"Ah, by the way."
The Emperor suddenly remembered something: "Wang Chuzhong's people must have told you stories about how Sima Zhengdu created the demonic catastrophe that wreaked havoc in the Central Plains, right?"
"I don't believe a word of it." Cheng Jinyang hastily declared his loyalty. In my heart, there's only one sun, and that's Your Majesty.
"Well, what he said is actually true," the Emperor said.
Cheng Jinyang: ???
Is it okay for the Emperor personally admitting it like betraying his ancestors?
"However, selectively revealing the truth is no different from lying," the Emperor continued. "Wang Chuzhong only told you that Sima Zhengdu was behind the great catastrophe."
"But he didn't tell you that before the catastrophe, the influence of aristocratic clans was already on the rise. Although the ancestral teachings of Emperor Xuan instructed to 'promote the humble,' the rise of the humble clans was far outpaced by the rapid expansion of aristocratic power, especially with the development of supernatural bloodlines, which greatly exacerbated this imbalance."
"The most fatal issue was the loss of advanced productivity from the royal family. Before Sima Zhengdu, cutting-edge technology was always held by the Sima family. The imperial commercial enterprises provided the Sima family with substantial profits, and these profits were reinvested into scientific research, with the surplus supporting the social welfare system."
"However, technological diffusion was inevitable, particularly because the use of supernatural abilities had no cost. Many tasks requiring significant technological and resource investment were easily accomplished by aristocratic clans with supernatural abilities. By the time of Sima Zhengdu, aristocratic industries had eroded 70% of the market value of imperial enterprises, threatening the very survival of the Sima family."
Cheng Jinyang thought to himself, supernatural abilities are indeed unreasonable. For example, the mass effect ability of the Hejian Xing family could directly reduce the weight of cargo. While an ordinary train car could carry dozens of rolls of steel, the Xing family could transport hundreds to thousands of rolls. How could others compete with such costs?
Seeing no reaction from him, the Emperor chuckled and said:
"Do you think it's only about the survival of the Sima family and has nothing to do with the state?"
"But if the Sima family falls, how long can the Emperor sustain himself? If the Emperor is replaced, letting one of the Five Great Clans take over, what do you think the human world would become? Cheng Jinyang, you are now the head of the Shendu Cheng family. You should also know that when aristocratic families recruit people, they only consider people with the same surname first. How many commoners with different surnames are there around you now?"
There are no commoners with different surnames, but there are plenty of noble ladies... Cheng Jinyang realized he couldn't refute and remained silent.
"The Sima family must never boast of their bloodline; this is the ancestral teaching of Emperor Xuan," the Emperor said wistfully. "Therefore, when the aristocratic clans were rising, only the Sima family consistently refrained from blood rituals, maintaining the bloodline of ordinary humans."
"Because of this, under the rule of the Sima family, you can see many officials from humble origins, a result of Emperor Xuan's teaching to 'promote the humble.' However, the aristocratic class is inherently highly exclusive: without a supernatural bloodline, you can never enter this class. So, there is little to no exchange between the aristocracy and the outside world. Even if there is, it is entirely based on bloodline, not individual talent."
"Once the Sima family declines and the aristocratic clans take over, commoners will truly have no way out. To see this, just compare the number of aristocratic children versus commoners in Wang Chuzhong's camp to those in Jiankang. You will understand."
"The world Wang Chuzhong pursues is one ruled by the Taiyuan Wang family, with other aristocratic clans supporting their rule—an aristocratic world. There will be no place for commoners or the humble. You come from humble beginnings, so you should understand the hardships of survival. If most people are destined to live such lives from birth, do you think such a world holds any hope?"
"Sima Zhengdu took a desperate risk to widely promote experimental inoculations, hoping to break the monopoly of supernatural bloodlines within the aristocracy and allow commoners to gain power... Of course, he failed, creating demons and causing half the empire to fall."
"I won't deny Sima Zhengdu's crimes. Even if his intentions were good, he indeed brought great disaster to the world. But Emperor Xuan once said, 'One must view matters dialectically and separate a person's achievements from their faults.' To label Sima Zhengdu as inherently evil and blame the entire Sima family is something I cannot accept."
"Denying Sima Zhengdu's intentions because of his mistakes and using this to argue that 'commoners should not gain power' is an overcorrection. Aristocrats may be eager to promote this narrative, but I will never succumb to it."
The emperor seemed a bit tired at this point and smiled, saying:
"Of course, with the previous internal split and rebellion within the Shendu Cheng family, those who remain are loyal. You don't need to say more; I understand."
"Cheng Benhe, the old patriarch have passed away, and the noble status of the Shendu Cheng family is precarious. Normally, this might be troublesome, but now it is wartime, and even Wang Maohong has already compromised with me. In the short term, you don't need to worry about the Cheng family being expelled from the noble clans."
"I am deeply grateful and thank Your Majesty," Cheng Jinyang quickly said.
"Don't be in such a hurry to thank me. The relationship between the Shendu Cheng family and the Sima family is no secret," the emperor interrupted his thanks. "After this, Wang Maohong will inevitably suspect your relationship with the royal family and will likely take time to probe you. You know how to respond."
"By the way, you seem to be quite close to his daughter, Wang Wanrou?"
"Well..." Cheng Jinyang hesitated for a while before saying, "We are just friends."
"Yes, a daughter from one of the Five Great Clans is not easy for you to attain, nor is she a suitable match. Even if you overcome all obstacles to marry Wang Wanrou, it would only make the Shendu Cheng family one of the many vassals of the Taiyuan Wang family," the emperor advised him. "Xing Yuanzhi from the Hejian Xing family is more suitable for you. However, since Cheng Benhe, the old patriarch passed away, Xing Shuhe may no longer be willing to betroth the Xing family's daughter to you."
"But actually, you don't have to restrict your choice of spouse to the noble clans." He suddenly changed his tone, saying, "How about my Princess Nankang? Although she is a member of the Sima family, she has some blood from the Yanling Yu family, so you don't need to worry about the bloodline growth value of your offspring."
Cheng Jinyang: ???
Sister Xinnan is indeed white, big and long... No, I mean she is gentle and reliable. But why is this cheap father-in-law suddenly promoting his daughter to me? This is too fast!
"Don't you like her? Then how about my Princess Luling?" the emperor continued to ask teasingly, "If you don't like someone older than yourself, Luling is also a good choice and won't affect your relationship with Nankang."
"I..." Cheng Jinyang was sweating profusely, completely unable to tell if the emperor was serious, probing, or just joking, "I haven't considered marriage yet..."
"Really?" The emperor then seemed a bit uninterested, "Then take your time to think about it when you return."
"Also, there's no need to refer to yourself as 'subject' anymore. You are not my subject but my junior. There's no need to be so formal. In the future, if you want to visit me, you can come through the east gate at any time."