Entry: I Secretly Cultivate Immortality in the Martial Arts World

311: Chapter 312 Extra Chapter 3 of the Myriad Realms: Russell!Russell summoned the System panel and reconfirmed the mission restrictions.

He could not use Spells or Divine Abilities.

As for the three Magical Artifacts and Medicinal Pills he had chosen, he should avoid using them if possible, as it would affect his final score.

Russell calculated silently in his heart.

He possessed the Divine Ability ’Future Sight,’ allowing him to see the course of future events.

This was his greatest advantage.

He knew what the Young Emperor would do next, when Luo Xiaoxiao would come to steal the Official Seal, and which court officials were trustworthy or not.

With this information, he could completely turn the situation around without using any Magical Artifacts.

First, he had to stabilize the Young Emperor.

Second, he had to deal with that foolish daughter.

Then, he would slowly lay out his plans, taking control of the court step by step.

Finally...

As Russell was thinking, a sudden sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

Immediately after, a delicate, sweet voice rang out.

“Father, your daughter has stewed some soup for you. Would you like to try some?”

Russell’s brow furrowed.

Wasn’t this voice that foolish daughter, Luo Xiaoxiao?

He looked at the sky outside the window.

The sun was high; it was just past noon.

Stewing soup at this time?

What soup is stewed in the middle of the day?

Russell sneered inwardly.

In the original body’s future, the first time Luo Xiaoxiao came to steal the Official Seal, she used the pretext of delivering soup.

It seemed the Young Emperor had already summoned her.

They certainly moved fast.

Russell straightened his clothes and sat upright behind his desk, saying indifferently, “Come in.”

The door was pushed open, and a young girl dressed in a pink dress walked in gracefully.

This girl was indeed beautiful, with eyebrows like distant mountains, eyes like autumn waters, skin like congealed fat, and a waist as slender as white silk.

She held a blue and white porcelain bowl in her hands, filled with steaming soup.

“Father, this is White Fungus and Lotus Seed Soup I stewed myself. Please drink it while it’s hot.”

Luo Xiaoxiao walked over with a beaming smile and placed the soup bowl on the desk.

Russell glanced at the soup bowl, then at Luo Xiaoxiao, his Face expressionless.

“Leave it there.”

Seeing her father’s displeased expression, Luo Xiaoxiao’s heart skipped a beat, but she forced a smile.

“Father, you have been working hard on state affairs lately, and your daughter feels distressed, so...”

“So what?” Russell interrupted her. “So you took advantage of my absence to secretly rummage through my study?”

Luo Xiaoxiao’s Face turned pale instantly.

“Fa-Father, what are you saying? Your daughter doesn’t understand...”

“Don’t understand?” Russell stood up and looked down at her from above.

“You came to deliver soup today to scout the place, didn’t you? To see where my Official Seal is kept and if there are any hidden mechanisms in the study, right?”

The soup bowl in Luo Xiaoxiao’s hand fell to the floor with a crash, shattering into pieces.

She fell to her knees with a thud, her whole body trembling.

“Father, I didn’t, I really didn’t...”

“Didn’t?” Russell sneered. “Then tell me, where did you go yesterday? Who did you meet?”

Luo Xiaoxiao opened her mouth but could not speak.

Russell looked at her without the slightest hint of pity.

In the original body’s future, it was this daughter who personally pushed the entire clan into the abyss.

The original body had treated her well, raising her as the apple of his eye since childhood, giving her whatever she wanted.

And the result?

For the sake of the Empress’s position, she sold out her own father.

Russell snorted coldly: “Someone, come!”

Two servants immediately entered from outside the door.

“Lock her in the back courtyard wing. Without my command, no one is allowed to visit, and she is not allowed to step a single foot out of the room.”

The servants were stunned for a moment, but they still obeyed and stepped forward.

Luo Xiaoxiao panicked instantly, grabbing Russell’s sleeve and crying out, “Father, what did I do wrong? Why are you treating your daughter like this? Father!”

Russell brushed her hand away and said indifferently, “You know in your heart what you did wrong. Reflect well. When you understand, you can come out.”

The servants dragged the incessantly crying Luo Xiaoxiao out.

Russell sat back behind his desk and rubbed his temples.

This foolish daughter was better off locked up sooner rather than later.

It saved her from staying by his side and causing trouble.

After sending Luo Xiaoxiao away, Russell continued to think about his next plan.

The Great Liang Dynasty had a vast territory and a large population, but its Systems were outdated and riddled with flaws.

To achieve a great unity world, the common people first had to have food to eat, clothes to wear, and work to do.

This required reform.

The first step of reform was to seize power.

The original body’s power was not small; as Prime Minister, he oversaw the administration, and the Six Ministries all followed his orders.

But the Young Emperor was the nominal Son of Heaven, possessing the Heirloom Seal of the Realm and the power to issue imperial edicts.

To completely control the government, he either had to make the Young Emperor a figurehead or...

Replace him.

Russell was no Saint, nor did he have any thoughts of loyalty to the monarch.

He was a Cultivator of the Tianheng Realm; he cultivated the Dao and sought longevity.

Who the Emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty was had nothing to do with him.

