Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 143 Young Master Jia's Breakdown, Snow Maiden's Question
"who?"

In the Jade Flower Pavilion, Young Master Jia's face darkened, and his gaze wandered around the room. His silent appearance here was enough to make him treat him with caution.

"Is it important?"

No one appeared, but their voices reached their ears.

Gongzi Jia tightened his grip. Such unorthodox remarks were tantamount to rebellion to him, and he was certain that the other party was definitely not from the State of Zhao.

"Isn't it important?"

After a moment of silence, Gongzi Jia asked a question in return.

Everyone has their own perspective and opinions on different issues. Never expect others to empathize with you.

Just like him, as the eldest prince of Zhao, he only considers issues from his own perspective and from the perspective of Zhao.

We can't expect a prince of Zhao to see things from Qin's perspective, can we?
Therefore, in this young master's view, who the person is is very important.

"Zhao State's Three Sheep Village".

The man seemed to have guessed what the young master was thinking, and his calm voice shattered all of the young master's illusions.

Gongzi Jia frowned.

Sanyang Village—he felt like he'd heard of this place somewhere before.

Suddenly, he noticed the girl standing to the side, and his eyes narrowed involuntarily. Yao Yi and Xiao Lin seemed to be from Sanyang Village.

I'm very sorry about what happened in Sanyang Village.

Gongzi Jia sighed softly, then bowed and clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said in a deep voice.

Upon hearing Gongzi Jia's words, the two girls inside the room sighed softly. The tragedy of Sanyang Village was actually a microcosm of the chaotic world.

"It was the Flying Tiger Stronghold that made the move. There are notorious bandits in Zhao State, and most of the people in the stronghold are from Zhao State. They put knives to the necks of Zhao State people."

"The revenge has been taken; all the bandits of Flying Tiger Stronghold have been wiped out."

Upon hearing the other party's calm words, Gongzi Jia's brows twitched twice, as if life and death were commonplace in that person's eyes.

Upon hearing this, Yao Yi's expression changed slightly.

When she left Daicheng with Xiaolin's uncle, Feihu Village was still a place where people roamed the mountains and forests, and they were very arrogant. However, the soldiers and officers of Daicheng seemed to have never heard of these people and had no intention of dealing with them.

Unexpectedly, less than half a year later, this group of people was completely wiped out by Xiu Yuan.

“I have been to Daicheng, where a large number of soldiers are stationed, guarding this important border city. But these generals turn a blind eye to the bandits under their rule, allowing them to burn, kill, and plunder, driving people from nearby villages into Daicheng, and then turning them into bricks and tiles of this fortified city.”

The truth is always cruel. Most people in the court probably know about this, but no one has ever mentioned it. These bandits, who were deliberately ignored by the court, were actually just hunting dogs they released to drive the people to the front lines and make them turn their flesh and blood into bricks and tiles of the city wall.

Upon hearing this, the Snow Woman felt a pang of anxiety; she had never imagined that the truth would be like this.

"Is the State of Zhao following the path of justice?"

Gongzi Jia remained silent.

He had heard about the situation in Daicheng. During the war, people were allowed to enter but not leave, in order to ensure that there were enough troops to defend the city.

"They did not sacrifice themselves in vain; they had their own families behind them!"

Upon hearing Gongzi Jia's words, the voice continued to come.

"As far as I know, those people have no relatives left. Most of them are the lucky survivors of the village, the few survivors in the entire village, who have gone through countless hardships to come to the city."

"They probably never understood why, even after escaping the bandits' massacre of their village and arriving at the imperial court's sanctuary, they still had to die. In truth, these people weren't lucky at all; they were the most tragic. They didn't die at the hands of the bandits, but rather at the hands of the people they trusted most—an imperial court that prided itself on being righteous!"

Gongzi Jia's face turned very ugly, but he couldn't say a word. This was indeed a tactic used by some generals in the army.

"As for protecting one's own family, it's more accurate to say that we are protecting this incomparably luxurious city of Handan, protecting these decadent and dissolute court nobles, protecting that king who should have been torn to pieces long ago, and the entire royal family that is corrupt and only thinks about its own interests."

Suddenly, a murderous intent appeared, and Gongzi Jia felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, as if he had been thrown into an ice cave in the twelfth lunar month. His blood seemed to freeze, and he didn't even dare to blink, for fear that someone would suddenly appear from nowhere and behead him.

