Chapter 210

"Your Majesty may already know what became of our Great Ming after twenty thousand of our imperial clan perished fighting beyond the passes!"

"The people of the realm stand united, heart and soul."

"Is it because these twenty thousand of the imperial clan died with such sorrow to protect the Zhu family's realm?!"

"No!"

"This is to protect the realm itself, not to protect the realm of a single surname!"

"Why have the later emperors of Great Ming been unable to open the seas?!"

"I beg Your Majesty to ask our Great Ming's later emperors: when they opened the seas, what was their purpose?!"

"Was it truly for the common people of the realm?!"

"Why could a mere ancestral decree bind the emperors of later generations?!"

"Because what he truly cared about was not the common people of the realm, but his own filial reputation! He cared only for the clear name the scholar-officials of later generations would give him!"

"Thus, ruler and minister are one body; how can the hidden dragon not remain in the abyss!"

Huang Zicheng, standing behind Su Qiao, was so shocked he could not speak.

"Su Qiao! You!"

"The ruler receives the Mandate of Heaven; the minister governs the people; this has existed since ancient times!"

Su Qiao stared fiercely at Huang Zicheng and roared,

"The people are not livestock; why must they be herded?!"

"Since the times of Yao and Shun, which dynasty did not share the realm with the scholar-officials!?"

"Then since the times of Yao and Shun, which dynasty did not see its nation fall and its family destroyed?!"

Every word Su Qiao spoke rang with weight and force.

Huang Zicheng stood frozen in place, unable to speak for a long time.

Su Qiao took a deep breath and looked at Zhu Yuanzhang, speaking clearly,

"If our Great Ming wishes for the national fortune to flourish long."

"If Your Majesty wishes for the common people of the realm to never again suffer the horrors of war."

"There is only one strategy."

"That is to share the realm with the people!"

"Truly and genuinely share the realm with the people!"

Su Qiao's words echoed in Zhu Yuanzhang's mind.

They also echoed in Jiajing's mind.

Indeed!

Since Yao and Shun, every dynasty sharing the realm with the scholar-officials is true.

But which dynasty did not fall?!

Must Great Ming truly tread their old path?

Beneath the Fengtian Sect, Huang Zicheng slowly rose to his feet, looking coldly at Su Qiao and smiling,

"If we follow Lord Su's words, then abandon the Way of Confucius and Mencius, abolish the imperial examination system, and have the realm publicly elect the prefectural governors, will the realm then flourish forever?"

"Publicly elect the prefectural governors?"

This proposal was not entirely unheard of in the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Guo, Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall and Vice Grand Secretary of the Grand Secretariat during the Wanli reign, once, in a fit of pique over the dispute regarding the heir apparent, wrote over ten thousand words suggesting Wanli summon the common people of the realm to publicly elect the Head Grand Secretary.

It was merely turned into a joke by Zhu Yijun at the time.

Hearing Huang Zicheng's words, a smile inevitably appeared on Su Qiao's face.

"Publicly elect the prefectural governors, Lord Huang; why must we publicly elect the prefectural governors?"

Huang Zicheng stuck out his neck and spoke clearly,

"If we keep the path of the imperial examinations, how can we share the realm with the people?"

"If Lord Su truly wants our Great Ming to share the realm with the people, then naturally the ruler must authorize the people, and the people must elect officials to govern!"

"If the power of all prefectural governors in the realm comes solely from above, how can that count as sharing the realm with the people?!"

"Or does Lord Su merely wish to move his lips, speak a few pretty words? Anyone can do that!"

"If it were me, I could tell Lord Su right now that our Great Ming already shares the realm with the people; save your breath!"

Hearing this,

Su Qiao could not help but throw his head back and laugh loudly.

"Absurd!"

"What do you wish to say?"

"That power is only responsible to that so-called goddamn source, the superior?"

"If so, the minister's power comes from the ruler, and the clerk's power comes from the minister."

"Then among all the ministers in the realm, are there no treacherous ministers, no sycophantic ministers?"

"Since all clerks originate from the chief official, do the clerks not then constrain the chief official?"

"The world is bustling; I have heard of those who strive for fame, and I have heard of those who strive for profit."

"But I have never, ever heard of anyone striving for their superior!"

"If the realm publicly elects the prefectural governors, and the people can all be like the scholar-officials, then will there still be scholar-officials in the realm?"

"If we publicly elect the prefectural governors, and all those chosen are scholar-officials, then what use is there in publicly electing them or not?"

The corners of Huang Zicheng's mouth twitched slightly twice.

Then he stared fiercely at Su Qiao and asked,

"Then how do you wish for Great Ming to share the world with the common people?"

"Issue orders from the Fengtian Sect; let the Fengtian Sect officials govern by serving the people!"

Finally, Su Qiao turned his head, looking at Zhu Yuanzhang before him, and spoke loudly.

"In the Jiajing reign, if one wishes to break the sea ban, only the Son of Heaven can wield the great righteousness of the people to control the officials!"

Huang Zicheng's face turned red with anger, and he immediately detected the flaw in the question.

He pointed at Su Qiao's nose and roared.

"Issue orders from the Fengtian Sect; let the Fengtian Sect officials govern by serving the people, but where is the ruler?"

"If this is the case, is the ruler still a ruler?"

"Your Majesty, I petition to execute this beast immediately, so he does not spread demonic words to confuse the masses!"

Hearing Huang Zicheng's words.

Su Qiao felt only contempt in his heart.

The words that needed to be said.

He had already finished saying them.

Whether to listen or not depends solely on Old Zhu.

Old Zhu stared fiercely at Su Qiao and asked.

"Su Qiao, Huang Zicheng is not wrong; let the Fengtian Sect officials govern by serving the people, but where is the ruler?"

Su Qiao silently sized up Zhu Yuanzhang and said.

"Your Majesty, is the ruler not the people?"

"The rulers of Great Ming in later generations will all strip the marrow from the world's bones and scatter the world's sons and daughters to indulge their own lusts and pleasures."

"The world will surely perish!"

"Great Ming has no ruler, but the foundation Your Majesty has laid can still endure for ten thousand generations!"

"How can one find a way to satisfy both sides in this world?"

"The Zhu family and Great Ming; Your Majesty can only protect one!"

"Your subject has spoken; your subject takes his leave!"

Having said this, Su Qiao swept his sleeve and left.

Leaving only Huang Zicheng staring at Su Qiao with his mouth agape.

"You... Su Qiao! Do you still have Your Majesty in your eyes? Did Your Majesty allow you to leave? Where are you going?"

Su Qiao did not even turn his head back, and snorted coldly.

"Going home to wait for death!"

Having said this, Su Qiao walked out of the Fengtian Sect without the slightest hesitation in his steps.