Translation of Classical Chinese: Biography of Li Si

Li Si is a Shangcai native of Chu State. When he was young, he used to be a small official in the county. When he saw the mouse eating dirty things in the toilet near his office, he was very scared. Whenever someone or a dog came, he ran away. Later, Reese went into the granary again and saw that the mice in the granary were eating the accumulated millet and living under the big house, not to mention worrying about people or dogs disturbing them. So Reese sighed generously: "whether a person is promising or worthless, like a mouse, is determined by his own environment."

So Reese learned the knowledge that emperors ruled the world from Xunzi. After Reese finished his studies, it was estimated that the King of Chu was not worthy to serve his country, and all six countries were weak. Without any hope of making contributions to his country, he wanted to go to Qin. Before I left, I said goodbye to Xunzi and said, "I heard that when a person meets an opportunity, he must not relax and not miss it." Now every vassal state is fighting for opportunities, and lobbyists have real power. Now the king of Qin wants to annex all countries and claim that the emperor rules the world. For political activists and lobbyists from civilian backgrounds, this is a good opportunity to run around and show their ambitions. Being humble, but not striving for fame and fortune, just like animals, waiting for ready-made meat to eat, walking with a barely upright face in vain. So the biggest shame is meanness, and the biggest sorrow is poverty. Being in a humble position and harsh environment for a long time, it is not the original wish of the literati to criticize the society, hate fame and fortune, and vilify themselves for not competing with the world. So I'm going to the west to lobby the king of Qin. "

After arriving in the State of Qin, just in time for the death of King Xiang of Qin Zhuang, Reese requested to act as the Scheeren, Wen Xin Hou Qin Wang Guo Xiang; Lv Buwei admired him very much and appointed him as Langguan. This gave Reese a chance to lobby. He said to the king of Qin: "Ordinary people often lose opportunities, but a man who can make great achievements lies in his ability to take advantage of opportunities and be cruel." In the past, although Qin Mugong dominated the world, it did not annex the six Shandong countries to the east. What is the reason? The reason is that the morality of the Zhou Dynasty did not decline because of the large number of governors. Therefore, the five tyrants rose alternately and were promoted to the Zhou Dynasty. Since Qin Xiaogong, the Zhou Dynasty has been humble and weak, and the governors merged with each other. The area east of Hanguguan was transformed into six countries, and Qin enslaved the princes for six generations. Now vassals obey the state of Qin just as counties obey the court. With the strength of Qin State and the wisdom of kings, just like sweeping away the dust on the stove, it is enough to destroy the princes, achieve the imperial industry and unify the world. This is a golden opportunity. If we slack off now and don't pay close attention to this matter, we will not be able to annex the prince, although they are as wise as the Yellow Emperor, and when they become stronger, they will conclude an alliance. " Qin Shihuang appointed Li Si as a long history, listened to his strategy, and secretly sent advisers to lobby countries with gold and jade treasures. If you can buy celebrities from all over the world, give more gifts; If you can't buy them, kill them with your sword. These were all strategies to alienate the princes and ministers of the vassal States, and then the king of Qin sent an excellent general to attack later. The king of Qin appointed Reese as his guest.

Just then, a Korean named came to Qin as a spy in the name of building a passage, and was soon discovered. The royal family and ministers of Qin said to the king of Qin, "Most people who come from various vassal countries to serve the king of Qin are lobbying their monarch to alienate Qin and demand that the king of Qin expel all the guests." Reese is also among the guests who are planning to be expelled. So Reese wrote:

