Win Zheng sighed and decided to observe Li Nian for a while longer, hoping that Li Nian might find a way to correct Fu Su. After all, he had no other options left; everything that could be tried had already been attempted.
After reading the bamboo slips of all the sons of the nobility, Ying Zheng ordered someone to bring the bamboo slips of the officials.
These bamboo slips are far superior to that of Fu Su and Hui Hai's. They are not only logical and well-founded but also fluent and eloquent in writing. Ying Zheng finds them delightful to read.
Ying Zheng carefully read through each minister's bamboo slip, personally organized the opinions written on them, noted the names, and provided evaluations.
"Zhao Gao is quite astute, but unfortunately..."
Upon reading Zhao Gao's bamboo slip, Ying Zheng shook his head.
Zhao Gao was very good at guessing his thoughts. If he had not known the later history, he would definitely have been pleased with this bamboo slip from Zhao Gao and even might have thought, "Zhao Gao is a loyal minister."
However, the better the content of Zhao Gao's bamboo slip, the more complicated Ying Zheng's mood becomes.
Because Zhao Gao is more problematic, doesn't it mean that the more he talks about his own problem in allowing Zhao Gao to climb to his current position?
If he were not at fault, how could he have allowed such a crafty person as Zhao Gao to gain power?
Failing to recognize people clearly and using them inappropriately are certainly unavoidable!
After putting down Zhao Gao's bamboo slip, Ying Zheng picked up another scroll, frowning.
The bamboo slip in his hand was strikingly about the need for vassalage, and upon glancing at the signature—Wang Wan, the current Prime Minister of the Great Qin.
Ying Zheng endured the patience to continue reading, discovering that Wang Wan was not advocating for the implementation of the Western Zhou system of dividing the entire country into smaller feudal lords, but rather suggested dividing and fortifying the far-off lands of Yan, Qi, and Jing because they were difficult to manage.
In his bamboo slip, Wang Wan pointed out that taking the world does not mean that one already controls the world. With the current situation of Great Qin, it is impossible to control the entire world completely. Therefore, there must be some trade-offs and distinctions in priorities.
Wang Wan's approach was to advise Ying Zheng to first grasp the core areas that can be controlled, temporarily neglecting the distant regions, as it is futile to try to manage them effectively. He suggested that he should bestow fiefs on several of his sons to garrison these areas, fill political gaps, and then, after digesting the core regions, turn back to deal with the distant ones.
This is a transitional policy that Great Qin can implement under the current circumstances where it cannot fully control the entire world, and it is vastly different from the fiefdoms proposed by people like Chun Yu.
"The history of the future, Wang Wan's method, I will never adopt!"
Ying Zheng was well aware of his own character. Even if Wang Wan's method was indeed reasonable, he would not adopt it.
Upon reading Li Si's bamboo slip, Ying Zheng commented, "This person Li Si, his talents can be used, but not believed in. He is loyal to the power of the king, not me or the Qin!"
If Li Si is loyal to him and the Qin, then according to the history told by Li Nian, Li Si should have strongly supported Fu Su's ascension. With his support, it is highly probable that history will turn in a different direction.
However, the fact is that Li Si did not. Regardless of why he chose to join forces with Zhao Gao and Hu Hai, it is certain that Li Si was not loyal to him. It should be said that he was not loyal to the him who had died and no longer held the power of a monarch.
Ying Zheng can understand Li Si's actions. The deceased king is not as useful as the living one.
But understanding is one thing, and there is still a knotted feeling in his heart. He will continue to use Li Si's talent, but he will not deeply trust him.
Ying Zheng wrote down the problems pointed out by Li Si and the solutions he proposed, and then continued to read the rest of the bamboo slips.
The problems pointed out by the bamboo slips surprised Ying Zheng and caused some confusion.
If any minister pointed out in the bamboo slip that the military merit system of the Great Qin would be affected after the six states were wiped out.
If all the ministers at the court can see the problems facing the Great Qin, then why did the Great Qin still perish in the history told by Li Nian?
Our Great Qin has numerous talented people. As long as we utilize them well and listen to their correct advice, it will never result in the second fall of the Great Qin.
