The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 150: I am evenly matched with the other philosophers?

Lu Buwei looked at his disciples in surprise, and in his heart he actually had the outrageous thought, "It would have been better if the late king had died earlier."

When the previous king was alive, Prince Chengjiao was a child prodigy.

When the previous king was away, Prince Chengjiao was the Lord of Chang'an.

Everyone thought that this title was an honorary title given by the beloved son of King Chu of Qin, and Lu Buwei thought so at first.

He doesn't think so now.

The disciple's wisdom is not inferior to his, but his imagination is far superior to his.

More importantly, disciples born in the tyrannical Qin Dynasty are naturally kind-hearted.

If the previous king died before the eldest son entered Qin, then even if the second son did not want to be the crown prince, Qin Zichu, who only had the second son by his side, would force the second son to be the crown prince for the sake of the stability of the court.

If this is the case, it will be a blessing for all people.

Lu Buwei sighed inwardly, nodded, and asked softly:
"Then according to your opinion, is there any way to remedy this situation?"

The boy recalled his grandfather's voice and smile, and pursed his lips:

"Not every king has the courage to sacrifice himself for his country.

"Yan Wangxi didn't even have the guts to throw away his power as the ruler of Yan State, let alone his life.

"What we need to be on guard against is civil strife in Yan State, with ministers besieging the King of Yan and supporting a new king to succeed to the throne.

“King Xi of Yan has only one son, Dan, and only Crown Prince Dan is qualified to inherit the throne of Yan.

“The teacher wants my father to send an envoy to Yan to make peace with the Yan State.

"He has displeased Zhao, and the attitudes of Wei and Chu, which have declared war on Yan, are unclear for the time being.

"With enemies on all sides, King Xi of Yan would not refuse an alliance with Qin to protect the peace of Yan.

"To show sincerity, King Xi of Yan is asked to send his crown prince as a hostage to Qin."

Lu Buwei stroked the patterns on the wooden box:
"How can we make King Yan Xi agree?"

After leaving Qin, Ying Chengjiao stayed in Yan State for the longest time and had face-to-face dealings with King Xi of Yan several times.

He knew exactly what kind of person this was, and was quite certain:
"Given King Xi's temperament, he knew that the King of Qin wanted him to send his son as a hostage.

“Although I was angry in my heart, I didn’t dare to show it on my face, and I finally agreed.

“The method I am going to talk about next is not so much to make King Xi of Yan agree to send the crown prince, but rather to untie the knot in his heart.

"We have so many spies in Zhao State. Although Yan State is remote, it should have some as well.

"Let the spies of Ji make up some folk songs and teach them to the children to sing. The general idea is that the prince wants to replace the king.

“The envoy or deputy envoy will decide the situation.

“You can indirectly tell King Yanxi that the death of King Yan and the succession of the Crown Prince can save Yan. It would be best if you could get it from one or two Yan officials.

"When King Xi of Yan realized that his son might pose a threat to him, sending his son as a hostage in Qin was his best option.

"besides……"

Lu Buwei smiled, full of satisfaction.

The disciple's growth has far exceeded his imagination, which is a good thing.

Ying Chengjiao talked for more than half of his thoughts, then suddenly stopped talking, drank a sip of water to moisten his throat, and said:

"Have you already thought of what I said, sir? Have you already reported it to your father? Are the envoys from Qin arriving in Ji soon?"

"Most of the same." Lü Buwei looked at his promising grandchildren like an ordinary old man: "Young Master has really grown up."

Ying Chengjiao forced a smile.

He would rather not grow up, and do whatever he wants under the doting of his grandfather, becoming a childish young man named Cheng Jiao.

Lu Buwei, who was only interested in climbing up the social ladder, naturally could not understand Ying Chengjiao's state of mind.

He pointed at the wooden box and said:
"This could be the head of Yan Xiangjiang Qu, or the head of Gongsun Longzi.

