The videos I watched became popular in ancient times

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, hundreds of schools of thought contended with each other.

Deng Xi, the founder of the school of nominalism and debate, is also the forefather of modern lawyers.

Deng Xi created the bamboo punishment system to facilitate the circulation of the country's written laws, which was also the main reason why he was sent to the guillotine.

But in the history of China's legal system, as the country's first lawyer with extremely high professional qualities, the first private legal educator, the first thinker who clearly declared his opposition to the ritual system, the first drafter of a private code, and the first dissident who devoted himself to the law, Deng Xi is undoubtedly an eternal monument.

"During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, hundreds of schools of thought contended with each other."

"Deng Xi was a thinker in the Spring and Autumn Period and the founder of the School of Noble Debates."

"At the same time, he was also a senior official of the State of Zheng, and he was deeply loved and trusted by the people."

"Deng Xi was very eloquent and good at sophistry, and was very famous in Zheng State."

"At the same time, he was well versed in the laws of Zheng State and won every lawsuit for the people."

"Thus, Deng Xi was given another identity - lawyer, the forefather of the modern legal profession."

"Deng Xi created the bamboo punishment, which made the country's written laws easier to circulate."

"The people are no longer oppressed by 'unpredictable punishment, unpredictable power', but this is also the main reason why Deng Xi was sent to the guillotine."

"Deng Xi was a senior official in the State of Zheng and was part of the aristocratic upper class. This kind of life was envied by many people."

"Deng Xi should have cherished this kind of life and actively safeguarded the interests of his own class."

"But he is an outlier. He chooses to do the opposite."

"This is because different times create different people, and Deng Xi was the person chosen by that era."

"During the Spring and Autumn Period, rituals and music were in decline."

"The Zhou royal family declined, and each prince ceded land and claimed the title of king."

"Against such a backdrop, people are living in poverty."

"The restraint of the ritual system on people gradually weakened and began to threaten the ruling order of the ruling class."

“Thus there arose a conflict between two representative ideologies, one being Zichan and the other Dengxi.”

"Zichan was the governor of Zheng State and also Deng Xi's superior."

"Zichan was a defender of the interests of the nobility. He did not reform the old ritual system, but only improved it."

"Thus, the criminal tripod was created to protect the interests of the ruling class."

"Zichan's attitude towards Zhouli was critical and negative, which was contrary to Zichan's views and violated the interests of the class aristocracy."

"Those nobles will definitely take revenge, but they haven't found the right opportunity yet, and thus have sown the seeds of disaster."

"As a minister of the State of Zheng, Deng Xi should have obeyed the orders of his superiors and carried out the tasks assigned by them."

"But he opposed the nobles as his superiors in every way, and went against the interests of the rulers and the nobles."

"A famous person is considered by many to be someone who makes a living by talking."

"As a leader of a famous family, Deng Xi is even more skilled in speaking."

"Masters are like today's sophists, who can say white is black and black is white."

"It also leaves others speechless and makes them admit defeat."

"Deng Xi was not only an eloquent speaker, but also very knowledgeable."

Li Kui: Zichan and Deng Xi made important contributions to the development of law.

In the middle and late Spring and Autumn Period, rituals and music collapsed.

The ritual system obviously could not adapt to the needs of society, and the rule of law began to be introduced into the actual governance of the country.

At that time, Zichan of Zheng State cast the criminal law on a tripod in order to make it easier for the people to understand the law and avoid violating the law in the process of doing things.

However, what is cast on the tripod are more specific criminal law rules, but no specific criminal law interpretations.

This makes the criminal law uncertain, and there is room for maneuver.

In addition, there are many areas where there are no specific criminal law rules, which also provides opportunities for people to take advantage of.

As the prime minister of Zheng State, Zichan focused more on other aspects of the country after promulgating laws, so he gave Deng Xi an opportunity.

Once, a family of a man from Zheng was sued.

So he went to check whether his family members had committed a crime, but when he got there he couldn't find out.

Deng Xi happened to be there, and after listening to his story, he told him that his family was not guilty.

However, the man from Zheng didn't quite believe it, so Deng Xi told him that he could help him fight the case to the end, but he had to pay.

In the end, the man from Zheng handed over a piece of clothing, and Deng Xi used his sophistry to help him win the lawsuit.

After Deng Xi won the case, people in Zheng gradually learned that there was a man who specialized in helping people with lawsuits and had a very high chance of winning.

So when the people of Zheng encountered lawsuits, they all turned to Deng Xi for help, which made Deng Xi really rich.

However, Deng Xi's actions destroyed Zichan's original intention of casting the punishment on the tripod.

After all, Deng Xi charged money for helping people with lawsuits, so whoever paid more would have a better chance of winning.

The chief minister at that time wanted to kill Deng Xi, but was dissuaded by Zichan.

Because Zichan saw further, he knew that the criminal law was indeed simple and had loopholes.

