When Ying Zheng received Zhang Han and appointed him as the executor of the reform pilot plan, all the princes of the Great Qin received two questions from Ying Zheng. They all realized that this was their father's test of them, but their reactions were different.
Fu Shu saw these two questions and was overjoyed, exclaiming, 'This must be the king recognizing that the Great Qin has shortcomings, and the harsh rule of law is not appropriate. It is necessary to adopt benevolent governance.'
He immediately ordered pens and bamboo slips to be brought, and wrote with great vigor.
If the Great Qin were to fall, what would be the cause of its downfall?
It is undoubtedly because of the lack of benevolent governance and the strict punishment.
To ensure that the Great Qin does not fall, how should it be governed?
Naturally, it is necessary to implement benevolent governance and reform the cruel laws.
At this moment, Fu Shu felt that his father had finally come to his senses and recognized the problems of the Great Qin. With an excited and joyful heart, he wrote dozens of bamboo slips.
He wanted to take advantage of the fact that his father's mind was now enlightened, and properly state the benefits of benevolent governance to his father. In the past, his father had not been able to listen, but this time he determined to persuade his father!
On the other side, his "good brother" Huhai pondered for a while after receiving the questions, and began to write as well, but the content he wrote was completely different from Fu Shu's.
At his age, he naturally understood less than his eldest brother Fu Shu. However, he took a different approach, not discussing the actual questions themselves, but praising his father harshly instead.
Huhai's response tightly revolved around the theme of "With my father in place, the Great Qin will not perish." The content he wrote was roughly as follows: With my father in place, the Great Qin is certain to endure. Under his governance, it has already become almost perfect, with no problems whatsoever.
He praised Ying Zheng to such an extent that he was unparalleled by anyone in the past or future, claiming him to be the only perfect person throughout history. He declared that compared to his father, figures like the Three Emperors and Five Emperors, or scholars from various schools of thought, were not worthy.
Being a young child, he naturally knew less about governance. However, he knew how to please his father, and spoke in a way that was simple and childlike. Even though what he said was immature, when the king read it, he would only find it to be honest and pure, which was the king's most sincere thoughts and would make him even happier.
After all, children are the most honest and what they say comes from their hearts, unlike adults who sometimes have a different inner truth. Moreover, this child is his own son, adding to the effect.
The day came to an end, and after a full day of official duties, the ministers of the Great Qin returned to their homes, beginning to contemplate the two questions left by the First Emperor for them.
At Zhao Gao's mansion, Zhao Gao sat at a desk, gently tapping his right index finger on the desktop as he pondered the deep meaning behind Ying Zheng's two questions.
In Zhao Gao's view, the questions were worth paying attention to, but what was behind the questions was even more important. Only by grasping these elements could one discern Ying Zheng's intentions and win his favor.
Over the years, he has always done it this way, and it is this approach that has helped him rise to his current position.
However, Ying Zheng's unusual response made him feel uneasy.
He is the most trusted minister of the king, often being summoned by Ying Zheng to accompany him, so in the past, he has always been the first to know what Ying Zheng is up to.
But for the past two days, the king hasn't even glanced at him, let alone summoning him to accompany him. It seemed as if he had forgotten him.
'Could it be that Meng Yi, by the king's side, slandered me and accused me?'
Zhao Gao quickly dismissed this idea: 'It shouldn't be Meng Yi. Although he has a grudge against me, he is a person of integrity. If he wanted to frame me, he would have done it already, and wouldn't have waited until today. Therefore, it seems to be that mysterious person in the palace!'
"It's a pity that this person's information is strictly sealed by the king. Even with my abilities, I haven't been able to uncover much about him. I only hear that this person is a man."
'Since this person is a man and holds a position in the palace, why would he be trusted by the king? If he were to frame me, wouldn't it be because of some personal grudge against me?'
Zhao Gao pondered over his enemies, who were quite a few, and it was impossible for him to immediately identify the mysterious figure within the palace.
'The king asked these two questions today, must have been influenced by this person. In my opinion, this person must have told the king that there are problems with the Great Qin, and not just small ones, but enough to cause the downfall of the state.'
'These two questions serve not only as a test from the king, but also as a true attempt to obtain answers from us. Therefore, it is not appropriate to flatter the king and claim that there are no problems with the Great Qin. Instead, we must point out the potential dangers of the Great Qin, and speak in a logical manner.'
Although Zhao Gao was a cunning person, his ability to gauge human hearts was undeniable. In an instant, he had roughly guessed the outline of the whole matter and knew how to answer the two questions.
At the same time, in the mansion of Li Si, just like Zhao Gao, Li Si also pondered over the cause and effect of the situation.
However, he didn't have the same level of insight as Zhao Gao. He didn't rise to his position by flattering the king or winning his favor through sycophancy. Instead, he relied on solid talent and abilities.
No matter who it was that prompted the king to pose these two questions, there must be some reason behind it. In Li Si's view, although the Great Qin had already unified the world, it was still far from the perfect state that legalists believed in. There were still many imperfections, and it seemed that these imperfections could lead to the downfall of the Great Qin.
Li Si picked up his brush and wrote quickly on the bamboo slips. What he wrote was: During the conquest of the six states, the nobility of the six states was not handled properly; the laws were not strict enough; too lenient towards the people; although the territories of the six states were unified, there was no unity in systems; too many schools of thought, too much intellectual diversity...
Having found the problems, the next step is to consider how to address them.
Li Si changed the direction of his brush and began writing his solutions:
Since the nobility of the six states are an unstable factor for the Great Qin, then let these people be executed. The dead can't miss their homeland or stir up trouble anymore.
Since the laws are not strict enough and may lead to unrest among the people, then let's create more laws and regulations, and impose heavier penalties and taxes. We must make the people feel completely terrified and exhausted.
Since the systems of the six states have not been unified, let's abolish the writing, currency, and laws of the six states. Only our Qin language, currency, and laws can be used. Destroy the existing systems of the six states and unify them into our Great Qin.
Since there are too many schools of thought and ideas are too diverse, then let's discard the other schools and exclusively respect legalism. Burn the classics of the other schools, and anyone found studying or spreading them should be severely punished without leniency. We must ban the other schools within the Great Qin, and the people must not learn these things anymore.
As Zhao Gao and Li Si were quickly writing, Dr. Chun Yu's mansion. Chun Yu was face-to-face with several other scholars and declared excitedly, "Today, the king left two questions: If the Great Qin falls, what will cause its downfall? How can we ensure that the Great Qin will not be destroyed and how should it be governed?"
Chun Yu's face was full of excitement and exhilaration. Having served as a scholar in the Great Qin for so long, he and the Confucian scholars had finally been given the chance they had been waiting for.
"This is the opportunity for our Confucian scholars!"
"Why will the Great Qin fall? There's no need to ask. It will be because of the legalist governance, which will ultimately bring disaster to the country and its people. If we want the Great Qin to survive, we must govern using our Confucian principles, restore the feudal system, and rebuild music and ceremony."
Chun Yu's expression showed that he was completely sure and confident that only Confucianism could save the world. The other scholars also quickly agreed, but Su Xu's face was full of concern.
Looking at the others who were so excited, Su Xu thought to himself, 'These two questions must have been proposed by that person in the Liuying Palace. That person is quite hostile to our Confucianism. How could they possibly allow Confucianism to replace legalism? If he tells the king that only Confucianism can...‘
