference. “Dare I ask, in what way is this strategy akin to drinking poison to quench thirst?”

Jin Ling raged, “The Qi are rapacious! Could the Chu be paragons of virtue and righteousness? To cede half the country in servitude to the Chu now, not only invites the possibility of secret collusion between Qi and Chu, but it also serves to cleave our Great Xia asunder. Even if they genuinely engage in battle and aid us in repelling the Qi, would the Chu not harbor designs upon us? Would the Chu Emperor not yearn to unify the Southern Domain? The Qi’s blade is still outside our borders, yet you would welcome the Chu’s blade into our very heartland?!”

Xi Meng Fu remarked with apparent interest, “Should we succeed in inciting the Chu to strike the Qi, we would hold the advantage, allowing them to inflict losses upon each other. Thus, the Qi would retreat, and we could then drive out the Chu. Would this not be slaying two birds with one stone?”

“You treat all others as fools!” Jin Ling retorted. “Two tigers locked in combat, and you, a mere sheep, presume to dictate the ferocity of their struggle?”

Xi Meng Fu appeared lost in thought. “An Guo Hou has just returned from his diplomatic mission to the Chu, albeit without success… yet, I trust your understanding of the Chu. In your estimation, it seems there is indeed no possibility of the Chu dispatching troops?”

Jin Ling could no longer be bothered to engage with him, turning instead towards the Imperial Platform. “This minister is incompetent, having failed to sway the Chu. However, from this minister’s observations during the journey, while the Chu’s demeanor is ambiguous on the surface, their resolve is unyielding. The wounds of the river valley war require time to mend. They harbor no ambition of engaging in contention with another hegemonic power in the immediate future.”

This, of course, was merely An Guo Hou Jin Ling’s personal opinion.

Yet, it undoubtedly convinced many.

“Very well!” Xi Meng Fu waved a dismissive hand. “If the Chu will not come, then let them not come! We shall not beg them!”

He then added, “This old man still has another plan!”

Da Xia’s Prime Minister, Liu Xi Yi, who had long endured in silence, finally erupted. “Pray, cease with your ‘plans’! You have spoken utter nonsense today! I shall attribute it to your advanced years and muddled mind. Now, retire and rest! Matters of state and military are not to be trifled with in such a manner!”

But a voice from behind the bead curtain interjected, “National Teacher, pray, speak.”

Xia Tai Hou, it seemed, still held hope for Xi Meng Fu’s wisdom and thus silenced Prime Minister Liu Xi Yi.

Xi Meng Fu, with an air of accepting a grave responsibility, declared, “This plan is to ‘Abolish the Hundred Schools, and Solely Honor Confucianism!’ Henceforth, we shall consider the Book Mountain a sacred land and establish the Confucian school as the national gate. Across our twenty-one prefectures, we shall wholeheartedly build the Confucian literary lineage and beseech the Book Mountain for support. With their myriad experts, they can undoubtedly help us withstand the Qi’s military might!”

“Good! Good! Good!”

This time, even the Old Ancestor of the Chu family, the contemporary True Person Chu Gong Yi, could no longer restrain himself. He had spent his life in reclusive cultivation, never concerning himself with worldly affairs. Only at this moment of national crisis had he broken his seclusion to attend court discussions alongside Chu Rang, the head of the Chu family. He had not expected to hear such preposterous pronouncements.

“A fine declaration of ‘Abolish the Hundred Schools, and Solely Honor Confucianism!'” Chu Gong Yi laughed, rage contorting his features. “I, Chu Gong Yi, stand here! Come then, and abolish!”

Xuan Ping Hou Fan Ao, a cultivator from the Three Punishments Palace, had remained silent earlier amidst the clamor, refraining from speaking ill of Xi Meng Fu. This time, however, he could not bear it. “True Person Xi, you yourself are not a disciple of the orthodox Confucian school. You still wear a Daoist robe. If you abolish the Hundred Schools, will you abolish yourself?”

Feng Guo Gong Zhou Ying, Guang Ping Hou Li Fu, Yang Ling Hou Xue Chang – they all erupted in protest at once. The entire Bao Hua Palace descended into a cacophony of noise, resembling a bustling marketplace.

Xi Meng Fu had now incurred the wrath of the entire assembly. Some even harbored thoughts of slaying him as a sacrifice.

Upon the imperial throne, Yu Li Yang finally tapped the armrest with a finger, his voice tinged with exasperation. “True Person Xi, what are you thinking? Our Great Xia encompasses the Hundred Schools and embraces various sects, only then do we possess the foundation to contend with the mighty Qi. Should you proceed with this, the number of experts the Book Mountain sends to our aid might not even equal the number of our own people who would abandon us! With a great war upon us, you actually propose to self-cripple our martial arts?”

Min Wang Yu Li Yang was blessed with a handsome appearance. In his youth, he had been a beautiful young man with rosy lips and white teeth. Before reaching thirty, he had attained Divine Arrival, his youth preserved from that moment on.

