"Your Majesty, why don't we send all the constables from Jianli Mountain back? The corvée labor in the entire Qin Dynasty is too heavy right now. If this continues, no one will be able to grow crops on this land!"
Chunyu Yue was very emotional; he had gone to Yingchuan County a few days ago.
He made a special trip to visit his Confucian teacher.
But they only discovered this when they arrived at the destination.
There are basically no adult men to be seen; apart from the women who stayed behind, there are only children and old men left.
The vast majority of the fields were in a state of abandonment.
The local government also attempted to oppress ordinary women by imposing additional taxes.
Chunyu Yue witnessed this shocking scene.
He was angry but dared not speak out!
After all, where is Yingchuan?
It's a county just north of Xianyang, not far from where you can reach it!
In other words, if such a thing could happen right under the emperor's nose, what about the other regions of Qin? Wouldn't it be even more serious?
certainly.
If it weren't for the First Emperor's decree to thoroughly understand the national conditions of the Qin Dynasty and the specific realities of its various prefectures and counties, Chunyu Yue wouldn't have dared to step forward and speak the truth.
Everyone knows that in this era where everyone is on edge, speaking the truth is a rare quality.
"The corvée labor is indeed heavy, but I remember that three years ago, I issued an edict that males over fifty years of age could be exempted from corvée labor, and families with two young children could also be exempted from corvée labor. Has this decree not been implemented?"
The First Emperor has also gathered a lot of useful information these days.
However, he found the lack of men in the counties and prefectures quite perplexing.
In his twenty-first year, he ordered a reduction in some of the cumbersome corvée labor, since that was during the preparation for the construction of the Great Wall and the busy farming season. Therefore, he set the specific time for corvée labor based on the season.
In other words, all adult males of the Qin Dynasty were required to perform three months of mandatory corvée labor each year.
These three months can be chosen by the male members themselves.
They could also pay someone else to perform corvée labor for them.
However, these laws reducing corvée labor time do not seem to have had any effect so far.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! The laws you have implemented, in fact, in fact..."
Chunyu Yue didn't know what to say. After all, he was a Confucian scholar who had failed to choose sides back then, and he couldn't say that there was anything wrong with the First Emperor's decrees. Moreover, his old rival Li Si was watching him closely from the side.
"Actually what? Chunyu Yue, speak freely, I will not blame you. You were so disobedient to me in the past, but I still did not punish you, did I?"
At this time, the First Emperor behaved in a very amiable manner.
He has always been someone who admits his mistakes and corrects them.
In the past, Wang Jian insisted on sending 600,000 Qin troops to attack Chu. Li Xin said that 200,000 would be enough, so Wang Jian believed Li Xin and sent him 200,000 troops to attack Chu, but they suffered a great defeat.
He immediately corrected his mistake and asked Wang Jian to come out of retirement in a very amiable manner.
Perhaps, after unifying the six kingdoms, he gradually became somewhat arrogant and self-willed. Coupled with the deception of Zhao Gao and others, he truly believed that his Qin dynasty was secure and impregnable, and thus became proud and complacent.
But once he learns that his empire is facing an unprecedented crisis, he will naturally take a clear-headed look at the current state of the empire.
Secondly, from beginning to end, what he truly loved was only the Qin Dynasty and its people.
This is also one of the reasons why he did not establish an empress.
In his eyes, no matter how beautiful the beauties in the world were, they could not compare to his empire.
"Your Majesty, I believe that Your Majesty's use of Legalist doctrines is excessive. You should implement benevolent governance based on Confucianism. Only in this way can you save the world and its people, and ensure that the Qin dynasty lasts for ten thousand generations. Otherwise, as Xunzi said, 'The ruler is the boat; the common people are the water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also capsize it.' If Your Majesty does not change the current basic policies, I fear that the Qin dynasty may be in danger of collapse!"
After Chunyu Yue finished speaking, he was trembling with fear, and his whole body was soaked with sweat.
He was a Confucian scholar with a profound knowledge of Confucianism.
Now he is old and frail, his hair has turned completely white.
Although fear lingered on his aging face, there was even more determination. He knew that if the First Emperor did not heed his advice, there was nothing he could do.
There is even a possibility of retaliation from Li Si, the prime minister who is in charge of the Court of Justice.
However, he couldn't go against his conscience.
Who can blame him when he doesn't have many years left to live?
"this......"
After listening to Chunyu Yue's suggestion, the dozens of ministers around him frowned. They looked at Li Si, who was resting with his eyes closed, with some anxiety, unsure of how to respond.
They all knew that the First Emperor was a supporter of Legalism and a pragmatist.
They held Confucian empty talk in utter contempt.
Furthermore, the current prime minister is a representative of Legalism, and it is impossible for him to choose to use the so-called benevolent governance of Confucianism to make up for the shortcomings of Legalism.
Therefore, this leaves others unsure of how to respond or how to choose when to flatter.
After all, no one can guarantee that they won't flatter the wrong person or choose the wrong side at this time, which could end their political career.
After hearing this, the First Emperor frowned deeply.
He was somewhat annoyed because Chunyu Yue had somehow returned to Confucianism.
He had absolutely no liking for Confucianism.
However, the methods suggested by others were too fragmented compared to Chunyu Yue's, and none of them were effective solutions. They were all fabricated and impractical measures.
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