Diqin Designer

Chapter 39 Different Responses to Two Questions
When Ying Zheng met with Zhang Han and designated him as the executor of the reform pilot plan, all the princes of the Qin Dynasty received two questions from Ying Zheng. They all realized that this was a test from their father, but their reactions were different.

After seeing these two questions, Fusu was excited and overjoyed: "This must be that my father has realized that the Qin Dynasty has shortcomings and that it is not advisable to rule the country with strict laws. We must implement benevolent policies."

He immediately asked someone to bring a pen and bamboo slips, and began to write fluently.

If the Qin Dynasty were to be destroyed, what would be the reason for its destruction?

Of course, this is due to the lack of benevolent governance and the use of harsh laws and punishments.

If we want to keep the Qin Dynasty alive, how should we govern it?
Naturally, we need to implement benevolent policies and change those cruel laws.

At this moment, Fusu felt that his father had finally come to his senses and realized the problems of the Qin Dynasty. He wrote a dozen bamboo slips with excitement and joy.

He wanted to take advantage of the moment when his father's mind was awakened and explain to him the benefits of benevolent governance. His father had not listened in the past, but this time he must convince him!

On the other hand, after his "good brother" Hu Hai got the question, he thought about it for a while and started writing, but the content of his writing was completely different from Fusu's.

At his age, he naturally didn't know as much as his brother Fusu, but he took a different approach. Instead of talking about the two issues themselves, he praised his father highly.

Hu Hai's answer revolved around the theme of "As long as my father is around, the Qin Dynasty will not be destroyed." The content of the answer was roughly: As long as my father is around, the Qin Dynasty will definitely not be destroyed. Under my father's governance, the Qin Dynasty has become perfect, without any problems.

Ying Zheng was praised as unprecedented and unrivaled, the only perfect man throughout history. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, and the various schools of thought were not worthy of being compared with my father.

He was still young and didn't know much about governing a country, but he knew how to make his father happy. When his father read his childish words, he would only think they were simple and innocent, and they were his truest thoughts, and he would be even happier.

After all, children are the most honest, and what they say comes from their hearts, unlike adults who sometimes say one thing and mean another. Moreover, the child is their own child, which is an added bonus.

At the end of the day, the officials of the Qin Dynasty, who had been working all day, returned home and began to think about the two questions that the First Emperor had left for them.

In Zhao Gao's mansion, Zhao Gao sat in front of a desk, tapping the desk lightly with his right index finger. He was pondering the deeper meaning behind Ying Zheng's two questions.

In Zhao Gao's view, the problem is worthy of attention, but what is more worthy of attention is the things behind the problem. Only by grasping these can one figure out Ying Zheng's intentions and gain Ying Zheng's favor.

He has been doing this over the years, and it is this method that has allowed him to climb to his current position.

But yesterday and today, Ying Zheng's abnormal reaction made him feel uneasy.

He was the king's most trusted minister and was often summoned by Ying Zheng to serve him. Therefore, he always knew about Ying Zheng's affairs before others.

But in the past two days, the king has not even looked at him, let alone summoned him to serve him, as if he had forgotten about him.

"Could it be that Meng Yi slandered me around the king and framed me?"

Zhao Gao immediately dismissed this idea: "It shouldn't be Meng Yi. Although he has a grudge against me, he is an upright person. If he wanted to frame me, he would have done it long ago, and there is no need to wait until today. In this case, it must be the mysterious person in the palace!" "It's a pity that the news about this person is strictly sealed by the king. With my ability, I haven't been able to find out much. I only heard that this person is a man."

"As a man living in the palace, this man is deeply trusted by the king. He framed me. Does he have a grudge against me?"

Zhao Gao counted his enemies and found that there were quite a few of them. For a moment, he couldn't tell who the one in the palace was.

"Your Majesty, you asked these two questions today, probably because of this person's influence. In my opinion, this person must have told Your Majesty that there are problems with the Qin Empire, and that these problems are quite numerous and large enough to cause the fall of the Qin Empire."

"The two questions are both a test from the king and a real desire to get answers from us. Therefore, we should not flatter the king and think that Daqin has no problems. Instead, we must point out the hidden dangers of Daqin and speak in a proper way."

Although he was a treacherous man, there was no doubt that Zhao Gao was able to understand people's minds. He guessed the context of the whole matter in a flash and knew how to answer the two questions.

At the same time, in Li Si's mansion, like Zhao Gao, Li Si also thought about the cause and effect.

However, he did not think as much as Zhao Gao, and he did not rely on flattery to please the king to gain power. He relied on real talent and ability.

No matter who asked the king to raise these two questions, there must be a reason. In Li Si's view, although the Qin Dynasty has now unified the world, it is still far from the perfect state believed by the Legalists. There are still many flaws. It seems that these flaws may lead to the demise of the Qin Dynasty.

Li Si picked up his pen and wrote quickly on the bamboo slips. What he wrote was: When destroying the six kingdoms, he did not properly deal with the nobles of the six kingdoms; the laws were not strict enough and he was too lenient to the people; although he unified the six kingdoms in terms of territory, he had not yet unified the system; there were too many schools of thought and too many mixed ideas…

Now that the problem has been identified, the next step is to think about solutions.

Li Si changed his tone and began to write his solution:
Since the nobles of the six kingdoms are a destabilizing factor for the Qin Dynasty, it is better to send them to death. Dead people will not be able to miss their homeland and cause chaos.

Since the laws are not strict enough and may lead to rebellion among the people, we should make more laws and regulations, increase the penalties and corvée labor, and make the people feel completely terrified and burdened;

Since the system has not been unified, then abolish the writing systems of the other six countries, leaving only the writing system of the Great Qin. Abolish the money of the six countries, and only use the money of the Great Qin. Abolish the laws of the six countries, and only obey the laws of the Great Qin. Destroy the original systems of the six countries and unify them into the Great Qin.

Since there are too many schools of thought and their ideas are too diverse, then we should abolish the other schools of thought and only respect the art of magic. Burn the classics of the other schools of thought. If anyone is found learning and spreading them, they will be severely punished. The other schools of thought should be banned in the Qin Dynasty and the people should not learn these things anymore.
While Zhao Gao and Li Si were writing furiously, Chunyu Yue, a doctor, was in his mansion. Chunyu Yue was very excited and said to several Confucian scholars who were also doctors: "Today, the king has two questions for you: If the Great Qin is destroyed, what will be the reason for it? If we want to keep the Great Qin from being destroyed, how should we govern it?"

Chunyu Yue's face was full of excitement. After working as a doctor in the Qin Dynasty for so long, he and Confucianism finally got the opportunity.

“This is my Confucian opportunity!”

"Why did the Qin Dynasty fall? This is still a question. It must be because the Legalists ruled the country, which ultimately brought disaster to the country and the people! If the Qin Dynasty had not been destroyed, how should it have been governed? Of course, it would have been to use our Confucianism, restore the Zhou rituals, and reshape rituals and music."

Chunyu Yue looked as if it was a matter of course that only Confucianism could heal the world. Several other Confucian scholars also echoed him, but Su Xu was the only one who looked worried.

Looking at the other people who were excited, Su Xu thought to himself: "These two questions must have been raised by the person in Liuying Palace to the king. That person doesn't like my Confucianism very much. How could he allow Confucianism to replace Legalism? If the king was told that he wanted to use my Confucianism..."

(End of this chapter)