The throne room of the Forbidden City gleamed with gold and arrogance.
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Emperor Hongxi lounged on the dragon throne, one leg dangling over the armrest. He swirled wine in a jade cup and did not bother to hide his boredom.
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"You asked for this audience, General," the emperor said. "Speak."
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General Li raised his head. "Your Majesty, the tax increase for the northern war has arrived. The people are angry."
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"You dragged me from my chambers for this, General?" he said, not looking at the kneeling man. "Taxes. Peasants. Yawn."193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMmtAOE3Qh
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General Li Wei kept his head down. "Your Majesty, the commoners are learning martial arts. Every province has schools. They train in empty lots, in back alleys, even in temples."
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"So?" The emperor took a long sip. "Let them punch the air. It keeps them busy."
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"They crippled three of my soldiers last week. A potter did it. A potter, Your Majesty."
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The emperor laughed. "Then your soldiers are weak. Train them better."
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"They outnumber us ten to one."
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"Then recruit more soldiers."
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"We cannot afford it. The treasury is empty because—" The general stopped himself.
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The emperor's eyes narrowed. "Because what?"
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General Li raised his head. "Because you emptied it—“ he swallowed. “For your new palace. For your golden statues. For the twenty concubines you brought from the west."
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The wine cup stopped halfway to the emperor's lips.
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"Watch your tongue," the emperor whispered.
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"I watch the kingdom bleed," the general said. "The people know about the palace. They know about the statues. They know about the taxes that feed your pleasures while their children starve. And now they know how to fight."
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The emperor stood slowly. His arrogance had curdled into something uglier.
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"How dare you—"
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"Your Majesty." Royal Sorcerer Tao Zhongwen stepped forward, his voice smooth as oil. "The general speaks bluntly, but not falsely. The people whisper. They compare you to the dynasty your great grandfather overthrew."
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The emperor froze.
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"They say the last emperor sat on a golden throne while the country burned," Tao continued. "They say he was blind to the revolution growing beneath his feet. And then one day, the commoners stormed the palace with farming tools and torches. Your own family led them."
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The emperor's face went pale, then red.
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"You dare compare me to—"
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"I compare nothing," Tao said. "I only remind you that an empire does not fall to armies. It falls to a single idea. That idea is already spreading. The people believe they can win. Because they have seen it happen before. In your grandfather's time."
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Silence filled the hall.
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The emperor sat back down. His hands trembled slightly. The wine cup clinked against the jade armrest.
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"You think they would rise against me?" The emperor's laugh was cold.
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"I think they could," Tao said. "Your own family took the throne by revolution. Your great grandfather led commoners with nothing but farming tools. If it happened once, it can happen again."
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"What do you want from me?" he said, his voice smaller now.
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General Li slammed his fist on the stone floor. "Ban the practice. Confiscate every manual. Arrest every teacher. We must cut the head before the serpent strikes."
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The emperor rubbed his chin. "A full ban would take years to enforce. The army is already stretched thin."
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Tao nodded. "We can start small , The old masters – the ones who taught your father and grandfather – leave them for now. They carry too much honor. Move against them too soon, and the nobles and smaller powers will turn against us. But the small teachers? The ones in the eastern quarter, the southern market? Crush them. No one will weep."
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The emperor stared at both of them.
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"And if they fight back?"
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"Then we burn the district," the general said flatly. "Better one village than an empire."
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The emperor stood. His shadow stretched across the hall like a blade.
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"Here is my decree," he said. "From tomorrow, any martial arts school that teaches commoners is illegal. We will arrest the teachers first. The students who surrender will be spared. Those who resist – executed. We will start in the eastern quarter. Make an example."
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General Li bowed his head. "It will be done."193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjmgZeh3Snk
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He picked up his wine cup and drained it.
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The emperor sat back down. "One more thing. If any commoner raises a fist against a soldier again – kill them on the spot. No arrest. No trial. Let the blood speak for itself."193Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlqixyl08oN
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"Now get out."
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General Li bowed and walked backward toward the door. Tao followed without ceremony.
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At the threshold, the general paused. "Your Majesty. An empire falls in a day. But it rots for years before that."
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Then they were gone.
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The emperor sat alone in the golden hall. He looked at his hands – the same hands that had signed orders for palaces, statues, and twenty concubines. He then picked up a jade seal – the same seal his grandfather had used when he declared himself the first of this dynasty.
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Outside, thunder rolled across the Forbidden City.
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But no rain came.
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