After changing into casual clothes, the two of them set off with their guards, riding a carriage from Chang'an North to Chang'an South.
The scenery along the way changes very obviously, from the tall houses where the powerful live in the far north, to the high-walled compounds where the wealthy live in the middle, to the low and crowded houses where common people live in the south.
Environmental sanitation also presents three types of situations: clean in the north, chaotic and orderly in the middle, and dirty and messy in the south.
It was probably the first time for Li Tai to come to such a place. He carefully avoided the pool of sewage on the ground and said disgustedly: "What are you doing in such a filthy place?"
Chen Jingke stopped, pointed around and said: "Take a look, this is the reality of the world. Nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine out of ten thousand people live like this..."
"No, I was wrong. The beggars in Chang'an live a better life than ordinary people in most places."
"The place you regard as filthy is already a paradise that is out of reach for most people."
"Everyone laughed at Emperor Hui of Jin, but most people were not as good as him. At least he was really stupid, while many people thought they were smart."
Li Tai's face looked a little ugly, and he didn't know whether it was because the ugly side of the Tang Dynasty was revealed, or because he was ridiculed as Emperor Hui of Jin.
At this time, several common people passed by, and when they saw their group, they stayed away from each other.
Although a few people were wearing ordinary clothes, their most ordinary clothes seemed too gorgeous for ordinary people.
What's more, there are several fierce and vicious bodyguards armed with swords and guns around him. You can tell at a glance that he is not an ordinary person.
Chen Jingke pointed at those common people and said: "Compared with them, compared with countless people in the entire Tang Dynasty who are not as good as them, what qualifications do you have to be dissatisfied?"
Li Tai finally couldn't help but retorted: "I am a prince, they are just commoners, what qualifications do they have to compare with me?"
Chen Jingke sarcastically said: "The nobles used this reason to mock the royal family as a nouveau riche. It seems that you agree with their logic."
"You..." Li Tai's face turned red and he was so angry that he couldn't speak for a long time.
Chen Jingke said: "Do you think I brought you here to prove that you are better off than most people and to persuade you to calm down?"
Li Tai asked back: "Isn't it?"
Chen Jingke said: "No, it is impossible for a person like you who comes from a noble family to find sympathy with the poor."
"In your hearts, they are just ants, consumables, and livestock. There are so many people in the world, and if one of them dies, more people will be born."
"As long as the country is still there, you will always be the superiors, and you can enjoy the glory and wealth at a high level."
At this point, Chen Jingke changed the topic and glared at him: "Is this really so? If the people are really ants, then where did the Qin Dynasty go? Why did the Han Dynasty perish?"
Li Tai couldn't help but tremble in his heart, and he couldn't help but think of his father's words in his mind:
The king is the boat; the people are the water. The water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it.
"Entrepreneurs have been exposed to hardships and cut through thorns. They have endured great hardships and know the true situation of the people. Therefore, even if they win a country, they are cautious, lest the people cannot survive and change the dynasty."
"However, most of the kings of later generations grew up in deep palaces and were separated from the people at the bottom. The people are already suffering from hunger and cold, but they still think that the golden age of civil and martial arts has arrived."
"It has only been more than twenty years since the fall of the former Sui Dynasty. You, a prince who has a lofty ambition and thinks you are qualified to be emperor, no longer know the true appearance of the people."
"I can already imagine what it will be like after you become the emperor, and I can also see the virtues of the heirs you have trained. So don't say in front of me that you are unwilling to do this or that. You are not worthy."
Li Tai clenched his hands tightly into fists, trembling all over, and there seemed to be fire in his eyes: "Don't go too far."
Chen Jingke was not provoking him, but said: "Come with me, I will take you around this real world."
After saying that, he walked towards the alley first. Li Tai looked at his back angrily and followed him reluctantly until he was about to disappear.
They didn't stop at any particular place, they just walked through the alleys slowly and met all kinds of people on the way.
There are gray-haired old people who are carrying heavy loads, there are young children who help their families work; there are families who quarrel over trivial matters, and there are also people who cry when they are stumped by a penny.
Slowly, the anger in Li Tai's heart subsided, and the environment that he thought was dirty at first became more pleasing to the eye.
But he still didn't believe that most people in the Tang Dynasty would be inferior to the people in front of him.
Chen Jingke also knew that it was not easy to convince him and deliberately took him to places with the worst environment, so the further he went, the worse the surrounding environment became.
What was originally a decent house has gradually turned into a variety of shacks.
Li Tai saw with his own eyes that a family of five or six people lived in a so-called house surrounded by straw mats. He was surprised and said: "How come there is a homeless camp in the city?"
Chen Jingke shook his head and said: "This is not a refugee camp. They are all residents of Chang'an City with household registration. This is the home where their ancestors have lived for generations."
Li Tai said in disbelief: "How is it possible? How is it possible that there is such a place in the most virtuous city under the emperor's feet?"
Chen Jingke sighed: "Do you think they are miserable? Then let me tell you, at least they have a shack to live in. There are many poor people in the Tang Dynasty who don't even have shacks."
Li Tai murmured: "It's impossible. Under Ye Ye's rule, the world is peaceful and the people live and work in peace and contentment... How can it be like this?"
Chen Jingke said: "Because at least one-third of them will never appear in the imperial court's report. To the imperial court, they do not exist."
"There are millions of people with low status who are legal slaves, and their life and death are never considered by the imperial court."
"According to the imperial court's report, there are less than 14 million people who can be called common people. The so-called "peaceful people in the world with adequate food and clothing" refers to them."
This was not the first time Chen Jingke said this, but it was obviously the first time Li Tai heard it. He couldn't believe it and said: "How is it possible? Don't Aye know?"
Chen Jingke said: "Of course your Majesty knows, but who do you think these people are hiding?"
Li Tai said without hesitation: "The nobles are powerful."
Chen Jingke showed a sarcastic smile and said: "There are also nobles who are regarded as the mainstay by the imperial court, so last year His Majesty ordered a population census without any gains."
"In this matter, the nobles and nobles are standing together, and they have joined forces to prevent the imperial court from conducting a population census."
"In the future, when you, the King of Wei, go to a fiefdom, you will hide some of the people as your slaves just like them."
Li Tai subconsciously wanted to refute, but he opened his mouth but couldn't say a word because he knew it was a fact.