Chapter 40: The First Emperor Reviews Bamboo Slips

At this thought, a chill surged from the depths of Su Xu’s heart. Wasn't this equivalent to throwing oneself directly onto the blades of the Great King and that person?

When the time came, to say nothing of replacing Legalism, considering themselves fortunate just to avoid being banned and executed would be a blessing.

Yet, he had no way of explaining this to the others, having already been bound by a gag order from Ying Zheng.

If he dared to open his mouth tonight, his entire clan would be sentenced to execution at the public marketplace tomorrow.

Seeing Su Xu sitting in silence without uttering a word, his expression instead heavy with worry, Chunyu Yue and the others, who had been in high spirits, realized something was amiss. They asked, "Why is Brother Su silent, yet looking so deeply troubled?"

Su Xu cupped his hands in a salute toward them. "Brother Zhou, Brother Chunyu, do you truly understand the Great King's view on our Confucian school? Do you genuinely believe the Great King would let Confucianism replace Legalism? Have you ever considered the consequences of submitting a memorial to the Great King advocating for Confucianism to supersede Legalism?"

The Confucian scholar addressed as "Brother Zhou" stroked his beard and smiled. "So Brother Su is worrying about this. You are being far too cautious. From my perspective, the Great King harbors immense goodwill toward our Confucian school; otherwise, why would he appoint all of us as Erudites, and even allow Brother Chunyu to enter the palace to tutor Prince Fusu?"

Chunyu Yue wore an expression that said, *"This is just routine, nothing to boast about,"* yet the self-satisfaction hidden beneath his modesty was plain for all to see.

After all, the prince he tutored was the Great King's favorite son, Prince Fusu, the one most likely to inherit the throne of Great Qin!

Once Prince Fusu ascended the throne in the future, he would be the teacher of the sovereign—the teacher of the sovereign of an unprecedented empire. Such glory had not even been attained by the two sages Confucius and Mencius.

The Confucian surnamed Zhou looked at Su Xu again and smiled with a chuckle. "I hear Brother Su has also received an imperial decree to enter the palace and tutor a noble. Is this not clear proof of the Great King's deep trust in our Confucian school?"

*You don't know a damn thing!*

Su Xu desperately wanted to spell it out to them: the person the Great King told him to teach held absolutely no regard for Confucianism whatsoever, yet the Great King valued that person immensely. Trying to make Confucianism the ruling philosophy of Great Qin was practically a pipe dream!

Upon hearing the words of the scholar surnamed Zhou, another Confucian became intrigued and asked, "Brother Su, who on earth is this person you are tutoring? Can you share it with us?"

Su Xu shook his head and said earnestly, "Su cannot say, and I must ask you all not to inquire further!"

Seeing Su Xu’s solemn expression and serious tone, they all tactfully refrained from pressing the matter further. However, the more forbidden something was, the more curiosity it provoked. One could control their words and actions, but not their thoughts.

Although the men stopped questioning Su Xu directly, they continuously speculated in their minds about Li Nian's identity, even linking it to Su Xu's behavior that night:

Su Xu must have received some piece of intelligence from the royal noble he was tutoring, which was why he appeared so profoundly anxious.

In other words, this occasion might truly not be an opportunity for Confucianism at all, but rather a trap. To leap blindly into it without knowing the truth would bring disaster rather than blessings.

The other Confucian scholars besides Su Xu exchanged glances, all discerning this underlying implication, and silence fell over the room for a moment.

After a long while, Chunyu Yue broke the silence. He frowned and asked Su Xu, "I have never heard Prince Fusu mention this matter. Is this merely Brother Su's own conjecture?"

Su Xu understood that these men were unwilling to let go of this opportunity, nor was he willing to abandon it himself.

Confucianism had existed for several centuries since its inception, yet it had never been employed by a sovereign as the governing philosophy of a state. Now that they finally saw the possibility of being utilized, how could people who devoutly believed in Confucian ideology be willing to let it slip away?

Therefore, when Chunyu Yue asked him using the phrase "Brother Su's own conjecture," he was really asking whether this was merely his personal idea or an indirect warning from the person he was tutoring.

Su Xu replied, "It is my own conjecture, but I truly believe it is inadvisable to proceed with this matter."

Upon receiving Su Xu's answer, Chunyu Yue stated, "Brother Su must understand that such a rare opportunity does not allow us to let it pass by. Tomorrow, we will jointly submit a memorial to the Great King, detailing the flaws of Great Qin and reviving the teachings of Confucianism. If Brother Su is unwilling, you are free to stay behind!"