"Power, desire, selfishness, and arrogance have always been the essence of every dynasty. It's just a matter of one dynasty finishing its act and another taking the stage, another grand drama with the same old wine in new bottles."

"When a dynasty prospers, the people suffer; when a dynasty falls, the people suffer!"

With a sigh tinged with emotion, Gongzi Jia let out a long sigh.

"What a fine saying! When the country prospers, the people suffer; when the country falls, the people suffer!"

"I don't deny that what you said does exist, but have you ever thought about it? If it weren't for the State of Zhao, how could the fierce armies of other countries have spared the people of Zhao after they invaded Zhao?"

A moment later, the sound came again.

"So this is the justice of Zhao?? The justice of the prince?"

"Have you ever thought about who those armored warriors on the battlefield are? Mencius once said in the Mencius, Book 7, Part 2: 'The people are the most important, the state is next, and the ruler is the least important.'"

"When a ruler only thinks about his own country and treats the people as disposable commodities, that country is destined not to last long. If the dark plans in the border cities were to spread, do you think the men of Zhao would still be willing to take up their swords and rush to the battlefield?"

"If a ruler treats his ministers as his hands and feet, then the ministers will treat the ruler as their heart and soul; if a ruler treats his ministers as dogs and horses, then the ministers will treat the ruler as a fellow countryman; if a ruler treats his ministers as dirt and weeds, then the ministers will treat the ruler as an enemy."

"Often, just a tiny spark is enough to obliterate the entire Zhao state."

Upon hearing this, Gongzi Jia felt uneasy. The other party's words not only made his face burn, but were also words that struck at his heart.

"Today, you came to see Miss Xue Nu, claiming to be acting out of righteousness. But in my opinion, this righteousness is nothing but hypocrisy. To make a girl sacrifice everything for your own selfish desires—is this justice? Perhaps it should be called absurd!!"

A glint of light flashed in the Snow Woman's eyes.

"Your Highness's aloofness, treating the State of Zhao as your own possession and not allowing others to touch it, has long shown that you believe the State of Zhao is merely the State of the Zhao clan, not the State of the Zhao people."

"To satisfy your own selfish desires, don't make your entry into the palace sound so righteous. The people of Zhao don't owe your royal family anything; on the contrary, it is your royal family that owes all the people of Zhao."

"Back then, Bai Qi massacred 400,000 surrendered soldiers of the Zhao state. Who was the culprit? Was it the general named Zhao Kuo? In my opinion, not only Zhao Kuo should atone with his death, but also King Xiaocheng of Zhao—Zhao Dan."

Gongzi Jia's face flushed, he slammed his hand on the table, and stood up abruptly.

"Bold!!"

"To speak ill of the former king is a crime deserving of execution!!"

The voice was soft and gentle, seemingly unchanged. "Does my lord know why the wind howls incessantly every night on the battlefield of Changping? It is the mournful cry of the spirits of four hundred thousand Zhao soldiers, all awaiting an explanation from the royal family."

Gongzi Jia's eyes narrowed, and he clenched his fists again. He had never imagined that he would feel so powerless in the face of someone's rebuttal.

"you!!"

Do you think your father has done right by the soldiers who fought on the front lines?

After a long while, a gentle breeze blew by, and the half-closed window creaked. There was no further sound in the room, and the sound abruptly stopped.

Gongzi Jia stood there, his face ashen. He didn't look at Xue Nu and Yao Yi again, and turned to leave.

Watching the other person's departing figure, Xue Nu and Yao Yi's eyes held a strange look.

"girl."

After a long while, Yao Yi finally came to her senses, turned to look at the Snow Maiden, and whispered in disbelief.

"It seems he was angered by his benefactor and left."

Got angry?
Upon hearing those three words, the Snow Woman suddenly smiled, but then she remembered what the boy had said earlier, and her beautiful eyes were filled with a strange expression.

Although she was a girl, she was aware of the greater good of the nation and its people. What the boy said was something new and exciting not only for her but for everyone in this era.

While the decision-makers are indeed most responsible for the defeat in a war, she never imagined that a king would commit suicide.

He knew he couldn't win the argument against Xiu Yuan.

Yao Yi pouted and nodded thoughtfully.

Then another voice rang in their ears.

"He knows he is in the wrong. The clichés he spouts are nothing more than words to fool ordinary people. A truly wise ruler would not be like him. If a wise ruler encounters difficulties, the people will spontaneously come to his aid without even needing to persuade him. That kind of country is truly invincible."

