Chapter 23: What excuses and reasons are there? They are all bullshit!
"So that's how you think. These words must have been taught to you by Cheng Jiao."
"uncle?"
Ying Fusu's excitement stopped and he looked confused.
"What does my uncle have to do with what I say?"
Ying Zheng saw that Ying Fusu's expression did not seem fake, but he still asked with some doubt: "Really?"
"Really not!"
Ying Zheng nodded doubtfully, he still suspected Ying Chengjiao.
Why are these words so similar to what that boy said back then?
"You are right. I do intend to implement Qin law throughout the world. There cannot be two sets of laws in one country!"
"Father, you can't do this!"
"Then what do you want me to do? Listen to your advice, grant amnesty to the people and restore the six kingdoms. Let the war that has lasted for hundreds of years reappear. Is that the world you want to see? Your advice will not make this world better, it will only make it worse!"
"No, father, my uncle once said that if you plant a grain of millet in spring, you will harvest ten thousand seeds in autumn. If you grant amnesty to the whole world, you will plant the seeds of benevolence in the hearts of those prisoners, and they will spread your benevolence widely. Mencius said that if you are righteous, you will have many supporters, but if you are unrighteous, you will have few supporters. As long as father holds the moral position, he will definitely not fail."
It turns out that this guy is causing trouble for me!
When Ying Zheng heard Ying Fusu say the four words "my uncle once said", his face darkened and he immediately wanted to call Ying Chengjiao to Zhangtai Palace.
But the most important thing now is to teach his eldest son Ying Fusu, so he can only put the matter of naming him Ying Chengjiao on hold for the time being.
You wait, boy!
I'll deal with you later!
…
Ah autumn~
"When did you catch a cold? You should close the doors and windows tightly tonight."
After sleeping for a whole afternoon, Ying Chengjiao, who was watching the girl on the balcony, sneezed and rubbed his nose.
…
Ying Zheng said to Ying Fusu, "Lu, the birthplace of Confucius, which was praised by the world as 'the Zhou rituals are all in Lu', no longer exists. Qi, which founded the Jixia Academy and brought together hundreds of schools of thought to study, no longer exists. And the Qin State, which in your eyes has lost its morality, finally unified the world. Confucian books are only for reading, but cannot withstand in-depth study."
Ying Fusu said: "The reason for the fall of Lu is that the king of Lu appointed villains and let the nobles Mengsun, Shusun and Jisun take control of Lu. The three of them did not know etiquette and did not know how to govern with benevolence, which led to the fall of Lu. The reason for the fall of Qi was that the king of Qi was timid and surrendered without a fight, not that Qi was weak. Qi is close to the East China Sea, and its people live in peace and prosperity. If the king of Qi mobilized the entire Qi to fight against Qin, Qi would definitely be the winner in the end."
Ying Zheng felt that Ying Fusu was really stubborn.
The facts are right in front of us, yet you still insist on using the ideas of those corrupt scholars to justify them.
Reading is used to broaden your horizons, not to restrict your thinking.
Ying Zheng said angrily: "You should have seen clearly what your teacher did in the court today. You can see what kind of people the Confucian scholars are and what kind of doctrine Confucianism is. I thought this would make you sober, but I didn't expect you to still be obsessed with it!"
There was light in Ying Fusu's eyes.
"There is nothing wrong with the Confucian idea of building a world of great harmony. Governing the country with benevolence, treating people with courtesy, and returning the world to the ancient prosperity, how can this vision be wrong? What the teacher did in the court today was not what Confucius and Mencius taught. His behavior can only show that he was wrong, not Confucianism. Father, when Emperor Yao was old, he did not pass the throne to his children, but abdicated to Emperor Shun. The ancient sage kings did not even care about the throne for the prosperity of the people. This created the ancient prosperity, and the people lived a prosperous life without picking up lost items on the road. The precedent is right in front of us, why do you pretend not to see it, father?"
