Chapter 219: Celestial Phenomenon Attack

At these words, a buzzing murmur swept through the court. A single cloud, covering the entire territory of Yan Kang, was an almost impossible feat, yet it had indeed happened!

The territory of Yan Kang was vast, stretching ninety thousand *li* from north to south and eighty thousand *li* from east to west. For the entire nation to be blanketed in snow, with heavy snowfall lasting six or seven days, was also an impossible occurrence!

While divine practitioners possessed the ability to call wind and summon rain, their powers were limited to small-scale precipitation and localized winds. No known spell could encompass the entire territory of Yan Kang.

Furthermore, this was certainly not a natural disaster. Snowfall was rare south of the Jinjiang River, and rain or snow was virtually impossible south of the Yongjiang River. Near the Lijiang River, where it was summer year-round, snow was utterly inconceivable. Snowfall across the entire nation was even more incredible!

Emperor Yan Feng cleared his throat, bringing silence to the court. "Minister of Agriculture," he said, "many of my esteemed ministers likely don't understand the terrible implications of this snowfall. Please explain it to them."

An elderly minister stepped forward. It was the Minister of Agriculture for the Yan Kang court, responsible for the nation's agriculture. He bowed and reported, "Your Majesty, esteemed sirs, regarding this snow disaster: the crops in the north are naturally cold- and frost-resistant, so next year's harvest there should not be significantly impacted. The critical issue lies in the south. After this heavy snow, the crops in the south will most likely freeze completely. By next year, the south may yield absolutely nothing."

The Minister of Revenue quickly asked, "Minister of Agriculture, which part of the south are you referring to?"

"South of the Jinjiang River."

A collective gasp rippled through the court. Qin Mu, too, was taken aback. He possessed a geographical map of Yan Kang. The Jinjiang River originated from the Great Ruins, flowing eastward for tens of thousands of *li* before emptying into the sea. The land south of the Jinjiang River accounted for two-thirds of Yan Kang's territory! In other words, two-thirds of the nation's land would yield no harvest at all!

"This... Your Majesty," one minister began, "I believe we should immediately allocate grain and fodder from various regions and transport it south to prepare for disaster relief!"

The Minister of the Imperial Household stepped forward and bowed. "The south has just experienced warfare," he stated, "and many prefectures and counties require urgent relief. Their granaries are likely already empty. I implore Your Majesty to mobilize the granaries in the north to save the common people from this plight!"

The Minister of Agriculture sighed. "We cannot allocate supplies right now," he explained. "Esteemed sirs, you might not realize that the recent great war already consumed a vast amount of grain and fodder. If we send provisions to the south now, the starving populace will simply consume it all. After that, by next year, they won't even have seeds to plant, meaning no crops can be grown, and come autumn, there will be nothing to eat. Minister of the Imperial Household, when people are desperate for food, they resort to cannibalism."

"Are we to just let the people in the south starve to death, then?"

The Minister of Agriculture replied, "Grain must be transported to the south, but it needs to be rationed, providing only enough for the disaster victims to survive. In reality, there are still granaries in the south, but they are concentrated in the hands of powerful aristocratic families and landlords. If we try to seize their grain, they might incite the victims to rebellion. Your Majesty..."

Emperor Yan Feng's expression darkened. "I will find a way to address the grain held by the powerful aristocratic families and landlords," he stated. "Continue."

"Yes. Besides the south, there is another great disaster affecting both the north and south."

The Minister of Agriculture continued, "The north is naturally cold in winter, but this year it is even more frigid. I've toured several northern prefectures and found farmers already felling trees for firewood to keep warm. Many forests in the mountains and wilderness have been cleared, leaving them bare. If the cold-resistant people of the north are resorting to this, one can only imagine the situation in the south. If the trees in the south are completely decimated, then mountain floods, mudslides, and massive deluges will become ceaseless. Natural disasters will lead to man-made calamities, which, in turn, will breed even more natural disasters. If we prevent the victims from cutting trees for warmth, countless more people will likely freeze to death. By then, it's feared that nine out of ten households will be empty..."

Emperor Yan Feng exhaled a heavy breath. The ministers, too, fell silent, so quiet that even their own breathing felt heavy and grating. If they didn't cut wood for fires, farmers would freeze to death; if they did, more disasters would follow. A single snow disaster had plunged the vast empire of Yan Kang into a dilemma.