Xue Nu and Yao Yi turned around and saw a figure leaning against the wall, looking calmly toward the gate. Who else could it be but Xiu Yuan?

They had thought Xiu Yuan had already left! They never expected that the young man hadn't gone.

"Xiao Yi, close the door!"

The Snow Maiden turned to Yao Yi and gave her an instruction.

Yao Yi nodded and walked over quickly. She glanced around at the door and saw that Gongzi Jia had left Yuhua Pavilion without looking back. She couldn't help but sigh softly.

This patriotic young master didn't seem to be as he'd imagined. The Zhao state he was worried about wasn't the Zhao state she envisioned, but rather the Zhao state with the surname Zhao.

Xiu Yuan was right before. People at the bottom of society don't care whether the country belongs to the Zhao or Guo family. They just want to be fed and clothed.

"Hey~~"

When the truth was revealed, it touched this young girl deeply. She realized that everyone is selfish, even those seemingly patriotic young men.

"Is Xiuyuan a Confucian?"

The words he had just spoken made Xue Nu somewhat suspicious that the young man in front of her was from the Confucian school, since he had quoted Mencius earlier, and Mencius was a representative of the Confucian school.

Xiu Yuan shook his head.

If someone were a wanderer in the martial world, they would usually guess their origins upon seeing their skills. But this girl was different. She had always stayed in the Jade Flower Pavilion and knew very little about the affairs of the martial world. So even though he used the Taoist Heavenly Sect's Harmony with the World technique, she still couldn't guess his origins.

"It was just a coincidence that some of the things Mencius said had a profound impact on me."

The snow woman said "oh" and then nodded slightly.

After a while, Xue Nu spoke again and asked, "Does Xiu Yuan also think that not going to the palace is the right thing to do?"

Entering the palace was something she had always resisted, and this resistance had existed before, not just today.

The king in the palace was rumored to be extremely licentious, and in the end, he even made a courtesan his queen. Although she was not ashamed of her status, such behavior was too undignified for a king.

"Right and wrong are never fixed; it all depends on how the girl interprets them."

"Take the matter of entering the palace for example. From Gongzi Jia's perspective, it is indeed a worthwhile opportunity to take a chance. If the young lady can rise to a higher position, the reward for him will be enormous."

"But for the young lady, this opportunity is not good. Judging from our interactions, she is not a vain person. Compared to these things, she may be seeking inner peace. If she goes to the palace, she will lose far more than she gains, which is not worth it."

"From an outsider's perspective, Gongzi Jia's recommendation this time is nothing more than for his own selfish reasons, a means for him to realize his ambitions. I am not very interested in the affairs of the court. In the depths of power struggles, there are calculations everywhere, and some things simply cannot be brought to light."

After a moment of silence, the Snow Maiden suddenly spoke again, "Xiuyuan mentioned three perspectives. What is Xiuyuan's own opinion?"

Xiu Yuan frowned slightly and looked up.

Why do you ask that?

The Snow Maiden's gaze briefly met Xiu Yuan's before lowering again. She herself didn't know why, but she just wanted to ask.

"The royal palace is a place of trouble and a source of chaos. Since there are other options, let's not go there!"

The snow woman nodded gently.

"Miss, I don't think Young Master Jia is a good person!"

For some reason, Yao Yi suddenly spoke up.

Upon hearing Yao Yi's words, Xue Nu blinked, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"But didn't Xiaoyi say before that Gongzi Jia was a good person?"

Yao Yi shrugged.

“I always thought that Young Master Jia was a good young man who cared about the country and its people. But after hearing what my benefactor said just now, I suddenly realized that he was just like that. He was willing to sacrifice the young lady for his own position, so it’s hard to say that he wouldn’t sacrifice others. But we don’t owe him anything. The young lady earns more than enough money each month at Jade Flower Pavilion to buy the entire Jade Flower Pavilion. But we haven’t taken a single penny of that money.”

"Does the rise and fall of the Zhao state really have anything to do with us, the lowest of the low? Xiaolin and I have been wandering all this time. We've lost our home and our family, not because of the enemy, but because of our own people."

"Perhaps Xiaolin and I wouldn't be traitors, but to dedicate everything to a Zhao state that has given us nothing is something we simply cannot do."

"My benefactor is right. If a ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the ruler like an enemy."

(End of this chapter)