“Come, Chen’er, continue talking. What other thoughts do you have about Legalism?”
“Ah, do I have to keep talking? I’ve said enough already!”
“How can that be? I’m very interested now. Don’t spoil the fun, speak quickly!”
“This… alright!!”
Zhao Chen was helpless. It seemed like if he didn’t explain himself properly, he wouldn’t be allowed to leave!
“Actually, the progressive significance of Legalism lies in its ability to bridge the gap between different classes.
Legalism put forward the judicial principle of “Princes who break the law are punished the same as commoners.” In other words, all are equal before the law, with no exceptions!
Shang Yang’s death was also because he was ruthless and fearless in punishing the Crown Prince, regardless of his status. You should know this very well, father!
Father, I have a question.
Did Shang Yang really punish the Crown Prince back then? Or did he punish the Crown Prince’s teacher, Gongzi Qian?
“What’s the difference? Besides, this is a secret of the Qin Dynasty. Don’t pry into it.” Ying Zheng said with displeasure.
“If it was only the Crown Prince’s teacher, Gongzi Qian, who was punished, then it only means that Shang Yang was still afraid of offending the monarch!”
“Nonsense! Where did you get that from? It’s a blatant slander!” Ying Zheng exploded with anger.
This was outright defamation of the ancestors of the Qin Dynasty! How could he bear it?
“You stinky kid, since you know that the Qin Dynasty ruled by law, you should have read the *Qin Law*, right?!”
Zhao Chen shook his head.
Ying Zheng:………………
He stared at Zhao Chen speechless. You haven’t even read the *Qin Law*? Then how did you speak so confidently?
“The *Qin Law* back then had regulations. If a minor commits a crime, the guardian is held responsible. The Crown Prince was only nine years old back then, so there must have been someone behind the crime. Shang Yang investigated thoroughly and acted according to the law.
Gongzi Qian had asked to have his hand chopped off in exchange for having his nose cut off. Shang Yang refused. Shang Yang said that each law had corresponding punishments, and they could not be offset in any form.
That’s how it was back then. Now do you understand?”
“Hmm, hmm!”
So it was like that? No wonder the Qin Dynasty became more and more powerful. That’s the benefit of rule by law!
“Actually, the philosophies of the Hundred Schools are all mixed up. They don’t completely agree with the philosophy of their own school.
For example, Mencius was a Confucian, but many of his views were similar to those of the Mohists. Yet he still scolded the Mohists. This is just a clear case of sectarianism.
For example, Xunzi, being a Confucian, fully agreed with the Legalist philosophy of rule by law. Some people even refuse to recognize Xunzi as a Confucian.
For example, Mozi, although critical of Confucianism, also inherited some Confucian ideas, while also incorporating the Legalist philosophy of rule by law, as well as his own independent logic and dialectical ideas.
It can be seen that the more pragmatic Hundred Schools often combine different philosophies.
The Strategists, the Military Strategists, the Ji Ran School, and the Legalists – these extremely pragmatic schools are almost completely interconnected, and they use each other’s philosophies.
It’s just that they focus more on one aspect or another.
The core of Legalism is rule by law, enforcing the law equally, without high or low, noble or base.
Since the Art and Power schools also adhere to this idea, they naturally became a branch of Legalism.
Legalism was deeply influenced by Lao Tzu’s philosophy of Daoism. They highly recognize the strategies of dealing with things in Daoist philosophy.
Therefore, the three branches of Legalism all highly respect Lao Tzu’s ideas on power and strategy.
The pragmatic Hundred Schools all have a deep understanding of Daoist philosophy of survival and strategies.
“Chen’er, you really have a deep understanding of these things!”
“Hehe, I studied them out of boredom. Didn’t I ask for Daoist philosophical classics from Master Beimingzi recently?” Zhao Chen wouldn’t tell him about the book spirit enlightenment.
“You call this study out of boredom? What about others who spend their whole lives studying and haven’t learned as much as you have in your boredom?”
“Uh!! Father, let’s continue discussing Legalism!
You know Shen Dao, right?”
“Of course I do. He’s one of the founders of Legalism, known as Shenzi!”
“That’s right. He advocated for rule by law and governing by Daoist strategies.
The monarch should practice non-interference.
The monarch doesn’t need to have great accomplishments. Just use his ministers well and let them handle things.
If the monarch interferes too much, his ministers will be less proactive.
He emphasized that the monarch is like a dragon, and power is like clouds and mist. A dragon without clouds and mist cannot fly high and is no different from an earthworm.
Therefore, he advocated that to govern a country well, the monarch must first ensure his power is absolutely secure.
He should rely on laws formulated and enforced by the monarch to manage the country well.
Shen Dao is actually the Legalist closest to Daoist philosophy. He is essentially a successor to Lao Tzu’s ideas. His governing strategies all follow the theories that Lao Tzu put forward, but he integrated the concept of rule by law.
Two of Shen Dao’s arguments show that he is clearly a Daoist thinker.
First: Do not favor the wise.
Second: Do not respect loyal ministers.
Father, doesn’t it sound absurd?”
Ying Zheng nodded.
It didn’t sound like something someone called Shenzi would propose.
“But Father, if you understand it from a Daoist perspective, ‘wise’ does not equal ‘capable’. In Shen Dao’s philosophy, ‘wise ministers’ refer to those who have strong independent opinions and are very popular.
If you have too many of these people, you will become insecure as a monarch. The people may listen to them instead of you.
Therefore, you must not ‘favor the wise’.
However, you can use ‘capable ministers’. Capable ministers are those who are very effective in handling things, but they don’t think about unnecessary matters and focus on their ‘duties’.
“Do not respect loyal ministers”. Shen Dao believes that there are definitely loyal ministers in the world, but loyalty does not mean they are capable. They may not be able to get things done.
Governance requires capable ministers who are loyal to their duty, not to the monarch.
There are many incompetent people in the world who are loyal to the monarch but not to their duty.
They may be thinking about the monarch, but their abilities are limited, and they often interfere with many correct decisions, threatening the monarch with death or life.
Officials should be loyal to their duty, and their duty should not exceed their position.
Loyal ministers, believing themselves to be loyal to the monarch, interfere everywhere and end up disrupting the government.
Therefore, Shen Dao is a Legalist theorist. In his theories, everything makes sense, but in the actual implementation process, because the monarch has absolute dictatorship and there is no constraint on the monarch, then the monarch himself must maintain a very sharp and clear mind.
If you encounter an incompetent ruler, you will be stuck.
Therefore, Shen Dao’s power structure and Confucianism’s emphasis on loyalty to the monarch have the same flaw – the expansion of the element of ‘personal rule’.
Shen Dao’s structure is that the monarch is a super sage, who sets good laws, and everyone follows them. Those who violate the law, regardless of whether they are princes or nobles, are punished according to the law.
There is no high or low, no difference. With this, the country will gain the hearts of the people and people’s enthusiasm will be high. It will be a harmonious society.
“I see. No wonder Shenzi’s two proposals haven’t been accepted. It seems many people have misunderstood them!”
Now, Ying Zheng understood.
Still looking for flowers, looking for monthly tickets! Looking for flowers, looking for monthly tickets! Looking for flowers, looking for monthly tickets! Looking for flowers, looking for monthly tickets!