I heard that some officials talked about dismissing Ke Qingshi, which I personally think is wrong. Once upon a time, Qin Mugong recruited talents, found Yu Yu from Xirong, got Li Xi from the garden of Chu State in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, welcomed Uncle Jian from the Song State (Ji m: n, minus), and recruited Pi Bao and Gong Sunyou from the Jin State. None of these five people were born in Qin, but Qin Mugong attached great importance to them and annexed more than 20 countries, thus becoming king in Xirong. Qin Xiaogong adopted Shang Yang's new law and changed customs. As a result, the people became prosperous, the country became rich and strong, the people were willing to serve the country, and other countries surrendered sincerely, defeating Chu and Wei Jun and gaining a land of thousands of miles. So far, the politics is stable and the country is strong. With Zhang Yi's plan, King Hui of Qin captured Sanchuan area, with Ba, Shu in the west, Hanzhong in the north, including Jiuyi in the south, controlled Yan and Ying countries, and occupied dangerous heights in the east, cutting off fertile land, further disintegrating the vertical and horizontal alliance of the six countries, making them face the west, serving Qin, and making continuous achievements. Qin got (Su:, urine), deposed Anhou, expelled Hua Yangjun, made the official position strong, put an end to the power of private dignitaries, gradually annexed the land of princes like silkworms eating mulberry leaves, and finally laid the great cause of unifying the world. These four monarchs all rely on the strength of guests from other countries. From this perspective, what did Ke Qing do for Qin? If these four monarchs refuse to accept guests and alienate scholars, Qin will be neither rich nor powerful.

Now, your majesty, the beautiful jade you sent to Kunshan is the pearl of the later dynasty and a harmonious gem. You are wearing a bright moon pearl, Artest's sword, riding a slender horse, standing with an emerald flag and playing drums. None of these treasures are produced in Qin, but your majesty loves them very much. Why? If it must be made in Qin, then luminous jade can't be used to decorate the imperial court, rhinoceros horn ivory products can't be enjoyed by you, and beautiful women from Zheng and Wei can't be listed in your harem. A good horse can't fill your stable. Suk Kim in the south of the Yangtze River should not be used, nor should painters in western Sichuan be used as pigments. If you use anything to decorate the harem and act as a concubine, which is pleasing to the eye and pleasing to the ear, it must be used only by the state of Qin. Then, the hair clasp decorated with pearls, the earrings inlaid with pearls, the clothes sewn with white silk in Dong 'a and the gorgeous embroidery decoration can't be presented in front of you, and the fashionable and elegant, beautiful and quiet Zhao girl can't be around you. Those who beat the crock, play the Qin Zheng, clap their thighs and complain to meet the appreciation requirements are the authentic Qin Le. Zheng, Wei, Sang Jian, Zhao, Yu, Wu and Xiang are all music from other countries. Now, instead of playing the guzheng, you listen to the voices of Zheng and Wei instead of beating the crock. What is the reason? To put it bluntly, I just want to be happy in front of you and meet the needs of my eyes and ears. Now, however, your employment is not like this. You don't ask if this person can use it, don't ask about merits and demerits. As long as they are not Qin people, they are all expelled, and as long as they are Ke Qing, they are all expelled. In this way, your majesty values beauty, music, pearls and Baoyu, and despises talents. This is not the way to unify the world and subdue the princes.

It is said that the vast territory is rich in grain and abundant in crops, the country is vast and has a large population, and the soldiers are brave when the army is strong. Therefore, Mount Tai does not reject soil, so it can be piled so high; Rivers and seas are not picky about streams, so they can become so deep and wide; Only when people who have made Wang Ye don't abandon the general public can they show their virtue. Therefore, regardless of the southeast and northwest, the people are not divided into one country and another, and crops are abundant all year round, blessed by ghosts and gods. This is why the five emperors and three kings are invincible in the world. Now your majesty has abandoned the people to help the enemy country, repelled the guests, and made them make contributions to other vassal countries, so that the world's talents retreated and dared not go west, and stopped and dared not enter Qin. This is exactly what people call "borrowing weapons from the enemy and sending food to the thief"!

Items that are not produced in the state of Qin are worth cherishing; Many non-Qin soldiers are willing to be loyal. Now, you expel the guests and ministers to help the enemy, harm the people and help the enemy, weaken yourself at home, and make enemies with the princes abroad. If this situation continues, it will be impossible to make the country safe.

