After being divorced, my identity as a poet was exposed

The Shence Army led by Zhao Hanyue stopped outside a small mountain village.

There are only seven households in the village.

Heavy snowfall.

into the night.

The doors of these seven households were tightly closed, and the lights were originally on. However, when the army arrived and the dogs in the village barked wildly, all the lights went out.

The farmers were anxious in the darkness.

They were afraid that soldiers who came from nowhere would break into their shabby hut and steal the little food they had left.

Zhao Hanyue stood at the entrance of the village and watched the lights go out, and the light in her eyes seemed to go out as well.

She had originally planned to go into the village to see the farmers and ask them how they were doing, but she did not take another step forward.

Standing behind her besides Amu and Zhui Ming was Han Donglin, the commander of the 100,000-strong Shen Ce Army.

Han Donglin, who was short but looked strong, looked at Zhao Hanyue at this moment, and a hint of sympathy flashed in his eyes.

"Your Highness, please return to the tent."

Zhao Hanyue took a deep breath, turned around, lowered her head, and walked towards the tent.

"Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival. When I was in the palace, I heard that every Lantern Festival, thousands of households in Zhao State would hang up lanterns and celebrate lively..."

"I know the Four Winds City is very lively."

"There are floats, lantern riddles, and literary gatherings held by literati. The Book Mountain is even more lively."

"I once asked my father, is it like this in every place in our Zhao State?"

"My father smiled and said to me... From the capital to the countryside, from high officials to the common people, everyone in Zhao State is living a very good life."

"Even the most remote villages will be very lively during such festivals."

"I agree with this deeply and am proud of the Yue Kingdom."

"Especially when I went to Ningguo with my mentor three years ago... I saw the miserable lives of the people of Ningguo along the way, and I felt more and more that Zhao was great."

"I think the people of Zhao are lucky."

"Although there has been a major upheaval in the political situation of our Zhao State, I also think that only the people of Sifeng City have been affected."

"After all, the war has not yet started, so the people should still be living a good life."

"But from Four Winds City to Blackwater City, and then from Blackwater City to here..."

Zhao Hanyue looked up at the sky.

It was pitch dark.

Snow fell on her tired face.

"I was wrong!"

"Either my father deceived me, or those ministers deceived my father."

"How can the people of Zhao State have the happy life they claim? The people of Zhao State...are no more than cattle and horses!"

"On my way here, I saw with my own eyes the houses that collapsed in the heavy snow, and the children who cried silently in hunger and cold."

"And those parents who were holding their children's already cold bodies, their eyes helpless, lifeless, and without any desire to live."

"I wanted to help them, but the look in their eyes when they looked at me was not of help or gratitude, but of fear and resentment!"

Walking into the central army commander's tent, Zhao Hanyue sat in front of a small table, stretched out his hand and said:

"Perhaps this is what he meant when he said that the country does not know that it has its people, so the people do not know that they have a country either."

“People standing on high places have their eyes on the sky. They never look down, but they don’t know that the platform they are standing on is supported by the shoulders of hundreds of millions of people.”

"The platform is too heavy, and the people are getting weaker and weaker. Sooner or later, there will be a day when they can no longer hold on or are unwilling to hold on, and the platform will surely collapse..."

"By then, all those once arrogant officials, including the emperor... will fall from their high platforms."

"Either you'll be smashed to pieces, or... you'll be trampled to death by the angry people!" Amu was sitting next to Zhao Hanyue. At this time, he looked up at Zhao Hanyue with surprise in his eyes.

He had not expected that the princess, after going through so many hardships and walking so many paths, could actually comprehend such a profound truth.

This is quite similar to something Li Chenan once said.

For example, Li Chenan once said that water can carry a boat but can also capsize it, and the people are the foundation of a country.

He said that the people are the towering tree!
As for the royal family and officials, they are nothing more than insects parasitic on this big tree!

The more you exploit the people, the faster this big tree will wither.

When the tree collapsed, all the parasites on it were killed.

Therefore, whether a country is strong or not does not depend on how much silver is in its treasury, nor on how powerful its army is.

It depends on...how much money the people of this country have in their pockets and whether their lives are truly happy!
It depends on whether the people of this country stand up straight!
Whether they are emperors or officials, they are parasites on the big tree of the people, absorbing the nutrients of the big tree. All they have to do is to make the big tree grow healthier and more vigorously.

Instead of just asking for things greedily!
That's self-destruction!

History has been repeating itself in this way and will continue to repeat itself.

I remember Qiu Balou asked Li Chenan how to break this vicious circle. Li Chenan pondered for a few breaths, shook his head and said there was no solution.

Because those who hold power will eventually become greedy!

Han Donglin also looked at Zhao Hanyue with surprise. As the commander-in-chief of the 100,000-strong Shen Ce Army, what he was thinking about was how to make this army invincible. He didn't know much about people's livelihood.

Hearing what Zhao Hanyue said at this moment overturned his cognition.

How can the people be that big tree?

It’s the emperor!
All the land within the four seas belongs to the king, and all the people within the four seas are the king's subjects. The entire country belongs to the emperor, and the people and those civil and military officials should depend on the emperor for their existence!
But when I think about it carefully, what His Highness said seems to make some sense.

"Your Highness, I don't think it will be that serious."

"Our Zhao State is just in a downward trend right now. When Your Highness makes a great effort to turn the tide...after the Crown Prince ascends the throne and provides support to the people, I think things will gradually get better."

"I have heard my brother talk about Ningguo many times. Ji Tai has been in power for twenty years, and Ningguo has been on a downward trend for twenty years."

"You see, the people of Ningguo have managed to survive. Although there have been many bandit problems in the country, they have not led to major civil unrest."

"No matter what, the foundation of our Zhao State is much stronger than that of Ning State, but..."

"I think the court can't take care of the people right now. First, the officials are not at ease at this time. Second, food and grass need to be supplied to the army for war. So the people have to tighten their belts."

Zhao Hanyue looked at Han Donglin and said, "The people of Ningguo did survive. This is because after Ji Tai fell, Li Chenan appeared in Ningguo!"

"You don't know him. Actually, I don't know much about him either."

"But I know that he has given the people of Ningguo a glimmer of hope since he became the regent two years ago."

"I don't know much about what he did after he ascended the throne, but the biggest difference between him and the emperors of all dynasties in various countries is..."

"He doesn't have the pride of being an emperor!"

"He is close to the people, closer to the people than any other emperor in history, and he understands the people's sufferings and needs better than any other emperor!"

"So... the policies he issued were for the benefit of the people of Ningguo!"

"He has only been on the throne for a short time, but I firmly believe that within three to five years, Ningguo will become the most powerful country in the Central Plains!"

Han Donglin didn't quite believe it.

"Your Highness, I believe that... after we have quelled the civil strife and eliminated the Zen sect, and when the crown prince becomes emperor... our Zhao Kingdom should not be weaker than the Ning Kingdom!"

Prince...

Zhao Hanyue thought of Crown Prince Zhao Lun.

By now Zhao Lun should have arrived at Blackstone Castle, right?
As for if this younger brother really becomes the emperor of Zhao in the future, can he compare with Li Chenan?
Zhao Hanyue didn't have too many expectations.

I just hope that Zhao State can live in harmony with Ning State in the future. This may be the best.

But this younger brother seems to be a little arrogant. (End of this chapter)