In the world of Qin's Moon, Zhang Bairen, having left Mount Taiyi, traveled to Xianyang, the capital of the Qin Dynasty.
With his status as the acting leader of the Taoist Heavenly Sect, Zhang Bairen encountered no difficulties and easily entered the palace, where he met Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the Sword Saint Gai Nie.
Inside the study, the vigorous Ying Zheng, who had already completed the unification of China, was holding a brush and reviewing memorials.
Sword Saint Gai Nie stood guard behind him, without making any movement or showing any expression.
Zhang Bairen entered the room, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Tianzong Fuyaozi greets His Majesty the First Emperor!"
Ying Zheng raised his head, put down his brush, and then gently exhaled.
"Master, please don't stand on ceremony, please sit down!" Ying Zheng gestured slightly, indicating that Zhang Bairen should kneel down to the side.
Although the world of Qin Shi Huang has undergone artistic embellishment, featuring stockings, high heels, corn, and martial arts, the kneeling posture remains unchanged.
Of course, Zhang Bairen did not like kneeling, because he was a Taoist and preferred to sit cross-legged.
"Thank you for the seat, Your Majesty!" Zhang Bairen did not stand on ceremony and sat down on the soft cushion next to him with great ease.
"Master, what brings you to the palace this time?" Ying Zheng asked.
"Your Majesty, my reasons for leaving this mountain are threefold: first, to gain experience; second, for the sake of the Great Qin; and third, for the sake of all living beings," Zhang Bairen replied.
Zhang Bairen's answer drew a curious glance from the Sword Saint Gai Nie.
"Could it be that after the empire unifies the world, even the Taoist Tianzong sect, which is indifferent to fame and fortune, is preparing to enter the world?" Gai Nie pondered to himself.
Ying Zheng looked at Zhang Bairen and asked very seriously, "Please enlighten me, Master, how will you do for the sake of Qin and for the sake of all the people under heaven?"
"Your Majesty, you are an emperor of all ages, that is beyond doubt."
But could the Qin Dynasty, which ended the war, truly continue?
"Has Your Majesty considered this?" Zhang Bairen asked.
At this moment, Ying Zheng's brows furrowed slightly.
What do you mean by that?!
Are you cursing my Great Qin Dynasty, wishing it could not last forever?!
Even Gai Nie showed a surprised expression.
This Taoist priest is truly courageous to say such things in front of the First Emperor!
"Does the master believe that my Great Qin Empire is incapable of lasting for ten thousand generations?!" Ying Zheng's tone turned extremely cold and stern.
His imposing gaze, domineering demeanor, and tone laced with anger created a dangerous atmosphere in the room.
Gai Nie gripped his sword sheath tightly, ready for battle. If things went wrong, he would immediately take the initiative to attack.
In this way, we can ensure that neither party is harmed.
Zhang Bairen's tone remained unchanged, but he asked instead, "Your Majesty, I come here on behalf of the Heavenly Sect, and naturally I do not wish to cause trouble."
However, Your Majesty, please ask yourself: can the Great Qin, which has unified the six kingdoms, win the hearts of the people of the other six kingdoms?
And is the Qin system suitable for governing the current seven kingdoms?
Ying Zheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Does the master mean that Legalism is incapable of governing the world?!"
Or are you saying that only your Taoist school is capable of governing the world today?
Zhang Bairen shook his head slightly, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty misunderstands. I did not mean that."
I speak these words not for the sake of Taoism, but for the sake of the Great Qin Empire and for the sake of all the people under heaven!
Ying Zheng did not answer, but looked at Zhang Bairen, trying to get a reasonable explanation.
"Before the empire unified the world, it rose to prominence with the reforms of Shang Yang."
However, its drawbacks are slowly becoming apparent.
Therefore, since Duke Xiao of Qin, successive Qin kings have tried to make up for it.
King Huiwen appointed Gan Mao and Chuli Zi to reform the Qin state. In the second year of his reign, he abolished Shang Yang's reforms that emphasized agriculture and warfare, restarted industry and commerce, and issued currency.