So, the king of Qin abolished the marching orders, restored Reese's official position, and finally adopted his strategy, and his official position was promoted to Ting Wei. After more than 20 years, he finally unified the world and addressed the king as the "emperor". The emperor appointed Reese as prime minister. And tear down the walls of counties and counties in various countries, destroy weapons everywhere, and say that they will no longer be used. As a result, the state of Qin did not have an inch of land around it, nor did it make the emperor's son or brother king, nor did it make the hero a vassal, so that the country was no longer plagued by war.

In the thirty-fourth year of Qin Shihuang (2 13 BC), a banquet was held in Xianyang Palace to entertain his ministers. Dr. Zhou and others praised Qin Shihuang's virtue in Wuwei. The Qi people remonstrated in the spring: "I heard that the Shang and Zhou Dynasties ruled for more than a thousand years, and they made their children and heroes their arms. Now your majesty, although you have unified the world, your children are still ordinary people. If Tian Chang and Liu Qing seize power and usurp the throne and there is no right-hand man in the DPRK, who will save them? I have never heard of a dynasty that ruled for a long time without absorbing ancient experience. Now Zhou and others are flattering you to your face and aggravating your mistakes, not loyal subjects. " The first emperor left this argument to Reese, who thought it was ridiculous, so he abandoned it and wrote to the emperor: "In ancient times, there was chaos in the world, and princes rose together. General public opinion praised ancient times for denying contemporary times and decorating some grandiose words to disturb social reality. People all think that their own schools are the best to deny the emperor's policies and decrees. Now your majesty unifies the world, distinguishes right from wrong and respects seafood. However, various schools of thought contended with each other arbitrarily criticized the legal system of the imperial court. When they heard that the court ordered them, they immediately discussed it from the perspective of their own school. When they go home, they are not satisfied. When I was away from home, there was a lot of talk in the streets, criticizing the monarch for gaining fame. They think that being different from the imperial court is a high skill and lead the lower class to create slander. If this goes on without prohibition, the prestige of the monarch above will decline, and private gangs below will also form. Therefore, it is better to ban it. I demand that all people's poems, books and hundreds of works be swept away. Thirty days after the order was issued, if anyone still disobeyed it, he was sentenced to torture and forced to work to build a city. What has not been cleared is books on medicine, divination and planting. If you want to learn laws and regulations, you should take officials as teachers. " Qin Shihuang approved his proposal and confiscated the Book of Songs, Shangshu and hundred schools of thought's works, which made the people ignorant and made the world unable to criticize the current court with ancient things. The cultivation of the legal system and the formulation of laws and regulations began with Qin Shihuang. Unify the writing and build detached palaces all over the country. In the second year, the first emperor made four rounds to pacify ethnic minorities in all directions. Reese has made a lot of efforts in these measures.

Li You, the eldest son of Li Si, served as the chief of Sanchuan County. His son married the princess of Qin, and his daughter married the prince of Qin. When Li You, the chief of Sanchuan County, went back to Xianyang on leave, Reese gave a banquet at home, and all the officials went to propose a toast to Reese. There are thousands of chariots and horses in front of the door. Reese sincerely sighed, "alas! I heard Xun Qing say, "Don't go too far". I, Li Si, am a commoner in Shangcai, a commoner in the streets. The emperor didn't understand me and promoted me to such a high position. Now I am not as tall as a courtier, which can be said to be the highest realm of wealth and splendor. However, the extreme of things will decline, and I don't know what will happen in the end! "

In October of the thirty-seventh year of Qin Shihuang (2 10 BC), he visited Huiji Mountain and went north along the coast to reach Langxie Mountain. Li Si, the Prime Minister, Zhao Gao and Fu, the Taiwei of CRRC House, accompanied him. Qin Shihuang had more than 20 sons. Fu Su, the eldest son, was persuaded by the emperor many times. The first emperor sent him to Shangxian to supervise the army, and Meng Tian was appointed as the general. Hu Hai, the youngest son, loves him very much and asks to accompany him. The first emperor agreed. None of the other sons followed.

