Sage Ruler Qing Qiu was silent for half the time before saying, "What if the Brahma Sound Pure Land steps in to mediate and persuade the Ming and Han nations to sell grain to Great Chu?"
Fan Li felt this was quite amusing in his heart. As expected, the Brahma Sound Pure Land thinks highly of itself. "What if the Pure Land's mediation is ineffective?"
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu frowned, "How could it be ineffective? As long as suffering from famine and war can be avoided for the common people, all the Sage Rulers of the Brahma Sound Pure Land are willing to step in."
"Are you coming to mediate or to fight with your nine Sage Rulers at the Great Vehicle Realm?" Fan Li mocked.
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu was rendered speechless.
Fan Li continued, "What if the Han and Ming emperors don't even give your nine great Sage Rulers face and still refuse to sell grain?"
"This... If the rulers of those two countries sit back and watch their innocent commoners starve to death, it proves they are cruel and unvirtuous, completely unfit to lord over the land under heaven. The Pure Land can capture the emperors of those two countries and have virtuous and able people succeed the imperial thrones instead."
"Hahahahaha!"
After hearing Qing Qiu finish speaking, Fan Li directly burst into loud laughter, making no attempt to conceal the mockery and disdain for the Brahma Sound Pure Land in his laughter!
"Where did I say wrong?" Sage Ruler Qing Qiu's personality was indifferent. Even when mocked by Fan Li, she didn't get angry and definitely wouldn't retaliate against him privately.
It was a long time before Fan Li's laughter stopped. "What if the commoners of those two countries also support their own emperors and refuse to sell their grain? How about that?"
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu repeatedly shook her head, "Human nature is inherently good. I don't believe the commoners of those two countries can be so selfish. Even if there are some, it'd only be a tiny minority. The majority would definitely be willing to aid the innocent commoners of Chu."
"Human nature is inherently good?" Fan Li shook his head with a smile. He had no interest in debating this pseudo-proposition.
"A sage once said, when poor, better oneself; when rich, aid all under heaven!"
"When the commoners of Ming and Han see Chu suffer disaster, they will definitely worry the calamity years might spread to their own countries. The commoners will surely hoard large quantities of grain, resulting in those two countries having no surplus grain to sell. What then!?"
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu opened then shut her mouth. For half a day, she could only utter a single word, "This..."
Commoners hoarding grain?
It was just Fan Li's hypothetical scenario, yet no matter how Sage Ruler Qing Qiu thought about it, she was completely unable to refute it.
Fan Li also knew she couldn't possibly refute him. No matter how aloof the Brahma Sound Pure Land's Sage Rulers were, she was still human in the end, unable to completely rid herself of human nature.
Fan Li's speculation about the common people hoarding grain was a conclusion he drew based precisely on human nature itself.
This wasn't evil or a shortcoming, but simply because of an extremely basic and simple reason: Survival is life's most fundamental need.
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu sank into deep silence. She usually maintained a state of desireless equanimity, but in the end was still lofty and noble to an extreme degree.
Grain?
In the Brahma Sound Pure Land, even low-level cultivators who hadn't reached the level of fasting had never needed to worry about food before.
As for esteemed personages of Sage Ruler level, sampling food was merely a way of enjoying life.
Why did such a usually overlooked trivial matter end up becoming Fan Li's tool to obstruct her?
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu uncharacteristically revealed a hint of annoyance. She looked at Fan Li somewhat resentfully and asked, "Are you deliberately exaggerating and making things difficult for me?"
Fan Li shook his head. He turned and walked away without even bidding Qing Qiu farewell. Anyway, no matter where he went, Qing Qiu would definitely follow.
Rivers and Mountains Tower.
There was an entire floor filled with many books and records that Fan Li used as his study.
As he rummaged through the piles of books, Sage Ruler Qing Qiu knitted her elegant brows together, waiting for his answer to her question.
"Found it!"
Fan Li took out a ledger-like item. Sage Ruler Qing Qiu saw the three words "Annals of Great Peace" on the cover.
He opened the book to a page and introduced, "This is the Annals of Great Peace, organized by Heaven, Earth, Man, and Events, recording all information about Great Chu since its founding."
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu silently nodded for him to continue.