The Minister of Agriculture continued, "The crucial unknown is how long this cloud will persist. If the dark cloud disperses in the next few days, we might still minimize the losses. But if it doesn't, the nation will be in peril, the very foundation of the state in danger!"

"I... understand." Emperor Yan Feng sat down, feeling a sense of powerlessness. "Do all of you esteemed ministers now grasp the gravity of the situation?" he asked. "A few days ago, when those rebels revolted, I remained at ease, not taking it seriously. I knew they wouldn't succeed and would eventually be wiped out by the Imperial Preceptor and all of you. But this snow disaster and this cloud, they threaten to cripple Yan Kang's national destiny! Esteemed ministers, do any of you have a solution?"

The entire court, civil and military officials alike, fell silent. Even with their vast divine powers, they could not disperse this cloud or melt this snow. Emperor Yan Feng gazed at the silent ministers below, his heart filled with both anger and urgency. Were a single snow and a single cloud truly enough to cause this empire to crumble, to let centuries of effort vanish into thin air?

A civil official said, "I believe this is because the Imperial Preceptor's reforms have angered the heavens..."

Emperor Yan Feng exploded in rage: "Drag him out and execute him!"

The civil official fell to his knees with a thud, wailing desperately, "Your Majesty, there is a Heavenly Dao, and the Imperial Preceptor's reforms seek to alter this Heavenly Dao! This has invoked the wrath of Heaven, and Heaven's wrath leads to human resentment and unbearable suffering for the people, Your Majesty!"

"Guards!" Emperor Yan Feng, seething with rage, exclaimed, "At a time of national crisis, you dare to spread such deceptive nonsense? If he isn't executed, do you expect me to personally cut him down?"

Guards in the Golden Imperial Hall quickly came and dragged the civil official away, his wailing gradually fading into the distance.

Emperor Yan Feng paced two steps, suppressing his anger. "I want capable ministers who can get things done, not sycophants who only spout slander!" he declared. "These reforms are *my* reforms, not the Imperial Preceptor's! If Heaven is angry and people are resentful, they are angry at *me*, resentful at *me*! The Imperial Preceptor is a minister of rare talent, seldom seen in five hundred, even a thousand or two thousand years! Now, you all find me a solution. If you can't, don't bother going home, and forget about celebrating New Year!"

"Your Majesty, why not simply collect this cloud?"

Suddenly, a voice from below the dais suggested, "Since we cannot disperse the cloud, why not simply collect its essence?"

The assembled civil and military officials turned their heads, and Emperor Yan Feng's gaze also shifted. "Ah, it's Grand Master of Imperial Leisure," he said. "What insights do you have to offer? Do share."

Qin Mu replied, "I once saw treasures like fire gourds in the army. Soldiers would store their true fire within these gourds, releasing it during battle. When the Imperial Medical Institute's medicine refinement failed and incapacitated the Imperial Academy, it was the former High Priest who used a gourd to collect the anesthetic, saving the Academy. I believe, therefore, that this dark cloud could also be collected into a spiritual treasure, such as a gourd."

Emperor Yan Feng looked at General Qin, the Grand Marshal of Heaven's Strategem, and asked, "General Qin, do you find this proposal feasible?"

General Qin Jian, the head of military commanders and patriarch of the influential Qin clan in the capital, stepped forward. "Your Majesty," he stated, "what the Grand Master of Imperial Leisure proposes is feasible. However, the army does not possess that many fire gourds. The military's fire gourds are made from wisteria gourds and are distributed to the Vermilion Bird Army units throughout the nation. There are a total of one million such gourds. One million fire gourds might be enough to collect the dark cloud from a single province, but with so many provinces nationwide, relying solely on the army's gourds is insufficient."

Qin Mu countered, "While the army may have few gourds, every region has officials who cultivate spells, powerful families, and countless strong practitioners among the court officials. Your Majesty can issue an imperial decree, commanding divine practitioners throughout the nation to create spiritual treasures and collect the dark clouds from above. There are so many divine practitioners across the nation; county magistrates, vice-magistrates, and prefectural governors are all strong practitioners, each responsible for their own jurisdiction. With additional strong practitioners from the military dispatched to various regions to assist, I believe we can clear away most of the dark clouds."

Emperor Yan Feng pondered, "Mobilizing divine practitioners nationwide to clear the clouds presents some difficulty. Some independent divine practitioners in the *jianghu* might not heed the court's command..."

