Strange Tales: You’re an Official, but you’re raising a bunch of Demonessess?

Chapter 33: The above words were all jests made by this humble servant in pursuit of examination success. Governing the people with the Five Arts.

This should be the ideal government for the courtiers and the people. But, in reality, people’s hearts are all greedy and dangerous, and the path of sages is unsuitable for kings.

The emperor must not entertain such thoughts.

All of the above are playful words made by the minister to seek approval for exams.

Lan Su: ??? (looking confused)

After an engaging beginning, it abruptly shifted to a new paragraph, ending with this sentence.

Lan Su, who just read it, was puzzled.

Did you write something inspiring and lengthy only to follow it with this?

Are you telling me it’s all boasting for the sake of scoring points?

I quirks my mouth, curious about the sudden change. Reading further, his frown deepens gradually. The emperor’s governance throughout history can be boiled down to two aspects: Managing courtiers and controlling the people. The rest is just empty talk. Managing courtiers involved making them recognise the emperor’s wisdom, respect their authority, curb their greed, and perform their duties diligently.

Controlling the people requires gaining compliance, instilling fear, ensuring they have no leisure for rebellion, and fostering a content and peaceful existence. He once suggested a method for managing courtiers, but given his quick rise through the imperial examination ranks, it seems foolish now.

I also have a method for controlling the people, but one is incompatible with the current feudal system and is impractical.

The second, however, I’d like to discuss with Your Majesty. It involved strengthening the country by weakening the people—a delicate strategy that required understanding and flexibility.

If the people were humiliated, they aspire to noble titles. If weak, they respect officials. If they are poor, they value rewards. Punishing the people breeded compliance. Rewarding them in war reduced the fear of death. Thus, a strong military arised.

However, controlling the people had five techniques. The first was fooling them, unifying their thoughts under the king. Their thoughts should not be too high, or they’ll be promoted.

The second was weakening the people, focusing on their vulnerability.

The third was exhausting the people, keeping them busy and preventing them from thinking about other matters.

The fourth was humiliating the people, stripping them of self-respect and promoting mutual denunciations to prevent unity.

The fifth was impoverishing the people, depriving them of surplus wealth, as poverty limits ambition.

If these didn’t work, eliminate them!

The king didn’t need to have affection for the people.Instead, he needed to master them. If there’s a method to control the people, the less ambitious would rise and conquer, leading to the people living and working in peace. To control the people was to love the people!

As the dynasty rised, with the king respecting the people, the art of controlling the people took various forms, all rooted in the five ways. If the king masters this technique, governed in accordance with current events, and remained unnoticed by the people, those at the grassroots level could be worry-free.

…

“Boom!”

Lan Su had restrained all his relaxed thoughts. His eyes widened, and brilliant thoughts burst out in his mind.

“Clap!” He slaps the examination paper on the table.

Is this policy theory poorly written? Quite the opposite! It’s so well-written that it goes beyond his understanding and control, instilling fear!

Contrary to the previous emphasis on the king’s virtuous rule and love for the people, this second half goes against mainstream thinking. But… I can’t find any mistakes at all. It has surpassed the way of a courtier, reaching the level of the emperor’s way.

This should not be an idea and technique mastered by anyone other than the emperor. The art of being a king only needs two ways: ruling below and mastering the people!

This is a system that has been formed over thousands of years. However, no one has bluntly summarised it in such refined language. The five arts of controlling the people are tactics of depth and cunning. Yet, it’s not about these five arts but about thinking beyond the times!

If this idea spreads to the whole country, what would happen? A thought revolution? The decline of the royal family? He doesn’t know, as he doesn’t have a vision beyond his time. But he knows one thing: this candidate is beyond his control! What’s more, this is just the tip of the iceberg, only half of the art of controlling the people. The rest he didn’t say a word about, but not mentioning them doesn’t mean he doesn’t possess them.

Lan Su did not doubt that if this sixteen-year-old were to sit in his position and rule the country, he would undoubtedly be more outstanding than himself!

He was no longer a national talent, no longer a unicorn. He was a monster, a genius beyond control!