"Your Highness, what are your thoughts on 'not letting wisdom burden your mind, nor letting personal interests burden you; entrusting governance and chaos to laws and methods, relying on rewards and punishments to determine right and wrong, and weighing the importance of things'?" Yan Xu asked.
This passage contains the core idea of Han Zi's work, which is his proposition on governing the country, and naturally, it is also the focus of Ye Jingchen's explanation.
"Everything has two sides. While cleverness and cunning can make people successful, they can also lead to arrogance and stubbornness, resulting in troubles, pain, and wrong decisions."
"There are indeed wise people in this world who are almost supernaturally intelligent and may be able to turn the tide and save a collapsing building for a time, but one person's plans are ultimately limited, and there will always be times when subjective assumptions exceed reason. Therefore, when governing a country, one cannot rely too much on the abilities of individuals!" Ye Jingshu only thought for a moment before she began to speak eloquently.
"It's inevitable for humans to have selfish desires, but once rulers become selfish, they often lose their impartiality and objectivity, leading to wrong decisions. Therefore, governing a country should prioritize the interests of the nation and its people, and clearly distinguish between public and private interests!"
"Without rules, there can be no order. Governing a country should also follow laws and regulations, govern the country according to law, and formulate a sound legal system and governance strategy. From the emperor to the common people, everyone should abide by the law, and the country will naturally be orderly and the government's orders will be effective."
"No one is perfect; everyone has selfish desires and biases. Therefore, subjective judgments of right and wrong cannot always be correct. Establishing clear reward and punishment systems and ensuring that everyone is aware of these systems will make things fairer and more just, and will also better motivate everyone. After all, governing a country is not just the responsibility of the monarch alone, but is closely related to everyone!"
Similarly, personal preferences or morality cannot be used as the standard for judging whether something is right or wrong. When governing a country, a monarch should rely on clear laws and a fair system of rewards and punishments to maintain long-term stability and avoid chaos and strife.
"To summarize, Han Zi's governing philosophy is to replace the rule of man with the rule of law. I, the princess, completely agree with this. The law should be above everyone else, and if everyone abides by it, the country will naturally function in an orderly manner!" Ye Jingshu spoke calmly and confidently, her words flowing smoothly.
Yan Xu was deeply moved as he listened.
As a woman, she has such insights, which are in no way inferior to those of men. Could it be that the Princess was the one who wrote the letter to him?
"Your Highness, what is the meaning of 'Do not go against the principles of Heaven, do not harm one's feelings; do not nitpick over minor flaws, do not scrutinize the obvious; do not rush beyond the law, do not linger within the law'?" Yan Xu continued to ask.
Ye Jingshu didn't want to continue answering.
It wasn't that she couldn't answer, but rather that she had already shared a lot of her thoughts today. If Yan Xu kept asking, would she have to keep talking forever?
In their Wenhua Hall, there is no tradition of exclusive beauty; everyone expressing their own opinions is their style.
"Sir, regarding your understanding of this passage, perhaps you could have someone else answer?" Ye Jingshu said with a smile.
Before Yan Xu could say anything, she had already called out a name for him, "Second Imperial Brother, why don't you speak?"
"Yes!" Ye Jingming responded immediately, pondered for a moment, and then spoke.
"Not violating the laws of nature and not harming people's feelings and character tells us to follow nature and respect others."
"Don't deliberately magnify other people's mistakes to nitpick their minor flaws, nor should you deliberately wash away the dirt on your exterior to cover up your own minor flaws. In short, it's about being lenient with others and strict with yourself!"
"We cannot be too harsh on matters outside the law or standards, nor too lenient on matters within the law or standards. We should uphold fairness and impartiality between the law and human emotions and morality, neither being excessively strict nor too lenient. The law is impartial, but it also has compassion!"
"Rule of law should indeed be the main principle of governing the country, but if we blindly promote the rule of law and ignore people's emotions and desires, the country will become indifferent. Therefore, we should prioritize the rule of law and supplement it with morality," Ye Jingming said, sharing his insights.
Such remarks also excited Yan Xu, but also made him somewhat puzzled, because the Second Prince's views were very similar to his own, and he seemed to be the same person who wrote the letter to him.
"Second Prince, what is the interpretation of 'Fortune and misfortune arise from the Way and the Law, not from love and hate; the responsibility for honor and disgrace lies with oneself, not with others. Therefore, in a peaceful world, the law is as pure as morning dew, unbroken and simple, with no grudges in the heart and no troublesome words on the mouth'?"
"Third Imperial Brother, it's your turn," Ye Jingming said to Ye Jingyu.
Although Ye Jingyu didn't like studying, he listened to his elder brother, the Crown Prince. His elder brother said he wanted to give Mr. Guzhu a shock, so naturally he wouldn't hold him back.
"The joys and sorrows of ordinary people arise from the laws of nature and the country's policies on people's livelihood, and have little to do with their own subjective likes and dislikes; glory and shame are both personal choices, and have nothing to do with external evaluations. Therefore, people must be responsible for their own actions."
Han Zi said that in the most stable times, people believe in the law, the social atmosphere is simple and honest, there are no lingering grudges in people's hearts, and there are no verbal disputes.
At this point, Ye Jingyu changed the subject, "But this is only the most idealized social state. In fact, human emotions are very complex. In addition to legal constraints, emotional and moral constraints are also crucial."
"The subject of the law is people, and the law is obeyed and implemented by people. However, people have emotions, and these emotions may hinder the implementation of the law. Therefore, it is essential to improve people's moral character, pay attention to their emotions, and provide humanistic care!"
Yan Xu looked at Ye Jingyu in amazement. A ten-year-old child could actually utter such profound words.
But what surprised Yan Xu even more was what happened next, because eight-year-old Ye Jingyu asked Yan Xu a question.
"Confucianism emphasizes that 'rites do not extend to commoners, and punishments do not apply to high officials,' while Legalism advocates that 'punishment should not be spared even for high officials, and rewards should not be overlooked even for commoners.' Confucianism and Legalism are clearly opposed in this respect. The Zhou dynasty valued rites and music and lasted for nearly eight hundred years, while the Qin dynasty respected the rule of law and perished after only two generations. How do you view this issue?"
Previously, Yan Xu had been testing them, but Ye Jingyu started testing Yan Xu directly.
He knew perfectly well that Yan Xu respected Legalism and advocated ruling the country according to law.
This question is absolutely provocative.
Yan Xu was certainly not provoked by this question, but he was still amazed by Ye Jingyu's debating skills.
Not only Ye Jingyu, but also the princesses and princes who answered his questions, although they were all young, had their own ideas, clear thinking and logical reasoning, whether answering or asking questions.
Moreover, although he was the gentleman, it seemed that from the very beginning, he did not have the initiative in his hands.
Yan Xu was completely excited.
Although what he saw and heard after entering the capital made him dissatisfied with the Emperor of Dayuan and the court, and even somewhat regret his decision to serve, today's lesson in the Wenhua Hall gave him hope.
"The Zhou dynasty's eight hundred years of prosperity were not solely due to 'rites and music,' and the Qin dynasty's demise after only two generations was not entirely due to 'rule of law'..."
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