Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne-Chapter 190 - 159: The Meaning of the National Title "Zhou"_2

Sun Kui asked, "Did you manage to steal it?"

"No, the Crown Prince and I were caught. The landlord’s servants beat us severely, and we almost died," the Emperor recalled the events of the past, feeling pain over his body. It was the first time he was beaten so badly and the first time he experienced the feeling of being almost beaten to death.

"You and Prince Yi Yong didn’t steal the chicken, yet the landlord almost beat you to death. That’s too cruel."

"At that time, the lives of the poor were worse than that of dogs." The Emperor said heavily, "I mentioned wanting to eat chicken, so my elder brother took me to steal it, never expecting we’d almost get beaten to death. We took more than half a month to recover, and then my elder brother and I, along with a group of brothers, went and took revenge by beating the landlord’s precious son."

Thinking back on those days, a grin subconsciously appeared at the corner of the Emperor’s mouth, "Of course, we also stole quite a few chickens. Perhaps not having eaten meat in a long time, after eating the chicken, we had diarrhea for two days."

"Your Majesty, did you let the landlord off?"

"After we beat his son and took many of his chickens, we considered the revenge complete and didn’t bother the landlord anymore." The Emperor laughed, "We planned to rob the rich and help the poor, but we were too young back then and no match for the landlord’s servants, so we had to abandon this great plan."

"It’s because of your mercy, Your Majesty."

"Later on, a group of bandits came to the village and cleaned out the landlord’s household, killing everyone there."

"Your Majesty, did you encounter those bandits then?" fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

"We were fortunate. Before the bandits came to the village, our family couldn’t manage and had left for another place to make a living, thus escaping the disaster." Reflecting on those wandering, starved childhood days, the Emperor’s expression turned cold, "However, later on, we did encounter those bandits."

"Your Majesty, were you okay?"

"We were fine. My elder brother and I led people and wiped out those bandits without leaving anyone alive." At that time, the bandits not only looted and burned but also treated human life with disregard. "Those bandits killed many people."

"Your Majesty, you were doing God’s work. It was right to kill them." Although the Emperor didn’t elaborate, Sun Kui could imagine what those bandits did.

"During that time, there were many such merciless bandits." The Emperor sighed deeply, "Back then, human life was the cheapest thing. Honestly, whether it was my father, my elder brother, or myself, none of us thought about establishing the Great Zhou and becoming Emperors."

"At that time, we just wanted to survive, have food, meat, and drink." The Emperor rested his hands behind him, half-leaning back, and said, "Both my elder brother and I didn’t like battles, but back then, there were endless wars. My elder brother always told me that when the world is at peace, we’d buy a piece of land, build a big house, and raise some chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. Unfortunately, that wish never came true."

"Your Majesty, you must have achieved that wish by now." Sun Kui said, "The big house you live in now, and the entire land of the world is yours, and the palace keeps many chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs."

"It’s not the same. I’m trapped in this palace." The Emperor said, complaining unconsciously, "Back then, I said I’d go, but my elder brother insisted on going, and as a result, he never returned. If I had gone back then, my brother wouldn’t have gotten into trouble."

"Your Majesty, it has been so long now, don’t blame yourself anymore."

"If I had gone, I wouldn’t have to be this Emperor, trapped in this damned place."

Sun Kui’s mouth twitched slightly. He thought the Emperor was regretting past events, but it turned out he was complaining about the burdens of being an Emperor.

"If my elder brother were alive to be the Emperor, I could travel and live a carefree life."

"Your Majesty, it was God who destined you to be the Emperor." Sun Kui thought of that person and couldn’t help but ask, "Your Majesty, didn’t that person go to save Prince Yi Yong?"

"He was sent by my elder brother to deal with Zhu Que, and his legs were crippled in that battle."

"Zhu Que?" Zhu Que was a famous Great General of the previous dynasty, known as the War God, and it was no exaggeration to call him invincible.

"Yes, at the time, only he could handle Zhu Que." The Emperor said, "In that battle, he annihilated Zhu Que’s army of 400,000, forcing Zhu Que to commit suicide."

Sun Kui exclaimed, "That person was truly formidable." The battle between that person and General Zhu Que was still praised to this day. It was because of this battle that he replaced the feared General Zhu Que as the War God.

Whenever this battle is mentioned, everyone feels awe for that person.

"He is a true genius; neither my elder brother nor I can compare to him." The Emperor said as he stood up, stretched lazily, "With him around, Great Zhou is like having a stabilizing force, ensuring it won’t be invaded by foreigners."

"Your Majesty, does this mean if the Xiongnu invade, that person will take to the battlefield to fight?"

"He will. Although he hates me, he knows that Great Zhou is what my elder brother wanted to protect, so he wouldn’t let Great Zhou be bullied by foreigners." The Emperor twisted his body, "The name ’Great Zhou’ was given by my elder brother."

"Wasn’t it named by the former Emperor?"

"It was named by my elder brother. He said ’Zhou’ means complete and thorough. Establishing Great Zhou was to protect the people so they wouldn’t suffer the ravages of war, allowing them to lead stable and peaceful lives." The Emperor said, "The old man thought my elder brother made a lot of sense, and so he named the country ’Zhou’ when founding it."

"So that’s the story!" It was the first time Sun Kui heard the origin of the ’Zhou’ in Great Zhou.

"’Zhou’ also means constant circulation and endless life." The Emperor sighed, "My elder brother hoped Great Zhou would always thrive."

"Prince Yi Yong certainly had a way with words."

"Though my elder brother looked big and rough, he loved reading, unlike me when I was ten."

"Your Majesty, did you dislike reading as a child?" The servant felt the Tenth Highness resembled you.

The Emperor glared at Sun Kui and said, "A person as talented as I certainly loved to read when I was young."

If Prince Yi Yong heard the Emperor say this, he would surely laugh at his shamelessness.

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