50: Chapter 50 Prince Fusu, you still tell me that the prefecture-county system is better than the feudal system?

Such a scene was something even the well-informed citizens of Xianyang City had never witnessed.

They stood on their tiptoes one after another, stretching their necks to peer forward.

Some even went so far as to sit directly on others' shoulders, elevating themselves to get a clearer look.

There were also agile ones who had already climbed up the trees.

Under the protection of He Zhi and other Shadow Guards, the First Emperor squeezed through a path, pushing toward the front as much as possible so he could hear the debate between Zhao Fusu and the group of scholars.

Today's performance of Zhao Fusu's verbal battle against the Confucian Scholars was destined to be recorded in the annals of history and become a classic script for storytellers.

A crowd of Confucian Scholars had already been waiting for a long time, only hoping to give Zhao Fusu a harsh initial blow.

Shu Botong was the first to launch an attack; he shook his head and said with a face full of contempt, "If the commandery-county system is superior to the enfeoffment system, why is the price of grain in the Great Qin Empire now a hundred times what it was during the period of the enfeoffment system?"

"The reason lies in the fact that after abandoning the enfeoffment system and implementing the commandery-county system, an autocracy was established. The First Emperor is a man who craves greatness and success; after destroying the six kingdoms and implementing the commandery-county system, he became arrogant to the extreme. He walks with his chin raised, eyes looking at the sky instead of the road."

Shu Botong spoke with intense words: "If the eyes do not look at the road, they cannot even see the path, so how can they see the way forward?"

He became more and more agitated, and his voice grew louder and louder.

Zhao Fusu could hear what he was saying without needing the Remonstrance Officials to record his words on bamboo slips and hand them to him.

"The First Emperor has been on the throne for only ten short years, yet he sent three hundred thousand troops to attack the Xiongnu and five hundred thousand troops south to conquer the Baiyue. He conscripted millions of farmers to go north to build the Imperial Roads, the Straight Road, the Great Wall, the Epang Palace, and the Lishan Mausoleum."

"He is militaristic and bloodthirsty!"

"Abusing the people's strength!"

"Now the Great Qin Empire suffers from constant natural disasters and poor grain harvests, leading to empty granaries. This is heaven's retribution for the First Emperor's perverse actions and the countless slaughters he has caused!"

Shu Botong truly deserved the title of the top-tier Keyboard Warrior of the Qin Dynasty.

Once these words were spoken, the entire audience was shocked.

Chunyu Yue, the Head of the Confucians, was in the crowd, and his face turned deathly pale.

He knew that the First Emperor was still alive; it was just a fake death, and they were supposed to cooperate with the First Emperor's performance.

Shu Botong cursing the First Emperor in front of all the citizens of Xianyang City would absolutely reach the First Emperor's ears.

How would the First Emperor react?

As soon as Chunyu Yue thought of the First Emperor's long face, his body couldn't help but tremble.

"How dare you!"

After hearing this, the First Emperor's reaction in the crowd was indeed immense.

It was as if a cat had its tail stepped on; his whole being bristled with anger.

The veins on his forehead twitched continuously, and his eyes turned blood-red.

Was there anything wrong with what Shu Botong said?

Not a single thing!

The reason why the First Emperor's reaction was so great was precisely because Shu Botong was completely right.

He was exasperated with shame, which was why his reaction was so intense.

These damn Confucian Scholars!

Ying Zheng clenched his fists tightly; he deeply felt that during the last 'Burning of Books and Burying of Scholars,' only burying over four hundred Confucian Scholars was far too few and not enough to deter the Confucian school at all.

These thousands of Confucian Scholars should all be buried alive!

Ying Zheng's angry gaze turned toward Zhao Fusu, thinking to himself that Fusu should bury scholars like Shu Botong who recklessly criticized the court!

In the end, he saw Zhao Fusu nodding, looking as if he thought what Shu Botong said was very correct.

Ying Zheng felt his blood pressure soaring.

You rebellious son!

You rebellious son!

You rebellious son!

...

Ying Zheng cursed madly in his heart.

He was incredibly regretful; why had he been so brain-dead as to send Fusu to the Confucian school to be educated?

Now, he had become so soft-hearted, not at all like his own brutality.

Bah, bah, bah!

What brutality? It should be called being decisive in killing!

Ying Zheng comforted himself this way.

Shu Botong was still speaking.

"Let me through!"

"Quick, let me through!"

Chunyu Yue really wanted to rush over and cover Shu Botong's mouth.

Please, I beg you, stop talking! Leave a way out for the Confucian school!

"Step back!"

"Step back for me!"

"Step back!"

...

The Qin Army soldiers holding the hemp ropes glared angrily at Chunyu Yue.

They had been imprinted with the Thought Steel Seal by Zhao Fusu and were completely obedient to him.

If Zhao Fusu didn't let anyone enter the debate arena, they would never let a single person in.

Facing the cold gazes of the Qin Army, Chunyu Yue sighed in despair.

He could only look at Shu Botong with an angry gaze.

"Back in the Zhou Dynasty, with the checks and balances of the various Vassal States, even the Son of Heaven, who received his mandate from heaven, could not act perversely."

"Similarly, if the Great Qin Empire implemented the enfeoffment system, the First Emperor would certainly not be able to act so autocratically!"

"If the First Emperor is brutal and not virtuous, we could support other virtuous Vassal Kings!"

Shu Botong's words spoke the inner thoughts of the crowd of Confucian Scholars.

Sun Daping also nodded.

Including Chunyu Yue.

His expression was complex.

Before the six kingdoms were destroyed, talents flowed between them.

Whichever vassal king was virtuous, they could go and seek refuge with them.

For example, Li Si was originally from the State of Chu.

The State of Chu, of which it was said 'even if only three households remain in Chu, it is Chu that will destroy Qin.'

Li Si, a man of Chu, brought Qin to new heights, and Qin was in turn destroyed by Xiang Yu, a man of Chu.

Now, there is only one Emperor in the world.

Other than the First Emperor, they have no other monarch to choose from.

Shu Botong said sorrowfully: "After abandoning the enfeoffment system and implementing the commandery-county system, not only we Confucian Scholars can only support the First Emperor alone."

"The same goes for the people of the whole world; we can only support the First Emperor."

"Everyone has seen it; the First Emperor craves greatness and success. In a short time, he destroyed the six kingdoms one after another, sent three hundred thousand troops north to attack the Xiongnu, raised five hundred thousand troops to conquer the North Yue in the south. He also conscripted two million farmers to build the Imperial Roads, the Straight Road, the Great Wall, the Epang Palace, and the Lishan Mausoleum."

"The First Emperor's militarism and abuse of the people's strength have led to a great famine today, where people can only eat Guanyin Clay and gnaw on tree bark. Some elderly mothers, in order to save the family's food and not burden their families, giving hope of life to their young children, ask their children to carry them into the mountains and forests and place them in tombs to end their lives early."

"Young Master Fusu, do you still tell me that the commandery-county system is better than the enfeoffment system?"

Shu Botong's words not only gained the unanimous approval of the thousands of Confucian Scholars, but the citizens at the scene also nodded one after another, agreeing with his words.

While the Remonstrance Officials were recording what Shu Botong said, they were also agreeing with his words.

Li Si's expression became extremely solemn.

This atmosphere is not quite right; if it continues like this, will it turn into a nationwide petition!

If the nationwide petition is forcibly suppressed, I'm afraid a riot will occur!

Feng Quji's expression also turned gloomy.

This Shu Botong really has some skill; his words have moved the citizens at the scene and are making the situation grow larger and larger, becoming uncontrollable.