"Nonsense! You are talking about the records in the History of Zhou and the History of Lu! The abdication system is a lie told by the Zhou royal family and the kings of Lu for their own rule! Have you read the Bamboo Annals? The records there are the real history! The Bamboo Annals record: Shun imprisoned Yao in Pingyang and took the throne. Shun released Yao in Pingyang. Shun imprisoned Yao and blocked Dan Zhu so that he could not see his father. It means that Shun obtained power, imprisoned Yao in Pingyang, and did not let his son meet him, so he obtained the throne. Let's not talk about whether the world ruled by Emperor Shun was a place where no one picked up lost items on the road and the people were prosperous. Even if it was, Emperor Shun, who sought the world in such a way, was not the sage king that Confucianism said!"
"The Bamboo Annals is a history book recorded by the State of Wei, and the History of Zhou is a history book recorded by the Zhou Dynasty. The State of Wei was just a vassal state of the Zhou Dynasty, and the authenticity of the Bamboo Annals cannot be compared with that of the History of Zhou. The reason why father believed in the records in the Bamboo Annals is that his kingdom was obtained through war and fighting, which was not obtained legitimately. If the Zhou royal family voluntarily abdicated to him because of his virtue, and the princes of the world voluntarily accepted him as king because of his virtue, father would surely admit that the abdication system existed."
The focus of the dispute between Ying Fusu and Ying Zheng was not whether the system of abdication really existed.
Rather, the question is whether Confucian benevolent governance can govern a country and whether it can cure a country well.
Ying Fusu wanted to prove that the abdication system existed and that the ancient heyday was the best example of Confucian benevolent rule. Confucianism was not just empty talk, but had a basis. He wanted to use this to convince the First Emperor to replace the rule of law with benevolent rule.
The First Emperor's ideas were completely opposite to those of Ying Fusu. He wanted his eldest son to abandon the unrealistic fantasies of Confucianism.
If the system of abdication does not exist, then even if there really was a so-called prosperous age in ancient times, it has nothing to do with the theories followed by Confucianism.
The so-called benevolent governance naturally became rootless water.
Gai Nie stood at the entrance of the palace, ready for battle, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
He was the only listener to the debate between the First Emperor and the eldest prince.
This showed the great trust that the First Emperor had in him.
Gai Nie knew that this trust came from his former master, Ying Chengjiao.
It was not until this time that Gai Nie realized that the relationship between Ying Chengjiao and Ying Zheng was so deep.
So deep that even though Ying Zheng had never met him before, just because Ying Chengjiao recommended him, Ying Zheng dared to hand over the secret guard responsible for protection to him.
This debate was so profound that there should be no third person present except the First Emperor Ying Zheng and Ying Fusu, who would most likely become the Second Emperor of Qin. However, Gai Nie was able to stay here.
"The Bamboo Annals were recorded by the historians of the State of Wei. Li Kui, who wrote the Book of Law, also implemented reforms in the State of Wei. The State of Wei was inclined towards the doctrine of the Legalists, but the Legalists had always been against the ritual system. None of the legalists advocated benevolence and righteousness. They themselves were not benevolent and righteous, so they thought that there were no benevolent and righteous people in the world, so they modified the ancient abdication system into a dark power struggle. Father is a person who can distinguish right from wrong, and he should not be misled by those legalists."
Ying Fusu was still trying to persuade Ying Zheng.
The father and son have reached an impasse and have been talking about this issue for half an hour.
Gai Nie knew that what he heard was an important debate that could affect the entire Qin State.
The outcome of this debate will determine the future development direction of this emerging empire that has emerged from war.
So, he knew he had to do his duty as a guard.
If you rashly join in this debate, no matter what the outcome is, you may end up getting killed afterwards.
But at this moment, his mind was filled with the war scenes he had seen before.
A pungent smell filled the battlefield where arms and legs were scattered all over the place. The ground was red and no blood could be seen.
