Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 96 Second Encounter with Han Fei, The Laws of Heaven and Earth

"quicksand……"

Looking at the person in front of him, Xiu Yuan gently shook his head.

"I've heard that the Ninth Prince saw the truth of this world at the end of his life."

Han Fei was taken aback, then looked at the young man in front of him with a flickering gaze.

He did say such a thing before, but he wasn't sure if his experience was true or false. Just like the Yangtze River flows eastward and never returns westward, can a person really come back to life after dying?
Even his master, Master Xun, could not answer this question, yet the events in the dream felt so real to him. The Daoist story of Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly tells of how Zhuang Zhou transformed into a butterfly in his dream, flying freely and feeling incredibly happy and carefree, even forgetting that he was originally Zhuang Zhou.

Upon waking from the dream, Zhuang Zhou was perplexed. Was it Zhuang Zhou who dreamed of becoming a butterfly, or a butterfly who dreamed of becoming Zhuang Zhou? There seemed to be no clear boundary between the two.

When he woke up from that dream, he couldn't be sure whether he had become the person in the dream or he was the person in the dream.

After a long silence, Han Fei asked, "Is Xiu Yuan interested in this?"

Chen Xiuyuan gently put down the glass cup in his hand and spoke again: "Does Young Master believe that fate can be changed?"

Upon hearing this, Han Fei fell silent again. If it were anyone else, they might not have been able to understand Chen Xiuyuan's words at all, but he had a different feeling.

If the events in his dream were real, then what are his current actions? And what should he do about that ending he cannot accept?

The truth is cruel to most people, and it remains cruel to him as well.

Chen Xiuyuan stood up, looked at the sunrise outside, and spoke softly.

"Man follows the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature. Heaven and earth themselves have their own principles. Strict laws can indeed help a country stand firm in a chaotic world, but what about in a new environment?"

“I once read this passage: ‘The highest virtue is not virtue, therefore it is truly virtuous; the lowest virtue does not lose virtue, therefore it is not truly virtuous. Thus, one loses the Way and then virtue; one loses virtue and then benevolence; one loses benevolence and then righteousness; one loses righteousness and then propriety. For propriety is the beginning of chaos, a thin veneer of loyalty and trustworthiness.’”

Han Fei sat to the side, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. As a disciple of Xunzi, he naturally knew where these words came from. They were a passage from the Daoist classic "Tao Te Ching," which discussed the relationship between morality, benevolence, righteousness, and propriety.

Only after losing the Way will a person use Virtue to restrain themselves; only after losing Virtue will a person use Benevolence to proclaim themselves; only after losing Benevolence will they have Righteousness; only after losing Righteousness will they have Propriety. The Taoist sages satirize this chaotic world where propriety and music have collapsed.

"Young Master, what do you think society should use to regulate people's behavior after establishing proper etiquette?"

Han Fei remained silent. In his understanding, after rites came law, and society was divided into different levels, classifying people into different classes. Was this a regression or progress of human civilization?

"In fact, people nowadays pursue things in the wrong order. Just like that Confucian sage, he used propriety to seek righteousness, righteousness to seek benevolence, benevolence to seek virtue, and virtue to seek the Way. Therefore, for Confucian people, this path of seeking the Way is an extremely difficult one."

"But for people, it is a path that allows them to see the hierarchy. Monarchs can use Confucian principles to consolidate their rule, so Confucianism became the dominant school of thought in this era."

Confucius once said, "If I hear the Way in the morning, I can die content in the evening." If I am not mistaken, the Way that Confucius spoke of is the highest pursuit of Confucianism, not just some ordinary principle.

Hearing this, Han Fei sighed inwardly. This was a path of seeking the Dao that he had never considered; his methods were more for maintaining the stability of the country than for seeking the Dao.

"My lord values ​​law and pragmatism, aligning with current realities and the nation's interests. In the future, if your laws encounter a powerful overlord, they will surely erect a monument, perhaps even ending this chaotic era. But that is not my pursuit."

Han Fei stood up and slowly walked to Chen Xiuyuan's side. Before, he felt that this young man was very unusual. Now, seeing him again, it was just as he expected. Although the other party was looking for the answer, he was not confused, but had a clear path.

"When I chat with you, I always feel that you are not like a child. Even Zhang Liang never thought like you. People are born between heaven and earth and have their own pursuits, which is very good."

“You’re right. My law needs a strong person to protect it, and South Korea doesn’t have that right now, but it might in the future. I won’t give up until all the speculations become reality.”

"The laws of heaven and earth are to be followed without fail. Even if people don't understand my laws now, I believe that one day in the future, someone will be able to understand them."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiuyuan sighed softly. Han Fei was also betting on something: that the future world would not get better, but worse. The collapse of people's hearts was an irreversible process; otherwise, Lao Tzu would not have said those words. And the result was exactly as Han Fei had predicted: the law would continue as a regulation to govern people's behavior.

Birds flew past outside the window, flapping their wings and soaring. Chen Xiuyuan opened the window and gently raised his hand. The last few birds in the flock seemed to sense something, flapping their wings and looking over. Their small heads, no bigger than a gold coin, curiously examined the person inside the window.

After a while, it slowly flew over and landed on Chen Xiuyuan's shoulder.

Seeing this, a hint of emotion flashed across Han Fei's eyes.

Birds are timid animals; they won't come over if they sense danger. But this little guy in front of me made it lower its guard and fly over.

"Xiuyuan, I have a younger sister. I think you two might be able to become friends."

Upon hearing this, Chen Xiuyuan was taken aback.

King An of Han probably didn't have many daughters. If Han Fei wasn't mistaken, the younger sister he mentioned was Honglian.

Thinking of that girl, he nodded slightly. The current Princess Honglian was indeed a good friend.

"I've seen her."

Upon hearing this, Han Fei raised an eyebrow. He seemed surprised that this young man, who rarely went out, would know Hong Lian.

"Oh?"

After thinking for a moment, Chen Xiuyuan continued, "I saw her in the archives. In this chaotic world, perhaps there is a power there to change one's destiny. Although you, young master, follow the teachings of Master Xun, I believe that in the face of knowledge, we are all always students. Perhaps the answer you seek can be found there."

"What does Xiu Yuan think of Hong Lian?"

(End of this chapter)