After a moment, when Ying Zheng turned his face again, nothing could be seen.
He sneered, "I think I know why the history books call me a tyrant. It's because my decrees offended the scholars."
Qi An nodded: "That's right. One of the pieces of evidence in the history books that you were a tyrant is the burning of books and burying of scholars alive."
Ying Zheng shook his head: "What I ordered to be burned were the historical records of the six states, as well as the Book of Poetry, the Book of Documents, and the works of various philosophers. These books are not to be privately owned by anyone in the world; they can only be kept in the royal palace. As for agricultural and medical books, I haven't touched a single one."
"However, those I buried alive were not Confucian scholars, but sorcerers who bewitched people."
Qi An suddenly realized: "You burned history and poetry, no wonder scholars hate you so much. But I think you did the right thing."
Qi An was also used to being in charge, and she understood Ying Zheng's actions very well.
As the saying goes, "To destroy a country, one must first destroy its history."
The six states had been unified under the Qin Dynasty. If the historical records of the past were still preserved, Confucian scholars would inevitably discuss the laws of the Qin Dynasty and miss their former country.
Over time, factions will inevitably form.
The most important aspect of national unity lies in cultural unity and the unification of daily needs, so that integration can proceed smoothly.
If the law in a country lacks dignity, how can a country establish its own laws?
If daily necessities such as writing, measurement, and currency are not standardized, how can one win the hearts of the people?
Otherwise, if you speak the Zhao language, I learn the Yan script, and he uses the Chu currency, how can we manage this?
Therefore, his reserved "burning of books" was an inevitable step in the process of unifying the world after its fragmentation, and there was nothing wrong with it.
The real cause of the cultural break was Xiang Yu, who burned down the Qin palace.
As for the harsh laws and regulations on torture promulgated by Qin Shi Huang, they were even more necessary.
Having received confirmation, Ying Zheng relaxed and continued:
"The reason I use severe punishments is because I have long understood that what can truly safeguard peace is not kindness or human sentiment, but fear."
Qi An nodded again, "That's absolutely right."
Only when the cost of crime is high will people who want to do bad things be deterred and dare not indulge in evil thoughts.
But actually, what offended scholars the most about Ying Zheng was not these things, but his proposal of gender equality.
Sure enough, Ying Zheng continued, "If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad. The thing those scholars are most dissatisfied with about me is that I proposed gender equality."
This is what truly enrages those who benefit from the status quo.
Qi An was genuinely surprised.
Ying Zheng casually uttered the words "equality between men and women," as if it were the natural order of things.
Is this the level of awareness and understanding that people from thousands of years ago could have?
Qi An couldn't help but ask the question that people from later generations often speculated about: "You really didn't travel back from the past?"
Ying Zheng frowned: "...What is time travel?"
Qi An: "..." Okay, confirmed, a born big shot.
For thousands of years, the idea of male superiority and female inferiority has been deeply rooted, and women have never been respected or treated kindly.
Status, resources, etiquette, and various privileges are all assumed to belong to men.
It is considered elegant for a man to have three wives and four concubines; this is called being romantic.
A woman must remain faithful to one man until death; the slightest deviation would result in the shame of being a harlot and being drowned in a pond or a pig cage.
They could only exist as appendages, or even as commodities to be traded, living without any dignity.
Confucius famously said, "Women and petty men are the most difficult to deal with."
Therefore, great men simply cannot tolerate it.
Women who have always been subservient and abused will one day rise in status and become equals to them.
Scholars considered this an insult to them.
Because of this, Confucian scholars who inherited his ideas have been criticizing him for over two thousand years, firmly labeling him a tyrant.
Qi An thought to himself once again, "This brother is really amazing."
The idea of gender equality was something that seemed like a fantasy two thousand years ago, something that would have shocked people.
As the most powerful man at the time, he enjoyed the highest level of wealth and resources, and was so high and mighty.
Yet, they were able to look down and see the hardships women faced, and then speak up for them, wanting to give them respect.
This is beyond rare; it's absolutely phenomenal.
Unfortunately, he passed away before he could implement it.
After that, the phrase "gender equality" became a joke, and no one spoke up for women anymore.
Even after more than two thousand years, the slogan of gender equality has been shouted so loudly that it seems to have been achieved.
But in reality, its essence remains unchanged.
Qi An looked at Ying Zheng in front of him. The two contradictory qualities of domineering and compassion coexisted harmoniously in him, making him full of charm.
She suddenly realized that Xu Xiaoxiao might not be having wild ideas.
This man is a born king.
If he could achieve immortality, the world might truly be different.
Qi An said with some regret: "You killed only sorcerers, not a single Confucian scholar?"
Ying Zheng nodded: "I am actually quite annoyed by those pedantic scholars. They treat that old man Confucius's nonsense as gospel all day long, spouting hypocrisy and pedantry. But they haven't made any major mistakes, so I tolerate them."
He may be called cruel, but he never killed any loyal ministers or generals indiscriminately.
He didn't even kill a single one of those pedantic officials who pointed fingers at him and cursed him.
Ata sighed. No wonder people say that scholars are the most petty and vengeful.
Look at how badly this scapegoat has been placed; he feels sorry for this old ancestor.
With a stroke of the pen in the history books, Qin Shi Huang was branded a tyrant for over two thousand years.
Qi An said disappointedly, "Actually, if you had killed all those Confucian scholars and completely eradicated that bullshit Confucian ideology, the little brats of later generations would love you even more."
Ying Zheng: "...Why?"
After accepting this mission, Qi An learned a lot about the basic situation of Xu Xiaoxiao's world.
Therefore, they know quite a bit about the situation and grievances of young people.
Qi An laughed and said, "You don't know, that old man was later elevated to the status of a saint. His bullshit ideas have influenced the next two thousand years and are still poisoning people's minds now. What benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility."
The kids are raised with this kind of education, turning them into little dullards, their minds completely suffocated by classical Chinese phrases. They learn this stuff from elementary school, only to discover later that society is a dog-eat-dog world, where morality is irrelevant.
An excessive sense of morality puts them in a dilemma, causing them distress and making things difficult for themselves. They don't live as comfortably as hypocrites, which inevitably leads to their ire.
Ying Zheng frowned, seemingly lost in thought.
Are children really that hard-working?
Make a note of this; we need to change this in the future. At the very least, we can't let one ideology dominate.
Each of the Hundred Schools of Thought has its advantages and disadvantages. He advocates coexistence, then taking the essence and discarding the dross.
Ying Zheng then thought of the massive projects he had undertaken over the years, which, even now, were still criticized by many officials for his tyrannical and oppressive rule, which wasted the people's resources and manpower.
He asked, "Is the Changshan Road, which I ordered to be built to defend against foreign enemies, still useful? Does it still exist?"
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