Fú Shū's son deeply believes in benevolent governance. The King should give Fú Shū's son a place to use his understanding of benevolent governance to change things.
"Some things, when one is not in the right position, can be easily pointed out and commented on. One always feels that if I were in their place, I could do it too. But when you really put them in the position, you will understand that things are not as easy as they think. They took the position, and they really couldn't do it."
You can't teach people through words, but once you show them through actions, they'll learn immediately!
Ying Zheng nodded in agreement, deeply believing that he became mature through many experiences.
Li Nian recalled a movie he had seen once, in which a wealthy father built a town and hired actors to fool his spendthrift son into believing he had traveled back to the Middle Ages, and Qin Shi Huang could have operated in such a way.
So, he continued, "If Your Majesty is willing, you could arrange for someone to create a specific environment for Prince Fusu."
Ying Zheng looked at Li Nian, who didn't need to be told what Li Nian meant. It was asking him to create a specific environment for Fusu to achieve the change he desired.
"Other princes can also follow this method. In later generations, there is a saying 'The books I read are shallow, I know it well by doing it myself' and 'Reading thousands of books is not as good as walking thousands of miles', which is exactly the same meaning."
"Knowledge gained from books is always shallow; to truly understand something, one must experience it. Reading ten thousand books is not as good as walking ten thousand miles..."
Ying Zheng repeated those two sentences and then asked Li Nian a question, "Do you think Hu Hai can change?"
The question seemed to cool down the hall. The eunuchs busy copying the records wanted to bury their heads in the bamboo slips.
Is this something they are allowed to hear?
Li Nian also hesitated for a moment. This question is quite tricky and difficult to answer.
Because this question is actually Qin Shi Huang asking: What should be done with Hu Hai?
If I were to directly say that Hu Hai is an irredeemable bad seed and suggest that the Emperor issue an edict to kill him, there would be a suspicion of trying to divide the royal family's affection, to estrange father and son, and to cause the father to harm his son.
But even if I praise Hu Hai, Li Nian wouldn't be willing to do so. In the past, you exposed so many dark secrets about Hu Hai. If he were to seize the opportunity to become the ruler and catch you in such a situation, it would be no wonder if he killed you.
Li Nian had already thought about this question and replied, "I think it's very difficult to change Prince Hu Hai!"
After answering that sentence, Li Nian elaborated on his reasons: "Your Majesty, I once mentioned to you that at birth, people are not inherently good or evil. The distinction between good and evil comes from the influences they receive after birth. In fact, this is true for the majority of people. However, there are also a few individuals who are naturally more prone to evil than others."
"In later times, there was a field of study called biology, which researched various forms of life, including humans, cows, horses, and dogs. It was discovered that our birth, growth, and aging are determined by a substance called 'genes', which are responsible for the sex of a person. Male individuals have genes XY and female individuals have genes XX."
Knowing that the Emperor might not understand, Li Nian thought for a moment and then said, "Using Daoism's concept of yin and yang to explain it is: a normal man has both yin and yang qi, while a normal woman has yin yin qi. Your Majesty, Daoism's theory of yin and yang is not this. The subject I am discussing is merely an example."
Daoism is indeed a good thing, with its concept of chaos, the two polarities (yin and yang), and the three natural elements. Although it was proposed before the Warring States period, it can still explain some issues from later times.
It's unclear how the ancient Daoist sages, such as Laozi, came up with their thoughts.
Was it a coincidence, or was there some unknown reason behind it?
Ying Zheng nodded, indicating that he understood. Li Nian continued, "When a man and a woman come together to have children, it's as if they combine parts of theqi (vital energy) they possess. However, a woman can only give off yin qi."
"If the yin qi of a woman combines with the yang qi that a man releases, they will have a son. If the yin qi of a woman combines with the yin qi that a man releases, they will have a daughter."
The silent Meng Yi spoke up at this point: "Doesn't that mean whether a child is born or not depends not on the woman, but on the man? Many people blame their wives for not being able to have a child, which is actually a mistake?"
Li Nian nodded and said, "Yes, whether a child is a son or a daughter is entirely dependent on the man. The chances are equal."
Meng Yi sighed and said, "However, the common people don't understand this. Many women suffer from their husband's abuse and even death because they cannot have a son."
'General Meng, don't twist my words. I was trying to provide evidence to the Emperor that Prince Hu Hai is a born evil, with no hope of redemption. You've taken me off on a tangent to the subject of children.'
Li Nian muttered to himself in thought and decided to steer the conversation back on track.
"But sometimes the combination of yin and yang qi between men and women can also go wrong. For example, if a new yang qi emerges on top of an existing yang qi, the person born from that union will have a combination of yin, yang, and yang, which is an excess of yang!"
"Because he was born with one more yin qi than the average person, it made him different from others and more prone to doing evil than the average person. This is determined by his genes from birth, and it's difficult to change later in life!"
Ying Zheng now understood, furrowing his brows and saying, "You mean Hu Hai is genetically predisposed to take a wrong path and do evil? But why haven't I seen any signs of Hu Hai being evil?"
Li Nian said, "Although they may have one more yin qi than the average person, they are still normal-looking people with normal appearance and normal intelligence. They naturally understand how to seek fortune and avoid danger, and know how to benefit themselves. However, they may also reveal some clues at certain times."
Hu Hai's savagery is not something he cultivated overnight after ascending the throne, he must have had some clues before. It's just that Qin Shi Huang did a good job of pretending to be a obedient child.
At the words "at certain times, they may also reveal some clues," Ying Zheng's pupils contracted slightly.
After Li Nian first said that Hu Hai caused the fall of the great Qin Dynasty in two generations, he ordered people to secretly monitor Hu Hai and investigate the eunuchs and maidens around him.
In the investigation results submitted to him, Hu Hai seemed to have no abnormalities. He was very obedient and respectful to the Emperor, and also very kind to the eunuchs and maids who served him.
But the investigation mentioned one thing: Hu Hai had arrested and killed Bin Que.
The specific way of killing the sparrows is unknown, but according to the eunuchs who buried the bodies of the sparrows, they seemed to have incomplete bodies.
When he saw this, Ying Zheng was thinking if this could be one of the traces left by Hu Hai.
Because according to the history Li Nian had told, Hu Hai had killed his daughters using the harsh crucifixion method, which involves splitting limbs.
Now Li Nian's words rekindled Ying Zheng's thoughts about this. He had to wonder if Hu Hai was indeed a born bad seed, a cruel person since his childhood.
Li Nian was unaware that Ying Zheng was investigating and keeping an eye on Hu Hai. His words, by sheer coincidence, hit the mark right in Ying Zheng's heart.
After returning to his senses, Ying Zheng didn't want to go around the subject anymore. He directly asked, "If what you say is true, what do you think should be done with Hu Hai?"
As Li Nian, who had a "honest man" and "absolutely dare not deceive" persona in front of Ying Zheng, hesitated for a moment before expressing his thoughts.
After all, the persona is there, and it might be even more dangerous to lose that persona than to tell the truth.
"In my opinion, it would be best to eliminate Prince Hu Hai and put an end to any future troubles. Your Majesty may have the intention to change Prince Hu Hai and prevent him from becoming the second Qin ruler recorded in history. However, can Your Majesty be sure that he will be changed? Can You be sure that after Your Majesty's demise, Prince Hu Hai will not cause chaos in the Qin Dynasty?"
