Xu Qing knew that offending Duke Wei was just the surface issue; in reality, he and Inspector Wu had become the Court's expendable pawns used to deal with local lords like Duke Wei.
The pie of the world was only so big; the Dynasty's reforms were nothing but a struggle to snatch pieces of the pie from others, not to enlarge it.
Unless the Emperor had the courage to plow the world anew, the ancient Dynasty's reforms were doomed to fail, inevitably leading to the demise of people and the extinction of governance.
However, if one could fill the National Treasury during their reign, it could indeed stop the decline of national power, but it would also alienate the localities further from loyalty and morality.
"This is the trend of history; for me personally, in the face of the torrential forces, a mere wave is akin to a mountain weighing down, causing my foundation to crumble and flow eastward."
"Duke Wei Mansion wants to deal with me, but I will not let myself be slaughtered."
