Simultaneous travel: I am proving the great way in the heavens.

Chapter 345: Confucianism and Legalism merge, Confucian skin and Legalism bones! The core of Shang Yang's law!
"Sir." Gai Nie's tone was somewhat anxious, as if he wanted to persuade Luo Fu not to have anything to do with Lu Buwei.

But Luo Fu waved his hand the moment Gai Nie opened his mouth, interrupting him and saying, "If Mr. Gai Nie is not in a hurry, you might as well stay for a while and see the rare Prime Minister Lu."

We have to admit that Lu Buwei's ability to make the most of rare goods was indeed an unprecedented innovation.

Even after Lu Buwei, hostages from various countries were mostly merchants or even investors from various parties.

Even Prince Dan of Yan, who is now a hostage in Qin, will be able to escape from Xianyang and return all the way to Jicheng of Yan thanks to those who want to emulate Lu Buwei.

Rare goods can be kept in good condition, which really made Lu Buwei gain huge benefits.

After hearing Luo Fu's words, Gai Nie, who was extremely anxious, had to choose to stay temporarily.

After all, as a guard beside the King of Qin, Gai Nie could not ignore the meeting between Luo Fu and Lu Buwei. He not only had to inform Ying Zheng about the process of the meeting between the two parties.

Even during the meeting between Luofu and Lu Buwei, they tried their best to destroy the possibility of cooperation between Luofu and Lu Buwei.

Gai Nie nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble you with everything, sir."

"It's okay." Luo Fu waved his hand, and then began to arrange the black and white sisters, preparing to welcome Prime Minister Lu Buwei.

From the Spring and Autumn Period of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty to the present Warring States Period, although there have been a large number of prime ministers in various countries, if we talk about the most famous and legendary prime minister, even if Lu Buwei cannot be the only one, he must be among the top.

The fact that he was a rare commodity was enough to make him the envy of countless merchants.

After Luofu had made preparations to welcome Lu Buwei, not long after, Lu Buwei's carriage drove into Luofu's mansion in a dignified manner.

Inside Xianyang Palace.

Ying Zheng, who was waiting for Gai Nie's return, first learned from Zhao Gao that Lu Buwei had actually visited Luofu.

Although Ying Zheng had never found an opportunity to take power before, he had loyal fans around him.

Leaving aside Gai Nie, the bodyguard and swordsmanship teacher, Zhao Gao can almost be regarded as the most trusted person by Ying Zheng at this moment.

After returning from Xinzheng in South Korea and taking control of 100,000 Pingyang heavy armored soldiers, Ying Zheng also gave Zhao Gao greater power, which was to let Zhao Gao start to get involved in the management of Luowang.

In fact, Zhao Gao had already come into contact with Luowang before this, but at that time, Zhao Gao had no power and no one would care about a eunuch like him.

But as Ying Zheng gained control of the military power, Zhao Gao's status naturally rose as well.

In a short period of time, the Six Sword Slaves were recruited by Zhao Gao to his side.

"Zhao Gao."

Ying Zheng looked calm.

"I'm here." Zhao Gao appeared in front of Ying Zheng with a respectful attitude and bowed.

"Send someone to Mr. Luozi's residence immediately. I want to know every word between Prime Minister Lu and Mr. Luozi."

Zhao Gao said with confidence: "Your Majesty, please rest assured. When I arranged a mansion for Mr. Luo Zi, I asked the sisters Zhuan Po and Mie Hun to stay in Mr. Luo Zi's mansion as maids."

Nodding slightly, Ying Zheng said: "Go down!"

Although he trusted Zhao Gao, Ying Zheng was instinctively wary and cautious about trusting anyone after being betrayed time and time again.

Gai Nie and Zhao Gao were no exception, let alone Luofu.

Yes, Luofu did give Ying Zheng an opportunity to gain the aura of an emperor, and even allowed Ying Zheng to glimpse the opportunity to transcend the mundane world.

But Ying Zheng knew very well that before he came to power, no matter what promises he made to Luofu, they were nothing but empty promises.

However, Lu Buwei was the prime minister who held all the power.

