Chapter 654 Chaos and Separation
The imperial palace is towering, overlooking the four realms.
In the spacious palace, the smooth polished floors of huge stones are spread layer by layer, and the palace pillars extend outward in rows. The throne is located on the central axis, and the ministers are scattered under the throne. The layout is majestic and solemn.
Outside the palace gate, the base is like white jade, supporting the palace and located at the highest point of Longshou Plain.
Emperor Zun stood on the high platform in front of the palace gate, alone. Gai Nie held Yuan Hong in his hand, climbed up the stairs, and came to the Emperor Zun.
"His Majesty!"
"How's it going?"
"The Valley of Hope is gone."
"Gone?"
Emperor Zun was a little surprised and didn't understand the specific meaning of Gai Nie's words. But before Emperor Zun could ask, a report had already been presented to him.
Taking it from Gai Nie, Emperor Zun opened it and took a look.
"The water level has risen sharply this summer, and the canals have overflowed and flooded into the surrounding villages and valleys. No one in the local area has been spared."
This report sent from Surabaya records a brief story of a flood.
The vast empire covers thousands of miles, and there are many complicated things such as disasters, relief, fortifications, and construction. This incident is inconspicuous among them, but it has announced the demise of a top force that once dominated the world.
Hidden in it, the huge scandal that could have shaken the empire's prestige was drowned in the flooding flood, and everything seemed as if it had never happened.
Emperor Zun held the report, handed it back to Gai Nie's hand, and walked back.
Gai Nie looked at Emperor Zun's back and felt a little strange. From before King Qin came to power to the present, a king has become the emperor who dominates the world, but he has become farther and farther away from Gai Nie, and his thoughts have become more and more profound.
The power of the emperor is unpredictable; when the emperor is angry, millions of corpses will float up.
The emperor in front of him was getting farther and farther away from Genie and returned to his palace. Maybe this matter was just a small thing to him after all.
Opening the Chi Road, building the Great Wall, conquering Baiyue in the south, building the logistics system...everything is an important matter for the empire and needs this emperor to preside over it.
Although in Ge Nie's view, the empire's large-scale construction projects were quite costly for the people, he did not deny that what the empire was doing would have an immeasurable and far-reaching impact on the entire world.
Finally, Gai Nie bowed and walked down the steps.
…
In Li Si's mansion, a group of Legalists gathered together, somewhat unhappy.
"Those Confucian scholars talk eloquently all day long, saying that the empire consumes the people's energy and that we should be considerate of the people. They say all the cheap things."
Li Si sat at the front seat, drinking tea and saying nothing, listening to the discussions in the room with anger.
"Barbarians invade from time to time on the border. The earthquake in Zhao has not yet recovered, and floods in Chu have occurred again. How to comfort the victims, suppress or pacify the bandits, and how to defend the border from enemies? At this time, what is the use of talking about benevolence and righteousness?"
"The rich and poor in different places and their household registrations are different. Taxes and taxes should be collected from each place and uniformly distributed by the imperial court to benefit the four directions. How can we listen to those Confucian scholars and enfeoff the land to stabilize the place."
…
The dispute between Legalism and Confucianism was very fierce within the empire. However, Li Si was not worried. With the implementation of the county system, the Legalist faction had completely established a foothold within the empire.
However, the implementation of major policies is one thing, and resistance is another.
But what really worries Li Si is another thing.
"Those Confucian scholars stay around the eldest son all day long, making false promises and bewitching him. If things go on like this, it will be very detrimental to the Legalists."
"shut up!"
Li Si put down the teacup in his hand and stopped drinking.
"The eldest son has a kind-hearted nature and is very close to a group of Confucian scholars. As a minister, how can you speak nonsense!"
"Yes, I made a mistake."
"Your Majesty has just returned from a tour to inspect various projects in various places. He has not rested for a few days before he will make an eastward tour to inspect various places in Kanto. You don't need to say more, just be prepared and do your part."
"promise!"
At this moment, Zhao Gao's figure appeared outside the house.
"You go down first!"
The place where Li Si met Zhao Gao was not in this room, but on the road to the rear garden.
Li Si is a Tingwei. The establishment of Luowen in the empire was also in Tingwei Mansion, under the jurisdiction of Li Si.
Li Si looked at the beautiful scenery outside Fudao, but had no intention of appreciating it, so he asked instead.
"CRRC Office Order, what do you think of the current disputes within the empire?"
"Confucian scholars talk too much about ordinary matters; Taoists like to talk nonsense and don't understand time and order."
Li Si turned his head, very interested in Zhao Gao's words.
"How to say?"
"The ministers thought that when the empire was first established, it should recuperate and stabilize people's hearts. This is a great fallacy. The empire launched wars and destroyed the six kingdoms. In ten years, millions of people were killed and injured. But although the six kingdoms of Kanto were destroyed, the people's strength was still there. The people's hearts are not attached. If they rest and recuperate, peace will be chaotic. When the people's strength is restored, the people of Guandong are bewitched by the remnants of the Six Kingdoms. In less than ten years, chaos will arise. How can the court control it? At this time, it should carry out large-scale construction and exhaust all resources. Only by exhausting the people's strength in Guandong, waiting for people to calm down, and then implementing benevolent policies and recuperating can stability be achieved."
Li Si took a deep breath and looked at Zhao Gao, whose gloomy face never changed.
"CRRC Fu Ling's insights are quite original."
"I hope you will forgive me for what I have said, a humble person."
A smile appeared on Li Si's face and he turned around.
"I heard that the CRRC Prefecture has begun to teach the Eighteenth Prince the laws and regulations?"
"The eighteenth prince is keen and eager to learn. At a young age, he often recited the works of Shang Jun, Xunzi and Han Fei. Recently, he has been practicing calligraphy and reading the seal scripts of famous ancient and modern masters, especially the seal scripts of adults. He often copies them and likes them very much."
"The Eighteenth Prince is determined."
Li Si said something and then asked.
"Is there any movement in the world?"
Zhao Gao is the commander of Zhongche Mansion and the leader of Luowang. For the supervision of Jianghu, it is really necessary to report to Tingwei, one of the Nine Qings.
"The Valley of Hope is over."
"What did you say?"
Li Si was a little surprised. He looked at Zhao Gao and saw that his words were very humble and he was respectful.
"The local government came to report that there was a flood in Song Dynasty, which submerged everything near Jiwang Valley. None of the tens of thousands of disciples in the valley were spared."
What a powerful method, what a cruel heart!
In Li Si's heart, he was very afraid of the imperial prince Che. However, his face remained calm.
"Natural disasters are merciless, and those killed and injured are all the people of the empire."
"Lord Tingwei is right!"
Zhao Gao added a sentence, which seemed a bit perfunctory, and turned to speak.
"During this flood, the Mohist disciples also contributed a lot. Speaking of which, in the imperial court, hundreds of schools of Confucianism, Mohism, Taoism, and Dharma all occupy a place, but compared to other schools, the Mohist family is very low-key. But the Mohist disciples helped the empire build fortifications, and their footprints spread all over the world, and their reputation among the people and the world was growing day by day."
Li Si narrowed his eyes and asked.
"What does CRRC Fu Ling want to say?"
"The chivalrous man used martial arts to violate the law, and the Confucian scholar used literature to disrupt the law."
The meaning of Zhao Gao's short sentence was already very clear.
In this imperial court, the biggest enemy of Legalism may not be Confucianism, but Mohism, which has always been hidden in the shadow of the imperial court.