After sending Lu Qianfan on his way, Li Fei was busy.
She no longer slept by day and prowled by night. Instead, she went out in broad daylight with the Empress's imperial edict in hand and crushed Lu Qianfan's faction with thunderous force. In a single day she raided seven aristocratic compounds and seized more than three million taels of gold.
When chest after chest of gold, silver and jewels was hauled out and announced as going into the national treasury and to subsidies for the people, the fear in the commoners' eyes turned into blazing fury and fierce delight.
"Good riddance!"
"That dog thief, he hoarded so much money. He should've died long ago."
"Li the Incorruptible..."
"..."
Li Fei basked in the people's gaze and even gave a few impromptu speeches. Between her sky-high charm and the oratory skills she'd sharpened again and again since transmigrating, the effect was far from bad.
Where you sit decides what you think. Back when she was scheming to get her hands on the Demon Suppression Bureau, Li Fei hadn't cared a whit about the livelihoods of the drudges below. She'd single-mindedly worked the upper channels, since the Commander's seat sure wasn't won by piling up votes.
But now that the realm was becoming her own family property, she had to weigh buying the people's hearts. After all, there was no more oil to squeeze out of them. Luyuan County's taxes had already been collected thirty years in advance. Rather than squeezing oil from stones, it was far more efficient to harvest the ready-made crop of corrupt officials, then build up a good reputation and rally the people to construct the Great Song.
Of course, she also had Miss System to thank. Non-supernatural beings gave no experience points. Otherwise Li Fei might have drained the pond to catch every fish, as she had with the half-orc tribe.
"No more killing."
Chancellor Liu's people came to restrain her. Li Fei nodded and dropped the eighth target.
The court needed people to run things, too. If merely killing every corrupt official could bring peace within the seas, why would Martial Saint Nie have needed to wait for Li Fei to act?
In truth, filling the treasury and buying the people's hearts were both secondary goals of this brutal campaign. Miss Commander's main aim was to establish her authority and scare the officials into not daring to stir for a year or two. And after a year or two, they would only be more afraid.
The method was a bit hasty and crude, but Li Fei figured it would prove very practical.
She mounted her broom and whistled through the air to a certain hall, where a line of important officials, Chancellor Liu and Huang Zhenzhen among them, was already waiting.
Miss Commander picked up the teacup on the table, drained it in one gulp, and said in a ringing voice:
"The nation is in crisis and the situation is tense. I know everyone is busy, so I'll keep this brief and make just a few points."
"First, taxes are waived for the next few years. Speed up the planting of Dragon Blood Rice. I want the Great Song to have no more people starving to death a few months from now."
At those words, the courtiers froze.
Had this Living King of Hell really decided to become an honest, beloved magistrate?
But what she said next didn't taste quite right.
"Education is important... but don't teach statecraft. The world's class order is rigid right now, and breaking it would bring raging waves. I don't have time to suppress the fallout in the short term. So your main job is to teach the people how to be loyal to the sovereign, love their country, and obey the law. Understood?"
"Perfected Ge, the Mountain-Moving Sect might consider bringing in some Buddhist philosophy. Things like 'bodily suffering buys peace of mind' and 'endure hardship in this life and be blessed in the next.' All living beings struggle, so they need some spiritual crutch to console themselves."
"Also, once Dragon Blood Rice is widespread and the food problem is solved, we'll inevitably have a huge surplus of labor. Open more mines. Anyone who refuses to farm gets sent to dig ore! Otherwise, well-fed idlers are bound to stir up trouble. This move solves three livelihood problems at once: unemployment, public order, and resources."
"Oh, right, propaganda matters too. Recruit lots of ideological workers with clean family backgrounds and firm stances. Have them sing the praises of the Great Song's splendid landscapes and the court's great achievements, and remind the people never to forget who dug the well. Have them think of the sovereign's kindness often and remember who filled their bellies. The key is to instill collective pride and rally everyone to build the Great Song's beautiful home together. Hold plenty of contests for Outstanding Farmer and Outstanding Worker to set examples. Make hard work a source of honor and laziness a source of shame!"
Clearly, Li Fei had no intention of making the Great Song prosperous and strong or breaking its class order. That was too slow. It would take decades, and it would cost huge amounts of time and energy, running against the original purpose of developing the Folded Space.
