Chu Qian stared at Liu Hong's confident smile and felt the emperor's domineering aura, and couldn't help but pause.
"Perhaps the Emperor and the Han Dynasty really can do it!"
Thinking about the changes he witnessed in Luoyang after his return, Chu Qian suddenly felt that it might not be impossible for the future Han Dynasty to occupy the grasslands under the leadership of the emperor.
"Your Majesty is right. I believe that one day, the banner of our Great Han will be planted all over the grasslands and in every corner of the world!"
In the end, Chu Qian, like Liu Hong, revealed a confident smile.
"Haha~, well said!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Hong burst into laughter, then looked at Chu Qian and said with a smile:
"Alright, stop standing, sit down and let's talk!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
After the emperor and his minister were seated again, Liu Hong looked at Chu Qian with a serious expression.
"Chu Qing, based on what you've seen and heard, what are your thoughts on the grassland people?"
Upon hearing the emperor's question, Chu Qian paused, recalling the hardships faced by the common people on the grasslands. He then glanced cautiously at Liu Hong.
"Your Majesty, this... there are some things I don't know whether I should say or not...!"
"Heh~, Chu Qing, feel free to speak your mind. I want to hear your opinion!"
Seeing Chu Qian's hesitant expression, Liu Hong smiled and looked at Chu Qian with a serious expression.
"promise!!"
Seeing the emperor in such a state, Chu Qian was immediately relieved.
"Your Majesty, I believe that those grassland people, no... I should say those grassland herders, are a pitiful bunch!"
“Poor people…? Why do you think they are poor people?”
I thought you had undergone a complete transformation after your journey to the grasslands, so why are you still spouting those old, pedantic Confucian ideas?
Upon hearing this, Liu Hong frowned, staring at Chu Qian with a cold glint in his eyes.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty!!"
Seemingly sensing the emperor's displeasure, Chu Qian felt a chill and quickly stood up to bow to Liu Hong.
"Phew~, you are innocent, sit down and continue!"
After calming himself down, Liu Hong waved his hand, signaling Chu Qian to continue. He wanted to see what Chu Qian had to say.
"promise!"
After taking his seat, Chu Qian bowed to Liu Hong, a hint of reminiscence in his eyes, and then said in a deep voice:
"Your Majesty, during my imprisonment, I tried to escape many times. On one occasion, I escaped to a herdsman's family of Xiongnu people, where I received a warm welcome and protection from them!"
Unfortunately, just two days later, as I was preparing to leave, the Xiongnu caught up with me, found me, killed the herdsman, abducted his wife and daughter, and took everything from him...
I watched helplessly as it all unfolded, powerless to stop it...!
As he spoke, Chu Qian paused for a moment, his eyes becoming slightly moist.
He watched helplessly as his savior was brutally murdered and his entire family wiped out because of him, and he was powerless to do anything about it.
This must be incredibly painful for a person, a proud person, a person with a conscience...!
Lost in his memories, Chu Qian sat there blankly, letting a tear slide down his cheek.
"As expected... for someone from a respectable background to undergo such a transformation, they must have had some extraordinary experiences!"
Liu Hong quietly watched Chu Qian, who was in agony, and sighed softly in his heart.
At this moment, Liu Hong also understood the root cause of Chu Qian's own change, which might be related to this herdsman.
A moment later, Chu Qian, having snapped out of his reverie, noticed the Emperor's gaze fixed on him and quickly bowed to Liu Hong.
"Your Majesty, I was out of line just now. Please forgive me!"
"It's alright. I can see that you are a person who values relationships. It's only human nature to act this way, so how could I blame you?"
Liu Hong looked at Chu Qian with a serious expression, clearly appreciating Chu Qian's loyalty and sense of justice.
"Your Majesty is benevolent; it is truly a blessing for us!"
Hearing Liu Hong's sincere words, Chu Qian was deeply moved.
"That herdsman saved you, but later his entire family was wiped out because of it. He was pitiful, but that doesn't mean all people on the grasslands are like that, does it?"
Liu Hong looked at Chu Qian with a serious expression. He was not the kind of person who generalized from a few cases and would not condemn an entire group because of one or two bad people.
Therefore, Liu Hong will not be soft-hearted just because there are one or two good people on the grassland!
Chu Qian said solemnly, "Your Majesty is right. Most of the grassland people do indeed have a blood debt to our Han Dynasty, which cannot be repaid even if they die!"
"However... in my opinion, all of this has a root cause. If the root cause is not removed, the grassland problem will never be solved!"
"The root cause...? Continue!"
Upon hearing Chu Qian's words, Liu Hong's expression shifted, wanting to see what Chu Qian meant by the root cause.
Chu Qian nodded, and then said:
"I spent a day living with that herdsman's family. From my conversation with them, I learned that the herdsmen on the grasslands are even more impoverished than the people of our Han Dynasty."
When a region in the Han Dynasty suffers a disaster, it still knows to provide relief and resettlement. Whatever the reason, at least the Han court and government still treat the people as human beings.
However, in the eyes of those grassland nobles and chieftains, those ordinary herdsmen were not human beings at all, but a herd of livestock, or even less than livestock.
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