First-Class Daoist Gate.

Summary

In a tense conversation, Empress Xiao and Zhang Bai Ren discuss the urgent need to open the canals to avert disaster for the Great Sui, emphasizing the risks of delaying the Imperial Examination System. Yang Guang, the emperor, seeks to use the canal crisis to undermine the aristocracy, revealing his strategic mindset. Zhang Bai Ren, impressed by Yang Guang's schemes, suggests winning over the Confucians to strengthen the emperor's position. The dialogue reveals political maneuvering, ambitions, and the complexities of power dynamics within the court, highlighting the intertwining of personal and political motives in a time of crisis.

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