When the messenger came to Jieshi, he saw that Lu Sheng had run away, so he caught a few insignificant people. The envoys wanted Lu Sheng everywhere, but when they saw that he had escaped without a trace, they had no choice but to bring these people to Xianyang to meet the First Emperor. The emperor then interrogated them, and these people said the above words. When the First Emperor heard that Lu Sheng had scolded him so much when he escaped, he was furious and said: "I recruit alchemists just to let them find the art of immortality for me. Over the years, the country has spent hundreds of millions. Xu Fu also kidnapped thousands of boys and girls for money. Mao Ying persuaded me to build Orchid Pond, but got nothing. Now Lu Sheng has offended me so much that everyone in the world accuses me of my fault. These sorcerers are really abominable! "Li Si had long been dissatisfied with the magicians, and because the scholars in Xianyang were scolding him, he took the opportunity to say: "Your Majesty, I have already investigated. These magicians are all cunning and treacherous. They have no knowledge and skills, and they only use crooked ways. They cheated money, but no one was really seeking blessings for His Majesty. What is hateful is that they also got together with some Confucian scholars in Xianyang, slandering the government, abusing the court, and confusing people's hearts. This phenomenon is more serious than before, and some people even express their disdain for the government. The ban was indifferent, especially after the book burning, some literary scholars in Xianyang openly gathered together, either in front of a large audience or in the streets and alleys to complain, scolding and cursing His Majesty, and even There are still people who are trying to incite people to rebel! Lu Sheng's words are exactly the same as theirs. Please give your Majesty's advice and resolutely stop this kind of thing. You must not let these idiots mess up the laws of Qin?" Li Si also collected many witnesses, Talk about how the Confucian scholars scolded the emperor.
After the First Emperor learned about these situations, he was indeed annoyed. He said sadly: "I recruit literary people just to let them make suggestions for me and seek the construction and development of the country. However, they colluded with the magicians. Slandering the government and humiliating me is an evil plan!" So he immediately issued an edict and arrested all the alchemists and Confucian scholars in Xianyang, seven to eight hundred of them.
In order to show their talents, the officials in charge of the prison tortured these people to extract confessions. Indeed, many of these people saw that they had no books to study, so they called the emperor a bastard and said that this was baozheng. The officials reported the names one by one. The First Emperor thought: All the classics in the country have been burned, and scholars can still use their knowledge to praise and criticize the current affairs. If they are all killed, the trend of slandering the government will definitely stop. He asked Li Si: "There are many people who violate the ban, how should they be punished?" Li Si said: "During the Zhou Dynasty, people wrote books one after another to express their views on governing the country to the monarch. They were all called sages. Now that the country is unified, Laws and various systems have also been unified, and people's thoughts, words and deeds should also be unified. Before burning books, the court had already issued an order: "Anyone who makes arrogant comments about government affairs and talks about poems and books that are the language of hundreds of schools of thought must be punished." 'Now the edict should be implemented in accordance with the edict.' The First Emperor sentenced all the more than 460 people who violated the ban to death, and ordered the whole country to immediately stop freedom of speech. In this way, since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, sages and Confucian scholars from all walks of life have emerged. They have written and established their theories, and the situation of a hundred schools of thought contending has ended.
The First Emperor burned poems and books and killed some scholars. Afraid of causing uneasiness among the scholars in the court, he summoned all the doctors one day and tentatively asked them: "I heard that the Five Emperors implemented the abdication system, while the kings of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties implemented the hereditary system. How should I inherit the throne?" The doctors were afraid of causing disaster and did not dare to speak. But Dr. Bao Bailingzhi stepped forward and said: "Your Majesty, if you want to treat the world as a public institution, you should implement the system of abdication. If you want to treat the world as a private institution, you should implement a hereditary system. The five emperors regard the world as a public property, and the three kings regard the world as a private property." The First Emperor looked up to the sky and sighed: "I am the third emperor in virtue and have meritorious service over the Five Emperors. Of course I will implement the abdication system. Who can take over the world after me?" Bao Bailingzhi saw the true thoughts of the First Emperor and said bluntly. He said without hesitation: "Your Majesty follows the path of Jie and Zhou, promotes baozheng, and wants to implement the five emperors' system of meritorious service. This is not your original intention!" Hearing this, the First Emperor was furious and said: "How dare you curse me, a madman? Why do you say that about me? Are you practicing the ways of Jie and Zhou? Tell me quickly, or I will kill you!" Bao Bai said calmly: "Your Majesty built the Sheyantai that connects to the sky, and also built the Afang that stretches for five miles. In front of the palace, you cast large bells and drums weighing thousands of stones, and bell and drum frames weighing ten thousand stones. You also dug the mausoleum, digging thousands of feet underground, and built palaces that were three hundred miles east from Yongmen. Palace concubines Thousands of singers, dancers and acrobats fill the palace. Your Majesty has exhausted the wealth of the world for your own pleasure, and is selfish and exhausted the people of the country. How can you compete with the Five Emperors, and how can you regard the world as a commonwealth? You say Are these words really shameless?" After hearing this, the First Emperor turned red with anger.
