Chapter 18 Believing in Her Jiang’s half-dance captivated the world, the Northern King suspected it was the moon…

Chapter 18: Believe in Her

At this moment, Huan Jun's eyes shone with an astonishing intensity, as if all his ambitions were about to surge forward, or like a drowning man grasping at his only lifeline.

He finally grasped the true reason Jiang Congyan had sought him out. If he were to speak of it, others would surely find it absurd—that he would believe a seventeen-year-old girl's claim that the Liang State was doomed to collapse and even seek her guidance for a solution.

Even he himself felt it was madness, yet his intuition told him to believe her! Believe that she had the power to prop up the crumbling empire!

Jiang Congyan had thought it would take some effort to convince Huan Jun, but to her surprise, he grasped the crux of the matter in just a few words.

The words she had just spoken were a summary of the reasons for the fall of the Liang State as studied by later historians. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight and the God's-eye view, it was easy to evaluate history with arrogance, pointing out its strengths and weaknesses and making various assumptions. But for those living in the era, it was not always possible to see the full picture of the times.

Jiang Congyan looked at him, her expression distant, as if she was seeing through him into the future several years from now:

"Why not turn your attention to Huainan, my lord?"

Huan Jun's eyes widened in shock.

Jiang Congyan continued, "Huainan can still be salvaged!"

Huan Jun's chest heaved violently, his expression turning to shock. She was suggesting that he completely abandon Chang'an and the northern territories of the Liang State.

Had it come to this?

"How should I manage it?" His lips quivered.

"Equalize land distribution and overhaul the system!" Jiang Congyan said to him, word by word, looking straight into his eyes.

Huan Jun's pupils contracted even more.

Since ancient times, reforms to the land system had always been a major undertaking. It was not just about the land but also about the survival interests of everyone. Those who dared to touch this "cake" since ancient times had never come to a good end.

Huan Jun's rigid posture suddenly slackened, and he slumped back onto his heels, his wide sleeves hanging at his sides. He smiled bitterly, "Princess, who do you think I am? A low-ranking official, insignificant as a mayfly. What ability do I have to move such a massive stone?"

Jiang Congyan remained calm, "If you want to do something that will harm the interests of all those in power, it will naturally fail. But if one day, by not doing it, some of those in power will cause even greater harm to the interests of others, then when you act, will they agree?"

Jiang Congyan was referring to the reforms Huan Jun had actually carried out in history. At that time, the court had moved south, and the northern aristocratic clans had migrated en masse to the south, where they clashed fiercely with the local clans over land, severely damaging the interests of the Huainan clans. Huan Jun had found the opportunity for reform in their conflicts. Unfortunately, he had entered the scene too late, missing the best timing. By the time he initiated the reforms, the northern clans had already firmly established themselves and began to obstruct him again. On his own, he was no match for the combined might of the court's aristocratic clans, and he was left struggling in the cracks of a declining Southern Liang.

If Huan Jun could now focus on Huainan early, rallying the southern clans, and if Chang'an were to fall five years later, could he seize this fleeting opportunity to succeed in his reforms? Or would he fail even more thoroughly amidst the sharp conflicts?

It was a high-stakes gamble, and Jiang Congyan did not know if the Liang State would be so fortunate. She only wanted to use her slight foresight to try to salvage the crumbling situation.

Yet now, Huan Jun understood what he was feeling at the moment. He gazed at her, dumbfounded.

In an age of unchecked opulence, even the attire of noblewomen was particularly elaborate and dazzling. But today, Jiang Congyan had gone out in her usual simplicity—a moon-white blouse paired with a light green skirt, a jade-pink silk shawl draped over her shoulders, with little ornamentation. If not for her extraordinary demeanor and flawless, snow-like skin, one might have mistaken her for a girl from an ordinary family.

Her light-colored dress accentuated her youthful beauty, but beneath this seemingly carefree exterior, Huan Jun distinctly sensed an aura of power that was almost too intense to face.

This was the kind of commanding aura that could only be cultivated after many years, yet it now appeared on a girl of merely seventeen.

He suddenly remembered the ballad circulating in Chang'an—

"Jiang's daughter dances, captivating the world; the Prince of Mobei wonders if she’s a moon goddess."

This ballad had emerged after news spread that the Prince of Mobei had chosen Jiang Congyan the day after her dance at the banquet. The people, ignorant of the truth, assumed that the Prince of Mobei had fallen in love with her at first sight due to her unparalleled beauty, and thus they composed songs praising her unparalleled beauty.

Yet now, Huan Jun understood that compared to her visible beauty, it was perhaps a rare, intrinsic quality she possessed that had truly led the Prince of Mobei to choose her!