Mi Qianhu could not hold it in anymore.
"Sichuan? How is that possible? How could you possibly gain a foothold in Sichuan?"
Zhu Cunji looked at him almost kindly.
"As long as you can give the common people a decent life, tell me, is there anywhere under Heaven you cannot go?"
He paused, then added casually,
"We even have considerable influence in Nanjing."
"Nanjing too?!"
Mi Qianhu's voice came out strangled.
"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."
Zhu Cunji seemed entertained by how the man's worldview shattered piece by piece.
"Since you look so shocked, I might as well finish the list. We have indirect influence over Pi Island, the Xuan-Da Command, the Mongolian grasslands, parts of the Fujian and Guangdong seas, and the Dengzhou Garrison."
Each place name struck like a hammer.
Mi Qianhu made a choking sound every time.
By the end of it, he realized something horrifying.
Aside from Northern Zhili and the Jiangnan core, nearly everything else was slipping beyond the court's effective grasp.
"No!" he barked. "This is impossible. Henan and Hubei are still overrun by bandits. You cannot even suppress the bandits. How could you orchestrate such a vast rebellion?"
Zhu Cunji smiled.
"As for the bandits, we are about to close the net."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Gaojia News reported it last night. Our forces are completing preparations to eliminate the last major bandit leader, the Eight Great Kings. There should be follow-up coverage today. Would you like to watch? I will personally take you to see the Divine Mirror."
Mi Qianhu's jaw tightened.
"You dare show me such secrets? As long as I live, I will deliver every word back to the capital."
"Secrets?" Zhu Cunji snorted. "If it's broadcast on Gaojia News, how can it be secret? Everyone in Dao Xuan Tianzun's Liberated Zone can see it. You are in this zone now, so naturally you may watch."
He smiled lazily.
"Stay a few days. If after that you still want to report back, then I will truly respect you as a man."
He raised a hand.
"Where is my car?"
The polished Kulinan rolled forward like a gleaming beast.
Zhu Cunji hopped in with the ease of habit.
"Bring these capital bumpkins. We're going to watch Gaojia News."
Capital bumpkins.
The words nearly made Mi Qianhu faint with fury.
They were men of the capital. They had always called outsiders bumpkins. To be labeled that by someone from Shaanxi felt like an insult carved into bone.
The convoy moved through Xi'an's streets toward Cai City Plaza.
Dusk was falling.
Across the city, people gathered as if for ritual.
Then, from somewhere unseen, a countdown began.
"Ten… nine… eight… seven…"
More voices joined.
"Six… five… four… three…"
"Two… one…"
"Lights on!"
In an instant, the entire city blazed into life.
Streetlamps flared. Windows glowed. Colorful electric lights shimmered across every alley and rooftop.
Xi'an became a sea of light.
Mi Qianhu and his men cried out involuntarily.
"What sorcery is this?!"
Zhu Cunji laughed.
"See? Country bumpkins are endlessly entertaining."
Mi Qianhu demanded, "What are these lights?"
No one bothered answering.
They arrived at Cai City Plaza just as the evening crowd thickened.
Zhu Cunji ascended to his private viewing platform on the second floor. His consort was already there, graceful and composed.
She glanced at the bound captives.
"What curious people have you brought this time? You always enjoy watching the news with strange company."
"It makes things lively," Zhu Cunji replied. "These capital bumpkins have never seen the world. I enjoy their expressions."
She shook her head with indulgent amusement.
Mi Qianhu, convinced he was already doomed, lost all restraint.
"You are the one who has not seen the world. Your whole family has not seen the world. Pigs trapped in Xi'an. What have you seen beyond your own city?"
A few years ago, those words would have crushed Zhu Cunji.
Now he merely smiled.
"I have seen the vast, mist-covered sea."
Mi Qianhu fell silent.
At that moment, the enormous Divine Mirror lit up.
As always, the first figure to appear was Chen Yuanyuan.
Today she wore light summer attire and held a delicate silken fan. She waved it gently and smiled.
"Flat Rabbit Brand Silken Fan. I simply cannot put it down."
The image shifted.
Flat Rabbit himself appeared.
"Flat Rabbit Brand, specializing in authentic Sichuan cuisine. All profits go to the poor. If even one coin enters this Rabbit's own pocket, I will personally walk into the Huanglong Mountain labor reform camp and lock myself in."
Zheng Gouzi suddenly popped into frame.
"Rabbit Lord, you cannot go back to Huanglong Mountain. I just heard someone say no rabbit leaves Sichuan alive."
Flat Rabbit blinked. "Why?"
The screen shifted again.
A massive crowd of Sichuanese shouted in unison.
"Spicy rabbit heads!"
The plaza erupted.
"Hahaha!"
"Flat Rabbit is still Flat Rabbit!"
"Only his commercials are worth watching!"
Someone protested, "Wait, wasn't that supposed to be an advertisement for a fan? Why do I now want to eat spicy rabbit heads?"
Another argued, "It does not matter. If Flat Rabbit sells it, I buy it. Fan or rabbit head, I buy both."
Laughter rolled through the square.
Mi Qianhu stared upward, stunned.
"What kind of monstrous mirror is this? It is used… to sell goods?"
For ten full minutes, products from every corner of the realm appeared. Silk from the Anqing Yingjiang Sericulture Cooperative. Machinery. Tools. Food.
Mi Qianhu's mind spun.
Then the screen darkened.
When it lit up again, Gao Yiye appeared, elegant and composed, flanked by two young presenters she was clearly training.
She smiled.
"This is Gaojia News. We begin with international affairs."
Mi Qianhu blinked.
International?
Gao Yiye continued.
"Recently, the Shimabara Rebellion has erupted in Japan, also known as the Christian Rebellion. A man named Amakusa Shiro is leading believers in uprising. On the surface, this appears to be religious persecution. In truth, it is largely an uprising of impoverished peasants driven by hardship, using religion as justification."
The square was silent.
Mi Qianhu slowly turned to Zhu Cunji.
"You… report on foreign nations. Publicly."
Zhu Cunji leaned back comfortably.
"Of course. The world does not end at the Great Wall."
Mi Qianhu swallowed.
In the capital, most officials could barely describe conditions two provinces away.
Here, in open plaza, common people were listening to analysis of Japan.
And suddenly, for the first time that evening, he felt something unfamiliar creeping into his chest.
Not fear.
Not anger.
But doubt.