Chapter 21: Believe in the Holy Sage, and Shall the World Know Peace?

Su Xu was no ordinary man. He quickly brushed aside his slight embarrassment and said, "Indeed, among all the masters, Sage Kong possesses the deepest learning and the highest virtue."

As he spoke, Su Xu’s eyes brimmed with reverence. It was clear that he truly believed this, rather than merely paying lip service.

"The words of Sage Kong can be used for personal cultivation, or for regulating the family and governing the state! Yet look at the Taoists—they flee from the world, living in seclusion and caring only for their own virtue. Or look at the Mohists—they acknowledge neither ruler nor father, only their own leader..."

Su Xu proceeded to critique the prominent schools of thought, his message essentially boiling down to: apart from my Confucian school, all others are trash. If the world is to enjoy lasting peace, it must be governed by Confucian doctrines. Come, believe in Sage Kong! Those who believe in Sage Kong shall see the world flourish!

Though Li Nian felt Su Xu’s words were laced with too much personal bias, he had to admit one thing: this man was daring, truly bold!

*‘This guy has real nerve. Is he not afraid that his remarks will reach the First Emperor? No, he must know the First Emperor will hear of them; he is doing this on purpose, simply unbothered.’*

*‘He is just like Chunyu Yue, surely one of those “Confucians” destined to be caught up in the First Emperor’s “burning of books and burying of scholars.”’*

Chunyu Yue was the man who, even when the First Emperor had clearly mandated the system of prefectures and counties, dared to jump out and clamor for the restoration of the Zhou rites and the feudal system of the Zhou era, triggering the historical event known as the "burning of books and burying of scholars."

*‘How should I respond?’*

Li Nian pondered. He could not express his thoughts as recklessly as Su Xu or Chunyu Yue. Every word he spoke would be reported to the First Emperor; a wrong answer could have dire consequences.

*‘At this stage, the First Emperor should not have too many negative views on Confucianism; otherwise, he would not have allowed Chunyu Yue to tutor Fusu, nor would he have let Confucian scholars become Erudites of Great Qin. My answer today will certainly shape the First Emperor’s opinion of Confucianism!’*

Recalling the dynasties of later ages influenced by Confucianism, Li Nian made a decision: he must point out the shortcomings of Confucianism and try his best to prevent certain historical tragedies from repeating.

*‘While it is certainly wrong to blame all of history’s problems solely on Confucianism, the school is by no means a pristine lotus flower, free of all faults.’*

Seeing Li Nian lost in thought, Su Xu felt a bit puzzled. In his view, after hearing his critique of the hundred schools, this man should have either refuted him or asked why he held such opinions. Why had he fallen into such deep contemplation? Was his critique truly that startling?

After a moment, Li Nian spoke: "Since Master Su has mentioned self-cultivation, regulating the family, and governing the state, may I ask which of these takes precedence?"

As a Confucian Erudite, Su Xu was well-versed in the classics and instantly spotted the shallow trap in Li Nian’s question. He smiled, "Young master, you do not wish to ask about the order of these three; you wish to ask about Sage Meng’s words: ‘When poor, one guards one’s own virtue; when successful, one brings virtue to the whole world,’ correct?"

Li Nian did not show the embarrassment of having his trap exposed. He posed another question, the very one the First Emperor had once asked Fusu: "In the *Mencius*, it says, ‘Those who follow the Way have many supporters; those who abandon the Way have few.’ Tell me, Master Su, is our Great Qin a state that has abandoned the Way and lacks support, or one that follows the Way and has many?"

This question could stump Fusu, but it could not baffle a Confucian Erudite like Su Xu. Su Xu replied, "It is naturally one that follows the Way and has many supporters! The phrase ‘those who follow the Way have many supporters’ emphasizes the ‘Way,’ not the ‘number’ of people. The Way is benevolence and righteousness!"

"Though Great Qin was few in number, it possessed the Way. While the six states were many, they lacked the Way. Thus, Great Qin’s conquest of the six states was the Way punishing the wayless. All those in the world who possess the Way followed us. This perfectly aligns with ‘those who follow the Way have many supporters.’"

This answer almost made Li Nian want to applaud. Regardless of the numbers, by seizing upon the concept of the "Way" and extending it to argue that those who possess the Way stood with Great Qin, he successfully turned a potential accusation of being "wayless" into a justification for conquest.

Li Nian realized this attempt had failed. No matter what he said next, this man would circle back and provide a "reasonable" explanation. The point was not whether Li Nian found the explanation logical, but that Su Xu found it logical himself. He was fully immersed in the justifications he had constructed, and no one else could break in. Even if Li Nian explained that Great Qin’s victory was due to its superior system and the wisdom of its ruler, which allowed it to unleash greater combat power than the six states, Su Xu would not listen; he would still use his Confucian framework to interpret it.

Fortunately, Li Nian was not trying to persuade Su Xu. He was merely demonstrating his attitude toward Confucianism to the First Emperor—he did not like this school of thought.

In truth, there were many things worth learning from Confucianism; it was not entirely without merit. For instance, its teachings on personal cultivation: "Is it not a pleasure to learn and practice it periodically?" "I examine myself three times daily: Have I been unfaithful in working for others? Have I been untrustworthy in my dealings with friends? Have I failed to practice what I have been taught?" "Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous..."

Moreover, the Confucianism of this era was different from later times. It was not a group of rigid, dogmatic pedants, but a gathering of learned scholars proficient in the six arts and possessed of grand ambitions.

However, Li Nian had to consider the impact he would have on the First Emperor. Therefore, on the issue of Confucianism, he had to be distinct and unambiguous. Confucianism might suffice as an academic discipline for moral education, but if used to govern a state—even if dressed in Confucian robes but powered by Legalist bones—it would sow endless trouble. Even if that was not the original intent of Confucianism, once in the hands of an emperor, it would inevitably be molded into a shape that served imperial rule.

Li Nian said, "According to your words, Master Su, it seems that only Confucianism can govern the world well and ensure lasting peace. If Confucian learning is truly so powerful, why did the kings of the various states never adopt it?"

This was easy to answer. Su Xu replied, "It is precisely because they failed to adopt it that they perished."

As if anticipating that Li Nian would next ask, "Great Qin did not use Confucianism to govern, yet it did not perish," Su Xu quickly added a patch: "Although Great Qin did not use our Confucian teachings, it attained the world through benevolence, which aligns with the core essence of Confucianism."

It was a blatant lie. Great Qin clearly utilized the Legalist approach; when had it ever had anything to do with Confucian benevolence?

Li Nian did not mind. He continued, "I have heard that Confucius revered the Zhou rites, and the governance discussed in Confucian classics also takes the Zhou as its model. Can one assume that the Zhou is the kind of state the Confucian school admires?"

Su Xu likely guessed what Li Nian was getting at, but he could not deny it, for that was indeed what they thought. He, Chunyu Yue, and other scholars had come to Great Qin because they wanted to realize their political ambitions after the unification. And their ambition was precisely to restore the Zhou rites—to restore the ritual and musical systems of the Zhou Dynasty, the well-field system, and the hereditary enfeoffment system, recreating the era of Confucius’s dreams, where rituals were sound and people were guileless.

Therefore, even anticipating where Li Nian’s words would lead, Su Xu could only say with a solemn expression: "Yes!"