However, the First Emperor did not embarrass Zhao Gao after all. Since he asked Zhao Gao to eat with him, he still endured the pain in his stomach and ate the food on the table. However, his appetite was really poor, so he stopped hastily after eating much.
Obviously, compared to Zhao Si, Zhao Gao, the rice partner, does not have any advantage.
Zhao Gao also realized this. When the First Emperor put down his chopsticks, he also put down his chopsticks and silently cleaned up the mess.
After entering again, the First Emperor was already lying on the rocking chair.
Zhao Gao knew that the First Emperor now had the habit of taking a nap.
Every time after eating at noon, he would take a nap. At this time, the First Emperor would retreat to the left and right, and Zhao Si would take over the task of the palace maid, fanning him to cool off.
"Your Majesty, the weather is extremely hot. Would you like me to help you cool off?"
Although there is an ice mirror in the house, it is still very hot in the summer. Someone has to use a fan to cool the body, otherwise it will still be difficult to resist the summer heat.
The First Emperor, who was lying on the recliner, was stunned for a moment when he heard the sound.
It was the First Emperor's habit not to like people around him when sleeping.
Zhao Si is an exception, because Zhao Si is a lovable guy, and with Zhao Si by his side, the First Emperor's rest quality is very good.
But Zhao Gao...
Obviously, it does not have this effect. Eating with the same crime has proved that Zhao Gao does not have this ability.
"No need..." After hesitating for a moment, the First Emperor finally waved his hand.
Zhao Gao felt slightly disappointed when he heard this.
He could realize that he was being stripped away from him by the First Emperor, and that his tasks were getting fewer and fewer. This was not a good thing, but he had no way, and he couldn't do anything to please the First Emperor like Zhao Si.
Nowadays, even the qualifications to be by the First Emperor's side and fan him cool are no longer available.
Zhao Gao felt that he needed to do something.
He is just a minister and an official of CRRC, how can he be so close to others? Isn't it because he is a close minister of the First Emperor?
He not only managed the travel of carriages and horses in the palace, but was also able to enter and exit the palace freely. He served as the First Emperor's personal secretary and served as a attendant. Even if Meng Yi, as a loyal minister, personally launched an attack, he could not overthrow Zhao Gao. Isn't it because of his role? Irreplaceable?
But now, Zhao Gao can realize that he is gradually becoming dispensable.
Only when Zhao Si had something to do and couldn't be there, the job of personal attendant could be his turn.
Gradually, he has become Zhao Si's candidate...
As a minister, he knew very well where his status came from. He had to think of ways to fight for it, and he had to make a difference, but he couldn't act rashly. At times like this, he couldn't be anxious. He has to bide his time, wait for an opportunity!
The First Emperor in the room didn't know what was going on in Zhao Gao's heart. Even if he did, he would just sneer at it.
What the First Emperor was worried about now was how he should fall asleep.
Zhao Si was not here, and there was no one around to fan him to cool off, so he was sweating profusely in a short time.
It was difficult for the First Emperor to accept having others serve him while he was sleeping and relaxing, and he could not break his habit.
He really couldn't sleep...
On the other side, Zhao Si was rushing towards the palace in a hurry.
"I'm busy every day... I have to worry about national affairs, and I have to be attentive to the people around me." After the inspection, Zhao Si went straight to the office of the First Emperor.
Before Zhao Si came to the palace, he saw Zhao Gao waiting quietly outside the door. Inside the house, there was no sound.
"Is your Majesty sleeping?" Zhao Si peered inside and saw the First Emperor lying motionless on the rocking chair.
"I just went to bed." Zhao Gao replied softly.
Hearing this, Zhao Si did not go in, but stood at the door and asked again: "Have you eaten?"
Zhao Gao nodded.
Zhao Si and Zhao Gao didn't communicate much, and their voices were very subtle, but they were all heard by the First Emperor in the room.
Although lying down, the First Emperor did not fall asleep.
"Swing the fan inside..."
Hearing that Zhao Si had returned, the First Emperor did not hesitate and called Zhao Si inside to fan him to relieve the heat and make it easier for him to sleep.
When Zhao Si heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then a smile appeared on his face.
He thought that the First Emperor had already fallen asleep. After hearing the order, he hurriedly went in and shook the cattail leaf fan for the First Emperor, sending the cold air from the Bingjian to the First Emperor.
The sweat gradually subsided, the heat slowly faded away, and the long-lost sleepiness seemed to be triggered with the arrival of Zhao Si, swarming up. Fatigue and sleepiness followed one after another, as well as the cool breeze...
This kid Zhao Si... is indeed different from others.
Without this kid Zhao Si, it really wouldn’t be possible.
In the mind of the First Emperor, the last thoughts disappeared as sleepiness surged up, and he fell into a deep sleep.
…
Peaceful time always passes by like a fleeting moment.
Zhao Si did not know that the real appointee of the First Emperor was Li Si. He only knew that he had to shoulder the important task of moving the imperial order, so he was very concerned about this matter.
And Li Si seemed to have grasped something. He realized that he seemed to be about to embark on a completely different path.
Paying attention to the people and being good to the people is the direction of his future path.
Zhao Si gave Li Si a lot of inspiration, such as the theory of strong stems and weak branches, such as the theory of public weapons.
However, what's a little tricky about this thing is that Li Si has no experience at all.
In the past, the people were weak and weak, but now they have to change their thinking, which makes Li Si feel a little at a loss. How to poor and weak people, so that the people are exhausted, Li Simen is clear, after all, the legalist sages of the past dynasties have summed up the results over hundreds of years. Countless ways.
