Qi Xuansu wanted to say that he would be calling the shots, but he felt it would go against the Daoist ideal of equality and show little respect for Zhang Yuelu. More importantly, he lacked the confidence to say so. In the end, he said, “They say even an upright judge finds it hard to settle family quarrels. In matters , there can’t be only one person who decides everything. Everything should be open for discussion.” Madam Qi scoffed and gave Qi Xuansu a sidelong glance. “I knew it. You’ve got no balls.” Qi Xuansu protested innocently, “What does this have to do with balls?” Madam Qi argued righteously. “Other men, whether they’re really in charge or not, at least claim they are. You don’t even dare say it in front of me, so I can’t bear to imagine what will happen when you’re alone with that Zhang girl. Are you already henpecked?” Qi Xuansu shot back, “Madam Qi, if you found yourself a man right now, who would be in charge?” Madam Qi replied without hesitation, “I’d be in charge, of course.” Qi Xuansu pursed his lips. “Don’t you think that’s a double standard?” Even when she had no reason, Madam Qi spoke as if she did. “Yes, it’s a double standard. What, you got a problem with that?” Qi Xuansu muttered under his breath, “No wonder you’re forever alone.” “Tian Yuan, what did you just say?” Madam Qi glared at him. Qi Xuansu quickly changed his tune. “I said, you’re always right, Madam Qi.” Madam Qi did not press the matter. She changed the topic. “I hear Li Wugou has specially approved your leave. From the looks of it, you won’t be called to the battlefield for merit even if there’s another major action. So you don’t have to return with the main force. You can apply to go back to Jade Capital with the first wave of withdrawals. Li Wugou will agree since you’ve already earned so much merit. No one will accuse you of abandoning the battle. They’ll only sing of how noble you are to give your comrades a chance to earn more merit.” Qi Xuansu asked, “Why would I want to go back to Jade Capital ahead of time?” Madam Qi rolled her eyes. “To see your house, of course! Don’t you want to take a look at your own house?” Now that the moment had arrived, Qi Xuansu felt less eager. “Wouldn’t that be too hasty? Shouldn’t I wait a bit?” For once, Madam Qi did not attack Qi Xuansu with words but instead explained earnestly, “Westerners came up with a term called ‘consumption,’ which means to squander or use up. This concept arose 200 years ago. With the great expansion of maritime trade, many middle-class Westerners came to believe that the world’s wealth was inexhaustible, and thus the idea of spending it freely emerged. Many pursued dignified consumption, craving unrestrained material pleasures and distractions, and treating this as life’s goal and purpose. This trend has gradually spread to the East as well. “I have always opposed this concept, which stems mainly from how Westerners think differently from us. In their view, humanity’s mission is to use strength and wisdom to understand the world, then conquer and control it, becoming the master of all nature and forcing it to serve mankind. This is utterly contrary to our Eastern idea of the unity of heaven and man, of seeking harmony between people and nature. We see nature as a friend, but Westerners see the relationship between humans and nature as conqueror and conquered, exploiter and exploited. This is why they think everything can be freely consumed. “Though I oppose this notion, and though it essentially conflicts with the Daoist principle of frugality, I hope you won’t be overly thrifty when buying a house. From my own experience, I no longer wished to buy what I longed for in my youth after I passed forty. Even if I did, it could never give me the experience I would have had at twenty. “With your bright future, in ten or twenty years, you may own countless mansions. But you will never again feel the joy of purchasing your first house in your twenties.” “It’s like sexual relationships. Once you have tried it, whether male, female, or even eunuchs, countless will surround you if you so desire. But can you ever recapture the bittersweet stirrings of your first time? To buy the toy you once longed for as a child in your adulthood would only feel dull. New ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄhapters are published on N0velFire.ɴet “Follow the advice of our ancestors. Cherish your youthful days. Pluck the blossoms while they may be plucked. Do not wait till only empty branches remain.” Qi Xuansu suddenly began to understand why Madam Qi seemed uninterested in spending money. It was not merely stinginess. It was also because she was older, and the same sum could no longer bring her the same excitement. Come to think of it, what brought him joy as a boy was if he could sneak out of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, stroll around Longmen Prefecture, and eat a candied hawthorn. That was a delight that would put him in a good mood for several days. But now, even if he were to have 100 or 1,000 skewers of candied hawthorns, he could not recover even the slightest carefree joy of those days. Qi Xuansu could not help but sigh. “I get it now. Even if I were to do the same rituals, the feeling of youth will never be the same.” Madam Qi concluded. “So it’s settled then. I will leave Jade Capital before Li Changgeng assumes his rotation as the Acting Grand Master.” Qi Xuansu could only agree. The handover between the two Deputy Grand Masters would not occur until early July, so he only needed to return by June. It was not yet April, which gave him two full months to settle matters in Fenglin. There was much to do in Fenglin. Though Qi Xuansu and Zhang Yuelu were nominally on leave, it only meant they no longer fought for merit on the battlefield. They could not openly roam mountains and