"Let's use my late father's reign as an example. In father emperor's tenth year, there was a great drought. Fields produced no yield at all. Over a million commoners starved. Father emperor opened the disaster relief granaries, exhausted all the stored grain, yet was still unable to relieve the commoners' suffering.
In father emperor's twenty-second year, locusts appeared, devastating the fields beyond measure. People resorted to cannibalism. In father emperor's forty-fifth year, there was a great earthquake..."
Fan Li read page after page from the Annals of Great Peace. Sage Ruler Qing Qiu listened quietly, but felt increasing chills running down her back!
How was this the Annals of Great Peace? It was simply the Annals of Natural Disasters!
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu seemed to see that with each page Fan Li turned, it was as if hundreds of thousands or even millions of disaster victims struggling in torment.
She finally couldn't stand it anymore and asked, "Why don't the commoners cultivate? As long as they reach Golden Core Realm, they can fast and no longer suffer hunger and cold."
Hearing this, Fan Li stopped flipping through the book. He laughed again.
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu was actually somewhat afraid of his laughter now!? It was as if every laugh from Fan Li was mocking her, and also foretold she had erred again?
"Am I not right? Cultivation can prolong life, eliminate illness, enable fasting, and transcend the mundane world..." As Sage Ruler Qing Qiu spoke, she trailed off on her own.
Seeing her fall silent, Fan Li then said, "Does Sage Ruler know how much a single Spirit Gathering Pill is worth?"
Spirit Gathering Pill?
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu racked her brains for half a day before recalling that the Spirit Gathering Pill was the most basic medicinal pill, specifically meant for beginning cultivators to gather spiritual energy and embark on the path of cultivation. As the most basic medicinal pill, its cost naturally wouldn't be too high.
"The Spirit Gathering Pill is very cheap. Squeeze out the juices of a stalk of Lingzhi Grass, remove the impurities, and you can refine a Spirit Gathering Pill." As Sage Ruler Qing Qiu spoke, she also regained some confidence.
In the Brahma Sound Pure Land, low-level medicinal herbs like Lingzhi Grass were almost worthless, no different from roadside weeds.
"If the emperors of Chu, Han, and Ming were all more generous and distributed a Spirit Gathering Pill to every commoner in their countries, then everyone could cultivate. Then once they've all cultivated to Golden Core Realm, what else is there to fear from droughts and locusts..." Sage Ruler Qing Qiu didn't get to finish speaking before she was interrupted by Fan Li.
"My Great Chu has an imperial census registering about three hundred million commoners. Great Han has over two hundred seventy million commoners. Great Ming has the greatest population, close to four hundred million."
Fan Li smiled as he spread his hands apart.
"If everyone cultivates, nearly ten billion Spirit Gathering Pills would be needed. Sage Ruler Qing Qiu, tell me, does the human realm have that many stalks of Lingzhi Grass?"
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu's mouth hung open but she couldn't utter a single word.
"Furthermore, do you think those imperial courts have the funds to distribute ten billion Spirit Gathering Pills for free?"
Sage Ruler Qing Qiu grit her teeth and said, "Then sell them through proper channels! You three countries should refine as many Spirit Gathering Pills as possible and let more people embark on the path of cultivation. The more suffering for the common people, the more that can be saved. It's still saving lives."
Fan Li nodded, then shook his head. It was still the Pure Land's naive way of thinking, childishly kindhearted and superficial idealism.
"The average annual income for a household of commoners in Great Han and Great Ming can only afford one stalk of Lingzhi Grass. My Great Chu is a bit wealthier. A household's average annual income can buy one and a half stalks. A single Spirit Gathering Pill allows a person to enter the 1st level of the Body Refining Realm. Tell me, from Body Refining Realm 1st level to Golden Core Realm 1st level where fasting is achieved, how many heaven and earth treasures need to be expended in that period?"
Speaking with data and facts.
What kind of person was Fan Li?
The prime minister who held the greatest power in Great Chu!
No!
More accurately, the basic necessities for living that the commoners of Great Chu depended on like food, clothing, fuel, sauce, vinegar, tea - everything was recorded clearly in his brain!
"I...was wrong?" Sage Ruler Qing Qiu finally asked.
At some unknown point, a droplet of clear tears slid down her emotionless, transcendent beauty of a face. Even when crying, Sage Ruler Qing Qiu's expression remained unchanged.
Fan Li answered with a single sentence. "Why not eat meat paste?"