Tan Xiaopei asked, and Li Sishu, the chief eunuch who was waiting beside him, bowed and replied, "Another batch was delivered the day before yesterday and is still being proofread by Lord Situ Huang. Does Your Majesty want someone to fetch it?"

Tan Xiaopei frowned slightly and said, "I still want to read it, go and get it...and summon Huang Xuping to an audience."

Li Sishu bowed in agreement and turned to instruct his subordinates to do it.

To say that what Ye Tao was writing was a book was no longer accurate. Ye Tao didn't have the time or energy to write a book. Every night, he would take about an hour to discuss his views on some historical events with Feng Zi. Feng Zi, with his photographic memory, could always point out Ye Tao's errors in mastering historical materials and some biased viewpoints. Especially on some views that the two could not agree on, Feng Zi would mostly write based on Ye Tao's views, and supplement his own opinions in the form of annotations. Since there wasn't a large enough library in Thunder Cliff, the two would still try to verify the materials even if they had reached a consensus. When it came to history, the most authoritative person in the court was none other than Lord Situ Huang Xuping, who was well-versed in both ancient and modern times. In addition, he was also on good terms with Ye Tao, so Huang Xuping could always get the draft of each chapter as soon as possible for proofreading and revision.

Ye Tao only had viewpoints, and his mastery of historical materials relied on various not-so-profound books of this time and space, so naturally there were many vulnerable points. Although Feng Zi had a super memory that allowed him to remember everything he saw, he was limited by his experience and age, and because the historical materials he had read were limited, and he was not specialized in this area, it was inevitable that he would be biased. Huang Xuping, on the other hand, had a very deep foundation in historical materials and argumentation, and also had his own views on historical events. As the revised drafts went back and forth, he couldn't bear the itch in his heart and joined the discussion circle, raising his own opinions on the historical data collation, historical research methods, and various viewpoints in this strange historical book.

Because it was in the form of letters, the round-trip time was relatively long, and both sides had time to brew and reflect. Compared with the constantly improving manuscripts, the wonderfulness of these exchanges was not weak at all. Especially Huang Xuping was different from Ye Tao and Feng Zi. Ye Tao had only handled some government affairs at most, and Feng Zi had only shared some of Ye Tao's government affairs, but Huang Xuping, as the current Situ of Dongping, was still a very stable ironclad senior official who had not moved from this position for many years, and he had real experience and lessons in governing the country. Ye Tao's manuscript, which integrated the viewpoints of comparative history and macro history, also became more guiding due to the addition of Huang Xuping.

Ye Tao didn't know that after he and Huang Xuping had corresponded a few times on the issue of the manuscript, the exchange of letters became a very anticipated reading material for Tan Xiaopei. To the point that Tan Xiaopei even asked Huang Xuping to convey some of his own ideas in the letters to Ye Tao, wanting to get involved in this discussion. Naturally, he was worried that Ye Tao would be too quick to accept his own views because of his status as the lord of the country, but if he knew that Ye Tao didn't have any concerns in this regard at all, he would probably feel even worse.

In the drafts that have been initially finalized, the most core content is those ideas about the unified country that he once stated in the Council Chamber. Ye Tao first completed this part, naturally because his thinking on this part of the content was more in-depth... in fact, he had a richer collection of ideas in this regard that he could draw on. In addition, it was also because Ye Tao didn't figure out what the organizational form of this manuscript should be. After all, he was not a historian, knowing a little bit of the fur of comparative history and having read some books with "macro history" viewpoints, which could not allow him to master the methods of historical research. He and Feng Zi usually proposed a topic, then began to state, discuss, and enrich it, preparing to think about how to organize this book when there was enough content. Ye Tao couldn't help but mutter in his heart how the title of *Talking About Chinese History on the Hudson River* was also copied when plagiarizing the concept of macro history, but Talking About Middle Earth History on the Snowy Wolf Lake sounded more romantic.

After discussing the unified country, the core issue of the discussion turned to the historical research method itself. Ye Tao and Feng Zi, as well as Huang Xuping who joined later, began to seriously discuss the function and role of historical research, and discuss the problem of constantly recurring patterns in historical changes. Especially recently, the discussions have been about various patterns. There are patterns in the form of rule, patterns in the national institutions, and patterns in rebellion and the disintegration of the country. Connecting the recurrence of the same pattern time after time makes people feel shuddering. However, this method is indeed unprecedented, making Tan Xiaopei more and more expectant.

Huang Xuping came with the manuscript not long after. He also brought Ye Tao's reply to the opinions he had previously raised. As the content of the discussion became wider and wider, in fact, Ye Tao, Feng Zi, and Huang Xuping himself were all facing the problem of increasingly insufficient mastery of materials. The discussion on patterns seemed a bit empty, but the viewpoints were still very interesting.

Perhaps knowing that Tan Xiaopei would read these things carefully, Huang Xuping even had the official documents he needed to handle sent over. While Tan Xiaopei was quietly reading the new manuscript and letters, he sat in a corner of the imperial study, holding the official documents and approving them little by little.

After a long time, Tan Xiaopei cleared his throat and asked, "Lord Huang, what do you think?"

Huang Xuping smiled and asked back, "What do you think of what? As for the taboo content inside, Your Majesty is used to it now, right?"

Tan Xiaopei laughed loudly. The view in the manuscript that attributed part of the content of governing the country to the game between imperial power and other rights was indeed very taboo. But it pointed out the essence of ruling the country in one word. Ye Tao was able to have such insights, which seemed to go far beyond his origin as a craftsman and his identity in the ranks of technical bureaucrats. But this was exactly what Tan Xiaopei hoped for. He hoped that Ye Tao would be a Wang Zuo Zhi Chen (a capable assistant to the ruler) who could play a decisive role in Dongping's strength and unification.