He only knew that to realize a great unity world, there had to be a strong leader.

And that leader could not be a faint-hearted ruler like the Young Emperor.

Russell decided to first turn the Young Emperor into a figurehead and firmly grasp the court in his own hands.

When the time was ripe, he would consider whether or not to replace him.

The next day at the morning court session.

The Young Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his expression mild.

After the officials performed their salutations, the Young Emperor spoke: “My dear ministers, if there are matters, present your memorials; if not, the court is adjourned.”

Russell stepped forward: “Your Majesty, your servant has a memorial to present.”

“Prime Minister, please speak.”

“Your servant suggests a nationwide investigation of land acreage, remeasuring the land, and levying taxes based on the acreage.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the court was in an uproar.

Investigate land acreage?

Wasn’t that checking the lands hidden by the great aristocratic clans?

Wasn’t this striking at their very lifeblood?

Someone immediately stood up to object.

“The Prime Minister’s move is inappropriate! Investigating land acreage is extremely costly and could easily cause civil unrest. Please reconsider!”

Russell glanced at the objector; it was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, a man from the Wang family.

The Wang family was one of the largest aristocratic clans in Great Liang, with at least hundreds of thousands of acres of hidden land under their name.

Russell said indifferently, “Extremely costly? The national treasury is empty, with expenditures exceeding income every year. If we do not increase tax revenue, the court won’t even be able to pay the officials’ salaries. If Vice Minister Zhou has a better idea, feel free to speak.”

The Vice Minister of Revenue was speechless.

The Young Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his expression displeased.

Russell had not discussed these suggestions with him beforehand and brought them directly to the court, which was forcing him to take a stance.

The Young Emperor was unhappy, but it was not easy to publicly refuse the Prime Minister’s Face.

After all, more than half of the officials in court were the Prime Minister’s men.

“This matter... shall be discussed later.” The Young Emperor waved his hand.

Russell was in no hurry and bowed, saying, “Your servant obeys the imperial decree.”

He knew the Young Emperor would not easily agree to investigate the land acreage.

It didn’t matter; he had plenty of time and plenty of ways.

In the following days, Russell began to lay out his plans step by step.

He first replaced a portion of the eunuchs in the palace, planting people he trusted.

He then adjusted the candidates for several key positions, rooting out the forces the Young Emperor had secretly cultivated one by one.

The Young Emperor was gnashing his teeth in anger but was helpless.

He wanted to find Luo Xiaoxiao, only to find that she had been locked up and was completely inaccessible.

He wanted to contact the officials in court who opposed Russell, only to find that those people had either been bribed by Russell or transferred away from the capital.

In just three months, the Young Emperor was completely turned into a figurehead.

All major state affairs were decided by Russell.

The Young Emperor’s imperial edicts could not even leave the palace gates because without the Prime Minister’s signature, the Six Ministries simply would not recognize them.

The Young Emperor had become a true solitary man.

One day, while Russell was reviewing memorials in his study, he suddenly received news: the Young Emperor had coughed up blood in the palace.

Russell put down the memorial and said indifferently, “Summon the imperial physicians to treat him well.”

Then he continued reviewing memorials.

Three days later, the Young Emperor passed away at the age of only twenty-three.

The cause of death was the recurrence of an old illness, for which there was no cure.

The Young Emperor had no sons or heirs, leaving the throne vacant.

After deliberation, the ministers unanimously recommended that Russell ascend the throne as Emperor.

Russell declined three times before finally “reluctantly” accepting.

On the day of the enthronement ceremony, Russell wore the dragon robes and sat upon the dragon throne.

The ministers performed the three prostrations and nine kowtows, shouting “Long live the Emperor!”

Russell looked at everything before him, his heart as calm as water.

This was only the first step.

The great unity world was still far away.

After ascending the throne, Russell pushed forward reforms with great strides.

He investigated land acreage, redistributed land, and levied taxes based on acreage.

He abolished exorbitant taxes and miscellaneous levies, unifying the tax System.

He promoted water conservancy and encouraged farming.

He established official schools and popularized education.

He set up courts, formulated laws, and governed the country by law.

These reforms touched the interests of the aristocratic clans, and waves of opposition followed one after another.

But Russell’s methods were iron-fisted; those who did not submit were killed, and those who rebelled were exterminated.

Within three years, the aristocratic clans within the borders of Great Liang were purged again and again; those who died were dead, those demoted were demoted, and no one dared to oppose him anymore.

Ten years later, the people of Great Liang lived and worked in peace and contentment; no one picked up lost items on the road, and doors were not locked at night.

This was a prosperous age never before seen since the founding of Great Liang.

But Russell knew this was not enough.

The great unity world was not just the Great Harmony of the Great Liang Dynasty, but the Great Harmony of the entire Minor Thousand Worlds.

In this Minor Thousand World, besides the Great Liang Dynasty, there were many other countries.

To the east were the Countries of the Eastern Sea, to the west were the Tribes of the Western Regions, to the south were the Hundred Tribes of Nanjiang, and to the north were the Barbarian Tribes of the Grasslands.

Even across the vast ocean, there were foreign nations with blond hair and blue eyes.

All these places had to be included within the scope of the great unity world.