The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 188: Young people discuss politics, shocking Tian Dan, the dispute between Confucianism and Mohism
"Empress Dowager..." Ying Chengjiao muttered to himself while sitting in the carriage.

He was so unfamiliar with the title that he was stunned when he heard it for the first time.

Because the eunuch who summoned him was carrying out the royal decree.

With the royal edict in hand, it represented that the Queen Mother was in full control of the power of Qi.

It is a bit strange that Ying Chengjiao, who is familiar with the history of the Warring States Period, has no impression of it at all.

A moment of effort.

Memory automatic screening and duplication checking.

Ying Chengjiao suddenly realized something.

There is no empress dowager in history books, only queen.

The Queen Mother is the Queen of the King.

Ying Chengjiao closed his eyes and recalled the deeds of the current actual ruler of Qi State, the Queen...

"Master." Hu Le tightened the reins and called respectfully in the front room of the carriage.

Ying Chengjiao lifted the curtain from inside, held onto the armrest, and got off the carriage with the help of Hu.

He looked around and saw that all the carriages parked nearby were drawn by four horses.

The chariot drawn by five horses is the king's carriage.

The four-horse carriage is the highest standard carriage under the king and is rarely seen.

But whenever the Queen Mother summoned her sons to the royal city to discuss state affairs, there would be at least ten, and sometimes more than twenty, carriages pulled by four horses parked together, which was quite a spectacular sight.

Ying Chengjiao's eyes flickered.

He stayed in Qin for seven years, and this scene was rare.

Even though the scenes are similar, there are differences between Qin and Qi.

The Qin State's four-horse chariots represented the prime minister, nine ministers, and dukes.

The State of Qi is your son.

A carriage drawn by four horses represents a child.

A sub-school is a school of thought.

A school has many scholars.

Qi had the Jixia Academy, which housed various schools of thought and scholars from all over the world.

Looking at the gentlemen who were talking and laughing, chatting happily, and behaving calmly, and it was obvious that this was not their first time to enter the palace, Ying Chengjiao murmured in a low voice:
"It's all mine."

Qi Mo's master Xiang Fuxi walked up to him and said with a smile:

"Cheng Jiao, come in and sit next to me.

“Relax, don’t be nervous, just speak freely.

"In the Jixia Academy, it is not a crime to discuss politics.

"Chun Yu Yue once pointed at the King of Qi's face and angrily accused him of growing old without gaining wisdom. Later, the Queen Mother rewarded him with a hundred gold coins."

One hundred golds...Ying Chengjiao was a little surprised.

A hundred gold coins were not much for him, but it was quite a bit for a reward.

This is not a great achievement, it's just a reward of a word.

Linzi is prosperous and the prices are quite high.

One tael of gold can be exchanged for one hundred coins.

One gold is twenty-four taels of gold, which is two thousand four hundred coins.

One hundred gold is two hundred and forty thousand coins.

The price of one dan of grain in Linzi was fifty coins, and one hundred gold coins could buy four thousand eight hundred dan of grain.

Assuming that an adult consumes 18 stone of food per year.

One hundred gold coins can provide an adult with enough food for 266 years.

[He rebuked the king with one word, but was not punished and was rewarded with a hundred gold coins.]
[No, this is not a rebuke, this should be considered an insult, and it has violated the dignity of the King of Qi.]
[Is this something the Queen Mother did on purpose, or is this just the way things are in Qi State…]
With doubt, Ying Chengjiao said "yes".

Walking side by side with Xiangfu Xi, they walked into the huge palace in front of them together with the scholars of the Jixia Academy.

A brown wooden plaque with three large characters written on it was hung on the gate of the huge palace.

Ying Chengjiao took a look before entering the door and didn't recognize him.

These three words are written in Qi script - "Mian Ci Gong".

The displays in the Mianci Palace are extremely luxurious.

Ying Chengjiao looked down and saw that the seats on the ground were all woven with brocade, with excellent workmanship, obviously made by craftsmen.

Looking up again, a huanghuali screen came into view.

The screen was extremely large. Ying Chengjiao estimated that it was more than thirty feet long and at least ten feet wide.

The pattern painted on it shows a herd of cows charging rapidly with sharp knives tied to their horns and their tails on fire.

The enemies in front of the herd were knocked off their horses and fled in panic.

The Qi soldiers behind the herd fought bravely under the command of the general.

This pattern was not drawn with a brush, but carved.