All the doctors were so frightened that Bao Bai Lingzhi deserved to suffer. However, after a long time, the First Emperor laughed and said: "What Lingzhi said is really making me look embarrassed in front of everyone? If I can't give in, I will." It should be hereditary. Then tell me, which of my princes can be the heir?" Bao Bailing said: "Fusu is a virtuous, filial and kind person, and he is the eldest son. Isn't he a suitable candidate?" Qin Shihuang thought to himself. : Fusu is indeed the only candidate, but he is too benevolent and weak, and has no meritorious service to the country. How can he convince the public if he is established as the prince? We should find opportunities for him to practice in strong winds and waves. At this time, a man suddenly broke into the palace and shouted: "Your Majesty, you can't do it! You can't do it!" Everyone was shocked and looked towards the door of the palace.
Fusu hurriedly came to the emperor, knelt down and prayed: "Your Majesty, the country has only been stable for a few years, and the people of the six countries have not yet surrendered." The First Emperor said, "What do you want to say?" Fusu said, "Listen. He said that Your Majesty wants to kill scholars. They are all saints. What crime have they committed? Do they have to be killed? I am worried that this move will lose the support of the people." Everyone was very shocked, thinking that Bao Bailing had just collided with him. Long Yan, now that Fusu has come to criticize Ni Lin again, they are all worried about the young master. However, the First Emperor said casually: "These scholars are really abominable. They colluded with the alchemists, ignored my authority, discussed the government arbitrarily, and killed them to show the ruthlessness of the country's laws. You are really stupid to intercede on their behalf!" Fusu said. "Your Majesty, the sorcerers are hateful, but the Confucian scholars are innocent, so it is ominous to kill them! I only interceded for the Confucian scholars. Think about it, the scholars have no books to study. How can they stop cursing? Your Majesty, please forgive them?" The First Emperor scolded them. Said: "What do you know, kid? When I issued the book-burning order, I had something to say: Whoever dares to slander the government and make false remarks about the affairs of the court will be executed. If we don't kill their families now, they have already exhausted their benevolence. These crazy people How dare you ignore my authority, slander the government without killing them, how can you convince the people? You don't know the art of governing the country, and you don't know filial piety, so you dare to teach me a lesson? You should leave Beijing immediately and go to the north to serve as General Meng Tian. Supervise the army and supervise the construction of the highway. When the highway is completed, I will inspect the north. Without my edict, you cannot enter the capital on your own!" After saying this, someone wrote an edict and sent the young master out of the capital immediately. Fusu was shocked.
The next day, the First Emperor hated Xu Fu for causing the people to be separated from each other. He was also angry that Mao Ying had deceived him. Lu Sheng cursed him, and other Confucian scholars scolded him. In a fit of anger, he sentenced all these people to death. Most of these people are alchemists, there are also a few who are extremely Qin haters, and some are grumbling Confucians with no real talent or knowledge. There are also a small number of sages and sages, a total of more than 460 people. It can be said that the good and the bad are mixed, and no one can save them now, so they were driven out of the city by the Qin army and taken to Hongkenggou on the shore of the Wei River for execution.
Just as everyone was leaving the city, a young woman stood on the side of the road, looking at her husband in the team and crying. The First Emperor happened to be out of the city. When he saw her, he got out of the car and walked to the woman's side and said, "Who are you crying for?" The woman said, "You are crying for your husband." The First Emperor said, "You knew he had violated the law and did not report him. Do you know the crime?" The woman replied calmly: "My little girl heard that a king who implements a virtuous government is like the Big Dipper in the sky, sitting in his seat, with all the stars pointing towards it. In order to kill these unarmed people, the king How can people look up to you when you are a weak person and come here in person?" The First Emperor was shocked and looked at the woman in surprise: "Qin has always governed the country by law. They are violators and should be put to death. Do you have any objection to this?" The woman said? Answer: "Does the king know the relationship between corn seedlings and rain and dew?" The First Emperor asked: "How do you say this?" The woman replied: "In July and August, the corn seedlings wither and die in winter. But when the spring breeze blows next year, God will The rain fell smoothly, and the seedlings grew vigorously. If the king shows kindness to the people, just like the rain from heaven on the seedlings, the king will be invincible!" The first emperor admired her even more in his heart, and said: "I measure everything in the world by the law. If you abandon legal principles and use benevolence and righteousness instead, you are not leading by example, and how can you set an example for the world?" The woman continued: "People on the left and right say that this person can be killed, so don't listen; all the ministers say kill, so don't listen. , the people of the country said to kill him, the king carefully examined it and found that he had a murderable crime and then killed him, so he said that this person was killed by the people of the country. Only such a king can be the parent of all people." The First Emperor looked ashamed and said: "I set the law first, and the law is the standard that the people of the country abide by. If I listen to you and pardon your husband now, I will be bending the law for personal gain. The law will become a piece of paper. How will I face the people of the world?" The woman said: " The little girl heard that the reason why Jie and Zhou lost the world was because they lost the people. Losing the people actually meant losing the hearts of the people. There is also a way to win the world, that is, you must first win the hearts of the people. Those who win the hearts of the people win the world. This is true for everyone. Everyone knows it but can't do it." The First Emperor said with great admiration: "I can pardon your husband!"
