Chicken feet delivery, what's not to like?
Huang Liao was a great sage of the time, and Han Fei dared not be too arrogant. He bowed and said, "Laws are compiled records, established in government offices, and disseminated to the people. There is nothing in the world that cannot be governed by law." Han Fei continued, "The function of law is, firstly, to 'establish boundaries and stop disputes.' For example, if a rabbit runs away, a hundred people will chase it. But if there are many rabbits in the market, no one will even look at them. It's not that they don't want the rabbits, but ownership is already established and cannot be contested."
Han Fei continued, "The function of law is twofold: punishment and clear distinction between reward and punishment." Han Fei added, "As for how to legislate, it should be 'neither following the ancients nor adhering to the present'! As the world progresses, laws also change with the times. 'Those who do not adapt to changing times will descend into chaos.' We cannot revert to the past, nor can we cling to old ways." Upon hearing Han Fei's words, the crowd erupted in a clamor, whispering amongst themselves, and even Xunzi on the platform became restless.
Currently, the three most influential schools of thought in various countries are Confucianism, Mohism, and Taoism. Although their ideological doctrines differ, they share a common view: the golden age of human society has passed, not will continue. Since the "golden age" of antiquity, history has been gradually regressing; therefore, the salvation of humanity lies not in innovation, but in returning to antiquity. This is the "historical regression view" held by these three schools.
Therefore, Confucianism reveres the Duke of Zhou, while Mohism reveres Yu the Great. Taoism goes even further, elevating the "Three Sovereigns"—Fuxi, Shennong, and Xuanyuan. Han Yu's Legalist doctrine of "neither following the ancients nor conforming to the present" directly undermines the fundamental tenets of all schools of thought. How can one ensure the stability of the masses?
A Confucian disciple immediately stood up and cursed Han Fei, saying, "You brat, you are too arrogant! How could you, an ignorant child, possibly understand the wisdom of the ancient sages and saints?"
Han Fei bowed respectfully towards Penglai Island, and declared with pride: "Today marks the birth of our Legalist school, a time for academic debate. It is not that we disagree with the words of the sages, for the sages' words are greater than the world's, but are they without fault? Times change, people live in the world, and learn from the world. The times change, but we cannot generalize based solely on the words of the sages. People are all 'fond of profit and averse to harm.' As the saying goes, 'People have likes and dislikes, therefore the people can be governed.' The same applies to scholarship! The world changes with time; how can we cling to the old ways? That is no different from waiting for a rabbit to run into a tree stump!'" Han Fei's words borrowed from Xunzi's view that "human nature is inherently evil," but he showed no respect for Confucianism, directly criticizing their adherence to old ways and their passive waiting for opportunities.
Xunzi was also a great Confucian scholar of his time, and was respected by Confucian disciples. This was something he said, and for a moment the Confucian disciple didn't know how to refute it.
Prime Minister Zhou also looked somewhat strange. Although Han Fei's arguments showed that he was a man of great talent, he was a bit too arrogant. As a result, he had offended quite a few people.
Prime Minister Zhou silently withdrew and went behind the curtain. Seeing a person standing beside him, Prime Minister Zhou cupped his hands and said, "Sir, isn't this Han Fei far too arrogant?"
This man was none other than Xunzi. He had stepped down from his position as the head of the academy in order to return to Confucius's side as soon as possible. However, he was surprised to see Han Fei today. When Prime Minister Zhou asked the question, Xunzi knew exactly what he meant. He was afraid that using this man would offend him. Now, Confucian disciples were all over the world and had a great influence. He was afraid that if he offended the Confucian disciples, he would not be able to handle the situation.
Xunzi raised his hand to Prime Minister Zhou and said, "Prime Minister, please don't be angry. This man is very talented, no less than my teacher. Although he is a bit arrogant, all talented people are like that. Prime Minister, please use him."
Seeing the surprise on Prime Minister Zhou's face, Xunzi smiled bitterly, thinking to himself: If it weren't for the fact that the seals came from the same object, I would never have let him off the hook.
The seal in Han Fei's hand was a coiled dragon seal, divided into two halves, one in Han Fei's hand and the other in Confucius's. It could be considered a token given to them by Xuan Tian back then, so that they were all one family and those who saw it could not kill each other.
Xunzi whispered to Prime Minister Zhou, "This person is related to my teacher. My teacher once said: If this person is born, he should be called 'senior brother' by him."
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Zhou was both surprised and delighted. He was surprised by Han Fei's background, but delighted because Han Fei was related to Confucius, which meant he was a senior disciple of Confucianism. Using him would be unrelated to both of them, and Confucian disciples would also assist the Zhou court. With so many great sages assisting him, how could the Western Zhou not be able to revive? He then watched with peace of mind as Han Fei debated with the various schools of thought.
Han Fei engaged in a three-day, three-night debate with the wise men of the academy! His words were unstoppable! All the philosophers of the Hundred Schools of Thought were defeated one by one.
On the spot, Zhou Chengxiang announced that Han Fei would succeed Xunzi as the new head of the academy. The Western Zhou Dynasty would govern the country based on Legalist doctrines. The Zhou king also began large-scale reforms in accordance with Han Fei's Legalist ideas.
With the guidance of Legalist thought, the martial spirit of the Western Zhou Dynasty finally brought the national strength of the Western Zhou court to a new level!
Han Fei became famous throughout the world after one battle. At the young age of sixteen (of course, this sixteen is too much of a fabrication, it was just Han Fei's own account), he founded the Legalist school, which was truly unprecedented and unparalleled. The Legalist school became famous among the feudal lords after one battle, and was known to the world. It was implicitly ranked alongside Confucianism, Mohism, and Taoism, becoming a new "prominent school of thought".
Han Fei is known to the world as Master Han Fei.
Of the four continents, the human race is considered the orthodox human race of China. This group exists only in the Eastern Continent of Victory and the Southern Continent of Jambudvipa. The Northern Continent of Julu is mostly inhabited by the witch and demon races. Although the human race accounts for the majority of the population, it is not the dominant race in this continent. The Western Continent of Niuhe is also inhabited by a mixed race of humans and demons. Although the human race is numerous, it is not the orthodox human race and has been called a barbarian race from ancient times to the present.
After King Wu established the Zhou Dynasty, it became the legitimate dynasty of the entire Chinese nation. As the Zhou Dynasty developed, it expanded from the original Dongsheng Shenzhou to the Nanzhanbuzhou. Later, the political power was divided. Although it seemed to be the same dynasty, it was actually divided into two regimes, east and west.
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