From a young age, he had possessed extraordinary talent, standing head and shoulders above his peers. The Great Xia had poured its entire resources into cultivating him, and he had not disappointed, successfully ascending to the peak of the Extraordinary, becoming a pillar of the nation. His life had been a life of brilliance and splendor.

Seated upon the imperial throne now, he bore no stern expression, and his voice was not loud, yet the entirety of the Bao Hua Palace fell silent.

Xi Meng Fu bowed to him. “Greetings, Your Highness Min Wang!”

He then bowed to Wu Wang Si Jiao. “Greetings, Your Highness Wu Wang!”

Regardless of whether Wu Wang was still in the Divine Wandering realm, he then bowed to the Emperor. “Greetings, Your Majesty!”

Finally, he bowed to the space behind the bead curtain. “Greetings, Tai Hou!”

Perhaps this was the order of respect in his heart.

He then straightened, and under Prime Minister Liu Xi Yi’s furious gaze, in front of Xuan Ping Hou Fan Ao’s solemn expression, cupped his hands towards the assembly. “Esteemed colleagues, pillars of the Great Xia, I have heard all your voices, and I have taken note of all your opinions!”

“It appears that, apart from myself, everyone has reached a consensus.”

“The so-called peace negotiations are futile, the Chu are not to be relied upon, the Book Mountain is unreliable, and Jing Country? Jing Country’s Yi Tian Guan has even withdrawn!”

“Therefore, you all believe that in the face of the Qi’s military might, we have only one path to tread – that is, **war**!”

He surveyed the assembly. “You all believe this, do you not?”

“Very good!”

He suddenly grew impassioned, his voice seeming to shake the very rafters. “Then, war!”

“Let there be no more illusions!”

“Let there be no more hesitation!”

“We have no other path to tread!”

“Either we fight, or we perish!”

“I, Xi Meng Fu! May hold different ideas, different thoughts. I may be craven and fearful of death, I may be weak and cowardly. I may be different from all of you! But I am also the same as all of you! We are all ministers of the Xia, all eat the Xia’s salary, all receive the Xia’s grace. I respect all your opinions, I am also willing to execute all court decisions, and accept all consequences arising therefrom. Because this is our… **jointly decided future!**”

He formed a sword-finger with his right hand and slowly drew it across the center of his left palm, opening a wound.

The blood of a True Person dripped onto the stone floor.

In the great hall, facing everyone, he declared, “I asked General Long Jiao, if the Town Country Army is defeated, how he would instruct me?”

“General Long Jiao did not give me an answer.”

“And I also have no answer!”

“But what answer is needed?”

“Only the path laid before us.”

“If this war is won, we may slowly seek any answer. If this war is lost, we shall perish and be annihilated, and no longer require an answer!”

He raised his bleeding left palm high, declaring loudly, “General Long Jiao said that the 100,000 soldiers of the Town Country Army are all resolved to die. I, Xi Meng Fu, though without talent, am also willing to die for my country, and that is all!”

The entire Bao Hua Palace fell silent once more.

It was a different kind of silence.

It was the silence where one could hear one’s own heartbeat, pounding like war drums.

Silently listening to that heart, silently settling that will, silently feeling that emotion!

Even Min Wang Yu Li Yang became solemn.

Even Wu Wang Si Jiao, despite his Divine Wandering state, temporarily opened his eyes.

Since time immemorial, people have striven and sought, nothing more than for fame and profit. As the saying goes, “The world bustles, all for profit come; the world hustles, all for profit go.”

And in life, who is not burdened by reputation? Who does not wish to leave their name in history? Those who fish for fame exist, those who slander their monarch for fame exist.

Only this Xi Meng Fu, gaining nothing for profit, destined to bear a foul reputation difficult to cleanse for his name, sought only to unite the will of the Xia court ministers. He transformed himself into a mere lump of mud, allowing everyone to tread upon him, utterly disregarding himself.

He was not some nameless individual; he was the Great Xia’s National Teacher. Having striven his entire life, he had become one of the most esteemed individuals in the entire Xia. Yet today, he could act in such a manner for his country.

Truly admirable!

Suddenly, the sound of beads striking jade echoed.

*Hua la la.*

Behind the imperial seat, the bead curtain was lifted—

Xia Tai Hou actually stepped out from behind the bead curtain!

For thirty-two years, she had not once lifted this hanging curtain. Now, she stood before the entire court of civil and military officials.

What kind of woman was this?

Her hand, personally lifting the bead curtain, was clearly beautiful and slender, yet it possessed a power that commanded rivers and mountains. Her jade-like countenance was exceptionally noble, capable of covering the sky with a single hand.

As the bead curtain was lifted, it revealed her world.

She was like a figure stepping out of a thick history, so composedly, unfolding the scroll of her life.

She was no longer young; fine lines at the corners of her eyes spoke of the passage of years. Yet, one could still perceive the beauty of her youth.

