Travel through troubled times and escape famine with the system

Once she started talking, Lu You spent about 15 minutes describing what happened after Qingzhou Prefecture was separated, which made Guan Shanyue sigh.

"Although it differs somewhat from what I know, it's roughly the same."

Guan Shanyue said softly.

"Although I have only met Lu Ming twice, I can tell that he is kind and honest. It is a real pity."

"Life and death are predestined; he chose his own path." Lu You took a sip of tea to moisten her dry throat. "From what you're saying, you actually know about what I did while you were in Wudu?"

Guan Shanyue sensed that Lu You didn't want to talk about the deer's cry any longer, so he nodded gently.

"The Emperor is very interested in you. Since the Third Prince's secret guards discovered your whereabouts, someone has been reporting your movements to him every day."

“Every day after the Martial Emperor finished reading them, he would order someone to send those messages to me.”

"I made these arrangements after reading those messages."

Guan Shanyue spoke casually, but when Lu You heard these words, they sent a chill down her spine.

After Duanmu Rong and the others found her...

It seems that among Wu Quanwen's secret guards, there were probably Hidden Dragon Guards who were only loyal to Emperor Wu.

Thinking of this, Lu You's eyes flickered.

"Old Guan, according to your logic, can I assume that everything the princes' subordinates did was not hidden from the Emperor's eyes?"

Guan Shanyue chuckled softly upon hearing this.

"Let alone the princes, who in the entire 108 prefectures of the Wu Kingdom could keep secrets from the Emperor Wu if he wanted to know them?"

"The Hidden Dragon Guard is far more terrifying than you can imagine."

Upon hearing this, Lu You didn't hesitate any longer. She stood up and knelt down in front of Guan Shanyue with a thud.

Guan Shanyue was startled and quickly got up to help her up, but how could an old man like him possibly help up Lu You, a martial artist with great internal strength?

"Deer, why are you doing this?"

Lu You knelt on the ground, her body slumped, and lowered her head.

"Mr. Guan, I know you have already helped me a lot, but I still have to swallow my pride and beg you to save Lu Yi."

“Lu Yi is my only family member. He has been kidnapped by the Second Prince and we don’t know where he is. He is in danger of dying at any moment.”

"The Emperor values ​​you highly. If you can plead for him, you can certainly ensure his safety."

"If it can save him, you can ask for anything. As long as it is within my power, I will not hesitate to do it."

Upon hearing Lu You's words, Guan Shanyue sighed and slowly straightened up.

"Lu You, get up. I can't do this."

"How could that be?" Lu You said unwillingly, "Emperor Wu even bestowed his own dragon-patterned jade pendant upon you..."

“That’s different.” Guan Shanyue took Lu You’s arm again and said, “Get up quickly.”

This time, Lu You stopped being stubborn and stood up in front of Guan Shanyue.

Guan Shanyue stopped and stood up, looking at Lu You with a complicated expression.

"Lu You, why do you think the Martial Emperor would share your information with me?"

"This..." Faced with Guan Shanyue's question, Lu You was speechless for a moment.

When Lu You heard Guan Shanyue's story just now, she felt strange, but she didn't think much of it.

After all, the Empress Wu had even bestowed upon Guan Shanyue a jade pendant with dragon patterns that represented her own identity, so it was not surprising that she would entrust Guan Shanyue with information about herself.

But being asked a question by Guan Shanyue at this moment made her think more.

"Is it so that he can make me understand that my every word and action is under his control?"

Guan Shanyue shook his head slightly upon hearing this: "As an emperor, the world belongs to the Martial Emperor. Although you have some skills, they are not enough to impress him. There is no need to use any means to intimidate you."

Lu You frowned upon hearing this: "Is it to give you face?"

"I?"

Guan Shanyue chuckled softly.

"I, Guan Shanyue, am merely a scholar who has mastered both literary and martial arts and was appointed to serve the imperial family."

"He gave me the dragon-patterned jade pendant only to win over the hearts of scholars across the land. Even my life and death are in the hands of the Martial Emperor. Why should he give me face?"

Hearing this, Lu You was completely stumped. After pondering for a long time, she could only shake her head helplessly.

"I really can't think of any other reason why the Martial Emperor would act this way. Please enlighten me, Mr. Guan."

