Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress novel Chapter 1005

Chapter 1005: Chapter 1000: Disagree

"Speaking of national policies, compared to the policies formulated by the Yan Kingdom, our Zhou Kingdom’s policies are more beneficial to the people. The Yan Kingdom places imperial power first, while Zhou prioritizes the people’s livelihood. Just to say... after ascending the throne, the Emperor chooses not to build an imperial mausoleum, saving the silver to build schools instead. Can the Emperor of Yan do that?" Bai Qingyu’s voice was harsh, but every word was powerful, "Exchanging you alone... for the vast mountains and rivers of Zhou? Ninth Prince, you truly overestimate yourself."

"Zhou’s new policy places the people first, I, Rong Yan, acknowledge this! I admire the Bai family’s love for the people even more, but establishing schools to educate the populace, my mother, Empress Ji, once experimented with on a small scale and found it not necessarily a good thing! Shangzi’s Five Techniques of Ruling People... the first is to rule by ignorance. When numerous people read the sages’ books and form their own thoughts, how can you control them?"

"Laozi also said, in ancient times, those good at governing did so not by enlightening the people but by keeping them ignorant. The difficulty in governing lies in the people’s intelligence. Therefore, ruling with wisdom is the country’s bane; not using wisdom, the country’s blessing!" Xiao Rongyan looked at Bai Qingyan, "Whether it’s the Yan Kingdom or Zhou, unifying the realm is for the peace of the world, but if the people learn too much, they will think more, making it impossible to unify their thoughts... how then to unify a nation?"

"Take Zhou, when the Empress ascended, allowing women to study, take exams, and hold office, those who first gathered at the Wude Gate prepared to die protesting were those scholars who had read! Fortunately, Kid persuaded those scholars, but in the future, if every reform employs new policies... must the reigning Emperor personally explain to the scholars each time? Otherwise, they resort to protests and die en masse, often... what name will Kid leave on historical records?"

Xiao Rongyan’s deep gaze grew darker. He shook his head: "To control the people, one must keep them in ignorance. After practice, my mother once said, one day in the future, this world... will eventually be a place where everyone can read, but now is not the time! In the present age, the populace should not know too much; ensuring they can eat and have no warfare is the utmost care an emperor can offer his people."

Bai Qingyan quietly watched Xiao Rongyan, not interrupting, listening attentively.

Bai Qingyu was also hearing about the Art of the Emperor for the first time; he admitted that the Bai family indeed had no experience in this area, so he was willing to listen to more from Xiao Rongyan.

"There must be scholars, because in such a vast nation, one cannot lack talents to aid the emperor in governance, but it must not be that everyone reads the sages’ books!"

Xiao Rongyan was not secretive. Power politics and ruling the people were essential subjects for the Murong family’s imperial offspring, experiences accumulated by the Murong lineage through generations, whereas the Bai family had no such experience. Relying solely on a sense of duty to protect and ensure the populace’s well-being is far from sufficient.

"To say something possibly offensive, how many in the Bai family army have read books? Precisely because there are many soldiers in the Bai family army who have not read books, they are relatively easier to control, coupled with... the Bai family army’s unwavering dedication to protect and ensure the populace’s well-being, combined with the army’s songs and the generals’ determination to protect the people even at the cost of their lives!"

Xiao Rongyan tapped the table with his finger: "These can be said... to be the ideologies instilled by the Bai family in the Bai family army, making it their duty to protect and secure the populace, and taking pride in it!"

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