"Actually, this topic doesn't need much discussion."
The great scholar Ji Bu spoke first. What he exuded was not a sense of righteousness, but an air of scholarliness that could not be ignored.
"When one side is in trouble, all sides come to its aid. The people of Dagan are kind-hearted and will naturally lend a helping hand."
"It's a principle that applies to anyone, from a three-year-old child to a centenarian. If they had money, they would donate it. Saving lives is truly commendable. But how can a little kid like you make donations from the people a form of harming the victims?"
After Ji Bu finished speaking, he looked at Lin Che, sighed deeply, and shook his head.
It is believed that Lin Che's thinking is no longer at the level of rotten wood that cannot be carved, but has reached the point of moral degradation and loss of humanity.
All the ministers were paying attention, and the empress was also staring closely.
In such a situation, any other minister would have been so frightened that he would have broken out in a sweat and fallen to his knees.
But Lin Che stood there proudly, without a trace of fear.
He also bowed to the great scholar and said loudly:
"My dear scholar, before I answer your question, I must first make a correction. I am saying that the ministers' secret donations are harming the victims. I am not saying that the people are harming the victims. That is different."
Ji Bu smiled and said, "What's the difference? The court officials donated, the guards donated, and the merchants also donated. Could it be that the court officials are harming the victims?"
"Of course it's different. You are all ministers in the court. Take the Duke of Zhenguo, for example. He commands a hundred thousand troops, yet he dared to break my legs over a single disagreement. Would other common people dare to do that?"
"presumptuous!"
Lin Pojun was already filled with rage. Judging from the situation, this rebellious son was going to bring shame to their Zhenguo Mansion again.
If I had known this earlier that day, I would have broken this rebellious son's legs and he would not have behaved so disobediently today.
"You've accused all the officials of such a serious crime, and yet I still have to listen to your sophistry. What do you think this place is?"
"Hey——" Jiang Li suddenly spoke, and it seemed that she was slightly interested.
"Since you want to argue, then speak politely. Here today, there is no ruler or subject, no father or son. Whoever has the greater truth will win over the crowd."
"Marquis Jing'an—please continue."
Lin Che bowed, then raised her voice and said loudly:
"I know you donated. I donated too. But I did it openly, and the whole city knew about it, while you kept a low profile, afraid others would find out. In the words of the Duke of Zhenguo, I was just seeking fame and attention. But you ministers donated sincerely without seeking fame or fortune."
"And I say, by remaining silent like this, you are harming the victims!"
"Why keep the donation secret? Why can't you let others know?"
Ji Bu shook his head slightly and explained patiently, "Donating money is a good deed. It comes from the heart. If everyone makes a big show of donating, then they don't really want to do good deeds. They just want outsiders to know what they have done, to flatter themselves and win praise from others—"
"People, when it comes to things like this, still want to embody fame and fortune. They even deliberately use donations to gain a good reputation. This goes against the original purpose of the donation."
"My fellow officials, since you want to help the victims, but you don't want to use this as a pretext to create momentum and draw criticism from others, how can you harm others by secretly donating, just doing your duty and acting out of your heart?"
Lin Che clapped his hands. Today, he was going to have a good talk with this group of court officials.
As for this idea, if it was applied to the post-90s generation before he traveled through time, it might barely work, but if it was applied to the post-00s generation, it would not work at all.
No one will listen to a fool like you.
Moreover, Lin Che was very confident because he knew that even Confucius supported him.
"Everyone, I know what you are thinking. But now, please listen to me tell you a little story!"
"In this story, there was a country called Lu... Lu was defeated in war, and countless civilians were captured by various enemy nations. These people were reduced to the lowest level of slavery in the enemy countries. Living a life that was not human, they longed to return to Lu day and night."
"And the Emperor of Lu is wise and wise. Although he cannot send troops to rescue people, he has issued an imperial decree. Anyone who redeems a slave from the enemy country and brings back a Lu citizen will be rewarded with 100 taels of silver."
"Once this imperial decree was issued, many people in Lu who returned from the enemy country would try their best to redeem one or two slaves. After all, purchasing a slave only cost twenty taels. For a time, many people in Lu were able to return home, return to their roots, and reunite with their families."
"Great scholar, tell me, is this a good thing?"
Ji Bu stroked his beard and nodded, saying, "Lu is weak, not as powerful as me. They came up with this idea, which is a good strategy. This is also a case of one side in trouble and all sides coming to help."
"Okay. In the story I'm telling, one day, a great scholar returned from an enemy country, bringing back hundreds of slaves. Furthermore, after bringing them back to Lu, the scholar said that saving lives was his duty, and that he did it out of his heart, not out of any need for the reward. He flatly refused the reward!"
"This great student also had a teacher. He was a highly respected and wise man, admired by all. But this teacher severely reprimanded the student, saying he shouldn't have refused the reward."
"Great scholar, why do you think this teacher scolded him?"
Ji Bu's face suddenly showed a puzzled look, as if he was lost in thought.
Lin Pojun, standing beside him, angrily scolded, "What on earth are you talking about? His Majesty is giving you a chance to explain yourself, not to tell a story. I think you've lost your mind!"
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