Chapter 48 The people resent His Majesty
Did the First Emperor know the benefits of Confucianism?
Of course he knew.
The Qin Dynasty ruled by law and revered Legalism. However, the First Emperor's establishment of the position of Erudite (博士) in the court was itself an attempt to provide opportunities for Confucian scholars.
The court's rituals, sacrificial rites, and other systems still required Confucian support.
When Emperor Qin Shi Huang performed the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, he inquired of Confucian scholars about the Fengshan ritual.
However, the Confucian scholars of Qi and Lu argued amongst themselves, and could not come up with an answer that satisfied Qin Shi Huang.
It's like kicking away the olive branch he offered.
On the surface, Qin still rejected and suppressed Confucianism.
But as the First Emperor said to Fusu, he did not abandon the other schools of thought.
The underlying logic of how the Qin Dynasty governed the world was also permeated with Confucianism. Otherwise, the Confucianists would not have so easily allied with the Three Elders.
Legalism is the foundation, while other schools of thought are used for practical application.
That's all there is to it.
Although the First Emperor was furious, he also knew that the Confucian system of order and etiquette between the ruler and his subjects was very effective.
As an emperor, he knew what was beneficial to the country, the court, the world, and himself. He was never complacent; he dared to try and innovate, and he stood firm in his decisions. For example, when faced with the choice between the feudal system and the prefecture-county system, even though countless people in the court opposed him, he remained steadfast in his convictions.
His anger stemmed from Fusu's adherence to Confucianism. Fusu placed himself in a position bound by etiquette and rules, completely failing to understand the deeper meaning behind his appointment of him.
He prioritized agriculture, and ordered Fusu to promote agricultural practices. Isn't that obvious enough?
The Confucian scholars already understood this, yet Fusu acted in this way, leaving Ying Zheng feeling utterly powerless.
He discovered that there was one thing he was powerless to do—teach children.
That's really strange.
He suddenly felt a little dejected and glanced at Lin Fengzhi. The man's eyes were darting around, and he didn't seem afraid of the anger that Lin Fengzhi rarely showed.
Ying Zheng laughed at his own idea.
Fear? A divine messenger is no mortal. Everyone in this world would fear him, except her. The way she looked at him wasn't like she was looking at an emperor, a ruler with the power of life and death, but more like some legendary figure standing alive before her. Sometimes, her gaze even held a hint of pity.
If he hasn't misunderstood.
The First Emperor suddenly had an outlet for everything he couldn't tell others.
He knelt at the head of the table, gazing at Lin Fengzhi's young face, and slowly spoke: "Fusu is too benevolent and close to cowardly. I entrusted him with the promotion of winter wheat, intending to test his abilities, but I did not expect to discover his weakness as an unfit emperor."
At this point, the First Emperor remained indifferent, his crown trembling slightly: "The most taboo thing for a ruler is unclear rewards and punishments and acting on emotion. He did both."
Fusu promoted winter wheat cultivation, rewarding the farmers without imposing any penalties.
He was unaware of the Confucianists' overstepping of their bounds, which was a dereliction of duty. Furthermore, upon learning of it, he pleaded for their sake.
The Confucianists wanted to seize the Qin dynasty's territory.
The First Emperor simply couldn't understand it.
Lin Fengzhi raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. She knew about Fusu's plan, but she didn't know how he would carry it out. It seemed that he had not only failed to pass the First Emperor's test, but had also made the First Emperor even more disappointed in him.
But was Fusu really that bad?
From an outsider's perspective, Lin Fengzhi said, "As far as I know, Xu Chu and others have many praises for Prince Fusu. Why would His Majesty be so disappointed?"
Lin Fengzhi was somewhat suspicious. Hadn't the issue of succession already been discussed? Why was it being brought up again now?
Xu Chu and the others followed Fusu, traveling up mountains and down fields, covering the entire Guanzhong Plain. Initially, they harbored some slight dissatisfaction with Fusu, but later they were gradually won over by him.
The farming school is a pragmatic school of thought.
Lin Fengzhi sensed a change in Fusu from their words. They said that Fusu was like an old farmer, able to accurately identify different types of wheat. This knowledge was not something he had acquired through cramming, but rather the result of long-term observation and accumulation.
He even personally participated in composting and inspecting the soil. At first, everyone thought his imperial status was just for show, but little did they know he genuinely persisted every day.
He stayed up all night observing the wheat seedlings as they sprouted.
The farmers recognized this noble young man who understood farming and was willing to endure hardship.