In July this year, Qin Shihuang arrived at the sand dunes and was very ill. He ordered Zhao Gao to write a letter to his son Fu Su, saying, "Give the army to Meng Tian, go to Xianyang for a funeral and then bury it." The letter was sealed, but before it was given to the messenger, Qin Shihuang died. Zhao's works contain letters and seals. Only the youngest son, Hu Hai, Prime Ministers Reese and Zhao Gao, and five or six trusted eunuchs knew that the first emperor had died, but the rest of the officials didn't. Reese thought that the emperor died outside, and the prince had not been formally established, so he kept a secret and put the body of the first emperor in a car that could keep warm and cool. As usual, the officials went on stage to offer food, and the eunuch approved the officials to go on stage from the car under the guise of the emperor.

Zhao Gao then detained the imperial edict given to Fu Su by the first emperor and said to his son Hu Hai, "When the emperor died, he did not make all his sons king, but gave the imperial edict to his eldest son Fu Su. When the eldest son arrives, he will be emperor, but you don't even have a fief. What should I do? " Hu Hai said, "That's the way it is. I heard that a wise monarch knows his subjects best and a wise father knows his son best. When my father died, he did not order the enfeoffment of scholars. What can I say? " Zhao Gao said, "That's not true. The power in today's world, no matter who lives or dies, is in the hands of you, me and Reese! I want you to think it over. What's more, controlling princes and obeying others, ruling others and being ruled by others are not the same thing! " Hu Hai said: "It is unjust to abolish brothers and establish brothers; It is unfilial to disobey the father's will and fear death; It is incompetent to do it with the help of others. These three things are so outrageous that no one in the world will obey them. I will suffer from myself and the country will die. " Zhao Gao said: "I heard that Shang Tang and Wu Zhou killed their monarch, and all the people in the world praised their actions as moral, not disloyal. Wei Jun killed his father, and the people of Wei praised his achievements. Confucius recorded this, not unfilial. What's more, great things can't be trivial, and there is no need to be humble again and again in virtue. The customs in rural areas are different, so are the working methods of officials. Therefore, worrying about small things and forgetting big things will inevitably lead to future disasters; He who hesitates at a critical moment will regret it in the future. Do it decisively and boldly, even avoid ghosts and gods, and you will succeed in the future. I hope you do as I say. " Hu Hai sighed and said, "Now that the emperor is dead and the funeral has not been finished, how can we ask the Prime Minister about it?" Zhao Gao said: "Time, time is too short to plan! I am like rushing to the fast horse with dry food, for fear of delaying the opportunity! "