Seeing that their minds were made up, Su Xu said helplessly, "Reviving our Confucian school is also Su's lifelong aspiration; how could Su lag behind others?"

Even though Su Xu believed the endeavor was unlikely to succeed and might even incur the Great King's displeasure, he ultimately decided to join them.

Because he, too, firmly believed that only Confucianism could properly govern the realm.

At this time, Confucianism was not like the Confucianism of later generations. Although their ideals might seem backward and impractical to later eras, these men genuinely and truly believed in Confucian thought. They lacked no courage to die for the Dao burning in their hearts—unlike certain Confucian disciples of later generations whose spines were too soft and whose loyalties easily swayed...

Hearing that Su Xu would also join, Chunyu Yue smiled. "With Brother Su's participation, this undertaking is bound to succeed!"

The men began to deliberate. Although they had decided to seize this opportunity to push Confucianism onto the political stage and replace Legalism, how to phrase their arguments so that they made sense and convinced the Great King required careful thought. They certainly could not simply state outright that Legalism was useless and only their Confucian school would do.

After much discussion, Chunyu Yue, possessing the most outstanding scholarship and literary talent, drafted a memorial. It first argued that the Qin penal codes were overly harsh in governing the people and lacked benevolent governance, which would inevitably lead to the loss of public support and imperil the state if it continued, making the abolition of the harsh Qin laws imperative. Next, it argued that an heir apparent should be established early to put the minds of the empire at ease. Finally, it discussed the restoration of the Rites of Zhou and the various benefits of governing the state through Confucianism, thereby corroborating the correctness of Confucian doctrine...

When night had passed, within the Zhangtai Palace, Ying Zheng sat loftily upon his throne, looking down at the gathered ministers in the hall: "Yesterday, I left two questions for all of you. Do you ministers have your answers? Present them to me!"

Dozens of palace attendants carrying trays stepped forward and approached the grand ministers.

Zhao Gao, Li Si, Chunyu Yue, and others produced the bamboo slips they had prepared in advance and placed them onto the trays.

Ying Zheng did not examine the bamboo slips immediately. With so many of them, how could he possibly finish reading them all at once?

If he were to read the bamboo slips before proceeding with the court assembly, when would the session ever end?

After the court was dismissed, Ying Zheng finally ordered the bamboo slips to be brought to him, looking first at those submitted by his sons.

The attendants had arranged the bamboo slips in order of the princes' ages, so this first batch naturally contained the writings of the eldest, Fusu.

As he read Fusu's endless ramblings in the bamboo slips—protesting that Great Qin's current harsh laws and severe punishments were wrong and that only the implementation of benevolent governance could properly rule the state—a surge of fiery anger welled up inside Ying Zheng.

If Fusu had not been absent from Zhangtai Palace at that moment, he would have loved to grab Fusu by the neck and sternly interrogate this son: Is benevolent governance really that wonderful, really that useful? Your father asked you to ponder the problems plaguing Great Qin, and this is all you can come up with? And you even dare to lecture me with it—how pedantic!

Suppressing his anger, Ying Zheng picked up another bamboo slip.

The bamboo slips submitted by the other sons were even worse than Fusu's, but knowing the limited capabilities of those boys, he wasn't quite as furious—until he laid eyes on Huhai's bamboo slip.

Seeing that Huhai's entire slip was filled with sycophantic flattery singing his praises, Ying Zheng's anger flared up once more. With a darkened expression, he issued an order: "Prince Huhai fails to contemplate the proper path and fixates only on crooked ways. Punish him by copying the *Classic of Poetry* ten times!"

Ying Zheng actually wanted to punish Fusu as well, but the purpose of punishment was to make a son repent and mend his ways.

Yet how could he punish Fusu in a way that made him understand his faults?

Fusu's primary problems were twofold: first, he was far too pedantic, benevolent, and filial; second, he had never grasped a fundamental truth—as a prince of Great Qin and the one most likely to inherit the throne in the future, how could he be so naive as to believe that benevolent governance alone could rule an empire?

It wasn't that benevolent governance could never be used, but as a sovereign, one must never blindly rely on it exclusively!

With a Fusu like that, no matter how much he favored his eldest son, how could he ever dare entrust the fate of Great Qin to him?