Diqin Designer

Chapter 537 Promoting Confucianism
The academic exchange lasted for three days, not just one day. At the same time, the mission also discussed trade matters with Bactria.

On the day the academic exchange ended, Li Shiqi was in his room checking his logs from the past few days for any omissions. As the deputy envoy of the mission, he had to write a separate log report every day and submit it after returning home.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, followed by a voice saying, "Vice Envoy, the King of Bactria has sent someone to invite you to the palace."

Li Shiqi put the organized logs into a small iron box, locked it, and then opened the door.

When Li Shiqi arrived at the living room, he met the palace guards sent by Euthydemus I to invite him.

The guard said respectfully, "Your Excellency, Baselus has sent me to invite you to the palace."

Li Shiqi laughed and said, "Since the King has invited me, how can I refuse? Please lead the way!"

He did not ask Euthydemus I why he had invited him to the palace, or whether he was the only one invited.

This piqued the curiosity of the palace guards. Didn't this Qin deputy envoy want to know why Baseles had invited him? Wasn't he afraid that Baseles might harm him?
Li Shiqi had some guesses about why Euthydemus I had come to invite him at this time. If not nine out of ten, then six or seven out of ten, the Bactrian king had become interested in Confucianism.

Soon, Li Shiqi followed the guards to the Bactrian royal palace and was taken to a palace.

When Li Shiqi entered the main hall, he found that apart from a translator, several guards and palace servants, only he and Euthydemus I were in the palace.

This was clearly a deliberate arrangement by Euthydemus I, to ensure that as few people as possible knew about what he was discussing.

Upon seeing Li Shiqi enter the hall, Euthydemus I greeted him warmly, saying, "It's the Deputy Envoy of Great Qin! Please, have a seat!"

Euthydemus I warmly took Lishiqi's arm and invited him to sit down, and ordered the palace servants to quickly bring him drinks and snacks.

The beverage was tea, which was a gift from the mission to Euthydemus I. However, some Bactrian seasonings were added to the tea, as not everyone can drink tea that is brewed plain without any additives.

Li Shiqi took a bite and then put it aside. It contained not only sugar but also other seasonings, creating a... very complex flavor.

I really don't know what the Bactrian king was thinking when he added these things to tea. Wasn't this ruining the original natural and refreshing flavor of the tea?

Seeing that Li Shiqi took a sip and then put it aside, Euthydemus I wisely refrained from asking Li Shiqi how the drink was, which made his intentions quite clear.

After setting down the glass teacup, Li Shiqi asked, "Your Majesty has summoned me today. May I ask what brings you here?"

Euthydemus I laughed and said, "The Vice Envoy is indeed straightforward. To be honest, Vice Envoy..."

Euthydemus I's smile faded, and after glancing at the only translator in the hall, he continued, "I have something I'd like to ask the deputy envoy!"

Li Shiqi said, "Your Majesty, please speak freely. If there is anything I can do to help you, I will do my best."

Euthydemus I said, “A few days ago, I heard the deputy envoy talk about Confucianism, and I found it very reasonable. However, the deputy envoy did not explain it completely at the time. I invited the deputy envoy here today so that he could explain it in more detail.”

They're definitely here for Confucianism!

Li Shiqi was unsure whether to be happy or depressed. He was happy that even foreign rulers valued their Confucian teachings, but depressed because the foreign rulers were not using his knowledge for good purposes.

Today, he too must play the "bad guy," passing on the strange Confucian doctrines that Prince Li Nian entrusted to him to foreign monarchs.

When he first heard those strange Confucian doctrines from Young Master Li Nian, he was quite startled.

That's terrifying! How could Confucianism possibly have such a doctrine?

While those doctrines may have strengthened Confucianism, they would have brought disaster to the country and its people, becoming the cause of calamities.

Those doctrines are not Confucianism at all; they are just wearing a Confucian veneer. But I must say, this veneer is quite well done.

When reading those doctrines, Li Shiqi was terrified. Underneath that skin was not a human being, but a twisted and terrifying monster!

But what's even more frightening is Young Master Li Nian. I don't know how he came up with those theories and even put them on the skin of Confucianism.
This also illustrates another point: Young Master Li Nian has a profound understanding of Confucianism; otherwise, it would have been impossible for him to come up with those doctrines based on Confucianism.

If Li Nian knew what Li Shiqi was thinking, he would definitely think to himself: You flatter me too much. How could I have come up with those things? They were all Confucian ideas. I just moved them from the later era to the present!
Those strange doctrines may benefit the monarch, but they are of no benefit to the country or its people. They can cause a country to stagnate and decline.

