Chapter 66 Heartbreak
"Since aristocratic families cannot be fully trusted, nobles often have constraints."
Her eyes were blazing, as if there were flames burning in them!
"Your Majesty, why don't you break these centuries-old conventions and do something extraordinary?!"
She took a deep breath and made a resounding suggestion that was enough to shock the entire government!
“Why don’t you implement reform policies?!”
"Why not..."
Her voice suddenly rose, and every word was like a heavy hammer hitting Emperor Xuanhe's heart!
"We will vigorously select and make special arrangements to employ those who come from humble backgrounds, without aristocratic family backgrounds, but who are ambitious and have good plans..."
"Where are the poor students?!"
Earth-shattering! These words were a hundred times bolder than the previous statement about the emperor's predicament! Even more subversive!
Shake the foundations of the aristocratic families and recruit the humble! This is not just about cultivating new forces, this is about completely overturning the power structure of the entire Great Zhou court that has lasted for a hundred years! It is about digging out the lifeblood of those aristocratic families!
Emperor Xuanhe suddenly raised his head!
His pupils suddenly shrank to the size of a needle tip due to extreme shock!
There was undisguised horror on his face!
It was as if I had heard something completely beyond my imagination and unorthodox!
He stared at Chen He intently, his eyes so sharp that they almost pierced through her!
His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he was speechless because he was too shocked!
Reform? Empowering people from disadvantaged backgrounds? This thought might have crossed his mind at some point, but no one had ever dared to raise it so bluntly and decisively in front of him!
What on earth does Shen He want to do?! How dare she?!
The shock on Emperor Xuanhe's face did not disappear immediately.
The four words "employing the poor" were like thunder, still roaring in his ears, shaking him uneasy. This Chen He was so bold, he was simply breaking the sky!
He seemed to be nailed to the spot by those earth-shattering remarks.
There was deathly silence in the imperial study.
Only the sound of heavy breathing revealed the turbulent waves in the emperor's heart.
Chen He saw it all and knew it clearly.
At this moment, any radical words will only backfire.
She needed to give him some time, a little buffer, to let those turbulent thoughts settle in his mind. Too much rigidity would easily break, and blindly pressing was not the best strategy.
She lowered her eyes, retracting the sharp edge that almost pierced everything. Her voice also slowed down a lot, with an imperceptible gentleness, like a slowly flowing stream, trying to soothe the shock in the emperor's heart.
"His Majesty……"
Her voice was soft, but it was enough to break the suffocating silence.
"Your Majesty, I dare to ask..."
She paused, as if choosing her words, or as if guiding the emperor's thoughts to a less pointed, but equally important point.
"How long has it been since you last visited the barracks?"
This question, though seemingly abrupt, actually held a hidden meaning. It cleverly shifted the focus from the power structure of the imperial court to the other pillar supporting the country: the army.
The aristocratic families dominate the imperial court, but what about the military? Has it also lost its purity?
In her previous life, for the unworthy Xiao Jingren, she had tried her best to understand the military affairs and even ventured into the military camp.
She knew better than many that the current Dayin military camp had long lost the iron-blooded glory of its founding days. The bravery and passion of the soldiers were being gradually eroded and worn away by comfort and nepotism.
Emperor Xuanhe was indeed stunned.
He didn't expect Shen He to ask this suddenly.
He raised his eyes, his brows slightly furrowed, and his deep eyes sharply refocused on Shen He's calm face.
What was she trying to say? From a poor student to a soldier?
The thoughts of the eldest daughter of the Shen family jumped so fast that he could hardly keep up, and it made him alert. How much wisdom did this little girl have?
Her words always hit the pain points that he was unwilling to face.
Chen He seemed not to notice the scrutiny and doubt in his eyes, and continued speaking in that gentle and slow tone:
"His Majesty……"
There was a barely perceptible sigh in her voice.
"Your Majesty, I would like to ask you..."
