People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 418, Unification, Xu Qing's Hope

When Xu Qing asked the question, Gongyang Di glanced at Chisongzi.

Chisongzi remained composed, slowly savoring his tea, seemingly unconcerned about what Gongyangdi and Xu Qing were about to say, like an outsider.

"I have summoned you today to discuss the matter of Gongyang Ru's arrival in Qin. My thirty-six disciples, both senior and junior, have already arrived in Qin and are preparing to settle down and spread our teachings there. However, I, Gongyang Ru, have never had any contact with Qin and am not familiar with its rules, so I have come to inquire about them with you."

Gongyang withdrew his gaze and looked at Xu Qing, speaking slowly.

“Actually, the head of the Gongyang family doesn’t need to be so subtle. There are no outsiders here, and I know exactly what you want to do.”

Xu Qing was too lazy to play games with Gongyang Di, so he went straight to the point.

Chisongzi's attitude of being an outsider already indicated that Gongyang Di and he had reached an agreement: Tianzong would not mind his status as a disciple of Gongyang Ru, nor would it mind Gongyang Ru's entry into Qin. Since that was the case, he had no need to worry about anything and could directly address the matter at hand.

We're all seasoned foxes, so let's not play these ghost stories here; it'll save us some trouble.

Gongyang Di was somewhat surprised by Xu Qing's straightforwardness and chuckled lightly.

"Chisongzi previously told me that I didn't need to hide anything from you, but I was still a little worried. However, it seems that I was judging him by my own petty standards."

"Patriarch Gongyang, you flatter me. I am neither a gentleman nor a villain. I am a person who likes to speak my mind, especially to friends and those who may become friends," Xu Qing said with a smile.

“Gongyang Ru naturally wanted to become friends with the Grand Chancellor, the Emperor, and the State of Qin. Since the Grand Chancellor was so straightforward, I will not hide anything from him.”

"Whether it was scheming against you before or Gongyang Ru's entry into Qin, the purpose was the same: to seek a future for Gongyang Ru that would change his current situation. As long as the Grand Chancellor can help Gongyang Ru take root in Qin, Gongyang Ru will be willing to serve you as his master and obey your orders in the future."

Gongyang looked at Xu Qing with a solemn expression and spoke.

Xu Qing had anticipated the conditions proposed by the Gongyang School, because the Gongyang School's scholarship had not been systematically organized and written down, resulting in it having a name but no substance, and being incomparable to other schools of Confucianism.

Heretics are more hateful than heretics. The struggles between different Confucian schools are far more intense than those between the Heavenly School and the Human School. Otherwise, how could the Confucian school, which had many factions back then, have become the eight schools of Confucianism we know today?

After Confucius died, the seventy-two sages became seventy-two rebels, and the three thousand disciples were divided and began a fierce debate and infighting in order to prove that their understanding of Confucius's thought was correct.

Fortunately, Mencius emerged and supplemented Confucianism with his teachings. He suppressed all the rebels with his strength and prestige, thus stabilizing Confucianism. Otherwise, Confucianism might not have survived even the last eight branches due to internal strife.

"The conditions offered by the head of the Gongyang family are indeed tempting. Since you are so straightforward, I will not beat around the bush. Gongyang Ru needs the help of the Qin state to compile his own knowledge into a book and organize it systematically."

"Although this move is costly, I can tell you clearly that the Qin state can not only help the Gongyang Confucian scholars complete the Gongyang Spring and Autumn Annals, but can even allow talented disciples of the Gongyang Confucian scholars to enter official positions and actively help you recruit disciples to expand the scale of the sect," Xu Qing said in a deep voice.

"What are Qin's conditions?" Gongyang Di asked.

"Qin's conditions are simple: the Gongyang School of Confucianism must be completely integrated into Qin and become a part of Qin. It must also become a benchmark for Confucianism's entry into Qin and help Qin change its image within the Confucian community."

"At the same time, we should also open our doors to recruit disciples within the Qin state, to pass on the knowledge of the Gongyang family, and thus revitalize the culture and virtue of the Qin state," Xu Qing said, looking at Gongyang Di. Upon hearing Xu Qing's words, Gongyang Di showed a look of surprise, not because the conditions proposed by the Qin state were too harsh, but rather because the conditions were simply too easy.

