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The emperor was a god, while Confucianism and Legalism were described as two lions, and ordinary people were sheep.
So why didn’t God just take the two lions away, instead of letting them kill the sheep? Because if the lions were taken away, the sheep would lose their natural enemies, and they would be infected with the plague and die.
Natural enemies must exist, but if the sheep do not want to be harmed by their natural enemies, they must retain the right to choose.
This truth, as well as various historical events, were spread throughout the Qin Dynasty through night watchmen scattered all over the country, usually through trade routes, and through the Daqin Times. Various versions of the story emerged one after another, and the original trend of the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism was soon overshadowed.
This was a massive public opinion counterattack launched by Qin Mu.
No matter what the effect is, let's muddy the water first.
This of course greatly stung the nerves of Confucianism. Those Confucian disciples from all over the country who believed that it was their responsibility to "establish a mind for heaven and earth, establish a destiny for the people, inherit the unique knowledge of the past sages, and bring peace to the world for all generations" were shocked to learn that they were compared to ferocious lions.
Scholars from many places gathered together, holding the tablet of Confucius, and went to the government office to cry and make a scene. Especially in places like Jiangnan where the literary style flourished, the commotion was particularly intense.
Led by Wu Daoyan and others, three hundred scholars from Suzhou went on a hunger strike in front of the government office, threatening to go on a hunger strike until the court did not vindicate Confucianism.
The Suzhou government office was surrounded by crowds of people. This was a serious matter. The Suzhou prefect Wu Jiacheng urgently reported to Nanjing and went to the government office in person to persuade the people. However, the scholars in front of the government office were not moved at all. No matter how hard Wu Jiacheng tried to persuade them, they continued their hunger strike in protest.
Such a big commotion naturally attracted a large number of Suzhou citizens to watch, and most of them sympathized with the scholars, and everyone gathered outside, talking about it, and all kinds of voices merged into one, buzzing.
At this time, someone suddenly said loudly: "Haha, I think this is hard to say. A group of people who don't even value their own lives, will they value the lives of others? If they were allowed to be officials, would they pity us ordinary people?"
This voice was so harsh amidst the chorus of sympathetic voices that it silenced the people watching around.
The three hundred scholars who were on hunger strike were all terrified, as if their ancestors' graves had been dug up.
Wu Daoyan, who was leading the hunger strike, immediately jumped up and shouted, "Who are you, you evildoer? How dare you slander us like this? Stand up! Come out!"
You heard it right, Wu Daoyan was calling out "He Fang monster".
After he shouted, everyone's eyes turned to the place where the words came from.
But they saw two eight-foot-tall men with broad backs and strong waists, majestic looks, thick and long arms, and fists like Putian balls. They looked like characters that were not easy to mess with.
The two big men smiled at each other and stood in front of the crowd. One of them said in a loud voice, "This is Yuchi Gang. This is my second brother Yuchi Zheng. What do you think? Are you calling us brothers out to fight?"
Fight? Look at this brother, he is as strong as a buffalo, a full head taller than Wu Daoyan, in the cold weather. He is holding his arms, his biceps are throbbing, Wu Daoyan and other scholars are weak, fighting, what a joke.
Wu Daoyan felt a little scared just by being looked down upon by the two brothers.
Yuchi Gang raised his head to the sky and laughed loudly, "Did I say anything wrong? Who said that? The hair on our bodies is given by our parents, and we should not damage it. This is the beginning of filial piety. You are here to protest against hunger. Do your parents know about this? Are you worthy of their kindness in raising you?"
"It is said that loyalty and filial piety cannot be achieved at the same time. We are here to restore the reputation of Confucianism and Confucius..."
"For shit, tsk!" Yuchi Gang interrupted Wu Daoyan loudly, and then said sarcastically, "Come on, stop talking so noble. You so-called scholars are just afraid that the court will despise Confucianism and emphasize legalism, and ruin your future, right?"
The younger brother Yuchi Zheng immediately shouted, "That's right. I heard that this disturbance is because the emperor wants to reform the judiciary and make it fairer so that when the people have problems, they will not suffer from being wronged when they go to the government office. Even if I am wrong, you insist on going on a hunger strike to protest. What's the reason?"
