In the face of Saladin's doubts, Todd did not show the slightest fluster, and said unhurriedly: "Scholars have two meanings, one refers to those who are knowledgeable, and the other refers to those who are dedicated to learning. Perhaps the caliph you have seen more of the former, but less of the latter. And I am one of them. ”

Hearing Todd's self-defense, Saladin clapped his hands and laughed loudly: "Well said, well said! I do not see in you the arrogance of scholars, nor the flattery of the world!

Saladin turned his gaze to Myris and said happily: "Those scholars from the north, when they see me, either point at my nose and question Allah, or kneel at my feet and ask for submission, this friend of yours is really an interesting person!"

Hearing the Emperor's praise, Myris nodded, a rare smile on his face.

Saladin stroked his beard, sat up straight, and asked Todd, "Scholar of the North, you are my guest, and it is up to you to decide today's topic, what do you want to discuss with me?"

Todd was stunned for a moment, and his heart began to think.

If the topic was microbiology or alchemy, it would not take a few words for Saladin to become suspicious, because the name of the "God-blessed alchemist" on Todd's head was so loud that it was easy to associate with it, and if he said too much about bacteria, viruses, and parasites, Saladin might force himself to stay if he felt it was in the good interest of the empire.

Thinking of this, Todd finally chose a more popular topic - politics.

Saladin was a little surprised: "You want to talk about the power of the king and the rule of the people?"

Todd responded, "There's an emperor sitting in front of me, isn't it the best time to talk about this now?"

Saladin looked at Todd carefully and nodded happily and smiled, "Okay, let's talk about power and statecraft today......!" You're from the north, do you know this place in Twilight City?"

Hearing Saladin's question, Todd was shocked, but his face was not wavering: "Naturally, I know that the Kingdom of Twilight has risen in a few years, and now it has become the most dazzling kingdom in the entire diocese. ”

"Do you know that the king of Twilight, known as the Holy King, is still nominally the ruler of the kingdom, but he has ceded power to a ministry called the Cabinet?"

Todd nodded slightly.

Saladin looked at Todd's clenched hands and said with a smile, "Since you know all these things, it will be much easier for us to talk about them. ”

"Let's look back 2,000 years ago, before the ancient Taylor Empire was founded, when the world's independent city-states formed several states, the largest of which was a citizen-based democracy. In that country, all citizens have equal powers, everyone has the right to participate in politics, and the citizens' assembly is the highest authority of the state. At the time, most of these citizens were peasants and craftsmen in a group of city-states. ”

Saladin took a sip of water to moisten his throat: "However, with the rise of aristocratic slave owners, land annexation gradually prevailed, a large number of peasants and craftsmen went bankrupt and became slaves of the nobility, and the so-called citizen groups under democratic politics also collapsed, and the aristocratic slave owners became monarchs, and finally the democratic republic kingdom was replaced by the absolute monarchy. ”

Saladin paused, looked at Todd and asked, "How is it? Does it sound familiar?"

The latter frowned tightly and said nothing.

"The situation in Twilight City is almost exactly the same now as it was two thousand years ago. Citizens have equal rights to participate in politics and elect parliamentarians, who form the Kingdom Parliament and make decisions on state affairs. The powerful ones in the country who possess wealth are playing the role of the new aristocracy, annexing land and embezzling property. Then, when power accumulates to a certain extent, these wealthy people will inevitably seek political status and become the ruling class of the state. ”

Todd stared at Saladin and asked in a low voice, "Are you saying that Twilight is recreating the old ways of two thousand years ago......?"

