Chapter 22: Burning Books and Changing Things [Jinjiang Authentic Edition Exclusive Release·Going to the Frontier]...
"The Chief Justice advises Your Majesty that a truly effective system for governing a country is one that keeps pace with the times. The Confucian officials' current advocacy of requiring modern people to use ancient methods of governance is sheer absurdity! The Chief Justice believes that the reason why every time Your Majesty issues a decree, the ministers and scholars below rise up in heated and mindless opposition is ultimately because the Qin Dynasty has been too lax in its control over books!"
"The Supreme Court proposes that starting this year, a copy of the Six Kingdoms history books be kept within the palace, and all remaining copies burned. From now on, only the history books written by Qin historians will be circulated throughout the country. While the public may retain books on medicine, divination, and agriculture, all remaining poetry and works of various schools of thought must be handed over to the village head, who will then hand them over to the head of the pavilion. Finally, the prefect of each county will be responsible for destroying them all! Furthermore, the rampant private schools in the countryside will be abolished, and official schools will be established from top to bottom. From now on, anyone who wishes to study laws must learn from minor officials! Anyone caught not burning their books within thirty days of the decree's issuance will be immediately branded and sentenced to imprisonment!"
Wang Ling gasped when he heard this, and Qin Ying, who was sitting in the seat, was so shocked that her pupils trembled. Isn't this a "book burning" incident!
"Your Majesty must have agreed to the Chief Justice's proposal, but it has aroused fierce opposition from the Confucian officials in the court, right?" After Wang Ling came to his senses, he looked at Meng Yi with a beating heart and asked in a low voice with worry in his eyes.
Meng Yi closed his eyes and nodded. "Madam, you guessed right. Today's court was a riot. Some Confucian officials cried and wanted to roll up their sleeves and beat the Minister of Justice. Some were even so angry that they wanted to bang their heads against the pillars and threaten to die. Doctor Chunyu even pointed at the Minister of Justice and cursed him, saying that he was too ambitious! He wanted to let the Legalists dominate and force all other schools of thought to die! He didn't even care about his dignity at such an old age!"
"The eldest son, in the end, sided with the Confucian officials and frankly advised His Majesty that burning books was unacceptable. It would be unpopular and could even provoke a frenzied counterattack from the nobles of the six kingdoms."
"After all, the common people are illiterate, and only the nobles and wealthy families of fallen states have collections of books in their homes. Perhaps the eldest son, overcome by anger, lost control and once again spoke inappropriately in court, harshly criticizing the court judge. His proposal was a blatant attempt to harm the Qin Dynasty and Your Majesty, seeking to brand Your Majesty as a tyrant. The court judge was so angry that his face flushed red and he nearly fainted on the spot. This also infuriated Your Majesty, who immediately ordered the eldest son to leave the capital and reflect on his actions beyond the Great Wall, with an uncertain return date!"
"Madam! Madam!"
Wet Nurse Chun had been paying close attention to the expressions on the faces of the mother and son. When she saw that the eldest lady was so frightened after hearing what Meng Neishi said about the eldest son's inappropriate words in the court today, her legs went weak and she staggered, almost fainting on the spot, she hurriedly stood up from her seat and held her lady tightly with her hand.
Wang Ling leaned in Chun's arms, her heart in turmoil, and she couldn't help but complain with tears in her eyes:
"Why is the eldest son so straightforward? What my father said to him yesterday was all in vain! Even a three-year-old child can understand the truth that serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, so how dare he associate the word 'tyrant' with Your Majesty right then and there! Now that he has been driven out of the Great Wall by Your Majesty, when will he be able to return? What should Ying and I do?"
Seeing her mother crying in sorrow, Qin Ying couldn't help but clench her two little fists tightly. She wished she could rush into the palace and beat up her impulsive and unlucky father!
