People's hearts were always inclined towards wealth. They would want to live wherever they were rich. No one was willing to live in a poor place. This would not change even after ten thousand years.
Of course, everyone yearned for wealth, but they hoped that they could be rich. If others were richer than them, they would not be satisfied and would hate the rich.
There was a good story. One day, God wanted to fulfill a person's wish, but at the same time, he would give his neighbor double the wish. Thus, this person cruelly asked God to blind him in one eye so that his neighbor would be blind in both eyes.
This story also explained that people's happiness came from comparison. Only through comparison, especially with the people around them, could a person have a clearer understanding of their own position and obtain the corresponding feelings.
If the people around them were richer than them, this person living in this group would inevitably have a sense of oppression. They would feel that they were inferior in all aspects. Thus, they would hate the rich. They would dislike the rich and feel that the rich should not have so much wealth.
On the other hand, if a person lived in an area filled with poor people, this person would develop a sense of superiority. They would feel that they were very awesome and were doing better than others. Their mood would also become very good.
If it was someone far away, no matter how rich or poor they were, they would not have this feeling because the distance was too far. For example, a person would be jealous of his neighbor who was richer than him, but he would never be jealous of a foreigner who he did not know at all. This was because the foreigner was too far away and could not be in contact with him at all. His neighbor, on the other hand, could only compete with his neighbor and not the foreigner who was far away.
Comparisons could only be made with the people around you. The hatred for the rich also came from familiarity. Because they were too familiar with and understood a person's talent too well, the people around them were all clear about it. If this person became rich one day, others would think that he had gotten lucky and would always feel unhappy in their hearts.
For example, there was an old farmer in the future who had learned some skills. Usually, he would perform for ordinary businessmen for a meager reward and lead a life that was no different from his neighbors. However, for some reason, this person suddenly became popular through a certain platform and was seen by all the people in the country. As a result, there would be a large group of people coming to flatter him. This person's income would also rapidly increase by hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times.
His skills did not change at all. He only got a platform to show off his skills. Therefore, his income suddenly increased by a thousand times. How could his neighbors not be jealous? How could they not think that he had gotten lucky?
As for the people from afar, their jealousy was not as strong. This was because people from afar did not understand the situation. They would think that this person had been working hard all the time and then became a talent. This was also known as ten years of hard work. Or it could be said that one minute on the stage was ten years of hard work off the stage. It was many years of hard work that led to the final success and this person would become a legend.
Therefore, when an ordinary person in ancient times became an emperor, they would kill some of the people who were familiar with them. This was because these people were the ones who knew them the best. It was easy to ruin their reputation and make the emperor lose his dignity. They would also dig out the emperor's embarrassing past.
Only when a person was mysterious could they make people respect them. Only then could they make people feel that they were unfathomable. Therefore, in front of the emperor's eyes, there would be a string of beads so that the ministers could not see his expression. Some of the underworld bosses would also choose to wear sunglasses. This way, no one would be able to see where they were looking.
Polu Country had been closed off for many years. Most of the wealth was concentrated in the hands of the royal family. The wealth in the hands of the common people was very little, but it was very equal. Almost all of the common people's wealth was equal. This was very good and would increase people's happiness.
However, if the merchants of the Tang Dynasty poured into Polu Country on a large scale and promoted the commercial development of Polu Country, as well as large-scale mining, the gap between the rich and the poor would appear. Moreover, with the influx of the merchants of the Tang Dynasty, the simple people of Polu Country would have more contact with the outside world. They would want to go out and see the outside world and increase their knowledge. Once they came into contact with the outside world, they would be dissatisfied with the imperial court of Polu Country. There would even be a large-scale migration phenomenon.
In terms of attracting the common people, Polu Country did not have much of an advantage. It might have had some in the past, but it was definitely gone now. This was because the Tang Dynasty was very strong and stable now. The countries along the way were also controlled by the Tang Dynasty. The world was peaceful, and the characteristics of Polu Country as a refuge were no longer attractive.
