There are no ancestors at all; I made them all up.

Chapter 14 Key Comes
"Danglong Mountain..."

A look of reminiscence flashed in the princess's eyes, but she said nothing more.

Zhou Renjing waited a moment, sighed slightly, then flicked his long sleeves and said, "Please allow me to offer my humble suggestion first." He showed neither obsequiousness nor arrogance.

Young Master Lu narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking to himself, "This fellow certainly knows how to find opportunities to express his feelings." But he didn't stop him, simply observing from the sidelines.

All the cultivators held their breath, eager to see what brilliant plan this person could come up with.

Zhou Renjing smiled slightly, confident, and slowly said, "The difficulty in settling them lies in the decline of morality and the rampant spread of violence. We must use the righteous path to cleanse the evil atmosphere and reshape their souls! I have three strategies that can solve the problem once and for all!"

He held up three fingers.

"Firstly, Your Highness, please choose a vast area and set up a grand array that stretches for thousands of miles, drawing upon the pure and righteous energy of the heavens. All criminals who enter the array will be cleansed by this righteous energy day and night, and their violent, ferocious, and unruly nature will naturally dissolve! In just five years, they will surely become 100,000 obedient citizens."

Everyone was taken aback, and then they all looked thoughtful.

Zhou Renjing continued, "Secondly, at the core of the great formation, build an academy called Fellow Cultivators, invite great sages to teach the Holy Emperor's benevolence, the laws of the Immortal Dynasty, and the principles of human relations, so that sinners can cultivate their minds and distinguish right from wrong."

The evaluators in the corner were dumbfounded.

Can this be done?
Dingbo-kun and Zhengshuang-kun frowned slightly.

Zhou Renjing then offered a final solution: "Thirdly, within the academy, establish rules: those who can recite scriptures ten thousand times will receive a minor merit; those who write a hundred virtuous articles will receive a medium merit; those who guide righteous energy into their bodies and achieve harmony of mind and body will receive a major merit! If their merits are sufficient, they can be removed from the list of sinners and become good citizens of the Immortal Dynasty! They can be cleansed of their sins and promoted to good citizens of the Immortal Dynasty! The outstanding ones can even be promoted to teaching assistants in the same academy and forever bathed in holy light!"

The audience erupted in uproar!

Zhou Renjing bowed deeply to Princess Xiyao, his tone sincere: "These three strategies are the righteous path. In five years, why worry that people's hearts will not be won back?"

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!" Young Marquis Lu laughed, snapping his folding fan shut. "Brother Zhou's plan perfectly aligns with the Holy Emperor's sacred teachings for enlightening all! The Fellowship Academy is setting a precedent never before seen in history!" He turned to Princess Xi Yao, "What does the Princess think?"

Princess Xiyao frowned and began to ponder.

Dingbo Jun said in a deep voice, "The Thousand-Mile Array is extremely expensive, and may have exhausted the county's savings of a hundred years, not to mention the cost of maintaining the array and inviting great sages. Moreover, the grudges between the parties have been brewing for a long time. I'm afraid that before the walls of the academy are even erected, rivers of blood will have already flowed. Besides, how can mere chanting of scriptures and writing of texts resolve such deep-seated hatred?"

“Lord Dingbo, you are mistaken!” Zhou Renjing calmly retorted, “Your Majesty only sees the immediate expenditure, but not the lasting benefits. Although the initial investment is large, once it becomes a standard practice, the expenditure will naturally decrease.” He turned to the princess and bowed solemnly, “The Holy Emperor values ​​education most highly. If Your Highness sets an example in education, you will surely gain the Holy Emperor’s favor and stand out among all the princes and princesses, becoming unparalleled in prestige!”

Upon hearing this, Dingbo Jun looked hesitant.

The gray-robed elder, Zheng Shuangjun, pondered for a moment and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou's plan is truly ambitious. Although it is quite costly, with the help of a great formation and a great sage, even if we cannot educate 100,000, educating 30,000 should not be a problem." His voice was slightly low and hoarse.

