A breeze blew by, like a scurrying cat, caressing the murals in the hall. It jingled the wind chimes in the corner of the room and tickled the king's thoughts. The wind chimes were lingering, and the words of the knowledgeable elder were old and powerful. The lingering sound echoed in the empty palace, gradually dissipated in the wind, and fell into the heart of the king.
Hearing Jatiri's comment on the painting method of the mural, Shulot was stunned and looked at the most trustworthy warrior captain with a questioning expression.
Bertard had always been calm, but at this moment, his eyes were unusually straight. He was born a civilian and spent half of his life in the army. He is truly knowledgeable about painting and art, but he knows nothing about it. Shulot did not go to a priest school, and the priestly education he received was incomplete, and it was not much better either. The two warriors who were good at fighting looked at each other for a moment, and then the warrior commander whispered in a complicated tone.
"Your Highness, I have recorded that the painters did come from three places... As the sage said, the first two batches came from the Holy City of the Alliance and the west of the lake. The third batch of painters came from Mixtec."
The young king frowned slightly. He stood up from the seat, half-turned around, looking at the mural in front of him, and hiding his changing expression.
In the political system of the Alliance, the holy city of Teotihuacan has been dominated by a branch of the Mexica royal family for three or four generations. The Holy City family has the same blood and culture, and is one of the most trusted direct descendants of the alliance center and the capital city in the lake. Ascapochalco, west of Lake Texcoco, is the old capital of the Tepanec people. The Tepanec and the Mexica are both of the same Nahua race, and have been married for generations and share the same faith. After half a century of mutual integration under the "will" of the Lord God, they have now been fully integrated into the Mexica ethnic group. Both city-states are loyal members of the alliance, respond to calls, obey orders, and are regarded as "one of their own" in the alliance.
The Mixtec in the south are different. Although the Mixtecs surrendered to the Mexica Alliance under the conquest of Montezuma I and paid tribute on time every year, they had been vassals of the alliance for nearly twenty years. However, the alliance's control over the Mixtecs still only remained to the extent of military deterrence and collection of tribute. The Mixtec Alliance has always maintained a completely independent political system, semi-autonomous diplomatic powers, and unique cloud beliefs. They formed an alliance with the Zapotecs and secretly resisted the influence of the League's penetration, let alone assimilation by the League.
"The Mixtecs...they are far away, have a long history, and have unique culture and beliefs. In the field of art, they are indeed different from the other alliance ministries."
Shulot pondered for a moment, regained control of his expression, and then sat down again. He looked at Jatiri and instead of answering the other person's question, he asked with a smile.
"In the face of the elders, I should ask for advice frankly. The governance of the direct lineage of the Holy City, the backbone of Huxi, and the vassal of the south is indeed different. I wonder what the sage can teach me? With the various tribes of Prepecha, How is it relevant?”
Facing the Young King's question, Jatiri smiled slightly. The wrinkles on his face stretched out like waves, his eyes shone like lake water, and his mouth spoke loudly like waves.
"Your Highness, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"
"Of course it's the truth! I seek advice from sages. No matter what it is, I only take what is beneficial. If it is beneficial to politics, I will definitely reward you!"
"His Highness's mind is as broad as a bear's head!"
Hearing this, Jatiri praised loudly, and then continued to laugh.
"Your Highness, at my age, I don't ask for any rewards. I just hope to do something that will benefit the people of the ethnic group... On the one hand, the governance of political affairs depends on how the ruler views the people. It involves nothing more than the number of points. Waiting for people, the number of people in each class, how many privileges they have, how much tribute they collect, and how the people below can move up. Then there are how to deal with famine and disasters; how to deal with war and turmoil... these things , all decisions are made by His Highness, which tests the level of the governor and also depends on the actions of the executor."
Shulot thought for a moment and nodded.
"The Prepecha people are my people. They are the foundation of the kingdom, the green leaves on the towering sacred tree. I will be kind and treat the Mexicans equally! As for the ranks of nobles, warriors and commoners, taxes Proportion, I have my own plan, and I will not treat the civilians of Prepecha harshly."
"Your Highness, you soar with wings like an eagle, with the world in your heart. People from Prepecha, I would like to be your wings!"
Jatiri lowered his head and saluted solemnly. Then, with a serious look on his face, he said solemnly.
"Relying on the Pyramid of Acata, heaven and earth are connected with each other. The sky looks at the earth, exerting thunder and rain; the earth also looks at the sky, raising clouds and mountains. The interaction between heaven and earth, another aspect of governance, is how the people view the rulers .The most direct way is to respond to the attitude of the ruler."
