Legalist Qin policies and high officials surviving them.

 Q [91m-92m, 97m-99m Lord Shang], [152, 155mb-56m Fan Ju], [152m, 155-56b Cai Ze], [44b, 54m-55, 62b, 69-70t-m Li Si]. The reading this week suggested to me that there was a clear continuity in the legalistic approach of the Qin court across time. The passages above show similarities between Lord Shang’s, Fan Ju’s and Li Shi’s views. P. 91m-92m juxtaposes lord Shang’s view that if one is to strengthen the state and benefit the people, he should not imitate the old ways and conventions, to Gan Long’s traditional one to leave the old patterns unchanged and improve their flow without creating unnecessary conflicts. On 97, Shang ignores Zhao Ling’ warning that lacking kindness, his policies attract disaster and is killed by the Qin. Fan Ju advises king Zhaoxiang to centralize his power, taking it away from his ministers and resorts to treachery and unscrupulous devices to achieve his goals, yet he lacks a bigger vision. On 54m-55 Li Si says that initiating great undertakings “is not something a stupid Confucianist would understand” and that scholars are dangerous because they are fixated on the past and instigate rebellious thoughts. He initiated the burning of the historical records besides those of Qin, and the banning of philosophical debates. Ironically, he is executed later (70) because of telling the second emperor that some of the policies enforced are detrimental. However, while Lord Shang and Li Si end up executed, Cai Ze and thanks to heeding his advice, Fan Ju, die of old age. The difference seems to lie in Cai Ze’s ability to learn from the past examples and recognize (152m, 155m) when it is time to retire after great deeds are done. Fan Ju listens to Cai Ze and retires to his domains. 156b tells us that after a few months being prime minister and sensing danger, Cai Ze returned the prime minister seals and managed to stay alive and serve under four Qin emperors, a big achievement for the hostile legalist policies of the Qin government.  

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