Chapter 82 Are you a descendant of the Legalist school?

In this great Qin world, who else can compare with me and have the same far-sighted vision?

At this moment, after admonishing his subordinates, the elegant scholar bowed respectfully to Ying Zheng again and spoke in a gentle and elegant manner.

"I am a humble man of limited talent and learning. My name is Dong Zhongshu. I am currently the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty, mainly responsible for the reform of the national system."

After Dong Zhongshu finished speaking, he stared at Ying Zheng with a smile on his face, appearing extremely humble and polite.

However, when Ying Zheng heard this, he was confused.

Dong Zhongshu?
The Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty?

"Central Prime Minister? When did our Great Qin have a new Prime Minister?"

The First Emperor spoke frankly of his confusion.

Dong Zhongshu nodded with a smile: "That's right."

"Why didn't I know anything about this?"

The First Emperor raised the question directly.

Dong Zhongshu was slightly surprised: "The appointment of all civil and military officials in the world is decided by the Thirteenth Prince."

"Does it mean that I need your approval to be the Prime Minister?"

The First Emperor was about to nod in rebuttal, but was awakened by Dahei's cough.

He realized that now that he was dead, he could no longer interfere in the appointment of officials in the court.

He thought to himself: You, the thirteenth boy, have the right to appoint an important official like the prime minister before you even ascend the throne and become emperor?

Did all the civil and military officials in the court accept it?

What is the origin of Dong Zhongshu?
Have you ever had experience in high-level positions such as the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers?
Can the Qin Dynasty be handed over to such a stranger?

When I appointed the Prime Minister, I had to discuss it repeatedly among all officials and consider various factors comprehensively before deciding on the candidate.

You are so good. Dong Zhongshu, who has never appeared in the Qin court, is directly in charge of institutional reform. Wouldn't the Qin Dynasty fall into chaos?
In an instant, Ying Zheng put Feng Quji, Li Si, Meng Yi, Wang Ben and the newly added Dong Zhongshu on the blacklist in his heart, regarding them as traitors or those who pushed for chaos in the Qin Dynasty. These people would not escape severe punishment!
Although he no longer had any hope for the new system and new prime minister of the Qin Dynasty, since he encountered it today, Ying Zheng decided to ask about it.

After a moment's silence, the First Emperor said, "Even if my Great Qin has a new prime minister, he does not need my approval..."

"But a prime minister can't just appear out of nowhere, right?"

He asked, "Dong Zhongshu, you said you were in charge of the reform of the new system, so you must be a Confucian student, right?"

Ying Zheng still had fresh memories of the new system reforms, especially the idea of ​​abolishing all schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone.

Looking at the elegant man in front of him who called himself Dong Zhongshu and regarded himself as a reformer, and combining his words and deeds with his behavior, Ying Zheng guessed that he was a disciple of Confucianism.

As expected, Dong Zhongshu responded frankly: "That's right. Although I am mediocre in talent and knowledge, I am devoted to studying Confucianism."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly, knowing that although these Confucians appeared to advocate propriety and treat the people politely, they were actually still arrogant and conceited in their bones and looked down on others.

When he learned about this reform, he was furious.

Today, I have to argue with him!
"Well, let me ask you, how can Confucianism surpass Legalism in governing the Qin Dynasty?"

After hearing this, Dong Zhongshu raised his eyebrows slightly, looked at the First Emperor again, and then slowly spoke.

"Are you a descendant of the Legalist family?"

The First Emperor snorted coldly and said nothing: "It can barely be counted as half."

After all, he was the founder of the Qin Dynasty - the First Emperor.

His thoughts are all-embracing and he supports the Legalist philosophy of governing the country, so he can be regarded as a member of the Legalist school.

"Legalism is indeed unique. It was by relying on the power of Legalism that the Qin Dynasty unified the six kingdoms and achieved this unprecedented imperial feat. I also have great respect for Legalism."

Dong Zhongshu frankly affirmed the Legalists, and Ying Zheng nodded slightly after hearing this. "Well, you have some vision."

"But if that's the case, why did our Great Qin abandon Legalism and instead promote Confucianism?"

Dong Zhongshu did not rush to respond, but called to the shopkeeper in the inner room, "Zifang, bring two chairs and prepare two cups of water."

His tone was calm.

"Today I am discussing the Dao with this legalist friend. This is a noble event. How can I neglect my guest?"

Not long after, the shopkeeper brought in two comfortable chairs with backrests. After Ying Zheng sat down, he leaned comfortably on the back of the chair, secretly praising the exquisite craftsmanship of the chair.

Dong Zhongshu smiled and introduced: "Old sir, this chair was made by Master Lu Ban himself. I wonder how it feels to sit on it?"

Ying Zheng was slightly surprised. This was the second time he heard the name Lu Ban. It seemed that what the young man from the Sima family said was not empty talk.

However, this was not the time to talk about craftsmen, and Ying Zheng couldn't wait to ask.

"Don't talk about these irrelevant things. Why don't you tell me what is so special about Confucianism that can surpass my Legalism?"

Faced with Ying Zheng's questioning, the Confucian scholar remained calm and still had a smile on his face.

"Indeed, the Legalists played an indispensable role in helping the Qin Dynasty unify the six kingdoms."

"However, harsh laws are only used in times of turmoil and strife."

"Now that our Great Qin has entered a peaceful era, we urgently need to develop steadily."

“Therefore, it is no longer appropriate to regard Legalist thought as the only institutional concept for governing the country.”

Ying Zheng was quite dissatisfied: "Why do you think I am not suitable to govern a country?"

"Are you going to ignore the crimes of rape, theft, insubordination, and assault?"

"Besides, I am not completely unaware of the new law."

"In the new laws you have revised, behaviors such as disturbing social order and destroying other people's property are defined as crimes and punished. Aren't these also the embodiment of the Legalist philosophy?"

"How can the Fa school be unsuitable for the Qin Dynasty?"

The First Emperor had a sharp mind. He had just learned a few terms about guilt from Sima Ye at noon, and at this moment he used them appropriately, trying to prove that even the new laws of the Qin Dynasty were based on the ideas of the Legalists.

However, facing Ying Zheng's powerful questioning, Dong Zhongshu did not show the slightest nervousness. He stroked his beard and responded with a smile on his face.

"The old gentleman has extraordinary insight and touches upon the core issues in just a few words."

"Since you already know the content of my Great Qin's new law, it will be easier to explain."

"The biggest change between the old and new laws of the Qin Dynasty lies in the sentencing principle."

"Sentencing?" Ying Zheng was puzzled.

"That's right. The Thirteenth Young Master once said that the old laws of the Great Qin were too harsh in sentencing. They often resulted in people being beheaded or torn apart by five horses. Such heavy punishments undoubtedly greatly dampened the enthusiasm of the people."

"Just imagine,……"

"If the common people worked hard all day but earned little, and if they accidentally picked up a copper coin on their way home and did not report it to the government, they might suffer the pain of having their fingers cut off."

"In this case, wouldn't they prefer to stay at home to keep safe rather than risk going out to make a living?"

"Or maybe an old farmer was on his way home after a long day of hard work in the fields and saw two people fighting."

"Because I am old and still afraid, I dare not go forward to mediate. However, according to the old laws of the Qin Dynasty, those who stand by and watch injustice are guilty of the same crime as the perpetrators. If you are not careful, you may even lose your head."

"With such severe punishment, who would dare to go out to farm? If you encounter robbers on the road, will you do anything or not?"

(End of this chapter)