honor me as god

Chapter 754 Human Dignity
Ma Ban was born in a poor family in the countryside and didn't know much about slaves, so she answered truthfully: "I used to work in the countryside. There were no nobles there, and they were all poor commoners. No one could raise slaves."

"Later, I was transferred to Danyu City. I didn't stay there for a long time. The senior officials never invited me to their houses, so I didn't see their servants. After I came to the palace, I met some ministers' slaves."

Solandelle: "What do you think is the difference between slaves and nobles?"

Ma Ban thought for a while and said, "It's mainly wealth. The nobles are rich, but the slaves are poor."

Solandelle: "What else?"

Ma Ban: "Status? Aristocrats are high, slaves are low."

Solandelle: "What else?"

Ma Ban was asked for a while, speechless.

Looking at the lights in the distance, Solandelle said silently: "I may know more about slaves than you. Many servants around me are slaves, and I grew up in their service since I was a child."

"A few years ago when I visited Twilight City, I briefly made friends with a slave. When I got along with these people, my feelings were just like what you said. There is a difference in wealth and status between slaves and nobles. , but other than that, I don't see any difference."

"But things are strange here. I was taught since I was a child that slaves are animals, just like the cattle and sheep I raise. If I give them a little ration, they should work for me and work for me. If they make mistakes, they should be punished." , if slaves do something that displeases me, I can kill them at any time, as if we were not born of the same species."

"In addition to the slaves, the common people are the same. Compared with the nobles, they seem to be living in two worlds. The most ridiculous thing is that it is none other than these people who built this kingdom."

Solandelle pointed to the night-shrouded royal palace behind her, and said coldly: "Take the New Year's gifts you gave out today, the New Year's gifts that the ministers have received over the years are often several hundred catties of pastries, several A hundred catties of meat, hundreds of thousands of bolts of silk... where did these come from?"

"Farmers grow wheat, chefs make pastries, herdsmen raise pigs, cattle and sheep, and weavers weave silk and satin. Is any of those gifts from the nobles themselves? No, they all come from the labor of commoners or slaves.”

"Let's talk about wars. The military expenses for the two wars last year and this year were paid by the national treasury. Where did the treasury's money come from? The nobles paid it? The code stipulates that if there are officials of the main city level or above in the immediate family, the whole family can be exempted from taxes. burden."

"I have read the statistics specifically. The tax revenue from the aristocratic class in the national treasury is only 7%, which is less than [-]%! So where does the money in the national treasury come from? It is all handed over by the people at the bottom."

"Is it ridiculous? The wealthy dignitaries don't pay, but let those who can't even eat meat to share the tax of the entire kingdom! Nothing the nobles usually enjoy or use comes from the exploitation of the bottom! "

"That's why the code must deliberately distinguish between classes, because the so-called classes are established to protect the nobles. If there is no such class gap, the nobles will not be able to stand above them and continue to enjoy this kind of exploitation."

Ma Ban lowered her head and said silently: "But, Your Highness, have you ever thought about it? People are simple and stupid, even if they are given a chance, they may not succeed in life. This objective gap cannot be ignored."

Solandelle said heavily: "I know that there is a gap between people, and an absolutely fair world cannot exist. Even if one day the wealth of the entire kingdom is collected and distributed equally to everyone, it will be Wealth flows recreate class gaps because of differences in ability between individuals."

"Not to mention now, even after hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of years, this class gap may continue to exist. This objective fact is inevitable. But—"

Solandelle changed the topic, and there seemed to be a raging fire in her voice: "If this class gap is written into the code, and the existence of it is openly supported by the government, and people are deliberately divided into three, six, and nine classes, then it is wrong!"

Shocked by Solandelle's words, Ma Ban felt a little dazed for a while, and subconsciously said, "However, the classes distinguished by the code are the iron laws set by the Sun King, the "leader of the gods" himself."

Solandelle pointed to the sky, as if pointing at the existence above the sky, her voice seemed to penetrate the night: "Is what the gods say must be the truth?!"

Ma Ban only felt a hot current rising from the top of his head, running along his back to his whole body, he stared blankly at the person in front of him, this figure stood at the highest point of the royal city, so petite, but suddenly seemed to be bigger than anyone else , The lights of thousands of families in the distance are dimmed.

Solandelle put her hands on her heart, as if she was touching the artificial heart that did not belong to her: "I used to believe in gods, and I felt that what the gods said would not be wrong."

"But the more people I saw later, the more I felt wrong. Those slaves who were considered by the gods to be animals, I found that they were not animals, but all flesh and blood and thoughtful people."

Solandelle lowered her head, looked at the rags that had been tied around her wrists for several years, and said deeply: "The slave friend I briefly met in Twilight City was a girl about my age. She had read There are definitely not as many books as I have, but her understanding of the current situation, her criticism of various policies, and her profound thoughts were beyond my reach at the time."

"But there is such a person. When I was rich and well-fed all day long, she could only live in a slum, sleep with stray dogs, pick up garbage every day, drink raw water, and live like a human."

"Later she died, do you know why she died? It was because she was hungry, so she went to dig through the trash cans that the nobles put outside the house. Those nobles thought she was dirty, so they sent guards to catch her and hang her alive Died in the street."

Solandelle's eyes were already red when she said this, and tears flowed from her eyes, and she said hoarsely: "The person who was talking to me half an hour ago was executed by the nobles in the street because of such a little thing!"

"When she was hanged on the gallows, her eyes were tightly open. The soldiers from the Public Security Department were chatting and laughing with the noble family. Passers-by turned a blind eye to this. No one asked why she died, and no one cared about it. The gods have said that slaves are animals, they can be beaten and killed at will!"

"From that day on, I told myself in my heart - Solandelle, always remember this scene, you must never be like them. When you grow up, you must change the world and let everyone They can all live with dignity!"

(End of this chapter)