Chapter 556
“I’m not entirely sure either. However, the device we placed on her was expelled from her body after she gave birth. Otherwise, we could have used it to locate her.” Its data was limited, and the images it transmitted were somewhat blurry.
Yue Fuguang saw that the system truly could not give her a definite answer, so she stopped dwelling on it. “Forget it. Even if she isn’t dead, she won’t be able to stir up much trouble.
“But just in case, I should still give the royal father and son a heads-up. They should keep an eye out regardless. Her husband and son are still alive, after all.”
Half a month later, Emperor Mingxi and the Crown Prince watched as the final missing corner of the Great Yan map was filled in. Needless to say, their hearts surged with excitement and pride.
The Great Yan court remained in a celebratory uproar for several days before the sovereign and his ministers finally managed to calm down.
Once they had regained their composure, the next matters on the agenda were rewarding those who had contributed and deciding how to govern such a vast nation. More importantly, they had to determine how to win the people’s hearts.
That would require institutions—and… time.
As for Yue Fuguang, events unfolded exactly as she had anticipated. Although Great Yan had achieved unification, the progress bar for their mission still had not reached completion.
“System, Great Yan has been unified for more than a year now. Why is the progress bar still stuck at ninety-nine percent? Could it be broken? Or have you caught a virus?”
At the mention of a virus, the system discreetly rolled its eyes. 【Host, there is no way I could be broken! Could the reason our mission still hasn’t been completed be that there are issues with the integration of the peoples from the various nations, or some other hidden danger?】
“What hidden danger could there be? Haven’t we already spent more than a year making the people of the various nations identify themselves as Great Yan citizens?”
【They do identify with it, but some people of Great Yan inevitably look down on others, believing that as native Great Yan citizens, they are superior.
“Although they are only a minority, once people with ulterior motives spread and magnify their views, they could stir up the resentment buried deep in the hearts of the people from the five other nations. The consequences would be extremely harmful. Besides, some people still feel uncomfortable knowing that their former country was destroyed by Great Yan.”】
“How serious is the impact?”
At that moment, Emperor Mingxi and his ministers in the Hall of Diligent Governance were discussing the same issue.
Looking over the reports from various regions, Emperor Mingxi frowned and could not help asking Zheng Zicheng, Great Yan’s “thousand-mile eyes and ears.” Regional discrimination was a serious problem. If it was not resolved, the foundations of Great Yan would become unstable, and this newly united nation could easily fall apart.
For now, with the Divine Maiden holding everything in check, no major disturbances were likely to arise, so he and the Crown Prince did not need to worry too much.
But what about in the time of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren?
They all knew that the Divine Maiden would leave one day. She could not remain Great Yan’s pillar of stability forever.
Zheng Zicheng glanced at the Crown Prince before saying to Emperor Mingxi and the other ministers, “Your Majesty, according to the information I have received, people in many regions have already begun discussing this matter in private.
“The people of Bingzhou, Xingzhou, and Yizhou—regions that were originally close to the borders—have reacted especially strongly.”
Emperor Mingxi tossed the report Zheng Zicheng had given him onto the table and looked at the several high ministers standing below. “Do any of you have a good solution?
“The people are the foundation of a nation. If the people’s hearts are unsettled, the state cannot remain at peace. Great Yan has been unified for barely a year, and now this has arisen. It strikes at the very foundations of our dynasty. We cannot afford to ignore it!”
“Your Majesty is right.” Dong Qianli stepped forward first. “However, the people of the six nations have always differed greatly in customs, food, language, and habits. Now that they are living together, friction is inevitable. Could it simply be that too little time has passed? If another generation or two were to pass, might the situation improve?”
Fortunately, although the six nations spoke different languages, they all used the same written script. Otherwise, their troubles would have been even greater.
Only now did everyone truly understand the old saying: conquering a realm was difficult, but protecting it was even harder. Governing it into the kind of strong nation united in spirit that Grand Preceptor Cheng had described was harder still.
Wei Ping shook his head. “Once a conflict arises, eliminating it later requires far more time and effort. If we do not handle this carefully now, it may affect the next generation and the generation after that. By then, matters will be even more troublesome.”
Resentment could cause serious upheaval if it was allowed to accumulate for too long. The only reason the people remained so peaceful now was because of Grand Preceptor Cheng’s presence.
Cai Xian added, “Minister Wei is right. The problems our generation can resolve should not be left for future generations.” There might not necessarily be another Divine Maiden to keep matters under control by then.
Yu Chongshan hesitated before speaking. “The people of the six nations may differ in customs and language, as Minister Dong said. However, they do share one thing in common. Perhaps we can make use of it.”
The Crown Prince’s eyes lit up. “Senior Mr. Yu, are you referring to Little Aunt? Most of the people in the six nations worship Little Aunt.”
Yu Chongshan nodded. “That is precisely what I mean. The people of the six nations all worship Fuguang. That is what they have in common.”
He bowed to Emperor Mingxi. “Your Majesty, could we use this as a starting point and create more things they share? In time, they may gradually forget that they were once people of Southern Zhao, Southern Yue, Western Qiang, Northern Li, Eastern Yi, or even… Great Yan?”
His words plunged the entire hall into silence. Everyone, including Emperor Mingxi, lowered their heads and began considering whether Yu Chongshan’s proposal was feasible.
As for making the people forget that they were Great Yan citizens… that was not important. So long as they remained his subjects, what harm was there in forgetting?
The six nations were now joined together. Although people had been relocated and communities had become intermixed, their long-established habits would not be easy to change. Creating new common ground would be even more difficult.
Yet everyone also understood that Yu Chongshan’s idea was viable. The question of where to begin would require careful planning by the sovereign and his ministers.
“Your Majesty!”
Wei Ping’s eyes suddenly shone with astonishing brightness. He gazed at Emperor Mingxi with an expression that clearly said he had something to propose, yet was unsure whether he should say it.
Emperor Mingxi waved a hand. “Minister Wei, speak freely. I absolve you of any offense in advance.”
With the emperor’s assurance, Wei Ping no longer hesitated. After carefully choosing his words, he said, “Your Majesty, the people of Southern Zhao, Southern Yue, and the other five nations identify as Great Yan citizens largely because of the kindness Grand Preceptor Cheng showed them in the early days. Deep down, however, they are still accustomed to calling themselves people of Southern Zhao or Southern Yue.”
Everyone nodded. If not for Grand Preceptor Cheng, even the people of Southern Yue and Southern Zhao—who were the most obedient—would never have become what they were today.
“So…” Wei Ping quickly glanced at Emperor Mingxi’s expression. Finally, he shut his eyes and voiced the bold idea he had been considering. “Should we change the name of the country?”