Daqin: The poorest prime minister, the first emperor begged me for corruption

Chapter 11 Times have changed, new laws should be implemented

Xunzi gathered the strengths of hundreds of schools of thought and advocated the simultaneous development of laws and rituals. His theory was mature and had a profound influence.

However, most of his disciples, due to their own experiences or ideals, studied a bit of a partial subject.

Li Si and Han Fei were supporters of Legalism.

Of course, although both advocate usage, they are actually different in nature.

Li Si started out as a humble official, so his method is more like the Confucianism of later generations. He can become whatever the king needs, and everything serves the king.

Han Fei was a descendant of the Korean clan. In his early years, he wanted to imitate Shang Lord and revitalize Korea. Therefore, the method he advocated was a step above the perverted Shang Lord's method.

Therefore, Ying Zheng, a beneficiary of Legalism, was astonished when he first saw Han Fei's works!

Later, the King of Han learned that Ying Zheng admired Han Fei, so he asked him to go to Qin as an envoy to plan a strategy to weaken Qin. Ying Zheng saw through it and detained it, intending to keep it for his own use.

However, Li Si was afraid of being replaced and felt jealous. He wrote in a memorial that Han Fei was devoted to his homeland and could not be used by Qin, so it was better to punish him according to law.

Ying Zheng also planned to make Han Fei suffer a little, so he imprisoned him...

If Qin Mo hadn't taken care of him secretly, Han Fei would have probably been eliminated by Li Si.

However, although Qin Mo saved Han Fei's life, he did not recommend him to Ying Zheng again.

Because if the country is governed by Han Fei's laws, the people will be afraid of the laws and not be polite. It is like walking on one leg, which will not last long!

"Where is Han Fei? Come and meet me!"

When Ying Zheng heard the two men talking about Han Fei, he finally remembered that there was another great talent in the country.

He now has Qin Mo, a true "master of hundreds of schools of thought," as his prime minister, but he has actually forgotten people like Han Fei for a long time.

But as a king, he will never be dissatisfied with having too many talents. Since Han Fei, who can surpass Li Si, is still alive, he naturally wants to use it!

"Your Majesty must not..."

Li Si's face turned green. He wanted to stop him but didn't dare to speak. He could only look at Qin Mo and said: "Prime Minister Qin, Han Fei cares about his homeland. If he uses it, it will bring disaster to the Qin Dynasty."

The words he spoke were righteous and stern, but his eyes were full of pleading.

It's all because he knew in his heart that he was too excited and annoyed Qin Mo. If he continued to refuse to obey and act like a child, his good days in the court would be over!

Qin Mo was noncommittal: "Li Tingwei's words may be reasonable. It's okay to let Han Fei stay in the academy to temper some of his temper."

Ying Zheng pondered for a moment and then said: "Then let's grind him again!"

He had the same plan when he imprisoned Han Fei. Since he hadn't polished it yet, it would be unsightly to use it rashly.

Li Si breathed a sigh of relief and secretly gave Qin Mo a smile that was uglier than crying.

If Han Fei doesn't die, it will be a knife hanging over his head. In the future, in front of Qin Mo, he can only kneel and act small!

"Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng turned to look at the ministers and said solemnly: "Qin Qing donated these millions of money to support the expedition. I can only admire him in my heart."

"But no matter how much Qin Qing donates, it is his own intention, and it will eventually be used for the soldiers."

"If you are unwilling to donate your property, do you think that I will keep it for my own use?"

The ministers were frightened and hurriedly complained: "I will never dare to slander Your Majesty!"

Ying Zheng rolled his sleeves and snorted coldly, pointing at the rags they were wearing: "You've already done it, and you still say you don't dare?"

The ministers rolled their eyes at the rebuke and looked at Wang Wan with complaints.

If he, the left prime minister, had not taken the lead in pretending to be poor, how could the other ministers dare to follow suit.

Lao Wangwan was also embarrassed. He bowed his hands and admitted his mistake, saying: "I am really ashamed to judge the emperor's belly with the heart of a villain. I am willing to donate fine rice, thousands of stones, to support the soldiers on the expedition."

He donated all his annual salary.

The ministers complained secretly, and they had no choice but to bleed profusely.

"I donated a hundred healthy horses."

"I donated ten thousand catties of iron."

"I donated gold..."

Ying Zheng nodded as he listened, seemingly satisfied, but his heart was bleeding.

In fact, he just wanted to take money from the pockets of his ministers and take advantage of the opportunity to fill the treasury, but he had already pretended, and now he could only watch and drool.

Well, that poor treasury!

…

The last time Ying Zheng came to the academy, he only took a quick glance and didn't see the whole picture. He came back today and wanted to take a closer look.

After all, this school was opened in his name!

Qin Mo led the way and explained to Ying Zheng the significance of opening a school.

"Now that the Six Kingdoms have been destroyed and China is generally at peace, it will be even more difficult for the people to make the leap based on military merit. If this continues, the Qin Dynasty will become a pool of stagnant water."

"Times have changed, and conquering the world and governing the world are different after all. Qin Qiang is reforming, and Shang Jun's method should also change today."

"Recruiting good family members from humble backgrounds to go to school, and selecting outstanding candidates as officials in a fair and impartial manner will not only break the aristocrats' monopoly on the power to govern the country, but also give the people another channel for advancement."

"Just like conferring titles for military merit, it stimulates the people to work hard and provides a steady stream of fresh blood to the court."

"When the treasury is full, Your Majesty will need to open more schools in counties and counties all over the world!"

The ministers at the back listened with their ears pricked up, and their reactions varied.

The military generals just lamented the peace in Jiuzhou. As Qin Mo said, their usefulness was getting less and less, and it was more difficult for the children at home to strive for military glory.

The civil servants felt their scalp numb after hearing this, because the so-called nobles and scholars actually refer to them.

In this era, knowledge is so valuable that if it is not inherited from the family, there is no way to learn it, so they naturally have a monopoly on the right to govern the country!

Just like Li Si, he actually had a family background and was recruited as an official in his early years, serving as a king and herdsman.

But he was unwilling to be a low-level official, so he resigned and went to Qi State to study with Xunzi...

And Qin Mo encouraged the First Emperor to open schools in counties and counties all over the world, which was equivalent to digging up their foundation!

"I deeply agree with what you said, but opening a school costs a lot of money."

"Let's take you as an example. One hundred thousand households in the city have to live in a thatched hut and eat overnight to support this academy."

"No matter how full the national treasury is, how many schools can it support?"

Ying Zheng suddenly spoke and pointed to the essence of the problem.

When all the civil servants heard this, they couldn't help but feel relieved.

However, before they could put their hearts into their stomachs, Qin Mo smiled: "Your Majesty, does he know how much commercial tax I have to pay for selling porcelain tea today?"

Ying Zheng was stunned for a moment, and then Danfeng's eyes suddenly widened: "Such a hugely profitable commodity must pay a 50% profit tax!"

"Of course."

Qin Mo nodded with a smile: "Shang Jun's method, which emphasizes agriculture and restrains merchants, and puts farming and warfare at the core, can indeed strengthen the country and the people."

"However, it cannot enrich the country, let alone the people."

"I'm still saying what I said. Times have changed, and new laws should be implemented, restrictions on people should be lifted, and commerce should be encouraged. Then the national treasury will naturally be full!"

As he said this, everyone had already walked to a side hall that had been converted into a school.

Qin Mo got in, took out a piece of cloth, and showed it to Ying Zheng.

"This cloth is woven by students from wool. Does your Majesty know its usefulness?"

(End of chapter)