In the seventeenth year of the Kaihuang era, I wrote my will in the examination hall.

Chapter 37 Question Answered - A Sky-Rending Crack [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The two words "rites and laws" represent the sharpest weapon of power held by Dugu Jialuo during her twenty years of rule.

She rebuilt the Sui Palace with Zhou rites and rectified the old customs of the Northern Dynasties with Han system. She hated people who disrupted the rules she established.

This grandson in front of him is a hundred times more sensible and knows when to advance and retreat than his muddle-headed father, Yang Yong! How could a woman of Yun's humble origins give birth to such a wise son?

"It's good that you have this thought." Dugu Jialuo's voice softened a bit, and the oppressive aura quietly dissipated. "I will keep this in mind and will instruct the Imperial Clan Court to keep an eye out for virtuous and noble ladies from various families for you."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your boundless grace! Your grandson is deeply grateful!"

Yang Yan knew in his heart that the reins were finally around his neck, and there was no point in trying to escape.

But at least he gained some breathing room, since their political views and marriage alliances were different, so there was still room for maneuver.

At this moment, all the palace maids withdrew, and Dugu Jialuo sat down at the table, took the white jade paperweight from the table, and gently placed it on the scroll she had just been reading.

Then he picked up the warm tea on the table, but didn't drink it. He just gently rubbed the rim of the cup with the lid.

"I've seen your exam paper from the Imperial Examination Hall a few days ago."

Finally, she spoke again, her expression no longer gentle, but extremely solemn.

"The idea that 'a person cannot stand without integrity, and a nation cannot prosper without integrity' is a viable starting point."

"Now our Great Sui Dynasty is peaceful and prosperous, and all under heaven submit. In your opinion, where does the greatest 'disbelief' lie? And where does the greatest crisis lie?"

coming!

The real test is about to begin!

Marriage is a family matter, a constraint. National policy, however, is the real battlefield.

Yang Yan slowly straightened up, his submissive expression vanishing.

His gaze calmly met Dugu Jialuo's; his deep phoenix eyes seemed to see right through people's hearts.

He had read in history books that looking directly into the eyes of this iron-fisted empress without flinching actually showed his openness.

"Go back to the imperial grandmother."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was unusually steady.

"In my opinion, although the Sui Dynasty has unified China, the crisis has only just begun."

Upon hearing this, Dugu Jialuo's hand, which was caressing the cup lid, suddenly stopped.

"The greatest crisis and crisis of the Sui Dynasty was that the people's hearts were not united and the north and south were still divided."

Yang Yan spoke slowly and deliberately, each word like a pebble dropped into a calm lake.

Dugu Jialuo narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, a habit she had when she was focused on thinking.

She didn't interrupt, but simply tapped the table very lightly with her fingertips, signaling him to continue.

Having received this silent permission, Yang Yan felt even more reassured.

"Please think carefully, Your Majesty. Since the southward migration during the Yongjia era, the people and officials have moved south, and the north and south have been divided and ruled separately for nearly three hundred years."

"Three hundred years is enough time for two countries with the same language and culture to develop completely different character and people's hearts."

His voice echoed in the empty hall, carrying a profound sense of history.

"The common people each follow their own customs, and the gentry each serve their own masters. Although there is a common ruler for all under heaven, the powerful clans of Guanzhong regard the Jiangnan region as surrendered captives, while the Jiangnan aristocracy resents the Guanzhong warriors who occupy important positions in the court. This is a deep-seated ailment that cannot be cured by weapons!"

According to the "Geography" section of the Book of Sui, at the end of the year, the Yangzhou General Administration reported that there were still thirteen or fourteen out of ten prefectures in Jiangnan where "the language was not mutually intelligible and the clothing was different".

"This is the most accurate depiction!"

Yang Yan took a deep breath and threw out the first sword he had prepared long ago.

"In the past, Qin Shi Huang swept across the six kingdoms, wielded his power over the four seas, standardized writing and the width of cart axles. How powerful he was!"

"Yet the ambitions of the nobles of the six states remained undiminished, and their longing for their former kingdoms lingered. When the imperial star fell, Chen Sheng and Wu Guang rose in rebellion, and the former clans of the six states responded in kind, with flames of war spreading across the land. The mighty Qin Dynasty, after only two generations, perished!"

He paused, letting this resounding historical lesson echo throughout the hall.

Then he threw the second sword.

