Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 135, Section 134: The Two Handles of Punishment and Virtue
Princess Wen fell silent.

She was born a princess of the Qin Dynasty, and by the time she was old enough to understand, the King of Qin had already conquered one country after another. Now that the Qin Dynasty has unified the world, her ambition has grown wildly.

However, her father looked down on her at all.

For a long time, she was secretly saddened:

Why?
Even a woman like Yan Ying, who couldn't excel in her studies, could become a county magistrate. She was a princess, well-versed in the classics, yet her father never mentioned having her participate in politics.

Our ancestors, including Empress Dowager Xuan, were known for their effective governance, which was praised by everyone.

The late King of Chu was also quite capable, but in the end he lost his mind...

She even speculated that she was not allowed to participate in politics because her father still harbored resentment towards the Empress Dowager Chu.
It wasn't until the last time Zhangtai Palace questioned her that she realized she hadn't done enough.

And now, even Qin Qing, who has no dealings with her at all, speaks of her in this way...

She finally couldn't help but retort: ​​"Ministers fear punishment and desire rewards. Therefore, if a ruler uses his own punishments and virtues, his ministers will fear his power and follow his lead."

"If Qin Qing lowers himself and treats even a lowly soldier with respect, who will respect you in the future?"

Qin Shi paused for a moment: "Princess Wen is indeed learned. It seems she has thoroughly studied Han Feizi as well."

The sentence she just said is a direct quote from Han Feizi.

It means that ministers fear punishment and desire rewards, so when the monarch personally holds the power of punishment and reward, the ministers will fear the monarch's authority and covet the benefits the monarch gives them.

To put it simply: a combination of hardship and reward.

That's actually true.

Even in the Qin state today, the theories of Han Fei, a Legalist, are highly regarded, and his advocacy of ruling through the means of punishment and virtue to control his ministers is the art of monarchical governance.

【刑】 refers to punishment, while 【德】 does not refer to morality, but rather to reward.

There are both rewards and punishments; these two methods are what we call "The Two Handles" in Han Feizi.

Even Ji Heng's actions were inseparable from this kind of thinking.

If the world were at peace and tranquil at this time, Princess Wen's political ideology would actually be quite correct.

but……

She smiled slowly, her gaze fixed on the Qin princess before her, a woman of great talent but still young and lacking in experience and magnanimity.

"So, Your Majesty, as the supreme ruler of a nation, and the princes and princesses of noble status, are now being sent to escort General Yan back to his hometown. Is this punishment or a reward?"

Princess Wen opened her mouth, but for a moment she couldn't find a rebuttal.

She wanted to say that this was her father's favor, but she had just said that Qin Qing had lowered his status. If she were to admit that it was a favor now, wouldn't that mean that she and her siblings were also just part of the reward?

Isn't this also a form of lowering one's status?
She was silent.

Meanwhile, Wang Ziqian, who had been daydreaming while copying the book, finally understood this sentence after listening for a long time, and became smug:

"Why can't you answer this question, sister? What's with all this talk about punishment, reward, and virtue? Father sent us here because he truly respects General Yan!"

"I also want to be like General Yan, to expand the territory of my Great Qin—but General Yan's child died on the battlefield, how pitiful."

"When I fell off my horse while practicing archery, my mother was so heartbroken that she cried all night."

"Now that General Yan has passed away, my father will surely..."

He wanted to say "also weep at night," but when he compared the image of Madam Zheng with Ji Heng's tearful face, he shuddered and quickly shut his mouth.

Qin Shi laughed immediately: "Your Highness is as innocent as a child, and you hit the nail on the head—in that case, copy Princess Wen's words a hundred times to deepen your memory."

Looking at Wang Ziqian's pale face, she felt a subtle sense of satisfaction, like she was asking about the grades of a slacker.

"His Majesty also advocates governing the country by law. If the prince familiarizes himself with this, he won't be punished again if His Majesty asks him about it next time."

What she said makes so much sense. As the carriage swayed, Prince Qian's eyes welled with tears as he silently continued copying—

Oh, the example sentences were actually provided by Princess Wenmo; he doesn't know them.

……

Ji Heng's chariot was spacious, and its components were all of the highest standard in Qin at the time, making it much more comfortable to ride in.

But no matter how comfortable it is, the dirt roads are still not as smooth as asphalt roads, and wooden wheels are far less stable than rubber-coated ones.

After Qin Shi managed to draw two crooked curves, he couldn't help but rub his temples in pain before closing his eyes to rest.

Princess Wen, who had been silent all along, finally looked up from her daze. Seeing that Qin Qing had stopped writing, she asked in a low voice, "Qin Qing is working so hard. What official position are you hoping to get?"

She had many questions in her mind: "You should know that Father will never allow you to take the place of the Three Dukes."

The Chancellor, Wang Fu, once commanded all officials, and the Grand Commandant held military power nationwide—but now even the Emperor's authority was in the hands of the King. The Grand Censor… oh, the Grand Censor was demoted.

Princess Wen quietly gasped, "Could it be that Doctor Wang's position... you..."

Qin Shi was immediately filled with complex and difficult-to-describe emotions.

If only that annoying Imperial Censor Wang Xueyuan had been demoted sooner, at least a place would have been left for her to strive for!

But things are fine now.

The Imperial Censor would be demoted, beheaded, torn apart by chariots, or cut in half at the waist, but the Queen would not be.

As long as she doesn't rebel, even her position as queen won't be shaken.

He could also openly and legitimately command troops.

But Ji Heng hadn't revealed the matter of the Queen yet, so for now she could only feign a devout devotion to the country:

"Thunder, rain, and dew are all your grace."

"Whatever position Your Majesty deems me capable of, I will strive for that position."

"As for the position of Imperial Censor, Princess, you are joking—for a mere commoner to rise to the rank of minister is a sign of poor judgment in personnel selection, and His Majesty would not do such a thing."

Princess Wen was not particularly pleased to hear this. Instead, she said somewhat dejectedly, "Qin Qing is so highly regarded by Father, yet he hasn't been granted an official position in Xianyang Palace for half a month... What about me?"

"I am a princess who is not appreciated by my father. Although I am now involved in politics, will I, like Qin Qing, be without an official position in the future?"

Qin Shi thought to himself, "I do have one. I'll be employed in about six months, and I'll rise to the top in one fell swoop."

But now...

Princess Wen's concerns about the future were not without merit. Qin Shi also analyzed seriously, "The princess is still young. If we talk about granting her an official position now, even if the king agrees, the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers may not be convinced."

"How about this, Princess, first make a good life plan, and then consider what to do at this stage."

"Life planning?"

Princess Wen asked her, "What does this mean?"

Qin Shi picked up a pencil and somewhat clumsily wrote seal characters on the paper:

"If I remember correctly, the reason why the princess was summoned to Zhangtai Palace was because Madam Zheng wanted to choose a husband for the princess."

"Then the first thing to be determined in the princess's life plan is her marriage."

　It's here! It's the end of the month, everyone, so don't let your monthly passes expire!
　　The Qin state not only governed by law, but also by severe punishments and a dense legal system. Under such high pressure, the people suffered greatly.

　　However, things were relatively orderly during Qin Shi Huang's reign, until the Second Emperor went mad...

　　Never mind, I'm not going to say anything more. It hurts.

　　(End of this chapter)