Chapter 151.1 - I Became the Legendary Emperor Throughout the Ages After I Started Giving Away My Territory

Lin Beifan smiled smugly, “Before long, we will have received many talents!”

“But Your Majesty, if you say that the Beggar Sect has many talents, why can’t they be successful in other countries?” Bai Zhu continued to ask, puzzled.

“That’s because of the rigid class system; the path is blocked from above!”

Lin Beifan said with a smile, “To make a name for oneself in this world, there are essentially two paths: one is through scholarship, and the other is through martial prowess. Scholarship can lead to an official position in the court, while martial prowess can dominate the world!”

“Let’s start with scholarship, which stumps many disciples of the Beggar Sect. Tell me, how many of them can read and write? Not to mention the disciples of the Beggar Sect, even among the common people, not one in ten can read and write!”

“Education is very expensive. It could bankrupt a moderately wealthy family to cultivate a scholar! Therefore, within the Beggar Sect, many people don’t have the opportunity to study; otherwise, they wouldn’t have fallen to the point of becoming beggars!”

“This effectively blocks 99% of beggars from climbing up the ladder!”

Bai Zhu nodded in agreement: “Your Majesty’s words are true!”

“Even if one learns to read and write, the difficulty of passing the exams to gain an official title and serve in the court is even harder than ascending to the heavens! Because even if you can read and write, so can others, and moreover, they have been meticulously trained from a young age, guided by famous teachers, and nourished with all sorts of books. How could they possibly perform worse than you? If you take the exam, you can only serve as a foil to them!”

Lin Beifan took a sip of tea and continued: “Even if you finally overcome all obstacles and earn a title, climbing the ranks is even more difficult! Because the court is essentially monopolized by the noble families, and you have no connections or mutual interests with them, why would they help you? There are only so many official positions, one for each person, and they will certainly reserve these positions for their own people!”

“As someone with no backing or power, with nothing at all, can you compete with them?”

Lin Beifan shook his head and sighed: “So this path is essentially blocked off!”

“What about martial arts then?”

Bai Zhu asked: “Since studying is not an option, surely there must be a sliver of opportunity in pursuing martial arts?”

“Learning martial arts is even harder than studying!”

Lin Beifan declared, “For studying, as long as one has a normal brain, they can continue with it! But for martial arts, it’s not enough to just have a healthy body; you also need the right constitution. If you have it, you have it; if you don’t, you don’t!”

“If you lack the constitution and talent, even if you want to learn martial arts, it’s difficult. It’s something that’s determined at birth, something you can’t obtain no matter how much you beg! Bai Zhu, as a martial artist, you should know this!”

“Your Majesty is correct, to learn martial arts one must have the right constitution, and it cannot be forced! My master once said that in his search for a worthy successor, he traveled through over a hundred countries and only selected one or two suitable individuals from a million—it’s extremely hard to find such talent!”

Lin Beifan nodded, “Yes, it’s that difficult! Out of a hundred people, finding one with a talent for martial arts is already good. Among beggars, it’s even rarer! Most of them have already missed the best time to learn martial arts; their bones have set, and even if they have the aptitude for martial arts, they can’t develop it into anything substantial!”

“Having a talent for martial arts is not enough; you must also find a master to teach you the skills! But if you have nothing, why would anyone teach you? Unless you’re one in ten thousand, a cultivation genius, only then might someone make an exception and take you under their wing!”

“Moreover, during the process of learning martial arts, expenses are inevitable! To strengthen the body, one must often eat meat to replenish nutrients. Martial arts practice makes one prone to injuries, so you also need to buy a lot of medicinal herbs to nourish your body, otherwise, you’ll be left with lingering problems! The expenses are much higher than those for studying, and the saying ‘the poor study while the rich practice martial arts’ is not without reason!”

“All of this is just too difficult for beggars! They really have no choice but to be beggars! But, are they truly inferior to others?”

Lin Beifan shook his head: “Absolutely not. Even if it’s just the second or third bag disciple, they have emerged from among thousands of beggars. They definitely have the ability; what they lack is merely opportunity! And I, I will give them that opportunity!”

Bai Zhu nodded: “Your Majesty speaks wisely!”

“Actually, when all is said and done, for the vast majority of beggars, being able to eat their fill is already more than enough to be content. If they have a house to live in, a stable job, that would be the pinnacle of life! If they could also find a wife and have a few children, then their life would be complete, and they would have lived up to the expectations of their parents and ancestors!”

