(This chapter was a bit slow to write, but I'm very satisfied with it. Tomorrow I'll explain why Fan Xian does what he does, and then, um, ah… I suddenly thought of that sentence in the introduction to Juitu's home…)

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In winter, people wore inexpensive but warm cotton clothes, sitting on heated brick beds, drinking clear and fiery liquor. In spring, the waterwheels in the Jiangnan water towns turned slowly, the seemingly inconspicuous water conservancy facilities silently doing their work. In summer, large leaf fans stirred the air in the homes of the wealthy, and all sorts of caravans and fleets left workshops, transporting goods to those who needed them throughout the land.

The basic water conservancy facilities scattered throughout the Qing Kingdom's fields, the glass and porcelain in every household, the very atmosphere that permeated every space – all of it was connected to the Inner Treasury. The Inner Treasury was not just the three great workshops in Minbei, but was spread throughout the entire Qing Kingdom, including peripheral industries like the Xishan Bookshop. Its output was not just related to crucial national industries like military equipment, but also included small items related to people's daily lives. These small items sailed across the seas and scattered throughout the world, seemingly insignificant, but they successfully accumulated an astonishing fortune for the Qing Kingdom.

The Inner Treasury crafted the equipment and armaments needed by the Qing Kingdom's mighty army, the warships of the three great navies. Furthermore, it used this inexhaustible wealth to support the food and funds needed for the Qing Kingdom's expansion in all directions. More importantly, the Qing Emperor needed this wealth to stabilize the people's livelihoods and maintain the effective operation of the imperial court's official system.

The Qing Kingdom's hundreds of millions of people had perhaps long grown accustomed to the Inner Treasury's presence in their lives, so much so that they had become used to it and gradually forgotten its importance, or at least underestimated it. But the Qing Emperor would not, nor would any official in the Qing Kingdom with any sense, and even less so would the Northern Qi court, which had always coveted the Inner Treasury.

Otherwise, the Qing Kingdom would not have concentrated its elite forces in Minbei, deploying a defense around the three great workshops even more stringent than that around the capital. All of this was to prevent the Inner Treasury's technological secrets from leaking out.

And the fire in the palace today clearly showed the Qing Emperor that the Qing Kingdom's greatest secret was not a secret to Fan Xian, but rather just a bargaining chip in his hands to be played with at will. Once the Inner Treasury's technological processes were completely destroyed, those old craftsmen died, and the three great workshops were damaged, the Qing Kingdom's foundation would suffer a devastating blow.

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However, the Emperor's cold face showed that he was not worried about the Inner Treasury being destroyed by Fan Xian in this way, because he knew that Fan Xian also cared about the Inner Treasury, and would not tear apart this treasure of the world in such a way. He believed that Fan Xian was acting in Jiangnan at this moment to destroy that copy of the Inner Treasury's technological processes, but he also believed that Fan Xian must have recorded a copy of this process before doing these things.

Only things that are still useful can be used as bargaining chips. The Qing Emperor coldly withdrew his gaze from the black smoke, glanced at Fan Xian, and said, "Truly insane. As a Qing citizen, you would actually do such a thing."

Fan Xian was silent for a moment, then said, "I just thought that this is ultimately a matter between you and me. It would be truly against my wishes for it to cause harm to the world."

These words were very clear. His Majesty the Emperor controlled the world. If Fan Xian did not hold a bargaining chip in his hand that he cared enough about, how could this Majesty have completely restrained his imperial heart and limited this war to within the Imperial City? He had enough means to deal with those who were attached to Fan Xian, but Fan Xian wanted to force His Majesty not to attack those people.

This seemed like a very naive, very childish, almost playful request. Your Majesty, I am about to rebel, and if I fail, please don't make things difficult for my subordinates who followed me… However, at this moment, there was a deathly silence in the Snow Palace. Neither Fan Xian, who made this suggestion, nor His Majesty the Emperor, who remained calm, regarded this as a game, because Fan Xian truly had a great weapon in his hand that was enough to harm the Qing Kingdom's foundation.