After Hu Hai agreed with Zhao Gao, Zhao Gao said, "If we don't discuss with the Prime Minister, I'm afraid things won't succeed. I hope I can discuss it with the Prime Minister for you. " Zhao Gao said to Prime Minister Reese, "When the first emperor died, he gave a letter to his eldest son, Fu, ordering him to attend the funeral in Xianyang, and made him his heir. The imperial edict was not delivered, and the emperor died, which is still unknown. The imperial edict and Fu Xi given by the emperor to his eldest son are in Hu Hai's hands, and it is just a word between you and me to let him be a prince. What do you think we should do? " Reese said, "How can you say such a thing of national subjugation! This is not something that should be discussed as a minister! " Zhao Gao said, "guess for yourself. Who is more capable than Meng Tian? Who deserves more praise? Who is far-reaching in not making mistakes? Who do the people of the world support more? Who has a better relationship with Fu Su, the eldest son? " Reese said, "I'm not as good as Meng Tian in these five aspects, but why are you so hard on me?" Zhao Gao said, "I am a slave of the eunuch. I was lucky enough to enter Qin Gong with my familiar prison law documents. I've been in charge for over 20 years. I have never seen a prime minister who was dismissed by the king of Qin being knighted and passed on to the next generation, and all of them ended up being killed. As you know, the emperor has more than twenty sons. Fu Su, the eldest son, is resolute and brave, trusting and good at inspiring scholars. After he acceded to the throne, he must use Meng Tian as prime minister. Obviously, you can't retire to China with the seal of Tong Hou. I was instructed by the Emperor to educate Hu Hai and let him study law for several years. I haven't seen him make any mistakes. He is compassionate, honest and kind, despises money, respects scholars, has a beautiful heart but is not good at words, and tries his best to respect the wise. Among the sons of Qin Shihuang, no one can catch up with him and be an heir. Think about it before you decide. " Reese said, "You'd better do what you have to do! I, Reese, only carry out the emperor's testamentary edict, and my fate is arranged by God. What can I consider and decide? " Zhao Gao said: "It seems that peace may be dangerous, and the danger may be peace. How can you be a wise man if you don't make a decision early in the face of safety? " Li Si said, "I, Li Si, was originally a common people in Shangcai Street. Thanks to the promotion of the emperor, I was appointed as the Prime Minister, and I was named as a child Hou, and my descendants were respected and given preferential treatment. This is why the emperor gave me the important task of national security and survival. How can I live up to his great trust? Loyal ministers are not afraid of death and don't work hard, and dutiful sons don't damage their health because of overwork. As courtiers, they each perform their duties. Please don't say any more, and don't make me Reese commit a crime. " Zhao Gao said, "I heard that saints don't follow the rules, but follow the changes and trends. When they see signs, they can predict the source and destination.

And things are like this, where there is no constant truth! Now the power and destiny of the world are in Hu Hai's hands, and I, Zhao Gao, can guess his mind. What's more, it's rebellion from the outside to the inside, and rebellion from the bottom. Therefore, when autumn frost falls, flowers and plants wither, ice and snow melt and everything is reborn, which is the necessity of nature. Why didn't you see these? "Reese said:" I heard that the Jin Dynasty changed governors and three generations were restless; The Qi Huangong brothers fought for the throne and the brothers were killed; Shang and Zhou dynasties killed relatives and did not listen to the admonition of the officials, and the capital was reduced to ruins, endangering the country; These three things are against God's will, and they are also the reason why there is no sacrifice in the ancestral temple. I, Reese, am still a person. How can I participate in these plots? "Zhao Gao said:" With Qi Xin, the career can last for a long time; If the internal and external cooperation is consistent, there will be no mistakes. If you follow my plan, you will protect the Marquis for a long time, which will be handed down from generation to generation. You must have the immortal longevity of Wang Ziqiao and Pinus densiflora, and the wisdom of Confucius and Mozi. Giving up this opportunity now and not listening to my advice will definitely harm future generations, which is chilling enough. People who are good at moving for people and cameras can turn disasters into blessings. What do you want? " Reese heaved a sigh in the sky and sighed with tears: "Alas! It happened that in troubled times, since I can't do it till death do us part, where will I pin my fate? " So Reese listened to Zhao Gao. Zhao Gao reported to Hu Hai: "I am instructed by the Prince to inform Prime Minister Reese. How dare he disobey orders! "

So they consulted together, forged a letter from Qin Shihuang to Prime Minister Reese, and made Hu Hai a prince. He forged an imperial edict for his eldest son, Fu Su, which read: "I traveled around the world and prayed and sacrificed to the gods of famous mountains everywhere in order to live longer. Now Fu Su and General Montaigne have led hundreds of thousands of troops to the frontier for more than ten years, and they can't move forward. However, there were many casualties among the soldiers, and they didn't make any contribution. Instead, they wrote many times and bluntly slandered what I had done. Because I can't dismiss from office and return to Beijing as a prince, I am angry day and night. Fu Su, as a unfilial son, committed suicide with his sword! General Meng Tian went out with Fu Su. If we don't correct his mistakes, we should also know his plan. I was disloyal to the minister, gave my life to commit suicide, and handed over the army to deputy general Wang Li. " With the imperial edict sealed the imperial edict, let Hu Hai workers take the imperial edict to Shang Jun to Fu Su.