But Li Si couldn't find the direction on how to value the people and be kind to them.
Li Si thought of his teacher Xunzi and Confucianism.
Objectively speaking, Confucianism has always advocated putting the people first, so Li Si planned to try to borrow some things from Confucianism. There were many different schools of thought, and Li Si also studied under Xunzi, a great Confucian scholar. It can be said that he did not have any psychological burden when copying.
Confucianism pays attention to loyalty and filial piety, quality and virtue, and the theory of a gentleman. There is a saying that relatives hide each other...
After reviewing a lot of homework, Li Si discovered that the Confucian policy of valuing the people and being good to the people may not be so suitable for today's Qin Dynasty, and many things violated Li Si's principles.
"It's useful, but not too useful..." Li Si frowned and began to try to combine the Confucian policy of valuing the people and doing good to the people with what he had learned.
During this period, Zhao Si played a crucial role.
Since the conversation with Zhao Si, Li Si has shown signs of opening up a new path. Later, Li Si would consult with Zhao Si almost every day to discuss the specific implementation of the relocation order, and would also have some academic discussions with Zhao Si.
Putting aside Zhao Si's ability to do practical things, his ideological theory is indeed extremely outstanding and inspired Li Si a lot.
It's just that Zhao Si was very busy, rushing between the palace and Li Si's office every day. After serving the First Emperor in the morning, he often had to deal with Li Si's inquiries in the afternoon.
In order to win over Li Si and form a unified front with Li Si, Zhao Si continued to instill his own ideas into Li Si.
"I see!"
On this day...
Li Si stood up and finally realized what path he should take.
"Human nature is evil! The teacher is never wrong!"
Confucianism emphasizes that human nature is inherently good, while Legalism emphasizes that human nature is inherently evil. Xunzi, a Confucian outlier, also recognized that human nature is inherently evil, which is somewhat deviant. This is the fundamental reason why Xunzi, although he was a great Confucian, handed over to the two Legalists Han Fei and Li Si.
"The common people seek peace, but they also seek profit!"
"We should use laws and punishments, use good guidance, and be clear about the rules and not have personal feelings!"
Li Si realized that caring for the people did not require the abolition of the existing huge and complicated laws and regulations.
"If there are no restrictions, they will definitely gather into clans, and clan rules will not be followed first, instead of laws and regulations. Therefore, the order of household division must continue to be implemented."
"If the food they produce is enough to fill their bellies after paying taxes, they will inevitably stop cultivating the land and put their minds on other things. Therefore, the policy of rewards and punishments for farming must still be implemented."
"If the people are not humiliated but are afraid of war, then they should be honored. Therefore, the privileges of level 20 military meritorious officials can be modified, but they can never be cancelled."
Li Si believed that attaching importance to the people and being kind to the people cannot be stated in terms of Confucianism, and completely abandoning control over the people and allowing them to grow wildly.
"On the contrary, the laws and regulations should be more comprehensive and strict, and they should be strictly controlled so that they are good at farming instead of doing other things to waste the fields. They should be brave enough to fight instead of afraid of death."
"So the continuous sitting cannot be cancelled, and the method of accusation cannot be cancelled."
"Replace punishment with rewards, cancel heavy penalties for minor crimes!" Li Si touched his beautiful beard and wrote solemnly on the bamboo slips.
Qin Law has always advocated heavy punishment for minor crimes. Confucians believe that Legalism has too many laws and regulations, and there is no need to set laws for many things.
Li Si overturned these things!
He is taking a new path.
Paying attention to the people and be kind to the people means that the people can live a life with enough food and clothing and no longer be as exhausted as before.
But the same thing is to formulate more legal provisions to prevent the people from being selfish and unwilling to farm well and fight for the country after they settle down.
Be nice to them and don't think too much of them.
Use legal restrictions to punish them and at the same time guide them into what you need.
Cancel the heavy penalties for misdemeanors, and use rewards and punishments in parallel. In some cases, incentive rewards can be used to replace the original punishments, and rewards can be used instead of punishments.
Qin Fa still needs to penetrate into all aspects of the people as before, so that the people can feel the presence of Qin Fa everywhere, let them know that everything they say and do is within the provisions of Qin Fa, and at the same time, prevent them from being like before. Still out of breath.
If we say that the previous Qin Law was like a piece of cloth that tightly wrapped the people and restricted them, it also made them unable to breathe and overwhelmed.
So what Li Si had to do was to turn the cloth into a net, wrap it around the people, limit their behavior, and at the same time give them enough breathing room.
Zhao Si is right. The most basic bottom line for people is to survive, have enough food and clothing.
Under this premise, their township parties and clans should be smashed. Good people will never let go of control.
After completing the preliminary idea, Li Si took a deep breath and looked up, only to see that it was noon and the sun was strong.
"Time flies..."
He didn’t have an epiphany, but he thought and reflected and scrutinized day after day.
A full month passed so quietly.
In the palace...
The First Emperor slept peacefully on the recliner, while Zhao Si sat cross-legged on the ground, resting his chin with one hand in boredom, shaking the fan with the other hand, and yawned.
"Calculating the time... Jing and the others should be going to sea by now."
"The first batch of official salt with reduced prices should have been sold, right?"
"Autumn is not far away now. I guess there will be some movement from the Xiongnu side, right?"
"Food seeds should have started to be distributed, right?"
With the arrival of Zhao Si, Da Qin seemed to have not changed much, but it also seemed to have changed a lot quietly.
Da Qin's chariot, while moving vigorously, turned a small corner.
Even Li Si, the left prime minister of Great Qin, became bewildered under the influence of Zhao Si.
(End of chapter)