His Majesty the Emperor was not a person who could be threatened. Even though Fan Xian was holding the Inner Treasury's vital spot, he coldly glanced at Fan Xian and said, "Continue."

Fan Xian saluted with great sincerity and said, "Your Majesty is a genius. Now the Qing Kingdom's treasury is full, the people are energetic, the soldiers are brave, and although famous generals have fallen, looking at the talent of Ye Wan, it is clear that there are many talented people within the ranks of the army. Even if the Inner Treasury is destroyed by my hands, it is impossible for it to completely collapse in a short period of time. With Your Majesty's ability, no matter how resolute and resistant the Northern Qi Emperor and Shang Shanhu are, my Great Qing can send troops north and sweep across the land with the momentum of tigers and wolves. In Your Majesty's lifetime, you will surely be able to realize the grand ambition of unifying the world."

"No one can stop this process. Even if I hold the key to the Inner Treasury, I must admit that it cannot threaten you. You can completely disregard all of this." Fan Xian lowered his head and said calmly, word by word, "However… Your Majesty has far-reaching vision, and is not concerned with the immediate situation."

He raised his head and looked calmly into the Qing Emperor's eyes: "Your Majesty wants to unify the world, to build a great empire, to end the long-standing wars on this continent, to seek a peaceful future for millions of people, and to leave a legacy as a wise and brilliant emperor in history… Therefore, what you seek is the eternal future of the Qing Kingdom after it unifies the world."

"If you live, you can annex Northern Qi and Dongyi, suppress resistance with iron and blood, and win over the people's hearts with your genius and wisdom, ensuring the unification of the world. But what if you die?"

Fan Xian's lips curved into a smile, "There will be no more such Emperor in the world. Where can the Great Qing Dynasty, which initially annexed the world, find another talented ruler? Northern Qi has vast territory, many talented people, and a large population, inheriting the spirit of the Great Wei Dynasty, and has always regarded itself as the orthodox successor. If no one can suppress them, and those hundreds of millions of foreign people rise up in revolt, who can resist them? Can my Great Qing's mighty army just kill people everywhere? The initially unified world will probably fall into war again. At that time, whether my Great Qing can guarantee the unification of its territory is another matter, but I fear that the world will rise up against us, and even my Great Qing's capital will be in danger."

"Your Majesty has read history extensively and naturally knows that ruling with iron and blood will not last long. The First Emperor of the Qin Dynasty killed everyone in the world, but his dynasty only lasted for two generations before it collapsed."

"For the past three years, thinking of Your Majesty's grand plans and great undertakings, it is necessary to rely on the Inner Treasury's endless supply of resources to ensure the Southern Qing's central court's absolute national strength advantage over the newly annexed territories, to deter the remaining people of the new territories, to exchange time for the advantage of national strength, and to exchange the trend of integration in the name of exchange. By doing this and pushing it forward for several generations, the previous dynasty will be completely forgotten, the hearts of the new people will return, and only then will there be true unification."

"But if the Inner Treasury is destroyed, who will guarantee my Great Qing's consistent national and military advantage? If you live, none of this will fundamentally change, but if you die, and there is no Inner Treasury, who will maintain the structure of this continent?"

"And people always die." Fan Xian looked quietly into the Emperor's eyes and said, "Even someone like Your Majesty cannot escape birth, old age, sickness, and death. Looking at the court's plans for the past three years, Your Majesty has also been thinking about the future."

"You are an extremely confident person, and you have the right to be confident. You simply do not believe that the Northern Qi Emperor and Shang Shanhu can resist your determination to sweep across the six directions." Fan Xian said calmly, "Even if the Inner Treasury did not exist today, you would still be able to accomplish the grand and great undertaking that you have worked for for decades."

"What you want is not a lifetime of unparalleled brilliance, and then the Great Qing Dynasty collapses in the face of resistance and storms, because history is always written by the victors. If the Great Qing Dynasty after unifying the world cannot last for thousands of years, then even someone as great as you in the annals of history will only be remembered as a cruel and short-sighted tyrant."

Fan Xian smiled slightly: "You want my Great Qing… to last for thousands of years, so, you need the Inner Treasury in my hands."

