si-mexico Chapter 926 Li Che's Comments
Chapter 926 Li Che's Comments
However, the common people today are not the masters of the world; in reality, their lives are like duckweed adrift.
Mountains, rivers, lakes, forests, plains, and all things born of heaven and earth should rightfully be enjoyed by the Lord.
Today, the lives of ordinary people are not even in their own hands. They exhaust their strength in the fields, burn out lamp oil in the workshops, and shed their blood at the border.
Hundreds of millions of ordinary people have woven a magnificent land and built a prosperous capital. They then kneel and kowtow to the officials who have never been involved in any corruption, offering their last grain of rice and their last piece of cloth!
Aristocratic families often ridiculed ordinary people as rural bumpkins, saying they were ignorant and unworthy of reading the classics.
Little did they know the words of the sage: "When the granaries are full, people know etiquette; when they are well-fed and clothed, they know honor and shame."
How can the people, suffering from hunger and cold, learn about shame and righteousness?
This is not the fault of the people, but rather the fault of those in power who have failed in their duties!
Clearly, this farmer's son had never written a policy essay before; the writing style was a mess, the word choice was crude, not to mention the lack of tonal patterns and rhythm.
But it was precisely this rough format that gave Li Che a rare sense of authenticity.
It felt as if a peasant student dressed in simple clothes was standing in front of him, tearfully recounting the suffering of the people.
Li Che was able to empathize with him. Although he was the son of an emperor in this life, he was just an ordinary citizen in his previous life.
Therefore, he knew the hardships of ordinary people, who were exploited and driven to a daze by the daily grind of "996" work, all for the sake of their own future and desires.
It's simply so that I and my family can stand on our own two feet in society and live with dignity.
The only difference is that in the previous life, there were various national welfare benefits, so even if one lost the ability to work, it was difficult to starve to death.
In ancient times, a family would be destroyed instantly if it lost its labor force.
The people are suffering!
Your Majesty is a wise and benevolent ruler throughout the ages, whose holy light shines brightly. He has opened this imperial examination to select virtuous and talented people from among the millions of commoners. This is a holy virtue that has never been seen in the entire history!
However, in the long river of history spanning thousands of years, how many people can be like Your Majesty?
More often than not, imperial power was often usurped by ministers and powerful families. It is said that the emperor and scholar-officials jointly govern the world; is such imperial power truly a complete form of imperial power?
As for the power of officials, it seems to originate from the emperor's bestowal, but in reality it is rooted in the wealth and culture accumulated by their families over generations.
But where does its wealth come from? And by what means does it monopolize its culture?
It's nothing more than exploiting the people and cutting off their path to advancement!
Li Che closed his eyes and his Adam's apple bobbed.
This person's audacity is several times greater than that of the previous article!
Therefore, I tearfully declare: So-called monarchical power and official power, in their essence, all originate from the rights of the people!
The people are like water, the ruler is like a boat, and officials are merely those who steer the boat. Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.
If the people are like boiling water, with no way to survive and cries of agony filling the fields, then how will the boats and their handlers survive?
Therefore, the duty of an official should not be to govern the people on behalf of the ruler, treating them like cattle, sheep, dogs, and horses; rather, it should be to manage affairs on behalf of the people, sharing their joys and sorrows, and becoming one with them!
Your Majesty is the master of this boat, and should be discerning in all matters, ensuring that the helmsman fulfills his duties and protects the waters beneath the boat.
Whoever can deeply understand this principle and enable officials to truly serve the people will be a wise and benevolent ruler whom the people wholeheartedly support!
Having come from humble beginnings and personally experienced the hardships of ordinary people, the student realized that regardless of the rise and fall of the nation, the most suffering people are always the common folk.
In prosperous times, they struggled to survive; in chaotic times, they were the first to die.
This is neither the right path of Heaven and Earth, nor the benevolent governance that sages and saints would desire!
The simple words, each one filled with tears, appeared before Li Che's eyes without warning, catching him completely off guard.
He took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly.
His eyes seemed to be burning, but he still tried his best to keep them open and look on.
[I am but a humble student, with little influence or influence, yet my sincere heart is as clear as day.]
Your Majesty, you dare to do what the sages of the past dared not do, and are able to open up a new era that has never been seen before!
We must eradicate long-standing abuses and sweep away deep-seated problems, so that the people's well-being is no longer just empty talk.
Let the hundreds of millions of ordinary people in this world become dignified 'citizens', instead of 'minors' who have been enslaved for generations!
The students, tears streaming down their faces, prostrated themselves on the ground, awaiting divine judgment.
After reading the article, Li Che did not speak immediately, but remained silent, his gaze fixed on the imperial desk, not moving for a long time.
The silence was so heavy that all the officials in the hall unconsciously held their breath.
After a long pause, Li Che finally raised his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions, his voice still hoarse:
"Send this document to all of you, and let everyone take a look."
Huai En bowed and accepted the exam paper, then carefully passed it on to important officials such as Zhuge Zhe, Du Fuchen, and Huo Duanxiao.
After everyone finished reading, their expressions varied.
Some looked shocked and deeply moved; some stroked their beards in deep thought, their eyes gleaming; others frowned slightly, as if they felt the words were too harsh.
After the examination papers were returned to the Emperor's desk, Li Che looked around at everyone and asked, "Have you all read them?"
The crowd responded.
"After reading this article, I felt ashamed and deeply guilty."
"When prosperity comes, the people suffer; when decline comes, the people suffer."
"Every word I uttered was like a knife or a sword, piercing my heart. If I cannot relieve the people's suffering, what is the point of being emperor?"
He paused, his gaze hardening, and declared loudly, "My mind is made up. I intend to appoint this person as the top scholar in this imperial examination. Do any of you have any objections?"
A moment of silence fell over the hall after these words were spoken.
Immediately, a minister stepped forward and carefully spoke, "Your Majesty, this article is sincere and heartfelt, truly an excellent work, which shows the author's sincere character."
"However...the article's structure is somewhat disorganized, and the language is not particularly elegant, especially considering the stains on the page..."
"If he is chosen as the top candidate, it may invite criticism, with people saying that His Majesty is biased in selecting talent, valuing sentiment over literature."
Upon hearing this, Li Che slowly shook his head, his gaze falling on the tear stains: "Only with genuine feelings can one produce tear stains!"
"These tears are not shed for personal fame or gain, but for the sake of all living beings!"
"This article may lack the skill of embellishment, but it has the sound of metal and stone, and the power of a thousand pounds."
"If I were to discard such a patriot who cares deeply for the people simply because of a few flaws in his writings, I would truly be failing the people of the world!"
"As for some criticism... what's the big deal?"
Seeing that the emperor was determined and that what he said made sense, the ministers knew that further persuasion would be useless.
Then they all said in unison, "Your Majesty is wise, we have no objection!"
Li Che nodded slightly, then said, "As for the rating..."
Huai En immediately presented the test paper to him again.
Li Che picked up the vermilion pen, its tip hovering over the grading section at the beginning of the scroll, but hesitated to bring it down.
Up? Up? Up?
He felt that no matter the level, it seemed insufficient to represent the weight of this article in his heart.
He pondered for a moment, a resolute glint flashing in his eyes.
The pen finally came to rest at the end of the article, in that blank space stained with tears.
Five vermilion comments were written with such force that they penetrated the back of the paper—
Serve the people!