rivers. Normally, they still took part in less critical administrative work. Qi Xuansu, for instance, participated in reforms to Fenglin’s nobility system. Meanwhile, Zhang Yuelu was involved in reforms to the land system. Some might question why land reform involved the Tiangang Hall. That was because the Daoist Order’s reform of the nobility system aimed to separate noble titles from landholdings. For this reason, noble titles were no longer so important. If titles had still been tied to landholdings, Qi Xuansu would not have so easily secured a countess rank for Genki. The land reform, pushed forward in tandem with the reformation of the nobility system, touched upon the interests of the elites. It struck at the very foundations of some people’s wealth, so those people would fight desperately to defend it. Without force, it would be impossible. Thus, the Tiangang Hall had to cooperate. The Daoist Order sought land reform for two main reasons. The first was to strike at local magnates. Fenglin’s situation had spun completely out of control, forcing the Daoist Order to intervene. Beyond the rise of the Sonno-joi faction, the real issue was the daimyos across the land, each seeking to become a king or their land, much like during the Warring States era. Among these local powers was the Fenglin Buddhist Sect, which had chosen to side with the Sonno-joi faction. So naturally, they would meet a grim fate. Temples in Fenglin held vast plots of land. By reclaiming them, the Daoists weakened the Buddhist Sect and took away their source of income to feed the monk soldiers. In short, the Daoists sought to solve the problem of local magnates at its root. The second was to consolidate their rule and win the people’s hearts. In the past, when emperors and nobles spoke of the people, they really meant the local gentry and elites. So long as those elites consented, the realm was secure. The Daoists did not deny this, but as the times changed, the commoner class had grown in significance. Once the Daoist Order reclaimed land, they would not farm it themselves. Instead, they would redistribute it. Throughout history, dynasties had always treated land concentration as a mortal enemy. Even if it could not be stopped outright, it had to be curbed. That was because the commoners occupying the land were the main source of tax revenue. Their sons also made the best soldiers. Curbing concentration prevented the rise of refugees. To prevent uprisings, the court formed auxiliary armies that were untrained, serving only as labor and bloating the forces with useless men. To prevent great clans from monopolizing court power, the state had to open the exams, absorbing countless poor scholars and creating a glut of officials. Thus, the great clans evaded taxes, commoners were trapped by tenancy, the state lost revenue and so increased taxes, thereby putting the burden on the commoners yet again. With military needs, the court had to delegate power locally, allowing magnates to rise unchecked. From these considerations, the Daoists resolved to redistribute land, placing it in the hands of the common people. They would publicize it widely so the people knew it was the Daoists who had saved them from the vicious cycle of debt and taxes. That way, the commoners would know who stood with them and who had exploited and oppressed them. Though the Daoists would still impose a grain tax, these taxes would be significantly reduced, and land would be distributed. So long as the commoners sincerely accepted Daoism, the Daoist Order’s rule would be secure. The nobles and magnates would not be able to stir up waves. On this point, the Daoists knew they could not achieve it in one go but had to proceed step by step. So first, they redistributed the lands of the royal family, the Tenmon Sect, and the Fenglin Buddhist Sect. As the defeated side, these three parties fully deserved thorough dispossession. They had lost on the battlefield and had no strength to resist now. This would not provoke opposition from other daimyos, as they saw that the Daoists had shown enough mercy by sparing the Sonno-joi faction from total slaughter. The seizure of lands was just and lawful. It also did not implicate anyone else. This was the strategy of divide and rule. First, win over one faction, stabilize another, and destroy a third, leaving only two factions. Then win over one, destroy the other, leaving only a single faction. Finally, destroy the last remaining faction. By then, it would be powerless to resist and could only submit to its fate. At this time, the three great factions were the Sonno-joi faction, the neutral faction composed of local magnates, and the Chancellor's Office. The Daoists wanted to first win over the Chancellor’s Office, destroy the Sonno-joi faction, and stabilize the neutral magnates. The neutral faction would deem the purge of the Sonno-joi faction reasonable and thus would not take any extreme actions. Once only the Chancellor’s Office and the neutral magnates remained, the Daoists planned to use the Chancellor’s Office to eliminate the local magnates. At that stage, the Chancellor’s Office would only feel that removing the magnates was necessary to secure their own rule. After the local magnates were destroyed, the Chancellor's Office would be the only faction remaining. Their rise had depended entirely on the Daoist Order’s support. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Sonno-joi faction and the magnates would launch desperate counterattacks, with the Daoist Order’s tacit approval. They would serve as pawns for the Daoists to deal with the Chancellor’s Office. Through these three steps, the Daoists would eliminate their main opponents, break apart the entrenched factional barriers, centralize authority, and smoothly implement new policies, like the most crucial redistribution of land.