It is said that Qin Shihuang was controlled by a daughter

Chapter 572 The Spirit of the Law: I will defend your right to speak (2)

The person who spoke was a young scholar who had just started his studies.

Xu Zhi was not initially concerned about the start of this debate.

She had suppressed Lu Sheng's fraudulent activities in advance, and she had also reminded Tian Dan to take good care of the doctors he brought with him.

Li Xian told her in advance that the nature of his father's petition to burn books this time was different from the last time.

She needed to pay attention to what Li Si said and not let him quarrel with the Confucian scholars.

But it seems that the other party did not give the prime minister any face.

She looked for a long time but didn't see Li Xian.

Her father had already gone to Gaoquan Palace, so it was unlikely that he would still be staying in Zhangtai Palace... Could it be that he was also serving as the Imperial Censor, like Wang Wan in the past, who also needed to organize memorials during the New Year?
She was taking her time and planning to be a spectator.

I saw an elderly doctoral official approaching the jade steps in the hall.

Chunyu Yue stopped and clasped his hands together in front of his chest, palms facing inward and pressed against the seams of his clothes, his waist and abdomen slightly bent into a respectful posture of "climbing the steps".

"I dare to present to the king the governance of three generations."

Ying Zheng raised his hand, and the Qin music stopped, leaving only the swaying lights in the palace.

Chunyu Yue glanced at the people sitting in the palace, and when he saw the Confucian scholars at the banquet, his eyes brightened up.

"In the past, when Yao ruled Pingyang, he built his house in thatched roofs, and the princes were loyal to him. When Shun tilled Mount Li, he held a plow and sang "Southern Wind," and the world was enlightened. When Duke Zhou served King Cheng, he established rituals and music, establishing the ceremonies for court engagements and weddings. From the smallest rituals of sweeping the streets to the grand ceremonies of state alliances, everything had ancient rules to follow. Therefore, during the reigns of Cheng and Kang, no one picked up lost items on the streets, and no one locked their doors at night. This was not a sign from heaven, but rather the result of learning from the past."

This statement is a rebuttal to Li Si's remarks just now.

Yao Jia couldn't sit still this time. Somehow Ying Zheng found out that Ying Hehua wanted him to see the immortal master, and he was scared to death.

Half an hour ago, Ying Zheng, with his expression hidden behind the pearl curtain, said - you can stop pretending to be deaf and dumb.

Yao Jia then stepped forward, facing Li Si's slightly puzzled gaze. "I think what Grand Tutor Chunyu said is biased. Human nature is to seek profit and avoid harm. If we rely solely on the old rules of the previous kings and the rituals of cleaning and weddings, once there are too many people and too little wealth, disputes will arise. The princes will inevitably betray morality for the sake of profit, and the people will inevitably break the rules for the sake of desire. The so-called 'no one picks up lost items on the road' will be nothing more than a flash in the pan."

Chunyu Yue raised his hand to gather his wide sleeves, his knuckles turning slightly white from the pressure. "If the people don't know the order of seniority, if scholars don't distinguish between honor and shame, if merchants double down on profits and forget about trust, if soldiers love bravery and disregard death—all this is due to the collapse of rituals and music. What do you think should be done about this, Your Excellency?"

Li Si was already a master among debaters, and with Yao Jia added to the mix, how could Chunyu Yue possibly defeat them?

When the empire was first established, there was Wang Wan, and they had already lost once over the county system.

This time, how do the Confucian scholars have the confidence to take the initiative to bring up the topic?
Yao Jia said, "The people do not know their elders, the scholars do not distinguish between honor and shame, the merchants forget their promises, and the soldiers take death lightly. This is not because of disrespect, but because there are no clear "laws" to define boundaries and no rigid "rewards and punishments" to clarify benefits and harms."

A doctor continued, "I have heard that 'the Zhou dynasty, which served as a model for the two previous dynasties, was rich in culture.' Therefore, I request that the king issue an imperial decree to the entire nation, restoring the rituals of Duke Zhou. The ceremony of crowning a scholar must be performed with the 'three additions,' marriages must adhere to the 'six rites,' court meetings must follow the order of 'the ruler and the minister,' and archery must adhere to the rule of 'yielding without contention.' This way, the people will learn respect when they see ancient rituals and harmony when they hear ancient music. Only in this way can the people return to virtue, and this is the way to carry on the legacy of the sage kings and lay the foundation for future generations!"