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"What can you promise me?" His Majesty the Emperor suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with great satisfaction. It was very obvious that this unfathomable Emperor was very pleased that his favorite son had used every word and every sentence to come close to his heart that was difficult for anyone to approach, and to gently approach his grand intention.

"If I die, the recorded copy of the technological process will return to the court, and the destruction work in Minbei will also stop immediately. You know, I always have some relatively loyal subordinates." Fan Xian responded sincerely. He did not say defeat, because today he had entered the palace alone, turning this Imperial City into a battlefield. Whoever lost would naturally die. There was no second path to take.

While speaking, Fan Xian turned around and stood side by side with His Majesty the Emperor, looking at the snowy ground in front of them, covered with scattered silver among the barren grass. He cast his gaze to his left and said, "Under Your Majesty's attacks, the Chanyu of the grasslands no longer has the strength to rise again. However, at the foot of the westernmost mountain, there are still seven thousand barbarian riders who have migrated from the snowy plains. This new force is extremely strong. If Your Majesty agrees to my request, I can guarantee that this group of barbarian riders will never approach Xiliang for eternity."

The Emperor's gaze followed his gaze and fell on the patch of remaining snow on the left, his brow furrowed and said: "In this Qingzhou victory, Subida's royal court exhausted its forces, yet only brought two or three thousand barbarian riders. According to Gong Dian's report, the combat power of these barbarian riders is indeed not bad. If it weren't for the unfairness of Heaven, which cruelly bestowed upon the northern snowy plains three years of snowstorms, they would not have fled to the Western Hu grasslands. From this, it seems that Shang Shanhu was indeed remarkable to be able to resist the barbarians at Beimen Tian Pass for several years."

"But after all, the number is too small, and it cannot affect the overall structure." The Emperor's brow relaxed, and he shook his head coldly, clearly unwilling to accept Fan Xian's bargaining chip.

"We are talking about matters for thousands of years." It was obvious that Fan Xian's tone today was very frivolous, and he even uttered the rebellious word "we." He said with a smile: "The able-bodied men number seven thousand, but their quality is extremely high, and there are many women. In addition, the Western Hu have suffered such heavy losses. This group of northern barbarian riders will definitely become an important force on the grasslands. They will go to the various tribes to plunder Hu women. Who can stop them? Your Majesty, you also know that the Hu people are extremely fertile. In at most ten or twenty years, this tribe will be very impressive."

"If no one can suppress or control, or rather guide, this rising tribe, wouldn't it become a second royal court?" Fan Xian looked at the snowy ground on his left and shook his head: "The people of Xiliang Road are extremely miserable. Do they have to endure for several more decades?"

The Emperor smiled slightly and said: "I don't quite understand. Your subordinates in Xiliang Road and the grassland tribes have been almost completely killed by me. Where do you still have any power to influence those barbarians?"

"Songzhixian Order." Fan Xian said with a smile: "Although she is a princess of the former clan and has a noble status, she does not have much actual authority. But after all, her status is there, and her current position on the grasslands is also high. Her ability is also very strong, and she has already been able to unite most of the forces among the barbarians. As long as she is controlled, it is equivalent to controlling these barbarians."

"Could it be that if you can control her, I cannot control her, and the court cannot control her?" The Emperor said with a slight sarcasm.

Fan Xian sighed and said: "Songzhixian Order is Haitang Duoduo. This is my woman. Of course, only I can control her."

The Emperor was slightly startled, and after being silent for a long time, he finally couldn't help but laugh. He shook his head and said nothing more, directly focusing his gaze on the southeast corner of the snowy ground in front of the two of them. The Emperor pointed to that place and said: "You return the technological process of the Inner Treasury with both hands. Is there anything else? Jiangnan cannot be thrown into chaos, because I have already made it chaotic first. Your subordinates are so loyal to you that it is truly shocking to me, but Xia Xifei cannot jump for more than two days, and even if Su Wenmao hides people in the Inner Treasury, he himself will not be able to do so."

"I have also transferred Cheng Jialin back, and Ren Boan's clansman has also been transferred back from the army of the three great workshops." The Emperor put his hands behind his back and calmly watched the snowy ground with no lines with Fan Xian.

