Qin Official

Not everyone can accept the "empty emperor" status.

In the official office of Fengchang, although some people were imprisoned for the crime of "unsuitable speech" some time ago, the control of public opinion is now much looser than during the time of Qin Shihuang, and the discussions among Confucian scholars are still ongoing.

Their debate mainly focused on the ensuing etiquette issues: when the black husband calls the duke, should he use the ancient etiquette of feuding and founding a country and treat the ministers and officials directly under him? Or maybe it's still like it is now, superior to Jiu Qing. At the same time, how will the ceremony of ennobling the duke be held? Since there is no emperor, who will confer the title on Heifu? All these things were so intense that when they were worried, someone even interjected:

"Confucius said that if the world is righteous, rituals, music, and conquests will come from the emperor; if there is no righteousness in the world, rituals, music, and conquests will come from the princes."

"Now that the emperor's position is vacant, does this mean that this is a time of innocence?"

Even Dazai Ling Fusheng shook his head and said: "Confucius has no king for three months, and the emperor is like this. He must carry hostages when he leaves the border. But now he not only has no king for three months, but I am afraid he will be without a king for three to five years. How can it be like this... …”

Although Legalism and Confucianism have always been at odds with each other, when it comes to the monarch, their views are extremely consistent.

In the eyes of Legalists: "There is nothing more beneficial to the people of the world than governance, and governance is more beneficial than establishing a king." It can be seen that the most important thing for the governance of the world is to have a "king".

From the perspective of Confucianism, the monarch plays a very key role in politics. They also believe that the foundation of peace in the world lies in the person of the monarch.

Although there are many opponents, the regent has made up his mind. In this case, he must find a basis for his administration. This is the skill of the imperial literati.

"So, when Duke Zhou was regent, rituals and music came from the princes. Is this a world without principles?"

The group of scholars took a look and saw that it was Taishi Lingshu Suntong. This Confucian disciple who spoke uprightly and questioned the speaker spoke righteously.

Duke Zhou is one of the roots of Confucian theory. He has been revered as a saint since Confucius. No matter which school of thought, he is highly respected. They believe that Duke Zhou's system of rituals is the beginning of order in the world. Who dares to question Duke Zhou's immorality?

The Confucian scholars suddenly became speechless, and Shusun Tong said even louder:

"The Duke of Zhou established rituals and music, which brought great order to the world. However, from the time when the Zhou Dynasty moved east to take charge of the political kingdom, the tomb has been delayed to this day. In the past five hundred and fifty years, rituals have collapsed and music has collapsed. It has become a world of immorality!"

Good guy, the time of Emperor Qin Shihuang was also included in the period of "immorality", but this was the consensus of the scholars in the Fengchang Office, and they all nodded. The time of Hu Hai was even worse, more tyrannical and unethical.

"And now, it is precisely the beginning of the transition from ignorance to enlightenment."

Shusun Tong believed that regency was just a transitional stage from immorality to enlightenment, and was done as a last resort.

In his opinion, for Heifu, because the ministers and people of Qin were accustomed to the rule of King Qin, the time had not come to replace him.

But the establishment of another emperor named Ying would not only make the heroes of the Northern Expedition uneasy, but would also be detrimental to the future conquest of the six countries and the surrender of the heroes and common people of the six countries.

Regency is the best solution Heifu can take at the moment.

What's more, who said there is no king now?

"There is a saying in Erya that heaven, emperor, emperor, king, empress, pi, duke and marquis are all kings. Who says you have to be an emperor to be a king? As long as you are unique, even the moon rising after the sun sets can make you a king. The stars in the sky are eclipsed!"

Isn't this the previous prophecy that "the moon will rise and the sun will set"?

Of course, this is not a long-term solution. In Shusuntong's view, sooner or later, another prophecy will come true.

"Those who destroy Qin are black..."

"In the past, the first emperor of Qin was called the emperor because he pacified the world, divided the country into prefectures and counties, and unified laws and regulations. This was unprecedented since ancient times and was beyond the reach of the three emperors and five emperors. Therefore, he was called 'Emperor'."

"The regent must once again unify the world and win the support of all the people. Only then can he successfully replace the Qin Dynasty with the surname Ying, truly sit on the throne of the emperor, and start a new dynasty..."

These words could not be said so straightforwardly, so with a serious look on his face, he taught the Confucians who were recommended by him to Fengchang:

"You asked me to recommend all the students to be officials to the regent in the past. Now that I have become a regular official, you don't cherish it. I help the regent to establish etiquette and promote rituals and music. What do you want to do by talking nonsense here?"

Everyone was stunned for a moment, but they were convinced on their faces, but not necessarily in their hearts.