The numb soldiers of the two countries were like zombies, mechanically and skillfully dragging the corpses on the ground and throwing them into the pit...
There was a big hole in the shabby thatched roof, and sunlight and rain entered the house through the hole. This was the most intact house in the village.
Outside the thatched cottage, the ten-mile-long village was full of broken walls and ruins, with no sign of human habitation...
There is no millet or rice in the fields that show signs of cultivation, only weeds.
The grass grew to be three feet high each, and seemed to stretch endlessly.
If you dig up the soil under the grass, you can find human bones with rotten flesh.
This grass is watered with human blood and fertilized with human flesh. In troubled times, the grass eats people...
"Chang'an Jun once said that legal scholars have a much greater impact than Confucian scholars." Taking a deep breath, Gai Nie, who was guarding the door of the palace, spoke. He didn't want to see the chaotic world that had been turbulent for hundreds of years again!
Ying Zheng and Ying Fusu were both shocked and surprised.
Although there were three people in the room, Ying Zheng and Ying Fusu were never prepared for Gai Nie to speak.
"Wei Wenhou supported Li Kui's reform, so during his reign, Wei was the most powerful among the vassal states. Xiaoxian Gong supported Shang Yang's reform, and all the ancestors of the past dynasties took Shang Yang's law as the foundation, so Qin unified the world. However, Confucius traveled around the countries, but he did not make any country truly prosperous and strong. Doesn't this prove which one is more important, Legalism or Confucianism, and which one is more suitable for governing a country?"
Gai Nie did not turn around, but said with his back to Ying Zheng and Ying Fusu that his behavior was not polite.
But at this time, the two people sitting opposite each other did not care about Gai Nie's rudeness.
Ying Zheng thought about what Gai Nie had said before, "Chang'an Jun once said", this guy's mindset has changed now.
Ying Fusu frowned and said softly, "Confucius said, 'The Zhou dynasty supervised the previous two dynasties, and was rich in culture. I follow the Zhou dynasty.' It means that the Zhou rituals originated from the Xia and Shang dynasties, and were rich and elegant. I follow the Zhou rituals. It is precisely knowing and understanding the rituals that allows people to break away from livestock and consciously develop morality. This is the role of Confucianism."
"The Legalist school of thought took advantage of the situation when rituals and music were collapsing, and used laws to bind the people and force them to do what the laws said. One was voluntary and the other was forced, and the difference was clear. As a result, in Qin, where the Legalist school of thought prevailed, the streets were deserted and the people rarely smiled. In Qi, where the Jixia Academy was established, the people raised their sleeves in the streets, sweated profusely, and laughed and talked happily."
Before Ying Fusu finished speaking, Gai Nie's cold and hard voice sounded again.
"But Qi was destroyed by Qin."
Ying Fusu insisted: "The King of Qi surrendered voluntarily!"
There wasn't much that Gai Nie could say. He was only passionate about swords in his life, and what he had said before was what he heard from Ying Chengjiao.
At this moment, if he was asked to refute the well-read Ying Fusu, he really had nothing to say.
But he had seen the tragic scenes during the wars in the world, so although he could not argue with Ying Fusu, he firmly believed that Ying Fusu was wrong.
At this moment, he felt that Ying Fusu was like Ying Chengjiao who lost the sword duel with him.
Either the sword is bad or he’s not full, there are always a bunch of reasons.
This made him very impatient.
He was even more annoyed, especially since he now had to concentrate highly and control every move within thirty steps of Zhangtai Palace.
Gai Nie was too lazy to think about it, as he couldn't figure it out anyway.
He couldn't argue with Ying Chengjiao in the past, and he couldn't argue with Ying Fusu today.
He habitually replied to Ying Fusu with the same words he used to reply to Ying Chengjiao: "If you lose, you lose. What excuses are there? They are all bullshit!"