The rich Tang Dynasty had endless delicious food, gorgeous clothes, beautiful poetry, and countless industrial products. These were all things that Polu Country did not have.
Once the people of Polu Country fell in love with these things, they would yearn for the life of the Tang Dynasty. They would leave this poor and backward country and return to their ancestral home. In this way, the royal family of Polu Country would be finished. Without the support of the common people, what was the point of being a king?
Ang Lee naturally heard the worry of the King of Polu Country, Li Xiaoyao. He smiled faintly and explained, "Brother Li, as the saying goes, paper cannot cover fire. As the Tang Dynasty opened up the Silk Road on the sea, more and more new things will enter Polu Country. This is something that no one can stop, because the common people need it very much. These things can make life easier for the common people. In this way, even if you send soldiers to seize the road, there will still be people who will take the risk. The people of Polu Country will still learn about the outside world."
"Brother Li, what you said makes sense. The only way to control the Yellow River is to channel it, not to block it! However, our Polu Country is located in a remote area, and we don't have enough resources. We don't have anything valuable. How can we compare with the Tang Dynasty? "
Li Xiaoyao said.
Ang Lee waved his hand and said, "That's not necessarily true. Polu Country also has a large territory. If we don't explore it, how can we know if there is anything valuable? Just this large forest alone is worth a lot of wealth. There will definitely be a lot of minerals. When the Tang Dynasty enters Polu Country, it will definitely bring benefits to your country. You won't suffer losses. At that time, with the efforts of the merchants of the Tang Dynasty, Polu Country will be many times richer than it is now. The common people will live a better life and won't always think about leaving."
Although Ang Lee had already drawn a beautiful blueprint for Polu Country, King Li Xiaoyao felt that this was only an ideal situation. In other words, he was even more unwilling to take risks. After the country's gate was opened, the country would be full of many uncertainties. Everything might develop in a good direction, but it might also develop in a bad direction. Now that Li Xiaoyao was the King, his life was very good. Therefore, he didn't want to take risks. He didn't want to get involved in this muddy water. He preferred to lie in the position of the King and comfortably enslave the tens of thousands of common people under his rule. Therefore, he somewhat rejected the Tang Dynasty and didn't want the Tang Dynasty to interfere too much in the life of Polu Country. However, he also knew his own strength. If he offended the Tang Dynasty, the consequences would be very serious, unimaginably serious.
Therefore, he was also very conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to continue to live a life like a paradise. On the other hand, he was afraid that if he didn't cooperate with the Tang Empire, he would be retaliated against. One could imagine the anxiety in his heart.
"Forget it. Brother, you just came to my country. Let's have some fun first. Let's not talk about these annoying national affairs. Let's go to the palace first."
Li Xiaoyao felt that it was better to build up their relationship first. As long as their relationship was good, many things could still be discussed. Even if he couldn't stop the Tang Dynasty's forces from entering Polu Country in the end, he could still understand the purpose of the Tang Dynasty and the most likely consequences. Also, if there was a problem in Polu Country, would the Tang Dynasty be willing to help him? What benefits could he gain by following the Tang Dynasty, and how much would he lose?
Ang Lee had drifted on the sea for a long time. It was time for him to relax. Looking at the beautiful mountains and rivers of Polu Country, life would definitely be very good.
Before leaving, Ang Lee didn't forget about the vegetables he took care of. He also asked the soldiers who stayed behind to take good care of these vegetables and not let them be pickled to death.
Polu Country was very small, so the size of the palace was also small. It was even smaller than the previous few countries. However, the scenery was very good. It was very comfortable to live here. It could be considered a paradise.
Living in a place like this, people's mood would definitely be very good. No wonder the King was called Li Xiaoyao. He lived so freely and comfortably that he didn't want to change at all.
