The Emperor’s enticement to the common people was being able to eat a meal in his palace, and the name of this meal was called an imperial banquet. All the power under heaven belonged to him, including your wife and children—all his. Everything you possessed was merely bestowed upon you by the Emperor. He could make a person and their dogs and chickens ascend to heaven, and could also make a person sink into the Nine Nether Hell.

“This concubine was not bestowed to you by His Majesty. This concubine was carried through the main gate by you in a sedan chair. You are this concubine’s heaven. Those four women in the back courtyard are the ones His Majesty bestowed.” Xinyue was extremely averse to hearing the two words “bestowed” or “granted.” She sat up straight and explained to Yun Ye word by word that she entered through the main gate, not carried in through a side door as a concubine servant.

“Cover yourself with the quilt—you’re naked. Aren’t you cold?” Yun Ye complained and turned around with his back to Xinyue, feeling he was casting pearls before swine. Thinking about how hard democracy was to come by in later generations, it was… why didn’t people now know to strive for it?

After getting up, Yun Ye felt spreading democracy was his responsibility. Last night he recalled for half the night what he learned in political science class. Seeing Old Qian come over, he clasped his hands and said: “Steward Qian, you’ve worked hard.” To achieve democracy, start with everyone being equal.

Old Qian’s lips trembled severely. He howled once and stumbled off to report to Madam—the Marquis has gone mad…

An old servant who hadn’t seen the world. Later when he knows the benefits of democracy, he’ll get used to it. At the moon gate, he saw Liu Jinbao waiting for him holding a cloak. When Liu Jinbao draped the cloak over him, he turned his head and said “Thank you.” Yun Ye considered his words very sincere and very kind. Liu Jinbao’s expression changed dramatically, however. He hurriedly knelt and said he would never again dare use the Marquis’s cloak as a blanket.

This made him angry. Using this Marquis’s cloak as a blanket was no problem, but this son of a bitch never washed his feet. Could this cloak still be worn? He lifted his foot to kick him twice to vent his anger. Remembering his important mission to spread democracy, he put his foot back down and forcibly squeezed out two words: “No problem!” Liu Jinbao became even more panicked.

He strolled around the house once to pay New Year respects to all the elders, then planned to eat a meal. He was determined to change the bad habits of opening his mouth for food and extending his hands for clothes. The maid Zijuan walked over carrying a wooden tray. Yun Ye happily went up to meet her, planning to help carry the tray. Having a lady do the work while he, a big grown man, just sat there wasn’t proper. It didn’t conform to the essence of democracy and must be changed.

Just asking for a tray, but Zijuan’s face immediately turned bright red. Her skirt was trembling. He didn’t understand what she was trembling about. The porridge even spilled. At this time, a dry cough came from behind. Zijuan hurriedly let go, covering her face and ran out.

This was right. This was the manifestation of not being adapted to democracy. It would be fine later. Yun Ye placed the tray on the table, arranged his own bowl and chopsticks, and began eating heartily. Xinyue sitting across from him didn’t eat either, just stared at Yun Ye like this. Na Rimu and Lingdang were the same, full of worried expressions.

“Something unclean has entered the house.” This was Xinyue’s conclusion after leaving the dining hall.

“Husband has been off since last night. Steward Qian, Steward Qian, quickly go to the nearest Fire Spirit Temple to request a Daoist to drive out ghosts. Requesting Daoist Yuan probably won’t be in time.”

Na Rimu and Lingdang turned their heads and also helped shout for Old Qian. The mentally vigorous yet worried-looking Old Qian rushed out as if hit by an arrow in the rear.

Not one of these women was any good. The two sons were still better, accompanying their old father eating at the big table. The three daughters now all had their own embroidery towers and didn’t come out.

Yun Shou and Yun Huan’s eating manner was exactly like their old father’s. All three father and son ate very boldly. Eating steamed buns with yellow chive filling in the dead of winter was truly shortening one’s life. He’d better not eat them. Let the two sons eat more. He wanted to infinitely align himself infinitely with the broad masses. Democracy, right? Start first with food, clothing, housing, and transportation.

Yun Shou saw that Father always stared at the buns on the plate just drinking porridge, so he took one and placed it on Father’s plate. The bun tasted very good. The cook had specially added egg inside. Besides salt, they put no other seasonings. Besides fresh, there really wasn’t much to say. Yun Ye took a big bite of the bun and smiled, saying to his son: “Thank you.”

The bun in Yun Shou’s mouth dropped to the ground with a plop. He stared wide-eyed and shouted “Dad”—this form of address was only used when father and son were alone together. Yun Huan stopped eating too. The two brothers together stared at their father in a daze.

After eating, the three father and son were just exercising their legs in the courtyard when a group of Daoists rushed in urgently and surrounded Yun Ye, beginning to chant spells. Listening to their accents, they hadn’t even requested gods from the same tradition. How were there even gods from Shannan East Circuit?

Chanting spells was one thing, but why were they sprinkling water on this Marquis? And it was that kind of talisman water mixed with paper ash. No matter what Yun Ye said or did, those immortals still relentlessly splashed water on him. He had just started cursing a few sentences when he heard one of them—a fellow who looked more like a highwayman than a Daoist—roar loudly: “Evil creature, quickly reveal your true form!”

One sentence stunned Yun Ye. This immortal was ridiculously powerful. How did he know that I was a thousand-year-old ghost from later generations? In the moment of distraction, a large bowl of dog blood was poured all over him…

Having changed clothes, Yun Ye was trembling with rage. Family law must be executed. Xinyue, this chief culprit, five strokes of the board. Na Rimu and Lingdang, three strokes each. Old Qian to face the wall in reflection. Liu Jinbao directly got a beating with military rods.