Li Si flicked his sleeves and said, "I believe that there is no need to bother with restoring rituals. All the monarch needs to do is establish clear laws, clearly defining the rights and responsibilities of the people, the duties of the scholars, the rules of business, and the merits of the soldiers. He should reward law-abiding people generously and punish lawbreakers severely. Let everyone know that 'action brings benefits, while inaction brings harm'. Then society will naturally be orderly. This is 'legislation', not 'restoring rituals', which is the key to governing the world."

Xu Zhi watched with great interest. In other words, watching intellectuals quarrel was quite interesting. If she had asked Li Xian, she would have known that the last time they quarreled, they started fighting.

Most of the Confucian scholars were from Qi, and all of them were strong men from Shandong.

I can’t win by arguing, but I can win by fighting.

At that time, Sikong Ma Rushi swung his sleeves and almost broke Yao Jia's bones.

Xu Zhi had no idea that the next attack would hit her.

Chunyu Yue said, "The Analects of Confucius says that the way to govern a country of a thousand chariots is to be respectful and trustworthy, frugal and caring, and to guide the people in time. Therefore, we should be rigorous in government to gain the trust of the people; be frugal and caring; and ensure that corvée labor does not violate the farming season to ensure people's livelihood." He paused. "And His Highness Yong'an's willingness to serve as the Minister of the Imperial Household at Mount Li is precisely in line with this principle."

What's going on?

This isn't a theoretical discussion of the ancient-modern debate, but rather a practical approach. Her visit to the Lishan Mausoleum was indeed for labor service, but it became an example of Chunyu Yue's "pragmatic modernity."

Xu Zhi hasn't reacted yet.

Until Ying Zheng looked at her, that look made her feel particularly heavy.

"We were originally arguing about the restoration of rituals. What did the Master change the subject to?"

"Your Highness." Chunyu Yue looked at her with a smile.

Xu Zhi couldn't help but pause.

She sat among the court officials. At this time, she was no longer Ying Zheng's daughter, but the emperor's subject.

The words of a minister should be thorough and accurate, and they should hit the mark, rather than blindly following theories and going off the track.

Li Si's words were always well-reasoned and well-founded. The Legalists were practical and focused on the most fundamental, tangible interests.

The huge empire has only been established for five years. If anyone can guide the policy of governing the country, it would be strange if there is no chaos if people say one thing today and say another.

Chunyu Yue had committed this grave offense. If he were allowed to continue, he might have brought up the issue of speech.

Judging from the argument just now, Xu Zhi felt that Li Xian had a certain filter when it came to his father, which was why he said that his father was different from last time.

In her opinion, Li Si could not be a moderate in his actions.

Xu Zhi was about to speak, thinking that he would try his best to save the words if he could.

Unexpectedly, in the spacious hall, the old doctor bowed to her and said something damning.

"Your Highness Yong'an received instruction from Master Zhang for over six years, and learned both the Analects and the Book of Documents very well. Your Highness handled everything properly in the past, presumably because he understood this principle."

As soon as she said this, her whole body stiffened!
He had to mention Zhang Liang, no matter what else he said.

She didn't need anyone to tell her about the principles of Confucianism, because they were the roots of her thinking that she brought from the modern era.

However, in the eyes of outsiders, it was indeed because Zhang Liang was taking care of her during those years that she did not commit cruel acts and kill people again and again.

How could they believe that Yan Le and Zhao Gao were going to kill her in Kuaiji?

As Chunyu Yue continued his story... Xu Zhi felt cold sweat seeping from her back.

But he didn't know that Ying Zheng's expression was becoming more and more gloomy.

She fell in love with her teacher without knowing the good of it, and earned the infamy of killing her teacher in order to save his life.

She was willing to kneel down for a man who had been using her from the beginning to the end.

Looking back now, Ying Zheng was already giving her face by not slapping her in the attic.

The mine she buried with her own hands was detonated by Chunyu Yue.

Xu Zhi did not regret what she had done, but she could not exhaust the patience that Ying Zheng had given her.

She stood up and walked to the center of the hall.