But now, he must follow Young Master Li Nian's wishes and release that twisted and terrifying monster to wreak havoc on the Western countries.

According to the Confucian moral requirements for a gentleman, what Li Shiqi was about to do would violate the way of a gentleman, but when he thought that this was to weaken other states for the sake of Qin, Li Shiqi felt much more at ease.

Although it goes against the way of the gentleman, it is beneficial to the country, so it can be done!

Li Shiqi said, "My Confucian scholarship can govern people, families, and countries. I wonder which aspect Your Majesty wishes to learn about?"

Euthydemus I was an adult, and his choice was naturally to have it all: "How about governing people, how about governing a family, and how about governing a country?"

Li Shiqi laughed and said, "Your Majesty's answer is excellent. In my Confucian school, governing people, governing families, and governing the state are actually not separate. Only by cultivating oneself and regulating one's family can one govern the state and bring peace to the world. However, what Your Majesty wants to know is not 'bringing peace to the world'..."

Euthydemus I narrowed his eyes and said, "What does the deputy envoy think I want to know?"

Li Shiqi said in a low voice, "What Your Majesty wants to know is how to stabilize the world!"

Euthydemus I did not deny it, but instead asked, "What did the deputy envoy teach me?"

This is tantamount to admitting that he wanted to find a way to secure his throne and ensure its longevity from Li Shiqi.

Li Shiqi said, "If Your Majesty wishes to secure your throne and ensure its longevity, you must first understand the situation of your state, identify the factors that threaten Your Majesty's throne, and analyze specific problems in order to find a suitable solution."

Euthydemus I said, "'Analyze specific problems in specific ways' is a very apt saying."

Li Shiqi replied, "These are the words of Young Master Li Nian." He then said, "Your Majesty knows more about the situation of your country than I do. I can only offer some of my recent observations."

“Firstly, your country’s belief in gods is excessive!” Li Shiqi couldn’t quite understand why these Westerners were so superstitious. Although the people of Qin also believed in gods and were quite devout in some places, they still felt inferior to the Westerners.

Of course, there's no point in comparing them, and believing in God isn't exactly a good habit.

Seeing that Euthydemus I remained silent, Li Shiqi continued, “Your Majesty, the gods are high above, they do not descend to the mortal realm, nor do they concern themselves with the lives of ordinary people. But those who act as the gods' representatives on earth are not…”

After the translator translated these words, Euthydemus I immediately understood the meaning behind Li Shiqi's words: the gods themselves do not affect royal power, but the gods' agents on earth do.

Because these agents are human beings, and it's hard for humans not to have desires.

Seeing Euthydemus I deep in thought, Li Shiqi added two more sentences: "Faith in the gods can be used to secure the throne, but more often than not, it can threaten the throne. The gods will not contend with the king for power, but the gods' representatives will."

“Power in the world is like this cup of tea…” Li Shiqi pointed to the teacup on the table, “Everyone who is qualified wants to drink more tea from the cup, so if someone drinks more, someone else will have to drink less.”

Euthydemus I suddenly opened his eyes wide, a resolute glint in them: he wanted to be the one who drank more tea, no, he wanted to possess the whole cup of tea.

Li Shiqi's meaning is simple: divine right will contend with monarchical power!

That's true; this was indeed the case in ancient Western history. In some eras, divine authority superseded royal authority, and kings had to call the Pope "father."

Euthydemus I suddenly remembered the Qin Ancestral God Religion that Wang Ling had introduced to the Qin delegation on the day they arrived. The Qin people's Ancestral God Religion worshipped the gods and said that the gods were the embodiment of the "Tao" and would not have the same desires as humans.

The Qin people must have considered that if the gods were personified, divine power would compete with the monarchical power.

Euthydemus I said, “No wonder your country has established a religion of ancestral gods, with the Heavenly Emperor Taiyi as the supreme god.”

Li Shiqi quickly realized that Euthydemus I had misunderstood; the Qin Dynasty did not establish the Ancestral God Religion to prevent the struggle between divine and imperial power.

This problem did not exist in the Qin Dynasty, or rather, it almost never existed in ancient China.

One very important reason why this did not exist was that the monarchs of ancient China were a unity of man and god. The emperor was both a human and the son of heaven, possessing both monarchical and divine power, so there was naturally no need for them to fight each other.

In the West, however, the monarch is different. He is a human being, not a god or the son of a god, and cannot combine royal power with divine power. Therefore, divine power and royal power will naturally compete with each other.