With the development of commerce and industry, wealth will eventually be concentrated in the hands of a small number of people. This small group of people is able to control the lives of most citizens through employment and slavery, so as to gain invisible power and ultimately control the state. ”

"If that day comes, this 'small group' of people with wealth and power will compete for an emperor and restore the glory of the monarchy, but it is also possible that they will avoid fighting and adopt a rotational approach to form an elite political group that will completely control the power of the country. ”

Saladin looked at Todd and shook his head with a smile and said, "So, in my opinion, this decision of the king of Twilight City to relinquish power is simply an old path destined to return to the beginning. ”

Todd shook his head and expressed a different opinion: "Although the current Twilight City is very similar to two thousand years ago, it will not follow the old path of the past, and the most fundamental reason lies in the government and the law. Two thousand years ago, the democratic republican empire was relatively weak in government decision-making and legal constraints, and the country was easily controlled by the aristocracy. However, if the members of the government are full-time politicians and are elected exclusively by election, and the legislative, judicial and law enforcement organs of the law are independent, the civil power can be avoided. ”

Saladin was silent for a moment, and after carefully chewing on Todd's speech, he said slowly: "What you said is very interesting, and some things have given me new ideas and perspectives. But you still can't solve one of the most basic problems - the gap between rich and poor. ”

"The poor get poorer and the rich get richer, which is a common problem in all democracies. When citizens are deprived of their wealth little by little, they will have to depend on the new aristocracy to survive. With fewer and fewer supplies available, they have only two options to keep going, one is to rebel and the other is to obey. If the rebellion fails, these citizens will eventually lose their freedom, and if they choose to obey, they will retain their freedom, but they will also be completely reduced to a slave-like existence. ”

Todd again objected: "Compared with the past, the government should have an important public function, which is to adjust the wealth of society and reduce social contradictions, and the specific means can be taxes, fiscal incentives, state welfare, etc., while on the other hand, the democratic element in the formulation of laws can eliminate inequality as much as possible." ”

Saladin waved his hand and said, "These are just palliative solutions. It is impossible for the government to adjust its wealth at a rate that can keep up with the speed at which the aristocracy amassed it, and if it is done too hastily, it will even lead to a rebellion in the kingdom;

Todd looked at Saladin and suddenly asked in a deep voice, "If it seems to you that the road of a democratic republic is a dead end, then what about absolute monarchy?

Hearing this, Myris pulled Todd's sleeve with an anxious look on his face, signaling him to pay attention to speaking.

Saladin heard Todd's questioning, his heart was sullen for a while, and the whole person suddenly withered, and after resting for a while, he calmly said to Myris: "It doesn't matter, academic discussions should not be bound by red tape. ”

"I must admit that a huge empire is not necessarily a good thing if it listens to only one person in everything. Saladin supported his body with his arms: "If the emperor is wise, it may be okay for the country, but if the emperor is mediocre, the empire will be like a boat chasing the sea, and it will be fleeting in a blink of an eye." ”

"Take the current Ayyubid Empire as an example, when I was here, I might be able to barely support it, but my heirs ......"

"Your Majesty the Emperor!"

A shout from Myris caused Saladin to laugh wryly.

"Myris, this is not a taboo thing, people will die one day, and we have been preparing for this day all our lives. To fear it, to run away from it is to try to distance yourself from Allah. ”

Saladin looked out the window at the blue sky and green hills, and whispered, "But what reassures me is the task that Allah has given me, the great vision of the prophecy...... If it weren't for this, I would never have touched every plant and tree in the Abbasid Empire, and I would have been ......infamous for a lifetime."

Saladin clutched his right hand tightly over his chest, a pained expression appeared on his face, and his body slowly tilted to the ground.

Myris was shocked, and quickly stood up and shouted, "Guards!"

The guards quickly rushed in, watching the emperor fall to the ground, and the anxious chief of the guard drew his weapon, pointed at Myris and Todd and shouted, "What did you do?!"

Saladin, who was sweating profusely, waved his hand and said in an extremely weak voice, "It's none of their business, let them go." ”

Todd walked to the door of the room and looked back at the imperial caliph, who happened to be looking at Saladin, surrounded by physicians and guards.

The latter trembled his lips slightly and said a word.

Todd could tell the first half of the sentence was 'Allah gave you and me the same fate, but ......,' but he couldn't hear the second half.