kvmb Chapter 676 Observations (4)
Chapter 676 Observations (4)
Everyone living here seems exceptionally relaxed, and the smiles on everyone's faces are genuine. The word "happiness" seems to be embodied in the villagers of Chenjia Village.
"I like it here too."
Li Qiao nodded in agreement, saying that people are compassionate. When he saw the emaciated and numb people of Liangzhou, he felt no less distressed than Li Mingyuan. This was also why Li Qiao was reluctant to stay in Liangzhou.
Seeing the suffering of humanity but being powerless to change it can easily lead a compassionate person into mental exhaustion.
It is precisely because we have seen so much numbness on the faces of the people of Liangzhou that the smiles on the faces of the villagers of Chenjia Village seem all the more precious.
In this place, people live like human beings, not like livestock.
"Gululu."
Just then, Li Qiao's stomach growled loudly again.
Hearing the commotion, Li Mingyuan couldn't help but laugh and said, "Let's go, let's find a place to eat first."
After saying that, the two started walking, intending to find a restaurant to fill their stomachs first.
Meanwhile, in the front yard of Chen Dao's house, Zheng Qiuyan had already met Chen Dao and informed him of the impending arrival of the Black-Clad Guards.
"You mean..."
After listening to Zheng Qiuyan's account, Chen Dao calmly said, "Li Gang, the commander of the Black-Clad Guards, has personally come to Taicang County, intending to arrest me?"
"That's right!"
Zheng Qiuyan nodded solemnly: "Young Master Chen, you must not be careless. The Black-Clad Guards are full of powerful experts, and Commander Li Gang is a second-rank expert. He is by no means an easy opponent."
"A second-grade martial artist?"
Chen Dao, however, remained expressionless. He was no longer the impoverished boy who had no power to protect himself.
If it were the old Chen Dao, upon hearing that a second-rank martial artist had personally come to arrest him, he would probably have fled in panic long ago.
And now...
Chen Dao was not afraid of a second-rank martial artist at all!
"Fortunately, both Old Li and Uncle Li came with me this time!"
Zheng Qiuyan seemed oblivious to Chen Dao's reaction and continued, "With Uncle Li around, your safety shouldn't be a problem."
"Old Li? Uncle Li?"
Chen Dao looked puzzled.
Zheng Qiuyan explained, "Old Li's name is Li Mingyuan. You should have heard of this name."
"Li Mingyuan?"
Chen Dao's eyes widened suddenly. He was no longer the ignorant and uninformed boy he was when he first transmigrated. He had naturally heard of Li Mingyuan, a name known to almost everyone in Kyushu.
Li Mingyuan, the former prime minister of the Xia Kingdom, was a moral exemplar revered by impoverished scholars in the Xia Kingdom.
Li Mingyuan served as an official for many years, remaining incorruptible and alone. He never embezzled a single tael of silver, dedicating himself solely to the well-being of the people of Xia. He never even considered his own marriage.
How can one not admire such a person?
Not only students from poor families, but also many ordinary people praised Li Mingyuan's good reputation. As far as Chen Dao knew, many people in Qingzhou still enshrined longevity tablets of Li Mingyuan in their homes to commemorate his merits in governing Qingzhou.
If this were on Earth in my previous life, a person like Li Mingyuan would definitely be a moral exemplar who would be remembered for all time.
In the Xia Kingdom...
Li Mingyuan's reputation can be described as mixed. In the eyes of poor students and the working class, Li Mingyuan is a bodhisattva who saves people from suffering and a first-class good official.
In the eyes of powerful families, Li Mingyuan was a demon who tore at their flesh and blood; they wished they could devour his flesh and blood alive.
Unfortunately... in the Xia Kingdom, those who control public opinion are often scholars from powerful families. As a result, many ordinary people who are unaware of the truth are often misled and, under the guidance of the powerful families, regard Li Mingyuan as a corrupt official who does all kinds of evil. Therefore, even though Li Mingyuan is wholeheartedly for the people, his reputation among the people is still mixed.
Only those people who benefited from Li Mingyuan's rule knew how good he was; as for the rest of the people... most of them regarded Li Mingyuan as an evil official.
This is the tragedy of this country. A good official who is conscientious and dedicated to serving the people is slandered and his reputation is damaged because he offended a powerful family. How tragic is this?
Fortunately, during Li Mingyuan's tenure, he promoted countless students from impoverished families. These students, grateful for Li Mingyuan's promotion, would spontaneously spread his deeds, which prevented Li Mingyuan's reputation from becoming completely infamous among the people.
Chen Dao, who knew about Li Mingyuan's deeds, had great respect for him. A person who was not greedy for money or lustful, who never embezzled a single tael of silver or took a wife or concubine even when he was in the high position of prime minister, and who was devoted to the people, must have been a person who had transcended vulgar interests and had lofty aspirations.
At least Chen Dao believed that if he were in Li Mingyuan's position, he would never have been able to be as incorruptible as Li Mingyuan.
This is what Chen Dao admires most about Li Mingyuan. Everyone has desires; some are greedy for money, some are lustful, and some are fond of fame. Li Mingyuan certainly had his own desires, but he was able to restrain them and work tirelessly to find a way for the people to survive.
It can be said that Li Mingyuan was not a saint, but he accomplished something that even saints might not be able to do.
How can such a person not command respect!
"Are you sure it's Li Mingyuan, the former prime minister Li Mingyuan?"
Chen Dao stared wide-eyed and asked Zheng Qiuyan incredulously.
He never imagined that such a person would personally come to Chenjia Village.
"Exactly."
Zheng Qiuyan nodded: "Old Li is my father's teacher. He happened to be in the county town this time. After learning that the Black-Clad Guards had arrived, he came to Chenjia Village with me."
He was actually the teacher of Prefect Zheng?
Chen Dao was even more surprised. He never expected that Zheng Qing, the prefect, and the former prime minister would have such a master-disciple relationship.
"But……"
Chen Dao suddenly remembered something and frowned, saying, "I heard that when Prime Minister Li was dismissed, the powerful families in the capital launched a manhunt for him. Logically speaking, Prime Minister Li should have been dead long ago, right?"
This information was obtained by Chen Dao from a merchant who had been to Jingzhou and thus knew about the time when Li Mingyuan was hunted down by powerful families.
In fact, even without news of that businessman, Chen Dao could roughly guess Li Mingyuan's fate.
Throughout Chinese history, those who spearheaded reforms never met a good end. Figures like Shang Yang and Zhang Juzheng, while their reforms certainly boosted the nation's strength, inevitably infringed upon the interests of many established aristocratic families, ultimately leading to their untimely demise.
People like Zhang Juzheng, whose property was confiscated after his death, were considered lucky. Shang Yang's fate was truly tragic. He was captured on his way back to his fiefdom and then subjected to the cruel torture of being torn apart by five horses, ultimately dying...
Li Mingyuan did the same things as Zhang Juzheng and Shang Yang, so it's not hard to imagine that his fate wouldn't be much better.
"Old Li is not dead."
Zheng Qiuyan shook her head and said, "The powerful families in the capital have indeed launched a manhunt for Elder Li, wishing they could tear him to pieces, but..."