Facing Xuannv's question, Zhuang Xun lost his smile, his expression became serious, and he looked directly into Xuannv's bright eyes like stars.
"Because I want to see the people become human beings." Zhuang Xun took a deep breath and spoke word by word, showing his determination.
"I saw that under the glory of the Zhao State, the people were naked. I saw the extravagance of the nobles. The nobles had endless supplies of cloth and used it to make walking barriers, but the common people did not dare to go out because they could not wear clothes. This is not a country where I can feel safe and enjoy myself.”
Zhuang Xun showed anger. He didn't think he could have a high level of awareness, but seeing this kind of behavior he still felt that he couldn't suppress his anger.
“A country that allows me to enjoy my life with peace of mind, not only does the people have to be truly wealthy, but at least has to have everything they need, food and clothing, even if what they eat is not meat, eggs, milk, and what they wear is not silk and satin. , but it can basically guarantee people’s survival.”
Zhuang Xun likes to have fun, labor is not happy, and suffering is not worthy of praise in his opinion. Who wants to suffer? Please suffer the person who said this.
But he couldn't bear to use this kind of people's wealth and anointment to enjoy themselves, and he couldn't bear to see such a group of insects governing the country. They may be very capable and have enemies thousands of miles away, but their stance detests Zhuang Xun, because he has not been conquered yet. alienation.
He was still very naive. In his opinion, he could not carry out the industrial revolution like those geniuses, but he should be a wise and benevolent emperor to ensure that the people had enough food and clothing.
"..." After listening to Zhuang Xun's words, Xuan Nu's expression was slightly dull. She looked at Zhuang Xun speechless. She probably didn't expect Zhuang Xun's determination to be so strong.
"I know your Majesty is doing it for my own good. The strength of Zhao and Xia are as different as clouds and mud. As long as I do nothing, I will have endless glory and wealth, endless sleep with lovely wives and beautiful concubines, and endless food." The delicacies of the mountains and seas, and the title of king without having to fight against the powerful Zhao State, I have truly let down your good intentions."
Zhuang Xun apologized. He was indeed grateful to Xuannv in some aspects. It is really heartless to criticize such kind intentions.
Zhuang Xun didn't know that he was the protagonist. Facing the sword master's sword, he finally chose an unknown glove, and finally found out that it was the emperor's glove.
Logically speaking, we know that Xuannv was doing it for his own good. She knew that he had little desire for power and that he could not defeat the State of Zhao, so she gave him a chance to surrender. If this opportunity was given to King Donghua, people like him would be grateful, so Zhuang Xun felt guilty that he wasted Xuannv's kindness.
However, he does not regret it, because he has maintained his last conscience. In this world where death is guaranteed, if he cannot maintain his bottom line, then Zhuang Xun feels that he has really traveled through time in vain and is worse than a local aborigine.
"But as for the people, I have a kind heart and I can't bear to see that the people in the world have no clothes to wear, no food to eat, and they are enslaved. In the end, they have no human dignity. Since they are reincarnated as humans, they are not animals without intelligence. I want to give them some basic survivability and dignity.”
After Zhuang Xun finished speaking, he let out a long sigh, maybe out of helplessness or out of disillusionment, and then stubbornly added: "I may fail or die, but I have to do it and don't take any action. Then I may not be the person I am." I’m on my own.”
Xuannv still didn't speak, but there was no sadness or anger in her eyes that Zhuang Xun didn't understand good people when questioning her. She understood.
"What can you change? Human beings are such a species. Counting from the day they were born, this has been the norm. We gather wealth to form aristocratic families. One aristocratic family declines and another aristocratic family is born. If you capture Kyushu, how can you ensure that you Will our children and grandchildren not become like this?"
Xuannv said lightly, a little sad, she had seen too much, so she didn't look surprised. The children of good people are not necessarily good people, and the children of bad people are not necessarily bad people. No matter how perfect the system is, the carrier of its execution is still human.
"So I never seek eternal rule. If my child loses the support of the people, he should be overthrown, rather than choosing to retain it because the next dynasty may be worse. Likewise, we cannot think that aristocratic families are reasonable just because they will be born. Ten thousand Years are too long, I just want to seize the day, I just hope that under my governance, the people can have nothing to worry about."
Zhuang Xun responded positively, because it was what he thought, so he was upright. He knew he was right, or he thought he was right in his heart.
"...Did you come up with such an idea after going to the Kingdom of Zhao?" Xuan Nu's tone did not fluctuate in any particular way, so calm that Zhuang Xun didn't know what her mood was like.
