On the Sky Canopy, Liu Sanqi looked into the camera and analyzed: "When we look back at Emperor Jingwu's disaster relief history, it’s easy to see that her struggle with the powerful minister Qi Wenyuan was somewhat similar to the classic fable 'The North Wind and the Sun.' Both the north wind and the sun wanted to make the traveler take off his coat. The north wind tried to force him with its biting cold, but the traveler only wrapped his coat tighter. The sun shone its warm rays on the traveler, and eventually, he willingly took off his coat. For the starving refugees in the Guanzhong region, the sweet potato rumors concocted by Qi Wenyuan were like gusts of freezing north wind. Yet, in that urgent situation, Emperor Jingwu did not choose to confront force with force or forcefully force the refugees to accept sweet potatoes as relief food. Instead, she used a soft approach, like a feather deflecting a thousand pounds, letting the people willingly try the sweet potatoes and ultimately dispelling their fears. Winning the people's hearts with sincerity—faced with such an Emperor Jingwu, Qi Wenyuan's schemes were doomed to fail!"
Below the Sky Canopy, the common folk in Guanzhong, hearing Liu Sanqi's introduction, couldn't help but curse Qi Wenyuan loudly. They didn't know who Qi Wenyuan was, but they understood that an official who would spread rumors about a life-saving food like sweet potatoes during a famine could not be a good person.
In the palace, the banquet scene was somewhat chaotic. Lu Shaoheng, the prime minister from a humble background, though nearly sixty, had punched Qi Wenyuan, his contemporary, to the ground. He was on top of him, throwing punch after punch, making Qi Wenyuan cry out in pain. Few in the court still remembered that Lu Shaoheng's first official post was in an obscure county in Guanzhong. He spent his first seven years as an official there. He still vividly remembered the simplicity and kindness of the people there. Every now and then, he would find fresh vegetables and fruits, still covered with morning dew, outside his door, sometimes even pork or live fish. At his home in the capital, he still kept an umbrella given to him by the people when he left Guanzhong. So, when he heard that Guanzhong had suffered a disaster, his heart clenched. When he heard that someone had deliberately spread rumors about sweet potatoes, his anger soared. And when he learned that Qi Wenyuan was the mastermind behind the obstruction of relief, he had intended to restrain his anger and let Emperor Jingming handle it. But the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Finally, unable to contain himself, he decided not to endure anymore. With a 'bang,' he punched Qi Wenyuan to the ground.
Seeing the two prime ministers brawling in front of all the civil and military officials left everyone dumbfounded. Emperor Jingming was initially startled by Lu Shaoheng's martial vigor, but recalling Liu Sanqi's earlier words about 'a shared world between Qi and Yin,' he felt that Lu Shaoheng had done well, doing what he himself wanted to do. Lu Shaoheng, having grown up in a farming family, was a practical man who still liked to work in the fields even after becoming an official. Naturally, he was more robust than Qi Wenyuan, who had always lived in comfort. Noticing that Lu Shaoheng was completely dominating the fight, Emperor Jingming didn't immediately order them to stop. Only after seeing that Qi Wenyuan seemed dazed from the beating did Emperor Jingming signal to Yuan Li, the chief eunuch.
Yuan Li immediately brought two young eunuchs to separate Lu Shaoheng and Qi Wenyuan. But as he passed by Qi Wenyuan, who was still on the ground trying to get up, Yuan Li deliberately stomped hard on his ankle. With a 'crack,' Qi Wenyuan screamed in pain. Yuan Li, usually affable to everyone, suddenly stomping on Qi Wenyuan seemed like kicking someone when they were down, but in reality, it was an act of vengeance. Although eunuchs were often called 'rootless men,' Yuan Li remembered that his hometown before entering the palace was in Guanzhong. Over the years, he never made this public, but whenever he met a young eunuch from Guanzhong, he couldn't help but offer some help. A young eunuch who witnessed the entire scene immediately spoke up: "Sorry, Chief Yuan, I accidentally stepped on Minister Qi's ankle." Yuan Li glanced at him and said gently, "Be more careful next time, and don't offend the important ones." "Yes, I understand!" Another young eunuch, seeing his companion gain favor with Yuan Li, felt a pang of regret for missing a good opportunity.
