Chapter 737: Talented and Quick-Witted Wang Tianwen

Wang Mingren frowned, patiently explaining, "My master sent me there. The environment in Northern Xinjiang is beneficial for my cultivation. If you're worried, you can come with me. You've already reached the Core Formation stage; can't you stop being so childish? I hope you can be a supportive wife, not someone who only questions me. We've been married for so many years; don't you trust me? You dislike me getting too close to other female cultivators, so I try to avoid associating with them. What more do you want from me?"

Chen Xianger could tell Wang Mingren was very displeased. She quickly put on a smile and said tenderly, "Husband, I just care about you too much. I promise to be a supportive wife, on the condition that you don't flirt with other women."

She was only a common three-spiritual root cultivator and only managed to reach the Core Formation stage thanks to her great-grandfather. Wang Mingren, a dual-spiritual root cultivator, would reach the Core Formation stage eventually. Many female cultivators were fond of Wang Mingren. Some female sect members privately said that if it weren't for Chen Haibin's influence, Wang Mingren would never have married Chen Xianger, which made Chen Xianger very insecure.

Neither in aptitude nor looks was she the most outstanding, and she was very worried about Wang Mingren changing his mind.

Wang Mingren had already entered the Core Formation stage, and as his cultivation improved, Chen Haibin's assistance to him would diminish. If Wang Mingren were to abandon Chen Xianger, she would truly have no recourse.

When a married couple had disputes, elders always encouraged reconciliation, not separation.

"I've told you a thousand times, I haven't flirted with other women. Can you please believe me? I really dislike being interrogated like a prisoner all day."

Wang Mingren said with a cold face. Every time this topic came up, he felt a surge of anger. Chen Xianger simply didn't trust him, constantly asking if he would take a concubine later, or if he would have married another female cultivator if Xu Zihua hadn't arranged their match.

Wang Mingren had never even considered these questions. He currently only had two goals: first, to achieve great merit for the sect and become one of the Five Heroes of Taiyi, and second, to advance to the Nascent Soul stage.

He couldn't understand why Chen Xianger spent all day asking about these trivial matters instead of focusing on cultivation.

"Alright, alright, I believe you! If you don't like it, I'll ask less in the future. Coincidentally, the Hall of Enforcement is sending several elders to Northern Xinjiang for a mission, so I'll go with you! You said it yourself, that I should stay by your side."

Wang Mingren nodded, agreeing.

Central Plains, Yingtian Academy.

As dawn broke, the sound of rhythmic recitation echoed through the academy.

A vast green palace, with a silver plaque above its entrance, bore the golden characters "Qin Xue Gong" (Hall of Diligent Study).

More than three hundred scholars, male and female, some cultivators and some mortals, were listening to a lecture. The lecturer was a seventy-year-old elder in a green robe, holding a thick ancient book.

Students at Yingtian Academy had to study the Four Books, Five Classics, and Six Arts. Today, they were studying political essays.

The elder in green was named Chen Qian, a renowned great scholar from Luzhou who had once served as a prefect.

Wang Tianwen sat in a corner, listening attentively.

After a period of study, Wang Tianwen gained a deeper understanding of the Central Plains cultivation world.

Cultivators in the Great Yan Dynasty eagerly sought official positions to govern the common people, taking it upon themselves to benefit the populace. This situation primarily arose because Confucian cultivators possessed a special magical artifact called the Essence-Nourishing Pendant.

County magistrates, prefects, governors, and even royalty enjoyed building temples. Even the Emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty was no exception. However, these temples were not dedicated to Confucius but to their own statues.

Taking Qufu County as an example, the prefect, Sun Rui, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, worked for the benefit of the people of Qufu County, protecting them. The people would go to his temple to worship him. Generally, the larger the territory protected and the more people who worshipped, the faster a cultivator's cultivation speed would be and the stronger their divine abilities would become.

The Essence-Nourishing Pendant and the statues served as a special medium, closely linking cultivators and mortals.

