Military Power or Imperial Power—Which Is More Important? That was the topic of tonight's Starry Sky Scholar gathering.
Li Mu Yang and the others had only just arrived home when Lu Qingming already knew what they had debated. Li Mu Yang would never believe that there were no members of the Lu family at the Starry Sky Scholar gathering.
Of course, Song Tao—or Second Prince Chu Jiang, who had directly raised the topic—probably had never intended to keep it hidden.
Moreover, after thinking about it the whole way home, Li Mu Yang felt that Chu Jiang must have had a deeper purpose in openly raising such a controversial topic. Was he trying to strike the mountain to shake the tiger, or was he trying to sound out the winds?
It was possible that both were true.
Now, what significance was there in Lu Qingming staying awake in the middle of the night and having someone invite him over to ask for his answer? Could one person's choice really influence the political direction of the empire?
Li Mu Yang walked over to Lu Qingming, bowed deeply to him, and said, "Military power and Imperial Power both belong to the people. Soldiers guard the borders, wielding their blades on horseback to protect the nation and keep its people safe. Imperial Power sits at the center, educating the myriad people and ensuring that commoners have clothes to wear and food to eat, living happy and peaceful lives. Without military power, there may be foreign enemies invading, the borders falling, the nation's territory being lost, and the people suffering untold misery. Without Imperial Power, warlords will carve up the land, bandits will run rampant, wars will rage without end, and the people will be unable to cover their bodies with clothes or fill their