At this time, the Confucian scholars in the hall heard another voice saying:

"Tai Shi is right!"

But it was Feng Changlu Jia.

"Confucius also said that it would be better for the Yi and Di to have kings than for the Xia to perish. It can be seen that the Xia have no kings, but they always exist!"

If we had to name this embryonic nation in the Central Plains, symbolized by a crown belt, her current name would be "Zhuxia".

"However, when the Xia Dynasties had no king, they did not lose their rituals and music. Why is this?"

He glanced at everyone, and after the discussion was over, he said firmly:

"Because there are saints!"

…

"Saint?" Everyone looked at each other.

Lu Jia smiled and said: "Yes, the reason why the Xia Dynasties were able to maintain the great etiquette and the beauty of uniforms and uniforms without falling into military status when there was no king or when the king was young and weak is precisely because there are saints who govern the country! For example, Yi Yin, Zhou Gong, Confucius!

"The current regent is also a saint!"

"The regent is a saint..." The scholars were shocked. They had put many labels on the black man, but they had never thought about it. How could the black man be a saint?

"May I ask my uncle Taishi, what is a saint?" Lu Jia bowed his hands to his uncle Sun Tong. The two of them had to sing a double act here today.

Shu Suntong pondered for a moment: "With virtue inside and merit outside, he is a saint inside and a king outside, and he is a saint himself."

Lu Jia shook his head: "It's too profound and simple. I'm afraid some people won't understand. Can you be more specific?"

Uncle Shusun Tong had no choice but to take things seriously: "Zengzi said that in ancient times, those who wanted to show virtue to the world first governed their country; those who wanted to govern their country, first organized their families; those who wanted to regulate their families, first cultivated their own bodies; those who wanted to cultivate their own virtues first If you want to rectify your body, you must first rectify your mind; if you want to rectify your mind, you must first be sincere in your intention; if you want to be sincere in your intention, you must first develop knowledge. To achieve knowledge is to study things."

"Studying things, seeking knowledge, sincerity, upright mind, self-cultivation, managing the family, governing the country, and bringing peace to the world. Those who can do these things can be called a great sage!"

Lu Jia spread out the proofs one by one:

"The regent was born in the capital of Guizhou, but Mencius said that the person who succeeded Tu could be Yu. When the regent was young, his family was poor, and his parents and brothers were all white men. However, Xunzi also said that a sage can become a saint by learning. The regent is both innately intelligent and eager to learn. tireless."

He gave an example: "At the time of Shen Nong, millet rained from the sky, so Shen Nong cultivated it; he made pottery, axes, and plows to cultivate the grass, and then the grains were helped, and the fruits were hidden. This is how Shen Nong studied things to achieve knowledge. A model of sainthood.”

"Think carefully, gentlemen, in the past ten years or so, we have saved water vertebrae by ten times the manpower, compost that has doubled the yield per mu, sweetened sugar that has made everyone in the world eat sweet, paper and printing that have saved paperwork and time... …”

"These things that benefited the world were all done by the regent! In terms of studying things and gaining knowledge, the regent's achievements can hardly be compared with those of Shennong!"

It seems to be true! Everyone nodded, and there was nothing wrong with them. The ancient "sages", such as Suiren Shennong, were really inventors, and Hei Fu took advantage of them.

"Moreover, when it comes to cultivating oneself and managing one's family, the regent eats well, does not occupy multiple tables, does not worship altars in his room, does not use utensils with beautiful ornaments, does not look at the palace, does not decorate his boats and carriages, and chooses and does not charge for clothing and finances. This can be said to be the most frugal, unlike the First Emperor. , Hu Hai is very different."

"I am not greedy for women. When I go to Xianyang, women have no luck. All the maids are married. There is only one wife in the family. My wife, Ye Shi, is a wise and thrifty person. Her clothes do not fall to the ground. She knits clothes herself to teach her two sons."

Heifu, who is usually criticized by some people, has now become what Lu Jia praises. Confucius, the great sage in the eyes of Confucianism, only had one wife, a son and a daughter!

Lu Jia's speech gradually got better: "As for his ability to govern the country, everyone can see it. He took charge of the northern region, and the northern army was strong. He drove the Huns for 800 miles, and the Hu people did not dare to go south to herd horses; to govern Jiaodong, Jiaodong Wealthy, buildings and ships are connected to the sea, and all the barbarians are heading towards the Central Plains; to govern Lingnan, defeat is turned into victory, and the southern expedition army regards them as their parents, and the barbarians in Yuexiao are willing to die for them!"