“What exactly happened? Who said this master was possessed by ghosts and monsters?” Yun Ye sniffed himself. He’d washed and scrubbed three times, but the fishy smell of dog blood still wouldn’t dissipate.

Xinyue rubbed her bottom and said aggrievedly: “You’ve been off since last night. You even said this concubine was bestowed by His Majesty. This morning you performed courtesy to Old Qian. When Liu Jinbao helped you dress, you even thanked him. Finally, you even forgave him for using your cloak as a blanket. That girl Zijuan—normally you don’t even glance at her much, but today you actually went to flirt with her. And also, Shou’er picked up a bun for you and you thanked him too. This is different from your usual practice. So this concubine thought you were possessed by ghosts and monsters. I didn’t even dare tell Grandmother.”

Yun Ye didn’t know what to say. He could only let out a long sigh. This thing called democracy wouldn’t work in Great Tang! All heresy was possession by ghosts and monsters. This was the Tang people’s most simple cognition. They believed what they currently possessed was already the best. It didn’t need changing and couldn’t be changed. Yun Ye didn’t dare imagine what fate radical thinkers from later generations would meet if they came to Great Tang.

The Marquis had returned to normal. Xinyue, Na Rimu, and Lingdang thought their strokes of the board were very worthwhile. When Old Qian learned while facing the wall in reflection that the Marquis was safe, he cried with old tears streaming down. Liu Jinbao lying on the bed heard this news and immediately wanted to climb up to serve the Marquis. Only Zijuan was rather sorrowful. Perhaps only she hoped the Marquis would keep being crazy.

Xiao Wu in the study was laughing until she could barely breathe. Seeing Master with a dark face, she had finally barely managed to restrain herself. Just as she was about to speak, she immediately laughed and rolled from the chair to the floor.

“Master! The Li Family is buying people’s hearts. What kind of people’s hearts are you buying? The people in this manor don’t need you to buy them. Their hearts, livers, spleens, lungs, and kidneys all belong to the Yun Family. The Li Family’s people can buy away others’ hearts, but this disciple dares say they have no possibility of buying away a single person from this manor. No one will betray their own family. Just look at Xiao Miao and you’ll know. She was already chased out by Eunuch Wushe, but with one call from you, didn’t she eagerly come back?”

“This is a heroic knight! Even the ancient Ju Meng didn’t have Xiao Miao’s methods. By rights, such a person should wander all their life, going everywhere performing chivalrous justice, making a huge reputation to not waste this life. But now she obediently hides at home, not stepping out of the first gate or the second gate, embroidering, ready at any time to wait for you to find her an in-law family to marry into.”

“In this disciple’s opinion, your methods are much more brilliant than the imperial family’s. They are treating all people under heaven as guests. You are treating everyone as your own family. Guests might perhaps help the host, but one’s own family is different. If great disaster descends, besides uniting to kill a bloody path out, there’s no other choice.”

“Just watch—the Li Family being so partial sooner or later will have big problems. The affairs of this world are nothing more than balance and checks. One-sidedly favoring the meritorious nobility, the common people will rebel. One-sidedly favoring the common people, the meritorious nobility’s interests will be infringed upon. What the imperial family needs to do is find a balance point between these two sides, letting the meritorious nobility and common people mutually restrain and mutually depend on each other. Only this way can they obtain the maximum benefit. Having them fight each other yet not tear off pretenses is the best strategy.”

“The current imperial family is somewhat eager for quick success. They one-sidedly suppress the meritorious nobility and elevate the common people’s status. Sooner or later, another class will appear that can compete with them for power and profit, and moreover, it won’t shift according to people’s will.”

“You said before that the most stable shape is an equilateral triangle. This disciple now thinks about it more and more reasonably. Perhaps now has already arrived at the time for another class to appear? Are you making a kind of test for the new situation that will appear in the future? Did you predict early on that a new sprout would be born?” Xiao Wu’s eyes stared wide and round, looking at Yun Ye with worship.

That Xiao Wu could analyze so many things from Yun Ye’s crazy actions—little did she know Yun Ye was even more surprised than her. After social materials become extremely abundant, the common people will naturally demand more rights. This was something world history had long proven. Perhaps those village elders still didn’t understand what happened. They didn’t know what their sitting in Wanmin Palace eating represented. They didn’t know it was their own power that prompted them to sit in Wanmin Palace eating and appreciating song and dance. They still innocently viewed this action as an imperial favor, yet didn’t know there was no free lunch in the world. Eating free meals required power as support. Li Er was the person who discovered this new power earliest. He was affirming this power’s legitimate right to exist, even somewhat encouraging it. And now, Xiao Wu had also discovered it…

Yun Ye patted Xiao Wu’s head and said: “Xiao Wu, your only flaw is being too smart. A girl being too smart isn’t a blessing. Since ancient times, beauties have had unfortunate fates. This saying has its reason for existing. You’re very unlucky to be born in such times. They have no way to provide you a stage to display your talents. Listen to Master’s words—better to hide one’s awkwardness than expose one’s clumsiness.”

“Is it the same as what you’re doing now?”

“Correct. We master and disciple stand to one side watching clouds rise and dissipate, watching him build high towers, watching his towers collapse. If there are people we like, we help them. If there are people we don’t like, we put our hands in our sleeves and watch the joke, thoroughly enjoying our own lives.”

“Master, is this Baiyujing?”

“Perhaps!” Yun Ye casually answered one sentence, spread out a sheet of paper, and on it drew a very large turtle.