"I saw it at the foot of Yunding Mountain. Just under the Royal City, people were naked. This is at the foot of the Royal City. I never thought that people could be so miserable. It shouldn't be like this."
Zhuang Xun was silent. Thinking about it now, he still felt disgusting and powerless at the same time, because this was a powerful country in Kyushu.
"It really shouldn't be like this. Heaven values life and humanity values life. What you said is right. The idea is very good." Xuan Nu agreed. She stretched out her jade hand and touched Zhuang Xun's in Lan Qiu's astonished expression. cheek.
"This is hitting the wall. You have no chance of winning. Maybe your subordinates and your wives and concubines will be affected by your decision, because you basically can't win, and it's very likely that they won't end up well. You know the gap in national power between the two sides."
Xuannv said softly that she was very happy that Zhuang Xun had this idea. She didn't hate it. Who likes a single husband and a thieves? She just put the cruelest reality in front of Zhuang Xun.
"I know that I myself have decided their fate, but I don't regret it even if I hit the wall. I don't talk about the small self and the big self. I am of the same mind to my wives and concubines. I will not be stingy with rewards for my subordinates. I will try my best. Because that way I can face Yama calmly when I get to the underworld."
Zhuang Xun could feel Xuan Nu's attitude softening, so he looked away. He was not used to Xuan Nu's gentleness, and Xuan Nu's attitude was also weird. He didn't know how to respond.
"Now that you've made a decision, let's do it." Xuannu pinched Zhuang Xun's face and smiled, her smile like the warm spring breeze or the warm drizzle in the hot summer.
"Empress..." Zhuang Xun shouted and held Xuannu's hand. He felt that Xuannu was leaving him.
"Don't be like a puppy that can't find its owner. You have found your path. It's time for us to part ways. I can't satisfy your ambition."
Xuannv's hand held by Zhuang Xungai continued to knead Zhuang Xun's face, as if she was feeling something different, but she didn't use any force, and it was cold.
"Empress, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Zhuang Xun was a little sad, and the words "parting ways" were like a dagger piercing his heart.
"There is nothing to be sorry for. This is your ambition, but I can no longer protect you. You have consumed all the protective measures I have for you."
Xuannv's face was sad and pitiful, which made Zhuang Xun strange and distressed, because this was the first time he saw Xuannv.
"I know, my thoughts were impulsive and childish. I failed your good intentions, I'm sorry."
Zhuang Xun apologized sincerely and said that Xuannv's decisive words made him uncomfortable. He didn't regret it, but it didn't mean he didn't feel guilty. After all, in a sense, he only relied on Xuannv to make people relax their vigilance.
"I've said it all, no need to say sorry, your decision is right. It's a pity that I have to go against you, because I have been bound to the national destiny of Zhao State."
Zhuang Xun's apology can be distinguished between true and false. Zhuang Xun's visit to Zhao State actually strengthened his determination to fight for supremacy. This was something Xuan Nu could not have imagined, but they were already enemies and Xuan Nu seemed determined.
"What you said was very good. You gave the people the dignity of survival, and you did a very good job. I also see it in Jiannan. You convinced me that there is no problem with your choice. The problem is that I have chosen Zhao State. We are Enemy."
Xuannv's smile was completely cold. She had already taken a side. She had chosen Zhao Guo and there was no way to change it. However, even if she was given the chance to choose again, she would still choose Zhao Guo because she wanted to transcend.
"Mother, do I...do you have to be your enemy?"
Zhuang Xun shook his head slightly, with a pitiful look on his face, feeling Xuannv's cold fingers. She must have just come here from the wind and snow, didn't she have any rest?
"Zhao has the best chance of unifying the world. You can't win. Besides, the choice has been made and it can't be changed. I am already Zhao's national advisor, so I can't help you anymore."
After listening to Zhuang Xun's heroic words, Xuannv calculated the winning rate. Zhuang Xun was still pitiful, not to mention that she had already made a choice. How could she allow people to jump repeatedly? Ge Laodao was half-dead because of the change of dynasties, let alone changing jobs. Go to the small tree Zhuang Xun.
"Mother, I made you angry, I'm sorry..."
"As I said, there's nothing I'm sorry about. I'm not angry with you, and I don't blame you. You did the right thing. Giving dignity to the people and keeping them fed and clothed is a great merit. I can't help you, so I'm sorry. you."