"Second brother, you don't know this, don't you? The emperor's judicial reform is not only to prevent the people from being wronged and suffering, but also to supervise those officials so that they can't be corrupt and abuse the law and harm the people. Think about it, these people will become officials in the future. If the emperor makes such a reform, won't it cut off their way to plunder the people's wealth in the future? Do you understand why they are hypocritically coming here to protest by hunger strike?"
"Hahaha, if you hadn't told me, I really wouldn't have thought of this. Now that you've said this, isn't the matter clear now?"
"You are talking nonsense!"
"This is a lie to confuse the people! He is confounding right and wrong and deserves death."
"This is simply too much, let's fight him!"
When a scholar meets a soldier, he cannot explain his reason clearly, not to mention that they may not be right. The group of scholars were completely enraged. They were sitting quietly on the ground, but now they all jumped up. It can be said that the crowd was in an uproar.
As for the ordinary people watching outside, after hearing what the Yuchi Gang brothers said, many of them had a sudden epiphany and their tone of voice changed drastically.
Those who had originally sympathized with the scholars inside now came to their senses and couldn't help feeling cheated. They started shouting and condemning the scholars inside.
Of course, there was also a group of people who believed in the scholars. The two sides started arguing and the scene was very chaotic. Some business owners who were eloquent followed the ideas of the Yuchi Gang brothers and criticized the scholars inside.
To be specific, the emperor now enjoys a very high reputation among the people. He has implemented many benevolent policies, which have benefited the people greatly. The society and people's livelihood of the entire Qin Dynasty are developing rapidly, and are full of vitality everywhere.
The emperor even paid out of his own pocket to build elementary schools, so that many children from poor families could study for free.
The army expanded territory and gained prestige throughout the world. Not only did it not increase taxes on the people, but on the contrary, it continued to reduce taxes for the lower classes.
What's more, he also piloted medical insurance in Wu County in an attempt to help people all over the world resist serious illnesses that could ruin their families.
With just a little thought, it is not difficult to imagine what the emperor has done for the people over the years. Such an emperor reformed the judiciary, saying that it was to protect the people from injustice and to supervise corrupt officials. The people believed it, really believed it.
So the question is, the emperor reformed the judiciary for the benefit of the people, why did the scholars oppose it? What was their purpose
Isn't it just as brother Yuchi Gang said, out of selfish motives
Ordinary people didn't really understand the dispute between Confucianism and Legalism. They only cared about what would benefit them. More and more people were watching, but more and more people were denouncing the scholars, and it became very loud.
Wu Daoyan and others never expected that things would turn out like this. Few of them dared to fight to the death with Yuchi Gang and his brother. They just surrounded them for show. In addition, the voices accusing them from outside were getting louder and louder. They were pointed at by thousands of people and the situation changed drastically, making them unpopular both inside and outside. Their momentum was greatly weakened.
Yuchi Gang was very happy and laughed loudly, "Am I wrong? No, am I? Which dynasty didn't have laws? Have you ever seen a dynasty without laws? Your Majesty is just making some reforms to make the laws more fair so that there will be more good officials like Bao Qingtian in the world and the people will suffer less. What's wrong with that? You insist on saying that the law is more important than Confucianism. This is simply selfish and trying to cover up the truth.
"Sage Meng said that the people are the most important, and the country is the second. That means whoever does good for the people is right. We, the people of this world, have received so much grace from the emperor. How can we go against our conscience and go against the emperor for our own selfish interests?"
"People in this world are living a good life now. I think some people are coming here to fast just to avoid chaos in the world."
"Yes, yes, yes, you said, if they act uprightly and stand upright, even if the emperor wants to reform the judiciary and supervise those corrupt officials, if they don't want to be corrupt officials, what are they afraid of supervision?"
"That's the truth. You are an honest official. No matter how much supervision you receive, it can only prove that you are innocent. What impact will it have on you? You come here to protest. If you don't have ulterior motives, what else can you do?"
"Right, right, right. If you don't do anything wrong, you don't have to worry about ghosts knocking on your door. If you are afraid of supervision, then it is definitely not a good idea!"
"That's right, that's right. I thought these people were good people, but it turns out they harbored such evil intentions. You really can't pretend to be someone you are not."
"Look at how well-mannered they are. I never expected that. Tell me, how did the previous dynasty have so many corrupt officials? Now I finally understand."
"Humph, a bunch of despicable things, lying!"
"fraud!"
“Fight the liar… .”
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ps: Please vote for recommendation. (To be continued..)
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