"Sir, have you forgotten what you once taught me about the difference between a king and a minister?
“Don’t limit yourself to rules, break away from them.

“In the eyes of Chang’an Jun, a gentleman’s difficult problem can be solved by a Qin sword.

"You should just listen to these words yourself, and don't tell Kong Bin."

The human head in the wooden box does not need to avoid Kong Bin, but the truth derived from the wooden box does need to avoid Kong Bin.

Facing Gongsun Long, Kong Bin was only thinking about how to increase Ying Chengjiao's chances of winning.

He asked Ying Chengjiao to read "Gongsun Longzi" more and ask him if he had any questions, which was to know the enemy.

Next, Gongsun Long will debate with Ying Chengjiao every day from his perspective, so that Ying Chengjiao can become familiar with the process in advance. This is a mock test.

Although Kong Bin served as prime minister of the State of Wei, he still started from the right path, which was consistent with the Confucian philosophy of governing the country and knowing and observing etiquette.

When Kong Bin was around, Lu Buwei did not dare to suggest the assassination.

Lu Buwei was afraid that Kong Bin would leave in anger, and thought this was very likely.

Although both of them believed in governing the country with benevolence and following the kingly way, there were still differences between Kong Bin and Lu Buwei.

In order to achieve his goal, Lu Buwei did not mind using extraordinary means.

Kong Bin: No, Kong Bin is very orthodox. He must remain consistent with the goal while achieving it.

If he was willing to use extraordinary measures, he would not have resigned from his position as Prime Minister of Wei.

Ying Chengjiao did think of killing Gongsun Long, but there was a problem that was not a problem.

The young man looked at the wooden box and said in a deep voice:

"Killing Gongsun Long is not difficult, but what if another one comes out to challenge me? Should I kill him again?"

Lu Buwei shook his head and said:

"Sir, don't underestimate yourself.

“In debate, apart from the debater Gongsun Longzi, all the scholars of the noble families are unbeatable.

"Young Master was able to persuade Master Chu Mo to leave. Although this was because Master Chu Mo was good at strength but not at speaking, it was enough to show Young Master's ability.

"When facing the next piece, you won't feel so much pressure. The chances of winning are at least fifty-fifty."

Seeing Lu Buwei's face full of belief, Ying Chengjiao looked full of disbelief.

He didn't know whether Lu Buwei overestimated him, underestimated the other philosophers, or both.

"I'm 50-50 with the others?" Ying Chengjiao pointed at his nose and said, "Master, are you kidding?"

"If you don't have this kind of ambition, then you should kill Gongsun Long." Lü Buwei's eyes were sharp, like the tip of a Qin sword. "You don't even have the confidence to debate with other scholars, so how can you say you can debate with Gongsun Long, the strongest debater since the beginning of debate? Just based on the Gongsun Longzi you've read these days? It's not enough. Among all the scholars who have debated with Gongsun Longzi, which one hasn't read Gongsun Longzi?"

Ying Chengjiao was silent for a moment and said:
"…Let me think about it again."

He always felt that killing Gongsun Longzi would do more harm than good.

In less than a moment, the candle was blown out with a loud breath, and the room, which had been noisy for the entire afternoon and evening, fell silent.

In a room in the courtyard, Gai Nie was lying in his clothes, with Cheng Ying hanging diagonally on the wall.

He put his hands behind his head, his eyes wide open in the darkness, and he was struggling inside.

After listening to what Master Chu Mo and Young Master Cheng Jiao said, the Sword Saint decided to leave.

Prince Chengjiao does not seem to be as virtuous as he appears.

Even if he said that he left Chu Mo Master, it would only prove that Mohism and Chu Mo Master were not purely moral, but he could not prove that he was a gentleman.

If Master Chengjiao was not a gentleman, why would he risk his life to protect him?

He was a Zhao native and the sword master of Zhao. How could he protect the prince of Qin with whom he had a blood feud?
Although Master Chengjiao treated him very well, but...

