Chapter 453 Shi Yu teaches his disciple
After Lin Wanzhi's death, Shi Yu and Wei Qingyan never moved into the palace to live, and Xiao Zhian was the only master left in the palace.
But he has been very busy recently and only returns to the palace to rest at night.
Today he returned to the palace and had just taken a shower to wash off the smell of blood on his body when Shi Yu appeared in front of him.
"Brother, why...why are you here?"
After asking, he realized that it was the wrong question. The Crown Prince was the one in power now, and the entire Fengzhao belonged to him. He could come to the palace whenever he wanted.
On the contrary, he should have gone out and set up his own government long ago.
But Feng Zhao was busy right now, and the emperor hadn't made any arrangements, so he didn't want to bother his brother with this little matter.
Shi Yu looked at Zhi'an deeply. Ever since Lin Wanzhi's affair was exposed, Zhi'an never called him Prince Brother again.
"Come and take you to the Prince's Mansion."
Xiao Zhian was slightly startled, "Why?"
Why did the prince take him to the prince's mansion?
Although staying in the palace for a moment longer would make him suffocate, he also wanted to escape.
But the palace is not his home, nor is the prince's mansion, although he wishes it were.
Shi Yu slapped him on the back of the head, "What reason do we need for a family to live together?
Have someone pack up and follow me. I've been very tired lately, so come and have a few drinks with the Crown Prince."
Xiao Zhian didn't move.
He glanced at Shi Yu, only for a moment, then quickly lowered his eyes, "Royal brother, are you here because of the murder I committed?"
"Do you feel relieved after killing them?"
Seeing that he didn't leave, Shi Yu simply found a place to sit down.
"I have no idea."
Xiao Zhian dropped his shoulders.
"I thought that if I could find a way to raise food, I could solve the locust plague in the north, but so many refugees are still flocking to the imperial city.
Because of hunger, the mother could not breastfeed her child, so she cut her own finger and fed the baby with blood.
Because of hunger, many refugees fought for a steamed bun and were bleeding. An old man, who was not strong enough, not only failed to grab the steamed bun, but was beaten to death.
The powerful and wealthy families in the imperial city still dumped buckets of泔水 out of their homes every day, and some people even had a lot of grain rot in their granaries.
I was like a beggar, saying all the nice things to them every day.
They either give me a perfunctory response or simply shut me out. All I can do is look for evidence of their crimes, find something to hold against them, or even kill them.
My Royal Brother, I only killed those who committed heinous crimes. They committed evil deeds like her and harmed the people. They deserved death."
The "she" he was talking about was Lin Wanzhi.
He had seen a lot of human misery recently. While he blamed Lin Wanzhi, he hated himself even more. He hated himself for standing idly by and hated himself for being Lin Wanzhi's child.
At the same time, he felt guilty and blamed himself. All those tragic situations were caused by his mother, but there was really little he could do to make up for it.
These emotions made him feel at a loss and also gave rise to a sense of violence deep in his heart. When he met someone who did evil, he wanted to kill him as soon as possible.
"Do you feel relieved?"
Shi Yu asked again.
Xiao Zhian looked painful, "No."
Killing those people still cannot make up for the suffering of the people, just like she is dead, but the mess she left behind is still there, and millions of people suffer because of her.
The mother who feeds her baby with blood will not die from excessive bleeding.
The old man who was beaten to death was not even sixty years old. He left his hometown and came to the imperial city because of a disaster. He eventually died in the imperial city with an empty stomach.
"Do you know why laws are first established when a country is established?"
Xiao Zhian didn't need to answer, Shi Yu pulled him to sit next to him, "Without rules, there will be no order.
The country has laws. If they are guilty, they will be punished by the law. Killing has never been the fundamental solution to the problem.
On the contrary, even if you pretend to be a knight, there will be a day when you will be exposed. Do you think it is worth it to sacrifice your life for those people?
Or do you hope that I will show partiality and rescue you by switching you, and then hide you in the dark, so that you will never see the light of day again?"
Xiao Zhian lowered his head even lower, and the hand that held the sword to kill people today was shaking slightly under his sleeve.
Shi Yu held his shoulders tighter and said, "Have you ever thought about why people are so eager to achieve higher goals?
Because being in a high place can make them live better, have more money in their hands and more food in their warehouses.
They are reluctant to give away the food they have worked so hard to obtain to others. Most of the kindness in this world is based on not harming their own interests.
What's more, many people had previously followed Lin Guozhang in donating food. Now that war has broken out, food is as precious as gold during the war.
They naturally want to hold on to the food, and they are even more afraid that if they give it a second time, there will be a third and fourth time."
"What about the people who have no food to eat?"
Xiao Zhian murmured softly, "We can't let them starve to death and lie dead in the countryside."
It was also through this incident that he realized that half of the farmland in Fengzhao was in the hands of powerful and wealthy families, who then rented it out to the common people and charged high rents.
If God has mercy and the harvest is good, the people will not go hungry. If there is a locust plague like the one in Beicheng this year, large numbers of people will starve to death.
And all of this was her indulgence.
"I know that what I'm doing is no different from a robber. I also know that many officials call me shameless, a thief, and say I'm not worthy of being her child."
His trembling hands clenched into fists. "But I don't want to see anyone else starve to death, brother. This is the only solution I can think of."
"Since no one is willing to donate anymore, then we'll just buy it."
Shi Yu pointed to the antique vases on the antique shelf and said, "This palace is not short of rare treasures. Would you be willing to pawn or sell these?"
"I'm willing to give it up, but my brother is the real master of this palace, and these things should belong to you."
He had never had to worry about food and clothing and had never been short of money, so he had no desire to hold money in his hands. Whenever he needed money, he would ask her for it.
Therefore, after her death, he only had five thousand taels in his hand, which he had used to resettle the refugees when they entered the city.
"This palace represents the majesty of the emperor. If we really take the things in the palace out and sell them, wouldn't it be a disgrace to my brother? What will the history books say about him in the future?"
Shi Yu smiled and rubbed his head, which had not been tied up after washing, and said, "You have really grown up. Now you can think about me.
If the people can have food to eat and clothes to wear, my brother's face is not worth mentioning, and my brother never cares about these things.
In this world, most of our lives are fleeting, and only peace and strength will always be with us.
You have affected other people's interests, so they naturally have nothing good to say about you, but in the eyes of the Crown Prince and your sister-in-law, in the eyes of your father and uncle, you are a good person.
If you can't ignore those irrelevant voices, then make yourself stronger. People speak with strength, and growth is the best revenge.
Judging from your recent performance, the Crown Prince feels that you have grown up very well. However, although those who accomplish great things may not pay attention to trivial matters, they must never lose their kindness and virtue.
Once lost, there's no turning back. Promise your brother, the Crown Prince, that you won't have any murderous thoughts from now on, okay?"
Tears gradually welled up in Xiao Zhian's eyes. After a long moment, he said, "I was wrong, Prince."
Seeing the hostility in his eyes dissipate, Shi Yu stood up and asked, "Do you still have any attachment to this palace?"
Xiao Zhian hesitated for a moment and shook his head.
Shi Yu reached out his hand to him and pulled him up, "Then listen to what the prince says. Sell everything you can. The prince's mansion will be your home in the future."
"But when you ascend the throne, it would be unwise to leave the palace too shabby."
"We'll talk about the future later."
Shi Yu put his arm around his shoulders and saw that his eyes were red. He decided not to tell him that he had no intention of ascending the throne, lest he take the blame for Lin Wanzhi's mistakes on him again.
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