Chapter 223: The Infinite Gauntlet
It was July of the first year of Chongzhen's reign, in the Imperial City.
The young Chongzhen Emperor was immersed in reviewing the imperial memorials.
His trusted chief eunuch, Cao Huachun, leaned closer, whispering, "Your Majesty, after more than half a year of relentless purges, the Eunuch Faction has been utterly eradicated."
Cao Huachun had originally been a loyal retainer of Wang An, a eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial. He had watched the fifth imperial grandson, Zhu Youjian, grow into a man and earned his profound trust. But when Wei Zhongxian usurped authority, Wang An was executed, and Cao Huachun, as "Wang An's man," inevitably suffered the consequences, stripped of all rank and banished to Nanjing.
Upon Zhu Youjian’s ascension to the throne, he promptly recalled Cao Huachun, who had been his companion since boyhood.
Having personal grievances with the Eunuch Faction himself, Cao Huachun now delivered the news of their demise to the Chongzhen Emperor with visible delight, his eyebrows practically dancing with satisfaction.
"Excellent, truly well done," the Chongzhen Emperor declared, his voice ringing with renewed vigor. "With the Eunuch Faction's tyranny swept away, I can finally implement my policies without hindrance! Bring more memorials!"
The Chongzhen Emperor's spirits soared, as if taking flight.
Freed from the Eunuch Faction's stifling grip, he felt a renewed vigor for even the most mundane task of reviewing memorials. He could issue edicts as he saw fit, unburdened by any chief eunuch daring to obstruct his imperial will. Hahahaha!
"At every place I passed, hundreds of famine victims gathered in crowds, blocking roads and pleading for relief. Furthermore, in places like Yichuan and Luochuan within Yan'an Prefecture, and Hancheng and its subordinate areas near Xi'an, there are reports of groups forming, connecting with 'Hui-Luo' (referring to various bandit groups), raising banners, clashing gongs, and numbering in the hundreds. They plunder in broad daylight, the weak preyed upon by the strong. Indeed, it is hunger that forces them to desperation and recklessness. For them, enduring starvation unto death is far worse than plundering to merely cling to life.'"
The Chongzhen Emperor's face darkened. "This man is demanding funds again," he muttered.
Cao Huachun murmured, "Your Majesty, without dispatching some silver to Shaanxi, the situation there will become untenable."
The Chongzhen Emperor mused, "If I were to tighten my belt even further, perhaps I could still squeeze out a few coins?"
With these thoughts weighing on him, he turned the page to the next memorial.
"The Jizhen garrison, driven by hunger, mutinied for their overdue wages, burning and plundering gunpowder stores. Only after extensive intervention were they finally dispersed."
The Chongzhen Emperor's mood plummeted, as if he'd just been cast from a great height.
A furious curse nearly burst from his lips, but as an emperor, he maintained his dignified composure, forcefully swallowing the expletive.
Shaanxi demands money, and now Jizhen clamors for its arrears?
Where am I supposed to conjure such vast sums for them?
The Chongzhen Emperor ceased his deliberations. He flung Li Yingqi's memorial to the side, declaring silently, "Out of sight, out of mind. I shall continue to see absolutely nothing."
Bright and early, Li Daoxuan received a delivery.
His custom-ordered Infinite Gauntlet had finally arrived. Crafted with an alloy shell, painted a brilliant gold, and studded with several "Infinity Stones," it transformed his somewhat slender hand into something radiating an astounding 32,000% increase in pure dominance.
He couldn't resist slipping on the gauntlet, striking Thanos's iconic pose from the movie, and snapping his fingers with a dramatic flourish.
"Poof," he muttered, "half of humanity, gone."
"Ding-dong!"
The doorbell chimed, sending a jolt through Li Daoxuan. Forgetting the gauntlet still on his hand, he hurried to open the door. A young delivery driver stood outside, whistling a tune as he awaited a recipient for his package.
But to his surprise, when the door swung open, the first thing that appeared was the formidable hand of Thanos.
The delivery driver froze, a chill running through him, and instinctively leapt back over six feet. Only when he saw the face of an ordinary young man peek out from behind the imposing gauntlet did he finally exhale. "Boss," he gasped, "that gauntlet almost gave me a heart attack!"
Li Daoxuan chuckled apologetically. "Ah, my bad, my bad. I was just messing around."
The delivery driver handed him a colossal box. "Please sign here," he prompted.
Li Daoxuan tore open the box to find a 1:200 scale model of his alma mater, Thirty-Two Middle School. Ah, so Cai Xinzhi's assistant had finally completed the custom model of his old school.
After signing and offering a "thanks for your trouble" to the driver, he carried the school model back to the Diorama Box.
He gazed intently at the miniature school, a flood of memories from his grueling college entrance exam days immediately rushing back. A perverse urge to set it ablaze flickered within him, even as a deeper gratitude acknowledged the countless lessons it had imparted. The knowledge was there, yes, but so was the desire to watch it burn.
Learning, he mused, was truly a love-hate affair!
He then glanced into the Diorama Box. It was early morning, and the small School Well was utterly packed with children. Many more had spilled out, overflowing into an adjacent courtyard, and even crowding several external pathways...
Yet, despite this burgeoning attendance, the space remained woefully insufficient.
Mr. Wang was sweating profusely, struggling to manage the ever-growing throng of students. Another seven or eight teachers, recently "persuaded" by Tan Liwen, were also bustling through the School Well and passages, helping to guide and greet the children.
Zhao Sheng, known to some as Dian Dengzi, was also among them. This scholar had long since abandoned his aspirations of "passing the imperial examinations." With no other outlet for his extensive knowledge, he had chosen to become a teacher, dedicating himself to imparting wisdom to the children.
Li Daoxuan smiled. "Yiye," he instructed, "go to the School Well and inform everyone. I am preparing a proper school for them. From now on, the School Well will relocate from the main fortress and occupy this new establishment."
Gao Yiye swiftly went to deliver the news.
Immediately, all the teachers and students from the School Well followed Gao Yiye out of the main fortress, gathering in the open space outside, where they gazed up at the sky with expressions of bewildered anticipation.
Li Daoxuan had already selected the perfect spot: just beyond the bamboo grove, southwest of the main fortress. It was a rocky patch, unsuitable for cultivation, so it would serve admirably as a school. A school nestled beside a bamboo grove, he mused, would possess a rather poetic ambiance.
He was about to remove the Infinite Gauntlet and use a metal scraper to "level the ground," when a sudden thought struck him: Before, when he reached into the Diorama Box, no one could perceive his hand. But now, if he extended his hand while wearing the Infinite Gauntlet, would they see it?
He might as well test it!
Besides, trying it out in Gao Family Village wouldn't frighten anyone.
His right hand, adorned with the Infinite Gauntlet, reached into the Diorama Box...
Mr. Wang, Dian Dengzi Zhao Sheng, the new teachers, and a crowd of children were all gazing upwards. Suddenly, from amidst a low-hanging cloud, a colossal, glittering golden hand emerged.
"Wow! A golden-armored divine being!"
"A golden-armored warrior!"
"No, it's not just a golden-armored warrior," exclaimed one of the children, "that's the Heavenly Lord's hand!"
"Look closely," another child pointed, "there are colorful gems on its hand, glistening with every hue! That's precisely the Heavenly Lord's style; no other deity would be so flamboyant!"
Li Daoxuan: "..."
Well, they could indeed see the gauntlet, but his reputation had once again suffered a blow.
Never mind, let it be damaged. To call such a magnificent gauntlet "flamboyant" truly irked him to no end.
Li Daoxuan then brought his colossal hand down with a decisive slam onto the rocky patch...
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