It was the two scoundrels, Zhao Gao and Hu Hai, who expelled and persecuted the loyal. They left behind only those who only knew how to flatter, and they indulged in praising their achievements every day. Even if someone occasionally put forth correct advice, it was not accepted by them.
Win Zheng became angrier as he thought more about it, and he ordered again, "Prince Hu Hai behaves improperly and has an unrighteous heart. Punish him by copying ten times the 'Book of Songs,' to be completed within three months, and let me inspect it!"
"However," just copying the 300,000-character 'Book of Songs' twenty times is enough. Compared to Hu Hai bringing ruin to the Great Qin in two generations, Ying Zheng considers himself quite merciful.
Ying Zheng read through the bamboo slip submitted jointly by Chun Yu Ye, Su Xu, and others, which was still the Confucianist ideology advocating for restoring the Western Zhou rituals, dividing the kings, and enacting benevolent policies.
He was somewhat irritated. Did these people not see the dangers of the system of vassalage? If the Zhou rituals were truly that good, why did the Zhou Dynasty collapse?
But when he calmly considered it, he found that the submissions by Chun Yu Ye and others were not entirely without merit. For instance, suggesting the early establishment of an heir not only helps consolidate the country's foundation but also reduces conflicts among various princes, minimizing unnecessary expenditures for the state.
He acknowledged the point about the current stringent Qin laws, which had its merit. Qin laws could indeed govern Qin, but it might not be effective for the entire world. The examples he provided and his underlying intention made Ying Zheng very dissatisfied.
After reviewing all the bamboo slips, summarizing the problems pointed out by the ministers and their solutions, and comparing them to what Li Nian had told him, Ying Zheng's face broke into a smile. The ministers of my Great Qin are not any worse than those people in the later generations!
Gazing at this pile of bamboo slips, Ying Zheng pondered for a moment and ordered, "Make a copy of all these bamboo slips and send it to the Six Kingdoms Palace!"
Inside the Six Kingdoms Palace, Li Nian was drawing a map on a wooden sphere.
The wooden sphere was made by the artisans of the Mu household at his request for creating a globe, as he feared that the drawing might not be accurate, so he had prepared many of them.
Currently, this is the eighth one, and with the practice of the first seven, Li Nian has become more and more adept at drawing on the wooden sphere.
Just then, a servant came in and reported, "Young Master, the king has sent a batch of bamboo slips!"
"Send bamboo slips?"
Li Nian stopped drawing and showed some curiosity as to why the emperor would send him bamboo slips.
Could it be that the bamboo slips sent were historical records and official documents of the Great Qin, hoping to let him have a better understanding of the Great Qin?
"Bring them in!"
In no time, two heaps of bamboo slips were brought into the hall and placed in front of Li Nian, with one heap containing only a dozen or so volumes, while the other heap was at least a few hundred volumes.
Li Nian picked up a volume from the smaller pile, only to immediately spot the author's name on the bamboo slip—Young Master Hu Hai.
"Surprisingly, it's something written by Hu Hai. I wonder what kind of nonsense this beast can come up with?"
With curiosity in his heart, Li Nian read through the bamboo slip, and his face gradually became strange.
The bamboo slip was filled with praise for the First Emperor, and from between the lines, Li Nian summarized it into one sentence: My father Ying Zheng is a great guy, a first-of-all-time guy. A guy whose achievements are unparalleled before him and after him!
"No wonder Ying Zheng likes him so much. The skill in flattering is something I'm far from matching. Why did the First Emperor send me Hu Hai's bamboo slips? Is he trying to teach me how to pat his tiger's behind like Hu Hai?"
Li Nian picked up another bamboo slip and found that the author of this one was not Hu Hai, but rather Yun Gao, the unlucky prince who feared to implicate his family and committed suicide.
Yun Gao's bamboo slip was much more normal, although there was still praise for the First Emperor, not as overt as Hu Hai's. He answered two questions in earnest: Why did the Great Qin perish if it is to be destroyed, and how should it be solved if it is not to be destroyed?
