Chapter 150.1
Before long, Elder Lai arrived at the imperial palace and met with the Great Xia Emperor Lin Beifan.
Although he had known that Lin Beifan was young, he never imagined he would be so young. Youthfulness aside, the fact that he could develop a country so well at such a young age was truly a skill. Indeed, heroes emerge from the young!
Elder Lai Qing of the Beggar Sect pays respects to the Great Xia Emperor! Elder Lai bowed with hands clasped, speaking neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Lin Beifan smiled and said, Elder Lai is most welcome! Ive heard that youve come leading a team, hoping to develop the Beggar Sect here and spread its branches. Half a month has passedhave you made any gains?
Elder Lai thought of the experiences over these days, and his heart filled with worry, his lips involuntarily twitching: Thank you for your concern, Great Xia Emperor. After half a month of hard work, our gains have been meager. Its better not to mention them.
Lin Beifan offered comfort and encouragement: Elder Lai, do not lose heart! Heaven rewards the diligent, and fortune favors the bold. You should continue to strive! Without putting in the effort, you will never understand what true despair ishaha!
Elder Lai felt as if a knife had pierced his heart!
Since you already know, why bother saying it? Dont you realize it makes others feel angry?
Seeing the smug look on the other persons face, I just wanted to punch them.
But he held back. If he really started a fight, he might not be able to leave the imperial palace.
Suppressing the anger in his heart, he asked, Great Xia Emperor, did you summon me here just to mock me?
Lin Beifan shook his head, smiling amiably, and said, Of course not! I invited you here to teach you a lesson. As long as I am in Great Xia, your Beggar Sect will never have a chance to rise!
Elder Lai was provoked and very displeased, thinking about leaving.
Great Xia Emperor, if theres nothing else, I shall take my leave!
Dont be in such a hurry to leave!
Lin Beifan waved his hand: Its rare to encounter an expert from the Beggar Sect. I have never left Great Xia and am very curious about the outside world! Sit down, lets chat casually like friends.
Elder Lai thought for a moment, there was nothing much for him to do if he returned now, so he simply sat down.
But his expression was still stiff: What shall we talk about?
Anything at all! Elder Lai, you have been in Great Xia for several days now, what do you think of my Great Xia? Lin Beifan asked with a friendly smile after drinking a cup of tea.
Great Xia!
Elder Lai recalled what he had seen and experienced these past days and began to speak unconsciously: The nation spans an area of 1.5 million square miles, with a population of 18 million, a total military force of 2 million, and over a dozen Innate masters. Among the great kingdoms, it is indeed one of the top-ranking countries!
The most crucial aspect is that the people within the territory can live and work in peace and contentment, with ample food and clothing! Such a situation is very rare. I have traveled through over a hundred countries, including many empires and dynasties, but I have never seen a country that treats its people so well, allowing them to live the life they desire!
For such a country, I dont know how to judge it, but theres something someone said that I greatly agree with!
Whats that? Lin Beifan asked.
Its not about being called a dynasty; its about being worthy of the title dynasty!
Well said! Lin Beifan laughed heartily.
Elder Lai turned his head to look at Lin Beifan, speaking with great admiration, You are a good Emperor, a truly benevolent Emperor!
But here I am a good Emperor, yet others curse me as a foolish emperor! The noble families block me, neighboring kingdoms isolate me, and there are many who wish to kill me, eager to hack me to pieces
Lin Beifan gently tapped on the table, asking word by word, Elder Lai, do you think all this is reasonable?
Elder Lai opened his mouth but didnt say anything.
Of course, thats unreasonable!
But thats often the harsh reality of society!
The truth is just that cruel!
Lin Beifan continued, Since childhood, weve been taught to be good people, but once we step into society, everyone forces you to become a bad person! And after you do something bad, they turn around and lecture you, telling you that what you did is wrong, that you cant do that! But when you try to become a good person again, they persecute you even more relentlessly!
Elder Lai, life is hard, but its even harder to be a good person, dont you think?
Elder Lai nodded deeply in agreement.
Life is hard, but being a good person is even harder!
It had taken him decades to truly understand this profound truth!
Yet Lin Beifan, so young, had already grasped it, summarizing the cruelty of society in a single statement!
This young man was extraordinary!
Forget it, lets not dwell on these sad topics. Lets talk about your Beggar Sect!
Lin Beifan waved his hand and asked with a smile, Elder Lai, if I may be so bold to ask, how many disciples has the Beggar Sect arranged to infiltrate Great Xia?
About 320, Elder Lai replied.
Originally, this kind of matter is confidential, not to be disclosed to outsiders.
However, all the brothers of the Beggar Sect here have already defected, so theres no point in keeping it secret anymore, and so it was revealed.
Do you know how many disciples of the Beggar Sect have joined our imperial court? Lin Beifan asked again.
Elder Lais mouth twitched slightly; was this another stab at his heart?
This little Emperor was too unscrupulous, so he chose not to answer.
Lin Beifan raised a single finger: Roughly 1,000 people!
Elder Lai looked over in shock: How come there are 600 more?
Because disciples from the Beggar Sect of other countries have also fled to Great Xia to serve me, Elder Lai. You didnt know about that, did you? Hahaha
Elder Lais face twitched fiercely; he truly had no idea, as he had not received any news.
The reason he hadnt received any news was that it hadnt been passed up the chain.
Why hadnt it been passed up
Its likely that, just like those before them, in order to avoid the Beggar Sects retribution and punishment, they had severed ties with the sect and secretly fled to Great Xia.
The thought of the Beggar Sect losing over a thousand of its finest disciples pained him deeply.
Do you know why they joined Great Xia? Lin Beifan asked again.
Elder Lai actually knew the answer but still didnt want to say it.
Lin Beifan continued, Because they want to live a good life, they want to stand out, to soar to success! And I, I can provide them with such an opportunity!
As long as they work hard enough and are willing to endure hardships, then they can have enough food, earn money, afford to buy houses, and marry wives, living the good life they have always dreamed of!
As long as they are excellent enough, fight hard enough, then they have the chance to become officials, to stand out, to soar to success!
All of this, the Beggar Sect cannot give them, but I can! Thats why they all came running to me! And now, they have obtained everything they wanted!
Lin Beifan said with a smile, According to my understanding, over 200 disciples from the Beggar Sect have already joined the court as officials! The one with the highest rank has become a fifth-grade general, commanding thousands of men! He has bought a large house, taken a wife, and even has two concubines, living a life full of prosperity and joy!
Although the others havent achieved as much as this general, they are all doing quite well for themselves. The least among them is a squad leader, in charge of several people, drawing a decent salary and living a particularly good life!
Out of 1000 disciples from the Beggar Sect, astonishingly, 200 have become officials! Even though the rest havent taken official positions, they are also working hard and performing excellently! It must be said, your Beggar Sect really does produce talented individuals!
Elder Lais face twitched again.
Of course, these people were talented!
Even though they were beggars, they were the cream of the crop, carefully selected by the sect. If not one in a hundred, then at least one in ten, they were considered quite outstanding among beggars.
Moreover, in order to cultivate them, the Beggar Sect had put in a lot of effort, teaching them to read and write and to practice martial arts.
Now was the time for them to repay the Beggar Sect, but instead, they were all caught in one fell swoop by the Great Xia!
Especially when he thought of the few young people he had valued, who had now also thrown themselves into the embrace of Great Xia, his heart bled once more.
***
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