"Therefore, Your Majesty still needs to take personal action and set an example for the world." Qin Mu continued, "If Your Majesty leaves the capital to personally oversee the collection of dark clouds in each province, the people will naturally rally behind you."

Many civil and military ministers exchanged uneasy glances. The Emperor leaving the capital to personally collect dark clouds in various regions? The recent unrest had only just settled, and there was fear that remnants of those sects and factions might seize the opportunity to assassinate him. When the Imperial Preceptor of Yan Kang returned from his expedition to the Great Ruins, he was ambushed on his journey. If the Emperor left the capital, he would likely face even more assassination attempts!

Just as everyone was about to speak, Emperor Yan Feng's eyes lit up. He smiled and said, "Agreed. Esteemed Minister Qin, do you have any other solutions for this snow disaster?"

"The snow disaster has already occurred; I am powerless to reverse it."

Qin Mu continued, "However, I once heard a saying: 'The way of the sage is inseparable from the daily lives of the common people.' There are so many divine practitioners in the world. If, after the sun emerges and the heavy snow melts, these practitioners could personally go to the fields, remove the frost-killed crops for the people in various regions, and replant, there might still be some harvest next year. If rice stalks need pollination but there's no wind, then invite divine practitioners to provide the wind. If weeds grow rampantly, ask divine practitioners to remove them. If an insect plague breaks out, ask divine practitioners to exterminate the pests. If frost descends, ask divine practitioners to use fire to dispel it."

"Your Majesty, these are demonic words!" A civil official, trembling with anger, stepped forward and exclaimed, "Your Majesty, Grand Master of Imperial Leisure speaks demonic words that would harm the nation and its people! He should be executed!"

Emperor Yan Feng laughed. "This statement is perfectly correct. Why would it be demonic words?" he asked. "This is not harming the nation and its people; it is sound advice for governing and saving them. Your official position is revoked; go home and reflect properly. Esteemed Minister Qin, do you have any more good strategies?"

Qin Mu mused, "Your Majesty could also instruct the Celestial Monitoring Bureau to monitor weather across regions. In years of flooding, rain clouds could be collected into spiritual treasures like gourds. In years of rampant hurricanes, these could be collected into spiritual treasures. Tornadoes, hail, lightning—all could be stored for future use. Should a year of drought occur, abundant rain could be released. And if war breaks out with a foreign nation, hail, snow, lightning, and tornadoes could be unleashed, manipulating celestial phenomena to attack enemy nations. This year's snow disaster has nearly ruined the national fortune of Yan Kang, such a glorious great nation. If such weather-controlling divine powers were wielded against an enemy, what country could withstand it?"

"Your Majesty, manipulating celestial phenomena violates the Heavenly Dao! These are demonic words!" Another civil official stepped forward, repeatedly kowtowing until his head bled, and sternly cried out, "These are truly demonic words! This will destroy our nation's longevity! Your Majesty, please swiftly execute this demonic villain!"

"You are dismissed from your post." Emperor Yan Feng waved his hand and chuckled, "You can't offer any ideas, yet you babble nonsense and attack the Grand Master of Imperial Leisure. I pay you a considerable salary each month; what use are you? This snow and this cloud are what truly threaten to destroy our nation's longevity! Guards, drag him away. Grand Master of Imperial Leisure, knowing is easy, but doing is hard. For this disaster relief, you will accompany me."

Qin Mu hesitated, looking troubled. "I still need to go home for New Year," he said. "However, I can recommend a few individuals who might be able to assist Your Majesty."

Emperor Yan Feng laughed heartily, feeling the dark cloud that had settled over his heart begin to dissipate. He waved his hand. "Granted," he said. "I am in great need of capable people right now. If the individuals you recommend prove truly useful, I will not treat you unfairly."

Duke Wei's heart gave a slight tremor. 'The Heavenly Devil Cult is about to infiltrate the court,' he thought. 'Though, come to think of it, I am the Heavenly King guarding the cult, so I've already been in the court for a long time. This young cult master is truly a schemer. The Imperial Preceptor hasn't been in court these past few days, and he's seizing the opportunity to place his own people. If the Imperial Preceptor were gone for a few years, I fear even the Emperor might become a member of his Heavenly Devil Cult! Where has the Imperial Preceptor gone, anyway? Touring mountains and rivers with his wife for so long, and not returning even when such a major crisis has occurred...'