A son who doesn't resemble his father? Love you, old man, see you at Xuanwu Gate!

Chapter 307 Yao and Shun
The moon sets and the stars fade.

Mo Zimo, Huo Guang, and Chen Mo left the Prime Minister's residence.

Or rather, he was driven out by Gongsun Hong.

Mozi and Huo Guang were already quite familiar with national policies and affairs; the next step was to put them into practice.

Chen Mo even skipped the prelude and went straight into practice, and performed exceptionally well.

After passing on the "Yin Fu Jing," the "Map of 1,800 Lords," and "The World" to his three main disciples, Gongsun Hong felt there was nothing more to teach them.

So, they left their disciples to fend for themselves.

Looking back at the gate of the mansion, Mo Zimo and Huo Guang were filled with emotion. They looked at each other and all their words were summed up in five words.

"We've completed our training."

Unlike his two senior brothers' complicated emotions, Chen Mo, as the true last disciple of the Gongsun family, felt nothing at all. "Do you two senior brothers have a place to go? If not, you can stay at my Chen family's house."

As soon as he finished speaking, Mo Zimo and Huo Guang looked over, their expressions indescribable.

As a descendant of the Mohist sage and the younger brother of the Grand Marshal and General, how could he not have a place to live in Chang'an?

It should be noted that after the old master emerged from seclusion, all the skills of the Mohist school were sold to the imperial court in a package. The imperial court, in accordance with the emperor's decree, purchased them all for one-tenth of their value.

Mozi Mo did not know how much money the entire Mo family's skills had sold for. He only knew that after taking the blame for the destruction of the sage family, the Kong family, and redeeming himself with money, the Mo family members still had enough money to last ten lifetimes.

However, before entering the "Han Zao Yuan" (Han Dynasty Imperial Workshop), the old master donated the vast majority of his wealth to the imperial court to help the poor and needy people of the Han Dynasty. Only a small portion was used to provide for the living expenses of the Mohist disciples.

Mo Zimo acquired a residence.

As for Huo Guang...

Huo Qubing made unparalleled contributions in Hexi, and was one of only two ministers in the world to be called "the Emperor". The Emperor personally selected a magnificent mansion for him, which was called "Wanjun Mansion".

However, Huo Qubing disliked ostentation and did not like living in those luxurious mansions. He preferred military camps and rarely resided in Chang'an.

After the incident with Gongsun He, the Wei family relatives disappeared from public view, including the mother Wei Shao'er and the stepfather Chen Zhangquan's family. The huge Wanjun Mansion remained idle.

On his birthday last time, Huo Qubing wrote to him, gifting him the Wan Jun Mansion.

In principle, it would be highly disrespectful for Huo Qubing to reciprocate a gift from the emperor, but to some extent, Huo Qubing embodied the principle itself.

After learning of this, the emperor not only did not punish him, but also ordered the expansion of the Grand Marshal's headquarters.

Wan Jun Mansion thus became Huo Guang's residence in the capital.

As it was the residence of a feudal lord, its extravagance far surpassed that of the Chen family's residence, which had been held by feudal lords for generations.

"I was overthinking it."

Chen Mo's lips twitched slightly. "How do you two senior brothers plan to fulfill our master's instructions?"

Given His Majesty's wicked nature, it's difficult for him to maintain his dignity. To request His Majesty to abdicate without resorting to petty tricks, we must employ sophisticated methods. Mo Zimo looked at Huo Guang, who made no attempt to hide anything. The power struggle hadn't even begun yet; for now, they were still the best of fellow disciples in the world.

"Yao ruled the world for fifty years, yet he did not know whether the world was well-governed or not. He did not know whether the millions of people wished to support him or not. He consulted those around him, but they did not know either."

He asked the officials in the outer court, but they knew nothing. He asked those in the countryside, but they knew nothing. So Yao, disguised, strolled along the main street and heard a children's rhyme: "Establish my people, none are without limit, they know nothing, they obey the Emperor without reason." Yao was pleased and asked, "Who taught you to say this?" The child replied, "I heard it from the officials." Yao asked the officials, who said, "It's an ancient poem."

When Yao returned to the palace, he summoned the emperor and offered him the throne, which Shun accepted without hesitation.

Gazing at the rising sun at dawn, Huo Guang recited these words.

This is a quote from the "Zhongni" chapter of the "Liezi".

The abdication of Yao, Shun, and Yu can be considered one of the most beautiful parts of ancient history. As the rulers of China, Yao and Shun did not pass the throne to their sons and grandsons, but instead gave it to a virtuous and capable person, creating a beautiful story that has been passed down through the ages.

However, discerning people who have seen it are often surprised at first, followed by breaking out in a cold sweat.

Yao ruled the world for fifty years, yet he did not know how well the world was being governed, nor did he know whether the people were willing to support him. He asked those around him, but they did not know. He asked the officials outside the palace, but they did not know either. He asked the elders who did not hold office, but they still did not know.

This forced Yao to dress in the clothes of a commoner and travel along the main roads to inquire about the situation. He then heard a children singing a folk song that said, "You provide us with plenty of food and clothing, simply because those in power have done an excellent job. We have nothing to worry about and simply follow the natural laws of Heaven." Yao was delighted and asked the children where the folk song came from. The children replied that they had heard it from a high-ranking official. Yao then asked the official, who said it was an ancient poem. Yao returned to the palace and summoned Shun, offering him the throne. Shun accepted it without hesitation.

Extremely weird.

Yao was very concerned about his performance in governing the country. In other words, Yao cared a lot about power. However, Yao did not know even basic information such as whether the harvest was good, how many wars there were, and how much the population increased or decreased. He asked his close ministers, court officials, and elders, but did not get the answers he wanted. This man who cared so much about power, after hearing a nursery rhyme on the street, went back and gave his position to Shun, who accepted it without hesitation.

This only confirms a terrible truth: Yao, who knew nothing about state affairs, was completely sidelined. Even his eyes and ears were blocked. He not only lost all sources of information, but he also had no one of his own around him, not even anyone to tell him the truth.

For many years, Yao was sidelined, his political life ended long ago, and he was no longer able to participate in decision-making.

The nursery rhyme "Not knowing, not understanding, and following the emperor's will" is an intentional arrangement, implying that since you know nothing, you might as well go with the flow and hand over the position. After all, what's the point of keeping the position if you have no power?

Whether Your Majesty possesses the same awareness as Emperor Yao or not, the failed attempt to restore the monarchy has left you in a similar predicament. Now, their task is to awaken this awareness in Your Majesty and create a new and enduring legend.

Chen Mo understood and said cryptically, "His Majesty is seriously ill and cannot leave the Divine Dragon Palace."

The part about asking questions from left to right can be fabricated. Besides, His Majesty has asked his subjects many times about how he is governing, so how did that nursery rhyme reach His Majesty's ears?
“I’ll do it,” Mo Zimo replied.

The Shenlong Hall is located in the East Hall of Changle Palace, which is relatively close to the palace wall, making it easy for children to find and for the Mo family to relay messages.

“His Majesty has been losing his senses lately,” Chen Mo said again.

Pretending to be deaf and dumb is something His Majesty is very good at. What if you hear a nursery rhyme but pretend you didn't hear it?

"His Majesty will hear us," Huo Guang replied this time.

If nursery rhymes cannot be heard, then what about magnificent prose?

Chen Mo paused for a moment, then said, "I'll make it famous throughout the world!"

(End of this chapter)