But the lines of the cows and people in the painting are extremely smooth, and the enemy's despair and the bravery of the Qi soldiers are portrayed vividly and vividly.

Ying Chengjiao did not recognize the Qi characters on the screen, but he knew what was engraved on it.

This is Tian Dan’s Fire Bull Formation.

It was with this formation that Tian Dan defeated the Yan army and was able to unstoppably recapture 72 cities of Qi.

Tian Dan was sitting in front of the screen.

The old general looked warm and smiling, his eyes fixed on Ying Chengjiao:
“Last time we met, you were still a gentleman.

"It's been less than a month since our last meeting, and you even added the character 'zi' to your name.

"Zou Jijiu, Yingzi should be the youngest student in my Jixia Academy since its establishment, right?"

Zou Yan responded with a smile:

“It’s not just the Jixia Academy.

"He is the youngest son in the history of China.

"An eight-year-old boy is unprecedented and will never be surpassed."

Ying Chengjiao said modestly:
"I am just a quick-witted kid, but my knowledge is still far behind those of other scholars.

"The study of form and name does not focus on governing a country, but only on seeking truth.

"All of you are concerned about the people and your country, and you learn the great principles of governing a country, and don't care about the minor principles of form and name.

"Gongsun Longzi passed away, and there were no heroes in the field of xingming.

"So, let the boy become famous."

Tian Dan's mood was a little complicated. He didn't know whether he was more disappointed or happy.

The study of form and name at the Jixia Academy is the Gongsun Longzi School, or Gongsun School for short.

The characteristic of Gongsun School is its eloquence, but it has made little contribution to politics.

But the study of form and name is not limited to the Gongsun school, there is also the Huizi school.

Compared with the Gongsun School, the Huizi School is not only good at debate, but also able to govern the country.

However, after Huizi's death, Huizi's school almost disappeared.

After Huizi's death, Gongsun Long won a debate against Zhuangzi, who Huizi had never won before. Since then, he has become famous all over the world and a representative of the School of Form and Name.
Gongsun Long's school became the representative school of the study of form and name.

Tian Dan originally thought that Prince Chengjiao, who was born in the royal family of Qin and masterminded the alliance of five countries to force Qin, belonged to the Huizi school - no matter how he looked at it, this young man did not seem to be ignorant of politics.

[The Queen Mother's wish may be in vain.]
[But this solved a puzzle for me. I know why this boy has no chance of becoming the king of Qin.]
[A gentleman who talks big is not worthy of being the King of Qin.]
The veteran thought so and was about to speak.

Chunyu Yue was sitting on a brocade couch, lifting the hem of his robe.

He laughed loudly and said:

"Yingzi is too modest.

"When I was teaching about contract differences a few days ago, I couldn't get into the class as it got late, so I listened from outside.

"Hui Zi's style is reproduced in Ying Zi."

The old general stopped talking and his expression became serious.

The unity of unity and difference is an important proposition of Huizi's school and a statecraft in the study of form and name.

There was a soft sound from behind the screen, which only the old general could hear.

The old general woke up and waved to Ying Chengjiao who was sitting next to Xiangfu Xi:
"Yingzi, come and sit in front of this old man."

Ying Chengjiao shook his head and smiled bitterly:
"Mr. Tian, ​​all the disciples are here.

"Everyone is older than me, and everyone is more knowledgeable than me, so how can I be qualified to sit in the front?
“It’s already a shameless boy to be able to sit next to Xiangfu Xizi.

"With my knowledge, I am able to stand outside the palace and listen. This is a great favor from Lord Tian."

The veteran couldn't help but smile, thinking that this young man was really interesting.

Most of the scholars laughed and pushed the young man to the front.

"There is no order of learning, the one who is more accomplished is the teacher. In the study of form and name, who here can compare with you, Cheng Jiao? Sit down!"

"Hurry over there, the younger one should go forward, that's courtesy."

"Hahaha, Yingzi is the shortest, so it's right for him to sit in the front. If he sits in the back, he'll be blocked by our figures, and when we discuss politics, we can only hear his voice but not his face, and we'll think something strange is going on, haha!"

"..."

Ying Chengjiao couldn't refuse and said it was rude, but he had no choice but to sit down.

The disciples also took their seats one after another.

Tian Dan glanced at the disciples in front of him, and did not see the Kong brothers, so he asked:
"Have Kong Binzi and Kong Chuanzi not arrived yet?"

