"General! Can you really take my son to war? That's wonderful..."

After the court assembly, Liu Yu, accompanied by Liu He, visited Zhao Hao late at night.

"That's for sure, but your physique isn't up to the task. Here's what we'll do: go find General Yuwen Chengdu and train hard before the campaign. I'll definitely help you achieve merit!"

"Hey, thank you for your kind words, Lord Qin! Father, I'll go now..."

"Get out, you disgraceful thing."

After sending Liu He away, Liu Yu glared at Zhao Hao with annoyance.

Originally, he thought Zhao Hao was using his son as a hostage.

Unexpectedly, it was when Zhao Hao was auditing Cai Yong's class to Liu Xie that Liu He happened to be there as well.

The Duke of Qin's reputation and achievements were Liu He's idol, so they struck up a conversation, which led to what Zhao Hao said in court.

Liu Yu was on the verge of tears. He only had this one son, and to make matters worse, it was his own son. He had personally begged Zhao Hao to take him to the battlefield.

Now, he can only swallow his pride and beg Zhao Hao not to abandon his son.

"Lord Qin, we've known each other for quite some time now, so I'll speak frankly."

Zhao Hao waved his hand, and the guards around him understood and slowly retreated.

"We've known each other for several years, so we should definitely say whatever comes to mind."

My actions this time were not intended to threaten you. But you should understand the actions of Zhong Ji and Wu Fu; if I didn't take your son away, wouldn't they use him to force you to take sides?

With your help, I can venture deep into the desert, wipe out the barbarians, and save millions of lives in the northern frontier.

I will always remember this kindness. So you can rest assured, I will not harm your son.

Liu Yu coughed lightly twice. Hearing Zhao Hao say this, he realized that he had been judging Zhao Hao by his own petty standards.

Seeing the sincerity in Zhao Hao's eyes and the earnestness in his words, Liu Yu sighed.

"Xiao Zhao... It's not that Uncle Liu doesn't trust you, but when you're in our position, you have to be wary of everything."

"Yes, I understand."

"So... what exactly are you planning to do? Are you really going to settle scores later and deal with those people one by one?"

Zhao Hao paused for a moment, then didn't answer, but quietly poured himself and Liu Yu a full cup of tea.

Liu Yu was puzzled, but seeing that Zhao Hao had finished all the tea, he had no choice but to drink the hot tea as well.

"...Don't you know that if you handle it carefully, the tea will be easier to drink?"

The tea was so hot that Liu Yu almost coughed up.

Zhao Hao ignored him, and just smiled as he poured another cup. Liu Yu couldn't drink something so hot, but he could.

"What do you mean? You're going to drink tea that's scalding hot?"

Liu Yu seemed to be thinking about something, and immediately asked Zhao Hao what he meant.

"No, no, Uncle Liu, hot water and hot tea are good for your health. You should remember that in the future."

Liu Yu's lips twitched, but after carefully considering Zhao Hao's words and studying his actions, he finally grasped that clue that pointed directly to the truth.

"You mean... it would be better if all these people jumped out and you drank it all in one go?"

However, these people are all loyal to the emperor; they cannot be touched without authorization, otherwise…”

Zhao Hao waved his hand, seeing that Liu Yu had guessed pretty much everything, and then spoke frankly.

"Uncle Liu, does showing loyalty make one a pillar of the nation?"

How many of these people, who appear loyal on the surface, are actually truly pure?

If they had known that now is the time to nurture the people, they would not have urged me to personally lead an expedition against the two provinces of Yan and Yu.

Once war breaks out, how many civilians will be exploited without cause? Have you ever thought about that?

Were they truly acting for the sake of imperial power? I don't think so. Just look at how many displaced people these families have hidden in Henan Yin and Hanoi County, and how much land they've seized—do you even know that?

Liu Yu was taken aback. How would he know about these things?

But Zhao Hao's mouth wouldn't stop there. "Take the Wu family and the Wang family for example. The shops they set up in Henan Yin, Hongnong County, and Hedong County monopolized... they controlled all the fabric, fruit, and spice resources in the vicinity, you know?"

Liu Yu shook his head. Although he had heard about these things, he had never actually verified them.

"Yes, you were born to be a king or nobleman. The only difference between you and them is that you have a little more conscience."

Uncle Liu, I, Zhao, am shameless enough to say something.

Looking at history books, the rise and fall of dynasties is all predetermined.

Whether it's the Xia, Zhou, Qin, or Han dynasties, it's very difficult for any dynasty to last more than three hundred years.

Liu Yu was taken aback. Qin... too?

Oh, after six generations of accumulated merit, if you do the math, it's barely close to three hundred.

"Uncle Liu, have you ever thought about why dynasties throughout history have been unable to escape the constraints of the past three hundred years?"

Liu Yu paused for a moment and began to ponder deeply.

"Foreign invasions, constant internal strife, natural disasters and man-made calamities, and so on?"

Given Liu Yu's limited perspective, it's already quite remarkable that he could see all this.

However, these are merely superficial phenomena, not the underlying logic of dynastic collapse.

"Uncle Liu, you're describing a phenomenon, not a cause."

"I'm all ears for your insights."

Liu Yu got excited too. He didn't believe that Zhao Hao had really found the real reason for the dynasty's collapse and wanted to see what kind of logic Zhao Hao could come up with.

"Simply put, the collapse of dynasties is due to only a few reasons."

Aristocratic families, commoners, and leaders.

"oh..?"

"The calamities caused by powerful families far surpass those of others. Whether it is the Yellow Turban Rebellion or the Chen Sheng and Wu Guang uprising, it is all because the laws and regulations of the court have not kept pace with the times, and the administration and rewards and punishments are unclear."

The influence of powerful families is evident in all of this. Because all they see is their own self-interest, they have no idea how to protect a country or make it strong.

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