The most arrogant in history

The sentry replied, "They seem to be acting suspiciously, and they both have foreign accents. When we asked them what they do, they hesitated. When we asked them the names of their hometowns, they wouldn't tell us!"

"That doesn't necessarily mean he's a spy."

Ye Kun smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Bring this young couple in. I'll personally check on them. Oh, and don't scare them."

The personal guards received the order and turned around to leave.

Not long after, a man and a woman were taken into the big tent.

The man was about twenty years old and the woman was only fifteen or sixteen years old.

They all looked panicked and lowered their heads, not daring to see anyone.

Ye Kun understood at a glance that this might be a young couple!

Maybe they eloped!

Huang Jian shouted, "You two raise your heads and answer the questions honestly! The Emperor of Han is here. If you dare to tell a lie, you will be punished."

The young couple shuddered with fear and knelt down together.

"General Huang, stop scaring people."

Ye Kun stopped Huang Jian and said in a gentle voice: "We have abolished the kneeling ceremony. You two, stand up and talk. I am the emperor of the Han Dynasty, but I will not beat or scold you, please rest assured."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The young couple then stood up and bowed.

Ye Kun nodded and offered him a seat.

The young couple didn't dare to sit down.

The man whispered, "I am Liu Zhao, from Shuozhou, 20 years old... The woman next to me is called Qiang'er, she is my neighbor... The two of us traveled overnight, but unexpectedly, we ran into an official..."

Ye Kun nodded and asked, "A man and a woman, traveling overnight, where are they going and what are they going to do?"

Sang Buyi also understood and rolled his eyes and said, "Are you two a couple who eloped?"

Liu Zhao trembled and stammered, "I and Qiang'er do love each other...but Qiang'er's parents are against our marriage. Qiang'er came to me to discuss whether she wanted to be Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, so we..."

Sang Buyi was depressed. He put down his wine glass and looked at Ye Kun with resentment.

What I mean is that it is the love stories and plays you wrote that have corrupted folk customs!

During this period, stories written by Ye Kun, such as "The Legend of White Snake" and "Butterfly Lovers", have already spread throughout the country.

In the streets and alleys, in the fields, young people will sing: "Who is it that whispers in my ear, saying that your love for me will never change?"

Sang Buzhi, He Kangju and others still believe in Confucianism at heart, and they privately have a lot to complain about these rebellious love stories.

The young couple in front of us were obviously "poisoned" by the love story, so they eloped.

Ye Kun knew what Sang Buyi was thinking, but he smiled and said, "Liu Zhao, Qiang'er, where are you planning to elope to?"

Liu Zhao said: "We heard that the capital city of Zhuo County is very rich and prosperous. We plan to go there and find a job. When we make money in the future, we will go home to honor our parents."

"That's a good idea."

Ye Kun nodded and said with a smile: "But eloping is not very glorious after all, and it is easy to hurt your parents' feelings. How about this, I will send someone to send you back and arrange your wedding, okay?"

Sang Buyi said with a teasing smile: "The emperor sent someone to send you back and advocated your marriage. This is a great honor. There are not many people in the world who can ask the emperor to be a matchmaker."

Huang Jian and others all laughed.

But unexpectedly, Qiang'er's face changed drastically and she shouted, "No, I can't go back. The clan leader will put me in a pig cage and push me into the river to drown!"

Ye Kun smiled and said, "I am the emperor. Am I not as good as your clan leader? Your clan leader is so powerful that he dares to disobey the emperor's words?"

Liu Zhao's forehead was covered with sweat, and he stammered, "Your Majesty, you don't know... Qiang'er was originally married, and was promised to the Wan family in the neighboring village. The custom in our place has always been like this. If a woman has an affair, she will be drowned..."

Upon hearing this, Sang Buyi sighed.

He did not sympathize with Liu Zhao and Qiang'er, but felt helpless.

Ye Kun frowned and turned to ask Sang Buyi: "We have long announced that the death penalty will be banned and marriage autonomy will be promoted. Why is there still such a disregard for human life in Liu Zhao's hometown?"

Sang Buyi sighed and said, "Your Majesty, changing customs and habits cannot be accomplished in three to five years, nor can it be solved by a piece of paper. As the saying goes, the emperor is far away, and there are many places that the emperor cannot supervise."

"If the imperial power cannot supervise, then let our laws take care of it!"

Ye Kun was very annoyed and said to Liu Zhao and Qiang'er:

"You two, come back to the capital with me for now, and I will personally preside over your wedding. After you are married, I will send someone to send you back. I will see who dares to drown you!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Liu Zhao and Qiang'er were moved to tears.

Sang Buyi whispered, "Your Majesty, have you ever thought that if you handle it this way, there will be more and more elopers in the future, and the morals among the people will become worse and worse."

"Sang Buyi, I think that the increasing number of elopements is a sign that the trend is getting better!"

"Elopement is considered a good custom?"

"Of course!" Ye Kun nodded:

"Having the courage to elope for one's own happiness is a manifestation of resistance to patriarchy and a manifestation of independence and self-reliance. The hope of a nation lies in this spirit of resistance and in this spirit of independence and self-reliance.

If our people only know how to accept what is given to them, then the Chinese people will one day be completely wiped out by foreign races, or be enslaved forever by foreign races!"

Sang Buyi frowned and remained silent.

Ye Kun continued, "Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Parents, and Teachers are the things that enslave the Chinese people's thoughts. I am very happy to see people like Liu Zhao and Qiang'er resist patriarchy!"

Sang Buzhi asked, "Patriarchy and imperial power are essentially the same. If the people of the country were to rebel against the imperial power, how would the emperor deal with it?"

Ye Kun laughed:

"First, if the people of the country are against the imperial power, I will be very happy to abdicate and hand over the power to the people. The people will elect the cabinet and manage government affairs, and the emperor will not need to exist at all;

Second, all the policies I implement are formulated based on human demands and are in line with the interests of the vast majority of people. There is no need for the people to oppose me.

For example, Liu Zhao and Qiang'er love each other and want to get married. If I oppose and separate them, they will hate me and rebel when they have the chance; but I don't oppose, I help them, what reason do they have to rebel against me? "

"It seems to make sense..." Sang Buyi scratched his head and frowned.

"But let's talk about the current situation. Qiang'er already had an engagement, but now she eloped with Liu Zhao. Isn't this a breach of trust? A person cannot stand without integrity. Honesty is the foundation of life. Is such a dishonest behavior of Qiang'er worth encouraging?"

"Of course, dishonest behavior should not be encouraged, but there may be something else behind Qiang'er's case."

Ye Kun smiled and looked at Qiang'er: "Qian'er, what happened to your previous engagement?"

Qiang'er didn't dare to speak and just lowered her head in silence.

Liu Zhao whispered, "Qian'er's previous engagement to the son of the Wan family was decided by her parents. At that time, Qian'er was only twelve years old and had never seen the son of the Wan family."

Ye Kun asked: "So now, has Qiang'er met the son of the Wan family?"