Back to jail.
Ji Heng just sat on the floor.
As the day of death approached, the noise in the prison gradually became less and less.
Instead there were pleading and crying.
Everyone is afraid of death.
Confucian scholars and alchemists are no exception.
Maybe they died too early and they were still a little arrogant and stubborn, but now their arrogance has long been gone, leaving only endless fear and regret.
Confessions and begging can be heard everywhere in the prison.
Ji Heng looked calm.
He had long since put life and death aside.
In the previous nine lives, he died of exhaustion, died in battle, died of illness, or died of natural old age.
He has experienced too much of the state of death in the world.
My heart has long been numb.
But he also had to admit that Qin did have ancient traditions.
Following some ancient and time-worn traditions.
Punishment is one of them.
"Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals" says: The moon of Mengqiu is used to start autumn... It is also the month when the legal system is revised, prisons and lawsuits are decided, the guilty are killed, and punishments are severely punished. The heaven and earth begin to be solemn and cannot be full.
This is a political rule handed down from the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period.
In ancient times, it was called the Qiuyue Punishment!
If this kind of political rules were left to future generations, they would only be laughed at as pedantic by the world.
But Qin has always strictly adhered to it.
Even the political rules corresponding to the relationship between heaven and man have become common sense to everyone in the world.
However, the head of Guizhou did not understand the underlying principles of heaven and man.
I only know that criminals should be killed after autumn.
"There are still thirteen days." Ji Heng looked at the wall, which had dozens of "正" characters engraved on it, shook his head and said: "Sometimes it doesn't seem very good for the prefect to follow the rules. If those of us who have been sentenced to death , if he could be executed on the spot, maybe he wouldn’t have such a torturous life.”
"But it's always good to have rules."
Ji Heng actually knew why Qin went to such unnecessary lengths.
The purpose is to avoid unjust, false and wrongful convictions.
The Qin court has implemented the legal system for hundreds of years, and the legal system is relatively complete.
Even if you are sentenced as a criminal, the criminal will be given the qualification to beg for mercy, and officials will not be allowed to make arbitrary decisions. As long as you are dissatisfied with the sentence, or there is insufficient evidence from the court, and you think the sentence is unfair, you can refuse to plead guilty, and you can continue to beg for mercy. , the highest appeal can be to Tingwei Mansion.
With each appeal, the case moves upward.
Therefore, the Qin Dynasty was not in a hurry to execute people, but was also giving the criminals time to prove themselves.
Ji Heng withdrew his gaze, looked around, found a bright place, and lay down with his clothes on.
The remaining thirteen days were ultimately difficult.
...
Yong Temple.
Fusum sat on the table numbly.
What Ji Heng said in prison kept ringing in his mind.
Thinking about the instructions that the First Emperor gave to him in the past and the arrangements that the First Emperor made for him, and comparing them with his ridiculous behavior in the past, his eyes were filled with annoyance and self-blame.
If it were in the past, what Ji Heng said would not be taken seriously.
But what Ji Heng said one after another was similar to the First Emperor's previous sermons, which made him completely shaken.
When he realized that the First Emperor was weak and weak, he felt even more regretful and heartbroken.
Now that the First Emperor was declining, the Qin Dynasty was facing such a severe situation. As the eldest son of the First Emperor, he should have taken care of the First Emperor's worries, but not only did he fail to do so, he also made the First Emperor angry and hurt many times, making the First Emperor not only want to Worrying about state affairs, you also have to worry about yourself. How unfaithful and unfilial is it for such an eldest son?
Especially when he heard Ji Heng say that the First Emperor was secretly planning for himself, he was even more shocked beyond words.
There was even an ominous premonition.
As the eldest son, Fusu knew the nature of the First Emperor.
The First Emperor was aloof and arrogant!
If he wasn't really in poor health, how could he plan like this?
The First Emperor was not good at words.
He would not show concern for himself, but would arrange everything in secret.
But the more this happened, the more Fusu felt sad and blamed himself.
Who is the eldest son?
The first pillar of the family tribe.
As for himself, instead of solving the First Emperor's problems, he actually made the First Emperor's problems worse.
How can one be so embarrassed by such an eldest son?
For a while.
Fusu felt so sad that he couldn't help crying.
"Father----"
"My son is unfilial. Only then did I understand my father's sincere teachings and his good intentions."
"My son, I am truly worthy of being a son of man!"
The spacious and bright study was as quiet as a deep valley, and Fusu's painful cries continued to echo.
a long time.
Fusu stood up.
Looking at the Confucian bamboo slips under the case, there was a rare hint of disgust in his eyes.
He laughed at himself:
"Fusu is stupid, how dare he talk about kindness?"
"Han Zi is right, there are no corrupted prisoners in the Yan family, and a loving mother has a corrupted son."
"I, Fusu, have read more books and listened to more Confucian scholars than ordinary people. How can I really understand what benevolence is? What is kindness?"
"All I want in this life is to realize my father's ambition, so that all the counties and counties in the world can be governed and the people can live and work in peace and contentment."
"If it can really be realized, this life will be enough!"
"Kind..."
"After all, it's Fusu who doesn't deserve it!"
A bleak smile appeared on Fusu's face, and he said outside the palace: "Wei Sheng."
soon.
A eunuch entered the study.
Fusu took a deep look at the books under the case, and finally made up his mind. He slowly closed his eyes and said coldly: "Clean out all these bamboo slips, and then..."
"Burn them all."
"From now on, no more books related to Confucianism are allowed in the study."
Finished.
Fusu put his hands behind his back and went outside the hall.
It seemed that he didn't want to see these bamboo slips being moved away with his own eyes.
At noon in early autumn, the lingering heat of the blazing summer still made Fusu's cheeks ache from the sun.
Fusu ignored it.
He stood tall and looked into the distance.
But I am thinking about what is benevolence? What is goodness?
What kind of kindness does Da Qin need?
How kind is he?
What happened in Fusu Yong Palace soon reached the ears of the First Emperor.
Ying Zheng was slightly surprised by Fusu's sudden abandonment of Confucianism, but he didn't pay too much attention.
"It is not hopeless to give up the Confucian benevolent government now, but it is not enough. If you don't know how to plan for political power, and don't know the way of kings and ministers, even if you know what true benevolence is, it will be of little use to the actual governance of the world. "
"There are still many things you need to understand."
"But it's not too late!"
Ying Zheng nodded happily and leaned on the big pillow of the couch, saying, "Ji Heng is indeed quite capable. He can actually persuade Fusu, a stubborn donkey."
"Someone's coming."
"Inform Zong Zheng that I want to know all the information about Ji Heng."
"I not only want to know what Ji Heng did in Xianyang, but also what he is doing in Yandi."
There was a sound of rapid footsteps outside the hall.
After giving instructions, Ying Zheng didn't take this incident seriously and continued to read the memorial.
His time is valuable.
He also had many memorials to review.
the other side.
After cleaning up the books related to Confucianism, Fusu returned to the study.
Looking at the rather empty study room, Fusu frowned slightly, sighed softly, sat back on the table, opened "Han Feizi" again, and continued to ponder it carefully.
The end.
He seemed to have remembered something and said: "Wei Sheng, go to Yushi Zhongcheng and borrow the documents recorded when the court discussed the 'dividing of counties and counties'."
