The reporter smiled, clearly amused but still professional.
"Wanting to help govern the country is admirable," she said, tilting her head slightly. "But from what we know, you have not received much formal education, and you may not fully understand how to run a state. So how do you plan to deal with that?"
Chen Qianhu faced the camera, then slowly broke into a grin.
It was a terrifying grin.
The kind that could make a child cry and a grown man reconsider his life choices.
"I am not fighting alone," he said. "I represent the common people of Shanxi. If the people have demands, they can tell me. I will bring those demands forward and discuss them with others. We solve things together. That is what collective governance means."
The reporter blinked, clearly intrigued.
"Oh? That is quite an interesting idea. So you see yourself as a representative of the people of Shanxi?"
Chen Qianhu nodded.
"The common people need someone to speak for them."
In front of countless screens, the crowd watching erupted into applause.
"Well said!"
"That is right, I have plenty of things I want to say too, but I never knew who to tell."
"Can Chen Qianhu really pass our voices upward?"
"A representative of the people!"
The marketplace in Xi'an instantly turned into a sea of noise and excitement.
Voices rose and overlapped, full of hope, curiosity, and a kind of chaotic enthusiasm that only common folk could produce.
Then suddenly, someone shouted from the crowd.
"Hey, if Chen Qianhu can speak for the people of Shanxi, what about us in Shaanxi?"
The noise paused for half a breath.
Then another voice followed.
"That is right, we do not have anyone speaking for us!"
In that moment, countless eyes turned upward, all focusing on a certain second-floor balcony that had long been known as the "premium TV viewing spot."
Standing there was Zhu Cunji.
Beside him, Hong Chengchou nudged him with an elbow.
"They are all looking at you," he said with a faint smile.
"Looking at me?" Zhu Cunji pointed at his own nose, genuinely confused. "What for?"
Hong Chengchou chuckled.
"They are waiting for you to step out and become their representative."
Zhu Cunji froze for a second, then suddenly understood.
He waved his hand dismissively.
"Stop joking. I do not have time for this nonsense. Once all this chaos settles down and the world becomes peaceful, I am going traveling. I plan to disappear so thoroughly that nobody will be able to find me."
Hong Chengchou shook his head.
"There is no one more suitable than you. You are the number one prince under heaven. If you step forward, the people will accept you. In all of Shaanxi, no one else has your level of prestige."
Zhu Cunji snorted.
"The people do not respect me. They have always seen me as a useless prince. I know that perfectly well."
Hong Chengchou raised an eyebrow.
"That may have been true in the past. But ever since you became a railway tycoon, things have changed."
That statement hit the mark.
Zhu Cunji had once indeed been nothing more than a useless prince in the eyes of the public, but after building railways and developing tourist regions, he had quietly inserted himself into the lifeblood of everyday life.
Railways brought convenience.
Tourism brought income.
And once a man begins to improve the lives of the people, respect follows naturally.
His reputation among the common folk had already risen to unprecedented heights.
Hong Chengchou leaned closer.
"Rebel," he said softly. "If you do it now, you are simply answering the call of Dao Xuan Tianzun."
Zhu Cunji hesitated.
"But what about my travel plans?"
"Finish the rebellion, restore peace, and then travel with authority," Hong Chengchou replied. "No one will dare stop you."
Zhu Cunji rubbed his chin.
"Well… when you put it like that, it does make sense."
His eyes lit up.
"Fine. Then I will rebel."
In the next instant, he leaped to his feet and shouted down at the crowd below.
"Listen up! I, Zhu Cunji, heir of the Qin Prince and number one fief under heaven, am rebelling today! Our slogan is…"
He drew in a deep breath, ready to shout something grand like overthrowing a foolish ruler and replacing solitary rule with collective governance.
At that exact moment, his consort, sitting nearby, casually said to a maid,
"My greatest wish is to have no cavities."
Zhu Cunji's brain misfired.
Completely.
Without thinking, he roared,
"No cavities!"
The palace guards behind him did not dare question their lord.
They immediately echoed at full volume.
"Our slogan is no cavities!"
The crowd below froze.
For a brief moment, confusion spread like a ripple.
Then someone scratched their head.
"Wait… what is wrong with him?"
Another person suddenly slapped his thigh.
"No, no, this makes sense. The Qin heir has always been like this. He loves messing around. Even his rebellion has to follow his unique style."
That explanation spread instantly.
And somehow, everyone accepted it.
"If we are following him, then we follow all the way!"
The crowd erupted again.
"Our slogan is no cavities!"
"We fight for no cavities!"
"We are rebelling!"
…
Inside the imperial study in the capital.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, disaster!"
Chen Xinjia stumbled in, nearly tripping over his own robes.
"The Qin Prince's residence has rebelled! They have rebelled!"
Zhu Youjian nearly jumped out of his seat.
"What did you just say?"
Chen Xinjia was panting.
"The heir of the Qin Prince, Zhu Cunji… has raised the banner of rebellion."
Zhu Youjian exploded with anger.
"This is outrageous! I have treated the Qin Prince's household well. I have treated him well! When he seized fertilizer from Wu Shen and Shi Kefa and even deployed death warriors, behavior that bordered on rebellion, I did not punish him severely. I only fined him fifty thousand taels for disaster relief. How dare he rebel against me? What have I ever done to wrong him?"
Chen Xinjia shrank back, not daring to respond.
Zhu Youjian raged for a long while before finally calming down enough to ask,
"Then what reason does he give for his rebellion? Is he also accusing me of being a foolish ruler who ruined the country? Is he saying I missed the critical opportunity?"
Chen Xinjia shook his head rapidly.
"No, not that."
Zhu Youjian took a deep breath, bracing himself.
"Then tell me clearly. I want to hear what kind of reason could possibly justify rebellion."
Chen Xinjia lowered his head.
"He… he says it is… for no cavities."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Cao Huachun said nothing.
Wang Cheng'en said nothing.
Every eunuch and maid present said nothing.
Time seemed to stop.
After what felt like an eternity, Chen Xinjia cautiously spoke again.
"Your Majesty… which army should we send to suppress this rebellion?"
Zhu Youjian rolled his eyes.
"A man who rebels for no cavities. Do you really think we need to send an army for that?"
Chen Xinjia hesitated.
"Well… about that…"
Zhu Youjian waved his hand impatiently.
"I refuse to believe anyone would follow such nonsense. This is nothing but a farce. Give it some time and the local gentry in Shaanxi will deal with him and deliver him to me themselves."
For once, Chen Xinjia felt that the emperor sounded surprisingly reasonable.
Almost like a wise ruler.
Then, just as the thought settled, another young eunuch rushed in from outside.
"Report!"
"The Prince of Rui in Hanzhong, Zhu Changhao, has declared support for Zhu Cunji!"
"The long-missing Hong Chengchou has reappeared in Xi'an and is backing Zhu Cunji!"
"The frontier troops in Guyuan, Yinchuan, and Yansui have declared their support!"
"Over three hundred thousand surrendered bandits from Huanglong Mountain have joined him!"
Zhu Youjian stared blankly.
Then he asked, in complete disbelief,
"Do they all want… no cavities that badly?"