Chapter 178 - Pear Blossoms Bloom (Part One)

In the 186th year of the Ruen Dynasty, a great flood swept through Qizhou, destroying countless homes and displacing the people. Banditry and unrest surged through the region as a result.

Chen Kaiming had been on the imperial throne for eighteen years when that happened. He was thirty-nine and in the prime of his life.

Two months after the Qizhou was flooded, Chen Kaiming personally set out to inspect the affected area, and stayed for five days before he returned to the imperial capital.

On the day Chen Kaiming returned to Tianjing, his dragon carriage entered through the capital's main gate and proceeded down a broad avenue leading directly to the Imperial City. People filled the streets, squeezing together shoulder to shoulder to welcome him. The noise of the crowd was thunderous, as if his return were a grand festival.

"Ah Dou, would you say I can be considered a wise ruler?" Chen Kaiming’s voice came from inside the dragon carriage, just loud enough for Yue Dou, who was walking beside the carriage, to hear despite the roar of the crowd.

Yue Dou smiled slightly, his youthful face calm and unperturbed, as he softly replied, "Your Majesty’s virtue is evident. Naturally, you are a wise ruler for the ages."

"

Hahaha

..." The Emperor's hearty laughter sounded from within the dragon carriage, brimming with barely-contained pride. "Ah Dou, your flattery skills are becoming more refined. Who taught you that? I must reward them handsomely."

"It’s naturally due to Your Majesty’s excellent guidance," Ah Dou replied with a smile.

"Oh, Ah Dou, are you saying I taught you how to flatter others?" Chen Kaiming spoke like he had been provoked, it was obvious that he wasn’t actually angry.

Although Yue Dou knew the person inside the carriage couldn’t see him, he still gave a slight bow and said, "I wouldn’t dare... My meaning is that as Your Majesty is a wise ruler for the ages, serving by Your Majesty’s side makes it only natural—"

"Chen Kaiming!"

A sudden shout emerged from the crowd, piercing through the hubbub and sounding particularly jarring.

"You're a tyrant!"

Yue Dou’s bemused flattery trailed off. He paused for a moment, then realized that it was silent within the dragon carriage.

Yue Dou’s face grew so cold it was almost icy. The dragon carriage stopped, and Yue Dou quickly walked to the front, where the accompanying imperial guards had already dragged out the one who had spoken so disrespectfully.

Yue Dou was taken aback again when he saw the person. It was a woman.

The imperial guards didn’t care that she was a woman, they simply yanked her out of the crowd and threw her down at Yue Dou’s feet.

Yue Dou looked coldly at the woman and asked, "Who are you?"

The woman was dressed in a simple white gown. It didn’t look expensive, but had an elegant simplicity to it, like a pear blossom in bloom. After her struggle with the guards, her clothes were slightly disheveled. She stood up from the ground, looking at Yue Dou with a cold gaze of her own, and asked, "Are you Chen Kaiming?"

The name sent a jolt through Yue Dou’s heart... He did not dare to directly answer. He frowned and replied, "Is that a name you’re allowed to say?"

"So, you’re not him." The woman gave a cold laugh. "I called for Chen Kaiming, not you. What are you here for?"

"Hmph." Yue Dou snorted coldly. "Sharp-tongued, aren’t you? Guards! Drag her away and have her clubbed to death!"

These words didn’t seem to frighten the woman. She didn’t spare a glance at the approaching guards. Instead, she kept her gaze fixed on the dragon carriage as she shouted, "Chen Kaiming! Don’t you want to know why you’re a tyrant?"

There was no response from the dragon carriage. It remained silent. Yue Dou glanced at the carriage, then harshly ordered, "Cut out her tongue!"

The woman's gaze remained unmoved even as she struggled in the hands of two guards.

"Chen Kaiming! You are unworthy to be the Emperor of the Ruen Dynasty!"

"Tyrant! You don’t even have the courage to confront an ordinary woman like me?!"

Bang!

The door of the dragon carriage was kicked open by Chen Kaiming, who stepped out with a look of barely restrained anger on his face.

Yue Dou hurried forward.

"Your Majesty, please don’t be hasty. I’ll take care of her immediately."

"Get out of the way!" Chen Kaiming pushed Yue Dou aside and strode up to the woman. "You wanted to confront me? I’ll give you that chance!"

The woman’s hands were still held tightly by the guards, and she futilely struggled to free herself.

"Release her!" Chen Kaiming commanded, then turned to the woman and said, "I want to hear how I’ve become a tyrant in your eyes!"

The guards released her and stepped aside, though they didn’t dare to go far.

The woman angrily smoothed out the wrinkles in her clothing and looked fearlessly at the most powerful man in the world. Slowly, she said, "Of course, I am going to tell you, so you can understand... exactly what kind of tyrant you are!"

On the wide street, the two stood face to face. At some point, the bustling crowd along the street had gone silent, barely daring to breathe. The silence was so severe that even a pin drop could be heard.

"I am the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Qizhou..." The woman met Chen Kaiming’s gaze. "Our hometown was devastated by the flood. With nowhere to live, and constant struggles for food, many people were displaced. Some even turned to banditry, and lawlessness spread, making life unbearable. My parents, who were always kind-hearted, used our family’s wealth to provide relief, saving countless lives—"

"So you’re here to claim credit?" Chen Kaiming frowned slightly.

"Claim credit?" The woman gave a bitter smile, tears glistening in her eyes. "My parents did good deeds their whole lives and have never sought repayment or credit."

"Then you..."

"The flood was a natural disaster! Once it passed, things would have settled!" the woman suddenly raised her voice, looking at Chen Kaiming with hatred. "But what should never have happened... was that you, a tyrant, came to Qizhou on an inspection tour!

"Qizhou isn’t a prosperous place, and after the flood, it became even poorer. Do you know... because of your visit, the local officials forcibly taxed us. People were unable to afford food, let alone taxes! My father refused to pay, pleading on behalf of the people, only for our home to be confiscated under the charge of rebellion. They seized everything!"

Biting her lip, the woman stubbornly held back her tears.

"Chen Kaiming... do you know that every meal you ate in Qizhou was paid for with the flesh and blood of my parents and the people of Qizhou!"

Chen Kaiming’s pupils trembled slightly as he opened his mouth. "Nonsense! I ordered the national treasury opened at the time of the flood! A full three hundred thousand silver taels were allocated to Qi—"

His words abruptly stopped, and he fell silent.

"Why aren’t you speaking?" The woman sneered. "So, did you finally think about those scheming officials?

Ha

! Three hundred thousand silver taels... after being redirected and embezzled by those officials, how much do you think was actually distributed to the people in need?"

Chen Kaiming opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.

"Didn’t you consider yourself a wise ruler?" The woman took a deep breath and stepped forward, closer to Chen Kaiming.

Chen Kaiming raised his hand to stop the guards who wanted to step forward. He stood face-to-face with the woman, close enough to hear each other’s breathing.

The woman looked up at the emperor’s face.

"Tyrant, I have three questions. Can you answer them?"

"Ask."

"First question, do you know what it means to be a ruler?"

"Second question, do you know what it means to be of the people?"

"Third question, do you know what it means to treat your nation as your home?"

Chen Kaiming instinctively smiled, about to answer, but as he opened his mouth, he hesitated.

He looked around at the crowd, who were also watching him quietly, with hope, doubt, and confusion in their eyes.

Chen Kaiming’s Adam's apple bobbed slightly. He looked back at the woman standing almost pressed against him and slowly shook his head.

"I... do not know."