Chapter 479: Chapter 263: Why Can’t Each Dynasty Last Forever?
In the study of Kunde Hall, Zhao Yao was reading a letter from his third uncle.
Lady Liang sat opposite him, observing his fascinating expressions as he alternately frowned, raised his eyebrows, and then relaxed them. Concerned, she asked, "What did your third uncle write to you?" She already knew who the third uncle was from the emperor, but she kept it from Zhao Yao.
"This time, the letter from my third uncle is about history. He asked me why no dynasty can last long?" Zhao Yao said with a frown, "The Chen Dynasty once had a prosperous and peaceful era, so why did it fall within three hundred years?" He finished speaking and handed the letter to Lady Liang.
"The third uncle also asked me how long the Great Zhou could last?"
Lady Liang took the letter, looked at it carefully, and after reading it, she asked Zhao Yao, "What do you think is the reason? And how long do you think the Great Zhou can last?"
Zhao Yao said, "The Great Zhou can’t last long; at most, it can only sustain for over three hundred years."
Lady Liang handed the letter back to Zhao Yao and asked, "Why don’t you think the Great Zhou can last four or five hundred years?"
Hearing Lady Liang’s question, Zhao Yao asked with surprise, "Mother, didn’t you see it?"
Lady Liang, not understanding, asked blankly, "See what?"
"Throughout history, the longest-lasting dynasty was just over three hundred years, never exceeding four hundred." Zhao Yao, seeing that Lady Liang hadn’t noticed, appeared quite puzzled, "These three hundred years are a cycle; no dynasty can leap over these three hundred years, so how could the Great Zhou break out of this cycle?"
Listening to this, Lady Liang took the letter back from Zhao Yao’s hand, looked over it again carefully, and found that the third uncle had listed all the dynasties from ancient times till now. Although he didn’t specify the exact durations, with a little calculation, it became clear—something she hadn’t noticed earlier.
"It really is like that."
"The previous dynasty also lasted just over three hundred and one years, and most other dynasties didn’t last beyond three hundred years." To this day, there are very few dynasties that exceed three hundred years.
"Just because other dynasties didn’t exceed four hundred years doesn’t mean the Great Zhou won’t." Lady Liang asked, puzzled, "Are you so sure the Great Zhou won’t?"
Zhao Yao countered, "Mother, do you think the Great Zhou can last over four hundred years or even longer?"
"I think it’s not impossible." Lady Liang had great confidence in the emperor.
Zhao Yao looked at Lady Liang deeply and asked with a somewhat strange expression, "Mother, do you really think so?"
Seeing her son’s incredulous expression, Lady Liang didn’t understand why he looked that way.
"Yes, I really think so."
Zhao Yao looked at Lady Liang in shock, "Mother, you really think so."
Lady Liang was puzzled, "Can’t I think so?"
"Mother, who gave you the confidence to believe the Great Zhou can surpass all preceding dynasties?" Zhao Yao asked in a somewhat odd tone, "Was it Emperor Father?"
Lady Liang felt as if her son was mocking her, though she had no proof. She glared at Zhao Yao and said, "Yes, your Emperor Father gave that confidence."
Zhao Yao murmured softly, "Mother, you really like Emperor Father."
Lady Liang didn’t hear Zhao Yao clearly and raised her eyebrows slightly, asking, "What did you just say?"
Zhao Yao didn’t answer Lady Liang’s question and instead said, "For the Great Zhou to last four hundred years, every emperor would have to be as capable as Emperor Father and live long. Mother, you don’t think that just relying on three or four emperors like Emperor Father can sustain the Great Zhou for four hundred years, do you?"
He continued, "Mother, haven’t you heard the saying ’wealth doesn’t last beyond three generations’? Even if it lasts three generations, it’s hard to sustain beyond six. Haven’t you noticed that every dynasty has a golden age, and as soon as that era ends, decline begins swiftly?"
Then he said, "Full to overflowing, Mother."
Hearing Zhao Yao’s words, Lady Liang slightly opened her mouth.
"Mother, three hundred years is a cycle, and no dynasty can break out of this cycle. The Great Zhou is no exception."
"Why is that?" Lady Liang had read many history books, but she had never discovered this fact.
"That’s the purpose of this letter my third uncle wrote me." Zhao Yao looked at Lady Liang, seeing her confusion, and lightly sighed, "Mother, you’ve read more history books than I have, and you still haven’t noticed. It’s really..."
Lady Liang glared at her son again and asked in a huff, "What should I have noticed?"
"Mother, why do you think that every dynasty starts off very well, experiences a golden age in the middle, but as soon as that age passes, begins to decline rapidly?"