Lin Fengzhi thought about it and understood the First Emperor's feelings. The development of a vast empire cannot rely solely on so-called benevolence and virtue. If there is only benevolence and virtue, but lacks the necessary political maneuvering and iron-fisted methods to check, restrain, and even eliminate forces that threaten imperial power, then social order will inevitably descend into chaos.
Lin Fengzhi took advantage of the rare winter sunlight to observe the First Emperor's expression.
Perhaps due to his consistent practice of the Five Animal Frolics and his scientific work-rest schedule and diet, his complexion is rosy and radiant, making him look much younger than his actual age.
Lin Fengzhi then asked, "What does Your Majesty wish to know?"
The First Emperor's eyes flickered.
As the person involved, he was fully aware of the changes in his body. As one reaches middle age, one is no longer in control of one's own destiny; even with his high energy levels, he gradually felt fatigued. Moreover, his demanding work schedule and the use of elixirs made him prone to anxiety and restlessness, as well as physical exhaustion from excessive paperwork.
He clearly felt that his blood and energy had become more balanced and his mind more peaceful in recent months. His body was also becoming healthier and more flexible, and his joint and back pain had disappeared. Although he spent less time handling government affairs than before, his efficiency was higher.
“Divine Envoy, if the Qin dynasty is truly entrusted to Fusu, can he shoulder the responsibility? Fusu is benevolent and upright, possessing the virtues of a crown prince. However, he is too gentle, unfamiliar with the art of rulership, and often harbors the compassion of a woman.” Ying Zheng lowered his eyes and slowly said, “This empire must still be ruled by me. I beg the Divine Envoy to bestow upon me the art of immortality.”
Lin Fengzhi was stunned for two seconds, then fell silent after realizing what the First Emperor meant.
Your Majesty's map of the Yan Kingdom is far too short.
They've only exchanged a few words since they arrived.
The matter of Fusu may be troubling, but what he truly desires is probably the art of immortality. He has even stopped addressing himself as "I."
Tsk tsk tsk.
She said tactfully, "The Imperial Mausoleum at Mount Li gathers the secrets of the world, which I have not yet fully comprehended. I have also said before that I am but a mortal and cannot grant His Majesty immortality. Besides, didn't His Majesty grasp the key? Has His Majesty succeeded? If he has, then why ask me? If he hasn't, then there's even less reason to ask me."
Lin Fengzhi had been wandering around Mount Li for months and still hadn't found her way home, so she had no intention of making excuses to him.
She thought she was being tactful, but that wasn't the case.
Thinking of this, she felt rather unhappy. Seeing the First Emperor's skeptical expression, she gritted her teeth, estimated his psychological endurance, and decided to give him some drastic measures to prevent him from having the time to dwell on the matter of immortality.
"Judging from His Majesty's tone, it seems that he does not like Confucianism."
The First Emperor remained silent. He was a man who loved someone so much that he wished them to live, and hated someone so much that he wished them dead.
He could bestow unparalleled favor and power upon those he admired and needed, and when he was weak and in need of Lü Buwei, he could address him as "Uncle." When Lü Buwei became an obstacle to his personal campaigns, he could dismiss him without hesitation.
Confucianism was one of the more powerful schools of thought among the Hundred Schools of Thought. The Confucian ideas of "benevolent governance" and "restoration of the past" directly conflicted with the measures it took.
Ying Zheng felt he had done everything he could; he hadn't destroyed Confucian classics, nor had he killed any Confucian scholars. He believed he would continue to be tolerant of the Confucianists' lack of involvement in Fusu's wheat-planting affair.
After all, there can't be only one voice among the court officials.
He also sensed the undercurrents under the rule of the Qin Dynasty.
"How does Your Majesty intend to deal with the Confucianists?" Lin Fengzhi asked again.
The First Emperor parted his thin lips slightly: "From now on, we shall act in accordance with the laws of the Great Qin. The ringleaders shall be buried alive in Xianyang and their three clans shall be exterminated. The rest of the followers, who spread rumors and disrupted the government, shall be killed."
Even the warmth of the indoor space could not extinguish the First Emperor's chilling murderous intent.
Lin Fengzhi suddenly realized that this was also a form of "burning books and burying scholars alive".
Seeing her expression, the First Emperor raised his hand and pressed his temple: "Does the divine messenger think I shouldn't do this? This is the law of Qin."
Lin Fengzhi shook her head firmly and said, "It shouldn't be like this."
She thought of the countless people serving at the Lishan Mausoleum, the boy who was too young to reach the required height, the large portion of taxes that the common people had to pay that Xu Chu and the others mentioned during their rest, the Ba man in Qianling County who was distressed because he couldn't pay his share of chicken feathers, and the frustrated Mohist disciple in Xiangli Mozhong...
