Chapter 121: The Queen of Qin, Afang
"Your Majesty has granted Confucianism special privileges. Confucianism will either flourish or be thwarted. The less naive people will think that Your Majesty wants to abolish the law and promote Confucianism. This will be a great disaster."
Chunyu Yue kept smiling faintly, and his voice was very steady, as if he was talking about someone else.
"Given your majesty's character, the Confucians cannot escape blame for the eldest son's behavior. It is only natural that you want to kill the Confucians to vent your anger."
Li Si was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is it okay to run away?"
"The sky is big and the earth is big, it's all Qin's territory, where can you run to?"
"Yan, Chu, and Qi are fine. These three places are nominally Qin territory, but in reality they are still controlled by the nobles of the six countries."
"Yue entered Qin from Qi, vowing to revive Confucianism. It is not right to return to Qi like this, not right."
"Don't you want to die?"
"If Brother Li is really so worried about Yue, I have a question for you. Please help me." Chunyu Yue looked at Li Si eagerly and said, "Brother Li is a close minister of Your Majesty, so you must know more. May I ask if the eldest son's illness has not been cured yet?"
Chunyu Yue's question reminded Li Si of the imperial edict that he had secretly read.
The eldest prince doesn't have any illness at all. His Majesty has secretly exiled him to Shangjun a long time ago.
If Chunyu Yue knew that the eldest prince was no longer in Xianyang, he might no longer have the illusion that Confucianism could rise.
Hmm? I understand!
Zhao Gao has been emphasizing that I possess the strengths of both Confucianism and Legalism. He is reminding me that after the death of these Confucian disciples in the court, I will be able to lead the disciples of .
It also reminds me that His Majesty is testing me.
His Majesty knew that I accidentally read the imperial edict, but he did not blame me, and today he specifically asked me to inform Chunyu Yue.
He just wanted to see if I would leak the contents of the imperial edict because of our fellow disciples' friendship.
Once I tell Chunyu Yue the truth about the eldest son, causing Chunyu Yue to escape, His Majesty will know that I have leaked the imperial edict.
Zhao Gao said that Chunyu Yue and I were from the same school, which undoubtedly pointed out once again that Your Majesty wanted me to cut off the last favor and become a lone minister...
The more Li Si thought about it, the more he felt that this was the case.
But at this moment, he no longer felt the dilemma he had when standing in front of the doctoral office.
Ever since he pulled Chunyu Yue into the doctoral office, he had already made his choice.
He did not think about one problem - what Zhao Gao reminded him of was what Zhao Gao figured out of the First Emperor's intention, but the First Emperor had never told him so much directly.
Li Si shook his head naturally.
"What disease did the eldest son have that he still hasn't recovered?"
"The eldest son is not ill." Li Si said in a rigid tone, "Your Majesty has secretly exiled the eldest son to Shangjun. Brother Chunyu, leave Xianyang as soon as possible."
When Chunyu Yue heard this, he did not show any surprise this time.
Faced with Li Si's puzzled gaze, Chunyu Yue breathed a sigh of relief.
"It is true."
"…You knew this a long time ago?"
"It's probably my guess. Brother Li's words confirm what Yue is thinking."
"It's not too late to leave now."
Can I run away?
Don’t you want to die?
It’s still not too late to leave now.
Li Si asked Chunyu Yue to escape three times in a row, but Chunyu Yue refused twice.
The third time, Chunyu Yue looked at Li Si's face, which was so rigid that it was difficult to discern any emotion, smiled, and nodded.
"Can."
Li Si stood up and saluted, saying seriously: "Take care."
Chunyu Yue stood up and returned the greeting, saying, "Goodbye."
Li Si left with a sense of relief, feeling an unprecedented ease.
After Li Si left, Chunyu Yue also walked out of his private room and went deep into the Doctoral Office.
"Chun Yu Pushe is here to look for Doctor Fu again?"
"Yes, is Fu Sheng here?"
"Inside."
"Thank you, Dr. Huang."
Chunyu Yue chatted with a doctor he knew passing by and continued to move forward.
The annual salary of Pushe was 400 dan, and the annual salary of Boshi was 600 dan. The status of Pushe was below that of Boshi.
But in the Office of Doctors, no doctor appointed Chunyu Yue as the Prime Minister.
Everyone knows that Chunyu Yue is the leader of Confucianism.
Chunyu Yue walked to a house with ease and knocked on the door three times.
No one answered from inside.