Tan Xiaopei put down the documents in his hand and said, "If these things were to spread out, I'm afraid it would really cause an uproar. At least, on the Daoming Sect's assassination list, he would have to move up two places." Tan Xiaopei's joke was a bit cold, but it did point out Ye Tao's value. It was strange that the Daoming Sect's assassination list ranking really had an extremely accurate judgment on people's ability, influence, and potential. The assassination list, which was updated once a month, had become something that many people looked forward to.

Huang Xuping said with a chuckle, "If it weren't for Ye Tao, I'm afraid I would have to ask Your Majesty for a favor and summon him back to concentrate on completing this book. Even if it can't be published, the value of the manuscript is still there."

Tan Xiaopei nodded and said, "Now it seems that Feng Zi is also a real talent. This madman, abandoning such a good family background, insists on following Ye Tao as a subordinate, which is really interesting."

Huang Xuping said, "Your Majesty, are there few interesting people around Ye Tao? There are quite a few interesting people in the two teams around him now, one is a secretarial team and the other is a design team."

Tan Xiaopei sighed and said, "Look at the things that Ye Tao has been doing recently. Relying on the few rights and funds in his hands, he can actually do such complicated things. Starting from planning the Yunzhou Development Fund, he has been laying out various plans step by step. Although there are no lack of coincidences and the help of others, he is cautious step by step, and his imagination is unconstrained but he is not careless. This ability to bewitch people's hearts and take advantage of the situation is really commendable. The design he talked about, and the logos in Yunzhou, are really wonderful."

Huang Xuping said, "Your Majesty, if you look at everything Ye Tao has done before and after, there is actually a certain pattern. He understands the power of publicity, understands how to put himself in a lower position, always prepares to do things in advance, puts the cultivation of talents in an important position, and does not keep knowledge to himself... It's just that his status is higher, his circle of friends is wider, and he can use more methods, so naturally the effect is better. He looks for patterns in history, but he himself has patterns."

Tan Xiaopei nodded and said, "Patterns are not a bad thing. Especially as he has come all the way, the same pattern can be changed in thousands of ways, this is his strength. A Roads and Bridges Department... now it has probably become the most capable local department in the entire Dongping and even the entire Middle Earth, it's really too interesting."

After Tan Xiaopei paced back and forth in the imperial study for a few times, he said to Huang Xuping, "I want to transfer Ye Tao back. No matter how much the court criticizes him, with Us supporting him, I believe he will definitely be able to display his talents."

Huang Xuping bowed and said, "Your Majesty, on this matter, I humbly request Your Majesty to think twice. What can Ye Tao do if he is transferred back to the central government? What position is Your Majesty going to give him, and what is Your Majesty going to have him do? If the position is high, everyone will not be convinced, and the opportunities for arguing in the future will probably be more than the opportunities for him to do things. If the position is low, there will be many restrictions, and it will be even more difficult to display his talents. Ye Tao is a practical person, hasn't Your Majesty noticed when he has repeatedly had excellent performances?"

Looking at Huang Xuping teasingly whetting his appetite, Tan Xiaopei was not very angry. He laughed heartily and said, "Lord Huang, you're doing this again."

Huang Xuping no longer concealed it and said, "Your Majesty, give him a real power, give him some things to do, and he will have a goal. For him, it seems that completing these tasks is never difficult, so naturally there is a lot of free time to think wildly, and with power and ideas, he will naturally do some things that can be put into practice. Even if it's just to pass the boredom, he will do it. Doesn't Your Majesty think that it's more interesting to use Ye Tao in this way?"

Tan Xiaopei pondered for a while and felt that what Huang Xuping said was really somewhat reasonable. He touched his chin and said, "It is worth considering which position to place him in."

Huang Xuping added, "Your Majesty, it is a good idea to summon Ye Tao back. The manuscript is already a bit empty, and I am afraid that Ye Tao and Feng Zi are also feeling a bit difficult to continue. Your Majesty may wish to summon Ye Tao back and let him state his ideas directly. As for the manuscript, you may wish to find some reliable scholars, such as students from the Imperial College, to enrich and complete it together. As long as they can adhere to Ye Tao's ideas, the significance of this manuscript will be achieved... In addition, you can also have people help remove those taboo contents in the book, so as to avoid causing a pile of trouble for Ye Tao in the future. It is human nature for Your Majesty to love your daughter and take care of your son-in-law."

Tan Xiaopei thought this was a good idea and immediately wrote a letter by hand, summoning Ye Tao to an audience. From Danyang to Thunder Cliff, even if it was a flying eagle message, it would take at least two days, and it would take at least half a month before someone could return to Danyang, that was if Ye Tao was hurrying on his way. But the flying eagle returned to Danyang six days later, bringing a result that no one in Danyang had expected: Ye Tao was not in Thunder Cliff at all, and he was not even within the boundaries of Yunzhou.

Because the training of the Leiyin (Thunder Sound) Demon Sect was relatively smooth, in order to allow the Leiyin (Thunder Sound) Demon Sect to have a smooth start in the Western Ling territory, Ye Tao sent all the qualified students there. Because everyone lacked an understanding of religion, there were always various problems with communication and persuasion. The situation feedback from the Li family castle did not seem very optimistic. Ye Tao, as the trainer of these people, finally decided to go to Western Ling to see what the problem was. According to Ye Tao, this time he was going to personally lead the team for "internship".

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Merry Christmas, this chapter has more free words.
There are still three updates today. For the holiday, Ye Tao and the others also went out for an internship.
In response to everyone's request, let's go to actual combat, no more theory.