"I believe that human nature is profit-seeking, and the world is ever-changing. Moral maintenance is not perfect. Overly rigid rule of law is also unruly. Han Feizi states that people are slavishly subservient to power, but few are capable of upholding righteousness. Confucius was a wise man, yet only seventy of his disciples followed his principles. Duke Ai of Lu was a mediocre ruler, yet no one dared disobey him. This shows that trust doesn't come from a monarch's character, but from authority and rules. Grand Tutor Chunyu's statement that corvée labor should not interfere with farming seasons is actually a case of waiting for opportunities. Farming is the priority, but if people have spare capacity, perhaps they can also engage in construction, using work as a form of relief to alleviate their immediate needs and strengthen the foundation of the country."

Yao Jia was shocked.

Ying Hehua read too many books and had too many people teaching her, mixing together the knowledge of law, Confucianism, military strategy, and diplomacy.

Using work as a substitute for relief is quite shocking.

But then he thought about it, his father was a prison guard, and he himself had done odd jobs for the nobles when he was young. In modern terms, he was a blue-collar worker.

To Confucianism, he was a lowly person. Later, due to his low status, he was expelled from the State of Zhao and ridiculed by Han Fei. Neither Confucianism nor Legalism had a good impression of him.

Li Si felt a very subtle warmth, but he still spoke, his tone not as harsh as when he spoke to Chunyu Yue just now.

"Your Highness's talk of the doctrine of the mean is even more useless."

Xu Zhi felt that Li Si was a very stubborn person.

"The speech is just as it says." She smiled. "When I was little, I disagreed with the Grand Tutor's words and enjoyed communicating with the Prime Minister in Yuelin Palace. But now, I also don't like talking to the Prime Minister a little bit."

Since Ying Zheng dared to let the Confucian scholars from Qi come on New Year's Eve, he should have expected that there would be a quarrel.

She thought that Ying Zheng was not someone who liked to make himself unhappy.

He was either trying to get Li Si to convince them, or hoping to find a solution.

"My father is hosting a banquet at Gaoquan Palace today with the intention of allowing everyone to speak freely."

She looked at Li Si from the hall, then glanced at Chunyu Yue, "I dare not disobey my father's wishes. Therefore, I do not agree with what you are saying, but I will defend your right to speak."

When these words were spoken, even Ying Zheng was a little surprised.

Chunyu Yue trembled all over.

A few days ago, he heard Wei Liao say that Ying Hehua went to Mount Li for the sake of the civilians. He thought Ying Hehua had already deeply agreed that labor should be banned. He thought he could go further on this basis, but he didn't expect that she was not as devoted to virtue and empathy as he imagined.

She still adheres to the essence of the law.

However, this law seems to be a little different from the law Han Fei talked about.

——It is based on the code of law, not the rule of man.

Chunyu Yue then realized that he could no longer regard Ying Hehua as someone's student or the successor of someone's doctrine.

She seems to have her own theory.

He coughed twice and spoke sharply. "Your Highness, are you right? Are there no taboos among the various schools of thought?"

After he finished speaking, people started talking about it.

“Shouldn’t we speak freely?” she said.

Chunyu Yue's cough became even more severe.

The court was in an uproar, and the two sides were almost arguing with each other.

"Yong'an,"

Ying Zheng spoke, and in an instant, there was complete silence.

“…Father.”

Ying Zheng remained calm. He didn't ask Ying Hehua to stand up. He simply said, "The Grand Tutor is old. You should be careful with your words. You should talk to the Prime Minister about this."

What she meant was that Ying Zheng was implicitly standing on her side and letting her continue speaking.

"Freedom is a good thing. But too much freedom is not good." She looked up. Since he mentioned Zhang Liang so naturally, then don't blame her.

"Freedom of speech and freedom to actually do something are not the same thing. True freedom isn't about doing whatever you want, but about not doing what you don't want. Freedom must be realized within the legal framework; freedom under the law is true freedom. For example, as the Grand Tutor said, if Zhang Liang had listened to me, he wouldn't have ended up like this."

Chunyu Yue was stunned. "...Princess, how can a teacher listen to a student? This is simply a mess."

She said naturally, "Yeah, this is going to be a mess."

……

Xu Zhi implied that her father hadn't said anything, so what was Chunyu Yue questioning?

Li Si sighed that she was very good at using the emperor's thinking to make plans.

Whatever speech Ying Zheng wants will become the national policy.

The source of the speech can be any of the various schools of thought, as long as it is useful to the country.