The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 194: Heaven knows its own mind, conscience is revealed

Ying Chengjiao took two steps forward and stopped the Minister of Justice, Tai Shisheng:
"Please take a break, Lord Tingwei. I didn't explain it clearly.

“The conscience we are looking for is not a person, but the natural law buried deep in everyone’s heart.

"I ask the Lord Tingwei to bring out the most heinous person."

What is justice? Tai Shisheng was confused and turned his head to give orders to the left and right:

"Didn't you hear what Yingzi said? Go quickly!"

The people around him responded by saying "yes" and went to do their work. Taishi Sheng took another look at the eight-year-old Chengjiao in front of him and found that he liked him more and more.

Most of the scholars in the Jixia Academy were arrogant and looked down on others.

People have never been kind to him, a court official who rose to power through nepotism.

But the young man in front of him did not do that. He kept calling him "adult" and showed him the proper respect.

Good, very good.

Taishi Sheng smiled so happily that he no longer even had any sense of caution.

No longer thinking about controlling the entire Jixia Academy, he took the initiative to say:
"Yingzi, is there anything else that needs Sheng's help?"

Ying Chengjiao bowed and said sincerely:
"I dare not hide the truth from you, Lord Tingwei. I do have an unwelcome request."

"Hahaha!" Taishi Sheng laughed happily.

He hears the word "Sir" every day, but no matter how many times his subordinates say it, it doesn't sound as good as Yingzi saying it once, because their status are different.

"If Yingzi has something to say, just tell me!" Taishi Sheng waved his hand, raised his neck and said in a heroic tone.

As soon as he said this, Taishi Sheng saw the huge and dark crowd and immediately regretted his decision.

How big a task would a person who led so many Jixia students want to accomplish? Does he have the ability to help?

But the words had already been spoken, and Taishi Sheng was too embarrassed to go back on his words.

He forced a smile, puffed up his face to look strong, and held his body upright, waiting for Ying Chengjiao to speak.

"The most heinous people in the Supreme Court should be sentenced to death, right?" Ying Chengjiao asked cautiously.

"Yes." Taishi Sheng nodded, thinking that it would be great if Yingzi asked about this question.

"Then...when the condemned prisoner comes here later, can I decide whether he lives or dies?"

"Hmm? Is this... Yingzi's unreasonable request?"

"Yes, if it's too much trouble..."

"No trouble! It's a small matter!" Taishi Sheng stood up again.

He puffed out his chest and looked very high-spirited.

He felt that the eyes of the Jixia students in front of him who had originally looked down on him had all changed to admiration!
As the Chief Justice, he is in charge of judicial and prison affairs. How can dealing with a prisoner be considered a big deal?
That’s not a problem!
In the crowd, the head of the Shenzi School, the Jixia scholar Shen Zhi, shook his head:

"The Supreme Court should only have the power to enforce the law, not the power to change it.

“The power to change laws should only rest in the hands of the king.

“Moreover, when the king changes laws, he should do so in accordance with the maintenance of social stability and the protection of peace and harmony among the people.

"Tai Shi Sheng changed the law just because of a word from Cheng Jiao. He didn't respect the law and was partial to his own interests. How could such a person continue to be the Minister of Justice?
"Next time I enter the palace, I will meet with the king and advise him that Taishi Sheng is not suitable to be the Minister of Justice of Qi."

Qi Mo master, Xiangfu Xi, who was also a Jixia scholar, said:
"Tai Shi Sheng was able to become the Minister of Justice of Qi because the Queen Mother was his biological sister.

“If officials are selected based on their affinity rather than their ability, this is a sign that the country is about to be in turmoil.

"This is the chaos caused by the distinction between close and distant relatives in Confucianism, and it should indeed be stopped."

Chunyu Yue, a scholar from Jixia who was known as the leader of Qi, retorted:
“To govern a country, one should select capable people.

“I heard that the Shang Dynasty perished because it did not employ wise men, while the sage kings such as Yao, Shun and Yu achieved great achievements because they employed wise men.

“It can be seen that appointing people based on their merits is an important factor in whether a country can be governed well.

“But please don’t confuse love with selecting an official.

"It was not wrong for the Queen Mother to favor her brother, but it was wrong for her to select her brother as the Minister of Justice.

“This mistake is not because Taishi Sheng is the Queen Mother’s brother, but because Taishi Sheng has no moral character.