Even though you are a king, a monarch of the world, can you be more noble than a god? You must kneel before the god's representative on earth (the Pope)!
What Li Shiqi is telling Euthydemus I is to get rid of your original religion and beliefs in gods, and establish a harmless religion and gods to avoid competing with you for power.

Li Shiqi's real purpose in discussing faith in deities was not to use it as a pretext to introduce his next point. He did not realize that this move had an unexpected effect.

Euthydemus I looked at Li Shiqi and thought that the Qin deputy envoy meant for him to establish a religion that would not threaten his throne. And which sect would not threaten his throne at present?

The Qin deputy envoy's intentions were all too clear: they wanted to follow the ancestral god religion of their Great Qin.

Euthydemus I believed that Li Shiqi had led him to introduce the ancestral god religion of the Qin Dynasty.

After some thought, Euthydemus I decided that if the Ancestral God Religion truly wouldn't compete with him for power, it wouldn't be impossible to introduce it, following the advice of the Qin envoy. After all, what difference does it make what kind of god one believes in?
He wasn't some ignorant fool; he had long since stopped believing that gods lived on Mount Olympus. He said there were no gods on that mountain, it was all a lie.

Li Shiqi continued, "Secondly, doesn't Your Majesty think that your people, or rather your scholars, have too many ideas?"

Euthydemus I widened his eyes again and whispered, "What does the deputy envoy mean by this?"

Li Shiqi said: "If you want to secure the throne, you must first unite the people and unify their thoughts. If the people and scholars of your country only know the doctrine of loyalty to the monarch and love for the country, and have no other doctrines, their thoughts will not go astray. If their thoughts are not biased, there will be fewer troubles."

Euthydemus I fell into thought again, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that the Qin deputy envoy made sense. The root of chaos in the world lies in the hearts of the people. If the hearts of the people can be unified, there will be far fewer troubles in the world.

There are many schools of thought in Qin, so why don't the people of Qin adopt this approach? Is this Qin deputy envoy trying to trick him?
When faced with questions from Euthydemus I, Li Shiqi did not offer much explanation, because the more he explained, the more questions arose.

Li Shiqi adopted an attitude of "believe it or not": "My Great Qin has its own national conditions, which are different from your country. If Your Majesty does not want to secure your throne and ensure the longevity of your country, you may pretend that you have not heard my words."

Reason told Euthydemus I that he shouldn't listen to the Qin deputy envoy, but his desire to make his throne more secure and to ensure that his descendants would inherit it for generations made him want to listen.

Euthydemus I asked in a low voice, "May I ask, Your Excellency, which doctrine is more suitable for our country?"

Li Shiqi said, "Forgive my bluntness, but there is no suitable doctrine in your country."

Euthydemus I frowned and asked, "Where is the appropriate doctrine?"

As soon as he finished asking the question, he realized the answer himself: the suitable doctrine that this deputy envoy from Qin believed in was clearly Confucianism.

But can Confucianism really achieve this?

Based on what he has seen and heard in academic exchanges, it seems that Confucianism is incapable of doing so.

Facing the skeptical gaze of Euthydemus I, Li Shiqi said, "Your Majesty underestimates the Confucian school. The Confucian school is not merely the doctrines discussed in academic exchanges."

Confucianism also has hidden doctrines and theories, which sound quite impressive.

But Li Shiqi did not speak immediately. Instead, he said, "Thirdly, although your country has laws and etiquette, both are too flawed. This makes the people of your country ignorant of the proper etiquette between ruler and subject, disrespectful to the ruler, fearful of the ruler, and disloyal to the ruler."

"The people of your country know only strength and have no manners. They believe that whoever is strong can be king. If this situation is not changed, Your Majesty's desire for the throne to last for thousands of years will only be wishful thinking."

Euthydemus I deeply agreed with Li Shiqi's words, because he himself had usurped the throne, and the Theodosian dynasty, which he had usurped, had also rebelled against the Seleucid dynasty in order to establish an independent state.

If you betray me and I usurp the throne, how can the throne be secure and passed down to my descendants?

When Li Shiqi told Euthydemus I this "third point," it was in preparation for later promoting the Confucian "rites system" to Euthydemus I.

People here don't understand etiquette and don't have a complete system of rites, but we Confucians do. As long as Your Majesty needs it, we can arrange it for you at any time, and we guarantee that the etiquette between ruler and subject, father and son, and husband and wife will all be arranged properly.

(End of this chapter)