Chapter 43 No One Can Influence the Eldest Son
"The Second Emperor of Qin...the eldest son!" Fu Sheng blurted out.
Chunyu Yue has said so much, if Fusheng still doesn't realize it, then he is not a nerd, but a fool.
"Yes."
Chunyu Yue nodded, and a hint of complacency unconsciously appeared on his face.
He picked up the teacup, in which the hot water was no longer scalding, and gently brought it to his lips and took a sip, as if he was tasting some fine wine.
"Why should our Confucianists fight endlessly with the Legalists in the court, refusing to give in to each other over the orthodox doctrine? In this life, what if we give in to the Legalists? We only need to consolidate the position of the eldest son, and wait for a few decades later, when Qin has its second emperor, Confucianism will be the only one that is respected among all the schools of thought!"
Fu Sheng looked at Chunyu Yue who was talking so eloquently and felt that he was a stranger, as if he was meeting Chunyu Yue for the first time.
While all the schools of thought were focusing on the present world, the long-time friend before him was actually setting his sights on the next life!
"Then why do you still lead your disciples to argue with Fasheng?" Fusheng asked puzzledly.
Since Chunyu Yue entered the Qin court, he has often led Confucian scholars into conflicts with legalists.
The last conflict was when there was a severe drought in Shang, and the First Emperor asked his ministers for advice.
The Confucian scholars’ opinion was that when faced with such a natural disaster, we should show leniency to the people in the commercial areas, reduce local taxes, and allow the surrounding counties to open their granaries and release grain.
Fasheng objected: Qin ruled by law, and the law cannot be changed! If the tax is changed because of the drought in Shang, the law will lose its deterrent power, and Qin will be doomed . It is better to let the local people enlist in the army, and the soldiers will not be taxed. In this way, the people can survive, the army's strength will be expanded, and the prestige of the law will not be damaged.
In fact, many natural disasters that occurred in Qin's history were handled in accordance with what the Fashengs said, by incorporating the refugees into the army.
Because of the strategy of farming and warfare, the Qin State had soldiers on horseback and civilians on foot. It can be said that all the people were soldiers.
Therefore, most of the time, the Qin State would use this opportunity to launch foreign wars and divert domestic conflicts.
If we win, we will have food, land and everything.
If they lost the battle, firstly, the Qin State, which had twenty levels of military merit, rarely lost. Secondly, if they really lost, it would mean defeat. If they lost the battle, people would die, and if people died, they would not need food.
The Confucian scholars also knew the traditions of the Qin State, and just when they were about to stop, Chunyu Yue stood up.
"Now that the world is at peace and there is no war, what is the point of having so many soldiers? It would be better to show benevolence to the world, educate the people, and win the hearts of the people of the six countries with this benevolent policy!"
The boss started the fight, and the remaining Confucian scholars were like people who had been injected with chicken blood.
From the severe drought in Shang land to the idea that a benevolent person is king, everyone made suggestions in the court.
Naturally, the legalists were unwilling to do so. If you play the game of "a benevolent king who cares about the people", what else do we need the law for? What else do we need the legalists for? Isn't this ruining the party?
So they quoted from classics, from Duke Xiao of Qin who strengthened the country with laws, to King Huiwen of Qin who abided by the law and went into exile, to the rule of law which made Qin a state of no dust on the road and far more powerful than other countries until the world was unified.
In Fu Sheng's view at the time, this was Chunyu Yue's challenge to the Legalists and his attack on the status of Qin's orthodox doctrines.
But today, Fusheng heard from Chunyu Yue that Chunyu Yue had long given up on leading Confucianism back to the status of orthodox doctrine during the reign of Emperor Qin Shihuang.
Fu Sheng didn't understand.
Since you have already given up, why do you still want to lead your disciples to fight against the Legalists?
"One is to comfort His Majesty, and the other is to comfort Young Master Chang."
Chun Yuyue patiently explained, " Your Majesty is suspicious. I led my students to fight against the Legalists to let Your Majesty know that the purpose of our Confucianism is to be a prominent school of thought. The rise and fall of the hundreds of schools of thought are all in Your Majesty's mind, and Your Majesty will look down on us even more. The eldest son has a radical temperament. If our Confucianism is silent in the court, it is contrary to teaching him Confucianism. The eldest son will be extremely disappointed and will no longer believe in our Confucianism."