Chun Yu Yue had gotten used to it long ago, so he no longer hesitated and pushed the door open.
"The Master said: 'To learn with a view to applying what one has learned from time to time is it not a pleasure? To have friends come from afar is it not a pleasure...'"
The image of Fusheng shaking his head while reading the Analects appeared in front of Chunyu Yue.
Chunyu Yue walked over, patted Fu Sheng's shoulder with his right hand, and called out, "Fu Sheng."
It took two takes to finally bring Fusheng out of his absorbed reading state.
Fu Sheng held the Analects in his hand and looked at Chun Yuyue standing behind him in surprise, saying, "When did Brother Chun Yu come?"
From Fusheng's perspective, Chunyu Yue suddenly appeared behind him as if he had teleported.
"Your Majesty will hold a grand banquet in six days to enfeoff ministers, and all Confucian scholars can attend."
Fu Sheng was delighted and said, "This is a good thing! Your Majesty has followed the Zhou's feudal system and has attached great importance to Confucianism. The rise of Confucianism does not need to wait until the second Qin Dynasty, it can happen in this generation!"
"Good or bad? It's a bad thing!"
Chunyu Yue looked at Fu Sheng, who had an innocent face, and finally showed a bitter smile which he had never shown in front of Li Si.
"Your Majesty values the law over Confucianism. This arrangement is to kill all the Confucian scholars who attended the banquet that day. The eldest son has been exiled to the county. Now, if you want to revive Confucianism, there is only one way to go."
Fu Sheng was so shocked that he had no way to respond to Chunyu Yue's words.
Chunyu Yue had a firm face and said calmly, "Your Majesty wants to destroy our Confucianism because the eldest son is a Confucian scholar. This matter started with the eldest son, and I am his teacher. If I die, it should be enough to vent your Majesty's anger."
"I can die for Confucianism with my brother Chunyu. I will be happy!"
Fu Sheng finally came to his senses and spoke to Chunyu Yue with the same firm expression.
Chunyu Yue refused without hesitation.
"No, you have more important things to do. If I die, it will only vent your anger. You can't let the eldest son return to Xianyang. If the eldest son doesn't return to Xianyang, our Confucianism will not flourish. If you want your majesty to recall the eldest son, you must believe that Confucianism will not try to influence the eldest son again."
"You need to do something, something that can dispel the doubts in His Majesty's heart. You are the only one in the entire Confucianism who can do this, and this thing is more painful than death. But for the prosperity of Confucianism, please do it, Brother Fu."
Fu Sheng thought Chunyu Yue said this to let him live with peace of mind, so he shook his head.
"Nothing is greater than death. Whatever life can do, others can do too. Brother Chunyu deceived me."
Chunyu Yue pointed at the Analects in Fu Sheng's hand and said, "Expel Zhang Ping and the other four from Confucianism. Go to the palace of the Lord of Chang'an to ask for annotations to the Analects, and require all Confucian scholars to learn it. Brother Fu has the highest prestige among Confucianists. Only Brother Fu can do these two things."
Crash~
The Analects in Fusheng's hand fell to the ground.
His face flushed, his blood boiled, and he stood up suddenly.
His reaction was even greater than when he heard that the First Emperor was going to exterminate all the Confucian disciples who were attending the banquet.
"If you want to do these two things in your life, it is better to let life and death be!"
Fu Sheng once fainted on the spot in the court because Ying Chengjiao slandered "The Analects of Confucius" in anger.
He was also angry because Chunyu Yue agreed to ask Ying Chengjiao for advice on the Analects of Confucius, so he made a scene in the Confucian Academy and punished Chunyu Yue.
Fortunately, Chunyu Yue did not really think that Ying Chengjiao was right. Afterwards, he sent four Confucian scholars including Zhang Ping to set a trap for Ying Chengjiao, which won Fusheng's full support.
Now Fusheng was asked to expel the four people from Confucianism, and to ask Ying Chengjiao to annotate the Analects, and to let all Confucian scholars learn it.
This is even more painful than killing Fu Sheng.
Chunyu Yue slapped Fu Sheng's shoulders with both hands and said loudly: " If you want Confucianism to survive and flourish, you must do this! We Confucians can even allow others to annotate the Analects beyond recognition, so what else can't we abandon? We must be so docile in order to dispel your majesty's vigilance."
"Your Majesty will believe that our Confucianism only seeks to survive and nothing else. You will not ban Confucianism in Qin and expel Confucian scholars from Xianyang. You will transfer the eldest son back to Xianyang after my death and grant him the title of crown prince!"