Her eyebrows were like new leaves, her eyes held the traces of autumn.

Her person was as if carved from jade, her demeanor dignified and graceful.

But her unique charm extended far beyond her beautiful appearance. It was a quality difficult to describe, one that brought peace to the hearts of others.

“Mother Empress,” Xia Tian Zi called out, about to rise and yield his seat.

But Xia Tai Hou took a step forward and reached out, her hand already resting on his shoulder, gently pressing him back down.

“The Son of Heaven should not yield his seat for me. I should support the chair for the Son of Heaven.”

Xia Tai Hou emerging from behind the curtain held extraordinary significance. Before, she had merely “listened to politics”; now, she was “seeing politics.”

Xia Tian Zi rising to yield his seat was a gesture of surrendering state power, of offering authority. But she refused.

She did not step forward merely to grasp power, but to stand against the wind and rain. Her hand gently pressed on the imperial chair, as if truly stabilizing this precarious land for Xia Tian Zi, for the only remaining son of her and the late Emperor.

She took a step forward, as if treading upon the ten thousand li of mountains and rivers of the Xia, walking upon the spine of the ten thousand li dragon veins.

All eyes were upon her, upon this woman who had once truly saved the state and altars of the Xia, and who had, with one hand, propped up the Xia until this very day.

“The National Teacher says he is craven and fearful of death… how could I not be?”

She began with this sentence, her opening words after lifting the hanging curtain.

Her gaze swept across everyone present. “That year, standing upon the city wall, facing the military might of the Qi Tian Zi, looking at that Purple Extreme Tai Huang flag, as if it were the very sky descending… I was so afraid I could barely breathe!

My palms were slick with cold sweat, my heart trembled incessantly!

I was utterly terrified of death, terrified of dying just like that, terrified of perishing in the broken Gui Yi city. Terrified of my corpse lying amidst shattered walls and ruins, with blood rain falling from the sky and lonely souls wandering the human realm.

I was afraid… afraid that after death, there would be no people of the Xia left in the world, afraid that a hundred years hence, the name of Xia would no longer be spoken!”

“Esteemed ministers!”

Her sincere and true eyes swept over them.

“The Xia Country is not the Xia Country of I alone.”

“Nor is the Xia Country merely yours and mine, not merely our Xia Country.”

“Our fathers and ancestors… our relatives, friends, teachers and students, classmates, neighbors… all the people and events that have appeared in the trajectory of our lives have together shaped this name.”

“And now, it is on the verge of being erased by others!”

“Is this not fearful?”

She asked, “Does this not fill one with terror?!”

“General Long said that the Town Country should die for their country. The National Teacher said that dying for the country is acceptable. But I do not wish for you all to die for your country. I wish for you all to live well. I wish for you all to carry the memory of the Xia Country and live well.”

“Should matters prove irretrievable at that time, then esteemed ministers, you may all depart on your own. The world is vast; there is always a place of refuge.”

“But before that, please do not allow others to easily erase this ‘Xia’ character.”

“Because it belongs not only to you and me. It belongs not only to our fathers and ancestors; it should also belong to our children and grandchildren! How can we allow this name that should be theirs to be lost in our hands?”

She stood upon the Imperial Platform, before the dragon chair, and bowed deeply to all present.

This time, even Wu Wang Si Jiao and Min Wang Yu Li Yang rose to return the courtesy.

Below the Imperial Platform, the hundred officials all bowed their heads completely.

And Xia Tai Hou, still bowed, her voice earnest, said, “Esteemed ministers! Please, by all means, cherish your lives, and please, for this ‘Xia’ character, exert yourselves beyond the bounds of life!”

On this day, the entire court of civil and military officials of the Great Xia drew their left palms, swearing an alliance with their blood.

They swore to break the Qi thieves!

Thus, with Wu Wang Si Jiao as Commander-in-Chief, Long Jiao as Deputy Commander, and Min Wang Yu Li Yang accompanying the army, the Shen Wu and Town Country armies, totaling 200,000 soldiers, were fully mobilized. Across the nation’s prefectures, one million soldiers were fully dispatched.

Prime Minister Liu Xi Yi, National Teacher Xi Meng Fu, Guang Ping Hou Li Fu, Xuan Ping Hou Fan Ao, An Guo Hou Jin Ling, Yang Ling Hou Xue Chang… all were sent to the army!

Among them, Feng Guo Gong Zhou Ying personally led 10,000 family soldiers from the Zhou clan into battle.

Chu Rang, the head of the Chu family, dispatched 10,000 family soldiers from the Chu clan. Chu Gong Yi, the Old Ancestor of the Chu family, accompanied the army.

Tai Xu, the head of the Tai family, declared, “The Tai clan has already lost a True Person, and the heavens and earth weep with blood. Can the living do aught but grieve for the departed?” Thus, he rallied the young and strong of his clan, fully dispatching 13,000 family soldiers from the Tai clan to the front lines!

For a time, the entire nation of Xia went to war!