The Six Arts of the Gentleman in the Bright Moon of Qin Dynasty

Chapter 1161 Night Talk [Subscribe*Monthly Ticket Request]

Although Chu has three households, if Qin is destroyed, Chu will definitely die.

This is the tragic song of Chu, so Chu was also the place that was most resistant to the unification of the world by Qin.

This is not to say about the Chu people's solar terms, but because when the State of Chu was still in existence, the King of Chu could not control the territories beyond the Chu royal capital. The high degree of autonomy of the fiefdom nobles made the customs of the people in Chu more free and unrestrained.

This is also the reason why Li Si did not choose Han, Zhao, Wei or even the most cooperative Qi as the starting point to open up the situation.

Li Si's methods seemed gentle, but he was also extremely proud.

Use the gentlest knife to cut the toughest bones.

"Father, are we still going to target Li Si?"

The nobles of all ranks in Nanyang County were all chatting at night.

"We are against reform because reforms have always hurt the interests of the majority of nobles. What we are against is not reform, but reforms that hurt our interests."

The old man said slowly.

"Lü Buwei said it well: the world is bustling with people all for the sake of profit, the world is bustling with people all for the sake of profit."

“Interests are the root of conflicts.”

"Reform is the general trend. Even if Li Si is gone, there will be Wang Si and Zhao Si."

"Now Li Si has not caused us to suffer too much loss in our original interests. Even if there is a loss, it is within our tolerance range."

"Can you guarantee that if you kill Li Si, the next person will be more gentle than Li Si?"

The others were silent.

"We are resistant to change. We just don't want to change."

"Similarly, after Li Si was replaced, who's next?"

"There are too many variables for latecomers. They may be more obedient, or they may use more drastic means."

"According to the current situation, we can't bring down Li Si. The only thing we can do is kill him."

"But if Li Si dies on the road to reform, Xianyang will be furious. Your Majesty will be furious, and thousands of miles of land will be withered and blood will flow. At that time, those who come after us will only use the banner of revenge for Li Si to wield the butcher knife against us."

“So, we dare not gamble on the character of the latecomer, so we might as well cooperate with Li Si with all our strength.”

"At least Li Si was able to discuss things with us, and his methods were more gentle, trying not to affect our interests as much as possible."

"Therefore, not only should we not target Li Si anymore, we should even protect Li Si. If there are people in the reform movement fighting for power with Li Si, what we should do is to support Li Si."

"After all, we really don't dare to bet that the newcomer will be more gentle than Li Si."

The old man analyzed it bit by bit.

Those who resist reform are people who don’t like changes.

Now that Li Si is using the gentle knife, they can't make things difficult for Li Si.

"Aren't we supporting the reform in disguise?"

Everyone was confused.

What were they doing? They resisted the reform and tried every means to make it fail and force Li Si to step down.

Now, not only are they unable to force Li Si to step down, they are even trying to protect Li Si.

"This is what's so terrifying about Li Si." The old man had never admired anyone so much.

In the past, they all looked down on Li Si, and even thought that Li Si, who came from a poor family, became one of the Nine Ministers of the Qin Dynasty only by currying favor with Ying Zheng. If they were in his place, they would be able to do it too.

It was not until Li Si became the Chief Justice, the number of unjust, false and wrongful cases decreased significantly, and he took the initiative to preside over the reform, that they had to admit that Li Si was indeed underestimated by everyone.

Who among the ordinary people could become Xunzi’s direct disciple?
Among Xunzi's disciples, Li Si had the lowest background but the highest achievements.

"His background and his ability to flatter his superiors made everyone underestimate his talent and his pride."

"If it were you, could you make Xiong Qi step back and give up his power?" the old man asked.

Everyone was silent.

They were born into noble families, so they could look down on Li Si. But in terms of noble birth, who could compare with Xiong Qi?
Even Xiong Qi had voluntarily given in, but they still wanted to obstruct and frame Li Si.

I feel a little bit overwhelmed by my own weight.

"Don't do things like big bucks in and small bucks out in the future."

"Li Si is trying to show his goodwill to us in disguise by leasing the land. We can't make things difficult for him or touch his reverse scale."

"If he wants to standardize weights and measures, we will support him, not cause him any trouble, and not let anyone catch us."

"The sedan chairs are carried by people, and the fighting and killing are not stories, but accidents!"

Although the old men said they supported Li Si, one could still feel their arrogance from their words.

It is obvious that the unification of weights and measures is the most normal thing.

But in the old man's words, it seemed that they were giving in.

All I can say is that the nobles always think that if they can't get something, they will lose it.

"Don't blame me for not reminding you. Li Si is not only the minister in charge of the reform, but also the Minister of Justice. The Minister of Justice of Qin has a law-enforcement army."

"If Li Si catches you, no one can save you."

"Put away your claws, or if something happens, don't blame me for not saving you!"

After the old man finished speaking, he stood up and left.

He had already made up his mind that they, the Ji family of Danyang, would not participate in Qin's reform.

"What do you think?" After the old man left, the others did not leave.

"The head of the Ji family is old, and the Ji family has made a bet on both sides. With their direct descendant Ji Bu serving under the crown prince, the Ji family can live a comfortable life no matter what happens."

"We don't have the size of the Ji family to withstand the shock brought about by the reform."

Someone complained.

The great nobles are not afraid of wind and waves. No matter how strong the wind and waves are, they can cut off their tails and survive.

But it is different for the small nobles. If they lose their interests, they will decline within a generation.

"But what can we do alone?"

Others also had their own thoughts.

Without the participation of the great nobles, they would lose their lives if they tried to obstruct the reform.

As for assassinating Li Si, it is questionable whether they can get close to Li Si with the assassins their family has hired.

What's more, the guy who instigated them may not be a good person.

Who knows, they might have really formulated a plan against the reform and Li Si, which would be presented to Li Si by this guy as a token of his loyalty.

This kind of thing is not uncommon among the nobles.

"Forget it, forget it, this boy is not worth consulting with!"

Seeing that no one agreed with him, the instigator shook his head in disappointment and stood up. As for what he was disappointed about, only he knew it.

"Forget it, my clan has decided to sell the fief to the imperial court and move the whole clan to Bingzhou!"

There were also people who really didn't want to stay in China, a treacherous place, so they simply sold their fiefdoms and took the money to settle down in Bingzhou.

At least Bingzhou is very welcoming to outsiders like them.

The night talk about the reform and Li Si ended in such an anticlimactic way.

The next day, the group of people met again in front of Li Si's mansion, but they all wore hats to cover their faces. However, as the most familiar old friends, how could they not recognize each other?

"You bastard, you really want to sell us out!" They left cursing at each other.

But soon they met again in front of the mansion.

(End of this chapter)