[Historical time travel + Wanli of the Ming Dynasty + Scientific cultivation of immortality + Emperor cultivation + Machiavellian reform + Demonic state teacher + Monarch and ministers cheating each other + Darkening to save the world + Cool article]
A modern little Taoist priest transforms into the Wanli emperor's evil spirit. In the beginning, the emperor takes a poison pill and is about to die, and the whole court forces him to take the blame.
In order to survive, Wei Fengqing could only package modern science into the secret technique of cultivating immortals.
He told Wanli:
Poison elixir is not poison, it is "fire poison that backfires on the dragon's body";
Criticizing memorials is not work, it is "refining the destiny of the country";
Investigating corrupt officials is not reform, it is "killing the country and prolonging its life";
Rectifying the mining tax is not about grabbing profits, but about "removing the territory and stabilizing the country";
Training troops and working in the fields is not a military reform, but "raising troops to suppress Liaodong";
Establishing sea trade is not about connecting with others, it is about "drawing wealth from all over the world into the Ming Dynasty".
As a result, a corrupt emperor who was not supposed to go to court for decades was tricked step by step by Wei Fengqing into becoming the most terrifying Emperor Juan in the Ming Dynasty.
But as the reform deepened, Wei Fengqing discovered that gentle persuasion could not save the Ming Dynasty at all.
So he took the initiative to bear the reputation of being a "monster who harmed the country" and did the dirty work for Wanli, taking the blame, killing corrupt officials, inspecting military pay, fighting Qingliu, suppressing eunuchs, and rectifying the border troops.
The whole court called him a demon.
But the treasury has money, the victims have food, the border troops have been paid, and Liaodong has been defended.
Many years later, when the historian wrote about Wei Fengqing, the tip of his pen trembled:
"This person deceives the emperor, disrupts the government, confuses the master, and brings harm to the country... But without such evil ways, the Ming Dynasty may be destroyed."