She said again, "It shouldn't be like this."
A hint of coldness gathered in the First Emperor's eyes: "This is the law of Qin."
"A country cannot follow the ancient ways, and there is no single way to govern the world. This is what Your Majesty told me." Lin Fengzhi stood up, stretching her slightly stiff hands and feet. She stared fearlessly into the eyes of the First Emperor and spoke quickly: "I only told Your Majesty before that the Qin Dynasty would perish after only two generations, but I never told Your Majesty the reason. I suppose Your Majesty thought it was because of your sudden death and the rebellious ministers and sons who caused chaos."
Even though the First Emperor already knew that the Qin Dynasty would only last two generations, he couldn't help but feel a pang of anxiety upon hearing the news again.
He quietly looked at Lin Fengzhi, waiting for her to utter a shocking remark.
"The Qin Dynasty was established through the military conquest of the six other states. Before that, no other country had such a vast territory. How to govern such a country, without any precedent to follow, is a tremendous challenge for Your Majesty and the court officials of the Qin Dynasty."
The First Emperor approved of it.
After Qin unified the six states, its territory stretched east to the sea, west to Longxi, and north to the Hetao and Liaodong regions. Managing such a vast and diverse land was extremely slow and costly in terms of information transmission, material transportation, and troop mobilization.
The core challenge in governing the Qin Dynasty lay in its vast geographical distance, inconvenient transportation, and the significant potential threat posed by local powers (former nobles and powerful clans from the six former states).
How can we ensure the loyalty of local officials and their effective execution of central orders? How can we prevent local power from growing too strong or leading to rebellion? The vast territory of China leads to delays in information transmission, making it difficult for the central government to understand local situations in real time, and for local governments to receive timely instructions from the central government. Administrative efficiency is low. Inconsistent currencies and standards of measurement among countries severely hinder economic exchange and tax collection.
After Shang Yang's reforms, the Qin state successfully implemented the prefecture-county system, the military meritocracy system, and a strict household registration and legal system in Guanzhong and newly conquered territories. This served as the main blueprint for the Qin's post-unification system.
The Legalist theories of Han Fei, Li Si, and others provided the theoretical foundation for centralized power, monarchical autocracy, strict laws and punishments, and national wealth and military strength, becoming the guiding ideology for Qin's governance. They emphasized the uniformity of laws, strict governance, and the absolute authority of the monarch.
The answer given by the First Emperor and his ministers was to abolish the enfeoffment system and implement the prefecture-county system. They also aimed to standardize the written language, weights and measures, build the Great Wall and highways to connect the north and south, and strengthen the borders.
These measures were truly ingenious, not only laying the foundation for the governance of a unified dynasty but also having a profound impact on later generations.
but......
"However, while Legalism excels at 'conquering the world,' it suffers from serious flaws in 'maintaining the world,' overemphasizing oppressive rule and harsh laws, lacking flexibility. For a nation, the most important things are employing people and accumulating wealth. After Qin unified the country, its finances were strained, the treasury empty, and everything in need of rebuilding. There are two ways to solve this problem: positive and negative. Your Majesty has chosen the most negative method, shifting the pressure onto the people and increasing levies on them. Numerous exorbitant taxes and endless burdens have suffocated the people, leaving them struggling on the brink of death."
"As for personnel management, there's no need to elaborate. Your Majesty yourself is aware of this; otherwise, why would you open up new battlefields? Your Majesty believes that the so-called remnants of the six states rebelled so fiercely against Qin, prompting Your Majesty to make an eastern tour to suppress them. Wasn't it because Your Majesty cut off their path to advancement? Your Majesty hasn't realized that the people of the six states are now under your rule. Are all the people of the six states loyal to their former masters? Are all the common people of the six states stubborn and unyielding? Isn't there a single person who wants to continue climbing the ranks? It is Your Majesty who has created more and more enemies. If Your Majesty could suppress them, would your successors possess the wisdom and ability to do so?"
"The Qin Dynasty's rapid demise was ultimately caused by excessive taxes and corvée labor, and the mismanagement of personnel! The people and officials alike are filled with resentment, Your Majesty!"
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Author's Note: *A New Perspective on the Relationship between Legalist Thought and the Fall of the Qin Dynasty - Xu Weimin
Yesterday I thought I could finish writing on the high-speed train, but no luck [lol][lol]. After getting home and washing up, I turned on my computer, wrote for a while, and then slowly fell asleep.
I repent.
We'll also send out small red envelopes as an apology. Feel free to comment.
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