Chapter 35: You are making such a fuss about punctuation. How can you argue with me?

“It’s incredible. Who on earth created this magical punctuation mark?”

“It can significantly improve the reading efficiency of the article.”

"These classics cover the wisdom of hundreds of schools of thought. Could they be written by Mo Lingshuang, the extraordinary woman of the Mohist school, or Tian Jin, the talented woman of the farming family?"

The ministers were immersed in the article which was clearly divided into sections by punctuation marks and they all praised it highly.

Even the usually conceited Meng Yi couldn't help but nod in praise.

"Indeed, with such punctuation marks, both writing and reading articles are much more convenient."

"The person who created this symbol is truly a literary giant!"

"Miss Ziyi, do you know the origin of this symbol? Who taught you?"

Zi Yi glanced at the scholars around him with disdain.

"Although I added this symbol, it was taught to me by the young master."

what!
It was actually created by the Thirteenth Young Master Ying Heng?
All the civil servants were dumbfounded and looked at Ying Heng on the podium in disbelief.

Isn't he the uneducated and unproductive dandy?

How could such exquisite punctuation be created?
Even these old scholars who had immersed themselves in the Five Classics for decades had never thought of using it in this way.

Meng Yi looked at Ying Heng in confusion and asked, "When did the Thirteenth Master create this punctuation mark? Why didn't he make it public earlier to ease the pain of reading for us scholars?"

Ying Heng glanced at him, then looked at the civil servants who were looking expectant.

He said calmly, "Isn't it just a small punctuation mark? What's the point of making a fuss?"

"Hurry up and read the classics on hand. Finish discussing things this morning. I have something important to do at noon. Don't waste time on trivial matters like this."

Ying Heng and Zi Yi's understatement made many civil officials feel regretful.

He is indeed a person who became famous by luck, and he doesn’t even understand the precious value of this punctuation mark!
They secretly decided that they would mark all the books in their collection overnight after returning home.

Putting aside the magical nature of the matter, the ministers began to concentrate on studying the ancient books in their hands.

With the guidance of punctuation marks, reading progress improves rapidly.

The works of this era were not long. Great works such as "The Art of War" consisted of only nine chapters and thirteen sections, with only a few thousand words.

After about two quarters of an hour, most of the civil officials had formed their own opinions.

Meng Yi asked again: "Since the Thirteenth Young Master mentioned reform, can you tell us which school of thought is more suitable for the present-day Qin?"

When the other court officials heard this, they all rubbed their hands and prepared their own arguments.
No matter which theory Ying Heng advocates, they are confident that they can refute it without leaving anything to say!
However, Ying Heng just smiled and responded: "All the schools have their merits, but also their shortcomings. I don't choose any one school."

"You have been immersed in the classics for decades and have read the works of hundreds of schools. If you are dissatisfied, you can stand up and argue with me."

"Today's debate is considered a gentleman's contest. Regardless of the outcome, I promise I will not chop off your heads for it."

After hearing this, everyone became a little bolder. In addition, there was a tendency among scholars to compete with each other, so they naturally felt dissatisfied.

Someone immediately stepped forward and said, "Since the Thirteenth Master believes that the theories of all schools of thought have shortcomings, does that mean that the Legalist doctrine that our Great Qin follows is not perfect either?"

"Please tell me, sir. The laws of our Great Qin are strict. They are designed to restrain the people from stealing and profiteering, prevent killing and fighting, and suppress the excessive breeding of evil in human nature, so that the people can live a stable life. What's wrong with such a legal system?" As soon as these words were spoken, not only did the civil officials agree deeply, but even the military generals nodded in agreement.

There is no doubt that strict laws are the foundation of Qin's governance.

Ying Heng smiled calmly on the stage: "The laws are strict and are indeed necessary in times of war. They can quickly pacify the world, unify the six kingdoms, and curb social unrest."

"However!"

"Now that the country is unified, if we continue with this strict legal system, it may be too much, restricting people's passion for development and innovation and hindering the advancement of productivity."

Everyone looked at each other, unable to understand what he meant for a moment.

Meng Yi asked bluntly: "Sir, your argument seems to be obscure and difficult to understand. Please explain how the legal system hinders the development of production?"

Ying Heng said calmly: "Then let me give you a few examples. For example, those who randomly discard garbage on the road will be tattooed with words to show the public; those who cut down trees without permission must perform labor service for 30 days; adult men who cry for no reason will be punished with caning..."

“These seemingly minor laws and regulations can certainly regulate people’s behavior, but over time, they will shape people into timid puppets who lack the spirit of innovation and the ability to think independently.”

"More importantly, the only way for common people in our Great Qin to be promoted to noble titles is through military merit."

"It's understandable in wartime, but in today's peaceful world, wars are rare, which means ordinary people have almost lost their hope of promotion."

"The result of this situation is that, more than ten years have passed since the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms, and civilians have no longer been promoted to noble titles due to military merit. Agricultural production has stagnated, and the fields of industry, education, and commerce have also been severely suppressed."

"So much so that the overall national strength of our Great Qin has quietly dropped to its lowest point."

"How can this legal system support the prosperity and progress of a country?"

As soon as Ying Heng said this, all the court officials fell into deep thought. Even the generals who were usually not very familiar with political affairs understood his worries at this moment.

As important officials of the imperial court, although they had never personally experienced the sufferings of the people, they had held high positions and lived a comfortable life over the past decade.

However, the harsh rule in the past decade has made them feel increasingly stressed.

For example, it became increasingly difficult to collect the most basic food tax in full, and starvation was common.

What’s worse, even the benefits that could have been gained from the government are gradually decreasing.

This undoubtedly shows that the country is in decline!

The civil servants were shocked when they heard this. They had actually noticed the signs of national decline pointed out by Ying Heng a long time ago, but they had not been able to delve into the root causes before.

Today, Ying Heng hit the nail on the head and pointed out the problem.

Millions of ordinary people have lost their motivation to make progress and their channels for upward mobility, causing the entire country to stagnate like stagnant water.

Meng Yi asked again: "In this case, may I ask Sir Thirteen, how should we carry out the reform?"

"Among the hundreds of schools of thought, which one can perfectly replace the current legal system of our Great Qin?"

Meng Yi asked Ying Heng for a solution, and all the ministers turned their eyes to Ying Heng, as this matter concerned the foundation of the country.

As an aristocratic class, they are accustomed to extracting benefits from the people, but the prerequisite is that there are still resources in the hands of the people that can be extracted.

The people of the Qin Dynasty today are already struggling to take care of themselves, and as aristocrats they naturally cannot enjoy their wealth and prosperity for long.

(End of this chapter)