Immediately, he gave a wry smile instinctively, only then realizing how muddleheaded he had been. These days, he had been thinking about the southwest issue day and night without rest. He was an emperor with an extremely strong sense of responsibility, and precisely because of the years of rebellion in the southwest, his heart was even more anxious. Unexpectedly, because he had been brooding over it day and night, in a moment of desperation, he had actually pinned his hopes on a group of young men.

Thinking of this, Emperor Washington gave a self-deprecating smile, knowing he had gone too far, and thus no longer held out much hope.

Emperor Washington then said, “After reading so many essays, you all must be tired. You may take your leave.”

Edward Clark and the others promptly stood up and saluted. They had long since lost interest in the essays written by these meritorious sons. In their view, many of them were not even as good as child students; reading such dull and tasteless essays was truly a painful ordeal. So, they quietly withdrew from the warm chamber.

Emperor Washington was also somewhat weary. He waved his hand, intending to push aside the last essay and have the eunuchs tidy up. But as his gaze swept over it, suddenly, a line of words caught his eye—Reform the Tusi system and implement direct administration!

This phrase was something he had never heard or seen before. It immediately piqued his interest, so he slowly picked up the essay, his eyes narrowing slightly. As his bloodshot eyes scanned the page, he saw that the essay was divided into three strategies: “using barbarians to control barbarians,” “enfeoffment,” and “reform the Tusi system and implement direct administration.”

The enfeoffment policy was the easiest to understand. The problem in the southwest was that the natives refused to assimilate, so the court established loose-control prefectures and enfeoffed many hereditary Tusi chieftains in the southwest. These hereditary Tusi, often ruling over remote mountains far from the emperor’s reach, naturally became local despots. Many rebellions were either caused by the Tusi’s excessive oppression or led by the Tusi themselves.

If the enfeoffment method was used, it could indeed weaken the power of these hereditary Tusi, making them less likely to act rashly.

As for “using barbarians to control barbarians,” this was not new. As early as the reign of Emperor Yingzong, the concept had already existed. The court gathered the Zhuang and Tujia people from western Hunan and transferred them to Guangxi, ordering them to suppress the local native rebellions. The so-called reward was the land and grain of the rebellious tribes. Therefore, these people were called “wolf soldiers.” In order to obtain land and grain, the wolf soldiers naturally fought bravely. Moreover, since they were not local natives, even if they obtained land and could farm, they still had to guard against other natives. Thus, most of them were extremely loyal to the court, knowing that only by uniting with the local officials and soldiers could they ensure their own survival.

But this “reform the Tusi system and implement direct administration”...

So many essays had discussed how to suppress the rebellion, how to deploy troops, how to pacify, yet none had hit the crux of the matter.

But this essay, with just the four words “reform the Tusi system and implement direct administration,” seemed to instantly enlighten Emperor Washington. He excitedly slapped the table: “Wonderful, wonderful, haha...”

This essay was submitted anonymously. Emperor Washington, in high spirits, tore off the anonymous cover, and a name appeared before his eyes—Charles Foster...

This name was somewhat familiar... This person seemed to be... seemed to be...

Suddenly, Emperor Washington’s expression became a bit unnatural. He set the essay aside and regained his composure: “Pour tea.”

Outside, a young eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial was already waiting. Hearing the call, he tiptoed in, bowed, and served a steaming cup of tea.

This was the very eunuch who had previously tied up Charles Foster. Don’t be fooled by his swagger and bullying outside the palace; in front of Emperor Washington, he was like a castrated quail.

The young eunuch bowed deeply and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, please have some tea.”

Emperor Washington nodded, took the teacup, and sipped lightly. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw George Washington still kneeling to the side, but now his mind was entirely on those four words, “reform the Tusi system and implement direct administration.” So he asked curiously, “Charles Foster... have you heard of this person?”

This young eunuch had always served Emperor Washington. In recent days, he had already heard Charles Foster mentioned three times by His Majesty. The first time was when this fellow actually sold his ancestral land, which infuriated Emperor Washington; the second time was related to the imperial review, when Emperor Washington seemed to feel some pity for Lord of South Harmony, and after much thought, since Lord of South Harmony couldn’t discipline his son, he decided to have The Foster Family’s unfilial son forcibly participate in the review, and after it was over, to throw this rascal into some corner of the imperial guards to be disciplined by a tough officer. The first two times left a bad impression, and now, for some reason, he was brought up again.

But thinking about it, His Majesty must deeply detest this person...

This young eunuch, named James Clark, had long hated Charles Foster, but being extremely cautious, he would never rashly speak ill of Lord of South Harmony and his son. Only when the opportunity was right would he subtly add fuel to the fire.

And now... the opportunity had come.

The young eunuch quickly said, “Your Majesty, have you forgotten? This is the prodigal who sold his ancestral property. Even outside the palace, I’ve heard much gossip about him. They all say he is ignorant and incompetent, spends his days in debauchery, and even... I’ve heard he slanders the sovereign. This person is extremely arrogant, respects no one, and often says that even if... even if the Heavenly King himself stood before him, he would...” At this point, James Clark wisely did not continue.

This remark was extremely malicious. Who is the Heavenly King, if not the emperor? For Charles Foster to talk about the Heavenly King, he’s practically rebelling!