"Looking back at the Former Jin Dynasty, after the southward migration of the elite, the north fell into enemy hands, and the distinction between Chinese and barbarians, and between north and south, became deeply ingrained. This ultimately led to the centuries-long confrontation between the Northern and Southern Dynasties, with endless wars and widespread suffering."

"This, too, is the calamity of hearts and minds being scattered!"

Yang Yan raised his eyes, staring intently at Dugu Jialuo, and his voice suddenly rose a few decibels.

"In my humble opinion, territory is easy to unify, but the hearts of the people are difficult to pacify!"

"Our Great Sui Dynasty is now at this critical juncture. Should we be content with merely unifying our territory, or should we dedicate ourselves to forging a unified heart for all generations?"

"The hearts of the people are united..." Dugu Jialuo silently repeated these four words, her body unconsciously shifting from leaning to sitting upright.

This subtle change transformed the atmosphere of the entire hall.

This is no longer a test, but a real political discussion!

"Therefore," Yang Yan said firmly, giving his conclusion without hesitation.

"The most urgent task for the Great Sui Dynasty now is not to hastily expand its territory for short-term gains, but to devote all its national strength to consolidating this hard-won foundation of unity and to mending the deep-seated rift between the North and the South!"

"We must make the gentry of Jiangnan, the common people of Lingnan, and the people of the Central Plains all wholeheartedly identify as 'people of the Sui Dynasty,' not as people of the Northern Dynasties, nor as people of the Southern Dynasties!"

"Before that," Yang Yan said in an extremely heavy tone.

"Absolute military stability is the foundation of everything! It is the ballast stone for long-term domestic peace and security! At this stage, there must be no large-scale wars, whether it's conquering Liaodong or expanding the borders!"

"A single misstep could shake the very foundations of the nation, giving those centrifugal forces harboring old grudges an opportunity to exploit the situation!"

Inside the hall, a deathly silence fell.

Dugu Jialu remained silent for a long time, her eyes, which seemed to understand the ways of the world, gleaming with a complex and unfathomable light.

After a long while, she slowly raised her eyes and stared into Yang Yan's eyes.

"In your previous military council meeting, you proposed five strategies for Liaodong, advocating 'forced surrender' rather than large-scale military conquest. Did you also harbor this concern?"

coming.

Yang Yan knew that this was the last and most crucial test of the night.

Well answered; he is an upright and loyal pillar of the nation.

If you don't answer well, you are a potential threat who is cunning and eloquent.

He did not answer immediately, but instead straightened his clothes and performed a standard subject's salute to Dugu Jialuo, rather than a grandson's salute.

This subtle change caused Dugu Jialuo's eyebrows to lift almost imperceptibly.

"Exactly."

His voice was as steady as a rock, resonating softly within the hall.

"My grandson's strategy for Liaodong emphasizes 'forcing surrender' rather than 'conquest,' and he has three considerations."

"The primary concern should be the foundation of the nation."

He raised a finger, speaking at a measured pace, his words clear and logical, as if he had rehearsed them a thousand times in his mind.

"Since the Kaihuang era, taxes and levies have been lightened, allowing the people to rest and recuperate, which has led to the gradual filling of granaries we see today. This is the foundation of governance laid by my grandfather and grandmother."

"This is the imperial court's promise to the people of the world."

He deliberately emphasized the word "faith," subtly connecting it to the exam paper's theme, as well as to the "laws" and "order" that Dugu Jialuo valued most.

"If we rashly mobilize a large army for the sake of Liaodong, we will inevitably increase taxes and levies, depleting our reserves. This is not a war, but a self-destruction of our Great Wall, shaking the very foundation of our nation. At that time, with external threats still unresolved, internal trust will be lost first. If the hearts of the people in the North and South, which have not yet been reconciled, are further divided, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

He took a deep breath and prostrated himself in the most solemn posture: "Therefore, in my humble opinion, the most important task at present is to forge a unified will of the people within twenty years. Military force should be defensive, like a stabilizing force, protecting this process from collapse. Grandmother, you advocate laws and regulations and emphasize order; you should know that 'stability' is the most important 'trust' at present!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell into a deathly silence. The candlelight cast a long shadow of him as he prostrated himself, making him appear like a silent mountain.

Dugu Jialuo gazed at her grandson, who was lying on the ground, for a long time.

She spent her life shaping this empire with laws and order, but this young man before her pointed out a deeper and more difficult cornerstone than laws—the order of the human heart.

This answer far exceeded her expectations.

This is not an opportunistic strategy; it is a profound consideration based on the long-term foundation of the empire.

This child saw further than ninety percent of the prime ministers in the imperial court.