Lu Xiangsheng narrowed his eyes, suspicion written all over his face.
"So what exactly is this 'method to govern the nation'? Don't tell me it's some kind of rebellion plan."
Sun Chuanting did not answer directly. He stood up calmly, walked to the bookshelf, and pulled out another book, then tossed it over.
"Come, Lu Daren, take a look at this first."
Lu Xiangsheng caught it and glanced at the cover.
"On Collective Governance"
Author: Gu Yanwu
He opened the first page.
Two bold lines struck him like thunder.
"The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every individual."
Lu Xiangsheng's pupils shrank slightly.
"…What a line."
He kept reading.
"The ruler cannot govern the world alone. When one governs alone, punishments multiply. When many govern together, punishments fade… Power over the realm should be entrusted to the people of the realm…"
The more he read, the more complicated his expression became.
When he finished the entire book, he sat there in silence for a long time.
Because he understood it.
And that was exactly the problem.
Gu Yanwu was still a man of his era. He did not reject imperial authority outright. Instead, he praised it on one side, while quietly carving pieces away from it on the other, redistributing power to "the people."
It was contradictory.
If translated into plain words, it meant:
"I am loyal to the emperor, but I still want to pry power out of his hands and give it to others. Because if one man decides everything, disaster is inevitable."
Lu Xiangsheng's mind split into two warring halves.
Loyalty to the emperor.
And the undeniable truth that the emperor could be disastrously wrong.
Agreement and rejection clashed violently inside his head.
Praise and condemnation tangled together.
He almost wanted to applaud.
He almost wanted to arrest the author and have him executed.
After a long silence, he slowly closed the book and looked up.
"What… do the two of you think?"
Sun Chuanting smiled faintly.
"Let's not talk about loyalty or righteousness first. Let's talk about reality."
Lu Xiangsheng frowned.
"…What reality?"
Sun Chuanting's tone turned calm, almost cold.
"The reality is this. For thousands of years, whenever an emperor performs poorly, the outcome is always the same."
"The dynasty collapses."
"The country falls."
Lu Xiangsheng's heart jolted violently.
But when he thought about it carefully…
It was true.
Everyone shouted loyalty.
But when an emperor failed badly enough, internal forces would inevitably try to replace him. At the same time, external enemies would seize the opportunity.
Internal chaos. External invasion.
Collapse.
Sun Chuanting continued, his voice steady.
"So what we need is a way to prevent the emperor from making catastrophic mistakes. Only then can the nation remain stable."
Lu Xiangsheng slowly nodded.
That made sense.
Sun Chuanting took one step closer.
"But the emperor stands above all. Every minister must obey him."
"So if the emperor issues a foolish decree…"
"Lu Daren, do you obey, or do you refuse?"
Lu Xiangsheng inhaled sharply.
Sun Chuanting did not wait for an answer.
"Last time the Jianzhou forces retreated, the emperor ordered Minister Zhang Fengyi to pursue them."
"But Zhang Fengyi only had a group of pampered capital troops. No combat capability at all. Pursuing would have meant walking straight into an ambush."
"So he pretended to pursue, but did not actually engage."
"Afterward, he was impeached for disobeying an imperial decree."
"And in the end, he had no choice but to take poison and kill himself."
Silence.
Everyone in court knew that story.
Was Zhang Fengyi wrong?
No.
Was he guilty?
Also no.
But he still died.
Because the emperor had spoken.
Disobedience meant death.
Even when the emperor was wrong.
Sun Chuanting flipped the book open to a page and placed it in front of Lu Xiangsheng.
"When one governs alone, punishments multiply. When many govern together, punishments fade."
"Zhang Fengyi's death is exactly this."
"If those who understood war had the authority to oppose that decree…"
"He would still be alive."
Lu Xiangsheng's hands trembled.
His voice dropped.
"…How many people have read this book?"
Sun Chuanting smiled.
"Too many to count."
"For years now, anyone educated in the northwest has read it."
Lu Xiangsheng's face changed instantly.
Sun Chuanting continued, calm as ever.
"Those who passed the provincial exams in Shaanxi, Shanxi, Henan…"
"They have all read it."
"Many of them are now serving as magistrates, clerks, and officials across the country."
Boom.
That sentence hit harder than any weapon.
Spread across the entire country.
This was not an idea.
This was a network.
And the most terrifying part was not that it existed.
It was that it made sense.
Lu Xiangsheng could already see it.
These scholars would carry these ideas into governance, into policy, into every corner of the system.
Not loudly.
But constantly.
The world would change.
Inevitably.
He slammed his palm onto the table.
"Sun Daren!"
"If you do this… aren't you afraid the world will fall into chaos?"
Sun Chuanting smiled.
"Of course we are afraid."
"That is why we are doing things in order."
"First, eliminate the bandits."
"Then, deal with the Manchu."
"And only after that…"
"We solve the problem of governance."
He paused, then his tone sharpened.
"When that time comes, even if the court tears itself apart in political struggle…"
"There will be no internal rebels and no external enemies left to take advantage."
"The country will not fall."
Lu Xiangsheng froze.
At that moment, everything finally connected.
The strange feeling he had at Jinzhou.
The sense that he was the only outsider.
Now he understood.
There was already a force pushing the entire nation toward collective governance.
But they were not reckless.
They were clearing all threats first.
Only then would they turn inward.
Safe.
Controlled.
Inevitable.
Lu Xiangsheng's expression darkened.
Then suddenly, he stepped forward and threw a punch straight at Sun Chuanting's face.
He was not just a scholar.
He was a battlefield commander.
This punch carried real force.
But Sun Chuanting moved just as fast.
He raised his palm and blocked.
Bang.
The impact echoed in the room.
Sun Chuanting did not even step back.
He smiled.
"Lu Daren, hitting me won't change anything."
"It has already begun."
Lu Xiangsheng's jaw tightened.
"I am loyal to the Ming."
"I cannot accept this."
Sun Chuanting looked straight into his eyes.
"I am also loyal to the Ming."
"But I am loyal to the country."
"Not to a single emperor."
"If the emperor fails…"
"Then we replace him."
He paused, then added calmly:
"Or we remove the position entirely."
"Why not let everyone govern together?"
Lu Xiangsheng exploded.
"Utter nonsense!"
He pulled back his fist and struck again.
This time, faster.
More force.
Sun Chuanting blocked again with his arm.
Bang.
Another clean stop.
Then he leaned slightly forward, voice low and precise.
"Admit it."
"For a moment just now…"
"You were tempted."