He sighed, turned over, stared at the wall and continued to worry. He stayed awake all night.

At daybreak, the sun was up to noon.

There was a knock on the door of the room where Gai Nie lived, "Knock knock knock".

"Is Mr. Gai here?" a clear young voice said.

Gai Nie had heard this voice countless times, so he naturally knew that it was his master, and said "Here" first.

Then he got out of bed, quickly straightened his white shirt, and opened the door.

"Are we about to set off?" Gai Nie asked expressionlessly, thinking that he was being asked to leave.

"It's not wrong to say that we are setting off. Cheng Jiao has found out where Master Chu Mo lives and wants to visit him. He wants Mr. Gai's protection." Ying Cheng Jiao saw the light but numerous red bloodshot in Gai Nie's eyes and smiled apologetically: "Cheng Jiao didn't know that Mr. Gai didn't sleep well. Please take a rest, Mr. Gai, and Cheng Jiao will go find someone else."

"Nie, it's okay. I'll follow you!" Gai Nie jumped up, took down the shadow on the wall and hung it around his waist.

There are three Mo dynasties in the world, Qin, Qi and Chu, but most people only know Chu Mo.

Chu Mo is not high up in the government, but mingles in the world.

For Yu Kongbin, Deng Lingxue, the great Mohist scholar of Chu State, is a student of Deng Ling and a master of Mohism.

For the Sword Master, Deng Lingxue, the master of Chu Mo, is a legendary hero of the Chu State, whom he has admired for a long time.

Zhu Hai, his old friend of many years, advised him kindly, but failed to shake his determination to protect Ying Chengjiao.

At that time, the Sword Saint was only commissioned by his former master Lin Xiangru, and had not yet joined Ying Chengjiao's army.

Overhearing Deng Lingxue's few words, the Sword Master struggled internally.

It's not about whether Deng Lingxue's words are pleasant and moving, it's about the person Deng Lingxue is.

Ying Chengjiao originally thought that a Chu Mo leader like Deng Lingxue, who was deeply rooted in the people and was a chivalrous man, would not be liked by the government and would have to hide from place to place like a rat crossing the street to survive.

But in fact, Deng Lingxue's residence in the city was provided by the government.

Following the instructions of the Wei officials, Ying Chengjiao came to a house.

"What do you think of the giant?" Ying Chengjiao asked with a smile.

The official was about to leave, but was stunned when he heard the words. He didn't expect that the nobleman would take the initiative to talk to him.

After secretly observing that the two cold-hearted men and women behind the nobleman had no intention of responding, and confirming that the nobleman was talking to him, he humbly lowered his body:
"The giant is such a good man."

"I think so too." Ying Chengjiao shook his head and sighed: "I have admired you for a long time, I wonder if you will meet me."

"Don't worry, sir." The official assured Deng Lingxue, "If the master is here, he will definitely meet you. The master never refuses anyone."

"That's good, that's good... That's right." Ying Chengjiao seemed to suddenly remember something and lowered his voice: "Master, you are doing justice and helping the poor, which inevitably violates the law. You won't arrest you, right?"

Seeing that this young nobleman was truly concerned about the magistrate, the official couldn't help but feel a little compassionate:

“The county magistrate and the county chancellor don’t like the giant, but they don’t dare to arrest him.

"If the higher-ups don't care, we officials will certainly not arrest the bigwigs. Who doesn't have troubles sometimes?
"If you are out of food, it won't work to go to the government, but it will work to go to the Mohists.

“It’s a pity that there are too few Mohists, and they often travel around and hide their identities.

"And the people around the master are all Mohists, and everyone is looking forward to the master's arrival."

Ying Chengjiao breathed a sigh of relief and smoothed his chest:

"I feel relieved now."

[The people do not trust the law but trust ink, and the officials dare not control the lawless people...]
[A country that cannot bring justice, trust, and protection to its people.]
[A country that requires lawless thugs to exercise justice to be legitimate and even noble.]
[There is no reason to exist.]
The officer bowed respectfully and left.