After listening to Chunyu Yue's explanation, Fusheng finally understood, but then he had new questions.
"Why did you want the eldest son to contradict His Majesty the other day?"
Chunyu Yue was silent for a while, and just when Fusheng thought that Chunyu Yue would not answer this question.
Chunyu Yuecai smiled bitterly and said bitterly: "This matter has nothing to do with me. The eldest son is more like a Confucian student than me."
"What the eldest master said is not your plan!" Fu Sheng exclaimed in a low voice.
"Of course not! The eldest son is loved by all the ministers. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be the next emperor of Qin. Since I have decided to compete with Qin II, why would I want the eldest son to put himself in danger at this moment? If the eldest son had not acted on impulse, why would I have offended Your Majesty for that brat Chang'an Jun today!"
Chunyu Yue drank a glass of water angrily. When he thought back to what he had done in the court, he still felt extremely ashamed.
Fu Sheng said, "I am ignorant. Brother Chunyu was in the court today to make excuses for that boy. How did he have anything to do with the eldest son?"
Chun Yuyue said: "Your Majesty exiled the eldest son, and the two prime ministers, Wang Wan and Wei Zhuang, begged for mercy but to no avail. The eldest son was supposed to leave yesterday , but today he appeared in the court and sat next to that bastard. It is obvious that the one who changed Your Majesty's mind was undoubtedly that bastard."
"I spoke for that bastard because I was in a desperate situation. I hope he can save the eldest son because of what I did. You only heard that I followed the order of His Majesty to learn the Analects with that bastard, but you didn't hear that His Majesty wanted me to take the eldest son to study. As long as I obey the order, the eldest son will not have to leave Xianyang!"
Fu Sheng suddenly understood.
Only then did we understand why Chunyu Yue agreed in the court to study "The Analects of Confucius" with Ying Chengjiao, but then sent four Confucian scholars to set a trap for Ying Chengjiao.
Chunyu Yue's primary goal was to keep the eldest prince in Xianyang. To this end, he could first agree to Ying Chengjiao's newly compiled "The Analects of Confucius".
In fact, Chunyu Yue did not approve of Ying Chengjiao's "The Analects".
So after achieving his primary goal, he would naturally find a way to restore the reputation of Confucianism.
"Then aren't you afraid of His Majesty's punishment?" Fu Sheng asked worriedly.
It was the First Emperor himself who asked Chunyu Yue to take Ying Fusu to study "The Analects of Confucius" with Ying Chengjiao.
This matter was ruined by Chunyu Yue, which in a sense was already a disobedience to the imperial order.
Chun Yuyue waved his hand and said, "Your Majesty will not care. The other day, the eldest son contradicted your Majesty, and I am his teacher. Your Majesty will definitely think that this is the influence of my Confucianism on the eldest son. Your Majesty's actions today are to destroy my image in the eldest son's heart and the image of Confucianism in the eldest son's heart. The moment I responded, your Majesty's goal was achieved. Your Majesty has read hundreds of books, how could you believe that boy's nonsense?"
Seeing that Fu Sheng was a little anxious, Chun Yuyue handed Fu Sheng a glass of water, smiled, and said, "Brother Fu, do you want to ask the eldest master?"
Fu Sheng nodded vigorously, took the cup of water handed to him by Chunyu Yue and drank it all in one gulp to calm his somewhat confused heart.
Your Majesty's goal has been achieved, and Confucianism no longer occupies a lofty position in the eldest prince's heart.
Even if the eldest prince succeeds to the throne, Confucianism will still not become the mainstream doctrine in Qin.
More than ten years of planning were ruined in an instant, how can Brother Chunyu still laugh?
Fu Sheng couldn't laugh at all, he was so anxious that he almost died.
"Brother Fu, do you still remember what I said before?"
Chunyu Yue's expression was very complicated.
"The eldest son is more like a Confucian student than I am. The fact that the eldest son could contradict Your Majesty the day before yesterday means that the status of Confucianism in the eldest son's heart has gone beyond the scope of personal influence. My personal behavior is out of Confucianism, which will make the eldest son uncomfortable for a while."
"But it won't be long before the eldest son will reaffirm his faith. No matter what others say or do now, it will not affect the eldest son. As long as the eldest son stays in Xianyang, you and I will wait with peace of mind. The day when the second emperor of Qin comes will be the day when our Confucianism will return to the world's preeminent school of thought!"
