Chen Fu sighed slightly, his face full of worry. He raised his hand and gently adjusted his official hat, saying, "Prime Minister, I carefully calculated yesterday, and at least eighty thousand households in the Northern region have sharply decreased since last month."

As he spoke, he bent down to dip his fingers in the tea and slowly drew circles on the table, the motion seemingly depicting the sharp decrease in the Northern population, "At this pace, in three years, North Zhili might become 'a thousand miles of uninhabited land'."

Ultimately, the North and South must be unified; if the Northern region becomes uninhabited, it would undeniably be a huge burden for the Court. In the Central Earth Dynasty, Huaxia citizens and non-Huaxia citizens are worlds apart.

It is not simply a matter of usability but a critical point of whether they can be used by the Court. Leaving aside the traditional saying "different ethnic groups have different minds," just from aspects like enlightenment and taxation, citizens of the Heavenly Dynasty are far superior to any foreign races.

Moreover, in the Great Yu Dynasty, the common people have a unique advantage. Many ancestors of the common people have fallen from the ranks of powerful scholars and aristocratic families.

True poor people from the Pre-Qin Era mostly had already vanished by the time of the Great Yu Dynasty.

Therefore, these common people have inherited certain family learning, and have been influenced by Central Earth culture from a young age, making it easier for them to accept the Court's education and cultivate seeds for learning.

But if other foreign natives are taught to farm, study, and recognize characters, the manpower and material resources expended are immeasurable, and it takes hundreds of years to recover the cost.

A large population of scholars can promote the advancement of Daoist Mechanisms and select more suitable individuals for cultivation, which all are potential massive advantages of the Heavenly Dynasty's citizens.

Undoubtedly, what the Northern is doing now is basically undermining the foundation of the Immortal Dynasty.

Huo Jing narrowed his eyes slightly, took off the crystal mirror crafted by the Heavenly Work Institute, and tapped the emerald smoking pipe lightly on the yellow rosewood table, making a crisp sound. "Immediately convey commands to the Imperial Supervision Bureau, instructing the Inspection Bureau, Hanlin Academy, and Six Department Inspectors to jointly submit a memorial, writing the 'Buddha Country transforming citizens' of the Northern region into the official newspaper!"

His voice was not loud but carried an undeniable authority. After a pause, he added, "The words must be bloody!"

The following day at the hour of the tiger, the Capital's engraving workshop was brightly lit. The Hanlin Academy's compiler sat in front of the table, holding a wolf hair brush with concentration; the brush stroke moved briskly, writing, "Investigate the Northern Border Dao's Imperial Censor's secret report; Prince Yu is colluding with Western Regions monks, under the guise of disaster relief, actually plundering citizens..."

Beside him, the elderly carver squinted his eyes tightly on the plank, the carving knife dancing up and down, with date wood shavings scattering. As the knife moved, the four words "Demon Technique Deceiving the Public" gradually emerged on the plank, sharp as blades.

The fifth watch drum sounded, and the news house servant rushed out with the still fragrant official newspaper, jumped onto a horse. The horse neighed, raised its hooves, and galloped towards Yingtian Prefecture Government, the sound of hooves exceptionally loud on the quiet street.

In East State Academy, scholars in green robes sat together, passing around the urgent document. The Mountain Master stood on the podium, stroked his white beard, shaking with rage. Suddenly, he slammed the table and shouted, "This is actual proof from the Saintly Books 'cruel tyranny is fiercer than a tiger'!" With this roar, the inkstone on the table cracked, shattering into several pieces.

Seeing this, the Dean quickly took out the academy's private notes from his chest. The students gathered round, eyes filled with anger and determination. They swore a blood oath, immediately began copying two hundred copies of the "rebellion denouncement." These proclamations were secretly hidden in the secret hold of canal food boats, heading towards the Northern Border as the boats sailed.

At the teahouse on Vermilion Bird Street, the crowd was bustling. The storyteller stood on stage, slapped the clapper forcefully, causing the teacups to tremble slightly. "Do you all know?" he deliberately raised his voice, attracting everyone's attention, "The lotus platform beneath the monk's seat is actually inlaid with children's spines!" Below the stage, salt merchants in flower-patterned jackets all put down their covered bowls, their snuff bottles spinning rapidly in their palms, faces filled with shock and anger.

"I've heard factories in the Northern region use human bones to make porcelain, didn't expect even the souls wouldn't be spared!" One person couldn't help but speak loudly.

The newsboy of Great Ming Newspaper bent low, skillfully weaving through the crowded street, holding high the bulletin with an exceptionally alarming title:

"Shocking Exposure of the Disappearance of One Hundred Thousand People in the Northern Region!"

Passersby paused and looked over, casting surprised glances.

The Chief of Tongzheng Department held the pond news, hurriedly entered the palace hall with quick steps. "Latest urgent report!" His voice carried a slight tremor, "North region gave refugee mixed incense ashes cornbread, saying 'eating it can ascend to supreme bliss'." He wiped cold sweat from his forehead again and added a sentence, "But many people died after eating this, now the people all call it 'Meng Po Bun'."

Huo Jing sat in the chair, fiddling with the emerald ring slowly, a mockingly ambiguous smile on his face, quipped eerily, "Confused! This is called 'the survival of the fittest'—those who can't withstand Buddha's fate ascend early to bliss, those who endure are rightly used as labor."

After he finished, he suddenly clapped his hands in admiration, revealing a strange smile, "Marvelous! If Zhang Tai'a had this method back then, haha..."

Within a few days, Tongzheng Department received nine impeachment essays from the Imperial Censors. Baoding Lianchi Academy released the passionate "Northern Expedition Ode," the Lianghuai Salt Traders pooled resources to print "Refugee Oral Narratives"... Suddenly, the entire South Zhili boiled over.

Huo Jing in the office, leisurely playing with Hetian jade paperweights, turned his head to smile at the current Governor of South Zhili, Lord He, the smile full of confidence and smugness: "Even if Prince Yu can seal the people's mouths, can he stop thousands of sails on the Grand Canal?"

…

…

The series of reactions from the provisional cabinet were not reported to the old Emperor or Young Protector Xu.

Because Your Majesty is wise, letting Your Majesty know of such things would harm Your Majesty's wisdom.

As for Young Protector Xu, he suddenly said he wanted to retreat to seclusion, leaving all government affairs to the provisional cabinet. Huo Jing, being clever as he is, understood the peculiarity within.

This is also a sign of Xu Qing relinquishing worldly political power. The performance of the provisional cabinet will decide many matters in the future.

This is a test!

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