Ying Chengjiao returned the gift and knocked on Chu Mo's door.

"I am Ying Chengjiao, the boy, please come to see you, Master."

In the courtyard.

Deng Lingxue looked at the young man, somewhat unbelieving. He had never expected that this boy would dare to come to him.

He moved a chair and handed it to Ying Chengjiao, then sat on a wooden stool and got straight to the point:
"What is your purpose in coming here, Lord Chang'an?"

Ying Chengjiao thanked him and looked at the seven or eight Mozhe who were still doing carpentry work in the courtyard.

These Chu Mo people who were active in the State of Chu were able to gain the wholehearted support of the Wei people who lived in Wei City and on the border between Wei and Chu.

When he woke up this morning, Ying Chengjiao learned that the manager who had worked at Lu's Jewelry for several years had quit.

At this moment, Ying Chengjiao suddenly thought of Huang Shigong.

He really wanted Huang Shigong to come and see whether the people had any heart.

"I don't know if my remarks yesterday may have hurt you, so I came here today to apologize."

Deng Lingxue nodded, then shook his head and said:
"You did hurt me, but you don't need to apologize.

“What you said is all from Mozi, the true Mohist philosophy.

"You did not misinterpret Mozi's remarks, and what you said was all correct.

"Why do I need to apologize if I said the right thing?"

Deng Lingxue was very frank, so frank that Ying Chengjiao felt a little uncomfortable.

Mao Sui, Zou Yan, Kong Bin, and the big boss Gongsun Long whom he was about to fight were all eloquent people.

Although Lu Buwei said that Deng Ling was "good at strength but not good at speaking", this "not good at speaking" should refer to among the various philosophers.

Just like his desk mate when he first entered high school, who said that he was good at math but not English.

These words resonated strongly with him, and he kept nodding and saying, "Me too, me too."

Then the first test results came out.

My deskmate scored 150 in math and 115 in English, and he was in the top class.

He got 137 in math and 31 in English. He sat in his seat, looked at his deskmate's back and said, "You're only five points away from the full score. You call this not being good at it?"
"I really admire the broad-mindedness of the great man." Ying Chengjiao said sincerely.

"I'm just telling the truth." Deng Lingxue really didn't think there was anything admirable about telling the truth.

"Since the master agrees with me, I guess he won't kill me?"

"No, I still want Chang'an Jun to die."

Ying Chengjiao's face fell:

"Why?

“Mozi said that sacrificing one’s life to save others is a moral act.

“But sacrificing someone else’s life to save others is not a moral act.

"If the great master agrees with this statement, why did he still kill the little boy and commit an immoral act?" (Note 1)
Deng Lingxue nodded:

“Yeah, I figured it out last night, and I’m still sad. I didn’t even go to cut down the trees when I was supposed to.

“I originally thought that what I did was beneficial to the common people and was a moral thing, but it turns out that it is not the case.

“Although killing Chang’an Jun was an immoral act, we cannot say that killing one person benefited the world, but we can say that killing one person protected the world.” (Note 2)
…………

[Note 1: I will not give you the original text, the meaning is definitely correct. When I quote the philosophers in the future, as long as I do not add a note saying that I fabricated it, then it is what the philosophers said themselves.]

[Note 2: The difference between "li" and "bao" is that "li" means justice, which is taken from "Mozi": "righteousness means benefit". ]

　The line between the various schools of thought has been torn apart, and the data is not very good.

　　Well, that makes sense. I have already thought about what the results will be like when I really start the third volume of the Hundred Schools of Thought in a few days.

　　No matter how much conflict there is in the ideas and how interesting the writing is, it is still inferior to the story in essence.

　　But... I will write it anyway... I hope my brothers in the future can feel the pleasure I felt when I was impacted by the thoughts of various philosophers.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)