Chapter 563

Rumble— Rumble— The carriage wheels churned, emitting a rhythmic grinding sound against the blue-brick pavement. Wherever Jia Lingyun passed, the streets remained as they always were; the commoners continued their hawking and bustling, buying and selling vegetables, entirely undisturbed. Jia Lingyun had always remembered a great man’s words: originate from the masses and return to the masses; to sever ties with the masses is to sever ties with society itself. He rarely cleared the roads or permitted his Ink Guards to force a path. On the contrary, he enjoyed the clamor of peddlers and the smoky, lived-in atmosphere of the marketplace surrounding his carriage; he found it deeply heartwarming. Under Jia Lingyun’s influence, the political climate of the State of Wei had undergone a subtle transformation. Even the Prince of Han dared not disturb the people when traveling, so what other high-ranking officials would dare to make a scene or block the roads? Some officials, hoping to demonstrate their respect for Jia Lingyun, even abandoned their carriages in favor of ox carts, or carts pulled by donkeys or mules. Jia Lingyun was quite satisfied with this change among the officials of the State of Wei; when those at the top show a preference, those below will surely follow suit. While no one could truly erase the corruption that had plagued officialdom through the ages, the fact that they no longer disrupted the common people was, to the citizens, a monumental grace.