When the messenger arrived and opened the imperial edict, Fu Su began to cry and committed suicide in the back room. Meng Tian stopped Fu Su and said, "The emperor is away from home, but he didn't set up a prince. He sent me to lead 300 thousand troops to guard the frontier, and his son served as military supervisor. This is an important task in the world. Now there is only one messenger coming, and you will kill yourself at once. How do you know there's nothing fake in it? I hope you can ask again. It's not too late to die when you have the answer. " The messenger urged again and again. Fu Su was kind-hearted and said to Meng Tian, "What more can a father ask for when he orders his son to die?" Suicide immediately. Meng Tian refused to commit suicide, so the messenger immediately handed him over to the judge and detained him in Yangzhou.

Hu Hai, Reese and Zhao Gao were very happy when the messenger came back to report. After arriving in Xianyang, the funeral was announced, and Prince Hu Hai was made the second emperor. Zhao Gao was appointed as a doctor, and often served the emperor in the palace, holding power.

Qin Ershi had nothing to do in the palace, so he called Zhao Gao to discuss it and said to Zhao Gao, "People living in the world are as short as six good horses flying over a ravine. Now that I have ruled the world, I want to satisfy all the desires of eyes and ears, enjoy all the fun I can think of, make the country peaceful, make the people happy and protect the country forever, so that I can enjoy my life. Can this idea work? " Zhao Gao said: "This is ok for wise monarchs, but it should be taboo for confused monarchs. I venture to say that I am not afraid of beheading. Please pay a little attention. Gentlemen and ministers have doubts about the plot of the sand dunes, and these gentlemen are your brothers, and these ministers were placed by the late emperor. Now, your majesty, you have just ascended the throne. These people have grievances and dissatisfaction, but they are afraid that they will make trouble. What's more, although Meng Tian is dead and Meng Yi is still out of the mountain, I'm afraid there will be bad results. Your Majesty, how can you have fun with this? " I said, "What can we do?" Zhao Gao said: "If severe punishment is imposed, all those who violate the law and are implicated will be killed until they are extinct. Kill the ministers of the dynasty, alienate your brothers and sisters, and make the poor rich and the humble expensive. Destroy all the old ministers of the first emperor, re-appoint people you trust, and keep them around. In this way, they will be grateful to you from the heart, eradicate the scourge and put an end to the conspiracy. There is no one among the ministers who can't get your kindness and can't stand your kindness. Your Majesty can rest easy and enjoy himself. There is no better idea than this. " II thought that Zhao Gao's words were right, so he amended the law. So Wang Sun was guilty, so he handed them over to Zhao Gao and ordered him to judge and bring them to justice. Killed minister Meng Yi and others, ten sons beheaded in Xianyang street, and twelve princesses were beheaded in Duxian county. The property was not returned to the emperor, and countless people were jointly punished.

The son wanted to go out and run for his life, fearing being beheaded by the door, so he wrote: "When the first emperor was alive, he was given food when he entered the palace, and he was given a ride when he left the palace. The clothes in the emperor's inner hall were given to me by the first emperor; The BMW in the stable in the palace was also given to me by my late emperor. I should have died with my late emperor, but I didn't. This is my unfilial life and disloyalty as a minister. And disloyal people have no reason to live in this world. Please allow me to die with my late emperor, hoping to bury me at the foot of Mount Li. Just ask the emperor to have mercy and promise me. " After the book was finished, Hu Hai was very happy. He called Zhao Gao, showed him the instructions in the book and said, "Can this be said to be helpless?" Zhao Gao said: "Ministers worry about their own death all day, how can they plot rebellion!" Hu Hai agreed to Gongzi Gao's request and gave him several hundred dollars to be buried with him.