"Lord Zheng Shuang is indeed exceptionally insightful!" Young Marquis Lu laughed heartily, then looked at the princess: "Sister Xi Yao, I am willing to do my utmost to help you. The Lu family has three spirit mines, and my father is on good terms with the great sages of the Wenyuan Pavilion! As long as you agree to the Daoist partner agreement, 100,000 spirit essences will be sent to Tingfeng City tomorrow! Inviting great sages in the future will not be difficult."

Upon hearing this, some of the evaluators were indignant, while others were envious.

That's 100,000 spirit essences! Enough to support a medium-sized sect for a hundred years!
Princess Xiyao's veil fluttered slightly as her gaze swept over the crowd, finally settling on Chen Qing.

"Chen Xu, do you have any suggestions?"

"Ok?"

Young Master Lu frowned, abruptly closed his folding fan, and sized up Chen Qing: "You?"

All eyes in the room instantly focused on them.

Chen Qing remained calm and composed, his mind as clear as a mirror.

The current situation is delicate. This young Marquis Lu is being aggressive and unpleasant. Zhou Renjing's plan seems grand, but it actually hides hidden dangers. If it is implemented, Princess Xiyao will inevitably fall into the control of the Lu family.

Even the princess has been reduced to a servant of the Lu family, let alone me. Judging from the attitude of the young Marquis Lu towards me just now, returning to Xuanyu is probably the best option. How can I possibly gain any benefits in my dreams?

That being the case...

Chen Qing stepped forward and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhou's plan is ambitious, but it is costly and unpredictable." "Oh?" Zheng Shuangjun glanced at him. "Do you really have a good plan? This is a test of governance, not cultivation talent." After saying that, the old man glanced at Princess Xiyao again.

"How dare you speak so arrogantly!" Young Marquis Lu sneered. "Brother Zhou's plan is already the best choice. How dare you, an unknown person, presume to judge it?"

Chen Qing, neither humble nor arrogant, said without fear: "Whether a plan is good or not does not depend on its flowery words, but on its feasibility."

Facing the gazes of the crowd, he stepped forward and said to Princess Xiyao, "These 100,000 people were arrested for causing trouble. It's unrealistic to expect them to remain peaceful afterward. Therefore, whatever strategy we adopt, we should be prepared to manage the chaos. We should suppress what needs to be suppressed and quell what needs to be quelled. We shouldn't be afraid of chaos. If we hold ourselves back because of it, nothing will be possible. Under this premise, the key to breaking the deadlock lies in decentralizing power and dispersing influence, transforming strength into national strength!"

"Disperse?" Young Marquis Lu raised an eyebrow. "Isn't this just the same old path of scattering them everywhere and burying the seeds of disaster?"

Chen Qing shook his head: "It's about dividing their power, dispersing their influence, and neutralizing their strength!"

Then, without waiting for anyone else to ask, he took the initiative to say, "There are three key points."

"Firstly, a system of checks and balances was implemented. The monks among the criminals were strictly supervised, while skilled craftsmen were assigned to their respective roles. The elderly, weak, women, and children were placed separately and treated according to their rank, so that they could check and balance each other and naturally create discord. If any disturbance occurred, they could be dealt with according to their rank, and whistleblowing was encouraged."

"Secondly, break up the groups into smaller ones and send them to newly developed areas, untouched pestilential regions, or newly established spiritual fields and mining areas. Each group consists of no more than a thousand people, who live among the military and civilians, with soldiers stationed nearby. This allows them to use regular soldiers to supervise criminals and good citizens to reform evil thoughts, enabling them to cultivate and colonize the land, and to preach the law while atoning for their sins."

"Thirdly, 100,000 criminals are 100,000 laborers who can build roads, construct cities, mine, reclaim wasteland, dredge waterways, and strengthen border defenses!"