Xuannv smiled bitterly. Zhuang Xun's idea was innocent and romantic. She might have been convinced by the last battle or the last time, but this time, she had already taken sides and decided to transcend.
So she wanted to help Zhao Guo win this battle. Even if she thought Zhuang Xun's words were correct, she also liked Zhuang Xun's love for the people.
"Your Majesty thought of a way to protect me, but I wasted it. This is my own choice. No matter what happens in the future, I will not blame you. I asked for it to be my enemy."
Zhuang Xun felt that Xuannu had shown no mercy to him, so he would not be surprised if Xuannu was angry, and he would not be resentful if Xuannu showed no mercy after that.
"I will also try my best to protect you. Don't hold out hope. You have played a trick on King Zhao and the ministers of Zhao State. I can't protect you either."
Xuannv said aloud that after all, she was not cruel and said they were going their separate ways, but she was soft in her heart. Why did Zhuang Xun have such lofty ambitions? Zhuang Xun was not a gloomy careerist, but he was sincere. It was her like.
Xuannv had already concluded in her heart that Zhuang Xun would lose. Judging from her experience, the possibility of Zhuang Xun winning was infinitely close to zero. She didn't want to say such soft words, but she said it anyway.
"I know. Since I have chosen this path, I understand your position, and I have mine too. Thank you very much, Your Majesty."
Zhuang Xun also smiled, making sure that Xuannv was not angry, and that she could even say such compassionate words meant she was forgiving him.
"You really know how to climb up by following the pole. I was wrong too. I shouldn't have kidnapped you to the Kingdom of Zhao. Instead, I let you see some darkness."
Xuannv let go of the jade hand caressing Zhuang Xun's cheek, took it out of Zhuang Xun's palm, and looked at Lan Qiu.
"Did you do it on purpose or accidentally?" After all, Zhuang Xun was handed over to Lan Qiu in the first place. Zhuang Xun could see these things, and Lan Qiu had to bear a lot of responsibility.
"Don't blame her. I found it myself while running around. Why, no one can see the darkness. Madam, do you think darkness is normal?"
Zhuang Xun stood in front of Lan Qiu to defend him, and he was right. He was the one who discovered it while running around, and it was not Lan Qiu who deliberately guided him.
"In my opinion, light and darkness are like the poles of yin and yang. Do you think there will be a world with only light?" Xuannv naturally knows what the world is like, and she has a theory to convince herself.
"There is no world with only light, and there is no world with only darkness. Human nature is like this, taking advantage of loopholes and deceiving superiors and subordinates. Although I like light, so I like people like you, but I also admit darkness, and darkness does not exist either. Possibly eliminated.”
Xuannv's values on social issues are mature. She prefers Zhuang Xun's ideas and is willing to support them even if she doesn't have a stance. But with a stance, although Zhao Guo has problems, it is still within her acceptance range and has been for tens of thousands of years. That's it, the upper level is squeezing the lower level, and there is no change.
It's not that it has been right since ancient times, but for Xuannv, she has staked the national destiny of Zhao State, so she naturally thinks about Zhao State, eats the emperor's salary, and is loyal to the emperor.
Zhuang Xun found it unbearable because he came from a modern country with relatively rich material culture. He himself had participated in poverty alleviation work for a period of time. He felt that no matter how poor he was, he should have two things to worry about and three guarantees. Even in ancient society, Lowering the standard, having two things to worry about is the bottom line, but there is no such thing, so things fall into their own category.
But for Xuannv, it has been like this for tens of thousands of years. She can understand Zhuang Xun's wishes and ambitions, wish him well, and forgive him, but it does not mean that she can abandon the Zhao Kingdom, which is far superior to the Xia Kingdom, let alone her. There is no way to give up yet.
"You are willing to be the flame that lights up the darkness, and I won't stop you. But I'm used to the darkness, so isn't it a mistake to let you see the darkness? Because it will make you burn yourself. The darkness in this world is too great, and you can't shine. Bright."
Xuannv said with pity that her perspective was obviously more macroscopic, and she felt like she was in the dimension of the universe, and the earth was just a speck of dust.
"But she didn't make me see the darkness, it was me who made her see the light. It was my actions that made her stand with me. She helped me because of my choice, not because I was guided by her."
Zhuang Xun helped Lan Qiu who was still kneeling on the ground. Lan Qiu was the one who wanted to see the light.
"What kind of light is it? It's just the excitement of spring." Xuan Nu said unceremoniously.
(End of chapter)
