After the Crown Prince, Qi Wuhuo sat with his eyes closed. The second person to come in was the fourth prince Li Hui, who was dressed in cloth.
Hui means sunlight, which can be seen from the name.
Now, the Human Emperor already had great ambitions before he even ascended the throne.
Calling himself the Great Sun.
The fourth prince Li Hui smiled and bowed, his temperament was elegant and gentle, and he said, "Hello, Mr. Qi."
The young Taoist said: "Please sit down..."
The young man with a gentle and simple temperament smiled and sat in front of the young Taoist priest. Although he was a royal noble, the clothes he wore were extremely simple and ordinary, just like what an ordinary scholar would wear. The only thing hanging around his waist was a jade pendant with a mountain pattern, which was quite expensive and was given by the former emperor.
The impression of the Fourth Prince flashed through Qi Wuhuo's mind -
Li Hui, the fourth son of the current emperor, is intelligent and decisive. At the young age of five, he could write Thousand Character Essay very fluently.
He is ordinary in martial arts practice and was originally a Taoist. However, because he was born into a royal family, he was influenced by the destiny of humanity. Unlike the Taoist path of pure egoism, he could not follow the Buddhist direction of abandoning the many causes and effects of this body, so he finally chose to study and learn literature. He has a gentle personality, is well-known for his virtue, and is on good terms with all the major families.
It was arranged by the old emperor as a buffer between the prince and the aristocratic families.
Extremely calm and clear.
He was aware of what the prince was doing, but was unable to stop it. He just sighed in his heart that he was born in a royal family. No one knew whether he had ever thought of competing for the position of crown prince.
However, there is a hidden spy assassin organization [Gakubunkai] under his command.
Assassination was used to remove some radical literati officials to ensure that public opinion in the court was under control.
He repeatedly sent some civil servants who were not under his command to the imperial prison on the pretext of the wording of their poems and articles.
The means of attacking political opponents are extremely cruel and cold.
However, he also vigorously promoted the imperial examination system and pushed forward official teaching with great efforts, requiring all children of appropriate age in every city to go to school. Even during the farming season, children were guaranteed to have half a decade of reading and learning to read. His policy was mainly to reduce taxes on farmers and to lighten corvée and levies.
If everyone can read and write and everyone is well-educated, there will be many talented people in the country and there is no need to worry about the country's strength.
As for the stance towards the demon clan, they are the peace advocates.
He advocated promoting [inter-trade], and would rather the human dynasty pay more [annual tribute] than start a war. He said, "The land of our human race is extremely rich, and the annual tribute paid will not hurt our dynasty. But if we start a war, there will be casualties among our human race, and the loss of logistics and food will be ten or even dozens of times the [annual tribute]."
"So why did the war start?"
When he was young, he had a very good relationship with the seventh prince Li Zhai.
Later, they split up due to their positions and stopped interacting with each other.
He is very good at calligraphy and painting.
At this moment, he was chatting with Qi Wuhuo, who seemed to be very interested in the Taoist practice. They talked about Buddhism and Taoism, and mentioned poetry, calligraphy and painting. He was insightful. Finally, he smiled and said, "I wonder where Mr. Qi was born and who was his teacher? I boast that I have met many famous masters and traveled to various places, but this is the first time I have seen someone with such a magnanimous temperament as you."
Qi Wuhuo replied: "He is just a Taoist in the mountains."
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, the Fourth Prince did not force him. He just smiled and said:
"We had a very pleasant conversation this time. If you have time to come to the capital, you can come and see me."
"You can go to the academy or the mansion."
"Just take this out and they'll know."
The fourth prince took out a jade plate with the word Hui written on it. He smiled slightly, bowed, and left.
"Hahahaha, this means it's finally my turn?"
"Fourth brother, you are really slow in speaking!"
Amidst the loud laughter, the Seventh Prince also pushed the door open and walked in. He was tall and clasped his fists before sitting down. He was still persistent in wanting to drag Qi Wuhuo to the long street outside to compete in boxing and weapons. Qi Wuhuo refused several times, which made him feel very regretful. He did not ask any questions during the chat.