At that time, laws and punishments became more and more cruel, ministers themselves were afraid, and many people wanted to rebel. Second, Epang Palace was built, and straight roads and galloping roads were built. As a result, taxes are getting heavier and heavier and military service is endless. So, Chen Sheng and Guangwu, two foot soldiers who came from Chu to defend the border, rose up and rebelled until they reached the east of Lushan Mountain. The hero set himself on his own and became a vassal, rebelling against Qin, and his army didn't retreat until he captured Hong Men. Reese tried many times to find an opportunity to protest, but junior wouldn't allow it. On the contrary, II blamed Reese and said, "I have an opinion, which I heard from Han Feizi. Yao ruled the world, the hall was only three feet high, the oak rafters didn't need to be cut, and the thatched roof didn't need to be repaired. Even the accommodation in the hotel will not be more difficult than this. Wearing deerskin coats in winter and linen in summer, cooking and eating coarse rice, eating wild vegetables in soup, eating in earthen pots and drinking in earthen bowls, even a janitor's life can't be colder than this. Yu Xia dug Longmen, opened the summer waterway, dredged many rivers, and built many embankments in twists and turns, so that accumulated water was introduced into the sea. There is no white meat on the thighs, no hair on the calves, thick cocoons on the palms and soles of the feet, and a dark face. Finally exhausted, buried in Huiji Mountain. Even slave labor can't be worse than this. However, the purpose of ruling the world as an unworthy person is to worry about it, live in a hostel-like dormitory, eat the janitor's food and do the work done by slaves? These things are done by people with low abilities, not by smart people. Those wise people only use everything in the world to satisfy their own desires when they rule the world, which is why they regard ruling the world as unworthy. It is said that a clever man can certainly stabilize the world and rule all people. How can he rule the world if he can't even get his own interests? That's why I want to be ambitious and enjoy the world forever without being hurt. What should I do? Li You, the son of Reese, was the commander-in-chief of Sanchuan. When he started to attack the West, he kept going back and forth. After defeating and expelling the troops of Guangwu and others, Zhang Han sent envoys to Sanchuan to investigate, and accused Reese of being in the "three public positions", why did he let thieves run rampant to this extent? Reese was afraid, and took the title and salary very seriously. He didn't know what to do, but he just wanted to be tolerant, so he wrote to answer II and said:

A wise monarch must be a monarch who can fully master the way of monarchy and exercise the rule of supervising subordinates. Under strict supervision, officials dare not serve the monarch faithfully. In this way, once the responsibilities of the monarch and the courtiers are determined, the rules of the relationship between the higher and lower levels will be clear, so no matter whether there are talents or not, it is impossible for everyone to serve the monarch wholeheartedly. Therefore, the monarch can rule the world without any constraints and enjoy the ultimate pleasure. How can a wise monarch not see this clearly!

Therefore, Mr. Shen Buhai said: "If you don't know how to indulge yourself in the world, it is called taking the world as your own shackle." There is no other meaning, just that you don't blame your soldiers and crabs, but you work hard for the people all over the world like Yao and Yu, so you call it "shackles." You can't learn from Shen Buhai and Han Fei's brilliant spells, take measures of supervision and responsibility, and let yourself and the whole world live comfortably and happily. Instead, you just worry about it in vain and work hard for the people. That is the slave of the people, not the emperor who rules the world. What is worthy of respect? Let others die for themselves, and they will be glorious and others will be humble; Let yourself contribute to others, and you will be humble and others will be honored. Therefore, those who give their lives are humble, and those who accept their lives are noble. From ancient times to the present, there is no such thing. Since ancient times, we have respected sages because the respected people themselves are noble; I hate unscrupulous people because they are humble. Yao and Yu are both people who have dedicated themselves to the world. To respect them with secular evaluation will lose the original intention of respecting the sages, which can be said to be a big mistake. Is it inappropriate to say that Yao and Yu regard the world as their own "shackles"? This is an blameless mistake.

