Heirs of the Seven Swords of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 1540 Reaching Cooperation
  Gu Xun's purpose is completely opposite to Fusu's, or the focus is different.

Easing the conflicts between Confucianism and the empire was only secondary. What was more important to him was to completely crush the theory of enfeoffment and lay the theoretical foundation for unification.

Only the four schools of Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism and Taoism can do this.

Both the Mohist and Taoist sects chose the path of rebellion and were difficult to win over. The Tian sect ignored world affairs and basically did not exist.

As for the Legalists... the Legalist forces within the empire have now gone to an extreme.

As one of the four schools of Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism and Taoism, the one that values ​​practicality over theory the most, and the one that protects the king's interests the most, the Legalists now ignore theory too much and people's livelihood too much.

After careful calculation, only Confucianism was the most suitable, so Gu Xun showed unprecedented patience towards Confucianism.

As for why Fusu doesn't care about the theoretical support of unification like Gu Xun does... this is also normal.

After all, he is the son of Ying Zheng. In some ways, he is very similar to his father. For example, compared to the illusory theoretical unity, both father and son value the unity of governance more.

Cars on the same track, books on the same text, unified weights and measures, unified currency... and other measures, although they also involve the cultural and ideological fields, the main ones are the constraints of governance.

Restrict people to live in the same way.

The reason why both Xunzi and Fu Nian were embarrassed about this matter was because Fusu's request broke through the empire's original policy of governing the country.

All the measures taken by Yingzheng before were the basic operations after the birth of a new unified country.

These operations were also done when the Zhou Dynasty was established, but they may not be as thorough as Ying Zheng.

Fusu's request, however, completely went beyond the scope of maintaining and consolidating rule. It was an unprecedented act.

Even Xunzi found it difficult to think clearly at the moment how profound and serious this impact would be in the field of culture and thought, and what changes it would bring to the increasingly prosperous schools of thought since the Spring and Autumn Period.

More importantly, he didn't know the impact, whether the change was good or bad.

After a moment of silence, Xunzi stroked his beard and said:

"Young master, you should know that the difficulties involved in this matter cannot be accomplished overnight, and it cannot be accomplished with the power of Little Saint Xianzhuang alone."

If you want to achieve this step, you must have the support of one person - Ying Zheng as the emperor.

This is indispensable and irreplaceable.

Even if Fu Sugui is the eldest son and there are many supporters in the court, he is still not qualified.

Xunzi's answer could be regarded as a polite refusal.

Fusu responded, "I know all this. Of course, this matter cannot be solved overnight. It requires long-term planning and careful planning."

"That's why I want to remind Confucians to prepare early."

"Xunfuzi's "Encouragement to Learning" said that if you don't accumulate steps, you can't reach a thousand miles. This matter should be done step by step."

"How do Master Xun and Mr. Fu Nian agree?"

Xunzi and Fu Nian looked at each other, knowing that Fusu would probably have to get a definite answer today.

Refuse, or agree?
  Gu Xun, who had been drinking tea, finally spoke:

"My personal suggestion is that everyone should cooperate."

Gu Xun's tone was normal, and there was no threat in it, but it obviously contained a hidden meaning.

Xunzi and Fu Nian looked at Gu Xun, and the former asked:
  "What does the Imperial Master mean by this?"

Gu Xun winked at Fusu and said, "Show them something."

Fusu reached out and took out the secret letter about the book-burning order from his arms and handed it to Xunzi.

Xunzi unfolded the secret letter and looked at its contents. Gu Xun said at the same time:

"I was not involved in what happened today. Part of the reason why I came here is because of this."

After Gu Xun finished speaking, Xunzi had basically read the contents of the secret letter, and his face became uglier than ever. Fu Nian had never seen such a green color before.

Fu Nian couldn't help but feel anxious. What could have happened that could make his junior uncle so angry?
  In Xunzi's life, he was the only one who could make others break their guard. Few people could make him angry in turn. Even the feud between brothers Li Si and Han Fei did not have such an effect!
  Xunzi had a gloomy face and handed Fu Nian the secret letter in his hand. His face was filled with irrepressible annoyance, and he said in an angry and hateful voice:
  "Absurd! Ridiculous!"

"How can it be so ridiculous!!!"

The old man's beard was trembling with anger, his face couldn't stop shaking, and he felt like his whole body was trembling.

Seeing this, Fu Nian quickly scanned the contents of the secret letter, scanning ten lines at a time, and his face darkened.