Xi, who was asked by Kong Chuan to help take care of Ying Chengjiao's husband, replied:
"Zi Shun and Zi Gao are both known for not talking in vain."

Tian Dan sighed and said helplessly:

"I wanted to listen to your Confucianism, but it seems I have no chance."

Chun Yuyue snorted:
"If you are not a Confucius, you cannot learn Confucianism?"

Tian Dan's face was filled with astonishment. He kept admitting his faults and apologizing amid the laughter of the scholars.

Chunyu Yue was called Zi because of his Confucianism.

Born in Qi State, he studied at the Jixia Academy and became famous at a young age.

It has the reputation of being the crown of Qi State.

It was somewhat amusing that Ying Chengjiao watched Tian Dan, who could be said to have restored Qi State single-handedly, fail to pay attention to Chunyu Yue because he praised the Kong brothers. This was not a mistake, and he kept apologizing to Chunyu Yue.

In this situation, let’s change the venue and move to Qin State.

For a general who had made such a great contribution, it would be really, really kind of him not to admit his mistake and not to kill Chunyu Yue.

[Qi's military commanders don't have a high status.]
[No, not necessarily. We cannot be arbitrary.]
[Perhaps it was because the status of the Qi scholars was too high, or perhaps... Chunyu Yue had a special status?]
[Tsk, no wonder he dared to confront Zheng Ge, is he so brave at this time?]
Chun Yuyue waved his hand and said with a smile:
"It was just a joke. Where is the king? You won't come to attend the meeting today? This is not what a king should do."

Ying Chengjiao: “…”

[The King of Qi is not here, so you can still criticize me?]
He observed the expressions of the people around him.

I found that except for myself, no one showed any surprise on their face. They were all used to it.

He thought it was normal to find fault with the prince.

If jade is not carved, it cannot become a useful object.

But for a king who has already sat on the throne... this is a little abnormal.

Tian Dan smiled bitterly:
"Sir, isn't the prime minister here?

"I just listened to the political theories of the philosophers and could directly apply them. Why do I have to ask His Majesty to come here?"

"A ruler of a country who is not familiar with government affairs." Chunyu Yue said coldly, "Except for my king, I have never seen anyone like him."

The old general showed a trace of helplessness on his face, as if he dared not respond, and looked at Ying Chengjiao for help.

Ying Chengjiao blinked, not understanding what was going on.

What can he do?
Can he still help the King of Qi to criticize Chunyu Yue?
The veteran forced a smile and asked:

"This is the first time that Yingzi comes to the palace.

"How about we start the discussion on politics today with Ying Zi?"

When Ying Chengjiao heard the three words "刺宫", he immediately thought of a saying - those ministers, officials and people who can criticize my mistakes to my face will be rewarded.

[Is the King of Qi a masochist? Did he build a palace just to be stabbed in the face?]
Ying Chengjiao compared and found that the Mianci Palace was larger than the front hall of the Xin Palace where the Qin State held grand court meetings.

"As you wish, I dare not ask." Ying Chengjiao bowed and said, "Please ask the king to discuss the topic of politics."

There was a chuckle from behind.

Before Ying Chengjiao could think about what he had said wrong, Tian Dan smiled and said:
"No title." "Ying Zi spoke freely and described the strategy of governing a country."

Ying Chengjiao: “…”

Untitled… He suddenly understood why the Kong brothers didn’t come.

He originally thought that it was his personal charm that made the two brothers reject the invitation from Qi State and focus on him, the Prince of Qin.

No.

It turns out that this discussion on politics is just empty talk, just like what the Kong brothers said!
[Is empty talk any use? Well, empty talk is useful, but...]
Ying Chengjiao thought about the expressions of his disciples, who were accustomed to it and obviously used to it, and complained in his heart.

[But there is no point in just talking!]
[They built a palace just for the sake of face tattooing, gave him generous rewards, but he didn't listen to any advice, right?]
[Good, good, good... you know how to play! ]
"Yingzi has learned too much, don't you know what to talk about?" Tian Dan said thoughtfully: "Then why don't you talk about unity and difference?"

Ying Chengjiao let out a light breath, tried to make the smile on his face look more natural, and nodded in agreement.

All the disciples and Tian Dan nodded and praised each one.

The young man organized his words and said softly:

“Everything in the world has similarities and differences.

