The Cruel Tyrant

73

Originally, what Su Mu wanted to find was just a fraud who could fool people. After all, people with knowledge in this world, where civilized thinking was not all that prominent, were not so easy to find. Su Mu’s original plan had to be adjusted. The mainstream culture of the world now emphasized that the weak being the prey of the strong was justified, and the ethical order was not developed. The existence of this kind of philosopher who talked of benevolence was somewhat beyond Su Mu’s expectations. It was no wonder that he was so destitute as advocating “benevolent integrity” in a world where strength was respected was simply not popular to the public.

Su Mu said: “Mister’s profound knowledge is beyond the reach of this world. Ben Gong can’t bear the pearl being covered by dust, so I want to invite Mister to give lectures in our Qing kingdom. I hope that Mister will not refuse.”

Although Jiang Rende was a proud man, he was not a fool. He had been to many countries and seen many princes and nobles, but who among them didn’t throw him out and call him a fool? He had long heard of this Crown Prince of the Qing kingdom, and the rumors of him being brutal, bloodthirsty, greedy and lustful caused him to have no desire to meet him at all. But now he was forcibly kidnapped over by this Crown Prince just so that he could give lectures in the Qing kingdom? Although Jiang Rende was a bit moved, he still noticed that there was something tricky in this matter. However, his complexion was much better than before and he asked: “This old one has traveled around and seen many princes and nobles. As such, I do possess self-awareness about myself. In this world, power and strength is the norm and to be respected, so why does the Crown Prince want to promote ‘benevolent integrity’?”

Su Mu smiled and said: “The respect towards strength does not conflict with ‘benevolent integrity’. Force is hard power to conquer the human body, culture is soft power to conquer the human heart, and thus only using both soft and hard power together is the right way. From ancient times till now, countless warfare among kingdoms has continued. Among them, there are kingdoms powerful enough to unite most of the world, but still no regime has persisted for more than a hundred years. This is because none of them had conquered the hearts of the people.”

This Crown Prince seemed to be a little different from the rumors. As this thought flashed past in his mind, he soon felt greatly shaken in his heart. What the other meant was that his beliefs were a form of soft power which could conquer the world. Jiang Rende could feel the flow of blood accelerating in his veins. No one in this world could be indifferent to power, but what he advocated was benevolent integrity after all. Power was a derogatory term in his eyes. After calming down, he looked at Su Mu with contempt and said: “This old one advocates benevolent integrity and what I hope for is that the people of this world will treat others with generosity, humility, and kindness, rather than consolidate power for influential people like you.”

Su Mu patiently said: “Why can’t the consolidation of political power and ‘benevolent integrity’ coexist? Only when the government is stable and without internal and external strife can the people live and work in peace and develop respect for benevolence and virtue.”

Jiang Rende was a person who possessed wisdom and convincing him was not an easy thing. After talking for a long time, until he was dry in the mouth, he finally convinced Jiang Rende.

Fortunately, the world where Su Mu lived had thousands of years of cultural accumulation. Although he only scratched the surface, it was enough for Jiang Rende to think about for a lifetime. After all, it was the essence of a world, and what had been passed down for thousands of years were all priceless treasures.