"If Taishi Sheng has virtue and ability, why can't he be the Minister of Justice?"

Zou Yan, the chief priest of Jixia Academy, sighed and looked up at the sky:

“There are sunny days, cloudy days and rainy days.

“Countries also have rise, fall and decline.

"The State of Qi had only prospered for a few years, but it had once again entered a period of decline.

"How long has it been since King Min of Qi committed atrocities and was punished by heaven?
"The powerful nobles of Qi did not learn from their mistakes, and indulged in extravagance and debauchery, failing to uphold virtuous governance.

"In this case, the next divine punishment is not far away..."

There was still some lingering sound in Zou Yan's words, and he did not finish speaking, but lowered his head to look at Ying Chengjiao.

[Heaven sent this child to punish the nobles.]
[Chengjiao, a poisonous insect.]
[The 蟜 is not a dragon, it does not like water.]
[To control water is to calm it. If water is weak, fire will be strong!]
[This poisonous insect carries the will of heaven and will burn everything with blazing heavenly fire...]
Mr. Huanjuan of Jixia frowned and looked displeased.

He was not afraid because Zou Yan was the chief priest, and said frankly:
"Is this the reason why Zou Zi never went to the palace to discuss politics after he returned to Qi and served as the chief priest of the Jixia Academy?
“Heaven is the manifestation of Tao, it is the law of nature, and Heaven is mindless.

"In the eyes of heaven, a person and a country are no different from a blade of grass or a tree.

"Heaven doesn't distinguish between good and evil, so where does divine punishment come from?
“I agree with Zou Zi’s initial remarks about the nobles of Qi being arrogant and extravagant, but aren’t the people of Qi living a good life?

“If you do not compete with the people for profit, the people will live in abundance.

"Although those in power have their shortcomings, is this country hopeless? Why can't Zou Zi go to the palace and speak frankly?
"The so-called inaction is not inaction, but inaction!"

"No, no, Huan Juanzi is wrong." Xiangfu Xi said, "Heaven knows everything, and can be happy or angry. Ghosts and gods are the messengers of heaven, conveying the will of heaven. Heaven will reward good and punish evil through ghosts and gods, so that the world will develop in the direction that heaven wants."

"Ha!" Chunyu Yue shook his sleeves and said, "You can respect ghosts and gods! But you should stay away from them!"

"..."

The various philosophers began to discuss the performance of the Minister of Justice and the Grand Historian Sheng, and their discussions extended from people to the country, and from the changes in laws to the country's policies.

They stopped talking only when the death row prisoner was brought before Ying Chengjiao.

They looked quietly at Ying Chengjiao, the youngest of the eight sons among them.

Xinxue, conscience, and sainthood.

Such words are outrageous.

If it had not made strange and pedantic changes, it might have become the next famous school of thought like Yang Zhu's.

It is rare to find a new theory that can interest all the philosophers.

Amid the chaos, not many people noticed.

Someone comes inside the palace.

A group of people entered through the back door of the Court of Justice and watched this farce from a close distance inside the Court of Justice...

The captured death row prisoner was unkempt.

Two vicious eyes shot out from between his messy hair like weeds, and he looked at others like lambs to be slaughtered.

He had handcuffs on his hands, iron chains on his feet, and a piece of black and yellow rag stuffed in his mouth.

He was wearing a filthy prison uniform and emitting a strange and unpleasant smell.

Most of the Jixia students standing in the front row showed expressions of disgust and covered their mouths and noses.

Many people even took half a step back, causing the entire Jixia Academy team to move.

Ying Chengjiao did not move, and asked Taishi Sheng, who also looked unhappy:
"Your Excellency, what crime did this man commit?"

Tai Shisheng knew all about the unique skills of the beauties in Linzi's mansions, and was fully aware of the business operations of Linzi's casinos.

But Taishi Sheng didn't know what crime the most heinous prisoner on death row in his own court had committed...

[How can I know such a small thing?]
Taishi Sheng complained in his heart and immediately gave a stern look to Tingwei Zheng beside him.

Tingwei Zheng Mosheng was the second in command of the Tingwei Mansion and also Tingwei's deputy. He immediately understood and took the initiative to introduce:
"This guy is the leader of the thieves, and he once led 300 thieves to rob houses.

"He burned down five decent houses, killed twelve people, raped seventeen women, and kept four women as slaves..."

