Destiny Only Han

Chapter 248 Changle Palace
Guanzhong Liyang, the prime minister's mansion.

After passing through the front yard planted with two big locust trees, Liu Ying came to a hut by the pond.

This is the place where Xiao He chooses to escape the heat and enjoy the cool as well as work when the weather is hot.

Liu Ying hopped in with her hands behind her back, saluted very casually to Xiao He who raised her head and glanced at him, and immediately sat in the corner, the seat prepared for him long ago.

Now that he has returned to Liyang, the homework that should be done is naturally indispensable.

After being caught and fed by Shu Suntong, Liu Ying decided to come to Xiao He to change her mind.

Unlike Shusun Tong, who likes to forcefully output opinions and tirelessly teach, Xiao He's daily teaching for Liu Ying is to make a list of books for Liu Ying to read by herself, and then answer questions and solve doubts, and check Liu Ying's reading progress randomly.

Do nothing, do nothing.

What Liu Ying is reading today is "Lao Tzu", which is the book later called "Tao Te Ching".

In the pre-Qin period, although the Lao and Zhuang sect of Taoism withdrew from the political arena of various countries early because of their naive ideas, their works were still a must-read for all scholars.

Even Xiang Yu is no exception.

Among the various versions of the "Tao Te Ching" handed down in later generations, one of them is a plain stone letter and silk copy found in the tomb of a concubine of Xiang Yu dug up by the people of Pengcheng.

"Its government is boring, but its people are honest; its government is censored, and its people are lacking..."

When Liu Ying read this sentence, she already understood what Xiao He wanted to say to herself.

This is Xiao He's vigilance to himself, not to forge ahead too aggressively in Zhaodi, so as not to 'lack the people' and eventually make the situation develop towards a bad side.

Because the previous chapter of this passage is "laws are promoted, thieves are abundant", combined with the context, it actually talks about the collapse of the Qin State.

If the system is perfect, there is no need for the government to arrange everything clearly.

I do nothing but self-cultivation.

On the contrary, if you cannot abide by objective laws, the more you do, the more mistakes you will make.

The reason why Xiao He admires Huang-Lao's theory is because Huang-Lao's theory is more suitable for the present Han Dynasty.

It is said to be Huang Lao, but in fact Huang is Huang, and always is old.

Huang refers to the Yellow Emperor, who pays attention to "according to the weather, destroying the sky" and forges ahead; Laozi is naturally Laozi, who pays attention to "reaching the emptiness and keeping quiet" and is depressed and inactive.

But the two are both contradictory and unified.

The reason is that the "quietness" mentioned by the two is essentially the same. If it is consistent with the natural operation, it can be called "quietness".

Huang Xue pays more attention to behavior and tends to cultivate externally; Lao Xue pays more attention to will and tends to cultivate internally.

But the Huang Lao of the Han Dynasty, in fact, could not help being the same as the Taoist Huang Lao, and as for the later Taoism, there was a huge difference.

Taoism in our country is a local religion formed by the fusion of Confucianism, Taoism, folk witchcraft and beliefs. At first, it was similar to Christianity. In the pretense of being busy cultivating immortals, but in fact, he is just lying down and being ridiculed...

The reason why they couldn't compete was very simple. Xian didn't see Xiucheng, but he took drugs and killed several emperors...

Well, in fact, apart from the two prominent schools of Confucianism and Mohism among the hundred schools of thought, most of the rest were summed up by people in the Han Dynasty.

Just because of the lack of modern concept of the rule of law, all scholars who valued "criminal law" in the pre-Qin period were called legalists.

As a result, a group of people who vigorously advocated autocratic monarchy and suppressed civil freedom became a model of "Legalism", especially those cold-blooded and ruthless officials.

Therefore, the word "Legalist" has become synonymous with vicious dogs in a sense.

The theory of Huang Lao, who emphasizes a certain degree of tranquility and inaction, is actually a source of Legalism.

For example, be careful to see that this legalist leader is actually an academic master of the Huang-Lao School of Taoism.

In the Spring and Autumn Period, different from Zhuangzi's school who were busy dreaming butterflies and willing to be turtles in the mud pond, the Huang-Lao school paid attention to governing the country and the country, first put forward the concepts of law, technique, power, benefit, and force, and closely related academics and reality. combined.

In this way, we get rid of the stereotype of idealism and moralism, and embark on the path of realism.

It's just that, just as there are a thousand Hamlets for a thousand readers, the art of Huang Lao also began to produce the school of Legalism because of different personal cognitions.

Contrary to what many people imagine, Huang Lao's art is actually closer to the laws of later generations than the legalists' theory.

For example, Huang Lao advocated that "Tao produces law", and the monarch should act according to the law; Legalists advocated that the law comes from the monarch, and the monarch is not bound by the law.

To give a chestnut, Zhao Gao committed a capital crime, and Meng Yi wanted to punish him according to law, but the first emperor felt that Zhao Gao was useful, so he pardoned the capital crime, which laid a foreshadowing for the death of Qin II.

