Ying Zheng did not need to speak, for there were always great scholars to debate on his behalf.
Hearing this, Li Si stepped forward and bowed to Fusu. The hem of his black court robe swept across the green bricks before the steps as he spoke with conviction: “Great Prince, the collective punishment system is not meant for harsh accountability, but is essential for governing the world! In the past, Lord Shang implemented the mutual responsibility system among households, which eradicated banditry in Guanzhong and made the people abide by laws and rituals. This is what made Great Qin strong today.”
“Prince Fusu claims the punishment is too severe, yet fails to understand that a chaotic age requires strict laws.”
“The six states have just been pacified, with old nobles secretly harboring ill intentions and displaced people easily causing disorder. Without collective punishment as restraint, if one person commits a crime and neighbors tolerate it, wouldn’t we repeat past mistakes when war breaks out again?”
After speaking, Li Si turned and pointed at the sky screen, his voice suddenly rising: “Last year in Yingchuan, remnants of the former Han state rebelled, killing officials and burning granaries. Their neighbors knew about it early but concealed the information!”
“If we followed the collective punishment system, the neighbors would have proactively reported it before the incident occurred. How could such a disaster have happened?”
“This law may seem harsh, but it actually enables the people to monitor each other – using one person’s punishment to ensure the safety of ten thousand households!”
The court minister at the side of the hall echoed in agreement, “Minister Li speaks truth! The Qin bamboo slips from Shuihudi record that last year in Nan Commandery, when commoners privately stored weapons, their neighbors reported it promptly. Not only were they exempted from collective punishment, but they also received two dan of millet as reward.”
“This shows the collective punishment system not only punishes, but also encourages good deeds.”
Hearing this, Fusu did not retreat. Lightly tapping the jade pendant at his waist, his voice remained cool: “Minister Li only speaks of its benefits, but hasn’t considered its drawbacks.”
“If the people live in constant fear of being implicated by their neighbors’ mistakes, over time their resentment will accumulate deeply. Once corvée labor becomes heavier, wouldn’t this shake the foundation of the state?”
With both holding their positions, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Only Qin Shi Huang remained silent, his gaze fixed heavily on the sky screen.
The collective punishment system was the foundation of Great Qin.
Was there really a better method at present?
Yes, of course there was.
Ying Qingyue unconsciously twisted the patterns on her sleeve, having already sorted out the improvement path for the collective punishment system in her mind.
She deeply understood that the foundation of Great Qin Law could not be lightly altered, yet she also knew that popular resentment was like tidal waves – the slightest misstep could erode the state’s foundation. Therefore, she sought only a delicate balance between “preserving deterrence” and “reducing harsh accountability.”
The core flaw of collective punishment lay in punishing everyone regardless of whether they had knowledge of the crime.
If indiscriminate accountability could be changed to punishment only for those with knowledge, and relatives and neighbors could be exempted if they proved genuine ignorance of the crime…
This would both avoid the tragedy of “one person’s mistake condemning the entire clan” and make the law appear more fair.
After all, those without knowledge were not at fault – forcibly implicating them would only chill the people’s hearts.
Thinking further, the reason neighbors were forced to monitor each other stemmed from the lack of grassroots control.
If county captains were established at the county level to specialize in public security, and patrol officers were set up at the township level for regular inspections, making officials responsible for household registration and risk investigation – why would the people need to live in constant fear of being implicated by their neighbors’ mistakes?
When disorder occurred within a jurisdiction, officials would first be investigated for negligence, then neighbors checked for concealment. This would both restore officials’ responsibilities and relieve the people’s panic.
Ying Qingyue nodded slightly, her gaze falling upon the sky screen.
These improvements wouldn’t overthrow the old system, but merely make the laws better align with the original purpose of governing the world and bringing peace to the people.
Officials should naturally share the court’s burdens and protect the people’s territories. They couldn’t push everything onto the common people, using the collective punishment system to force them to guard against each other.
With these modifications, the deterrent power of Great Qin Law remains intact, while the people’s hearts gradually stabilize, naturally strengthening the nation’s foundation.
Moreover…
These are inherently the responsibilities of officials.
Otherwise, what are they being kept around for?
Ying Qingyue thought indifferently.
[But the problem is, such disruptive practices would keep the entire society in a state of high pressure. How would this high-pressure state be resolved then?]
[If everyone remains this frightened all the time, sooner or later they’ll snap and rebel.]
[Ah, this brings us back to the “farming and warfare” policy the host mentioned earlier.]
[Those who are aggressive and combative can go to the battlefield to achieve merit. Go kill on the battlefield – the more you kill, the more rewards you’ll receive.]
[As for those who want to live peaceful lives, they can go cultivate land and farm. As for the people’s suffering and sense of happiness – that has nothing to do with the state.]
“Happiness?” The Common People looked up at the sky screen, their eyes filled with confusion.
This term was too unfamiliar, like clouds they had never seen before, floating above their daily lives of farming and fighting.
Someone instinctively tightened their grip on the wooden plow in their hands, as if trying to find a trace of happiness in the rough wood, but only felt the calluses covering their palms.
In the end, it all turned into a sigh, like a dream from which one cannot wake.
[In the Qin Dynasty, all common people were merely cogs in the great machine of the state.] The sky screen’s words were like ice picks, piercing through Great Qin’s facade.
[When a cog wears out or stops turning, just replace it with a new person. The machine must keep running forever.]
[This system has been passed down since Duke Xiao of Qin’s time, and by Qin Shi Huang’s era, it became the legacy he inherited from six generations of predecessors.]
Ying Zheng didn’t deny that everything the sky screen said was true.
It was precisely by relying on this machine logic that Qin managed to fight its way out among the seven warring states, gradually swallowing the other six and unifying the empire.
But now that the empire was unified, with fewer battles to fight and only occasional harassment from the northern Xiongnu, how long could this machine keep running if everyone continued to be treated as replaceable cogs?
How could he not know? How could he be unaware?
[After Qin’s unification, the northern Xiongnu began to frequently harass the borders. So what could be done about these barbarians?]
[Kill, only through killing would they fear you.]
[And simultaneously, there were unprecedented numbers of people within the empire who opposed Qin Shi Huang, each more defiant than the last.]
[So at this point, it’s quite reasonable for our First Emperor to employ his family’s traditional methods.]
The people of Great Qin: “…”
The former subjects of the six states, with complex expressions: How hard it must have been, what kind of lives were they living before?
They surrendered – could they surrender now?
[First of all, penalties must be increased.]
[Petty theft? Immediate beheading. Combined with their previously used collective punishment system, the probability of common people being beheaded dramatically increases.]
[To avoid execution, the common people would carefully watch those around them, preventing them from committing crimes. This is the classic “using severe punishments in troubled times.”]
The common people: “…”
They thought the pressure had reached its limit, only to discover there was still a nightmare level.
Wonderful, life just keeps getting better and better!
[At this point, some friends are bound to ask: With such methods, how could the common people not be afraid? Living in constant fear every day – how could the state possibly achieve long-term stability?]
Shi Jin’s voice carried a tone of rhetorical questioning, like a stone thrown into the hearts of the Common People outside the hall, also causing the emperor and ministers on the steps to furrow their brows slightly.
【Yet in reality, this line of reasoning had long been established in The Book of Lord Shang and The Prince…】
Before the words fully faded, Ying Qingyue in the courtyard gently massaged her temples, a trace of weariness flashing through her eyes.