Li Chang'an felt that his mentality was getting worse and worse.

In the past, there was also respect for life and reverence for all things in the world.

Now he seems to have lost all of these things, and he is becoming more and more numb.

During the attack on the island nation, Tai'an City also suffered over a hundred casualties.

When these casualty figures were presented to him, he felt no emotion whatsoever.

It's as if these dead people are NPCs in a game.

This feeling of numbness made him somewhat panicked.

Li Chang'an feared that one day he would truly become a god, devoid of emotions and desires, and regard all people as mere ants.

The fish had just taken the bait but hadn't been caught, so he called on dozens of villagers to dig up the fishpond and drain the water.

They act as if it were their right to order these people to serve them.

This feeling frightened him somewhat.

It's normal not to catch fish, but hiring people to dig up the fishpond seems to be an insult to them.

They are human beings, not slaves, cattle, or commodities.

They were farming just fine, but because of one sentence, their work was delayed.

Li Chang'an felt that his behavior had gone too far.

It wasn't just Li Chang'an who felt it was excessive; the common people also felt it was excessive.

They felt uneasy about receiving ten taels of silver for simply helping to dig a fishpond.

They thought they had dug up a fishpond and would be given ten taels of silver.

The adults in front of them actually gave each of them ten taels of silver, which made them feel that the money in their hands was a bit too hot to handle.

Chen Shaoan's father looked at the silver in his hand, then at the fishpond that was being drained, and with his back hunched, he said, "Sir, you've given too much."

"Ten taels of silver will suffice."

Other people also took out their money, wanting to return it to Li Chang'an.

This person gave them too much; it frightened them.

They were afraid that this young master didn't know the price of hiring workers, and that once he did, he would think they were conspiring to cheat him out of money.

If they bring people back to retaliate, it won't be something they can handle.

Hearing Old Man Chen's words, Zhang Jiadi laughed: "Old man, just take it. The man in front of you is the richest man in the Ming Dynasty."

"He has so much money he doesn't know what to do with it, so you can just consider it helping him spend it."

Seeing that Zhang Jiadi spoke sincerely, Old Man Chen carefully put the money into his pocket, then knelt down and kowtowed.

"Thank you for the money, sir. We'll wait here. Just let us know if you need anything."

Ten taels of silver is the income of the previous two years. Having received so much money, it is only right to kowtow to the person.

The others followed Old Man Chen, kneeling down and standing aside, waiting for the water in the fishpond to be drained.

If you take someone's money, you should do good deeds for them.

The land can be plowed tomorrow, but if this money isn't earned, it will be gone tomorrow.

Li Chang'an sighed as he watched the farmers kowtow.

Zhang Jiadi looked at him and couldn't help but chuckle: "When other officials travel, they wish the common people would kowtow to them until their heads are broken, and the more humble they appear, the better."

“You’re the only one who’s different. When ordinary people kowtow to you, you’re still unhappy, as if you’ve been wronged.”

"I don't feel wronged at all; I just feel that these ordinary people are being wronged."

Li Chang'an sighed: "We were all born of parents, two arms and one head."

"Why should I be so humble?"

"I can understand that people are divided into different classes and have class distinctions."

"But no matter how lowly a person is, they should not be treated like an ant and trampled to death by others."

At this point, Li Chang'an gave a self-deprecating laugh.

“I may not have the right to complain, after all, I am now the biggest beneficiary of this class system and the highest class in this class system.”

"When I say these things, I always feel like I'm talking without understanding the pain."

Zhang Jiadi looked at him and shook his head: "Brother Li, this is not your fault alone."

"An era where everyone is equal is not as wonderful as you think."

“When I was in charge of the capital and Tai’an, I talked to Silly Girl about the topic of fairness.”

"I think there's a lot of truth in what that silly girl said."

"This world is inherently unfair, it's unfair from the moment we're born, and it can only be fair if there are no people in the world."

"If everyone is to be treated fairly, then that is the greatest injustice."

"Why should those who work hard enjoy the same treatment as those who do nothing?"

"We can't be fair, the only thing we can do is try to make the world a little fairer."

"Let class distinctions be less obvious, so that people at the bottom can also have their own choices."

"Even those in higher positions cannot arbitrarily oppress those at the bottom."

Li Chang'an looked at Zhang Jiadi with some surprise: "Brother Zhang, the way you're saying this doesn't sound like something a loyal and patriotic scholar would say."

"Haha, loving your country doesn't necessarily mean being loyal to the emperor, and being loyal to the emperor doesn't mean loving your country."

"This world does not belong to one family or one surname."

"Ten years of hard study were not for loyalty to the emperor on the dragon throne, but for loyalty to the millions of people under heaven."

"Reading for the people of the world, reading for the common people, is what scholars should do."

After saying these words, Li Chang'an remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "Brother Zhang, you're going to change the world."

Zhang Jiadi smiled lightly: "To establish a destiny for the world and to usher in an era of peace for all generations."

"After talking with the silly girl, I also feel that the throne passed down for thousands of years may not be the right one."

"The emperor should not be so high and mighty to the common people."

"Are kings, nobles, generals, and ministers born with a special destiny?"

"In this world, those who are capable should rise, and those who are not should step down."

"Sometimes I think, would it be better if you were the emperor?"

Li Chang'an looked calmly at the fishpond where the mud was exposed.

"Brother Zhang, in your opinion, which is more important in this world: the common people or the throne?"

"The people are the most important."

"wrong."

"Is the throne important?"

"That's not right either."

Zhang Jiadi looked at him, somewhat puzzled: "Then what is more important?"

"The absence of a throne is very important to the people of this world."

"If you dare to change the world, I'll go with you."

"But let me clean up this world first, then you can change it. This will be better for the world and for the people."

"Breaking this thousand-year cycle cannot be done overnight; it takes time. Don't rush it."

Li Chang'an looked at the people behind him and laughed: "I just hope that Brother Zhang, the dragon slayer, will not become the evil dragon himself."

"Don't let history repeat itself."