But in terms of calmness, Fu Nian is actually better than the older Xunzi.

Xunzi had an upright temperament all his life, and he hated evil as much as he hated evil. He never cared about what he said or did. Even if he now cultivates his moral character, the foundation is still there.

Although Fu Nian was also visibly angry, he did not curse directly. Instead, he looked at Gu Xun Fusu with disbelief:

"Is this...is this serious?"

Gu Xun raised his eyebrows, shrugged and replied, "This is an official letter."

The official letter sent from Xianyang and stamped with Ying Zheng's seal cannot be fake.

"But..." Fu Nian didn't even know what to say for a moment.

Of course, he also knew that the contents of the secret letter would not be false, but this fact was really unacceptable to him and he could not believe it.

"This move is risking the disapproval of the world!" Fu Nian finally decided on the matter.

Although the burning of books has little to do with ordinary people, basically no one thinks that burning books is a good thing. It is indeed a very serious thing in the world.

Hearing this, Gu Xun responded calmly, "The emperor's will is the empire's will, and the empire's will is the will of the people of the world."

"As for what you think, it is not important to His Majesty the Emperor."

The translation of this sentence means - Ying Zheng doesn't care!

"But this will arouse the opposition of all the schools of thought!"

Basically, only a few sects such as doctors can be exempted from the book-burning order. Basically, the major sects such as Confucianism, Mohism, Legalism, Soldiers, Farmers, Yin and Yang will suffer.

You don't need to think about it to know that the book-burning order will definitely cause an uproar in the world and the whole country will rebel. Of course, this opposition is just opposition, not rebellion.

Does Ying Zheng not care at all about this level of public pressure?
  Gu Xun lightly tapped the table with his finger and reminded:
  "No matter how many people oppose it, it is undeniable that this matter will be of great benefit to maintaining the rule of the empire."

"Our Emperor is not a person who is unwilling to give in, but the premise is that you have to make him feel that giving in is beneficial to himself and the empire."

"On one side is the long-term rule of the empire, on the other side is some pressure from public opinion. Which side do you think he will choose?"

The younger the dynasty is, the more suitable it is to engage in some spectacular operations that can easily cause uproar. After all, military power is at its strongest at this time.

No matter the common people, intellectuals, or aristocrats, no matter which class, no matter whether they want to or not, they can't say a word "no" in front of the army.

"This..." Fu Nian wanted to say something more, but was interrupted by Xunzi raising his hand.

The old man's old but tough voice had a rare hint of gloom, and he said with a mixture of sadness and sigh:
  "Since the Imperial Master has brought this matter before us, it must be a done deal and there is no way to reverse it."

Gu Xun nodded, "That's more or less it." "I revealed this matter to you two. The first purpose is to let you two understand the truth."

"The world is like a tide and people are like water. Confucianism is already on the outs and has no way to retreat."

"As long as we don't get involved, Xiaoshengxian Manor may not be able to do what it wants, whether it is trying to survive alone or fighting for justice."

Xunzi was noncommittal about this statement and instead asked, "The state master said this is the primary purpose, which means there are other purposes."

Seeing that Xunzi had changed the subject, Gu Xun didn't mind and replied:

"Yes, there is another thing, which is also related to the book burning order."

"Does the Imperial Master intend to stop the book-burning order?" Xun Zichai asked.

Gu Xun shook his head, "Stop? This is impossible. Even I can't do it, or the cost of doing so is too high."

"What I want to do is to reduce the destructiveness of book burning."

Xunzi probably had some guesses, and was not surprised. He calmly asked again, "So the Imperial Master wants to save the book?"

"Of course." Gu Xun nodded and replied, "There is nothing wrong with what the world says, but burning books is an act of extermination, and we must not let it happen."

"Otherwise, as the eldest son, Fusu would not leak the empire's secrets to the two of them."

"Of course, it is not easy to be submissive and submissive under the emperor's nose. This matter will be handled by Liusha, but the help of Confucianism will definitely be indispensable."

When Fu Nian heard this, he immediately clasped his hands and bowed, saying:
  "Confucianism is obligatory!"

"If you have any use for me, just ask, Imperial Master!"

Gu Xun nodded with a smile, "Then I'm welcome."

The first cooperation between Liusha and Confucianism was concluded. After that, Gu Xun did not talk about business anymore and left after chatting with Xunzi Fu Nian.

Fusu did not ask whether Little Saint Xianzhuang would agree to his previous request.

Too much is not enough, there is no need to push too hard.