“The so-called universal love is the unity of heaven and earth.

“It means that in reality, everything in the world is the same, and the differences we see with our eyes are just our feelings.

“For example, there is a mountain peak on plain ground, and this mountain peak is higher than the plain ground.

“But these so-called highs and lows are just our conclusions and our feelings.

"In fact, if you look from a high altitude above the Ninth Heaven, the height difference between the mountain and the plain is minimal. The two are actually the same height..."

Tian Dan found this a bit boring.

No matter how elegant he pretended to be, no matter how much he tried to cater to these philosophers, he did not do academic research after all.

He has some knowledge of state governance strategies.

However, he was not at all interested in the study of morphology and nouns, which tended towards logic and philosophy.

In his opinion, the two theories of unity and difference and separation of hard and white are useless.

What he wanted to know was the strategies for governing a country derived from the two theories.

All the preparations above are unnecessary.

It was not just Tian Dan who was like this; many of the other philosophers were like this as well.

After listening for about a quarter of an hour, the extremely bored Tian Dan finally heard what he wanted to hear and pricked up his ears:

"...This principle, when applied to governing a country, means finding common ground between Qi and other countries, and then using this common ground to form a coalition alliance.

"At this time, Qin is strong, while other states are weak.

"I think the most important thing Qi should do now is to unite with the other five countries to fight against Qin.

"This is just my humble opinion. I have finished speaking."

Tian Dan: “…”

He looked at the young man with suspicion, wanting to ask, "Are you really the biological son of the King of Qin?"

The old general never expected that the first advice given by Prince Qin Cheng Jiao would be to form an alliance to resist Qin.

There was a slight sound behind the screen, and the old general came back to his senses and smiled dryly:
"Yingzi's words are very... clever!"

He cast his gaze towards the others and said:
"Do you have any different opinions?"

Xiangfu Xi hummed and said:
"Cheng Jiao.

"You used the principle of unity in diversity to explain Qi's plan to unite the five states to resist Qin.

“And you’ve talked about the separation of hard and white before, about the separation of hard and white.

“These two principles are in conflict.

“The contract is different from the one that recognizes feelings as false and everything else as true.

“Li Jianbai believes that feelings are real and everything else is false.

"Do you agree with the contract or Li Jianbai?
"If you don't make it clear, your political arguments will have no basis and it will be difficult to discuss them together."

Ying Chengjiao frowned:

"Before I explain my argument, can I hear what you have to say?"

Xiangfu Xi nodded:

"The truth Xi wants to talk about today is clear and concise.

“A solid white stone, you can tell its hardness by touching it, and you can tell its whiteness by looking at it.

"The Gongsun School then developed the theory of separating hard and white, which holds that hard and white are separate.

“They seek truth, but they do not perceive things objectively, and emphasize their own senses.

“This stone is real.

“Its color is white and it is hard.

"Whiteness is a characteristic of this stone, and hardness is also a characteristic of this stone.

"It is because this stone is both hard and white.

“That’s why it’s solid to touch and white to see.

“If this stone is neither hard nor white, then no matter how you feel about it, you will not get the result of hardness or whiteness.

“Hardness and whiteness are both characteristics of this stone. They coexist and cannot be separated.

“This principle can be applied to love.

“As long as you love, you will be loved.

“If people in the world love each other, there will be no wars or conflicts.

“As long as you love the parents, wives, and children of others as you love your own parents, wives, and children.

"Then others will love your parents, wife and children as they would their own.

“If the world is like this, and you are loved and loved wherever you go, then where would there be any worries?
“I think that Qi should love people right now.

“In foreign countries, we provide assistance wherever there are natural disasters or man-made disasters.

"This way, when Qi is in trouble, other countries will also lend a hand.

"At home, we must eliminate the differences between nobles and commoners, make both sides equal, and provide an environment for love and being loved..."

Tian Dan resisted the urge to expel Xiangfu Xi from the palace.

The veteran wanted to pull down all the fire bulls on the screen and set them on Xiangfu Xi.

Every time this Qi Mo master comes, he gives some useless advice! It's better to fart!
The old general lowered his head, and the more he looked at the young man, the more he liked him.

The five nations united to resist Qin, this advice was much better than eliminating the differences between nobles and commoners!

Ying Chengjiao swallowed.

He thought Chunyu Yue was already very brave, but he didn't expect there was another expert!

Chunyu Yue criticized the King of Qi, which was at least an offense to a person.

