Ye Feng smiled faintly and said with interest: "Kong Ming, since you can ask this question, I think you have already had an idea in your mind, but you can say it!"

"No matter whether you are right or wrong today, you will not be blamed."

Zhuge Liang said solemnly: "Govern the country by law and enforce the law strictly. No matter your status or position, if you try to cheat in the imperial examination, you will be severely punished if you are caught."

"As long as we kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, I don't think so many people will dare to bring bad luck upon themselves."

Having said this, Zhuge Liang looked straight at Ye Feng, his eyes full of eagerness.

In fact, what he wanted to say more was that the whole world must govern by law and implement the law to the utmost. As long as everyone abides by the law, the entire empire will prosper. No matter for ten generations or a hundred generations, as long as such a policy is adhered to, China will always prosper.

Ye Feng did not answer his question directly, but turned his gaze to Pang Tong who was standing beside him: "Shi Yuan, what do you think?"

Pang Tong said: "I cannot agree with Kong Ming's rule of law."

"My Lord, you are destined to become an emperor of all ages and go down in history. If your every word and action is restricted by the law, it will inevitably make future generations laugh at you."

"Perhaps there is a fearless person who will find a loophole in one of the Lord's words and make the Lord lose face. How can this situation be resolved?"

"Do you really want to apply the law to Your Majesty? Then the entire empire will be a complete joke."

Zhuge Liang frowned and said, "My Lord, you just said that the people are more important than the emperor. He must have the same idea in his mind. As long as Your Majesty takes the lead in abiding by the law, who in the world would not be afraid of the law?"

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if everyone followed the law?"

Seeing the two people arguing and getting more and more serious, Ye Feng waved his hand: "I understand what you mean, no need to repeat it."

“In fact, the idea of ​​ruling the country by law is a very good one, but it has huge drawbacks.”

"Why was the Qin State able to sweep across the six kingdoms and unify the world during the Warring States Period?"

Zhuge Liang's eyes sparkled: "Because Shang Yang's reforms and rule of law have mobilized the enthusiasm of Qin from top to bottom, everyone wants to fight for fame and title on horseback, so everyone on the battlefield is willing to risk their lives to kill the enemy."

Pang Tong continued to refute: "But Shang Yang's reforms still failed in the end, and Shang Yang himself was left with no trace, and his end was miserable."

Zhuge Liang said: "As a minister, you must have the ambition to bring eternal peace to the world. Even if you have to sacrifice everything for it, you should be willing to do so."

"If I were Shang Yang, I would also have the courage to sacrifice my life for justice."

Ye Feng looked at the passionate Zhuge Liang, and a smile appeared on his lips: "What you said is true, but you overlooked a question. Why did the Qin Dynasty fall apart immediately after the death of Qin Shihuang in just 20 years, and eventually become the dust of history?"

"You two are both smart people, can't you figure out the reason?"

Zhuge Liang frowned, and this time it was Pang Tong's turn to have a gleam in his eyes: "Although Shang Yang's reforms gave the common people a chance to enfeoff their wives and children, they greatly harmed the interests of the Qin nobles. So after there were no enemies in the world, they quickly became corrupt, and eventually the country was destroyed more than 20 years after its founding."

"Speaking of it, Shang Yang is the reason for both success and failure."

"In the final analysis, it is all about ruling the country according to law. The people of the Qin Dynasty felt oppressed from top to bottom. They wanted to resist, but because Qin Shihuang was too powerful, no one dared to jump out."

"After the First Emperor died in the sand dunes, the entire empire fell apart in an instant." "So this rule of law is not advisable."

Zhuge Liang wanted to refute, but it was difficult to do so because Pang Tong was telling the truth.

Ye Feng patted Zhuge Liang on the shoulder and said, "I am the creator of this empire. The reason why I can reach this position proves that the decisions I made step by step were correct."

"Otherwise, you simply can't survive in troubled times."

"If a law of your imagination could constrain my behavior, is this possible?"

“In other words, who can ensure that the laws they draft have a vision that is superior to mine and has a longer-term vision than mine?”

"If they have the ability, why don't they take my position?"

"So even if I support your decision to make laws, strict laws, they cannot be above the emperor. This is the fundamental."

"Some of your ideas are dangerous."

A look of confusion flashed across Zhuge Liang's eyes.

He suddenly doubted himself, wondering if what he was thinking was too simple.

Is there really no way out for rule of law?

Is it true that the emperor’s majesty is above all else?
He wanted to ask Ye Feng how he could guarantee his proficiency in both civil and military affairs and his extraordinary vision, and how he could guarantee his descendants in the future?

If future generations are foolish and incompetent, wouldn't it be killing two birds with one stone to have a law to restrict them?
Ye Feng saw what Zhuge Liang was thinking, and continued with a smile: "You think I am great, but my descendants in the future may not be as good as me."

“Why not restrain them, right?”

Zhuge Liang stared at Ye Feng with sharp eyes.

Ye Feng smiled and said, "It's very simple, because there is no need."

"If they were as wise as I am, they wouldn't need this law to constrain them."

"If they are incompetent, even if you take out this law, they can still destroy everything, and it will be meaningless."

“So rule of law is acceptable, but the current positioning cannot be too high.”

"You wanted to reach the top in one step, but you actually took a wrong path."

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Everything needs to be done slowly. One generation cannot accomplish everything for the future.”

"Do you understand?" (End of this chapter)