"Let Sheng die! You go and do this! Your prestige in Confucianism is ten times greater than Sheng's, and you are more suitable for this matter than Sheng!"
"Yue is already a dead man ."
Chunyu Yue gently stroked Fu Sheng's chest to calm him down, and said with a smile, "Your Majesty said that no matter how high your official position is or how high your title is, as long as you are a Confucian disciple, you can attend the banquet. This gives Confucianists a breathing space, and as long as you don't go to the banquet, you won't suffer. But I was told by Li Si himself that I can't be absent."
"If I don't show up, your majesty will have no way to vent his anger. When the emperor is angry, millions of people will die, and the Confucian school will really be a river of blood. Your death will preserve your reputation, and if you live, your reputation will be damaged, which will enable the Confucian school to flourish."
Chunyu Yue made a deep respect to Fu Sheng, bowed and said sincerely: "Confucian scholar Chunyu Yue, please be a Confucian and live on."
Fu Sheng did not support Chunyu Yue.
The Confucian scholar, who had the deepest knowledge of Confucianism, had tears in his eyes and pointed at Chunyu Yue and cursed him.
"Asshole! You, Chunyu Yue, died under the sword of His Majesty, winning fame both in life and after death! But you want me to do something that will be infamous for eternity! Confucianism will flourish, and everyone in the future will remember that you, Chunyu Yue, were a man of steel and fearless of the king's power! And I, Fusheng!"
Two lines of hot tears flowed down Fusheng's eyes. Fusheng pointed his thumb at himself and said without any regard for etiquette: "Flattering, servile, fawning, you are a villain! Why! This matter! I will not do it!"
Chunyu Yue lowered his body further, until his knees hit the ground, and then his head hit the ground.
Chunyu Yue's eyes widened, his hair stood on end with anger, and Fu Sheng, with tears in his eyes, kowtowed nine times.
"The Master does not speak of strange things, force, chaos, or gods. But today, Yue wants to become a ghost or god after his death. When Confucianism flourishes, the truth will be announced to the world. The man who flourished Confucianism is the great scholar Fu Sheng."
"Qu Yuan was the Mo'ao of Chu. He followed the example of the immortal Peng Xian and threw himself into the Miluo River to die, but he was not able to become a ghost to protect Chu. Do you believe this?"
Wushu culture was prevalent in the Chu State, and Mo'ao was the name of an official position in the Chu State who was in charge of both royal sacrifices and divination.
If you can act like Mo Ao, you are a great witch.
The Chu people believed that Mo'ao could communicate with ghosts and gods.
Brother Fu, you will do it...
Chunyu Yue stood up, tidied his appearance, wiped the dust off his forehead, and patted the dust off his knees.
"Five days later, I will be waiting for Brother Fu at the Confucian Mansion."
Chunyu Yue went out and closed the door for Fusheng.
Fusheng wiped the tears from his face with his sleeve and carefully picked up the "Analects of Confucius" that had fallen to the ground.
He wiped the volume of "The Analects" very clean, fearing that even a speck of dust would get on it.
Then, this Confucian who was over thirty years old had the deepest knowledge.
Putting "The Analects of Confucius" on the table, I felt like a child who had lost his most beloved thing.
He folded his hands over the table, burst into tears, and cursed as he cried.
"Asshole, wuwuwu, why can't death be life, wuwuwu, why must life live like this, wuwuwu, why is this something only the living can do, wuwuwu..."
He deliberately placed "The Analects of Confucius" on the top of the table.
This child, who had spent his entire life studying Confucianism, was afraid that his tears would wet the Analects.
That night, a quarrel broke out in the Confucian Mansion.
Fu Sheng, the most profound scholar of Confucianism, had a big quarrel with Chunyu Yue, the hidden leader of Confucianism.
From an academic perspective, Fu Sheng believed that Confucianism should not be complacent.
For example, in the annotations of "The Analects of Confucius", although the annotations by Chang'an Jun Ying Chengjiao are incorrect.
But after he returned, he studied it carefully, drew inferences from other cases, and gained new insights into Confucianism.
For example, Mozi studied Confucianism, but because his insights from Confucianism were not accepted by the Confucianists at that time, he left Confucianism and founded the Mohist School, which is as famous as Confucianism.
Both of these prove that Confucianism, which is complacent, will find it difficult to make progress.
He decided to go to the palace of Chang'an Jun and ask for Chang'an Jun Ying Chengjiao's annotations on "The Analects of Confucius".