“The Beggar Sect can’t provide any of this, but of course, I can! As long as they dare to come, they will have the opportunity to escape poverty! As long as they dare to fight and take risks, they will have the chance to stand out! Isn’t this better than being a beggar for life?”

……

As Lin Beifan conversed, at this time, Elder Lai had already left the imperial palace.

The disciples of the Beggar Sect, anxiously waiting outside, saw Elder Lai emerge unscathed and excitedly crowded around him.

“Elder, you’ve finally come out, I’ve been so worried!”

“We’ve been waiting for so long, I was about to rush in there just now!”

“Elder, did the Great Xia Emperor give you a hard time?”

“Tell us, and we’ll gather the Beggar Sect disciples to deal with him!”

Looking at the concerned crowd, Elder Lai managed a forced smile: “Everyone, rest assured, the Great Xia Emperor did not trouble me! He merely called me over to chat about matters of the rivers and lakes! Everything is fine now, let’s go back!”

“Alright, alright, we’ll go back now…”

They found a dilapidated, abandoned house to temporarily settle in and then sent people out to beg for food.

In less than half an incense stick’s time, they all returned, their mission a success.

The bowls they used for begging were filled to the brim with food, so much so that they couldn’t eat it all. Some of the bowls even contained a good amount of meat, making the Beggar Sect disciples salivate at the sight.

Nowadays, many people in Great Xia have been lifted out of poverty and have plenty of material wealth, so everyone is extremely charitable. Those who can give a little more do so, reasoning that the excess would only go to waste at home.

Tonight, after enjoying a sumptuous dinner, they went to rest early.

However, the disciples of the Beggar Sect couldn’t sleep; their minds had already wandered outside.

Great Xia was truly a land where gold lay everywhere; as long as one was willing to work hard, there was a chance to become wealthy. Earn money, buy a house, find a wife, and even have children to carry on the family line, reaching the pinnacle of life.

Wasn’t that better than being a beggar for a lifetime?

In the past, without opportunity, that was one thing, but now they clearly had a chance!

As long as one was willing to work, the problem of food and clothing could be solved.

As long as one worked hard, there was a chance to soar to great heights.

Er Danzi, who used to be just like them, was now thriving, having everything one could wish for; there was no reason they couldn’t do the same!

Do I also…

Their hearts began to beat with restless agitation.

Elder Lai was similarly distracted, his mind occupied by the words Lin Beifan had said.

“It’s fine that you are loyal to the Beggar Sect, but do you expect the brothers under your command to share the same loyalty?”

“Do you want them to follow you into hunger and cold, to suffer alongside you?”

“You can afford to delay your own prospects, but you can’t afford to delay the futures of your brothers!”

“How can you be so selfish?”

Each of these words pierced his spine, tormenting him.

As an elder of the Beggar Sect, he certainly couldn’t just stand by and watch the Beggar Sect fall apart to see the talents he had painstakingly nurtured throw themselves into the arms of another country.

Yet, he was also a brother and a senior to the disciples of the Beggar Sect.

As a senior, would you be willing to watch them endure hardships with you, suffer with you, starve and freeze with you?

Would you be willing to watch them go through life unable to earn money, unable to find wives?

Are you willing to watch them leave with regrets?

It is destined to be a dilemma, to choose loyalty or benevolence.

Moreover, there’s another issue now, even if you want to stop them, can you really stop them?

Their hearts are no longer with the Beggar Sect; they want to live a good life. Can you really make them stay by force?

You might keep them for a moment, but can you keep them for a lifetime?

“Alas, it’s tough!”

With these thoughts in mind, Elder Lai spent a sleepless night.

Subsequently, they spent another two days in the Great Xia capital city, continuing their efforts to expand the Beggar Sect, but still, they were unable to recruit even a single Beggar Sect disciple.

It wasn’t just about development; finding a beggar was difficult in itself.

However, it wasn’t without its rewards.

In the capital city, they witnessed its prosperity and wealth, and at the same time, they saw opportunities to defy fate and change their destiny.

If you want to eat your fill and drink to your heart’s content, then come to Great Xia!

If you want to live in a big house, then come to Great Xia!

If you want to earn money to support your family, come to Great Xia!

If you want to find a wife and have children, come to Great Xia!

If you want to stand out from the crowd, come to Great Xia!

Great Xia is full of opportunities, with gold everywhere. As long as you come, you can be well-dressed and well-fed and rise swiftly in status.

***