Suddenly someone behind him shouted loudly: "The prince committed the same crime as the common people, not to mention that he is only my son-in-law! If your Majesty can pardon my son-in-law today, everyone in the world will think that you have an affair!" The First Emperor turned around and saw that it was Lis. Li Si stepped forward and said: "According to your majesty's edict, if someone violates the prohibition, anyone who does not report it will be guilty of the same crime. Now I am not strict in running the family, so much so that my son-in-law dares to violate the prohibition. Not only must he be punished, but even his wife will not be punished." Exception!" Li Can almost collapsed to the ground after hearing this. The First Emperor was shocked and realized that she was Li Si's youngest daughter Li Can. The First Emperor said: "So, the Prime Minister can't escape the involvement?" Li Si was shocked and quickly stood aside with his head bowed and said no more.
The First Emperor said to Li Sid: "The Prime Minister has raised a good daughter, she can't live without a husband?" Li Sid said: "If your Majesty really loves the people, you should clarify the punishment. I heard that Duke Wen of Jin once summoned the princes and officials to Shi Qian Palace , but one of his favorite ministers, Bianjie, was late, and the ministers asked what to do with him. Duke Wen said to kill him. The supervisor beheaded Bianjie and showed him to the people. From then on, the Jin people were frightened and said: ' Dianjie was so favored and was punished, let alone us!" Later, Duke Wen sent troops to attack Cao and Wulu. The army won one after another. He also knocked down the city walls of Zheng and changed the fields of Wei into East and West ridges. Later, he He fought a decisive battle with the Chu State and won a great victory in Chengpu. He ordered the three armies to advance, and the soldiers were as fast as water pouring down the slope; he ordered the three armies to stop, and the soldiers stopped immediately as if their legs had been cut off. No one among the three armies dared Disobeying orders was the reason why the Jin Dynasty was in great trouble. Duke Dan of Zhou also killed Uncle Guan and exiled Uncle Huo. Everyone in the world said: "No blood brother can be exempted from punishment if he is guilty, let alone an estranged one." People!' When Zhou Gongdan's sword and saw were applied to the court, the country was in great control, so it is said that the road of punishment can be improved without punishment. Today, if your majesty can kill the son-in-law of an minister, the people of the world will definitely say: The emperor enforces the law today. Since the prime minister's son-in-law cannot be pardoned, let alone others. Now that the great rule of Qin is imminent, your majesty, please take a closer look?" After hearing what Li Si said, Qin Shihuang had no choice but to have Hu Sheng taken away. Li Can turned around and left very angry.
After Fusu left the palace with the edict, he went home crying and explained the situation to his mother, and then left Xianyang with his entourage. The group of them meandered northward. Fusu walked with heavy steps. He didn't even ride a horse, and his mind was filled with thoughts of Confucian scholars. An hour later, someone suddenly caught up from behind and said, "Young Master!" It turned out that Fu Su was always a kind, virtuous and filial man. He knew that his father wanted to kill the Confucian scholar, but he didn't believe it in his heart, so he sent a few people to follow him secretly. Go and see, he wants to know exactly how those who violated the prohibition were dealt with by his father. After seeing it clearly, these people came to report in a panic: "Sir, those four hundred people were really buried alive!" When Fusu heard this, he was stunned. They added: "We followed your order and waited outside the city. All the more than 400 people were driven to Hongkenggou on the shore of the Wei River. Some people didn't want to die, so they ran out, but they all They were tied up and unable to escape, so they were driven to the bottom of the ditch. After a while, after a cannon sounded, wooden rafts were pulled up on the hillsides on both sides of the valley entrance. The earth and rocks slid down together, sealing the valley entrance, and then again Shoot with an arrow, and you won’t hear the sound for a while!”
After hearing this, Fusu knelt down on the ground with a thump. He faced the direction of Xianyang and lamented: "Heaven! Why do you punish our country of Qin so cruelly?" With a cry from the sky, he burst into tears. Suddenly a strong wind blew, and the merciless sand and dust hit his cheeks. At this time, people around him helped him up. Fusu covered his face with his sleeves and staggered toward the north. Later generations called the place where Confucian scholars were killed "Kengru Valley".