"The world is at peace, not to mention that Hu Hai usurped the throne and was violent and wanted to massacre Anlu. He used his body as regent, and thousands of people were relegated. He raised his troops across the Yangtze River and Han Dynasty, crossed Yunmeng four times, and repeatedly defeated powerful enemies. After more than a year, he started the Northern Expedition. If Jingnan succeeds, if Wuguan has divine help, Lantian will be defeated without fighting."

"Then he punished the usurper, killed the traitor, pacified the people, reorganized the order, brought order to the chaos, and allowed Confucius' disciples to return to the court. He also cultivated himself internally to calm the people, and externally extended to the people to help others. This can be said to be the recipe of benevolence!"

"Studying things to gain knowledge, practicing law and order, and looking up the world, the only person who can be an inner sage and an outer king is the regent."

There was reason and evidence, Shusun Tong took the lead, and the Confucian scholars who had been arguing for a while finally reached a consensus, and they all agreed:

"The Regent is indeed a saint!"

And the rule of the country by saints, isn't this the scene of three generations of rule imagined by Confucian scholars, and it is also their tireless dream...

“Isn’t this what we have been pursuing for hundreds of years to have a sage like Duke Zhou rule the country?”

"Why are you so worried when you realize it today?"

After being understood by Lu Jia, the atmosphere became heated, and the Confucian scholars began to get excited, and their enthusiasm for this matter was unprecedentedly high!

They want to get involved, make a name for themselves, and use this to get ahead.

"The regent is more than just a saint respected by Confucianism..."

Lu Jia's mouth was dry, but he was relieved. His hard work these past few months was not in vain. He had learned a lot of things, and he was not as narrow-minded as ordinary Confucian scholars and could not tolerate other schools of thought.

Therefore, Lu Jia knew very well that governing the country by saints was not only the long-cherished wish of Confucianism, but also the dream of all schools of thought.

Taoism, Dharma, and Mohism all have their own images of saints. These saints embody the highest ideals of each school...

Mohism is a school of thought that unconditionally sacrifices itself to benefit the world. They admire Yu the Great and do not benefit themselves but only benefit others. Even if they are rubbing their bald heads or walking on their heels, they still have to control the water for the world. It seems that they have never had any personal desires, and they dedicate their body, mind, and soul to everything. To the world.

Mozi said, only such a person can be called a saint!

After Hei Fu entered Xianyang, he showed that he was devoted to the public good and had no selfish desires. He even declared "selflessness". At least he treated the new and old Qin people equally, and even reused Zhang Cang, Lu Jia, Xiao He, Not to mention the large number of Guandong people such as Shusun Tong and Han Xin, he was the benefactor who saved the last few disciples of the Mohist family.

Legalists also have saints, and their saints are based on law. Han Feizi admired an absolute autocratic monarch, who must be both ruthless and scheming. Only by using the combination of magic power and superb tactics can he unify the world and finally legislate according to the way of heaven. .

And isn’t this what Hei Fu’s true face is?

Although each family believed that the other's saint was not a true saint, coincidentally, except for the saint in Zhuangzi's mind who was too worldly for Heifu to get involved, he actually accounted for almost all the "saints" in the other schools' ideals. .

This is why Lu Jia decided that Hei Fu was the master and chose to serve him.

"Such a saint can be the master of the world, so we should set up the third supreme master, and the regent should occupy the position of grand master."

"The regent must not only bring peace to the world again, but also inherit the learning of the three generations, inherit the methods of Qin, and gather the wisdom of hundreds of schools of thought to educate the world!"

The monarch and the sages will merge into one, the political ideals of hundreds of schools of thought will converge in him, and the peace and prosperity of the Xia will be established through him.

This is something that even the First Emperor of Qin failed to do, and it is also the biggest regret of knowledgeable people in the past ten years.

And the descendants of the regent, whether they are still "regents" or actually become emperors or emperors, are all titled "Queens of Saints"!

The more Heifu maintains and elevates the image of a "sage" to the extreme, the more he will be praised by all schools of thought and people all over the world, and the more beneficial it will be to his descendants...

This is the political blueprint drawn up by Lu Jia for Heifu. It is slightly different from Shusun Tong’s idea!

"Today we will know why Mr. Lu thinks he is loyal."

While the scholars were excitedly reading the classics and contributing their wisdom to the regent's ennobling ceremony, Shusun Tong came over, bowed to Lu Jia, and was filled with admiration.

Holy man, tusk, this is a rainbow fart.

"My uncle and grandson are not bad either."

The two of them smiled, and at that moment, a visitor came outside and announced a big news:

"The title of regent has been decided!"

Everyone turned their heads and waited with bated breath. Lu Jia even secretly hoped in his heart: "It must not be Mr. Bao..."

"The title is: Duke Xia!"

…

ps: There is only one chapter today.