Tai Shisheng scratched his ears and was not interested in these.

Ying Chengjiao listened carefully and saw that all the students in the audience were filled with indignation.

Ying Chengjiao was about to speak.

Suddenly I realized that there were far more people here than in the school, and the current environment was not a closed lecture hall.

His voice couldn't reach everyone's ears, and he couldn't help feeling distressed.

Hu, who had been serving beside him, saw his master's worries and was not sure whether his thoughts were correct, so he took the initiative to ask:

"My Lord, are you worried that everyone present will not be able to hear everything?"

Ying Chengjiao glanced at Hu in slight surprise. He did not expect Hu to be so perceptive. He nodded:
"Exactly."

"Master, please do not disturb me. I will speak for you. I will let everyone hear your words."

"...You actually have such a skill?"

"I didn't use the word 'hu' originally, but I became a disciple of my teacher, and he changed my name to 'hu' because I was good at shouting."

Looking at Hu's smiling face, Ying Chengjiao's mind suddenly flashed with the content he had once seen briefly in a book.

He didn't remember the entire text, only the gist:

There was a man who came from afar and wanted to become Gongsun Long's disciple.

Gongsun Long asked him what talents he had.

This person claims that he has a loud voice and is good at shouting.

Gongsun Long's disciples burst into laughter, but Gongsun Long asked them seriously if anyone was good at shouting. The disciples looked at each other and shook their heads.

So Gongsun Long accepted this man as his disciple.

Soon, Gongsun Long led his disciples north to Yan State and came to the bank of the Yellow River. The ferry happened to be parked on the opposite bank.

The disciples shouted, threw stones, and tried their best to attract the ferry, but in vain.

The new disciple volunteered to give it a try.

Gongsun Long agreed.

The disciple only shouted once, and the boatman on the other side rowed towards this side.

"It turns out to be you..." Ying Chengjiao looked at Hu with complicated feelings.

The boy had a strange feeling.

This was the first time the boy had seen a minor character recorded in a book, a minor character whose name was not even recorded.

The reason for recording that article was to show Gongsun Long's temperament.

[If a man is incompetent, even a dragon cannot swim with him. 】

This is what Gongsun Long said.

This means that if a person does not have any ability, Gongsun Long cannot march with him.

Hu felt a little embarrassed when his master looked at him. His eyes drifted to the prisoner on death row, and he didn't dare to look his master in the eye.

Ying Chengjiao felt even more complicated.

In the two thousand years of Chinese history, there are many people recorded in history books.

But compared to the people who actually live on this land, the number is pitifully small.

Huh is both lucky and unfortunate.

He was lucky that his life was recorded in writing and passed down to later generations, but unfortunately no one in later generations knew that the person mentioned in the writing was him.

This was the first historical figure that Ying Chengjiao knew but could not recognize in person.

The young man's eyes swept across the faces of the Jixia students.

[How many of them can leave their names behind?]
Then scan the faces of the scholars in Jixia.

[There were more than ten philosophers before me, but only one or two of them have been passed down to later generations...]
Finally, he looked at Hu again.

[The people living on this land include kings, princes, generals, and various philosophers.]
[But more importantly, I am calling for people like this... Everyone should be able to become a saint!]
At this moment, the young man's eyes were extremely firm and his heart was clear!

Zou Yan's heart was shaken, his eyes widened, he took a step forward involuntarily, and said in a lost voice:
“Tian Xin?!”

The scholars were surprised and didn't know what Zou Yan was talking about, and were about to ask.

The sound of "Hu" seemed to come from the horizon, loud and distant, ringing in the ears of everyone present:

“I am speaking for Ying Zi!

"Ying Zi said: 'The criminal before me was the leader of the thieves... He kept four women as slaves... Do you think this man has any conscience?'"

Various voices were heard:
"no!"

"Such people have no conscience!"

"This is inhuman!"

The scholars remained silent, but most of them understood what Ying Chengjiao meant.

It is not surprising or convincing that an ordinary person has a conscience.

But if such a heinous person also has a conscience, then it would be very convincing, enough to prove that everyone has a conscience.

The disciples watched quietly, they also wanted to know.

Where does such a wicked person who keeps committing serious crimes have any conscience?

The young man took a step forward amidst the three thousand pairs of eyes, asked Gai Nie to tear the rag from the prisoner's mouth, and said in a deep voice:
"I can pardon you and let you live."