After hearing this, a familiar sentence came to mind. Xuelote thought for a moment and suddenly remembered Chief Tarasco and the old militiamen. He said with some emotion.
"Heaven and earth interact, and the king and his subjects correspond. The king regards them as loving brothers and sisters, and they regard the king as a reliable parent; the king regards them as humble weeds, and they can naturally regard the king as their enemy."
Hearing this, Jatiri was startled. He opened his deep eyes, looked at the young king carefully again, and then said deeply.
"Your Highness, your kindness is rare, but it needs to be used sparingly and only in appropriate places. The words you just said can come from the mouth of a poet or a noble, but they should not be spoken by a king."
"How the people view their rulers is exactly like how weeds view the sacred trees. They observe the colors of the trees and find that they are similar to themselves, thus creating a close relationship. This is the appearance, customs and habits of the ethnic group.
They listened to the wind blowing through the leaves, like the rustling on the tips of the grass. This is a similar language, words that can be communicated, and graphic texts that can communicate with each other.
They follow the natural order, born in spring, lush in summer, withering and yellowing in autumn, but only the sacred tree is evergreen all year round. This is the law followed by the people, and only the king's will is above all else.
They looked up at the height of the sacred tree and found that it reached straight into the clouds and was where the gods rested. This is the common belief, respect for the king, and worship of the gods...
Customs, language, laws, beliefs, these have all been planned by His Highness. From the rumors of the changes in the Mexica Alliance in the past two years, and from the traces of His Highness's arrangements in the past few months, I know that His Highness has a tall and clear sacred tree in his heart. "
Having said this, the knowledgeable elder smiled with deep meaning on his face again.
"But when the weeds get taller and more numerous, they need new ties. This bond is not exposed, but hidden deep in the heart, underground where the weeds gather. There must be something underground The spreading root system connects everyone! They feel the roots of the sacred tree and trace the origin of life, thus knowing that they originally fell off the sacred tree and are children of the same origin as the sacred tree. They are in time China was conceived together, and the sacred tree should be a whole, and should live and die together!...
Ancient myths will be dusted by a long time, and desolate people's hearts will be blinded by the vague history. Someone has to stand up and tell the inheritance to all people... At this point, the old man may be able to help. "
"A root system of connection...a whole...myth and history...telling...well, very well! This is exactly the future I want!"
Shulot thought for a moment, and then he became energetic. He leaned forward, held Jatiri's old hands, and looked into the other person's eyes sincerely.
"Please help me, sage!"
Facing the king's sincere request for help, the smile on Jatiri's face finally spread. With smiles in his eyes, he asked deeply again.
"Is the whole thing that His Highness hopes for the delicious mushrooms in the pine trees, or the tall pine trees themselves? Is it one generation at a time, or is it difficult for generations to come?"
"What I ask for is naturally for all peoples in the world!"
The young king answered sonorously and forcefully without any hesitation.
"Okay! Then let us start from eons ago, from a long time ago, and tell a long-lasting and credible story. Your Highness, do you still remember the purpose of inviting me here today?"
"The epic of the Prepecha people?"
Shulot paused and said thoughtfully.
"The ancient books and murals are still intact in the stone castle complex surrounding the palace."
"Your Highness, in that case, why don't we talk while walking?"
Hearing this, the young king nodded. He stood up calmly and took Jatiri's arm again. This time, the knowledgeable elder smiled and calmly allowed the king to support him. The two walked side by side towards the back of the hall, where there was a bluestone passage leading to the stone castles.
Bertard followed quietly behind with several guards. He looked at the conversation between the king and the sage, chatting and laughing, laughing heartily from time to time, and there was a sense of harmony that made them feel that they had met each other so late. The warrior commander stopped for a moment, and a strange feeling came to his mind, and then turned into a silent murmur.
"The eagle soars high in the sky, attracting the attention of the mountains and forests, and also attracting hidden eyes... A group of beasts surrounds the king of the jungle. From today on, the king will not only be surrounded by loyal and brave tigers and leopards, but also more cunning ones. What a scheming old fox..."
Everyone slowly walked away and disappeared at the end of the passage. The breeze blew through the Palace of Winds, and the crisp sound of wind chimes echoed in the hall again. The guarding warriors were silent, but only the brand-new murals on both sides remained ancient and solemn.
