Published: March 8, 2025
Chu Yang's strength was much greater than Tie Butian's. How could Tie Butian resist? He was dragged along, stumbling as they walked.
After taking seven or eight steps, Tie Butian suddenly shook off Chu Yang's hand and stood still.
Chu Yang turned back in surprise and asked, "What's wrong?"
Tie Butian stood there, his body trembling slightly as he looked at Chu Yang and quietly asked, "Brother Chu, do you... know something?"
Chu Yang, puzzled, replied, "What could I possibly know? What do you mean?"
Tie Butian fixed his sharp gaze on Chu Yang's expression for a long time before saying, "Your sudden arrival makes me feel very strange."
Chu Yang chuckled, "Strange? What’s strange about it?"
Tie Butian hesitated, saying, "It's a feeling, one that's hard to describe."
Chu Yang laughed heartily, "I say, big man like you playing with feelings... that's just hilarious..."
Feeling a bit relieved, Tie Butian couldn't help but smile at Chu Yang's joy.
"Brother Tie, how does it feel to govern the world, facing south while ruling as a king?" Chu Yang squinted his eyes and said, "Under heaven, isn't all land the king's? On the border, aren't all subjects the king's? It must be quite enjoyable, right?"
Tie Butian smiled, though fatigue was apparent in his eyes as he let out a deep sigh.
Chu Yang's gaze flickered, probing, "Are you very tired?"
Tie Butian sighed again, finally saying, "Tired? Happy? Hehe, Brother Chu, you don't know. A king may look splendid, but in reality, it's the most tedious, the most uninteresting job. Plus, it requires both mental and physical labor, only to end up alone; it's truly hard to put into words."
Chu Yang's eyes flashed again. "Is it really that tiring? So uninteresting?"
Tie Butian looked deep, saying, "When I was a prince, people would tell me jokes every day; I had a few close friends. But once I became the crown prince, those friends dwindled. When I became the emperor..."
He let out a bitter smile. "Do you know? I have to face a group of the highest IQ liars in the whole world every day; I have to think hard to discern what's true and what's false, and who is trying to frame whom... It's truly hard to describe this feeling."
Chu Yang was taken aback. "Liars?"
"Indeed." Tie Butian nodded lightly, saying leisurely, "In the Golden Hall, every official is an absolute top-notch liar! Every day, I face so many liars. Each day, these liars tell different lies, some trying to deceive me, while others flatter me. But behind it all, they have their motives. Some are for the public good, which is tolerable; but the vast majority are for their private interests, scheming and chaotic; each one looks righteous but turns around and has dirty dealings."
"As a subject, one must always speculate on the emperor's intentions; but as a monarch, one must constantly ponder the intentions of these subjects. It’s easy for hundreds to speculate on one person, but for one person to understand hundreds, to see through everything, is incredibly difficult."
Tie Butian sighed softly, "Brother Chu is not an outsider, so I'll speak frankly: if we truly investigated the hundreds of officials in the Golden Hall, down to the bottom... aside from myself, there may not be more than five people inside who wouldn't lose their heads!"
This time, Chu Yang was genuinely shocked. "Is there really that many?"
Tie Butian tiredly nodded and smiled bitterly. "The Iron Cloud Nation fights corruption every day, punishing corrupt officials; but I, as the king, have to associate with them daily; discussing state affairs with corrupt officials; letting them execute national policies and laws... Brother Chu, isn't this quite ironic?"
Chu Yang fell silent.
"Some say: Officials travel a thousand miles only for wealth! Others say: Three years of a clean governor means a hundred thousand taels of silver. Some say: One person attains the Dao, and even chickens and dogs rise to the heavens. Others say: When one has power, they repay grudges with vengeance. Even more say: How can one regret ten years of hard study for glory and wealth when the family is impoverished?"