Li Si was one of the most tragic prime ministers in Chinese history, not only was he beheaded, but he was also destroyed by the three tribes, and the ending was too tragic.
It should be known that in the process of the unification of the Qin State, Li Si made great contributions, and all the unified rails, weights and measures and other major events implemented by Qin Shi Huang had the influence of Li Si, and it is no exaggeration to say that Li Si's political philosophy laid the foundation for China's political system for more than two thousand years.
Regarding Li Si's life, his two stories are worth thinking about, the first is the rat philosophy, in Sima Qian's "History" said that when Li Si was still a small official of the Chu State as a warehouse manager, "I saw that the rats in the toilet of the officials were unclean, close to people and dogs, and the number of frightened people." Si into the warehouse, watch the hamster in the rat, under the big house, do not see the disturbance of people and dogs. “
So there was Li Si's exclamation: "The sage of man is not like a rat, but in his own ears."
Zongheng watched so many periods of the animal world when he was a child, and did not understand whether it was a lion or a tiger, Li Si looked at the rat in the toilet and the two rats in the granary compared, and came up with the road of life, it is not simple, Li Si learned that people should look for a big platform.
In order to seek his own social status and realize his own life value, Li Si began to study and worship, he found Xunzi, who had both Legalist thought and Confucian thought as a teacher, everyone knew that Xunzi was a Confucian master, but also a different kind of Confucianism, Li Si absorbed a part of Xunzi thought.
On the other hand, Li Si is also deeply influenced by his peer Han Fei, fundamentally speaking, Li Si agrees with Han Fei's thoughts, otherwise he would not have killed him out of jealousy, if he did not agree, he should not have a dead hand, it is precisely because he is like-minded and better than himself, so he is a fierce enemy.
Xun Zi or Han Fei, Li Si from them to integrate the idea of jurisprudence for his own use, after the Qin State he first turned to Lü Buwei, Lü Buwei is a businessman, the pursuit of maximization of interests is the essence of businessmen, in Lü Buwei's body, Li Si learned is the philosophy of self-interest, only by expanding his own interests, can he reach the peak of life.
By this time, Lis's philosophy of life had matured.
In the stage of assisting qin, Li Si and the Qin state were in line with the vision of completing the unification, so Li Si showed a positive side, advising Qin Shi Huang and making contributions to himself.
There is also a small episode here, the Korean spy Zheng Guo went to the Qin state to deceive the Qin state to build the Zheng Guo Canal, and then damaged the national strength of the Qin state, delaying the unification time of the Qin state, after the matter was exposed, the Qin state set off a wave of expulsion of foreigners, at this time Li Si bravely stood up and debated the benefits brought by the guest secretary to the Qin state in the court: "Why should the guest lose to Qin Zhao!" To make the four kings but not to be inward, to neglect the soldiers and not to use, is to make the country rich and profitable and Qin does not have a strong name. “
This is the typical thing that does not concern oneself, hangs high, and once it involves its own interests, it will jump out immediately, which is the biggest manifestation of self-interest.
Li Si's rat philosophy did allow Li Si to realize his grand life ambitions, just imagine that there are several literati strategists who can assist an emperor to complete the unification and establish a regime like the Qin Dynasty.
However, the rat is a mouse, no matter how powerful the philosophy can not avoid the rat's eyes, after the completion of the unification of the Qin State, Qin Shi Huang immediately began to degenerate and corrupt, after all, such unprecedented political achievements, put on anyone's body will float, so Qin Shi Huang named himself Qin Shi Huang, and began to pursue such an absurd thing as immortality.
At this time, Li Si, as a courtier, did not dissuade him, but in order to preserve his glory and wealth, he began to cater to the emperor and coax Qin Shi Huang to play and satisfy his vanity and enjoyment.
If Li Si is a smart person, he should learn from Fan Li, he can make contributions together, but he cannot share the glory and wealth, this is a cultural tradition formed in China's history, Li Si's philosophy of life, obviously there is no intention of retiring from success.
When Qin Shi Huang traveled east, he did not find the elixir of immortality, but he confessed his life at a young age, and it is estimated that there are too many erotic sounds.
Qin Shi Huang wanted his eldest son Fu Su to inherit the throne before his death, and as a result, after Qin Shi Huang's death, Zhao Gao wanted to launch a coup d'état and make his second son Hu Hai the emperor, Zhao Gao was actually a conspirator said by the self-interested, compared to Li Si, li Si at least had some things to govern the country, and Zhao Gao took conspiracy as his life, and there was nothing else to speak of.
Therefore, Li Si, who did not know how to retire from success, naturally calculated that Zhao Gao could not be calculated.
Zhao Gao's reason for wooing Li Si into the water is very simple, do you want to continue to be your minister; similarly, Zhao Gao's plan to kill Li Si is even more clumsy, blowing a little wind in Hu Hai's ear will kill Li Si.
How Li Si killed Han Fei in the first place, Zhao Gao killed Li Si, and history is often strikingly similar.
In the last days of his life, Li Si instead realized: "I want to lead the yellow dog with Ruofu, and go out to Cai Dongmen to chase the cunning rabbit, how can I get it!"
In fact, if Li Si had thought about this earlier, there would be no such tragedy, in the final analysis, Li Si is a poor person who learned to "achieve success" but did not learn to "retire".