Now that someone has exploited the vulnerability, we can save time and just patch it directly.

"After becoming familiar with the legal system of Zheng, he began to show his skills and help ordinary people fight lawsuits."

"And he won every case he fought. He was loved by the people and became a famous lawyer."

"And Deng Xi, like Confucius, started the trend of private lectures."

"But what is different is Professor Deng Xi's legal knowledge, and he imparts legal knowledge as he understands it."

"The seeds of law appeared in Deng Xi's time, so it is not unreasonable for many people to believe that Deng Xi is the ancestor of lawyers."

"People are afraid of being famous, just as pigs are afraid of being fat. This saying is not without reason."

"Deng Xi's series of actions made him famous among the people and reached the ears of the ruling class and the nobility."

"They can't help it, because they are like a miser."

"It's like having a lot of money in your pocket, but you have to be on guard against others stealing your money all the time."

"In their eyes, Deng Xi was the one who would steal their money."

"Because Deng Xi is eloquent, he will incite the people and cause social unrest, which is not conducive to governance."

"In ancient times, the law was always in a state where the punishment was unknown and the power was unpredictable."

"Because the rulers believed that if the law was only in the hands of the nobles and not announced to the people, then its power would be endless."

"And the people will never know the content of the law, so they will behave themselves and be careful to avoid punishment."

"But the situation in which the nobles monopolized the law and arbitrarily decided the lives and deaths of the people was broken by two people: Zichan and Deng Xi."

"Zichan was the first to engrave the legal system of Zheng on a tripod, which caused a sensation in various countries during the Spring and Autumn Period."

"The monarch at that time believed that casting the criminal tripod violated the interests of the ruling class."

"They are afraid that if the people know the criminal code, they will develop a desire to sue and there will be no traditional etiquette to restrain them."

"I am afraid that the people will use the contents of the criminal code to argue their case and abandon the traditional rites and laws system, which will threaten the long-term stability of the country."

"But the truth is, Zichan just cast the country's criminal law on the tripod."

"After all, as a counselor who advises the ruler, Zichan must first consider the ruler's interests - how to consolidate his rule."

"So there will be a lot of blanks left uncast, and the tripod is heavy and inconvenient."

Shang Yang: As the first dissident who dedicated himself to the law, Deng Xi is undoubtedly an eternal monument.

Deng Xi's great deed that went down in history was that he dared to privately create the bamboo punishment.

The era in which Deng Xi lived was a period of great social change.

The new landlord class was thriving, while the old class was declining, and the new and old ideas were in fierce collision and conflict. Deng Xi and Zichan were both reformists at the time, but their ideas were not consistent.

Establishing and maintaining new systems is what the two have in common.

The most significant difference between the two of them lies in their attitude towards Zhou rituals.

Although Zichan carried out a series of reforms in Zheng State, he was a new aristocrat.

In order to maintain aristocratic privileges, the Zhou rituals were not denied.

Zichan's reforms only partially improved the Zhou rituals, and basically maintained the traditions of Zhou rituals.

This was not the case with Deng Xi, who was the first to raise objections to the ritual system.

Deng Xi stood on the standpoint of the emerging aristocratic class and was in the ideological confrontation between heaven and man, and between ritual and law at that time.

He did not talk about destiny, opposed reform, resisted old rituals, and proposed the implementation of the rule of law.

Dissatisfied with the criminal code cast by Zichan to uphold Zhou rituals, Deng Xi secretly compiled a set of written laws that were more in line with the requirements of the emerging aristocratic class, the Bamboo Criminal Code, written on bamboo slips.

Deng Xi's courage and wisdom in singing a completely different tune from the Zhou rituals of the old aristocracy could not but impress people deeply.

Moreover, writing laws on bamboo slips is cheap, easy to carry and spread.

Therefore, Deng Xi's action of formulating the bamboo punishment also unveiled the mystery of the law.

It has finally brought the law to the masses, helping civilians to raise their legal awareness and bravely safeguard their own rights and interests.

Deng Xi served the lower classes and disrespected Zhou rituals.

Although it gained the support of the people, it violated the interests of the ruling nobles and posed a serious threat to the monarch's rule.

In the end, Deng Xi was executed for disturbing the people's hearts.

However, Deng Xi's bamboo punishment was not strangled. Instead, it was vigorously promoted in Zheng State. This shows that his proposal was imperative at that time.

Deng Xi’s death shows that although the law is class-based, its essence is ultimately social.

The content of the law is restricted by certain social factors and is ultimately determined by certain social material living conditions. The aristocracy cannot make laws at will according to their own wishes.

The outdated old system will inevitably be replaced by a new system that meets the requirements of the times, and the tide of the times cannot be stopped by any force.

Although Deng Xi unfortunately fell, he is undoubtedly an eternal monument in the entire history of the legal system.

"In fact, Deng Xi also knew that the Ding Xing had many imperfections and was not convenient to read and study."