Just talking about how beautiful the frontier scenery is.
The food at the border is really bad.
The topic of the beauty from the demon tribe came up again.
Laughing loudly, the ambition displayed by the Crown Prince was different from the Fourth Prince's silent attempt to win over the Crown Prince.
Like a fool with no brains.
I like beautiful women, good wine and good food.
He is an absolute advocate of war.
Cold and domineering, with a rough personality, he is secretly the leader of the contemporary military situation.
There are even demons among his troops.
Win over monsters from one race, and then attack the other races.
He herded horses for three thousand miles and, in the name of seeking a beauty, he knocked on the border of the demon tribe and seized it. He did not take the beauty away, but took away all the human craftsmen and books that were robbed, and built a Jingguan to intimidate the demons. When he was suppressing the border, the demon tribe could not break through his direction, but was pushed back a lot by him.
Like a nail driven into the ground.
Kill ten of my men, and I will kill twenty of yours.
If you harm one of my towns, I will burn ten of your cities!
My human race has a large population and we have the courage, so you can fight me to the death!
Let’s see who is defeated first, or you die first!
If I am defeated, there will be those who will come after me. As your ancestors died without any sacrifice, I will kill your demon, annihilate your clan, and dig up your roots!
I will also let the beauties in your clan dance and sing on your grave, and then I will fuck your mother in front of your grave.
The demon general was so angry that the three corpse gods jumped into a rage.
But he raised his glass and said with a smile, "Are you getting anxious after just a few words?"
They are more crazy than the demons and are worthy of being the bloodiest of the human race. They strive for victory and never ask for mercy. They leave no room for either the enemy or themselves. The killing is extremely heavy, and the victory is great, but the damage to the soldiers is also extremely heavy.
Different from the Fourth Prince's stance, he believed that although the [annual tribute] could preserve temporary peace, it would shatter the [blood] of the human race. If ten cities were given today and a hundred cities would be given tomorrow, the appetite of the demon race would only grow bigger and bigger, and they would look down on the human race more and more. The conflict could not be resolved, but only postponed, and there would be a war someday.
At that time, the demons used the weapons purchased with the annual tribute from the human race to kill and plunder the human people.
Why not leave war, death and killing to our generation, win in one go, break the enemy's spine, scare them away, then nothing will happen? The king is the king, the minister is the minister, the father is the father, the son is the son, and it is natural for children to be filial to their parents. So isn't it natural for a father to fight to the death for his son?
When the Fourth Prince was promoting trade and annual tribute.
The Seventh Prince issued the [Demon Slaying Order] at the border.
Anyone who kills a demon that was once an enemy of the human race, regardless of whether the attacker is from the human race or an alien race, can get ten gold coins for each head he kills.
In the end, he sold the prince's mansion in the imperial dynasty and piled up the gold and the emperor's money into a small hill at the border to reward the warriors.
To show that he would never return to the capital and would break off his friendship with his brother.
In the dream that Qi Wuhuo saw, he was the only man of great courage in the royal family. He had shared the joys and sorrows with the soldiers in the important border town for forty years. The crown prince was deposed, the new emperor was established, and the fourth prince was not tolerated by both the aristocratic families and the royal family, so he committed suicide to thank his old friends.
The Seventh Prince, who had severed ties with his Fourth Brother for thirty years, led an army of 13 soldiers and marched south in the name of "the Emperor is young and controlled by the aristocratic families" to "clear the court of evil officials". However, the demon clan took advantage of the opportunity to invade, and the prince changed direction in the favorable situation and rushed to the border to defend against the enemy. However, the new emperor, who followed the instructions of the retired emperor, led his army and attacked from behind, causing the army to fall into chaos.
The Seventh Prince still had a chance to fight back, but he eventually committed suicide in anger to avoid the brutal infighting among the human army.
