Chapter 17: Father and Son (Fusu)

After a long silence, Meng Yi replied, "In response to Your Majesty, I believe what this man said is true."

"Speak your mind," Ying Zheng commanded.

Meng Yi explained, "Firstly, ever since he appeared in the palace, he has had no contact with Prince Fusu or the Director of the Palace Carriage Office. Neither the Chief Steward nor the attendants and maids would have spoken to him of such matters. How then could he know of Prince Fusu or Prince Huhai?"

"Secondly, the events he described are logical and follow a clear sequence; they do not appear to be fabricated for the purpose of framing Prince Huhai or the Director. Thirdly, there are these miraculous objects—the mobile phone and the power bank—which are beyond the craftsmanship of the Seven States."

Ying Zheng countered, "Perhaps he had already learned of these things while outside and constructed a well-rehearsed story?"

Meng Yi nodded. "Your Majesty is right; that is indeed a possibility. But why would he mention the potatoes? If the yields are true, it would bring great prosperity to our Great Qin. If he were an enemy of the state, he would never have revealed such a thing."

Ying Zheng replied, "The matter of the potatoes is merely his word; who can say if it is true? Let us observe for now. If he dares to deceive me, I shall deal with him accordingly."

After these words, Ying Zheng added, "Today’s events must not be spoken of to outsiders. If I discover anyone leaking this information, I will execute their entire clan to the third degree."

The words were spoken calmly, yet they sent a chill through Meng Yi and the guards in the hall. They hurriedly responded, "Your Majesty, rest assured! Even if we must die, we will never utter a single word of this!"

Ying Zheng nodded. He picked up the bamboo scroll that had been rolled up earlier, stared at the names listed upon it, and calmly issued his order: "Investigate Prince Huhai, the Director of the Palace Carriage Office Zhao Gao, the Commandant of Justice Li Si, the Scholar Chunyu Yue..."

Ying Zheng did not believe that a person could change overnight. Even if they hid their nature well before an incident, there would always be traces left behind.

Just as Huhai had always appeared as a sensible, thoughtful, and obedient child in his presence, yet who could have known he would become so cruel after ascending the throne?

Such a cruel nature could not have been cultivated in a single day. In daily life, there must have been signs, only they were masked so well that he had failed to notice them.

Then there was Zhao Gao, a dog so loyal and obedient that he dared not go west if told to go east, and would never chase chickens if ordered to catch fish.

Who could have known that after his death, this dog would bite the hand that fed it, colluding with Li Si and Huhai to forge his last will and testament, and even staging the farce of "pointing at a deer and calling it a horse" in the imperial court?

Such arrogance and audacity surely were not formed in a short time!

He intended to have these people investigated for the slightest clues to determine if, after his death, they were truly capable of the things Li Nian had described.

Once he determined it was possible, he would deal with them, regardless of whether he had concrete proof.

As for what to do if he were wrong in his judgment?

If he was wrong, then so be it. It would merely mean the loss of a son and a few ministers. As long as he could eliminate potential threats to his Great Qin, what did it matter?

After issuing the decree, Ying Zheng looked outside the hall. It was already afternoon, though he had summoned Li Nian in the morning. "Minister Meng, would you care to accompany me for a walk?"

Meng Yi was taken aback. Where did His Majesty wish to go?

But since the King had invited him, the ever-loyal Meng Yi would not refuse. "I am honored to accompany Your Majesty!"

Escorted by Meng Yi and the guards, Ying Zheng headed out. Though he called it a walk, they remained within the palace grounds.

They had not gone far before Meng Yi deduced Ying Zheng’s intention: *In this direction, is His Majesty going to visit Prince Fusu?*

Meng Yi understood. Although Li Nian’s claims could not be verified, they had deeply affected the King, leading him to believe he had wronged Prince Fusu. After all, in the history Li Nian described, Prince Fusu’s death was partly due to the King himself.

Had the King not ordered Prince Fusu to Shangjun, far from his side, he would not have been murdered by Huhai, Zhao Gao, and Li Si.

If Prince Fusu had ascended the throne instead of Huhai, perhaps the Great Qin would not have fallen in the second generation...

Before long, they arrived at the palace where Fusu resided.

Fusu was already waiting outside. Seeing Ying Zheng approach, he bowed deeply, "Fusu greets his father!"

The name "Fusu" refers to a type of tree, originating from the *Classic of Poetry*: "On the mountains are the luxuriant trees, in the marshes are the lotus flowers."

By naming him Fusu, Ying Zheng had hoped his son would grow as flourishing and upright as a tree, becoming a fine man.

But expectations are merely expectations. Fusu did not grow up as Ying Zheng had hoped—or at least, not entirely—which led to Ying Zheng’s disappointment, especially as Fusu grew older and began to form his own opinions.

Thus, a rift grew between father and son.

Fusu felt both reverence and dissatisfaction toward his father. He revered his father’s might in pushing Great Qin to its peak and achieving what their ancestors had long desired, but he was dissatisfied with his father’s lack of benevolence.

In Fusu’s view, the world should be governed with benevolence. While killing might be necessary during the process, it should not be as fierce or ruthless as his father’s methods.

Fierce might could only subdue people for a time; to achieve lasting peace, one had to implement benevolent governance. Much of what his father did ran contrary to the benevolence Fusu held in his heart.

Fusu knew his father was dissatisfied with him, so the father who used to visit him often had long since stopped coming. When he received word today that his father was on his way, he was both surprised and delighted.

Looking at this eldest son, in whom he had once placed high hopes and whom he was still unwilling to give up, Ying Zheng asked calmly, "Rise. What have you been reading lately?"

Fusu stood up and replied, "I have been reading the *Mencius*."

This answer caused Ying Zheng to glance at him again. He asked flatly, "Have you gained any insights?"

Fusu, not noticing the change in his father’s tone, nodded. "I have gained a great deal, especially from the words: 'Those who follow the Way have many allies; those who lose it have few.' It has made a deep impression on me."

Ying Zheng said, "Then do you believe the Great Qin is a state that 'follows the Way and has many allies,' or one that 'loses it and has few'?"

Fusu froze, not knowing how to answer.

According to the *Mencius*, Qin was clearly the side with few allies.

The other six states were all enemies of Qin; one against six—was that not clearly having few allies?

And so, the problem arose. According to Mencius: "Those who follow the Way have many allies; those who lose it have few. When the few are left, even their kin revolt; when the many support, the whole world follows. With the world following, one can overcome even those whose kin have revolted, and thus the superior man may not need to fight, but if he does, he will surely win." In other words, those who lose the Way must be defeated.

Yet, the fact was that Qin, the one with few allies, had destroyed the six states and unified the world. This created a contradiction with the theory.

Seeing Fusu standing there in silence, Ying Zheng continued, "If the Confucian way were useful, Confucius and Mencius would not have spent their lives wandering from state to state, lobbying kings."

Fusu wanted to refute this, but he found he could not, for what Ying Zheng said was the truth: Confucius and Mencius had not achieved their ambitions in life, and few kings had truly valued their theories.

Ying Zheng added, "Confucius and Mencius were fine at teaching students, but governing a state is not their forte."

The meaning was clear: Confucius and Mencius were fine for idle talk and teaching, but as for running a country, they were best left aside.