King Zhaoxiang introduced the pardon system, and the Qin state began to pardon criminals.
The laws of the Qin state were constantly changing and always progressing.
Even before His Majesty ascended the throne, there was Lü Buwei's reforms, which abolished the long-standing "beheading and granting of titles" system, allowing the Qin state to continue to grow stronger.
After Your Majesty ascended the throne, before unifying the six kingdoms, you further refined the Legalist system based on Han Fei's writings, bringing your will and power to their highest point in history.
This enabled His Majesty to unify the six kingdoms and pacify the world.
However, this also put the Qin Empire in a precarious situation!
Zhang Bairen's answer, from ancient times to the present, from the history of the Qin state to the present of the empire, analyzed the growth process of the Qin Dynasty from the perspective of the long river of history.
This truly shocked Ying Zheng.
Even Gai Nie hadn't expected so much.
The reason why the Qin Dynasty was able to unify the six states was because the laws of the Qin state were constantly changing, constantly being improved, and constantly adapting to the new era and the new period!
Ying Zheng's laws were suitable for unifying the world, but not for governing it.
Because the entire world, the entire empire, everything, rests on the shoulders of one man!
And this person was Ying Zheng!
Han Fei's law is the law of benevolent rule that allows the monarch's power to reach its peak.
Power, too, is an invisible poison.
The power of the Qin state, and indeed the power of the entire world, is all in the hands of one person—what a terrifying level that would be.
Throughout history, how few monarchs have been blinded by power?
Even if Ying Zheng, who wielded such power, made no mistakes...
However, he remains the core of the empire, and if the core is compromised, the vast empire will fall apart.
For example, Li Si was the prime minister, but his power was not as great as Zhao Gao's.
Li Si and Zhao Gao altered the imperial edict, and others were powerless to resist. This was undoubtedly due to the excessive concentration of power.
In fact, the original Ying Zheng did not do such an exaggerated thing.
After Lü Buwei, Lord Changping became the prime minister, wielding considerable power.
However, Lord Changping rebelled against Qin, resulting in the loss of 200,000 Qin troops, the destruction of Yingchuan County, the elimination of the Chu faction in Qin, the vacancy of half the court, and the imprisonment of Fusu's mother, which prevented Qin from establishing a new empress.
This plot point is from "Qin's Moon," where Hu Hai and Zhao Gao join forces to send assassins disguised as former subordinates of Lord Changping during a sacrificial ceremony to assassinate Ying Zheng and frame Fusu, causing him to be demoted to the frontier to fight against the foreign wolf tribes under Meng Tian's command.
In fact, it was precisely because of this incident that Ying Zheng revoked the power of the prime minister, resulting in his own busy schedule, having to review more than 100 jin of bamboo slips every day.
Ultimately, it all comes down to the fact that the laws of the Qin state needed to be changed!
During wartime, severe punishments are used.
After unification, we need to proceed slowly and steadily to win back the hearts and minds of the people.
Moreover, the entire empire rests on the shoulders of one person, which is also the biggest source of instability.
Although Ying Zheng was strong, he was still just a mortal.
Only the law is the foundation of a nation!
Although this statement is not like what Taoists say.
However, Taoism also values people's livelihood and is concerned about the well-being of the world.
At this moment, Ying Zheng's brows were completely furrowed.
With Zhang Bairen's reminder, the brilliant and ambitious Ying Zheng naturally thought of these issues.
However, this kind of creation from nothing is the most difficult thing.
The laws of the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the laws of the feudal lords, and the laws of the various states were no longer applicable.
Only a completely new law is suitable for the unified Qin Empire!
Moreover, reforming the law is not an easy task.
First, a sufficient number of officials are needed.
Secondly, it is necessary to confront those who benefit from the old, rule-abiding system.
Then there are the remnants of the six kingdoms, the rebels, who have been causing trouble all along.
Finally, there is the threat from the border. Only when the border is stable can sweeping reforms be carried out internally.
These are the difficulties of reform.
Talking about reform is not as simple as just saying it.
Moreover, those who advocate for reform generally do not have a good ending.
That's the problem.
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