"I understand your advice to me. After all, the Law of Lord Shang is a law to strengthen Qin and enrich the country and make it strong, but it no longer conforms to the trend of development in this era! Today's Qin is far superior to the Qin of the past. If we continue to follow the old ways, wouldn't we be trapping ourselves in a cocoon? When all the drawbacks are exposed, that will be the time when my Qin will perish!"
The First Emperor calmly expressed his thoughts, without using a loud voice or emphasizing his words.
But after hearing this, Li Si and the others felt a sense of desolation.
Because they could hear the resolute tone in His Majesty's voice.
Your Majesty has made up your mind to abolish the laws of Lord Shang!
But why would Your Majesty suddenly want to abolish the laws of Lord Shang? Didn't he used to admire Legalist doctrines? He even liked Han Feizi.
But why are we now using Huang-Lao philosophy again?
Could it be that Taoist disciples persuaded the First Emperor?
Their gazes toward the First Emperor were filled with complexity and hesitation. If the First Emperor truly intended to push for change, not only would these court officials be powerless to stop him, but even if the late emperor were to be resurrected, they would be unable to stop his will.
[The First Emperor... his vision was far too advanced! No wonder he was the first emperor to establish the Chinese imperial system; who would have thought he had such forward-thinking ideas in this era! 'Conservatism leads to self-destruction, and the Qin Dynasty will perish!' My goodness, if only my Great Qing had such a wise and powerful emperor, we wouldn't have been forced to cede territory and pay reparations by the foreign powers!]
Li Lin was deeply shocked. To be honest, this was the first time he had been truly impressed by the First Emperor's visionary foresight.
Of course, he was unaware that he had helped the First Emperor broaden his horizons.
Even if one knew this, one would still be impressed by the First Emperor's proactive and enterprising attitude.
After all, when the Qing Dynasty, with its incomplete and flawed rulers, saw the Western guns and cannons, they were filled with arrogance and disdain, looking down on the Western powers with the air of a superior nation, lacking ambition and clinging to the old ways.
Ultimately, even with the foreign powers' guns pointed at the heart of the Qing Dynasty, the Qing stubbornly insisted that "the ancestral laws cannot be changed."
Look.
People two thousand years later are not as good as people two thousand years ago.
Humans are supposed to have higher and higher intelligence over time, so why is it that when it comes to Tunguska boar skin, intelligence seems to be degenerating?
This stark difference increased Li Lin's positive impression of the First Emperor.
[The First Emperor was definitely not as cruel as Sima Qian portrayed him. He was not a tyrant. If he were truly cruel, he would have killed Li Si and others by now. But he did not. He did not slaughter meritorious officials; on the contrary, he treated scholars and officials well. Such magnanimity truly makes him worthy of being called one of the greatest emperors of all time!]
In the imperial court, the First Emperor sat on the dragon throne, his brows furrowed, looking down upon all directions.
Majestic and imposing.
He had originally intended to say more, but after hearing Li Lin's inner thoughts, his own ideas suddenly changed.
That brat.
Now you realize how good I am, don't you?
I was extremely annoyed that you had so freely cursed me in your heart before. If it weren't for the fact that you are a genius who appears only once in a thousand years, I would have already executed your entire family long ago.
But what kind of country is this Qing Dynasty? How many secrets does this brat know? Are there any powerful enemies surrounding my Great Qin? No, I'm itching to find out.
After the morning court session, I'll have Manyin summon that brat and get him to tell me everything. Then I'll just hide behind the screen and eavesdrop! Yes! That's what I'll do!
That's what I was thinking about.
The First Emperor's brow finally relaxed slightly, and he smiled, saying, "I have already spoken of the drawbacks of Shang Yang's laws, and I'm sure you all understand the various unusual situations that Great Qin is currently facing. Great Qin's prosperity and stability are inseparable from you all, and also from the foundation laid by Shang Yang's laws. But the situation is different now, and I intend to make changes, but I do not intend to completely abolish Shang Yang's laws."
"So, what does Your Majesty mean?"
"With Huang-Lao philosophy as the primary approach and Legalism as a secondary approach, the Qin Dynasty cannot withstand much more turmoil. I intend to temporarily halt the Lishan project and also shelve the construction of the Epang Palace. I will revise the corvée labor laws, adopt a policy of non-interference, reduce taxes, and increase commercial taxes. What do you all think?"
Li Si wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead.
At this moment, he breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that His Majesty's approach was not to directly abolish the Laws of Lord Shang and completely discard Legalism.
It was actually a product of compromise; Legalism simply didn't hold a dominant position for the time being.
In addition, the focus of national development has shifted from large-scale construction to allowing people to rest and recuperate, which can be considered a positive adjustment.
Li Si did not have much objection to this.
Prime Minister Li Si stopped speaking, and the others naturally knew that this was the maximum tolerance the First Emperor had shown, so they accepted the fact as well.
The First Emperor sat on the dragon throne, a slight smile playing on his lips.
The black and gold jade crown shimmered with golden light. He gently picked up the brush and bamboo slips on the imperial desk and wrote down the imperial edict for reform in front of everyone.
Before he even voiced his thoughts, he already knew that this group of people would never agree to Li Lin's overly direct approach to reform.
After all, the Legalist school, which was currently the mainstream school, was abolished in one fell swoop and replaced with the Taoist school.
Supporters of Legalism would certainly disagree.
Therefore, the First Emperor adopted a compromise. He did not believe that the world could be governed well using only the doctrines of Taoism, so he simply took a step back and allowed Taoism and Taoism to become the governing theories of the Qin Dynasty.
Just right, this group of people can accept it.
This laid a foundation for further reforms in the future, giving Qin the confidence to undertake sweeping reforms.
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