Everyone makes mistakes. Even the greatest are not gods. They are always subject to the limitations of their time and bound by the times. Now that the Qin Dynasty has just unified China, the remnants of the six kingdoms are still ambitious. Naturally, the official position must firmly grasp the high ground of public opinion! My grandfather and Li Si were right to control public opinion and unify people's thoughts. Unfortunately, my grandfather and Li Si simply don't understand public opinion. You have to know that it's like a flood, you can only guide it. Attempting to suppress it with violence will ultimately lead to a strong backlash!
Don’t you see, because of the “book burning” and “burying of Confucian scholars (sorcerers)”, his great-grandfather was reviled for more than two thousand years during the heyday of Confucianism. The label of “tyrant” was firmly pinned on his head and could not be removed! Although his great-grandfather had saved the manuscripts of the history books and classics of the six kingdoms and stored them in the Xianyang Palace before the book burning, his successor was incompetent! When Xiang Yu entered the city of Xianyang, a huge fire burned everything to ashes. As a result, the historical materials of the pre-Qin and Qin dynasties were not only pitifully scarce, but many cultural classics were also directly interrupted! He was also criticized by many scholars later for “destroying culture”!
How could Qin Ying, knowing what was to come, stand by and watch this tragedy unfold? Just as he was about to act, a mechanical electronic voice suddenly rang in his mind:
[“Drip drip drip”…]
[This system has detected that the host has just encountered the well-known historical event of "Book Burning". Please complete the temporary task - "I will decide the public opinion of the Qin Dynasty!"]
[Task Requirements: Please combine the current situation of the Qin Dynasty with the advanced ideas of later generations and find a better solution to the "book burning" incident proposed by the Court Justice Li Si. Once this is accomplished, you must not only help the First Emperor control public opinion, unify thoughts, and strengthen central power, but also help him avoid criticism and, to a certain extent, change the minds of the anti-Qin fighters of the six kingdoms towards the Qin Dynasty!]
[Task Reward: After successfully achieving the goal, the host will be rewarded with eight blind box draws.]
After hearing this, Qin Ying's eyes lit up instantly. He was originally prepared to intervene in this matter, but he didn't expect that there would be an unexpected task reward. Seeing the task information appearing on the system panel, there were only detailed requirements and no countdown. He guessed that this was a long-term task. The system only checked according to the final result, not the duration of the task. So he waved his two little hands and quickly crawled to his mother's side. He tried to stand up holding his mother's legs. He first used his little hand to pull his mother's soft right hand to comfort her, and then tried to tiptoe and stretched out his other little hand to try to pull Meng Yi's big hand hanging by his side.
Meng Yi felt helpless when he saw the eldest lady so sad. He even felt that the eldest son was really too impulsive! Seeing the emperor's eldest grandson trying hard to pull his hand, he couldn't help but reach out his left hand in confusion, squatted down, looked at the emperor's eldest grandson and asked in a gentle voice:
"Lord Xiao'an, what do you want me to do?"
Qin Ying grabbed two of Meng Yi's fingers with one hand, and with the other hand, she anxiously called out twice in a baby voice towards the direction of Zhangtai Palace.
Meng Yi followed the young master's gaze and frowned as he guessed:
"Your Highness, do you wish to enter the palace to meet His Majesty at this time?"
Qin Ying immediately nodded the furry little head with sparkling eyes.
"this……"
Meng Yi looked up at Madam Chang, a hint of hesitation appearing on his face.
Wang Ling straightened up from Chun's arms, adjusted his mood, and said to Meng Yi with a wry smile:
"Meng Nei Shi, you should take Ying to the Zhangtai Palace to pay your respects to His Majesty. The eldest son has gone to the frontier and his return date is uncertain. It would be good if they could meet before he leaves. Otherwise, Ying is too young and might forget what his father looks like if he hasn't seen him for a long time. I will pack the eldest son's clothes and send them to the palace. You don't need to make a second trip, Nei Shi."
