noffsinger Chapter 578: It is difficult to persuade people to do good
Chapter 578: It is difficult to persuade people to do good
Xianyang Zhaoyu was surrounded by high walls and layers of cold stone bricks, completely isolating the outside sunlight.
Dim torches flickered on the walls, their feeble light barely illuminating the winding passage.
Li Chengqian was dressed in a black brocade robe with a dragon pattern embroidered in gold thread at the corners. In this oppressive environment, the golden pattern seemed dull and dim.
A row of Jinyiwei followed closely behind him.
The officials imprisoned in Zhaoyu were originally sighing or cursing in their respective cells.
When they heard the footsteps of the Jinyiwei, they rushed to the prison door.
They clenched the iron bars of the prison door with both hands, tears streaming down their faces, with despair on their faces.
"Your Majesty, this is unjust! Your Majesty, this is unjust!"
Their cries rose one after another, echoing in the narrow passage, and their voices were filled with pleading.
Li Chengqian pretended not to hear and walked straight towards a special cell.
He glanced at the cells on both sides, indifferent to the officials' shouts.
There is no innocent person who comes here.
This cell is special because it holds the children of heroes.
Zhang Xianhuai followed closely behind him. When they arrived in front of the prison cell, Li Chengqian just waved his hand lightly. Although the movement was light, Zhang Xianhuai immediately stopped and stood outside the door.
Li Chengqian slowly pushed open the door of the cell.
The door hinge made a dull and harsh creaking sound, which was particularly abrupt in the silent cell.
Compared with other cells, this cell is indeed much cleaner and tidier.
Although the bed was simple and plain, it was neatly arranged.
At this moment, there were seven children inside. When Li Chengqian came in, only three children were awake.
They huddled in the corner, their small bodies trembling slightly with fear, their eyes filled with terror. The other four children were originally sleeping soundly on the ground, but when they heard the noise, they got up from the ground with sleepy eyes, and the confusion in their dreams was instantly replaced by panic.
Everyone looked at Li Chengqian timidly, not daring to breathe.
Looking at their frightened expressions, Li Chengqian felt a pang of bitterness in his heart and sighed softly.
"What? Are you scared now? When you bully others, have you ever thought that others might be scared too?"
When the children heard this, they lowered their heads in fear and trembled even more violently. No one dared to make a sound.
Their eyes were filled with fear, as if they had only truly realized their mistakes at this moment.
After a long while, a child named Yuan Cai mustered up the courage and cried, "Your Majesty, we know we were wrong. Your Majesty, please forgive us. My mother must be worried sick."
As Yuan Cai spoke, tears welled up in his eyes.
His little face flushed red with fear and nervousness, and his hands nervously tugged at the corners of his clothes.
Li Chengqian looked at Yuan Cai with a sharp gaze and said slowly, "Yuan Cai, right?"
"I know you. That day, you said such vicious words to Zheng Zhihuan, not only insulting him, but also insulting his mother."
"If your mother knew, would she be happy?"
Li Chengqian's voice was not loud, but every word fell on Yuan Cai's heart.
Yuan Cai lowered his head even lower, his face filled with shame, and remained silent. His shoulders trembled slightly, as if he was trying hard to suppress his inner emotions.
Li Chengqian stared at him closely and asked word by word, "Tell me, who told you these words?"
Li Chengqian's eyes were as sharp as an eagle.
Yuan Cai's eyes were evasive, his expression was a little evasive, and he seemed to be hesitant.
Li Chengqian looked at him straight in the eyes and said in a strong tone, "Speak!" Under this invisible pressure, Yuan Cai finally couldn't help crying and said, "Your Majesty, it's the owner of Tianxianglou. He always pesters my mother, and my mother doesn't want it."
"He told me that later."
As Yuan Cai spoke, tears flowed uncontrollably, wetting his clothes.
His body twitched slightly with fear, as if he was recalling those unpleasant experiences.
Li Chengqian narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, and said coldly: "So, you go and bully others?"
As he spoke, he slowly looked around at the children and raised his voice a few degrees.
"You're going to bully those children who are weaker and more pitiful than you to prove your strength? That's not strength, that's cowardice! These words hurt you, you know how painful it is, so you use them to hurt others too?"
Li Chengqian's voice was full of disappointment.
"What is strength?" Li Chengqian paused, then continued, "The brave, when angry, draw their swords against the stronger. The cowardly, when angry, draw their swords against the weaker."
Having said this, he paused and scanned the faces of each child.
There was both sternness and a hint of expectation in his eyes, hoping that these children could truly understand his words.
After a moment, Li Chengqian's tone softened, but it was filled with deep remorse: "In the final analysis, all the mistakes are my fault. It's my failure to consider everything that led to you children becoming like this."
Li Chengqian lowered his head slightly, a hint of guilt in his eyes.
As the king of a country, and considering that their father sacrificed his life for the Tang Dynasty, he has an unshirkable responsibility for the growth of these children.
"You can go now. Go home to your mother and tell her not to worry."
"Also, remember what I told you today. The future of the Tang Dynasty lies in your hands."
Li Chengqian's voice became gentle, with a hint of hope: "Don't be a coward."
"Your mistakes have been offset by your father's achievements, but your father's achievements cannot be offset again and again. People will really keep an eye on you in the future."
"I've got it all in mind. From now on, I'll be watching you all."
Li Chengqian's eyes regained their dignity, and his words seemed like a heavy yoke, making the children realize that their future behavior would be strictly supervised.
"Let's go home and have dinner." Li Chengqian waved his hand, signaling the children to leave.
There was a hint of fatigue and relief in his movements.
Hearing this, the children were stunned at first, then looked at each other, seeming a little bit unbelieving.
After a while, they ran out in a flash, their steps brisk and urgent, as if they were afraid that Li Chengqian would go back on his word.
Their figures flashed by in the dim passage and quickly disappeared at the end.
Li Chengqian looked at the children's backs as they left, feeling mixed emotions. He didn't expect these children to listen to his words all at once.
After all, it is easier to teach people to be bad than to teach them to be good.
However, they won't be able to do anything bad in the future.
Yuan Cai was walking at the back. He saw the Jinyiwei at the door entering the cell and was filled with curiosity, wondering what His Majesty would say next. Because the door was open, he hid outside and heard intermittent words: "Take the shopkeeper of Tianxianglou..."