The condemned man scoffed.

All the bandits under his command were executed. How could he, the bandit leader who was sentenced to beheading, survive?

The prisoner moved his throat slightly, made a "tui" sound, and spat on Ying Chengjiao's face.

Gai Nie was quick-witted and expressionless. He covered the wound with the rag in his hand and put it on the prisoner's head.

The condemned man glared at them and yelled:
"Bird! You are just a piece of trash that only knows how to serve as a testicle for this bastard!
"Ride your mother! Ride your wife!"

The Minister of Justice, Shi Sheng, said with disgust:
"If Yingzi says to pardon you, then I pardon you."

The death row inmate turned his head:

"Which bird are you?"

Before he could finish his words, Tingwei Zheng Mosheng slapped him in the face, and with disdain, he took out a handkerchief to wipe the palm of his hand that had hit the face of the prisoner:

"If you dare to make noise again, I will chop off your head today! Your life is up to Yingzi!"

After he finished speaking, he threw away the brocade handkerchief stained with filth.

Later, the handkerchief was picked up by a beggar, who exchanged it for 210 coins, which provided him with food for a month.

The prisoner on death row was beaten, but his spirit was shaken. He stared at Ying Chengjiao:
"Master Yingzi, can you really let me go?"

"Everyone has a chance to start over. If I say let you go, I will let you go." Ying Chengjiao nodded.

Every word that everyone said was spoken by someone else, so that everyone in the Jixia Academy knew what was happening in the field.

Many students of the Jixia Academy showed dissatisfaction. Why should such a villain be let go?
A student standing in the front shouted loudly:

"This is the gentleman's conscience! Not the conscience of this thief!"

Ying Chengjiao pretended not to hear and ordered Qi soldiers to remove the handcuffs and shackles of the death row prisoner.

The death row inmates were freed and couldn't wait to leave.

Ying Chengjiao, however, ordered all the soldiers to recapture the death row prisoners.

"My lord, are you not keeping your word?" The prisoner, whose arms were held, raised his head and asked.

"Keep your word." Ying Chengjiao said, "I will let you go, but I can't let you leave unscathed."

"Ha! I knew it wouldn't be that easy!" The prisoner sneered, "Cut off my nose, dig out my eyes, or dig out my patella? Come on!"

Ying Chengjiao shook his head:

“Since I want to give you a chance to start a new life, how could I hurt your body?

"I just want you to leave your clothes behind, hoping you can get rid of your sins."

Death row inmates don’t believe:

"Just clothes?"

"It's just clothes." Ying Chengjiao nodded: "Tear off his clothes, one by one."

The Qi soldiers received the order and took action.

The outermost layer of filthy prison uniform was torn off, and the prisoner did not struggle.

The warm clothes in the middle are thicker and harder to tear apart.

Two Qi soldiers lifted the prisoner's hands and took off the warm clothes, and the prisoner cooperated obediently.

The thermal clothes fell to the ground, and Qi Bing asked the prisoner to lift his legs and take off his pants.

The death row inmate looked at the dark crowd around him and felt countless eyes were staring at him.

He began to hesitate and said:

"Sir, can you please keep this shirt?"

"No." Ying Chengjiao refused: "Take it off cleanly and leave easily, so that you can start over again."

Ying Chengjiao spoke gently, but the Qi soldiers did not act gently.

The prisoner's underwear was roughly taken off.

The prisoner on death row had only his last piece of clothing left.

If he takes this off, he will be naked in front of everyone.

All the soldiers are in action.

The prisoner fell to his knees on the ground with a thump, curled up into a ball, and tightly guarded his last piece of clothing.

In front of everyone, he shouted hysterically:

"Please leave me a piece of clothing to cover my body! Otherwise, you might as well kill me! I beg you, sir..."

Ying Chengjiao laughed and started talking.

The boy's voice was drowned out by the prisoner's pleading voice and could not be heard elsewhere.

But the one next to the boy heard it clearly and shouted:
"Ying Zi said: 'Gentlemen! Conscience is now revealed!'"

The sound of hu was always loud.

After being loud for a long time, it seems grand.

After hearing Hu Hongda's voice, the Jixia students' eyes were burning and their hearts were surging.

Looking at a young man is like looking at a saint.

As expected, my future self.

Everyone can become a saint!

(End of this chapter)