When Meng Yi heard this, he thought of His Majesty's love for the eldest grandson and His Majesty's current anger. He gritted his teeth and directly picked up the limp eldest grandson in his arms. He leaned over slightly to the eldest lady and said,
"Thank you for your hard work, Madam. I will bring Prince An to the palace now."
"Well, thank you for troubling Monness."
Wang Ling feigned a smile as he shook his son's chubby hand. After watching the two hurried away, he turned his head to Nanny Chun with a serious expression and instructed:
"Chun, have someone prepare clothes for the eldest son to go outside the Great Wall. Also have someone quickly prepare a carriage. I need to go to the palace to pay my respects to my mother immediately."
Wet Nurse Chun also knew that the matter was urgent. After all, it was outside the Great Wall, not in the royal tomb. She hurriedly said "yes" and went downstairs to prepare.
On the other side, Qin Ying was tied with silk in front of Meng Yi's chest, and then he hugged his belly with one arm and rushed to the palace at lightning speed. It seemed as if a second later would prevent the biological father and son from seeing each other for the "last time".
After Qin Ying got off the horse at the palace gate, Meng Yi carried him along the long corridor and ran quickly towards Zhangtai Palace. When they arrived at Zhangtai Palace, it was already a quarter of an hour after leaving home. Qin Ying always entered the palace slowly in a carriage in the past, but this was the first time he entered the palace in such an exciting way. As soon as he entered the outer hall of Zhangtai Palace, he was shaken by Meng Yi so much that he wanted to vomit. After hearing his grandfather's suppressed and angry roar coming from the inner hall, the little guy instantly widened his eyes in horror and quickly covered his mouth with his two little hands to prevent himself from vomiting.
"Fusu, do you still think that if I agree to the Supreme Court's order to burn books, I will be a tyrant with countless infamy?"
Ying Zheng pursed his lips and lowered his head, staring sinisterly at his eldest son who was kneeling on the floor.
Li Si was so angry that his old face turned red, and he knelt silently beside him.
Zhao Gao stood with his head down in front of the big pillar, listening quietly to the argument between the royal father and son.
Fusu looked up at his father's furious expression, his mouth opening and closing, and then he frowned stubbornly and nodded:
"Father, the book burning is truly inappropriate. Even before unification, our Qin State had a terrible reputation among the Shandong states. Any great talent would have a choice. Unless they truly had no other options, they would not have traveled west to Qin."
"Didn't Xunzi, the teacher of Han Feizi and Li Sitingwei, criticize his great-grandfather, the ruler, for not practicing benevolence and righteousness during his early travels to Qin?"
"I have always believed that now that the Qin Dynasty has been unified, we can no longer fight violence with violence as we did before the unification, and use the harsh Qin laws to control the common people. We should use the benevolent principles of Confucianism to govern the Qin Dynasty."
"Heh—benevolence?" The First Emperor narrowed his eyes and looked down at his naive eldest son with a cold expression. "Fusu, I asked you to study Confucianism so that you can cultivate your character and absorb its essence to nourish yourself. I don't really want you to become a compassionate and kind gentleman!"
"I tell you! King power is one, imperial power is another! They have always been tyrannical, not benevolent! Even now, I am using the strict laws of Qin to govern the world, yet I still allow those remnants of the six kingdoms to attempt to assassinate me and destroy the Qin Empire! If you continue to practice benevolence indiscriminately like you, won't you allow these remnants to rebel against the Qin Empire? Without the support of powerful military force, what is the use of your benevolence? Can it suppress the lands of the Seven Kingdoms? Can it restrain more than 20 million common people? Can it control the remnants of evildoers in various places who still have evil intentions?"
"If governing a country is truly as you say, with a benevolent monarch, goodness and beauty will prevail everywhere under the rule of the people. I wouldn't have to work all night long to handle government affairs! Qin should also stop dreaming of destroying the six kingdoms. Back when it was a small, impoverished nation, it was directly swallowed up by the Rong and Di tribes to the west! Legalism was able to save Qin and make it strong, but can the Confucianism you pursue so wholeheartedly allow Qin to achieve its current status?"