"The smell of good wine, the aroma of delicious food, and the courtyard full of beauties. Brother Li really knows how to enjoy life! Although the palace here is not big, Brother Li's life is not worse than that of the Tang Dynasty's emperor! "
After Ang Lee entered the palace, he showed an envious expression.
Seeing that Ang Lee's eyes were full of nostalgia, Li Xiaoyao felt that it was a good sign. He smiled and said politely, "Brother, since you like it here, you can stay here for a few more days. You can enjoy everything here as you wish. Just treat it as your own."
Li An's heart was filled with joy as he said, "Are you serious? I can enjoy everything here."
After saying that, he looked at the beauties in front of him. Although Ang Lee had a hard time in the past few days at sea, he couldn't help but feel moved when he met beauties that he had never seen before. "Really?
"Really? Just treat this palace as if it's your own, haha!"
In order to please Ang Lee, Li Xiaoyao put in a lot of effort. What was the difference between this and a change of ownership?
Of course, Ang Lee wouldn't be polite. He nodded and said, "Okay, since Brother Li is so enthusiastic, I won't be polite. Tonight, I'll let them serve me!"
As he said that, he pointed to the most beautiful beauties in front of him and said drunkenly.
"Okay, no problem. The banquet will be ready soon. Brother Li, rest for an hour first. We'll see you at the banquet."
Li Xiaoyao was tired after serving for a long time and also needed to rest.
The banquet was quite sumptuous. There were dozens of large and small plates. It was impossible to finish so many dishes. It would be good if they could finish one-tenth of the dishes. The leftovers wouldn't be wasted because these were the main food of the lower class.
That was why everyone wanted to be an upper-class person. The reason was that upper-class people could have the best things. They could have the most beautiful women, eat the most delicious food, and squander as much as they wanted. They could do whatever they wanted. As for the lower-class people, they were more miserable. They didn't have anything they wanted. Even when eating, they could only eat the leftovers left behind by others.
Fortunately, Ang Lee was a upper class person. He had the best things and didn't have to eat the leftovers of others. It was hard to imagine how miserable the life of the lower class people was.
In addition to delicious food, of course, there were a lot of entertainment activities in the banquet. Singing and dancing were the most basic. However, there wasn't much novelty. It was just beautiful women dancing. Moreover, because these people were immigrants from the Tang dynasty, their dancing style was very similar to the style of the Tang dynasty dancers. There was nothing interesting about it, so Ang Lee wasn't very interested.
After eating and drinking to their heart's content, taking a stroll in the beautiful palace was still very enjoyable. Moreover, for some reason, the palace maids in the palace all seemed to be very happy. They were not reserved at all. There was laughter everywhere, making people feel very happy.
Naturally, this was because King Li Xiaoyao treated the palace maids more leniently. Even if these maids made mistakes, he would not punish them severely and would give them a chance to correct their mistakes. Therefore, these palace maids could live in a more relaxed environment and play around in the palace without any scruples, adding beautiful sounds to the beautiful palace.
Listening to the pleasant playful sounds, Ang Lee was in a very good mood. His whole body was a little floating. He couldn't help but walk over, wanting to hear what these lovely girls were talking about.
After asking his servants to leave, Ang Lee walked behind a rockery alone and began to eavesdrop.
"Sisters, have you seen the new official of the Tang dynasty? I heard that several of our sisters have been chosen by him and have to serve him tonight?"
"Oh, I heard about it too. I wonder which sisters he has chosen?"
"Of course it's the most beautiful ones. By the way, I heard that this official of the Tang dynasty is good-looking. He's handsome and elegant. He's a rare handsome man."
"Really? Is he more handsome than our King? "
"Oh, is there a man more handsome than our King in the world? Then I'd like to see him. "
"It's a pity that we can't serve him tonight. Otherwise, we can also see the handsome face of this official of the Tang dynasty. Hahaha!"
"Hahaha …"
A large group of palace maids talked about Ang Lee together. Moreover, they seemed to want to see Ang Lee. Their main purpose was naturally curiosity.
"Are you guys talking about me?"
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