Fan Xian's gaze also fell on the southeast corner of the snowy ground, and he said with a smile: "Jiangnan can still be thrown into chaos. The Inner Treasury has already agreed to Your Majesty, and I will naturally not harm it again. And Jiangnan's prosperity is based on commerce. Including the Inner Treasury, it supports about 40% of the court's tax revenue. If Jiangnan is thrown into chaos, how can the court support itself?"

From the beginning of today's conversation, Fan Xian's tone was frivolous amidst calmness, naked and unrestrained. This frivolity, this unrestrainedness, can truly be described as words as cold as a sharp edge, not yielding an inch and conducting negotiations with the Emperor. It was related to his confidence and also to his state of mind today.

As mentioned earlier, he could not find any perfect method to control the situation, so he had to choose the simplest method. Because this method was direct, it was extremely lethal.

He very directly asked the Emperor, if Jiangnan is in chaos, how can the court support itself? The Emperor smiled and directly asked in return: "If I directly kill all your people, how can Jiangnan… be in chaos?"

"I have the Zhaoshang Bank." Fan Xian replied calmly: "Jiangnan's prosperity is based on commerce, and the most important thing is the silver exchange link in circulation. The Zhaoshang Bank has been in Jiangnan for several years, and it can be said that it secretly controls some of the lifelines of the Ming Sun and Xiong families. Once the bank takes action, it will not be difficult to throw Jiangnan into chaos."

"Much of the Zhaoshang's money has already been transferred away." The Emperor looked at Fan Xian with a hint of sarcasm, not directly revealing that the astonishing amount of silver had returned to the Northern Qi royal family, and said: "They are just pieces of paper. With a stroke of my imperial pen, what are these worth?"

"You can't say that. After all, Quanzhou has not yet played its desired role, and the docking of ocean-going voyages is still handled in Dongyi City." Fan Xian did not back down and said directly: "Silver notes and IOUs are all pieces of paper. Your Majesty, with a stroke of your imperial pen, are they all invalidated? Then, without the Zhaoshang Bank doing anything, I am afraid that Jiangnan will be thrown into chaos first."

The Emperor did not understand commerce, and in fact, Fan Xian did not understand it very well either. No one had an accurate grasp of the extent to which Jiangnan's commercial activities actually relied on the financial credit system, which was only rudimentary and not well-developed. But Fan Xian believed that everything in the world had its own rules, especially Jiangnan's commercial activities, which had been operating for more than a hundred years. If His Majesty really did that, Jiangnan would definitely be thrown into chaos first.

The Qing Emperor and he did not understand commerce, but that did not mean that the officials in the court and Fan Xian's subordinates did not understand. Beforehand, they had all done their homework. Fan Xian only knew that a very important link in commerce was liquid funds, which was like the blood flowing in the blood vessels. If the bank were to be overturned, and the blood in the blood vessels were completely dried up, commercial activities would definitely become extremely difficult and astringent.

"I have taken Hua Yuan back from Yang Jimei's hands." The Emperor reminded him coldly. This Emperor was truly a wise ruler. He did not understand Jiangnan's commercial operations, but that did not mean that he would act blindly based on the authority of the Son of Heaven. He entrusted professional matters to professional officials to operate. He knew that the Zhaoshang Bank in Fan Xian's hands had the ability to shake Jiangnan's commercial landscape, so when the first wave of chaos arose in Jiangnan last autumn, the court had already made preparations.

The place in the entire world with the most abundant cash and the least need to rely on banks for transactions was the large and small salt merchants of Jiangnan. Yang Jimei, whom the Emperor mentioned earlier, was one of the leading salt merchants in Jiangnan. The court had long been wary of the banks drawing money, and including the salt merchants in this system was because they had taken a fancy to the real gold and silver hidden by those salt merchants all over the world, and they were rebuilding an exchange system. Although it was somewhat difficult, at least they would not be completely strangled to death by Fan Xian.

"Salt merchants alone are not enough." Fan Xian lowered his eyes slightly and said, "I also have… Taiping."

