"Zhao De..."
Liu Shan looked at Gu Ye again, "I leave this matter to you."
"I accept the order!"
Gu Yi did not hesitate at all and imdiately agreed.
The ministers left one by one.
Many of them wore very grim expressions.
Obviously, there were definitely people in their families either using or involved in the powder.
The price of Five Stone Powder is not cheap.
The profit it could bring would make many people envious.
Gu Yi controlled Gu Ye to leave, but didn’t expect Liu Chen to follow and stop Gu Ye, saying earnestly, "Zhao De, if you face any difficulties, rember to inform ."
Liu Chen obviously knew the difficulty of this matter.
The powder can be addictive.
To completely eradicate it is clearly a challenging task!
"Rest assured, Your Highness." Gu Yi nodded seriously, "I already have a plan in mind."
As he spoke, his tone paused.
Looking at Liu Chen in front of him, he hesitated for a mont before asking, "Your Highness, I have a question I wish to ask."
"Oh?"
Liu Chen was taken aback, not expecting Gu Ye to say such words, and quickly replied, "Zhao De, feel free to ask, there’s no need for such politeness."
"If one day—"
Gu Yi tentatively began, "If our Great Han is invaded by foreign enemies on all sides, what would Your Highness do?"
Liu Chen’s expression completely changed.
He couldn’t understand why Gu Ye would ask such a question, and couldn’t help becoming vigilant.
"Zhao De, did you see sothing?" He replied with a question.
Gu Yi controlled Gu Ye to shake his head, softly saying, "Rest assured, Your Highness, I was rely asking."
"rely asking?"
Liu Chen frowned, thought for a mont, then straightened his expression and seriously replied, "If that day truly cos, I have only one thing to say."
"Those who offend our strong Han—"
"Even if distant, must be punished!"
Liu Chen’s expression was utterly serious.
Upon hearing this, Gu Yi’s eyes couldn’t help but flicker slightly, then he showed a faint smile, bowed to Liu Chen, and then turned to leave.
Watching Gu Ye’s departing figure, Liu Chen was full of confusion, unable to understand why Gu Ye would ask such a question.
How could he possibly think of it?
After all, for the current Great Han people, the threat of the surrounding Barbarians is not even comparable to that during the Later Han period.
But Gu Yi was sure—
A great war was unavoidable.
Because the Xianbei, the Wuhuan tribes had long since unified again as ti flowed.
Currently, the borders of Great Han were untroubled.
Only because the generals left by Gu Chen were still there.
The surrounding Barbarians deeply feared them.
But how long can this thod last?...
——————
"I have heard that in the ’Zhou Yi’ it says: ’Unusual dicines, should not be tried.’
Heaven nourishes man with five energies, earth stabilizes forms with five flavors, when yin and yang harmonize, illness does not arise.
Now, alchemists with deceitful words advocate consuming cold stones, claiming that with prolonged refinent, one can connect with divine clarity, consuming sulfur and mica to seek longevity.
However, in the ’Shennong’s Materia dica’, it is clearly stated: Stone elixirs are ferocious, the organs cannot bear them. In the past, when Bian Que treated illness, he always examined the critical parts; when Zhong Jing treated diseases, he only applied soup and steaming.
How is it that one abandons the proper grains and follows the aberrant ways of alchemy, hastening doom?
I observe the nobles of Luoyang, emulating each other, resulting in cracked skin oozing pus, or babbling about seeing ghosts, yet still boast of ’transcending as immortals.’
This is not preserving life, but rather harming nature! In the past, King Zhou of Shang fasted, Mu of Zhou visited the Jade Pool, all are ancient exaggerated tales.
His Majesty’s sagacity is flourishing, how can he allow these techniques to deceive the masses, disrupting the ethical order?
I humbly beseech His Majesty:
First, instruct the Ministry of Rites to decree: All recipe books involving alchemical practices shall be consigned to the Internal Library for burning;
Second, charge the Prefects with rigorously investigating those fabricating and distributing powders under the guise of witchcraft, and have them judged for ’disrupting order with the left-hand path’;
Third, command the Minister of the Imperial Kitchen to gather genuine healers to revise ’Materia dica,’ to remove the fallacies of stone elixirs, and to extol the virtues of herbs.
In the past, when Cheng Tang prayed for rain, he did not use gold and stones; when King Xuan revitalized the state, he emphasized agriculture and sericulture.
May His Majesty follow the path of the predecessors, eradicate the source of superstitions, enabling all under heaven to know that those who take the powders are not reaching higher life, and those who ban them are virtuous!"
—— "Petition Against Forbidden Powder (Han. Gu Ye)"
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