Interpret "The Analects" from another perspective and require all Confucian disciples to interpret it together.
Chunyu Yue was furious and accused Fusheng of betraying Confucianism.
It is said that Ying Chengjiao is maliciously slandering Confucianism and misinterpreting Confucian classics.
Fu Sheng was trying to please the emperor. He was a despicable person and someone who feared the royal power.
Fusheng was also furious, saying that Chunyu Yue was not trustworthy and his actions were inconsistent. He said that the evil people were the first to complain, and proposed to expel Chunyu Yue and the four Confucian scholars who had been to the tower from the Confucian school.
It is said that Chunyu Yue clearly agreed to the First Emperor's request for advice from Chang'an Jun in the court, but he turned around and sent people to maliciously slander Chang'an Jun.
Be one thing in front of people and another behind their backs.
Chunyu Yue and the four Confucian scholars who did such a thing are despicable people. Confucianism does not have such disciples.
When Chunyu Yue heard that Fusheng wanted to expel him from Confucianism, he countered by saying that he would expel Fusheng from Confucianism and wanted Fusheng to get out of the Confucian school under his name.
The quarrel in the Confucian Academy lasted for two hours, affecting all Confucian scholars and splitting Confucianism into two factions.
One group was headed by Fusheng, which accounted for more than 95% of the Confucian scholars present.
One group was headed by Chunyu Yue, which accounted for less than half of the Confucian scholars present.
The reason for such a huge disparity.
First, Chunyu Yue intentionally gave in when he was arguing with Fu Sheng.
Second, the die-hard fans who support Fu Sheng are all well-versed in academics, while the die-hard fans who support Chunyu Yue are all young and active.
After all the Confucian scholars started verbally attacking each other, the former hit the latter like a father hitting his son.
Third, and this is the most important point, Chunyu Yue did not allow all Confucian scholars to participate in the dispute between the county system and the feudal system, so this matter cannot be whitewashed.
The First Emperor did not abolish the feudal system fundamentally in the end, and he treated Wei Zhuang, who fully supported the feudal system, very well.
All the Confucian scholars believed that if they had been able to speak that day, it would have been like Mount Tai breaking the camel's back, and the First Emperor would have definitely chosen to enfeoff.
And even if the feudal system had not been chosen, it would not have had any impact on Confucianism.
What Chunyu Yue had said before about a catastrophic disaster was pure nonsense and had no basis at all.
If Chunyu Yue could not come up with a reason, it would mean that the Confucians would lose the greatest opportunity to compete with the Legalists for the right to speak in the court, which would be a betrayal.
Fu Sheng said that he spoke for Chunyu Yue because Chunyu Yue swore and asked him to believe it without giving any reason.
The Confucian scholars asked Chunyu Yue to give a reason on the spot, but Chunyu Yue was speechless.
Chunyu Yue, who was furious, expelled Fu Sheng's group from the Confucian school on the spot.
It was already midnight.
The curfew has already begun.
The patrolling city defense troops captured more than 95% of the Confucian scholars in Xianyang and sent them to the Tingwei prison.
The Tingwei Prison was once again full.
Those who violate the curfew will be sentenced to three days in prison at the lightest and beheading at the heaviest.
Ninety-five percent of the Confucian scholars, headed by Fu Sheng, were forced out, and more than a dozen of them held official positions, serving as doctors in the Doctoral Office.
According to Qin law, he would be detained for three days.
In this way, these Confucian scholars escaped the grand banquet held by Emperor Qin Shihuang the next day.
Confucian House.
Chunyu Yue asked the remaining Confucian scholars to find rooms to live in.
Back in his bedroom, Chunyu Yue stood in front of the window, looking at the moon in the sky, thinking of Ying Fusu who was exiled to Shangjun.
The eldest son will definitely come back...
He will come back to be the crown prince, he will come back to be the second emperor of Qin…
…
Da Zheng Palace.
Chunyu Yue missed Ying Fusu, who was thought to be in Shangjun, and was respectfully bowing to a woman in a phoenix crown and a red robe.
"Fusu pays respect to the Queen Mother. It is so late, Queen Mother, please be careful of the cold night. If you are looking for Fusu, just call him, why do you need to come in person?"
In the whole world, there is only one person in the Qin Dynasty who can be called queen mother by Ying Fusu.
The Queen of the Qin Dynasty, Afang.
"You can't leave the Zheng Palace, and your mother misses you, so you have to travel at night."
