ected by disasters, taxes and corvée labor would be reduced by 50%, to alleviate the suffering of the disaster victims, for a period of three years. This is only the second year, so naturally there’s...Chapter 1831: Who Benefits

Footsteps came from beside him, and Li Chen knew it was Jian Xin intentionally making the noise as a signal to let him know she had arrived.

"The fiefdom of the King of Ning was in great disorder."

Li Chen turned his head to look at Jian Xin beside him. She was dressed in white, her figure giving off an air of a recluse from the world. A smile played on her lips, but her eyes were colder than the snow on the ground.

"I understand," she nodded simply, avoiding Li Chen's gaze.

Li Chen said leisurely, "King Ning's fiefdom suddenly became chaotic and without warning, completely beyond my expectations."

Jian Xin calmly said: "Even saints have things they cannot account for, Your Highness need not worry about it."

"Yes, I've never thought that I have to consider everything and make sure nothing goes wrong. That's a god, not a human being. I don't expect that much from myself."

A smile broadened on Li Chen's face, but the coldness in his eyes intensified. He suddenly asked, "So I want to know, what factors have I overlooked Is it that Li Songru is truly incompetent, or did he deliberately leave a trap Or perhaps it's all just fate, the inevitable backlash I will suffer after King Ning's death"

But after thinking it over, I feel like I've fallen into a misconception.

Li Chen turned around and faced Jian Xin. With his back to the raging fire and the deafening war cries outside Wolong Mountain, he said, "That's why I shouldn't always be confined to known information and reflect on why previous plans failed. Since it was a failure, it must have been beyond the plan. As long as it's beyond the scope of opportunity, it means that during the execution of the plan, some factors existed that I didn't consider or even notice when I initially formulated the plan."

Jianxin listened to Li Chen's narration, her heart rippling beneath the surface, but on her face, she remained as calm as a still lake.

Li Chen let out a light chuckle, the wind carrying his laughter to Jian Xin's ear. It was just a very slight laugh, yet it made Jian Xin feel a powerful sense of danger.

And after a light chuckle, Li Chen's voice continued.

“So, I started to look at the issue from a different angle. For example, anyone does anything, it is driven by self-interest. Even parents raising their children hope that their children will grow up to be successful and accomplished, which is also a kind of self-interest. Take Zhang San, Li Si, Wang Wu, Zhao Liu for instance; some of them might be street vendors, others might join martial arts schools, and some might study hard to pass the imperial examinations for official positions. All these actions are driven by self-interest – either for money, fame, or power.”

"Therefore, the recent unrest in King Ning's fiefdom must have been caused by someone manipulating events for their own gain."

"Thinking about it this way, it becomes quite simple. The question is, who will be the ultimate beneficiary of this upheaval in the fiefdoms"

"Those who, for self-preservation, offered up the supplies accumulated by King Ning to the Liao army's vassal officials No, they may have indeed done so, but if they had the audacity to do such a thing, they certainly wouldn't be foolish enough not to consider the high probability of the Liao army discarding them after use. Those who are not of my race must have different hearts, especially facing these rebels who betray even their own country and nation. How could the Liao army truly reuse them"

"So in the end, it's not these lowlifes who will be calling the shots."

"So, is it Li Songru"

"There was no reason for Li Songru to be harmed by King Ning. He did have a motive for revenge against King Ning, but King Ning is dead, and anything he does will not help him further his revenge. Most importantly, he lacks the ability to do this alone, nor does he have the power to resist the retribution of the court afterwards."ss turned her head to look at Li Yinhu, her peerlessly cold eyes devoid of any emotion."My Prince, before you speak, please consider your words carefully. Otherwise, angering the White Lotus Sect woul...