So for Li Fei, stability came first.
Only that could secure the standing of her wife, her daughter and herself, and let the Great Song keep supplying her with experience, gold and other resources.
"Let me stress this. In the past, your control over the culture industry has been far too lax! Remember, starting now, every heretical book on the market is to be burned, without exception. Wuxia novels are the worst offenders. All day long they think up ways to smear the court, making every dirty deed the work of ministers, while lawless greenwood ruffians become heroes who punish evil. Absurd! Those novelists are obviously Qi spies! If chivalry were any use, what would we need a court for?"
"In short, any improper reading material that insults the court's image is to be destroyed, so the rabble don't read it and start getting ideas and stirring up unrest. Naturally, we also need to send people to have tea and heart-to-heart talks with those literati, so they'll stick to the facts and write more new-era works showing ministers as bright, righteous, brave and wise. Wuxia isn't forbidden outright, but the heroes must obey the law and submit to the court's management. Anyone who won't listen gets sent to the mines for reform through labor and education."
"Storytellers on every street corner must also be registered and work with licenses, so they don't spread banned material..."
Li Fei spoke like someone deeply concerned for her country and her people, but the attendees only exchanged glances, alarm surfacing in their eyes.
The old corrupt officials had merely killed and exploited. This Lord Li meant to castrate thought itself!
Yet on reflection, the plan was highly workable, and the results would surely not be bad either...
The great wisdom and great horror in it left them in a cold sweat, none daring to dig deeper.
"That's all I have to say. Who's in favor, and who's against?"
Li Fei asked in a pleasant, gentle voice. The blade at her waist seemed a little heavy, so she casually unbuckled it and laid it softly on the table.
"My lord, isn't the control over books a bit too strict..."
A middle-aged civil official finally couldn't hold back.
"Strict? This official never said they couldn't write books. I only said they should write fewer books that smear the court. Is that wrong?"
Li Fei frowned. "The more of that sort of book people read, the more they want to rebel!"
"But..."
The official wanted to say more, but Li Fei simply waved a hand.
"Look into his family assets. See if there's any bribe money from Qi spies."
She turned to give the order to her subordinates, then looked back at him and said in a soft, gentle voice, "My lord, please continue."
The official's face went white, and sweat instantly soaked his robes.
These days, who could withstand an audit?
He hurriedly stammered, "Lord Li, this lowly official has absolutely no intention of opposing you. I'm simply dull-witted and didn't grasp your thinking correctly just now..."
"Very good. Then I'll leave future matters to you gentlemen."
Li Fei offered a few gentle words of encouragement, then grabbed her blade and walked straight out.
Her authority was established and the main tone was set. How it would be carried out depended on her staff team's performance, and on how Su Wen presided over the situation.
She leaned against the wall outside the door and put a cigarette between her lips.
Huang Zhenzhen followed her out, took the matches she carried with her and lit it for her.
"Sister Zhenzhen, how are your numbers coming along?"
Li Fei asked wearily, the flame flickering in her pitch-black eyes.
"Right now the Qian Division has four thousand two hundred and twenty-six sisters, and the Kun Division has two thousand one hundred and ninety-three."
Huang Zhenzhen answered without hesitation. "I've asked every one of them. The Qian Division sisters who've volunteered to stay here number one thousand three hundred and twenty-seven..."
"A bit low."
Li Fei murmured.
Once the Soul-Gathering Secret Art was activated, a ghost giant's strength was proportional to the number and quality of the female ghosts. With over a thousand female ghosts and a Heaven Realm female ghost as the core, it could match Sequence 6. With over ten thousand, led by an Innate female ghost, it could fight Sequence 5.
The Temple-Guarding Old Man counted as a strong Innate, far beyond the trash Innates Li Fei had killed in seconds a couple of days ago. Yet against a ghost giant born of more than six thousand female ghosts, he'd been pushed around, which showed how formidable it was.
Li Fei meant to leave a thousand female ghosts with Su Wen as her personal guard, a force at least equal to an Innate. But beyond that, other female ghosts were needed for various missions, and one thousand three hundred was stretching things thin.
"Do some more ideological work and see if any others will volunteer to stay. Let's round it up to two thousand."