He paused, then cupped his hands to Princess Xiyao and said, “Princess, you may request the court to grant you the power of redemption and pardon, and then declare that those who have worked for three years without fault can have their sentences reduced and be released from their social status, and those who have made outstanding contributions can be granted land and become commoners! However, all minerals and spiritual grains obtained in the process should go to the national treasury. Therefore, the costs of supervision, relocation, and resettlement should also be borne by the national treasury. This task is assigned by the Celestial Dynasty, so we cannot just give you the task without providing supporting measures and assistance, can we?”

In a few simple sentences, Chen Qing recounted his proposal, which was based on his discussions with others on the keyboard in his previous life. He emphasized the separation of powers and the use of labor relief. However, this immortal dynasty seemed to be quite ancient, and since the rise of humanity was relatively recent, it might not have experienced the power struggles and intrigues of human dynasties. It valued the extraordinary over the techniques and power, so the cultivators probably hadn't even considered this direction.

But upon closer reflection, it makes sense. If one can overcome skill with brute force, why would one bother with complicated strategies?
However, when resources are limited and authority is constrained, these ingenious schemes can find alternative paths.

Compared to Zhou Renjing's strategy, the most crucial difference is... cost-saving!

Save money, save resources, save on special effects!

As soon as he finished speaking, the playful look on Young Master Lu's face had vanished, replaced by solemnity and deep thought.

Zhou Renjing frowned, his gaze sweeping over Chen Qing repeatedly, as if he had just noticed him.

In the depths of Princess Xiyao's clear and cold eyes, it was as if an ice lake had suddenly broken, rippling outwards.

Dingbo-kun and Zhengshuang-kun, who were standing next to her, exchanged a shocked look.

"What a brilliant strategy of decentralization, dispersing influence, and neutralizing power!"

After a while, Young Master Lu broke the silence: "This plan is well-organized and demonstrates a deep understanding of checks and balances and the art of motivating others. But the problem remains: would rebellious cultivators, descendants of disgraced officials, and alien races that view our human race as enemies be willing to be slaves for a mere stripping of their status and a meager plot of land? Moreover, what about three or five years from now?"

"Everyone fears death and pursues profit." Chen Qing was prepared and immediately said, "Those who seek the Dao, who would willingly become a slave to the mines? Those who are capable, how could they not save themselves? When I was in the Xuan Prison, although my cultivation was suppressed, I was still unwilling to stay in prison and thought about how to escape. The people around me were the same, and so were these criminals. This is human nature."

"Be careful what you say!" Dingbo Jun immediately spoke up, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, warning, "Chen Jun's words are an analogy, and should not be spread lightly!"

Chen Qing understood and changed the subject: "The so-called siege of a city must have a gap. They originally felt that there was no way out and fought to the death with their breath. But if they know that there is still a chance to survive and that there is still a way to rise in society, then naturally some people will waver!"

Zheng Shuangjun suddenly said, "I'm afraid only a few people are wavering."

Chen Qing replied, "Even if there is only one, we should reward them severely and spread the word. We should also have people secretly compare the benefits of surrendering and the miserable situation of resisting. We should even encourage those who surrender to start families and build careers. Once they have houses, property, and offspring, they will have a weakness. Who would still take the risk?"

Upon hearing this, everyone felt both amused and secretly alarmed, realizing that this person's grasp of human nature was incredibly subtle and that he was truly a cunning and scheming individual!
If Chen Qing knew what they were thinking, he would probably cry out in injustice. What was his little scheme compared to that? In his previous life, he was an online cultivator, and he could come up with any idea with ease and eloquence. His true nature was that of a sincere person.

“That makes sense.” Young Master Lu’s expression was now serious.

"As expected of someone who has commanded troops to conquer the Western Wilderness!" Dingbo Jun stroked his beard and smiled. "There are indeed talented people under my princess's command. This person was recruited by me. I saw at a glance in Xuanyu that you were no ordinary person!"

(End of this chapter)