Imperial Statecraft
"It hasn't been that long since we entered the 【Timeline Save File】, right?" Dr. Lou couldn't help but sigh with emotion. "To think you could subdue a minister in such a short time in this era. 【Your Majesty】's imperial majesty is truly undiminished from the past..."
Hearing these words from Dr. Lou, 【Ying Fu】's brows furrowed unconsciously, seemingly somewhat displeased.
"We have said it before, We are not the 【First Emperor】 you speak of. You have mistaken Us for someone else."
Dr. Lou chuckled, "Then why does 【Your Majesty】 speak with such a strong flavor of classical Chinese?"
"Our habit of speaking is a residual instinct in Our soul... Very soon, We will adapt to the language of this era." 【Ying Fu】 replied calmly, "The 【Path of the Sovereign】 is a product abandoned by the era. The ancient order has already been eliminated by humanity. If We want to forge a new order, We must first adapt to the new world."
Seeing that Dr. Lou still looked unconvinced, 【Ying Fu】 spoke in a deep voice:
"We will say this one last time. We are not the 【First Emperor】 【Ying Zheng】... Believe it or not, it's up to you."
"Who 【Your Majesty】 is, isn't actually important. What's important is that we can cooperate." Dr. Lou smiled,
In the long run, 【Your Majesty】 represents the king of the ancient era, while I represent the scientific peak of the new era. Our cooperation is a powerful alliance between the past and the present. Whether it's sweeping across Earth's 【Gray World】 or finding the source of the Red Star's power, it will be easily accomplished!"
Towards Dr. Lou's highly inflammatory words, 【Ying Fu】's expression remained calm as water. He cast a faint glance at Dr. Lou. Those eyes, bearing the weight of a thousand years of history and dynasties, were like an abyss—unfathomable and impossible to see through.
Just this single gaze made the smile on Dr. Lou's face stiffen, and he slowly restrained it bit by bit.
"Cooperation is fine." After a long time, 【Ying Fu】 spoke calmly, "However, how Our people are used, is up to Us."
"That is natural. After all, they are 【Your Majesty】's ministers." Dr. Lou immediately replied.
"【Nie Yu】, did you hear that clearly?" 【Ying Fu】 tilted his head slightly, his deep eyes gazing into the eyes of the minister behind him.
After making eye contact with 【Ying Fu】, the man called 【Nie Yu】 immediately dropped to one knee and spoke respectfully:
"【Nie Yu】 obeys the decree."
He paused for a moment, then suddenly spoke again, "However, 【Your Majesty】, killing someone in this era is not easy. This humble minister is alone and lacks influence, I fear..."
【Ying Fu】 wasn't surprised by 【Nie Yu】's sudden interjection. He clasped his hands behind his back and leisurely replied:
"Oh? What else do you need? Just say it."
"I need money, a large amount of money! Money makes the devil turn the millstone. As long as we have money, the entire operation will be much smoother." 【Nie Yu】 answered without a second thought.
"We have just arrived, naturally We have no wealth." 【Ying Fu】 narrowed his eyes slightly, "What should be done about this..."
The air fell into a dead silence.
Feeling 【Ying Fu】's gaze, the corners of Dr. Lou's mouth twitched slightly. He immediately chuckled and said:
"【Your Majesty】 is not familiar with this era, so naturally it is inconvenient to get money... Since that's the case, let me ease 【Your Majesty】's worries."
As Dr. Lou finished speaking, he bent down slightly and pressed his palm against the earth beneath his feet.
Following a faint flash of luster, the atomic structure of several massive boulders was instantly shattered and reorganized. The originally hazy gray stones unexpectedly began to shimmer with a golden hue visible to the naked eye. Moreover, the purity of the color and luster was constantly increasing. In just a few short seconds, several hundred kilograms of gold appeared in front of 【Nie Yu】!
This scene completely dumbfounded 【Nie Yu】. As a modern person, the phrase "turning stone into gold" only existed in ethereal stories... But now, he had witnessed this process with his own eyes.
Just by lifting his hand, he was able to conjure up high-purity gold worth hundreds of millions. Just who exactly was this guy?!
Seeing the shock in 【Nie Yu】's eyes, Dr. Lou smiled slightly and immediately said:
"【Your Majesty】, exactly as I said before... with the two of us joining forces, it's enough to overturn any era."
【Ying Fu】 glanced at the gold at his feet, his expression remaining unchanged. He only replied noncommittally,
"Happy cooperation."
The smile on Dr. Lou's face grew even richer. He bid farewell to 【Ying Fu】, casually patted the dust off his clothes, and then his entire person slowly levitated from the mountaintop. Like a magnetic pole repelling the Earth's magnetic field, he silently ascended into the clouds...
The next moment, he shot off at an astonishing speed, vanishing at the edge of the horizon in the blink of an eye.
Only after his figure had completely disappeared into the distance did 【Nie Yu】 speak up with a conflicted expression:
"【Your Majesty】..."
"There are no outsiders here now. Speak your mind." 【Ying Fu】's tone was slightly softer than before.
"【Your Majesty】, I've been a mercenary abroad for over ten years, and I've seen my fair share of people... This 【Lou Yu】's thoughts run too deep. On the surface, he appears respectful and accommodating towards you, but in his heart, he probably doesn't think so. If things go south in the future, he might even scheme against you." 【Nie Yu】 said in a deep voice.
【Ying Fu】's robes fluttered in the evening wind. He didn't answer. Instead, he turned around, slowly walked up to 【Nie Yu】, and supported him up from his kneeling posture with both hands.
【Nie Yu】 was taken aback, a hint of astonishment and trepidation appearing in his eyes.
"General Nie is both brave and wise, utterly devoted and loyal. You truly are Our trusted confidant." 【Ying Fu】 said slowly, "We have seen too many people with crooked minds... Although this 【Lou Yu】 is shrewd, in Our eyes, he is as tender and naive as a child. He is truly nothing to fear.
A double-edged sword, if used properly, can also be wielded by Us."
Hearing these words, 【Nie Yu】 finally realized how superfluous his reminder had been... The ancient imperial courts were filled with old foxes whose intelligence bordered on the demonic. 【Ying Fu】 had seen plenty of people like that. No matter how deep 【Lou Yu】's thoughts ran, he was still just a modern man with some ideas and ambitions. When it came to scheming and statecraft, how could he outplay an 【Emperor】 who was a master of imperial statecraft??
"I was overthinking things." 【Nie Yu】 smiled self-mockingly. "Then the people on this list... are we still going to kill them?"
"Kill. But skip the first one on the list, only kill the second."
"Only kill the second person on the list?" 【Nie Yu】 was puzzled. "Why?"
A sharp light flashed deep within 【Ying Fu】's eyes. "This 【Lou Yu】 wants to use Our hand to eliminate his own stumbling blocks, while simultaneously pushing Us into an adversarial position with the 【Nine Monarchs】, thoroughly tying Us to his war chariot... Naturally, We will not let him have his way.
This 【Wu Tongyuan】, since he was listed as the first on the 【Kill Order】 list, naturally poses an immense threat to him... The more this is the case, the more We must keep him alive. Only if he is alive can he suppress 【Lou Yu】 and prevent him from dominating alone. This is 'Checks and Balances'.
But since We need to temporarily borrow 【Lou Yu】's power and maintain the cooperation, We must show some sincerity. Killing the second person can be considered giving him an explanation. This is 'Bestowing Favor'."
【Nie Yu】 finally saw the light. He immediately knelt down and replied:
"【Your Majesty】 is wise."
【Nie Yu】's gaze fell on the second column of the list. A name leapt into his vision:
——【Su Zhiwei】.