What about Xiangfu Xi? He is directly targeting the interest groups of Qi State! Aren't you afraid that he will sink into the East China Sea in the middle of the night?
The young man recalled that before Gongsun Longzi died, he said that Ying Jianbai was not studying things, but was still discussing politics.

I completely understand the meaning of this sentence.

At present, except for the Gongsun School, all the discussions he has seen will ultimately be attributed to politics.

"...Xi has finished speaking, what do you think, Prime Minister?" Prime Minister Xi looked at Tian Dan expectantly.

Tian Dan: “…”

After trying hard to suppress the urge to curse several times, the old general smiled very reluctantly and nodded:

"Mr. Xiangfu is as kind as ever."

After only replying with this sentence, the veteran looked at the young man expectantly:

"Yingzi, it's your turn to discuss again."

The veteran, who had just thought the boy’s opening argument was boring, now thought everything the boy said was nice.

Ying Chengjiao nodded, pondered for a moment, and said:

“I think that there is no need to argue about the right and wrong of the theories of contract and difference, surplus and white, and separation and white. It is better to speak freely.

“Gongsun Longzi said that Li Jianbai is about feelings.

"Did he say it wrong? No?

“Jian is indeed touching, Bai is indeed seeing.

"You cannot know whiteness by touch, and you cannot see hardness by sight.

“What’s wrong with feeling separate?

“And what Mr. Xiangfu said about Ying Jianbai is also correct.

“Hard and white are the characteristics of this stone.

"You can't cut the white out of the stone, nor the hard out of the stone.

“This stone is both hard and white.

“This is not about feelings, but about things.

“I agree with Li Jianbai and I also agree with Ying Jianbai. The two are not in conflict.

“So I agree with Li Jianbai and I also agree with He Xingyi, it’s the same.

"Qin is currently the most powerful of all nations. If we want to fight against the strongest, we need the weak to unite. This is the only way for Qi.

“As for what Mr. Xiangfu just pointed out, Qi State is taking the path of love… I personally think it is not suitable for Qi State at the moment.

“If one day all the people in Qi could receive education, hear the words of Mr. Xiangfu, and learn to love and be loved.

"Then it's time to implement Mr. Xiangfu's policy."

Tian Dan smiled falsely and nodded repeatedly:
"Ying Zi's high opinion."

[One Jixia Academy is enough! It is impossible to provide universal education!]
Xiang Fuxi looked unhappy and wanted to speak.

Chunyu Yue looked even more displeased than Xiangfu Xi, and spoke before Xiangfu Xi could speak:
"Isn't Cheng Jiao too cunning?
"How can Mohism be regarded as a science for governing a country? It is clearly heresy!

“I am not against loving people, but there should be different kinds of love.

“I love my parents, and I can love other people’s parents, but my love for my parents is definitely greater than my love for others.

"Speaking of this, Yue has a question for Mr. Xiangfu."

Chun Yuyue said seriously:

"Some time ago, I discussed the art of debate with Cheng Jiao, and Cheng Jiao asked me a question.

“He asked me who I would save first if my parents both fell into the water at the same time and neither of them could swim.

“I can’t answer that.

"Cheng Jiao told me that this is the art of debate.

"Debate is not about exploring the truth, but about embarrassing others and winning.

"Let me change the question a little bit and ask Mr. Xiangfu.

“If your mother fell into the water, my father fell into the water with my mother.

“You can save your mother.

“And save my father and my mother.

“But because they were too far apart, if you saved one, the other would drown.

"I want to know, which side will Mr. Xiangfu save?"

Xiang Fuxi's expression was very cold, but his words were very quick:

“I will save your father and your mother.

"Two lives are better than one."

Chun Yuyue said with contempt:

"He didn't save his own mother, but saved my father and my mother.

"How terrible is it for someone to not love his own mother?

"How can anyone dare to believe in such a husband?"

Xiangfu Xi said in a deep voice:

“I practice my words with my actions.

"How could anyone not believe in someone as trustworthy as me?
"Mr. Chunyu, would you like to go to Linzi with Xi?

"See if others will believe me or you after they give their names."

Ying Chengjiao, who was sitting in the front row, wanted to turn around to see the expressions of Xiangfu Xi and Chunyu Yue.

Confucianism and Mohism are arguing with each other, and young people are eating melons.

[Wonderful! Really wonderful!]
(End of this chapter)