"If you were born with everything..."
"Without any effort, you can naturally gain the respect of the world..."
"Possessing endless wealth of gold and silver..."
"Holding a position of authority that others look up to..."
She spoke slowly, and every word was clearly heard by Emperor Xuanhe.
"Then you..."
"Will you still be like this, working day and night, worrying and lamenting for this country?"
This question is very heart-wrenching!
It seems that he is asking the emperor, but in fact he is analyzing the mentality of those children from aristocratic families.
When everything is readily available, what's the point of striving? Where does the drive for progress come from? How can that spirit of striving and progress not be completely eroded?
Emperor Xuanhe's brows furrowed even tighter.
He looked at Shen He with complicated eyes.
Shen He met his gaze without flinching, but her tone remained calm.
"Your Majesty, put yourself in their shoes..."
"Those children of aristocratic families born into wealth and protected by their fathers..."
"How many people can truly understand the struggles of those at the bottom of society and maintain a sincere heart dedicated to serving their country and their people?"
"When official positions, titles, and honors can all be easily acquired through family background, who would truly dedicate themselves to studying, honing their skills, and aspiring to achieve great things and contribute to the country?"
Yes, fine clothes, delicious food, high position and generous salary are all within your reach.
Effort? Struggle? What is that? To them, it may just be a distant and unfamiliar word.
Chen He paused slightly, giving Emperor Xuanhe some space to breathe and think, and then suddenly changed the subject, pointing to the other side.
"But at the same time..."
There was a hint of sadness and regret in her voice.
"Among the humble families of Dayin, there are many talented and ambitious people."
"They have studied hard for ten years, brimming with knowledge and poetry, and are full of ambition, determined to serve their country!"
"But the vast majority of them..."
Her voice sank, filled with deep helplessness.
"But because of his limited background, because he didn't have a prominent family background as a stepping stone, his entire life could only be buried in the dust, silent and unsung!"
"All my talent and ambition have ultimately turned into sighs on the ridges of the fields or wasted time in the marketplace!"
This is not only a personal tragedy, but also a national loss! How many pillars of society have been unable to serve their country because of that invisible threshold, and ultimately become obscured by the masses!
"His Majesty!"
Chen He's voice suddenly rose, carrying an unprecedented earnestness and heaviness!
She looked at Emperor Xuanhe with burning eyes, as if she wanted to pour all the anxiety and expectations in her heart into the emperor's eyes!
"If this continues..."
"Excellent people fall into ruin because of their family background, while mediocre people occupy high positions because of their birth..."
“Who is still willing to sacrifice their lives for the country?”
"Who still believes that hard work can really change destiny?!"
"If this trend continues to spread, not only will the court, but even the military's righteousness in defending the country will be completely eroded!"
She will closely tie the mobilization of people from humble backgrounds to the future of the country and the combat effectiveness of the army!
This is no longer just a game of imperial power, but a matter of fundamental importance to the rise and fall of a nation!
"His Majesty!"
Chen He took a deep breath, his tone firm and resolute, with a determination to burn his boats!
"This is not just for your own sake, Your Majesty, but also to enable you to truly take charge and make decisions independently, free from the constraints of the aristocratic families!"
"It's also for the sake of our Great Zhou!"
"For the millions of scholars in this world who are eager to change their destiny with their own talents!"
"For the future of our Great Zhou!"
She leaned forward slightly, her voice full of power, each word struck hard in the silence of the imperial study, and also struck the heart of Emperor Xuanhe!
"Such a situation..."
"real……"
“This can’t go on any longer!!”
These words progress layer by layer and press harder and harder, from the emperor's dilemma, to the mentality of the aristocratic families, to the despair of the poor, and finally to the future of the country!
She packaged the drastic measure of recruiting people from poor families as a good prescription for saving the country, and presented it to Emperor Xuanhe again with an irrefutable momentum!
What she wants is not only the emperor's acquiescence, but also his determination!
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