Li Fei instructed.
"Understood."
Huang Zhenzhen agreed without hesitation.
"You handle things, and I can rest easy."
Li Fei's mouth curved upward. Then she asked with concern, "Any difficulties at work? If you're short on money or supplies, tell me. I'll do my best to fight for you."
"The sisters' welfare and treatment are already excellent. It's just..."
Huang Zhenzhen furrowed her brow. "After taking over the Entertainment Bureau, we clearly gave those women better treatment and the right to decide what to do with their own bodies. Yet some of them actually resist us."
She was baffled. Women sunk into the lowborn registry had to cater all day to pot-bellied nobles and sweaty martial brutes. On top of that, they were spat upon and couldn't hold their heads up outside. Their medical care and working conditions were abysmal, and if one was beaten to death, a payment settled the matter, no different from killing pigs or dogs.
With circumstances that wretched, why refuse a helping hand?
"That's not their fault. They were crushed from childhood, and servility is rooted deep in them. They can't adapt to the tide of a new era, and they fear any unknown change."
Li Fei sighed, took a booklet from her robe, and handed it solemnly to Huang Zhenzhen. "Maybe we can't save them, but we can keep more women from falling into their plight. I think this will answer your question."
"This is..."
Huang Zhenzhen held the booklet, her hands trembling slightly.
The title page read Feminist Thought, in the elegant handwriting of Miss Assistant Qiao'er.
Obviously, a cohesive organization couldn't run on material benefits alone. Spiritual cohesion was just as indispensable.
The Kun Division's female ghosts would rely on working in together over time, while the Qian Division naturally needed the vision of saving all the women of the world.
"This is a spark."
Li Fei patted Huang Zhenzhen's shoulder and smiled warmly. "I've never forgotten what I promised you. Look at the Great Song now: the Empress Dowager ruling from behind the curtain, the future Empress Regnant, the Commander of the Demon Suppression Bureau, all women. Even the oppressed lowborn women of the Entertainment Bureau are now in your care. Our efforts have borne fruit."
"But the Great Song alone is nowhere near enough. Beyond the Great Song there are four other nations, and beyond the nations there are female ghosts and female demons. Even out in the vast heavens, there are countless worlds and countless suffering women."
"After I leave, arrange some sisters with firm will and agile minds to spread the spark to other countries. Draw the funds from the treasury. I'll have a word with Her Majesty the Empress."
Seeing Huang Zhenzhen accept the booklet with reverent solemnity, Li Fei's smile softened further.
She wondered whether this idle move would ever blossom and bear fruit.
"Oh, right."
Li Fei suddenly remembered something and added, "If you come across women of outstanding talent and beauty who aren't married yet, don't rush them into work. Look after them together first and get their training done."
"Maybe someday I'll open a Great Song branch of the Golden Tangerine Tavern here, and I'll make you the manager."
"All right, off you go."
Li Fei waved breezily and walked away. Huang Zhenzhen watched her receding back, then suddenly dropped to her knees and kowtowed three times, hard.
Lu Qianfan's faction had done endless evil. In the Qian Division alone, quite a few female ghosts had been tortured by them in life and died with hatred, then been reborn carrying their resentment. Li Fei killing Lu Qianfan was a great kindness.
Purging the Demon Suppression Bureau and taking over the Entertainment Bureau, so the women of the Great Song would no longer suffer persecution, was also a great kindness.
As for the third kowtow, it was for the kindness of teaching the Way.
...
The seven-day mourning period was over. Carriages bearing the noble ladies rolled one after another toward Lin'an, leaving the imperial mausoleum silent once more.
Miss Commander stood before the grave and bade Zhao Bing farewell:
"Your Majesty, I'll keep bringing the ladies to visit you."
As she spoke, she gazed at the distant green mountains, her tone sincere, her eyes full of reluctant longing.
To Li Fei, the imperial mausoleum was a truly wonderful place. The mountains were beautiful, the water was beautiful, the people were more beautiful still, and the widowed sisters were each lovely as flowers and sweet-spoken...
She was so happy here that she'd forgotten all about Loxibrook.
But it was time to go back.
