Chapter 248 Discussion on Governance

A breeze blew by, like a running cat, caressing the murals in the hall. It touched the wind chimes in the corner of the house, and also tickled the king's thoughts. The wind chimes rang slowly, and the words of the knowledgeable elder were old and powerful. The echoes echoed in the empty palace, gradually dissipated in the wind, and fell into the king's heart.

Hearing Jatiri's comments on the painting method of the murals, Xu Luote was stunned, and looked at the most trusted warrior chief with an inquiring face.

Bertard was always quiet, but at this time, his eyes were rarely straight. He was born a civilian and spent half his life in the army. He was really six out of seven orifices in painting and art, but he didn't understand one thing. Xu Luote had never attended a priest school, and the priest education he received was not complete, and it was not much better. The two warriors looked at each other for a moment, and the warrior chief whispered in a complicated tone.

"Your Highness, I have recorded that the painters did come from three places as the sage said. The first two groups came from the Holy City of the Alliance and the west of the lake. The third group of painters came from Mixtec."

The young king frowned slightly. He stood up from the seat, half turned around, looked at the mural in front of him, and also concealed his changing expression.

In the political system of the alliance, the Holy City of Teotihuacan has been ruled by the Mexica royal family for three or four generations. The Holy City has a bloodline and culture that is integrated, and is one of the most trusted direct lines in the alliance center and the capital of the lake. Azcapotzalco in the west of Lake Texcoco is the old capital of the Tepanec people. The Tepanec people and the Mexica people are both of the same ethnic group as the Nahua people, and they have been married for generations and have the same beliefs. Under the "will" of the Lord God, they have been integrated with each other for half a century and have now been completely integrated into the Mexica people. These two city-states are loyal members of the alliance, responding to the call and obeying the orders, and are regarded as "their own people" in the alliance.

The Mixtecs in the south are different. Although the Mixtecs surrendered to the Mexica League under the conquest of Montezuma I and paid tribute on time every year, they have been a vassal of the League for nearly twenty years. However, the League's control over the Mixtecs is still only maintained at the level of military deterrence and tribute collection. The Mixtec League has always maintained a completely independent political system, semi-autonomous diplomatic power, and a unique belief in the clouds. They have formed an alliance with the Zapotecs and secretly resisted the influence of the League's infiltration, not to mention being assimilated by the League.

"The Mixtecs. They are far away, have a long history, and have unique culture and beliefs. In the field of art, they are indeed different from the various tribes of the League."

Xuluot pondered for a moment, regained control of his expression, and then sat down again. He looked at Jatiri, did not answer the other party's question, but smiled and asked back.

"When facing an elder, I should ask for advice frankly. The direct line of the Holy City, the backbone of the West Lake, and the vassal of the South, the governance of these three alliances is indeed different. I wonder what the wise man can teach me? How is it related to the various tribes of Prepecha?"

Faced with the question of the young king, Jatiri smiled slightly. The wrinkles on his face stretched like waves, his eyes sparkled like lake water, and his mouth spoke loudly like waves.

"Your Highness, do you want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"Of course it's the truth! I ask the wise man for advice, no matter what it says, I will only take the useful parts. If it is useful for governance, I will definitely reward you!"

"Your Highness's mind is as broad as a bear!"

Hearing this, Jatiri praised loudly, and then continued to laugh.

"Your Highness, at my age, I don't ask for any reward. I just hope to do something that will benefit the people of the tribe. Governing political affairs depends on how the ruler treats his people. It involves nothing more than how many people are divided into different classes, how many people in each class are there, how many privileges they have, how much tribute they collect, and how the people below can move up. Then, how to deal with famine and disasters; how to deal with war and turmoil. These things are all decided by your Highness. It tests the level of the ruler and depends on the practice of the executor."

Xuluot thought for a moment and nodded affirmatively.

"The Purépecha people are my people. They are the foundation of the kingdom and the green leaves on the towering sacred tree. I will be kind and treat the Mexica people equally! As for the ranks of nobles, warriors and civilians, and the proportion of taxes, I have my own plans, and I will not treat the civilians of Purépecha harshly."

"Your Highness, you soar like an eagle, with the world in your heart. The Purépecha people are willing to be your wings!"

Jatiri bowed his head and saluted solemnly. Then, he said solemnly with a serious expression.

