This was like a wake-up call for Zhuge Liang, and for the first time he looked at the rule of law from a different perspective.

He suddenly realized that he had taken it for granted that he had thought it was simple.

Practicing rule of law requires the support of generations of emperors, not just one or two emperors.

The reason why Shang Yang's reforms ended in a miserable end was simply because the king of Qin became a different person, which eventually led to Shang Yang being shattered in the political whirlpool.

With a hint of sadness in his eyes, Zhuge Liang said, "Is it not feasible to govern the country according to law?"

"Wouldn't it be possible to steadily advance society and develop the empire if everything was framed by rules?"

Ye Feng shook his head: "This is a standard development direction, but it is definitely not the best development route."

"During the Warring States Period, why was Qin able to unify the world and sweep across the six kingdoms?"

"It is because they took an unconventional path. Although the Shang Yang Reform we just discussed ended with Shang Yang being torn to pieces by a chariot, his ideas were left behind and imitated by later kings, eventually allowing the Qin State to surpass the six states in the east of the Guanzhong region."

"Another example is Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who changed the Han Dynasty's decades-old policy of marriage alliances and decided to wager his last resort on the Xiongnu. As a result, the four barbarians surrendered, and the Han Dynasty not only expanded its territory, but also spread its prestige far and wide."

"If we follow the inherent rules and stick to a certain range, will this situation occur?"

"Will there be an oath that says 'Whoever offends the mighty Han will be punished no matter how far away he is'?"

"Rule of law is a very good system, but it requires that every citizen reads books, is wise, has his or her own thoughts on the environment and the times he or she lives in, and has his or her own civilized principles in mind. Only in this way can it achieve twice the result with half the effort."

“It’s too early to take it out now.”

"When Wang Mang usurped power, some of the new policies he implemented also sounded good, but they were difficult to implement and ultimately failed miserably."

"This shows that advanced politics requires an environment that complements each other. Without any of these conditions, the effects previously imagined cannot be achieved, so it needs to be implemented step by step."

Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong nodded as if they understood something.

After a long while, Zhuge Liang spoke again: "Isn't the era you mentioned too far away?"

"Everyone reads? Everyone is wise? How is this possible?"

"Even with today's imperial examination system, it can only attract a small number of people with outstanding talents, and it will never be universal."

"The imperial court doesn't have that much money to support this kind of thing."

"Like a flower in a mirror or a moon in the water, you can see it but you can't touch it."

Pang Tong nodded subconsciously: "Just like the Great Harmony Society, where people don't pick up things on the road, the elderly are well cared for, and everyone is as close as a family and brothers."

"But in reality, wherever there are people, there are conflicts of interest. It is impossible for the whole world to be like one family."

“So rule of law may just be an imaginary concept.”

Seeing the two top geniuses of this era so frustrated, Ye Feng smiled and shook his head: "That's not necessarily true. Just because you have no solution doesn't mean others have no solution."

"Let me ask you a question: what is the fundamental reason that restricts people from reading and learning to read?"

Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong did not speak rashly. Instead, after pondering for a while, they tentatively said, "Books." "Books are too expensive, and the possibility of ordinary people learning them is too low."

“No one taught me the second one.”

"Even if you get the books, without a teacher to teach you step by step, you won't even recognize the words, let alone understand the reasons behind them."

"The third is obscure."

"Even if there are teachers to teach, some people don't understand the meaning and mislead the students."

"Many factors have resulted in very few people being able to read and write."

Ye Feng smiled and said, "The reason why books are expensive is that there are so few of them."

"If we can print books on a large scale and lower the price of books, so that ordinary people can buy them if they tighten their belts, wouldn't that be simple?"

"You two should be familiar with the printing technology I invented earlier, right?"

Zhuge Liang and Pang Tong admired: "Movable type printing has indeed solved the problem of printing difficulties and has indeed made books simpler."

"But this technology is now monopolized by the Ye Family Chamber of Commerce. Does the Lord want to make it public?"

"Will this happen?"

In their view, this technology holds the lifeline of all scholars in the world. It is a business that lays golden eggs and can be passed down from generation to generation. Regardless of whether the Ye family will become emperors in the future, having these things can ensure that future generations will have no worries.

It’s not that no one wants to make it public, but no one dares to mention it in front of Ye Feng.

I didn't expect Ye Feng to mention it on his own initiative today.

"Do you really think that your private discussions won't reach my ears?"

"To be honest, I have long wanted to promote it to the world."

“Not only can the states and counties get this technology, but even the chambers of commerce can get this technology.”

“Publish how it’s made so everyone can understand why.”

"If everyone in the world competes to make it, the price will drop instantly."

"Otherwise, relying solely on the money allocated by the court would be just a drop in the bucket."

“The second problem is that there is no good teacher. It’s even simpler.”

"As long as the court stipulates that any teacher must teach poor students for free as a condition for obtaining a teaching certificate, how can these teachers not teach poor students for free?"

"Although this method is a drop in the bucket, as the policy is promoted, the opportunities for children from poor families will increase. There are only benefits, no harm."

"What do you think?"

(End of this chapter)