"The so-called second option is to go to the frontier and expand the territory. Afterwards, the imperial court will provide different levels of support based on the size of the individual's contribution. This support includes troops, various supplies, and money, which can be described as comprehensive."
"Moreover, for the same rank, the territory in the frontier will be much larger. But it will also be much more desolate and dangerous. Moreover, the support provided by the imperial court is limited, at most only for the beginning. In the end, you will still need to invest yourself," Shi A said.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang couldn't help but nod. In fact, both choices were quite ingenious.
If someone comes from a humble background, or even purely from a poor family, they would most likely choose the first path. Such people don't usually have great ambitions, and the imperial court isn't worried about them.
However, if one is ambitious, exceptionally capable, or comes from a powerful and influential family, they will naturally choose the second path. In this case, the entire family's resources will be poured into managing the fiefdom—a bottomless pit.
Lin Yang, who possessed the original owner's memories, naturally knew how enormous a pitfall managing a fiefdom was. It was a bottomless, super-sized pitfall.
"Heh, Your Majesty's strategy of managing territory is truly brilliant, a perfectly legitimate and righteous path. Even knowing the traps within, how many could resist such a tremendous temptation?" Lin Yang said with a sneer.
Imagine someone pulling out a map, drawing a circle around it, and all the land inside that circle is yours. What an enticing prospect! If future real estate companies had such an opportunity, they would surely jump for joy.
Moreover, with the example of the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai, managing territory seems like a promising endeavor. So, the question arises: is it really that simple?
To this, Lin Yang could only say two words—"Hehe!"
In the memories of the primordial spirit, there were many small aristocratic families that had only been established for a little over a hundred years, only to perish on the road to success. For example, they were attacked by barbarians, their territories went bankrupt, and the families were dragged down to hell.
The vast majority of middle-class families also lost everything in this regard. They had barely managed to build up their fiefdoms to a semblance of their former glory when the entire family's resources were almost completely depleted.
It can be said that Emperor Ling's method was absolutely ingenious. It effectively eliminated most of the threat posed by the increasingly powerful aristocratic families. They couldn't very well blame the court for losing money managing their own territories, could they?
"Yes, it was an open scheme. I never expected Feipeng to be so insightful. If my father hadn't told me, I would never have thought of this," Cai Yan said with lingering fear.
She was initially overjoyed, but after her father, Cai Yong, told her everything, she suddenly realized that the truth was so dark. The so-called Chosen Ones and fiefdoms were nothing more than a scheme by Emperor Ling to deal with the powerful families.
But even if they see through it, what then? Does that mean those powerful families can resist the temptation of becoming local lords?
It should be noted that in the original owner's memories, after that, almost every year there would be hundreds of Chosen Ones, and each Chosen One would hook up with at least one noble family, dragging these families into the bottomless pit called the fiefdom.
Very few people actually manage to profit from their fiefdoms. Only the top-tier families at the state level have a chance to survive the initial investment and reach the later output.
Only top-tier families like the Xun and Yuan families could truly profit from this wave of territorial expansion. Subsequently, they successfully transformed their aristocratic families into powerful local lords.
However, a question arises: how many families of this caliber exist? To this, Lin Yang could only say that the Spirit Emperor's open scheme was truly too powerful.
"Wow, Feipeng, you're amazing! You just heard this news and you saw it so clearly. You're a genius!" Shi A said, admitting his inferiority.
"By the way, if Feipeng, you plan to manage your territory, Wenji and I can still offer some assistance," Shi'a added.
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Chapter Four: The Generous Tycoon Mi and the Four Major Merchants
In the blink of an eye, three days had passed. These three days could seem fast or slow. For the Chosen Ones, these three days felt like an eternity. Everyone knew that after three days, the official confirmation of their fiefdoms would take place. Naturally, time seemed to drag on.
Even Lin Yang sometimes gets worried and anxious, but that's only human nature.
It's safe to say that if Lin Yang didn't possess cultivation, he would most likely have dark circles under his eyes right now. To be precise, more than 80% of the Chosen Ones would be like that.
"Good morning, Wenji," Lin Yang said with a dry laugh. At this moment, he was holding Su Qing'er's hand as they headed towards the palace.