Let me ask, how could Ying Zheng not worry that Luofu would turn to Lu Buwei?

Once Luofu, the famous Confucian sage, joins forces with Lu Buwei, it will create a situation that will make Ying Zheng extremely desperate.

In Luofu's mansion.

Luo Fu had actually discovered the existence of soul-transfer and soul-destroying as soon as he entered the mansion.

Who made Zhuanpo and Miehun, like Jingwei, Luowang’s killers?

There are not many female killers among Luowang’s killers, especially the top ones are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

When in the web, Jingwei had already seen the sisters Zhuanpo and Miehun.

When Jingwei saw the sisters appearing in the mansion as maids, he understood the whole story in just an instant.

You know, as a killer of Luowang, Jingwei is also good at disguise, and can even play the piano with a skill that even Xinling Jun Wei Wuji was amazed.

Although he is certainly not as good as Nong Yu who can play the music that touches the heartstrings, Jing Wei's piano skills are well-known throughout the world.

In Luowang, most of the killers cannot really rely on pure force to carry out assassinations. In most cases, they disguise their identities to approach the target.

This process is particularly common among female killers.

Since he had followed Luofu wholeheartedly, after realizing the existence of Soul Transfer and Soul Destruction, Jingwei naturally informed Luofu of the news as soon as possible.

Although Luofu knew that it was definitely Zhao Gao's work and that Ying Zheng must have been behind it, he didn't mind it.

Whether in terms of his own strength or other aspects, Luofu has the qualifications to ignore the entire Luowang.

Since Zhuanpo and Miehun want to stay here as maids, then let them stay.

On the one hand, Soul Transformation and Soul Destruction can be used to appease Ying Zheng. On the other hand, even if Soul Transformation and Soul Destruction are keeping an eye on Luofu all the time, as long as there is something that Luofu does not want them to know, then the sisters will definitely know nothing about it.

When Lu Buwei's carriage arrived at the Luofu residence.

The moment the two sides met, Lü Buwei froze in his place. After a moment, he said with a sigh, "I didn't expect that Mr. Luo Zi, who is famous in the seven countries, is so young and vigorous. Compared with Mr. Luo Zi, I am already very old."

"Prime Minister Lu, you are too kind. It's just that every generation has its own talented people, and each of them leads the trend for hundreds of years."

His eyes lit up instantly, and Lü Buwei laughed loudly, saying, "Great, great! Every generation has talented people, and each of them leads the trend for hundreds of years. From now on, the world will surely belong to me and Mr. Luo Zi."

Luo Fu smiled but did not answer. He waved his hand and said, "Prime Minister, please come in."

"Please come in, sir." Lu Buwei also bowed to Luofu.

This gift meant that this time Lu Buwei did not come as the prime minister of the Qin Dynasty, but visited Luofu as a scholar.

Suddenly, Luofu understood what Lu Buwei was thinking.

The Eclectic School is a rather peculiar school of thought. In fact, the embryonic form of this academic thought had already existed before Lü Buwei.

However, it was not until the emergence of Lü Buwei and the compilation of Lüshi Chunqiu that the eclectic school truly had a clear program.

He combined Confucianism and Mohism, and integrated Nominalism and Legalism, and was well versed in the teachings of all schools of thought.

Having said that, the Eclectic School actually has some similarities with the Legalist School.

There is no clear inheritance for the disciples of the Legalists, because the big names of the Legalists rarely have a good end. For example, the famous Shang Yang, after helping the Qin Dynasty complete its reforms, ended up being torn to pieces.

As for Wu Qi's reforms in the State of Chu, Wu Qi himself was shot to death on the spot.

Le Yi, who presided over the reform of Yan State, eventually fled to Zhao State. Even King Wuling of Zhao, who presided over the reform of Zhao State as a king, eventually ended up starving to death in Shaqiu.

Even the ministers who presided over the reform, these Legalist leaders, either fled to other countries or were simply executed along with their clans, regardless of whether the reform was ultimately successful or not.

This also leads to the fact that the Legalist tradition often emerges out of nowhere.

