Thirty, Asking Advice from Xun Yu (Second Watch)

  There is also a third more, updated at 23:58 tonight.

  "Good day, Mr. Xun." Liu Bian bowed with his fist and made a courtesy, while Cai Yan also curtsied slightly.

  "Prince Wang is well, and so is Miss Yuan." The man with the surname Xun smiled brightly, as if the entire study had lit up, causing Liu Bian's heart to skip a beat.

  "I don't know what to call Mr. Xun, but isn't he a clansman of General Xun Yu?"

  Liu Bian was a bit curious, as there were not many people with the surname Xun in the Three Kingdoms. In the imperial court, apart from Shi Guang Xun Yu, there was also another official named Si Kong Xun Shuang, and no one else had the surname Xun.

  However, this person was not wearing court attire and obviously was not a high-ranking official in the imperial court. Among the famous scholars who could associate with Cai Yong, apart from one person remembered by Liu Bian, he couldn't think of anyone else with the surname Xun.

  "Xun Yu is Xun You's younger brother-in-law."

  The man burst out laughing, while Liu Bian was stunned, because this person turned out to be the Xun Yu he had guessed. Moreover, when Xun Yu said his name, the system immediately reminded him that the temporary task had started again.

  "Temporary task: Please ask Xun Yu to come out of retirement and assist me. Time limit is half a month."

  "Mission Reward: Increase combat power by a small level, 500 merit points, 20 faith points, and one set of internal skills."

  "Task Penalty: Reduce combat power by two small levels, deduct 1,000 merit points, and 40 faith points."

  Liu Bian has now learned to predict the difficulty of temporary tasks from task rewards and punishments. Obviously, this temporary task is not easy, and if you want to ask Xun Yu to come out and help yourself, Liu Bian doesn't have a grasp on it. After all, he's only thirteen or fourteen years old, with no power or influence in his hands. Although he may become the emperor in the future, for someone like Xun Yu who is unwilling to serve as an official and only hopes to wait for a wise ruler, it is extremely difficult to ask him for help.

  "It turned out to be Mr. Xun Yu, I've long heard Teacher speak of your deeds, now I finally get to see you in person, making Liu Bian's trip not in vain."

  "Your Excellency is overpraising, Xun Yu's name is not well-known, how would Cai Xuezhi mention it? On the contrary, it's Your Excellency's affair, I've heard some of it from my junior, he seems to deeply approve of Your Excellency."

  "This is all thanks to Lord Xun, but I have a question that has been puzzling me for some time. Today is a good opportunity to ask Mr. Xun for guidance, and I hope the master will not hesitate to enlighten me."

  "I dare not instruct you, Your Highness; if there's anything you're unsure about, let's discuss it together."

  "May I ask Mr. Xun, have you ever heard of the phrase 'the rise and fall of a country, every individual has a responsibility'? What does it mean?" Liu Bian asked straightforwardly.

  "The rise and fall of a nation is the responsibility of every individual."

  Xun Yu did not take Liu Bian's question to heart, for in his view, although Liu Bian was a prince and might even become the future emperor, he was just a child of ten or so, what insight could he possibly have?

  However, after hearing Liu Bian's words, he was stunned, and it should be said that he was shocked by Liu Bian's words, because this was something he had never heard of before, and it must have been thought up by Liu Bian himself.

  Nature, Xun Yu did not expect that Liu Bian's memory at this time was not just the original thirteen-year-old boy, but a university student who had received higher education two thousand years later, and the education and information he received far exceeded everything in this era.

  Don't say this sentence, it's even more famous quotes, Liu Bian can also say a lot of them, so in his opinion, a 13-year-old kid can say this, it's already hard for him to believe.

  "The rise and fall of a country is related to every individual, that is to say, the fate of a country is tied to each and every one of its citizens." Lord Wang's words were heard by Xun for the first time, so profound and with such deep meaning, they moved Xun to tears.

  "Yes, the meaning of this sentence is actually the easiest to understand. The rise and fall of a country has something to do with every single person in that country, from emperors and generals to ordinary people, everyone has an intimate relationship with the prosperity and decline of the country. Unfortunately, there are too few people who understand this truth."

  Today, the wind and rain are drifting away, and the beacons of war are rising all over the world. It's because from my emperor father to the common people, no one is willing to take responsibility for themselves, and no one can bear this responsibility. I wonder if Mr. Xun knows why?

  "Xun had also read the books of sages and worthies, and heard their words. He knew that the people were most important, the altar of the soil was next, and the ruler was light. However, this idea of Confucianism, when it came to reality, was fundamentally difficult to become a reality."

  Although the Han Dynasty's Emperor Wu only respected Confucianism, he also used it to govern the world, but did not fully emphasize the importance of the people. No wonder the common people thought that the Han Empire was the Liu family's property. The king's words were too subtle and profound, Xun Yu couldn't fully understand them, so he asked the king to enlighten him.

  "If all the people in the world could put the rise and fall of the country at heart, then the emperor would take the people as the foundation, with the welfare of the people as the foundation, the prime minister would take the people as the thought, governing the world for the benefit of the people as the purpose, the officials would take the country as the thought, to do their best to serve the king and bring peace to the people as the foundation, then all parts of the world can be greatly governed."

  Similarly, people all over the world will take production as their foundation and unity and patriotism as their duty, so that they can jointly march towards prosperity and live a happy and beautiful life.

  However, the Emperor is now confused and unclear in his mind, repeatedly using treacherous officials, harboring eunuch villains, resulting in chaotic court politics. All levels of officials follow suit, not doing righteous deeds, but instead causing harm to the people, making it difficult for the common people to survive.

  With the addition of natural disasters, the Yellow Turbans took advantage of the chaos to rise up and deceive the people of the world into rebelling against the imperial court. The common people of the world were mostly uneducated in poetry, books, and etiquette. If they had enough food and clothing, they would not have been deceived. Now that their lives are unstable and without support, they naturally responded to the rebels.

  "They also failed to unite as one nation and face difficulties together. Of course, this is not their fault, mainly because the imperial court has disappointed them."

  "What you said, Lord Wang, is something that Xun Yu has never heard before, it's like the heavenly music. However, your intention is that people from top to bottom have forgotten their own duties and responsibilities, which led to the current situation of the country being in a state of turmoil. I wonder if you have any solution to this problem?"

  The best solution is naturally to carry out a reform from top to bottom, the emperor must first change his own ways, appointing virtuous and capable officials, and implementing benevolent policies.

  Secondly, the prime minister and other high-ranking officials must be willing to serve the imperial court, work hard to share the emperor's worries, and lead the imperial court's ministers well; local officials must develop their foundations, care for the people, and make the people of the world happy to return to their fields.

  The people of the world must work hard to produce, unite and overcome difficulties together. Moreover, there are also scholars like you who cannot be selfish and should take the initiative to serve the imperial court and alleviate the worries of the people.

  Of course, I also know that these ideas are currently impossible to achieve, but if Liu Bian has a day as king, he will definitely work hard to achieve it. But I hope that Xun Yu can assist Liu Bian with his great talent, then the world's affairs should have a change."