Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

Ying Zheng's voice arrived before anyone else, carrying obvious urgency. In the blink of an eye, he had already strode across the threshold and walked straight toward Zhou Wenqing, his gaze immediately falling on the other person.

"You seemed unwell earlier, are you feeling better?"

Zhou Wenqing: !!!

No way?! So it turns out I wasn't wrong, the King of Qin really was secretly observing and spying from outside?!

Zhou Wenqing stared wide-eyed in shock, almost bewildered.

When did His Majesty the First Emperor develop such "refined tastes"?

"Brother Zicheng?" Seeing him lost in thought, Ying Zheng frowned slightly, his eyes showing concern, and called out again.

Zhou Wenqing suddenly snapped out of his reverie, looking at Ying Zheng with a complicated expression. "Brother Shengzhi, thank you for your concern. I am indeed fine, but I am a little curious. Just now, I was looking at the courtyard gate the whole time, but I didn't see Brother Shengzhi. I wonder... how did you 'see' that I seemed unwell?"

He was so curious that he couldn't help but point it out.

Ying Zheng paused for a moment, but fortunately, he was used to keeping his emotions hidden and controlled his expression well. He said calmly, "Just now, I saw Brother Zicheng testing my son. I was afraid that appearing rashly would affect his performance, so I concealed myself."

Oh, I see!

Zhou Wenqing suddenly realized that he had said such behavior was not in line with the character of the First Emperor, but now it seemed that it was because of his love for his son.

That makes sense, it makes perfect sense.

Zhou Wenqing felt relieved, and a gentle smile appeared on his face. He first nodded to Ying Zheng, then turned to Fusu, who was standing quietly to the side, and gently instructed, "Qiaosong, go and bring a chair for your father."

Then, he looked at Ying Zheng and said in a relaxed tone, "Brother Shengzhi, you can rest assured. Not only is Qiaosong calm and composed, but we were just having a casual chat and not conducting a rigorous test. It certainly won't disturb his thoughts. Please have a seat."

Now, everyone is finally together.

Zhou Wenqing breathed a huge sigh of relief. He had been worried that he wouldn't be able to gather enough people and would have to find another opportunity later. Time... was running out.

Some things are best said only when facing people in disguise...

He looked at Ying Zheng, his tone unconsciously rising slightly: "Brother Shengzhi, you must have overheard our conversation outside the courtyard just now?"

Zhou Wenqing spoke quickly, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Ying Zheng, as if he couldn't wait to see him nod in agreement.

The attitude was too obvious. Ying Zheng could see it. Although he didn't understand why Zhou Wenqing was so eager, he still nodded calmly.

"good!"

Zhou Wenqing immediately turned to Li Si, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Brother Gu'an, please continue with your unfinished arguments!"

continue?

Li Si, who had been interrupted many times, began to wonder if his words were cursed, as he was always interrupted.

Should we continue?

Seeing Zhou Wenqing's focused expression, which indeed seemed to indicate eager anticipation, he, though puzzled, composed himself and turned his gaze back to Fusu, continuing his train of thought from the discussion that had been interrupted by Ying Zheng's arrival:

"According to what Qiaosong just said, if we make an exception today to reduce the punishment for one person's filial piety, or even give them grain as a gift from the government, and this matter spreads, then if ten or a hundred people follow suit, all saying that they are poor and their mothers are ill and they are unable to support them, what will the government do? Will it investigate each one and spend countless resources? Or will it simply give them all away, and what will become of the government treasury?"

Upon hearing this, Fusu's little face showed a hint of surprise, clearly not expecting that "giving away a bag of grain" would lead to such a series of problems.

"The law is the balance of power in a nation, used to define boundaries, stop disputes, and ensure that orders are obeyed and prohibitions are enforced," Li Si continued solemnly. "If one precedent can be broken today due to personal circumstances, ten precedents can be broken tomorrow due to the circumstances. When precedents are broken, the law becomes lax; when the law becomes lax, orders are not obeyed. At that time, the cunning will find excuses to escape punishment, the powerful will use their power to override the law, and the truly law-abiding and virtuous people will suffer instead!"

Upon hearing Li Si's words, Ying Zheng nodded slightly, his eyes showing approval, clearly agreeing with him.

Fusu also straightened his expression, quickly stood up, and bowed respectfully to Li Si: "Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Li. Qiaosong has learned a great deal."

Even Ah Zhu looked confused and thoughtful.

Zhou Wenqing's gaze shifted between Ying Zheng and Fusu, finally settling on Li Si. His smile deepened, and he clapped his hands, saying:

"Brother Gu'an analyzed the advantages and disadvantages in detail, explaining the legal principles clearly and thoroughly. Wenqing also felt that he benefited a lot."

Upon hearing this, Li Si felt a surge of joy at having found a kindred spirit, and was about to offer a few words of modesty when Zhou Wenqing's tone suddenly changed:

"However..."

"But what?" Li Si asked almost subconsciously. He looked at Zhou Wenqing and saw a sly, eager light flashing in the other's eyes, as if he had already prepared a backup plan, just waiting to throw it out at this moment.

Li Si was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized what was going on. He cooperated by adopting an attitude of listening attentively and raised his hand to invite, "I would like to hear Brother Zicheng's insightful opinion."

Zhou Wenqing, who had been eager to speak, immediately said, "Brother Gu'an's argument is the constant principle of law and the impartiality of upholding the law. It is indeed the foundation of governing the country. Without this, the basic principles of governance will not exist, and the world will inevitably be in chaos. I completely agree with this principle."