The situation of the Eclectic School is similar to that of the Legalist School.

The Eclectic School itself is not a conscious and inherited school. To be precise, the Eclectic School was born out of an idea that took the best of various schools of thought.

Even Luofu's Confucian scholarship has been mixed with too many ideas from other schools of thought. Rather than saying that Luofu is Confucian, that is just a name with no substance. In essence, Luofu's academic philosophy is actually closer to eclecticism.

However, the various schools of thought have developed from the Spring and Autumn Period to the present, and have actually become mutually inclusive.

Even the future confluence of Confucianism and Legalism that would appear in the Han Dynasty, with Confucianism in appearance and Legalism in substance, had already begun to emerge.

After welcoming Lu Buwei into the reception room.

Lü Buwei got straight to the point and said, "Your theory of three generations is really amazing. However, although you are from Confucianism, you are more like a combination of Confucianism and Mohism, combining Nominalism and Legalism, and encompassing all schools of thought."

With these words, Lu Buwei was clearly testing Luofu.

Of course, this is both a test and an olive branch to Luofu.

Behind Luofu, Gai Nie held the scabbard in one hand and the hilt with the other, posing as a guard.

Hearing what Lu Buwei said, Gai Nie couldn't help but frown.

In Gai Nie's opinion, Lu Buwei was clearly intending to bring Luofu, the Confucian sage, into the eclectic school.

This was not just an academic dispute, but also a sign that Lu Buwei intended to deliver his ideals to Luofu.

In fact, among the various schools of thought, it was not uncommon for disciples to jump around and change schools.

Apart from other things, Xunzi, the Confucian saint, had many disciples, but the most outstanding ones were Li Si and Han Fei, who all became representatives of the Legalists. Han Fei was even the master of the Legalists.

This situation actually appeared a long time ago.

For example, the founder of Mohism, Mozi, was originally a student of Confucianism, learning the Confucianism of Confucius, but because he was dissatisfied with the Confucian teachings, he simply broke away and founded a new school. Mohism has even become one of the most powerful schools of thought, and is known as one of the two major schools of thought together with Confucianism. If the founder of Mohism is like this, let alone the disciples of other schools of thought.

The theories that students learn at the beginning may not be what they will stick to until the end.

But Luofu has now become a representative figure of Confucianism. If he were to switch to the eclectic school, the result would be somewhat terrifying.

For Confucianism, it would be an almost devastating blow.

"The various schools of thought have long been integrated with each other. The reason why the predecessors of the various schools of thought put forward various theories and concepts is not to achieve peace, right? Although they take different paths, they all end up in the same destination." Luofu said indifferently.

Lü Buwei nodded in agreement and said, "That's right. The hundreds of schools of thought have long been intertwined. In this case, Mr. Luozi, have you ever thought about establishing a new lineage like Mozi, the founder of the Mohist school?"

With a thought in his mind, Luo Fu vaguely guessed what kind of gift Lu Buwei wanted to give him.

The head of a miscellaneous school.

Although Eclecticism is not a school like Mohism or Confucianism that has a clear tradition.

But it is undeniable that from the perspective of power, academics, etc., there is nothing wrong with Lü Buwei claiming to be the leader of the eclectic school. In fact, apart from him, there is no one in the world who is more suitable than him.

And now, Lu Buwei obviously intends to bring Luo Fu into the Za family.

In fact, it is not uncommon to win over disciples from other schools.

Although there were many conflicts among the various schools of thought, they often cooperated with each other.

Some students even take on the responsibility of inheriting multiple schools of thought.

For example, the future Zhang Liang, although he is one of the three masterpieces of Xiaoshengxianzhuang and Qi and Lu, the same Zhang Liang must inherit the tradition of Taoism and Yin-Yang School.

In order to develop and continue a school of thought, this practice of using one's own talents to raise the flag is actually very common.

It is obviously impossible to just ask Luofu to join the Miscellaneous School.

In Confucianism, Luofu has become the leader of a school.

In terms of status, he is equal to Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi. It is just that Luofu has not yet made a call. Otherwise, with the doctrines he has developed, he would easily be able to attract enough disciples and become a giant of Confucianism.