Of course, the people's worship had to be sincere. Forcibly compelling them to worship one's statue was completely ineffective.

If an official's performance was excellent, the Ministry of Personnel would send investigators to confirm it. If found true, the imperial court might promote them. The larger the governed area and the greater the number of common people, the faster the cultivator's cultivation speed would be.

Therefore, cultivators in the Great Yan Dynasty eagerly sought official positions and strived to benefit the common people.

"Last month, the embankment of the Black Dragon River was destroyed, and the river overflowed its banks, sweeping away many common people, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. If you were the prefect, how would you handle this matter?"

Chen Qian paused here and looked at the students present.

Many students raised their right hands. Chen Qian's gaze fell upon a thin, dark-faced man, and he asked kindly, "Liu Xian, you answer this question."

The dark-faced man stood up, bowed to Chen Qian, and said, "Yes, Master. If I were the prefect, I would send people to rescue the common people and set up gruel stations. Then I would report to the Governor and simultaneously send people to repair the embankment."

"Does anyone want to add anything?"

A corpulent young man in golden robes stood up, bowed to Chen Qian, and said, "Student Sun Jiawen has something to add. I believe that relying solely on the government's power and setting up gruel stations will not save many people. The government should invite wealthy merchants to help. They have abundant financial resources, and if each merchant donates a sum of silver, more people can be saved, and it can also help the people rebuild their homes."

"I don't think that's appropriate. You say to let wealthy merchants donate, but how do you guarantee their sincerity? What if individual officials use the prefect's order to exploit merchants' wealth? Don't forget what happened in Yunzhong County during the relief effort the year before last."

A delicate-featured woman in a purple skirt spoke. She was sitting next to Wang Tianwen.

The woman in the purple skirt's surname was Fang, and her given name was Ziyi. She was at the eighth level of Qi Refining.

The year before last, Yunzhong County suffered a locust plague, leading to widespread famine and many deaths. The Yunzhong County prefect asked wealthy merchants to donate silver, but some officials extorted and blackmailed merchants under the guise of disaster relief. There were also some unscrupulous merchants who colluded with local officials to inflate prices, causing widespread public outrage. Ultimately, Prince Luyang had to send people to handle the matter.

Chen Qian nodded, then looked at Wang Tianwen and asked, "Tianwen, what are your thoughts?"

"Yes, Master."

Wang Tianwen stood up, pondered for a moment, and said, "My opinion is similar to Brother Liu's, but I would hold the County Magistrate of Dongyang accountable. The Black Dragon River is located in Dongyang County, and as the county magistrate, he inexplicably failed to send people to reinforce the embankment, disregarding the lives of thousands of people and neglecting his duty. Such an official is useless. At the same time, I would send people from each county to reinforce the embankments within their jurisdictions to prevent such incidents from happening again. Additionally, I would, in the name of the government, purchase a large quantity of grain from neighboring prefectures for disaster relief. The government would bear a small portion of the required silver for relief, with the majority coming from voluntary donations by wealthy merchants, absolutely no coercion. Those who inflate prices would be severely punished without leniency."

Chen Qian nodded and then asked, "Tianwen, how would you make wealthy merchants donate voluntarily? They are known to be extremely greedy."

"For a donation of one thousand taels, a plaque of 'Benevolent and Charitable' would be issued and announced throughout the prefecture. For a donation of ten thousand taels, their children would be recommended to study at Yingtian Academy. This is merely a recommendation; whether their children can enter Yingtian Academy depends on their talent."

"What if someone donates more than one hundred thousand taels?"

Fang Ziyi asked curiously.

"Report to Prince Luyang and send people to thoroughly investigate this merchant to see if they have committed any crimes."

"Oh, why is that?"

Wang Tianwen smiled calmly and said, "If they are willing to donate one hundred thousand, their household wealth must be no less than ten million. If it was earned through legitimate business, they should naturally be commended. If it was illegally obtained, then they must be severely punished."