In that battle, the human race lost a great general on the border, and the border territory that had been conquered for forty years was pushed back. Three hundred thousand border soldiers disarmed and returned to the fields, wearing mourning clothes. The whole country was in turmoil, and the new emperor followed the instructions left by the old emperor - if the seventh prince rebelled, there would be chaos on the border, and if he turned back, he would be killed. He appointed Qi Wuhuo, issued a general amnesty, and exempted taxes for three years to reassure the people of the country.
This is the way of checks and balances. As a ruler, you must pay close attention to checks and balances and control people.
When the young Taoist in the dream rushed to the scene, he saw the Seventh Prince's eyes wide open with anger. Although he was dead, his eyes still refused to close. His personal soldiers cried and said that this rare general of the human dynasty finally roared to the sky in grief and anger, and his last words were -
You are not a king!
I am not a subject!
Not a father!
Not a son!
You regard me as a worthless person, and I regard you as an enemy. If I die today, it will be for the army, not for you!
He only knows the throne but not the rest of the world; he knows the royal family but not the other clans. What a petty-minded person!
Seeing his old friend again, he still looked like a young man. Even Qi Wuhuo sighed in his heart. The Seventh Prince laughed several times and said, "I originally wanted to see what kind of person my sister praised. But I still have good eyesight. Come on, there is no wine here, so I will use tea instead. If you have the opportunity to go to the capital, don't forget to meet me."
"Next time, have a good drink."
Then he got up and left.
Qi Wuhuo saw that the seventh prince also left a token.
He put away the two tokens. Among the two princes, the fourth prince ruled the country with literary talent but lacked strength, while the seventh prince was good at being a military commander to suppress the border but was not suitable to be the head of a dynasty. Otherwise, it would surely set off a sea of blood and endless killing. It would be better to direct such murderous intent at the enemy.
But they have a more important problem, they have embarked on the path of cultivating humanity's destiny.
It even went too far.
It’s the way of plunder.
It is also impossible for them to be willing to try the path proposed by Qi Wuhuo.
Suddenly, the door rang, and the young Prince Qin, who was about fifteen or sixteen years old, walked in. After entering here and leaving the gaze of the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince, he breathed a sigh of relief and smiled slightly, saying, "Greetings, Taoist Priest Qi."
Qi Wuhuo nodded and said, "What do you want to ask?"
"Are you confused about spiritual practice, or are you fortune-telling, or are you just chatting?"
"Ah..., I don't have anything to ask."
"I just came here to accompany my brothers."
The young King of Qin seemed a little embarrassed.
The young Taoist said, "That was just idle talk."
Then he asked again, "What do you want to talk about?"
The young King Qin thought for a moment and said, "Anything is fine?"
"nature."
Such a big thing made the King of Qin not know what to talk about for a while. He laughed at himself and said, "As for small talk, my fourth and seventh brothers are better at civil and military affairs. I'm sure we've talked about it before. Sir, when you say that, my mind is blank for a while. I have a lot of questions in mind, but I don't know whether I should ask them or not."
The young Taoist spoke in a gentle tone, just saying that you can think about it slowly.
The young King of Qin suddenly asked, "Sir, do you think the world is well governed now?"
Qi Wuhuo raised his eyes and said, "He has been called a saint. Isn't that considered a great governance?"
The King of Qin said: "...If there are still injustices in the world that have not been exposed, and everyone in the world has been deceived by a huge scam, can this be considered a great governance?"
He paused, straightened his back slightly, and said in a serious tone, "Forgive me for being rude, but my sister helped the Taoist master pay for the exploration. The Mingzhen Dao League naturally refused to tell you what the Taoist master asked, but I deduced what the Taoist master answered, and based on the Dao League points that my sister paid for me, I roughly deduced the scope of what you asked about."
"It contains magical powers, classics, and secrets from the past."
"I'll just guess."
"It's about Jinzhou, right?"
The young Taoist raised his eyes slightly.
He did this on purpose. He did not purchase more classics to confuse the judgment. He wanted to see whether the prince could grasp the clue, whether he could guess anything, and whether the prince's son had tried to understand what happened in Jinzhou back then. He was a person who loved pleasure, or whether his appearance of traveling around was just a mask.