"So Deng Xi came up with the idea of ​​using bamboo slips to record the country's criminal laws and engrave his own insights and critical opinions on them."

"This type of bamboo punishment is very popular among the people and is convenient to carry."

"And with Deng Xi's explanation, I can understand the country's legal system."

"This bamboo punishment was circulated among people and was slightly better than the imperial court's tripod punishment."

"Such a situation has aroused dissatisfaction among those in higher positions, because the law, as a manifestation of the will of the class rulers, cannot be amended privately by those below them."

"Deng Xi repeatedly touched the rulers' reverse scales, and gradually walked towards the abyss of death."

"In the end, he was pushed to the guillotine by the bamboo punishment, and the glory of the budding law in a moment was extinguished."

"Although Deng Xi had a tragic end with his head and body separated, it is undeniable that he was a man of outstanding talent."

"After all, as a doctor of the State of Zheng and the founder of a famous family, he must have extraordinary wisdom."

"After Deng Xi's death, the bamboo punishment he created has been accepted by the country."

"If you break the unknowable punishment, your power will be unpredictable."

"It has lifted the veil of mystery surrounding the law and also promoted the construction of the legal system."

“Only when the law is known by the people can it be conducive to the fairness of the law.”

"Many people believe that Deng Xi is the founder of the legal profession, and the prototype of lawyers in ancient times was lawyers."

"Lawyers did not have a high status in ancient times. They were usually poor scholars who wrote lawsuits for others in order to support their families."

"But the legal literacy of these scholars was not high, so the first lawyer to appear was Deng Xi."

"Deng Xi understood the laws of Zheng, was fond of debate, and sympathized with the weak."

"I helped people resolve various disputes and write lawsuits, and won every case."

"In the eyes of the people, whenever there is a dispute, they go to Deng Xi."

"And Deng Xi received very little compensation, nothing more than clothes and a small amount of money."

"But Deng Xi's rebellious behavior gave the new consul a headache, so he killed him."

"Deng Xi's death was innocent."

"He promoted the improvement of China's legal system and prompted the emergence of the oldest type of lawyer - the lawyer."

"But he was a great eloquent speaker and was loved by the people."

"If you violate the class interests of the old aristocracy, you will not be able to escape death after the creation of the bamboo punishment."

"Such a brilliant person ended up with a tragic ending, which is strangely similar to the ending of Shang Yang."

"It is a pity that they were persecuted by the nobles even though they were carrying out reforms for the sake of national prosperity."

Li Si: Deng Xi’s strange theory of redeeming the corpse became his death warrant.

When Zichan died, his successor asked what to do with Deng Xi.

Zichan did not say anything. He knew that a dying person could not take care of the affairs of the living, so he let his successor handle it himself.

The successor thought he could still handle it, so he dealt with Deng Xi in the same way that Zichan had dealt with him before, until his death.

After the successor died, the next successor took over the government, but he was not as able to handle it as Zichan.

Because shortly after the next successor came to power, Deng Xi published a book on criminal law, Bamboo Punishment.

The emergence of bamboo punishment undoubtedly increased Deng Xi's reputation in criminal law.

So when the people of Zheng had a lawsuit, they did not recognize the country's laws, but instead turned to the more prestigious Deng Xi.

In addition, Deng Xi's sophistry did affect social stability, which aroused the murderous intentions of the ruling class.

It happened that a flood occurred in Zheng State once, and a rich man was washed away by the flood and drowned.

Someone salvaged the rich man's body. When the rich man's family found out, they went to redeem the body.

When this person saw that the other party was a rich man, he offered a very high price.

But the rich man’s family couldn’t accept it, so the two sides reached a stalemate.

But the body had to be kept, so the rich man's family decided to take legal action and came to Deng Xi for advice.

Deng Xi told the rich man’s family not to worry, because the man had fished out the bodies of their family members, and no one would buy them except their family.

In the end, that person can only sell the body to your family, and all you have to do is go home and wait.

So the rich man's family went back and were no longer in a hurry to buy the body back.

The people who were trying to retrieve the bodies were also getting anxious, so they went to Deng Xi to ask for advice.

Deng Xi also told the corpse pickers not to worry, because the bodies they were picking up were from their family.

The other party can't buy it anywhere else except from you, so wait for him to come to you.

After hearing what happened, the people who were recovering the body went back home and waited.

The corpse had already started to stink, and there was no movement from either side, so everyone was getting very anxious.

So both sides had to find a middleman to test the other side. It was not until they met for the last time that they realized that it was Deng Xi who came up with the idea.

So both sides sued Deng Xi, and the rulers took the opportunity to execute Deng Xi.

Although Deng Xi was killed, the bamboo punishment he left behind was recognized as the country's official law, which shows that his attainments in law were very high.

Although Deng Xi had personal shortcomings, his contribution to the development and dissemination of law is indelible. (End of this chapter)