Another example is burning books and burying scholars.

Putting Confucianism aside, the control and prohibition of the subsets of classics and histories of various schools is the product of the combination of the will of the state and the will of schools after the Legalists took control of Qin.

And so on, all kinds of things.

The Legalism created by Shang Yang in the Qin State is almost in opposition to the former source.

Therefore, after witnessing the fall of Qin State like a meteor, Xiao He admired Huang Lao's technique even more.

Especially when Xiao He deleted and modified Qin Law, he followed a principle that Shen Dao said in the past.

The law does not come from the world, it does not come from the earth, it is issued in the world, and it only conforms to the people's hearts.

Well, it is worth noting that Huang-Lao’s studies have nothing to do with political liberalism or economic liberalism. Using these two concepts to interpret Huang-Lao can only be completely different.

For example, the modern government uses well-developed taxation as its financial basis, uses impersonal bureaucracy as a tool to implement central policies, and uses the rule of law to guarantee social order and the bottom line of fairness. These were either not at all or lacked in the ancient political system. conditions of existence.

Take a chestnut.

The modern government needs to provide public goods, such as parks, public schools, and public hospitals. These were all invisible in the pre-Qin period.

Not long after, after Liu Ying stumbled and recited these hundreds of words to Xiao He, she felt more and more thankful that her ancestors were kind to her. After all, classical Chinese only needs a few hundred, but if it is translated into vernacular, it will be multiplied by at least five times!

Therefore, reciting the translation means reciting thousands of words more!

Xiao He nodded in satisfaction, and wanted to check again, but seeing that Liu Ying was a little absent-minded, he gave up with a smile.

The old master Confucius once said that when I was fifteen, I was determined to learn; at thirty, I stood up; at forty, I was not confused; at fifty, I knew the destiny;

In his opinion, Liu Ying is still too early to be truly sensible.

Stuff the duck first, then let the duck digest slowly...

Well, the word cramming gradually spread with the duck farm that Liu Ying set up in the outskirts of Liyang.

One drink and one peck, is it a pre-determination.

Liu Ying is now being fed by Shu Suntong and Xiao He, which is actually a kind of retribution...

The reason why Liu Ying was absent-minded was that there was a model behind Xiao He.

Well, it's like the kind that the sales department of the later generations put up at the gate, but it has changed from a high-rise building to a pavilion.

After Liu Ying saw that Xiao He's lecture had come to an end, she walked up slowly.

As a civil engineer who once aspired to build ancient buildings, the well-made model in front of him was no less attractive to him than a half-naked peerless beauty.

Well, with his current physical development, the allure of beautiful women is really not as good as that of figures...

"what is this?"

Liu Ying squatted on the ground, some wanted to touch it, but some were timid.

Xiao He replied to the memorial and said: "This is a new palace planned to be built for your father, uh, the name has not yet been decided..."

"It's settled, isn't it written? Changle... Changle Palace!"

Liu Ying jumped three feet high, pointing to the words on the model palace gate, making a fuss.

Xiao He glanced at him and didn't speak. He was used to Liu Ying's inexplicable surprises sometimes.

Although he felt that Liu Ying's problem had to be corrected, because the superiors paid attention to the fact that Mount Tai collapsed in front of him without changing his face.

It's just that Liu Bang himself has this kind of virtue, the so-called upper beam is not right... right.

Liu Ying ran up to Xiao He in a few steps, and asked, "Who made this model?"

Xiao He continued to be busy with his own affairs, without raising his head: "You know Yang Chengyan who repaired the palace of King Han when he was in Yangdi."

Liu Ying thought about it carefully, and recalled a carpenter who was taciturn but very skilled.

"I really didn't expect that he still has the ability to design a palace city? Look at this corridor, this gate, this palace... Simple and magnificent, beautiful!"

Liu Ying lay on the table in front of Xiao He, staring at the model of Changle Palace in amazement.

After the palace was built in the early Han Dynasty, it was actually for the emperor, that is, Liu Bang to live in. But later, due to some reasons, a pattern of "all the masters live in Weiyang, and Changle often serves the mother" was formed.

"It looks good, it was changed on the basis of the Xingle Palace in the Qin Kingdom..."

Xiao He told the truth calmly, and immediately continued: "The Liyang Palace is indeed a bit narrow, and a larger palace needs to be built..."

I understand, we understand, there is no majesty without magnificence... Liu Ying nodded, but after looking at the model of Changle Palace repeatedly, some other thoughts appeared in her mind.

Since the Qin State's design was followed, many halls are high platform buildings.

Tall and majestic.

But when they go to court, all court ministers have to climb seven or eight floors first... Exercise!
"Teacher, where is Yang Chengyan now?"

"I don't know, you go to the General Master's Mansion on the east side of the palace gate, he should be there now..."

"Teacher, can I take this model away?"

"No."

"That's fine, I'll go there after lunch..."

Liu Ying took back the steps that were about to step out of the door, and turned back again, preparing to have a meal with Xiao He here.

(End of this chapter)