The Demon Suppression Bureau was fully in her grasp, and experience points grew every moment. She'd hauled in plenty of wealth and gear and made a fortune. Her Charm Marks had broken two thousand in total, and her fireball damage was off the charts. She even had a daughter, the future Empress Regnant, and as her mother Li Fei had finished a whole series of groundwork for her...
Time to go home and celebrate her birthday.
"Off we go."
She waved breezily and leapt onto the Empress Dowager's phoenix carriage.
Sending the late Emperor's most beloved down to keep him company before leaving also counted as loyalty, in its way.
Inside the carriage, the scent of plum blossom mingled with tea. Li Fei rested her head on Su Wen's shoulder, and the two said nothing the whole way, quietly feeling each other's warmth and heartbeat.
What needed saying at parting had been said last night.
Besides, Li Fei could come back anytime. There was no need to get sentimental.
But as Lin'an drew near, she still couldn't help rambling:
"I'll come back whenever I can. If you run into any trouble, set it aside and wait for me to handle it. Safety first, and don't take any risks."
"I've already broken down the tough bones, but I deliberately left a few rich households with more money than sense. If the treasury runs dry, just draw from them."
"The Bureau's performance incentive program can't stop. Make them earn rewards with the lives of demons. It's tied to my path of cultivation, so no slacking."
"If you're willing to look after Prince Rong's youngest daughter, do. If not, toss her to Huang Zhenzhen as an assistant..."
"Mm. I remember all of it."
The lotus-root arm around Li Fei's shoulders tightened. Su Wen buried her nose in Li Fei's hair, inhaling the scent of tea almost greedily.
"Oh, right. About Sister Xiang and Sister Hui becoming godmothers to our daughter, is that really a no?"
"No."
"Then what if you become godmother to their daughter?"
"...I'll think about it."
The raindrop patter of hooves stopped abruptly, and their conversation broke off with it.
Li Fei leapt down from the carriage. What met her eyes were thirteen gravestones. Before them a brazier burned, and in it a pitch-black head crackled in the flames.
A quiet, delicate girl stood before the graves, firelight dancing in her dark eyes.
"The villain is dead. Lord Zhang can rest in peace."
Li Fei stepped forward and bowed three times to her father-in-law and mother-in-law.
The Empress Dowager also came forward, bowed deeply to the graves, then gently took hold of Qiao'er's thin shoulder.
From the day she'd taken the blood letters from Qiao'er's hands, Su Wen had guessed that Li Fei was the one who'd rescued her.
"Thank you."
Qiao'er nodded.
"A great kindness needs no thanks."
Li Fei smiled lightly and linked arms with the girl. With Su Wen on the other side, the two led Qiao'er away, and Li Fei turned serious.
"I told you, you're free to come and go."
"So, do you want to leave with me, or stay here?"
"With you."
Qiao'er answered without hesitation.
"Huh?"
Li Fei tried kindly to persuade her. "This is your hometown, you know. If you stay, you can be a princess, eat delicacies every meal, and go about with a crowd of servants. If you get bored, you can ask Sister Zhenzhen for a job and be a female official. If you come with me, you'll just be a plain little assistant, busy and tired and badly paid. You'll definitely regret it, you know..."
Qiao'er said nothing, her clear black-and-white eyes fixed straight on Li Fei.
Seeing her teasing had failed, Li Fei shrugged helplessly.
"Fine, fine. You're coming with me."
As Li Fei led her toward the imperial city, Qiao'er clearly felt Su Wen's grip tighten a little.
...
Before the towering imperial city, a sea of people surged.
A bronze statue dozens of meters tall stood before the imperial city gate, towering from earth to sky, bearing down on the capital.
The court had summoned the empire's most skilled craftsmen, who had carved it day and night, and only with supernatural help had they completed this miracle in two short days.
It was the statue of the Saint of Merit and Virtue, copied exactly from Li Fei's likeness. She wore a python robe, peerless in her grace, with compassion for all the world in the set of her brows.
Today Miss Commander would ascend back to the immortal realm. To commemorate her achievements, the holy statue had been erected before the imperial city. Any who didn't submit to Li Fei would only have to look at it to remember the storm of blood and slaughter she'd raised these past days, and surely wouldn't dare step out of line.