When Gongyang Ru entered Qin, he was naturally prepared to fully integrate into the Qin state; otherwise, he would not have brought along the ancestral tablets of Gongyang Ru's ancestors.

As for helping Qin to win over more Confucian scholars, that was naturally not a problem, since the arrival of the Gongyang School of Confucianism in Qin was itself the beginning of Confucianism's entry into Qin. As for recruiting disciples, that wasn't a condition; it was clearly a reward for the Gongyang School of Confucianism.

"Is it that simple? Are there no other conditions?" Gongyang asked hesitantly.

"Of course not. Qin doesn't need Gongyang Ru to do anything. You just need to do your jobs well," Xu Qing said, shaking his head.

The actual benefits that Qin needed from the Gongyang School of Confucianism were far less than the impact. What Qin needed most was to bring the Gongyang School of Confucianism into Qin, thereby encouraging Confucianism and other schools of thought to break down their contempt for Qin and thus voluntarily enter Qin.

Moreover, the thirty-odd people, including Gongyang Ru and Gongyang Di, had no impact on the Qin state whatsoever, like a bucket of water poured into a river.

"Besides that, what you just said about Gongyang Confucianism needing me as its master can also be considered a condition," Xu Qing added.

"That's no problem, of course."

Gongyang glanced at Xu Qing, feeling somewhat uneasy. He had prepared himself for a tense and exciting negotiation with Xu Qing, but reality was quite different from what he had imagined. There was no tension or excitement, not even any bargaining.

Xu Qing noticed Gongyang Ru's unease and understood that if he didn't explain things clearly, Gongyang Ru wouldn't feel comfortable entering Qin. So he slowly spoke...

"You don't need to worry about anything. It's an indisputable fact that the Gongyang School is weak, which means that the Gongyang School is not very useful to the Qin State. If you have to say what the Qin State values ​​about the Gongyang School, it is undoubtedly the three words 'unification'."

"If the Qin state wants to expand eastward and unify the world, it is easy to destroy the six states with the Qin army, but it is difficult to win the hearts of the people. Since the Zhou Dynasty enfeoffed the states, there have been many vassal states. It is common for the people to know their own states but not the Zhou Dynasty. What the Qin state wants to create is an unprecedented state."

"It is not only about unifying the world in terms of form, but also about forming unity in terms of system, economy, and culture, so that the idea of ​​great unity is engraved in the hearts of all people, and that no matter how much suffering this land encounters, it will always have a firm belief that is to achieve unification and protect the independence of the nation."

Gongyangdi and Chisongzi listened to Xu Qing's lofty ambitions, their faces moved and showing surprise. They had not expected that Xu Qing was going to do such a great and timeless feat.

"You should know that these things cannot be achieved overnight. It will take decades or even centuries to accomplish them. The difficulties you will encounter on this path are unprecedented. A slight misstep could implicate you. Do you really want to achieve this great feat for all time?"

"Since the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties, has there ever been a ruler who has never changed his ways? Everything you have done may one day benefit someone else," Gongyang Di said in a deep voice.

"It's not that I want to achieve it, but that I must do it. Since the decline of the Zhou Dynasty, the feudal lords have been fighting each other incessantly, resulting in countless deaths and injuries among the people. If this world is not changed, this land will continue to be plagued by war, and where will the people of the world go?"

"I understand the principle that the world is in turmoil, and that what is divided for a long time will unite and what is united for a long time will divide. I don't care if I am just doing the work for someone else. I only hope that if we encounter chaos again in the future, people will have the idea of ​​unification in their hearts, and that heroes will stand up to end the chaos and allow the people to have a stable and peaceful life as soon as possible."

"It is also hoped that through ideological unification, people will abandon prejudices between nations and see themselves and others as a whole, a single nation. If foreign enemies invade, people can unite to resist them and safeguard the orthodoxy of the Central Plains!"

Xu Qing looked at Gongyangdi and Chisongzi, his expression solemn, and spoke in a firm and powerful tone.

(End of this chapter)