"Indeed. If such a civilization could truly be achieved, it would be an unprecedented grand spectacle and accomplishment in the history of Earth's humanity."
"But the difficulties within it are likewise unprecedented."
"Looking across the history of human civilization, before the Cosmic Federation emerged, the prevailing theme of civilization was the alienation of people by order—control, exploitation, the suppression of human nature, and the control of human thought. Even emperors, mighty ministers whose power overshadowed the realm, and those who ate meat and drank wine seemed to wield immense authority. But if one examined it closely, they too were not free. They had to uphold that entire system of order and rules."
"Let rulers be rulers, ministers ministers, fathers fathers, sons sons. Even the supreme ruler, though seemingly the maker of order, could not directly defy the rules themselves. As the saying goes, 'Those who eat meat are shallow and cannot plan far ahead.' It was not that they were incapable of planning ahead. The world never lacked clever people; among those who left their names in history, whether good or bad, few could be called foolish. It was merely that those who used order to control others would ultimately find themselves controlled by order as well."
"Thus, throughout all ages, unless a new dynasty had just been established and all things were newly renewed, those who sought reform—whether monarchs or powerful ministers—rarely met a good end, whether in the middle years of a dynasty or its twilight. At most, some monarchs were clever enough to kill the ministers responsible for the reforms once those reforms were complete, thereby soothing public outrage."
Li Nishang spoke. For a Great Sovereign like her, one who had already pierced through such barriers of the heart, an entire history of civilization burned within her