Xunzi and Fu Nian's attitude has already relaxed. There will still be many opportunities for the two parties to deal with each other in the future, so just figure it out slowly.

………………

In the afternoon, at the entrance of Xiaoshengxian Village.

Fusu and his party were ready to leave.

A long line of carriages and horses has been prepared, waiting for Fusu and his party to get on the carriage and leave.

In front of the gate, Fu Nian once again led many disciples of Xiaoshengxian Manor to send Fusu, the distinguished guest, away.

"Mr. Fu Nian, let's say goodbye today." Fu Su looked at Fu Nian and the others and said goodbye in a brisk tone.

Fu Nian and others hurriedly bowed and saluted, "Congratulations to Your Highness, Your Majesty!"

"You don't have to be polite." Fusu reached out his hand to help Fu Nian and warned him, "Please don't let me down as you asked me before."

Fu Nian lowered his head and replied in a deep voice, "Fu Nian doesn't dare."

Others thought Fusu was talking about re-copying the books, but they didn't know that he was actually talking about more than one thing.

Fu Nian's answer could be regarded as a subtle expression of the current attitude of Xiaoshengxian Village - there is no resistance.

Fusu was naturally satisfied with this and turned around with a smile.

After a while, the huge convoy drove slowly away along the mountain road. Fu Nian and others stood at the gate of Little Saint Xian Manor and watched the convoy go away.

Fu Nian sighed one last time and said slowly, "It's a troubled time, and the rain is about to come!"

Behind him, Zhang Liang and Yan Lu looked at each other, and each of them wondered what Fu Nian and Fusu had talked about in private before.

………………

Songhay Port, upper deck area of ​​the mirage.

After deciding where to go next, Tianming and the other two people started to set off immediately.

But they took no direct action.

Although it seems that this corridor is not guarded, who knows what the specific conditions are inside?

The three of them rushed in carelessly. If they plunged headlong into the enemy, there would be no place to cry.

After some observation, the three of them formulated a plan—actually just like before, they followed the team of boys and girls to sneak in.

The medicinal materials selected by the boys and girls in the pharmacy will be put into the boxes they took before, and then sent to an unknown place through this corridor.

As long as the three of them follow the team delivering medicine, they can continue to muddle through.

After preparing their own medicinal materials, the three of them waited until they gathered a team to deliver medicine, and then set off.

To their surprise, there was really not a single guard along the road.

The group of people carried the medicine box and went deeper, but they did not go too far and reached the end of the corridor.

At the end, there is something like a car with ropes and other things hanging on it.

Tian Ming, who is more sensitive to mechanism techniques, recognized what this thing was at a glance - it was clearly a modified version of the cloud boat built by Mr. Ban.

Is this technical plagiarism or creative collision?

Tianming didn't think much about this problem, because they would probably reach the real key area next.

There were about ten people in the group, all crowded into the car. Since they were all teenagers, it was not particularly crowded.

After everyone came in, the front mechanism was activated and the door was closed. Everyone felt a sense of overweight, and the entire car began to be pulled up slowly.

It was probably not the first time for these boys and girls to ride in this pre-Qin version of the elevator. They had long been accustomed to it. Although Shao Yu and Shi Lan were curious, they could only hold back and act like everything was normal.

After a while, the car stopped moving, the door opened, and everyone filed out, rearranged themselves into lines, and continued walking along the corridor.

After walking not far, the group arrived at an open lobby, which was approximately semicircular in shape, surrounded by a circle of yin and yang puppets, and opposite was a luxuriously decorated door.

Seeing this scene, Shaoyu Shilan secretly began to get excited, and at the same time she tensed up her nerves, ready to deal with any surprises.

This place is special at first glance. The next one will allow them to dig up important information. Of course, there will also be fatal dangers!
  Those childhood virgins were still accustomed to this, ignoring the Yin and Yang puppets and heading steadily towards the gate.

After approaching, the golden-painted patterned door automatically opened, revealing the true face of Mount Lu inside.

In a huge hollow, suspended stone bridges and plank roads are winding and intertwined. In the center is a high stone pillar platform with a giant alchemy furnace on top. The flames in the furnace are burning fiercely.

On both sides of the central stone pillar, two glaring Vajra-like sculptures faced each other and clasped their hands together, as if they were holding the alchemy furnace together.

The stone paths, pillars, and statues are all covered with lines drawn with gold paint. They look extremely luxurious at first glance. Under the firelight projected by the alchemy furnace, it is dazzling.

(End of this chapter)