Daqin: A buff of incredible comprehension

Zhao Gao did not dare to delay and set off immediately, feeling somewhat relieved.

He returned soon after, carrying a kettle in his hand, and two maids behind him were carrying tea leaves and utensils.

"Sir, everything is ready."

"Why are there still green leaves? This won't do. Zhao Gao, bring another pot."

"Yes!"

Zhao Gao walked out quickly again without any complaints. Instead, he felt happy because at least he was still being valued.

"Chen'er, tea leaves are all green. Are there other types? What on earth do you want to do?"

"We'll know soon. Maybe this can bring new income to Daqin." Zhao Chen smiled mysteriously.

"Sir, here comes the pot."

"Put it up!"

"Forgive me, sir. I forgot the firewood. I'll go get it right away."

"No, just set up the pot first."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Gao immediately set up the pot.

Zhao Chen stretched out his finger and flicked it, and flames suddenly ignited at the bottom of the pot!

"This……"

"Chen'er, did you also learn this move from the Yin-Yang School? It's very good!"

"Hehe, these are just trifles."

"Put the tea leaves in and start stir-frying, just like cooking."

Zhao Gao did as he was told, put the tea leaves into the pot and began to stir-fry.

Soon, a fresh fragrance wafted through the hall.

As the tea leaves are stir-fried, they gradually change from bright green to a grayish-white withered state.

Fortunately, Zhao Chen controlled the heat very well, and the tea leaves were fried in no time.

Everyone looked confused, but no one dared to ask, let alone speak.

"Alright, it's done. Zhao Gao, bring out the tea leaves!"

"Yes!"

"Father, please try my tea."

Zhao Chen pinched some of the roasted tea leaves into the teacup, brewed it with hot water, and then brought it to Ying Zheng.

"???"

Is it that simple? Is this what drinking tea is all about?

Seeing Ying Zheng's doubts, Zhao Chen smiled slightly: "Father, try taking a sip."

Ying Zheng picked up the teacup helplessly and took a sip.

"Ok?"

Just with this one bite, Ying Zheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Chen'er, how did you do it? This tea is a bit bitter at first, but after it enters the throat, it has an endless aftertaste, making the mouth full of saliva, retaining the freshness and richness of the tea.

Very good, really very good. I didn't expect that tea can be so delicious after such a simple roasting process, and it can even have the effect of refreshing. It's amazing.

It seems that I have been drinking tea wrong all along!"

"Hey, what do you think? This is how you should brew tea! Doing it like before is just a waste of tea leaves."

Zhao Chen smiled.

"What do you think, Father? If we sell the roasted tea leaves, can we make some money for Daqin?"

"Yes, those princes, nobles, and scholars will surely love this refreshing tea fragrance, and tea will become their favorite."

"Zhao Gao, did you understand the stir-frying technique just now? When making tea this way in the future, remember to stir-fry slowly over low heat. This will better preserve the tea's fragrance and extend its shelf life."

"My slave understands."

"Also, this must be kept secret, understand?"

"Yes!!"

"Alright, let Zhao Gao handle the tea business. Now that we've had our tea, let's continue our conversation."

"Ah, do you want to continue talking?"

"Why, you don't want to? Then I'll hand over the Judicial Department to you."

"Let's continue! By the way, where were we talking about? Oh, I remember now."

"Shen Zi believes that a king must be as wise as you, father." Zhao Chen flattered Ying Zheng a little.

Ying Zheng smiled slightly, obviously enjoying it.

"But what about Confucianism? They envisioned a monarch of unparalleled wisdom, a man of high moral standards whose compassion moved his subordinates and the people. If they made mistakes, no matter how minor, they should be punished appropriately, then counseled and forgiven in a gentlemanly manner. Consequently, they would be grateful and emulate this gentleman in performing good deeds. Even within this ideal framework, it's clear that Legalism was more practical. Shen Dao's advocacy of 'rule by man' applied only to individuals, but the human race is like the heart of a nation; if it is incompetent, how can the state not fall into disorder? During Shen Dao's time, King Wei of Qi, in his youth, neglected state affairs, leading to internal and external chaos, rampant corruption, and the vigilance of foreign powers. Subsequently, King Wei worked diligently to govern the country, starting with himself, eliminating corruption and enforcing laws and regulations.

Father, you should still remember how King Wei of Qi dealt with those two doctors."

"I am well aware of this matter. I have heard that the two court doctors received very different public opinions. Many of their colleagues criticized Doctor Jimo's shortcomings and praised Doctor A's abilities."

"However, King Wei of Qi secretly investigated and discovered that Doctor Jimo was a loyal, diligent, and unsympathetic man, and the people in his territory had no complaints; on the contrary, Doctor A was good at making friends with the powerful, and the people in the area he governed were in unrest."

"Therefore, King Wei of Qi rewarded the Jimo doctor generously and executed the A doctor. After that, the morale of the nation was boosted, and government became increasingly clear."