Fusu listened to his father's barrage of scolding, and his pupils shrank. His lips moved, unable to utter a single word. However, he still felt that his idea was not wrong. If he could not convince his father, he would purse his lips and lower his head. Even if he was driven to the frontier to eat sand, he would never bow to his father!
Looking at his eldest son's stubborn appearance, Ying Zheng could not help but close his eyes tightly, a bitterness rising from the depths of his heart.
He had never enjoyed fatherly love since childhood, and after becoming a father, he had no experience to refer to, and did not know how to teach his children. When Fusu was just born, he had not yet been crowned and was struggling to deal with the Chu forces represented by the Queen Mother Huayang, the Han forces centered on the Queen Mother Xia and Chang'an Jun, and the Zhao forces headed by Lu Buwei and his mother. He lived a very depressed and cautious life, and it was even more impossible for him to have the energy to teach Fusu.
Unexpectedly, in the blink of an eye, almost twenty years had passed, and this eldest son, who had inherited his looks and his stubborn temperament, but not his brains, had finally grown up and become useless! How could such an eldest son, who only wanted to promote Confucianism in the Qin Dynasty and was unable to even win over his old ministers, govern this vast empire after his departure and control the immigrants and remnants of the six kingdoms?
The fearless Qin Shi Huang pursed his lips tightly. Thinking of that terrible nightmare, a deep sense of confusion rose in his heart. Even if he did a lot now, without a successor, he would have to give this vast empire to others sooner or later. No matter how big the family fortune accumulated by his ancestors was, as long as there was one heir who was not capable, the family fortune would be ruined.
It was the first time that loneliness was seen on His Majesty's face. Fusu, who had his head lowered, did not see it, but Li Si, who was sitting on the seat and watching, saw it.
As an old minister who had followed His Majesty all the way to build the empire, Li Si was about to say something when a familiar baby voice was heard outside the screen of the inner hall, causing several people in the hall to subconsciously look up at the screen.
After hearing the noise inside, Qin Ying hurriedly patted Meng Yi's arm with her little hand, signaling Meng Yi to carry him in quickly.
Meng Yi did not delay and immediately rushed into the inner hall with the baby in his arms. Seeing the First Empress standing in front of the eldest son, he hurried forward and leaned over to report:
"Your Majesty, when I went to the eldest son's mansion to report the palace news to the eldest lady, it happened that Prince Xiao'an was also present. Prince Xiao'an wanted to enter the palace to pay his respects to Your Majesty, so I brought the young prince here with me."
Upon hearing this, the First Emperor looked at his grandson who was waving his hands happily and grinning at him in Meng Yi's arms with an innocent face. His mood, which had been made furious by his eldest son, could not help but improve a little.
Fusu was also a little surprised to see his son. He looked at the little guy in confusion. He didn't understand why his son came to the palace at this time. Could it be that he was going to see him off from the capital to the frontier?
Qin Ying didn't bother to take care of her unlucky father and was busy struggling to get off the ground in Meng Yi's arms.
Meng Yi had cooperated with the little fellow many times. After understanding the emperor's eldest grandson's idea, he bent down and carefully placed the baby on the ground. The little fellow immediately used his hands and feet to crawl to the side of His Majesty, stretched out his little hands, tilted his little head, babbled at His Majesty with a grin, and said something in baby language happily. The next moment, with a wave of his little hand, a bunch of strange things suddenly appeared around the emperor's eldest grandson. Some were square, some were round, and some were shining with colorful halos under the sunlight outside the window. The magical scene of making strange things out of nothing instantly made all the adults in the hall widen their eyes in shock. Everyone was so shocked that they forgot their emotions. The whole hall was silent and you could hear a pin drop.
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