Ying Fusu

The Qin dynasty's demise after only two generations was a truth that Fusu had glimpsed in historical records.

But for Li Si, it was merely a deduction made by Fusu under the guise of a "dream".

Therefore, Li Si did not take Fusu's accusation that "you almost destroyed the Qin Dynasty" too seriously.

—It's just a possibility.

And theoretically, it's the worst-case scenario.

From Li Si's perspective, even the very existence of this "possibility" is highly questionable.

Died after only two generations?

maybe.

Perhaps the Second Emperor, Huhai, was truly so incompetent that he would personally destroy the Qin Dynasty.

Perhaps Li Si will indeed lose in the political struggle with Zhao Gao, and end up with his own death and the extermination of his clan.

Subsequently, the Qin dynasty might also rapidly perish under Zhao Gao's perverse rule.

Even so, the root cause of the Qin Dynasty's demise after only two emperors could not possibly be that the second emperor, Hu Hai, "obtained the throne illegitimately."

So what if one's position is not righteous?

At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, the three families of Han, Zhao, and Wei divided the state of Jin. What was the outcome?

Who said that Han, Zhao, and Wei "obtained their kingdoms illegitimately" and then raised an army to destroy these three kingdoms?

Furthermore, in the early Warring States period, the Tian family usurped the throne of Qi—a minister usurping the royal power: the Jiang family and the Lü family became the rulers of Qi.

And what was the result?

Has anyone ever destroyed the state of Tian Qi because the Tian family "obtained the country illegitimately"?

The First Emperor swept across the world, destroying the six kingdoms and unifying the country;

Of the six kingdoms destroyed, none of the four kingdoms founded by these "traitors" were spared!

If Qin had not destroyed the six states, the country founded by these four treacherous ministers would have enjoyed its rule for hundreds more years!

Now, there are no more warring states, only the Qin Dynasty that unified the world.

Even if Qin Shi Huang's ascension to the throne was illegitimate, so what?

The three families of Han, Zhao, and Wei divided Jin, and the Tian family replaced the Jiang family as kings of Qi. They were still able to preserve their ancestral temples amidst the fierce competition from the powerful states of the Warring States period.

How could the Qin Dynasty, which unified the world, vanish in an instant simply because its second emperor's ascension to the throne was illegitimate?

"Young master, you've probably been frightened by that 'dream'..."

Li Si originally wanted to say: "Your Highness has been brainwashed too much by Confucianism."

The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I instinctively changed my mind and said something else.

—As a staunch supporter, practitioner, and extreme deviant of Legalist doctrine, Li Si's political thought was centered on "serving the ruler" and "serving the superior."

Because of the absolute authority over the emperor and the unconditional loyalty to him, the ancient concept of "centralized power" arose.

It was under this understanding that Li Si and the First Emperor influenced each other, ultimately giving rise to the First Emperor's radical governing philosophy of making decisions unilaterally and being eager for quick results.

Li Si wanted to be subservient to the emperor and superiors, and to centralize power.

The First Emperor was pleased that Li Si listened to him and spared no effort in consolidating power for him.

However, in the process, both the emperor and his minister overlooked a very simple truth.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.

During the Warring States period, the people of Qin were willing to shed blood and tears to help the Qin Dynasty unify the world.

Even though the Qin people, who had not enjoyed the fruits of victory and were still shedding blood and tears after unification, were still able to welcome Liu Bang into Xianyang with food and drink.

While the First Emperor was alive, the lingering power of the First Emperor could still suppress the land.

With the death of the First Emperor, the imperial might dissipated. This powder keg, created by the First Emperor and spread throughout the Central Plains of China, could be shattered by a single spark, along with the entire world.

The Sand Dune Coup planned by Zhao Gao and Li Si was tantamount to creating two flints out of thin air on this powder keg.

According to the original historical trajectory, these two flints would have been lit by Chen Sheng and Wu Guang a year later.

And with Dazexiang as the center, it completely ignited the entire world...

"If we want the Qin Dynasty to avoid repeating the mistake of dying after only two generations, we must reduce the taxes and corvée labor of the people."

"Only when all the people of the world can live peaceful lives without having to rebel and can barely make a living can our Great Qin be unafraid of the likes of Mou Sheng and Mou Guang."

...

