Li Shimin faked his death? Then I will be powerful enough to conquer the world!

The atmosphere was originally quite peaceful, but Tang Lin's straightforward and bold words instantly broke the calm.

In an instant, everyone was stunned. All the civil and military officials in the court turned their eyes to Tang Lin, and many of them stared with wide eyes.

"This is happening right under your Majesty's nose!"

Some people in the crowd secretly exclaimed, "Tang Lin is too bold. Could he be any more straightforward? How could he say such things so freely in front of His Majesty?"

The officials looked at each other with complicated expressions. Some of them frowned and looked worried, fearing that they would be involved in this sudden storm.

Some shook their heads slightly, looking helpless, secretly blaming Tang Lin for being too rash, which had broken the usual reserved style of officialdom and put them in an extremely embarrassing situation, not knowing how to respond.

"This is really tricky, what should I do?"

Everyone was complaining in their hearts.

Li Chengqian's expression was calm as water, but a barely perceptible interest flashed in his deep eyes.

He stared at Tang Lin with a half-smile. Li Chengqian knew Tang Lin well enough. Tang Lin was definitely not the outspoken person he appeared to be. Given his understanding of Tang Lin, how could Tang Lin not know the consequences of speaking these words in front of the emperor?

He was clearly pretending to be stupid on purpose. Through this seemingly reckless action, he actually wanted to pour out to His Majesty the truth that was buried deep in his heart and difficult to express, trying to break the long-standing barriers in the court and allow some problems to surface so that they could be faced and resolved.

How could Li Chengqian not know the little calculations in the officials' minds?

In recent years, the court has seemed calm on the surface, but undercurrents are actually surging.

Officials were respectful to him on weekdays, but they all had their own ulterior motives in private, and many of their true thoughts and demands were carefully hidden.

The gap between the monarch and his subjects was like an invisible yet indestructible wall. As time went by, it grew thicker and thicker, but there was never a suitable opportunity to eliminate it.

"Is that what you all think?"

Li Chengqian's voice was low and slow, sweeping over each official. In an instant, everyone quickly lowered their heads.

At this moment, silence is like a silent answer. Sometimes, saying nothing is equivalent to tacitly agreeing to everything.

"My dear ministers, I have also made some mistakes in this matter."

Li Chengqian sat up slightly, his expression softening, a look of reflection in his eyes. "Until now, I've never found a suitable opportunity to have a heart-to-heart talk with you."

"Do you know what it means to make the world a shared future for all? This is definitely not about reducing the power in your hands."

His eyes slowly scanned the crowd.

"You might as well calm down and think about this. You are not from aristocratic families."

"If we trace back a few generations along the family tree, which of your ancestors was not an ordinary citizen?"

"They toil in the fields, working from sunrise to sunset, and rushing around all day for their meager livelihood."

"In this world, the lives of ordinary people have always been the most difficult and hardshipful."

"To achieve world peace, the most crucial factor is to enable the people to live a stable and prosperous life."

Li Chengqian's voice was filled with emotion as he recalled the difficult life scenes of the common people that he had witnessed among the people.

"If ordinary people are living a hard life, without enough food to eat or clothes to wear, and cannot even meet their most basic survival needs, they will accumulate endless resentment in their hearts."

"Once this kind of resentment spreads among the people, if it is not controlled, it will spread like wildfire."

"Once people's lives become difficult, the morale of society as a whole will inevitably be severely corrupted, and everyone will become more resentful."

"By then, the entire country will be plunged into an abyss of turmoil, and the Tang Dynasty will be in jeopardy. I'm afraid the change of dynasty is not far away."

"Have you ever seriously thought about where the power in our hands comes from?"

Li Chengqian leaned forward slightly, like a patient and instructive teacher, and posed this thought-provoking question to the officials below the stage.

He hopes to hear sincere answers from the officials, which will trigger their deep thinking about the nature of power.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Minister of Rites, Xu Jingzong, said in a serious tone, "Your Majesty is wise! In my opinion, our power comes from the people of the world."

"Only with the recognition and support of all the people in the world can we possess this so-called power."

Li Chengqian nodded slightly, approving of Xu Jingzong's answer. "I think this is a principle that every official in the court should know, right?"

He glanced around the room again. Most of the officials remained silent, while some nodded slightly, seeming to agree but with reservations.

Some of them avoided his gaze, not daring to look him in the eye, as if they were hiding unspeakable secrets in their hearts.

"But even though you understand this truth, you still look down on the people from the bottom of your hearts."

Li Chengqian's tone was a little helpless as he shook his head gently.

"I always feel like they're just ordinary people. How could they possibly overthrow the Tang Dynasty?"

“Emperors of all dynasties often only woke up from their dreams and realized the immense power of the people when the people rose up in rebellion and the court was powerless to resist. They were like the waters of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers; once they burst their banks, they are unstoppable.”

"Afterwards, this principle of 'water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it' was passed down through the generations. Emperors of all dynasties understood this, yet ultimately they all made the same mistakes, leading to the downfall of their dynasties."

"The reason for this, as I have often said before, is that resources are unevenly distributed, the people have no land to farm, and it is difficult to make a living, so they naturally rise up.

"But later, I thought about it over and over again. Is this really the only reason?"

Li Chengqian frowned slightly.

“Why do everyone understand the power of the people, but always make mistakes on the same issue?”

"Later, when I was on an incognito visit, I finally found the answer."

When Li Chengqian said this, he sighed softly and his brows drooped.

"It's because we stand too high, including myself."

"As the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, I am sometimes inevitably blinded by my supreme position. I feel that I am different from others, as if it is truly destiny. In this world, I am the most noble person."

Li Chengqian said this with a self-deprecating smile. That smile was bitter, mocking his former arrogance. "But that was just a self-deception."

Li Chengqian shook his head slightly. "Everyone says this. Over time, I will inevitably be influenced. Not to mention the emperors of the past. How could they not be influenced by this idea?"

"If even I sometimes do this, how much more so you, the pillars supporting the Tang Dynasty?"

Li Chengqian glanced at the officials in the audience again, hoping they would realize the seriousness of the problem. "Although everyone knows that water can carry a boat but can also capsize it, over time, we've forgotten about it."

"I only remember that once I became an official, my status changed. I was no longer an ordinary citizen. Whenever I saw ordinary people, I felt superior to them. I thought to myself, how can these humble commoners be compared with you, the high officials of the court?"

Li Chengqian's voice gradually rose, "Am I right?"

The officials all lowered their heads, not daring to breathe, as Li Chengqian's words hit the deepest point in their hearts.

How can an official be compared with the common people?

They may be reflecting or feeling guilty in their hearts, but at this moment, they all choose to remain silent.

Li Chengqian looked around and saw that everyone was silent, so he continued speaking earnestly, "So, the reason for a regime's collapse is never as simple as irrational resource allocation. That's just the result."

"The root cause of this result is that we are too high-handed and detached from the people."

"Your ancestors were ordinary peasants who followed Emperor Gaozu and Emperor Taizong in their campaigns, overcoming countless hardships and dangers. They fought bloody battles on the battlefields before they conquered the Tang Dynasty and finally turned the tide."