"However, the law, when applied to the people, must ultimately be applied to the living, breathing common people. Brother Gu'an's deduction of the consequences—the large number of imitators, the difficulty of investigation, the unbearable burden on the treasury, and even the opportunity for the wicked to commit fraud and the innocent to suffer—is a very accurate reflection of the current problems. These are the very consequences that must be considered in advance and avoided when legislating and enforcing the law."

Li Si nodded silently; this was exactly the point he wanted to make.

Zhou Wenqing paused, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on his knee, as if he were carefully considering his words.

"But Wenqing had another question on his mind: what if, when we first started enacting the law, we didn't just focus on how to punish such acts after they occurred, but instead considered how to reduce or even prevent such acts of filial theft from happening?"

"To minimize occurrences?" Li Si was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, habitually following the Legalist line of thought, "Brother Zicheng, do you mean that the punishment should be increased to serve as a warning to others and to deter the common people..."

"No, no!" Zhou Wenqing quickly interrupted him.

The Qin laws are already harsh enough; if they're made even harsher, how can anyone live?!

"On the contrary."

Zhou Wenqing turned to the two children: "Fu... cough, Qiaosong, Azhu, you two tell me, why did that person I mentioned earlier try to steal Azhu's family's grain?"

After a moment's thought, Fusu replied earnestly, "Sir, I believe this person is filial and acted rashly in a moment of panic. Although his actions violated the law, his heart is sympathetic and he is not an evil person."

Zhou Wenqing nodded without making a judgment, then turned his gaze to Azhu and encouraged him, "Azhu, what about you?"

"Just speak your mind. It's just casual conversation, no need to worry."

Ah Zhu's face flushed slightly. He felt that he only vaguely understood many of the things that Mr. Li and Brother Qiaosong had said. He had thought about Mr. Li's question, but he dared not speak for fear of making a mistake and being laughed at.

But seeing the gentle gaze in his husband's eyes, he mustered his courage.

"Sir, Ah-Zhu thinks... it's because he's too poor!"

He paused, and seeing that no one interrupted him, he became bolder and spoke more fluently: "He had no food, couldn't afford medical treatment, couldn't save his parents, and couldn't even fill his stomach, so he stole... took other people's food."

Ah Zhu thought, if he had even just half a bag of grain at home, enough to feed his parents and help them survive, he definitely... he definitely wouldn't have stolen it!

"He's definitely not a bad person!"

Children's words are simple and straightforward, stripping away all the cloak of morality and law, pointing directly to the most core and primal survival dilemma of poverty, and the resulting lack of choice.

Ying Zheng unconsciously clasped his hands together, rubbing the base of his thumbs, his eyes deep and thoughtful.

"Good!" Zhou Wenqing clapped his hands and laughed. "You both have good points. You both think this person isn't a bad person, right?"

Fusu and Azhu exchanged a glance and both shook their heads.

"Brother Gu'an," Zhou Wenqing looked back at Li Si, "As the children have seen, among the common people of the world, there are indeed those who are truly wicked and evil, who take pleasure in doing evil. However, many more people who break the law, as Azhu said, are forced by poverty and the need to survive. They have no other choice but to do so. They may be foolish or cowardly, anxious or distressed, but they are not necessarily born evil people."

"Given this, if legislation and law enforcement only focus on imposing harsher penalties, wouldn't that be excessively severe and cruel?"

Li Si frowned slightly. He was not entirely against this argument, but the logic of Legalism forced him to consider more realistic consequences.

He glanced at Ying Zheng again, and seeing that the king was also deep in thought and did not show any approval, he felt a little relieved.

"Brother Zicheng, the purpose of establishing laws is to instill fear in the people so that they dare not disobey them. For example, Shang Yang's reforms used strict laws and severe punishments to drive the people to cultivate the land and fight, which led to the powerful Qin state we have today. This is..."

"I understand what Brother Gu'an means," Zhou Wenqing gently interrupted, but did not back down. "May I also offer a few words of my humble opinion?"

Seeing that his eyes were clear and his attitude was earnest, Li Si temporarily stopped talking and raised his hand to indicate, "Brother Zicheng, please speak."

Zhou Wenqing nodded slightly in thanks, paused for a moment, and then said slowly, "Shang Yang's reforms strengthened the Qin state at that time, which is indeed an irrefutable fact. However, Brother Gu'an, have you ever considered whether the Qin state of today is still the Qin state of Shang Yang's time?"

He paused for a moment, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over Ying Zheng's calm face. Seeing that he was not displeased, he continued, "In the past, the Qin state was located in the remote western border region. It was necessary to take drastic measures to survive and become stronger. But what about now?"

"The King of Qin now aspires to encompass the four seas and conquer the eight wastelands. This is no longer about maintaining the status quo and strengthening the state, but about creating a unified empire."

His voice deepened as he posed the core question: "The Qin people may have grown accustomed to the strict laws over the years, but what about the people of the six newly incorporated states? They will suddenly face a set of laws far harsher than those of their homeland, where they will be easily punished, with minor offenses resulting in severe penalties... What will they think? Will they submit willingly, or will they dare not speak out against it?"

"Wenqing dares to assert," he said calmly, "that if, after the King of Qin conquers the world and unifies the land, he still adheres to the old laws of Shang Yang, exclusively upholds the penal code, and tries to deal with all changes by remaining unchanged, and applies this harshness to the whole country... then this empire will not last long."

He paused briefly, as if adding the heaviest weight to his words, then slowly turned his head, his gaze finally meeting Ying Zheng's suddenly sharp eyes with a clear and honest look, and said, word by word.

"If that's truly the case, Wenqing... will never serve Qin!"

------

This chapter might be a bit difficult to understand. To fit the characters and save space, it's written in a rather literary style, but there's really no way around it. (´-﹏-`；)

For an easier-to-understand version, see the author's note (*^▽^*)