Therefore, Mr. Han Fei said that "a loving mother will raise a prodigal son, and a strict master will not have a strong slave." What is the reason? This is the inevitable result of severe punishment. Therefore, the new law of Shang Yang stipulates that people who scatter ashes on the road will be sentenced. It is a misdemeanor to scatter ashes on the road, and an additional punishment is a heavy punishment. Only a wise monarch can severely punish misdemeanors. A misdemeanor is a heavy penalty, let alone a felony. So people dare not break the law. Therefore, Mr. Han Fei also said: "A few feet of silk are taken away by ordinary people when they see it, and hundreds of dollars are not taken away." It's not because ordinary people are greedy. A few feet of silk is extremely valuable. Nor is it because of the noble behavior of stealing feet that it belittles the interests of the hundred gold. The reason is that once caught, they will be punished at will, so thieves dare not catch platinum; If the punishment is not resolutely implemented, then the average person will not give up a few feet. Therefore, the five-foot-high city wall dare not offend easily in Lou Ji; Mount Tai is 100 feet high, but the lame shepherd dares to eat grass on it. Is it difficult for Lou Ji to climb a five-foot wall, but it is easy for a lame shepherd to climb a 100-foot-high Mount Tai? This is because the situation is different between steep and gentle. The reason why wise monarchs can be in power for a long time and monopolize the interests of the world is not that they have any special methods, but that they can monopolize power and be good at supervising their responsibilities, and they must be hell to pay to those who break the law, so no one dares to violate it. Now, if we don't formulate crime prevention measures and follow the example of loving mothers to raise black sheep, we will not understand the theory of the previous generation of sages. We can't practice the method of sage ruling the world. What can you do besides being a slave to the world? Isn't this a sad thing!

What's more, when thrifty and upright people serve in the DPRK, the absurd and licentious fun will stop; Advise Chen that if the reasonable courtiers around him intervene, their unscrupulous thoughts will converge; Martyrs' martyrdom is respected by the world, and their indulging entertainment will be abandoned. Therefore, a wise monarch can exclude these three kinds of people, monopolize the ruling power to control obedient officials, and establish a strict legal system, so he is noble and powerful. All wise monarchs can go against the world, reverse folk customs, abandon what he hates and build what he likes, so he has aristocratic power when he is alive, and wise posthumous title after he dies. It is precisely because of this that a wise monarch is centralized and autocratic, so that power does not fall into the hands of his minions, so that he can cut off the road of righteousness, block the mouth of lobbying, close his eyes and let himself act arbitrarily, so that he will not be shaken by the actions of righteous people and be confused by the theory of exhortation. Therefore, we can stand alone and do whatever we want, and no one dares to resist. In this way, we can say that we have learned the ruling skills of Shen Buhai and Han Fei and the legal system of Shang Yang. I have never heard of the rule of law, the rule of law is well learned, and if it is clear, the world will be in chaos. Therefore, some people say: "the rule of the emperor is simple and easy." Only a wise monarch can do this. In this way, it can be said that supervision and responsibility can be truly implemented, so that the generals can not divorce, the world can be stable, and the world can have the dignity of the monarch. Only when the monarch has dignity, supervision and responsibility can be strictly implemented, the monarch's desires can be satisfied, the country can be rich and strong, and the monarch can enjoy more after the country is rich and strong. Therefore, once the art of supervision and responsibility is established, the monarch can satisfy any desire. It's too late to mend, how dare the people rebel? In this way, we can say that we have mastered the emperor's rule, and we can also understand the method of controlling the princes. Even if Shen Buhai and Han Fei are resurrected, they can't be surpassed.