The Eclectic School, as a special school so loose that it was only recognized based on academic concepts, only existed because of Lu Buwei's own power.

How could Luofu give up its bright future to inherit Lu Buwei's superficial position as the head of the Miscellaneous School?

"My academic work is centered on Confucianism. Although I have absorbed the wisdom of various schools of thought, it is still Confucianism," Luo Fu emphasized.

A hint of disappointment flashed across Lu Buwei's eyes.

He changed the subject and started discussing purely academic issues with Luo Fu.

"Sir, Qin became a powerful country because of Shang Yang's reforms. Now, it is clear that Qin will unify the world. I wonder what you think, if Qin wipes out the six states in Shandong, does Shang Yang's laws need to be changed to keep pace with the times?" Lu Buwei asked with concern.

In the Qin court, Shang Yang's laws had become almost ancestral.

To some extent, Lü Buwei's Lüshi Chunqiu was a moderate reform.

Moreover, Lu Buwei's reforms will not take place now, but in the future after Qin unified the world.

This is the reason why the appearance of Lü Buwei's Lüshi Chunqiu did not cause turmoil like Shang Yang's reforms.

But even so, Lu Buwei still suffered backlash.

In the future, he gave up his position as prime minister and was granted the fiefdom of Bashu by Ying Zheng, but he committed suicide by drinking poison on the way. It is possible that this was due to some academic disputes.

Since the emergence of various schools of thought in the Spring and Autumn Period, academic disputes have, in most cases, become more than just academic disputes.

Use a term that is more in line with modern times.

That is the battle of routes.

Yes, the so-called academic disputes in the courts of various countries are in fact more of a dispute over routes, and huge interests are also involved in the dispute over routes.

This results in that, whether it is reform or other changes in policy, there is almost no smooth transition afterwards.

Even the most successful Shang Yang Reform, after establishing trust in the beginning, did not use harsh punishments to kill people.

Even Shang Yang himself was eventually sentenced to death by the code of law he had set up.

Lu Buwei is now testing Luofu.

Test whether Luofu can become the successor pioneer on this path.

Because Lu Buwei himself had discovered that his exit was inevitable, but Lu Buwei was unwilling to accept it. He could give up power but could not give up his ideals.

Although he was born into a merchant family, after Lü Buwei compiled Lüshi Chunqiu, his ideal had already been solidified on the eclectic path of Lüshi Chunqiu. This was an ideal that Lü Buwei was willing to sacrifice his life to achieve.

Now, in Lu Buwei's mind, it depends on whether Luofu can take over his path.

If possible, Lu Buwei actually hoped that the one who would inherit his path would be King Ying Zheng of Qin.

Just like back then, Shang Yang and Duke Xiao of Qin worked together to reform the law, but after Duke Xiao of Qin died, King Huiwen of Qin turned around and had Shang Yang, the hero of the reform, torn to pieces. However, Shang Yang's law was completely continued by King Huiwen of Qin, and those who came after him and were listed as the first kings of Qin at most only patched up and improved Shang Yang's law.

And what Lu Buwei wants now is a King Huiwen of Qin, so he might even agree to sacrifice himself for it.

Unfortunately, Lu Buwei knew that Lao Ai's existence would not likely gain the approval of Ying Zheng, either from the perspective of public opinion in the court or from a personal perspective.

Luofu, a rising star of Confucianism, became Lu Buwei's helpless second choice.

As the prime minister of a country, Lu Buwei did not lie about one thing. He had indeed read Luofu's works. Whether it was Luofu's Three Worlds Theory or Luofu's harmony with the Hundred Schools of Thought, the various concepts proposed by him, in Lu Buwei's view, were somewhat similar to his own doctrines.

It's just that Lü Buwei's eclectic school is a true blend of various schools of thought, focusing mainly on governing a country, while Luofu's doctrine is, to a certain extent, closer to Confucian ideas.

It is a pity that Lu Buwei still cannot see through it. The essence of Luofu's academic thought is just a further step of Confucianism and Legalism. It is even more radical than Confucianism and Legalism. Only the skin of Confucianism is left.