"That's right. At first glance, it seems to be a good thing, and Qi has become even stronger. However, there are hidden dangers. Although King Wei of Qi was a wise ruler, he did not give A Dafu the right to appeal, which is a hidden danger. Even if someone is confirmed to be unforgivable, he must still be publicly tried and the charges made public according to legal procedures, and the verdict must be executed. This ensures the fairness and transparency of law enforcement within the legal framework, and everyone is aware of the situation. Perhaps there are indeed unspeakable reasons for the area under A Dafu's jurisdiction. The king has long neglected government affairs. What if the area suffers from natural disasters or the natural conditions are worse than those in Jimo?

These realities can also cause problems for the people. Whether there was an injustice remains uncertain, but a fair trial is crucial for determining the outcome. In King Wei's case, however, everything depended on his own judgment, which was quite dangerous. While King Wei handled the case correctly, this doesn't mean that future monarchs would achieve the same level of discernment.

During the reign of King Min of Qi, his absolute power deterred his ministers from speaking out and even criticizing the king's mistakes. This revealed the Legalist school's greatest flaw: its overreliance on a powerful and wise ruler. While Legalism advocated the rule of law, its core value still lay in its need for a wise and capable leader.

"Yes!" Ying Zheng fully agreed with this point of view.

"Let's talk about Shen Buhai, also known as Shen Zi. He was deeply influenced by the Taoist Laozi's strategic thinking. He highly agreed with the ideas of the two schools of thought, namely, power and law. He believed that a monarch's governance skills must be stable in order for his policies to be implemented smoothly. The series of reforms he implemented in Han almost imitated Shang Yang's model: reclaiming farmland, abolishing the well-field system, encouraging rewards based on merit, valuing talent, focusing on wealth accumulation, withdrawing the private armies of princes, and strengthening weapons production. Han became known as 'Strong Han' precisely because Shen Buhai's reforms brought prosperity and increased military strength to the country, deterring other countries from taking rash actions. However, he believed that these alone were not enough to ensure perfect governance; the key lay in the monarch's strategy and wisdom. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, cases of ministers killing their rulers were common."

Therefore, Shen Buhai warned the monarch not to trust any minister easily. Ministers can be used, but they should not be overly trusted. The monarch should maintain a non-interventionist attitude, making it difficult for ministers to discern the monarch's intentions. This way, ministers will not pry into the monarch's bottom line, thus reducing the number of flatterers.

Shen Buhai proposed using "Shu" (artificial tactics) to investigate and punish corrupt officials and bring them into line. While Shen Buhai wasn't the first to employ political tactics, people have employed various strategies to protect themselves since ancient times. While "Shu" (artificial tactics) was primarily used within official circles, "Shu" (strategy) is a broader concept.

Since there is the "art" of controlling ministers, there is naturally a "method" to oppress the monarch. Intrigues and infighting among ministers make the court extremely unstable. Ministers fear the monarch and will do everything they can to oppress him. At the same time, they must also avoid being harmed by other ministers out of jealousy.

Shen Buhai's "technique" did achieve political clarity for a period of time, and officials worked diligently, but it was not a long-term solution. Some "clever" ministers learned to exploit loopholes and set traps to entrap political enemies.

Shen Buhai imparted his "art" to the Han [**] tribe, leading them to particularly revere this method of controlling officials. After the death of King Zhao of Han, the Han state was restored by the old aristocracy. They abandoned Shen Buhai's ideals of rule by law, but remained devoted to Shen Buhai's "art." This was one of the reasons why Han never recovered: "art" had become deeply ingrained in the Han officialdom, leaving no room for ambitious individuals to display their talents.

"Chen'er, according to what you said, even if Han Fei had extraordinary talent and had gathered the essence of Legalism, he wouldn't have achieved anything in Han."

"That's for sure. South Korea is now completely rotten from top to bottom, and within a year, our country will overthrow it. So what can he do, no matter how powerful he is?"

"Okay, you're right, South Korea isn't worth worrying about at all, hahaha!"

Very good. Ying Zheng really likes Zhao Chen’s domineering attitude and thinks he has his own style.

"Next is our Shang Yang. I know your father quite well, so I won't say much."

"Of course I understand, Father. Then why do you think Shang Yang chose **?"

"Are you testing me? I believe that with Shang Yang's power at the time, he could easily eliminate all the nobles who disliked him, even the crown prince!

During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, it was common for powerful officials to eliminate dissidents and support puppet monarchs.

For example, the Tian family replaced the Jiang family to rule Qi State, the four major families of Zhi, Han, Zhao and Wei in Jin State divided Jin State, and Qin Xian Gong also relied on his ministers to eliminate the former monarch and ascended the throne.

In that era, Shang Yang's reforms enabled slaves and civilians to receive titles, which won the support of the majority of people. It would have been easy for him to usurp the throne.

But he didn't do that. He would rather use his life to prove one thing to everyone:

That is the "rule of law", everyone must act in accordance with the law!

It is fine for a king to maintain his power, but to win the hearts and minds of the people he must handle affairs through reasonable evidence collection, fair trials and sentencing.

Ministers must never be punished arbitrarily just because of the king's mood.