The capital, its white mourning silks only just taken down, was emptied of people. Every household had flocked to the palace gate to witness this world's immortal miracle and gaze upon the immortal's radiance.
Common people were always simple. As long as the propaganda work was in place, and with Dragon Blood Rice being distributed bit by bit and the Demon Suppression Bureau's conduct much reined in, they saw Li Fei as a living bodhisattva descended to save the world.
Civil and military officials had gathered here too, their expressions complicated.
Unlike the people, they would rather that vicious calamity never returned.
Li Fei, smiling, bade farewell one by one to the noble ladies, her colleagues and her sisters, composed and gracious.
But one remark from Consort Hui made her flustered.
"I'll take good care of our daughter. Remember to come see her often."
Consort Hui cupped Li Fei's face and whispered gently in her ear.
"Me too, me too."
Consort Xiang leaned in as well, her dozen-odd bracelets jingling.
"W-what nonsense! She's obviously yours... Statistically speaking... Anyway, she's yours, blah blah blah!"
Li Fei, a little guilty, babbled incoherently.
The Minister of Rites watched the daughter who had once been his pride whispering in the ear of that calamity and laughing, and his face went black as a pot bottom. In his heart he cried out at the family's misfortune.
But in the end he only sighed and held his tongue.
Having boarded the pirate ship, how could he get off?
"All right, all right. Once I become an immortal ancestor, I'll personally open a passage between the two realms, and then you can see me anytime."
Finally, Li Fei sighed and gave a military salute, making her promise.
Though she was on very good terms with all the consorts, apart from the Empress, the ones she saw most often were Consort Hui and Consort Xiang.
After all, the quiet, dignified air of a married woman was enchanting, and the coquettish, clingy charm of a young wife was wonderful too. What's more, the two were deeply devoted and in perfect sync, and working together they always came up with new tricks for Li Fei.
Being with them felt just like being back at the Golden Tangerine Tavern.
Off to one side, Lilith silently watched them flirt and tease, quietly clutching her chest.
In the past few days Stepmother had been busy, and with the parting looming, she hadn't taken up more of her time. But now, Lilith suddenly realized that once they got back, Stepmother might be even more "busy"...
The Forbidden flower rooted deep in her heart swayed and rustled, giving off a sour taste. Yet it plainly made her mana more active.
Huang Zhenzhen, Song Gongming, Consort Hui, Consort Xiang... Li Fei bade them farewell one by one, then suddenly, on some instinct, looked back at the crowd.
She seemed to glimpse a familiar swordsman, a sword case on his back and a wine gourd at his waist.
But that travel-worn figure only flashed by and vanished into the surging crowd.
Li Fei smiled, and at last stopped before Su Wen. The two looked at each other without a word.
After a long gaze, Su Wen said her farewell in a trembling voice, a thousand words boiled down to one sentence:
"I'll be waiting for you to come back."
"Do you even need to ask?"
Li Fei laughed breezily. Mana surged around her and activated the Mana Crystals.
The prepared spatial ritual fired abruptly. A giant mass of radiance shot skyward, lighting up all things.
When the light faded, the party had vanished without a trace, leaving only the bronze statue standing silently in place, guarding this land in the Saint of Merit and Virtue's stead.
The vast capital fell silent, so quiet one could hear a pin drop.
"She really... ascended?"
"So there really are immortals in this world..."
"Will the immortal come back?"
"She's the Great Song's saint, the Great Song's honest official, the Great Song's immortal!"
"..."
Whispers began, growing louder and louder until they rose to the heavens in a roar.
Amid the uproar, the ministers exchanged glances, and their eyes finally settled on the statue of the saint.
Her face was clear and serene as wind and moon, her brows lowered as she gazed gently on all living beings. Beneath her feet was engraved this passage:
After I leave, they will feed you well. They will find you work. They will not dare bully you again. This is not because their consciences have awakened, nor because they have become good people. It is because I came.
She also wore a python robe and held rice stalks and a long blade.
Because the world will always have the ambitious and the insatiably greedy, who shed no tears until they see the coffin.
And the common people are as simple as oxen and horses. They eat grass and give milk.
So the Lady Saint holds a demon-slaying blade in one hand and Dragon Blood Rice in the other. The first awes the court, and the second shepherds the world.
____
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