The King of Qin was sitting and stepped forward to ask:
"Sir, you asked about what happened in Jinzhou back then. The people back then must have known that the people today are all in the midst of a huge secret."
"Although the noble families also know some of the information, they are also hindered by the power of human destiny and become accomplices to the tiger. However, what is false must be false. The title of the Human Emperor was obtained with the blood of millions of innocent people. Although I am young, I know it is impossible. Sir, you are very talented and said that you can ask anything. Then I have a question."
"Can the emperor of today be called the emperor of mankind? Can he be called a saint if he claims to be wise and enlightened?"
Qi Wuhuo raised his eyes slightly.
There was a hint of sharpness in these two inquiries, like a young tiger pressing its claws.
He sat up straighter, without answering, but asked:
"Do you know what is the way of the emperor? What is the emperor and the people?"
The young King of Qin followed the royal family's teachings and answered subconsciously:
"If the people do not obey the king, they will be guilty!"
"Mu" means to herd the people. The meaning of this sentence is that the greatest sin is for the people to disobey the king's orders.
Thousands of years ago, there was a wise man with great talent, but he did not obey the king's orders.
So although he was innocent, he was executed. Someone asked about it angrily, and the prime minister replied.
Such people have talent, but they do not obey the king's orders.
They cannot be driven by criminal law, nor can they be tempted by benefits. They sow their own crops and drink from wells. Such people, although existing in the territory of the Human Emperor, cannot be used by the Human Emperor and cannot be bound by the Emperor's name. They are like a thousand-mile horse. Although it has ability, it cannot be driven by others. Its reputation can influence the rest of the people. It is a "black sheep".
He should be executed to establish his authority.
After the King of Qin finished speaking, he saw that the Taoist in front of him was silent, so he felt something and asked:
"What do you think, Mr. Qi?"
The young Taoist replied: "Wrong."
The King of Qin was puzzled and asked, "What's wrong with the words of the sages?"
The Taoist in front of him lowered his eyes and said slowly:
"It is not the people who are guilty of disobeying the king, but the king who is disobeying the people who is a thief."
Such words almost directly reversed the current destiny of the Human Emperor.
At first the young King Qin almost thought that the man in front of him was crazy, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that there was a little truth in what he said. His heart was beating wildly, but he suppressed the throbbing in his heart and stepped forward. Although he was young, he was more respectful and asked, "Teacher, why are you teaching me?"
Qi Wuhuo spoke.
It was also Master Wuhuo who spoke back then.
The first sentence shocked the young King of Qin so much that he almost forgot to breathe.
So the words -
"To bear the disgrace of the country is to be called the master of the country; to bear the misfortune of the country is to be the king of the world."
“Food is the first necessity of the people.”
"And the ruler regards the people as his heaven."
"So he is not the emperor of men, but the Son of Heaven!"
“The emperor of the world is not the ruler of the people, but the son of the people.”
"The people are the most important, the country is second, and the king is the least important."
The story begins with the plundering methods that reversed the fortune of the Human Emperor during this period, and is based on the thoughts and experiences of the seventy years in the Yellow Millet Dream. The young Taoist tells the story slowly, causing the King of Qin's expression to change from anger, wanting to get up, to hesitation, and finally to a look of concentrated thinking. He listens without noticing the passage of time.
I unconsciously moved forward, not asking ghosts and gods but asking the common people.
After a long time, he was finally convinced and looked at the Taoist wearing the old man's mask and said:
"Mr. Qi...Mr. Qi..."
"He is truly one of a kind in the world. Compared to what my sister said..."
The young King of Qin paused slightly, as if he sensed something.
The unrivaled grandmaster in the world?
Last name Qi? The elder sister is wearing a mountain god mask, and this gentleman is wearing an old man mask?
Some say that instinctive choices must also have tendencies...
Could it be?
He subconsciously raised his head, and then asked respectfully: "My Lord, I have another question to ask."
"please."
"I don't know your name, sir, but is it Qi Wuhuo, Master Wuhuo?"