"At the very least, we must ensure that the people of Qin in Guanzhong live in peace so that our Great Qin can confidently say: even if the people of Guandong rebel, our Great Qin will not be afraid to destroy the six states again."

"If the Qin Dynasty could do it in the past, the Qin Dynasty can do it in the future as well."

"And all of this depends on time."

"My second emperor of the Great Qin Dynasty needs ample time to unravel the complexities step by step."

"This will allow the First Emperor's hasty and impatient plans to gradually and gently land on the land of China."

Under Li Si's indifferent gaze, which even carried a hint of 'Is the young master worrying unnecessarily?', Fusu spoke again.

This time, however, he did not look at Li Si again.

He didn't look at the camp below the hill again.

Instead, they cast their gaze far away to some unknown place on the horizon.

"He who does not plan for the long term is not fit to plan for the short term."

"He who cannot plan for the whole cannot plan for a part."

"If we only look at the present situation, I am indeed in control of the overall situation and have no worries about ascending to the throne."

"But for the future of the Great Qin—for the sake of a peaceful and stable period of years to come, to rectify official corruption and eliminate malpractices;"

"Emperor Fusu, the second emperor, must not have 'obtained the throne illegitimately'."

"We must absolutely not give anyone ammunition to criticize us..."

...

"Zhao Gao is indeed difficult to deal with."

"But it's just that it's difficult to deal with right now."

"It would be a serious problem for me if the discussion in the Xianyang court were to determine whether Prince Fusu should be enthroned."

"But Zhao Gao's whereabouts are unknown, which may lead to a great chaos that will affect the whole country in the future."

"This is a disease of the lungs and internal organs..."

...

While speaking with Li Si, Fusu also went through his own thoughts again.

—There is no need for Fusu to worry about inheriting the throne.

Even after arriving in Xianyang, when Zhao Gao stood up in the court to accuse Fusu, saying "the one who should be enthroned is Prince Huhai," he could not stop Fusu from ascending the throne.

On the contrary, Zhao Gao has now fled far away, secretly threatening the stability of the Qin Dynasty...

"My intention is to immediately send men to hunt down Zhao Gao."

"I need to be seen alive;"

"I want to see his body."

...

"Prime Minister Li, what are your thoughts?"

His calm tone, as if he were talking about "what to eat for dinner," caused Li Si's eyelids to twitch slightly.

He tried to speak several times, but in the end he only managed to squeeze out one sentence: "If Zhao Gao is found, I'm afraid the Sand Dune Incident will not be able to be kept secret..."

Then Fusu waved his hand dismissively, his gaze still fixed on the horizon.

He said softly, "If necessary, the truth about the Sand Dune Incident can be made known to the court."

"It is best if the people of the world do not know."

...

"As the court of our Great Qin, all the officials should prioritize the ancestral temples and the state of our Great Qin."

"Regarding what happened here, I have no shame before the First Emperor, no shame before the Qin Dynasty, and no shame before my own conscience."

"Gentlemen, you will understand me."

"On the contrary, Zhao Gao's long-standing presence outside is like a sharp blade hanging over the neck of our Great Qin."

"Once the blade falls, it will be either death or serious injury."

After speaking, Fusu finally turned his gaze away from the horizon and slowly turned to the side.

He stared intently into the depths of Li Si's gaze, remaining silent for a long time.

"Bring Zhao Gao back and punish him according to the law."

"To prevent future troubles."

...

"For the sake of the ancestral temples and the state of Qin, we request that Prime Minister Li draft another forged imperial edict."

"The imperial edict reads: Prince Huhai is hereby established as the Crown Prince, and Zhao Gao, the Chief of the Imperial Chariots, is appointed as the Chancellor and is also known as the Second Father."

"The emperor ordered the execution of Prince Fusu, General Meng Tian, ​​Minister Meng Yi, Right Chancellor Feng Quji, Left Chancellor Li Si, General Wang Li, and Minister of the Imperial Treasury Zhang Han..."

...

"If everything goes smoothly, then the officials in the court will not need to know the truth about the Sand Dune Incident."

"Just know that Zhao Gao attempted to install Prince Huhai as emperor, but was discovered by Prime Minister Li and fled in fear of punishment."

"Prime Minister Lee will not be punished for the Dune Incident that 'never happened'."

"The rest can be discussed later."