However, his Confucian skin perfectly wraps up his true core.

Perhaps, among the various schools of thought, only great figures like Xunzi and Bei Mingzi, who truly implemented their own ideas and academic studies, could see through the truth of Luofu academic studies.

But such a big shot would not expose Luo Fu even if he saw through it.

Take Confucianism for example. No matter what kind of core Luofu has wrapped inside Confucianism, as his academic knowledge grows, Confucianism will surely rise with it, which can be said to have gained face. However, those schools whose academic cores are wrapped in Luofu's Confucian skin, they only get the inside.

The only exception is Lü Buwei. Although he is the leader of the Eclectic School and can even be regarded as the one who truly laid the foundation of the Eclectic School, he was born in a merchant family. In addition, Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals is essentially a work that was born with Lü Buwei's ideas as the core and a mixture of various schools of thought.

Even the real writers were the many retainers recruited by Lu Buwei. This led to the fact that in terms of academic attainments, Lu Buwei was more of a signboard, but he did not have the ability to see through the true meaning of Luofu academic thought.

After seeing that Lu Buwei asked the question that he was most concerned about, he stared at Luofu without blinking.

Gai Nie, who was standing by, also showed a curious look.

Not only that, outside the reception room.

The two sisters Zhuanpo and Miehun were quietly listening to every word between Luofu and Lu Buwei in the reception room.

"Shang Yang's Law is the foundation of the Qin State. The reason why the Qin State is as powerful as it is today is largely due to Shang Yang's Law. Even if the Qin State unifies the six states in Shandong in the future, Shang Yang's Law can be adapted to the times, but the core must never change." Luo Fu's words were decisive.

However, Lu Buwei showed a look of disappointment.

After all, in his opinion, Luo Fu was also a bit pedantic.

But he didn't understand that the core of Luofu's so-called Shang Yang's law was not those harsh laws and punishments, but to provide a channel for the lower classes to rise.

Apart from anything else, once the Qin Dynasty unified the world, the military merit system, even if it was not abolished, would have little chance of being used.

After all, if the six states in Shandong were destroyed, there would not be much land left to conquer in the world.

This world is different from the history that Luofu has known. Even the terrain is not the universe and the stars, but the round sky and the square earth. The threat from the north is not the Huns, but the wolf tribe.

The endless yellow sand in the Western Regions is almost the edge of the world, and the vast ocean in the East is also the end of the world.

Under such circumstances, after the Qin Dynasty unified the world, it would be almost impossible for any major war to occur in a short period of time.

Without war, the military merit system would naturally have no use.

In this way, the upward channel of the lower level was almost completely blocked.

The entire Qin Dynasty will fall into a stagnant situation.

Even if Hu Hai had not behaved recklessly, the empire could only hold on for a few more years before eventually falling apart.

Nowadays, few people can grasp the true essence of Shang Yang's reform, which is not about clear rewards and punishments, nor about harsh laws and severe punishments. Instead, it is that the military merit system truly gave the lower classes the opportunity to change their own destiny.

This is the real core.

It is also the source of Luofu’s insistence on not changing.

"Although Shang Yang's laws made the Qin Dynasty strong for a while, they are unsustainable. The Qin people are accustomed to harsh laws and punishments, but the six states in Shandong will surely be in turmoil. If the powerful people of the fallen country stir up trouble again, the situation of the Qin Dynasty will inevitably become precarious." Lu Buwei spoke earnestly, trying to persuade Luo Fu to change his mind.

But the one who really didn't understand the key point now was Lu Buwei himself.

"For the common people, harsh laws and punishments are not scary." Luo Fu was calm and said, "When Shang Yang reformed the law, the people were indeed in an uproar at the beginning, but what happened in the end? Shang Yang's law has made the Great Qin Dynasty a powerful country that can swallow up the world. The people are happy to hear about war."

After a slight pause, Luo Fu looked at Lü Buwei meaningfully and said, "What do you think, Prime Minister, is the reason why the people are so supportive of Shang Yang's laws?"

(End of this chapter)