"Relying on the Akata Pyramid, the sky and the earth are connected. The sky looks at the earth, exerting thunder and rain; the earth also looks at the sky, raising clouds and mountains. The interaction between heaven and earth, another aspect of this governance is how the people view the ruler. The most direct way is to respond to the attitude of the ruler."

Hearing this, a familiar word came to mind. Xiuluot thought for a moment, and suddenly remembered the chief of Tarasco and the old militia. He said with some emotion.

"Heaven and earth interact, and the king and his subjects respond to each other. The king regards them as his beloved brothers and sisters, and they regard the king as reliable parents; the king regards them as humble weeds, and they can naturally regard the king as an enemy."

Hearing this, Jatiri was stunned. He opened his deep eyes, looked at the young king carefully again, and then said deeply.

"Your Highness, your kindness is rare, so you must use it sparingly and only in the right places. The words you just said can come from the mouth of a poet or a noble, but not from a king."

"How the people view the ruler is just like how the weeds view the sacred tree. They observe the color of the tree and find that it is similar to themselves, and thus they feel close to it. This is the appearance, customs and habits of the tribe.

They listen to the rustling of the leaves in the wind, like the rustling of the grass tips. This is a similar language, words that can be communicated, and also a mutually accessible graphic text.

They follow the order of nature, born in spring, lush in summer, and withered in autumn, but only the sacred tree is evergreen all year round. This is the law followed by the people, and only the king's will is above all else.

They look up at the height of the sacred tree and find that it goes straight into the clouds, where the gods live. This is the common belief, respect for the king, and worship of the gods

Customs, language, laws, beliefs, your highness has already planned these. From the rumors of the changes in the Mexica Alliance in the past two years, from the traces of your highness's arrangements in the past few months, I know that your highness has a tall and clear sacred tree in his heart."

Speaking of this, the knowledgeable elder smiled again with deep meaning.

"However, when the weeds grow taller and taller, they need a new bond. This bond is not visible, but hidden deep in people's hearts, underground where the weeds gather. There must be a spreading root system underground to connect everyone! They feel the roots of the sacred tree, trace the source of life, and thus know that they originally fell off the sacred tree and are children of the same origin as the sacred tree. They are nurtured together in time, and should be a whole with the sacred tree, and should live and die together!.

The ancient myths will be covered by the dust of the long time, and the barren hearts will be blinded by the vague history. Someone must stand up and tell the people about the inheritance. At this point, I may be able to help."

"The roots of connection form a whole. The narration of myths and history?. Good, very good! This is exactly the future I hope for!"

Xuluot thought for a while, and then he was refreshed. He leaned forward, grasped Jatiri's old hands, and looked at the other's eyes sincerely.

"Please help me, wise man!"

Faced with the king's sincere request for help, the smile on Jatiri's face finally spread. With a smile in his eyes, he asked again deeply.

"What your highness hopes for is the delicious mushrooms between the pines, or the tall pine trees themselves? Is it for a generation of people at a time, or for a long time?"

"What I want is naturally for all people for all eternity!"

The young king answered without hesitation and sonorous.

"Okay! Then let's start from ten thousand years ago, from a long time ago, and tell a long and credible story. Your highness, do you remember the purpose of your invitation to me today?"

"The epic of the Prepecha people?"

Xuluot paused and pondered.

"The ancient books and murals are well preserved in the stone forts around the palace."

"Your highness, in that case, why don't we talk while walking?"

Hearing this, the young king nodded. He stood up calmly and took Jatiri's arm again. This time, the knowledgeable elder smiled and calmly let the king support him. The two walked side by side to the back of the hall, where there was a bluestone passage leading to the stone fortress group.

Bertard followed quietly with several guards. He watched the king and the sage talking and laughing, laughing heartily from time to time, with a kind of harmony that they met too late. The warrior leader paused for a moment, and a wonderful feeling floated in his heart, and then turned into his silent murmur.

"The eagle soars high in the sky, attracting the attention of the mountains and forests, and also attracting hidden eyes. The beasts are surrounding the king of the jungle. From today on, the king will not only have loyal and brave tigers and leopards around him, but also cunning and resourceful old foxes."

The crowd walked away slowly and disappeared at the end of the passage. The breeze blew through the Palace of Wind, and the crisp sound of wind chimes echoed in the hall again. The guarding warriors were silent, only the new murals on both sides were still ancient and solemn.

I was addicted to petting cats a few days ago and couldn't extricate myself. Quietly emerged, June must work hard.