Upon hearing this, Guan Shanyue extended his right palm and gently flipped it in front of Lu You.

"For the sake of checks and balances!"

Checks and balances?

Lu You looked at Guan Shanyue's palm with curiosity, but felt even more confused.

Guan Shanyue spoke slowly.

"The art of rulership lies in the two words: checks and balances."

"The Hidden Dragon Guard has spies all over the world. Does the Martial Emperor not know who the corrupt officials are and who the loyal ministers are?"

"But have you ever heard of any monarch in history who ever waved his hand and beheaded all the corrupt officials and treacherous ministers in the land?"

Slay all corrupt officials in the world...

Upon hearing this, Lu You fell into deep thought.

She naturally knew little about the dynastic changes in this other world.

Upon hearing Guan Shanyue's words, all that came to Lu You's mind were the emperors of China's past dynasties.

Among them, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, hated corrupt officials the most. The Guo Heng case, one of the four major cases of the Hongwu era, was a case of wielding the butcher's knife against corrupt officials.

This case had a wide-ranging impact, resulting in the beheading and confiscation of the property of numerous officials. It is said that more than 30,000 people were killed, a truly unprecedented event.

Even so, it's impossible to say that all the corrupt officials in the world have been killed.

"How could all the corrupt officials be killed?" Lu You muttered to herself.

Upon hearing this, Guan Shanyue sighed and continued speaking.

"Yes, corrupt officials can't be completely eliminated, but I want to tell you that even if they could, they can't be eliminated completely."

"Why?" Lu You asked, frowning. "Shouldn't we kill them all if we let those corrupt officials plunder the people's wealth and make the people suffer so much?"

"It shouldn't be like that."

Guan Shanyue said decisively.

"Lu You, nine out of ten officials are corrupt. If all the corrupt officials are killed, who will carry out the government's decrees?"

Upon hearing this, Lu You frowned deeply: "But... if we allow them to embezzle and break the law, how will the people of this world survive?"

"What do you think the common people rely on to survive?" Guan Shanyue retorted. "Not a perfectly peaceful world, but a stable court."

"When the court is stable, the country is stable, and the people can live and thrive."

"Today, an honest official submitted a memorial to the emperor, stating that there are corrupt officials who have embezzled and violated the law. Your Majesty should punish them according to the law, in order to uphold the will of the people and protect the laws of the country."

"But if all the corrupt officials are killed and only honest officials are left in the court, what if the emperor issues a decree tomorrow that displeases these honest officials? If all the honest officials kneel and beg the emperor to rescind the decree, then is this still the emperor's court?"

Lu You stood there stunned by Guan Shanyue's words.

She never considered these things.

Guan Shanyue continued to speak.

"For example, when the Jin army invaded the border, the court was divided into two factions."

One faction advocated war, demanding blood for blood, and insisted on not only recovering Xijiang Prefecture but also crossing Ningguan Pass to invade Jin territory and seek revenge.

"The other faction advocated peace, arguing that war was wasteful of resources and manpower, and that after recovering Xijiang Prefecture, they should negotiate with the Jin Kingdom to demand reparations so that the people could recuperate."

"Who do you think is right and who is wrong between these two camps?"

"How much collusion of interests exists between those who advocate war and those who advocate peace?"

"Which faction controls weapons manufacturing? How much wealth can a pro-war stance bring?"

"Which faction controls the recommendation of officials, and how many cronies can be placed in Xijiang Prefecture to increase their influence in the court's power struggles?"

"In this world, how can things be simply distinguished as black and white, right and wrong?"

At this point, Guan Shanyue looked out the window, his eyes filled with undisguised melancholy.

"As I said before, the way of emperors lies in checks and balances."

"Checks and balances between civil and military officials, between the loyal and the treacherous, and between factions."

"The reason the Emperor showed me your information is because he knows I will definitely step in to protect you, thus keeping the two princes in check!"

“You have made great contributions in Qingzhou Prefecture and your methods are strange and numerous. If you completely side with the Third Prince, it will be extremely detrimental to the Second Prince.”

"Now that Lu Yi is being held hostage by the Second Prince, you are worried about Lu Yi's life and therefore dare not completely side with the Third Prince."

"The struggle between the two princes will be balanced again."

"Do you still think I can plead for Lu Yi and get the Emperor to order his rescue?"