Taiping Bank! The number one bank in the world, which had been operating for who knew how many years, and could affect the daily lives of how many people. This bank had always been in Dongyi City, and its owner had always been mysterious. No one had ever seen his true face, until Fan Xian took over the position of Sword Saint in Dongyi City, and was shocked to discover that the Taiping Bank had always been under the control of the Sword Sanctum, under the control of Sigu Jian.

Whenever he thought of this, Fan Xian could not help but be shocked and admire him, admire Sigu Jian's vision. Perhaps only the master of Dongyi City could discover the importance of banks from the increasingly prosperous trade, and leave behind such a sharp weapon that was enough to shake the world.

Hearing the word Taiping, the Emperor's eyes narrowed, and a cold light flickered. It was very obvious that just like when Fan Xian first learned this secret, the Emperor also felt a chill.

"Taiping Bank, was left to me by Sigu Jian." Fan Xian added softly.

The Emperor suddenly laughed, his laughter filled with a sense of absurdity. Perhaps it was because he suddenly discovered that all the enemies he respected in this world had entrusted the final means of defeating him to his favorite son. This absurd fact even caused this seemingly cold and ruthless monarch to be slightly shaken.

"Your Majesty, let's take another look at Dongyi City." Fan Xian's gaze moved from the lower right corner of the snowy ground to the middle abdomen of this desolate snowy ground. There was a pile of weeds there, which looked like the East China Sea in summer, full of towering waves piercing the sky.

The Emperor gradually withdrew his smile, and his expression became calm and gentle, and said: "There is no need to talk much about Dongyi City. It's just that the dozen or so young men in the Sword Sanctum are a bit troublesome, but after all, they are not a match for a large army."

"Ninth-rank experts are of no use in construction, but they are always good at causing destruction, such as engaging in assassinations and causing destruction in the interior of my Great Qing." Fan Xian looked at the middle right part of the snowy ground with a gloomy gaze.

The Emperor and he continued to ask and answer, and the snowflakes in the Winter Palace continued to fall, some falling on the strange father and son, and some falling on the snowy ground and weeds in front of them.

There were no lines on this large snowy ground, no borders, no separation between snowy mountains and green grasslands, not even a shape. However, the Qing Emperor and Fan Xian, father and son, were looking at this silent and cold snowy ground and discussing the world.

Where their eyes fell was the grassland on the left, Dongyi on the right, Jiangnan on the lower right, and the territory of the Great Qi in the north in the slightly farther front.

Wherever they looked, that was the world.

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The snowflakes gradually grew larger, swirling in the dilapidated palace, and gradually accumulating thickly. The blue clothes worn by Fan Xian and the bright yellow dragon robe worn by the Emperor began to turn white, and the remaining snowy ground under their feet and in front of them was also thickly covered with a layer of snow. No traces of grass or land could be seen anymore, just like this world, it was a vast expanse of white, truly clean. In their eyes, how could there be any artificial division?

"I have the strength to throw this world into chaos. Even if I die at this moment, I can make Your Majesty's grand plan for thousands of years become like this snow, and when the sun comes out, it will all turn into water and never come true again." Fan Xian stuck out his tongue and licked his dry lips. He had spoken too much today and was a little dry. He said seriously to His Majesty the Emperor: "So I ask to fight Your Majesty fairly."

"What is fair?" His Majesty the Emperor squinted his eyes and said.

"Please let Ruoruo leave the palace. She is my only younger sister. Please allow Wan'er and my poor family to return to Danzhou to live a small life. I only have this family. Please show mercy and do not carry out a large-scale purge after my death. Those officials and subordinates who are loyal to me are actually all usable talents." Fan Xian paused and said with a wry smile: "If I die, they will no longer have any reason to resist the court. Please believe this."

The world had been compressed into a small square of snow in front of the monarch and his subject. The battlefield of war had been turned into this quiet Imperial City. Fan Xian had done so much and said so much, seemingly only wanting to control this father-son split within a small scope as much as possible, and to give a way out to those who had been implicated in this matter.

The Emperor put his hands behind his back, and the snow rustled down his shoulders. After a long silence, he said with a hint of weariness: "I just don't understand, why you want to do this."