"Hehe, Feipeng, good morning." Cai Yan smiled slightly upon seeing this.
"You've arrived so early! It's me, Shi A. To be honest, I'm a little nervous. My heart has been pounding since last night," Shi A said with a smile, patting his chest.
Soon, the group headed towards the palace.
As soon as he entered, Lin Yang felt a faint sense of oppression. Without even looking, he knew that this was the suppression of dragon energy.
Here, the spells of the Immortal Path are suppressed the most. Even at full power, they can't be unleashed even once. Even the Arts of Literature and Martial Arts are subject to considerable suppression. Relatively speaking, the Arts of the Physical Body are suppressed the least.
In addition, there are countless imperial guards in the palace. It can be said that even a sixth-level assassin would die if he came to the palace.
Soon, the group arrived at their destination, Xiping Palace, which is said to have been built by order of Emperor Ling when the reign title was changed to Xiping.
Actually, although it's called a palace, it's more like a large hall. The entire hall is divided into four sections, from high to low. Rows of seats are arranged in descending order of height.
"This is the grand arena, modeled after the Colosseum in ancient Rome. Although those barbarians had many shortcomings, they also had quite a few highlights. This grand arena is actually quite good," Shi A said with a smile.
"At the very front is a table where all the chosen ones will stand in turn and recount their achievements. Then, based on the magnitude of their contributions and their personal wishes, the Empire's prime ministers and the Emperor will decide what titles to bestow upon them."
“So, this area is actually occupied by the nine Grand Secretaries of the Imperial Cabinet, the heads of the Three Departments and Six Ministries, and even the Censors and Historians. Of course, the most important person is the Emperor.” Cai Yan pointed to the dragon throne in the center and said.
Needless to say, besides rebels, only the emperor himself could sit on the dragon throne. Of course, the dragon throne and many surrounding seats were empty at this time. The outer seats were occupied by numerous fifth and fourth-rank officials in bright red robes. As for the high-ranking officials of the third rank and above, none of them were present.
"This next area is where we 142 Chosen Ones will sit. There are tables and chairs everywhere. Let's just find a place to sit," Cai Yan said.
Looking at the melon seeds, peanuts, spiritual fruits, and spiritual spring water on the table, Lin Yang instantly felt as if he had returned to a 21st-century movie theater to watch a film. It can only be said that magic changes the world, or rather, energy changes the world.
"Oh, if that's the case, then who are those people sitting in those densely packed, crammed seats at the very back?" Lin Yang asked, glancing back over the shoulder.
With a casual glance, Lin Yang was greatly surprised. Under the sweep of his Divine Eye of Luck, all he saw was a bluish-purple aura. In other words, in terms of luck alone, this group of people was no less powerful than fourth- or even fifth-tier experts.
“Oh, they are all heads of major families. The least qualified to sit here are heads of first-rate families at the state level. As for heads of families at the county level, they rarely have seats. They will probably have to stand.” Cai Yan said with a frown.
"In addition, there are also experts from all walks of life, such as fourth-level experts who have made some contributions to the imperial court, who can also enter here," Shi A added.
"In addition, there are also the masters of the Taiping Dao in the North, the masters of the Tianshi Dao in the South, as well as the deans of the top academies or the leaders of the sects in each state, who can also gain a place in the back."
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang nodded. A quick glance revealed at least a thousand people scattered throughout the crowd. If all the seats were filled, plus those standing, the number would easily reach three or four thousand.
“No wonder. When I scanned them just now, the aura above these guys' heads was at least cyan, and quite a few of them were even purple. So that’s how it is. His Majesty is truly generous.” Lin Yang shook his head and said.
Generally speaking, as the head of a powerful family at the state level, one naturally possesses auspicious fortune due to the family's influence; this is quite normal. Similarly, the heads of sects and academies at the state level are largely the same.
As for purple, it naturally refers to the heads of top-tier families such as the Xun, Yang, Wei, and Yuan families. Of course, a fifth-tier expert who has nothing possesses purple fortune. Similarly, a fourth-tier expert who has nothing possesses at least cyan fortune.