Although it was Qi Wenyuan who had been beaten, Yuan Li was all concern for Lu Shaoheng, asking if he felt unwell anywhere. Qi Wenyuan finally struggled to his feet, and seeing Yuan Li fussing over Lu Shaoheng, he couldn't help but mutter 'dead eunuch dog' under his breath.
On the Sky Canopy, Liu Sanqi was now introducing Qi Wenyuan's rise to power in history: "When we review the rise of the powerful minister Qi Wenyuan, we must mention Lu Shaoheng, the prime minister from a humble background. After all, before Lu Shaoheng died due to his involvement in Yin Wen's rebellion, he was far more influential in the court than Qi Wenyuan. After Lu Shaoheng's death, Qi Wenyuan seized the rare power vacuum to increase his own influence in the court. However, at that time, he was nowhere near the later stage where he could cover the sky with one hand and no one in the court dared to oppose him. The reason he was able to expand his power to the point where people called him 'Qi Half-Court' was thanks to our controversial Emperor Jingli, Yin Rui!"
Below the Sky Canopy, in the Imperial Prison, whether by Emperor Jingming's design or not, Yin Rui and Yin Wen were now imprisoned in adjacent cells. They had always regarded each other as thorns in their sides, and now that they were both in prison, their relationship had worsened, with daily quarrels. Hearing Liu Sanqi mention Yin Rui, Yin Wen immediately laughed gloatingly and taunted Yin Rui, "Emperor Jingli, did you hear that? You've committed another great crime!" Yin Rui's face turned livid with anger at Yin Wen's sarcastic laughter, but he could do nothing about it. A wooden board had been deliberately added between their cells to prevent them from grabbing each other's hair and fighting like before.
Their quarrel did not affect Liu Sanqi's broadcast. She continued clearly, "It was during Yin Rui's nearly seven-year reign that Qi Wenyuan built a tightly knit network of interests centered on himself, using intertwined benefits as blood vessels. This vast network covered administrative, military, and other fields, from the six ministries and nine ministers down to local petty officials, all colluding with and obeying the powerful minister Qi Wenyuan. If the Najie Tribe had not marched south and if the Great Jing Dynasty's ruler had remained the incompetent Yin Rui, Qi Wenyuan might have died a natural death. But fortunately, Heaven blessed the people of Great Jing. Ultimately, Emperor Jingwu came to the capital to defend the throne, drove away the Najie Army, and seized the opportunity to ascend the throne. From the moment Emperor Jingwu ascended the throne, she and Qi Wenyuan could never reconcile. Even before her ascension, Emperor Jingwu was already extremely dissatisfied with Qi Wenyuan and his gang of corrupt officials. According to historical records of the Great Jing Dynasty, in the fifth year of Emperor Jingli's reign, Emperor Jingwu evaluated the court situation at that time, saying: 'In the temple, rotten wood serves as officials; in the palace, beasts consume salaries. Wolf-hearted, dog-behaving creatures crowd the path; sycophantic, servile types run the government.' In Emperor Jingwu's view, Qi Wenyuan's vast network lived by sucking the blood and flesh of the people. As long as this huge tumor was not removed, the people could never be freed from the exploitation and oppression of corrupt officials. Qi Wenyuan and his ilk knew very well that with Emperor Jingwu's strong sense of justice, once she secured her position in the court, she would never let them off. So Qi Wenyuan decided to overthrow Emperor Jingwu before her wings were fully grown and install a puppet emperor who would obey him. After some screening, Emperor Jingwu's fourth brother, Yin Mu, caught his eye."
Below the Sky Canopy, Yin Mu was drinking his wine when he suddenly heard his name mentioned by Liu Sanqi. He was so startled that he choked, coughing violently. His fourth princess, Wu Zhiguang, who sat beside him, calmly handed him a handkerchief. "Cover your mouth properly. Don't cough over here." Yin Mu was speechless. For a moment, he couldn't tell which was more absurd: Qi Wenyuan or his wife. Was this the time to care about such trivial details? Qi Wenyuan intended to make him a puppet emperor! Yin Mu couldn't help but feel nervous. Did the historical him have water in his brain? He couldn't imagine how he could compete with a formidable figure like Emperor Jingwu for the throne. Just thinking about it gave him nightmares.