Li Si then served under Qin Er Shi, Qin Shi Huang's eighteenth son and the second emperor.
20 Facts About Li Si
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Li Si is a student of famous Confucianist philosopher Xunzi.
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However, when concerning administrative methods, Li Si admired and utilized the ideas of Shen Buhai, repeatedly referring to the technique of Shen Buhai and Han Fei.
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John Knoblock, a translator of classical Chinese texts, considered Li Si to be "one of the two or three most important figures in Chinese history" as a result of his efforts in standardizing the Qin state and its conquered territories.
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Li Si assisted the Emperor in unifying laws, governmental ordinances, and weights and measures.
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Li Si "created a government based solely on merit, so that in the empire sons and younger brothers in the imperial clan were not ennobled, but meritorious ministers were", and "pacified the frontier regions by subduing the barbarians to the north and south".
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Li Si had the metal weapons of the feudal states melted and cast into bells and statues.
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Li Si lowered taxes and eased draconian punishments for criminals that had originated from statesman Shang Yang.
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Li Si believed that achieving nothing in life while being so intelligent and educated would bring shame to not just himself but to all scholars.
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Li Si expressed that the Qin state was extremely powerful, but unifying China was still impossible if all of the other six states at the time united to fight against Qin.
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Li Si, who envied Han Fei's intellect, persuaded the Qin king that he could neither send Han Fei back nor employ him.
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Li Si believed that books regarding things such as medicine, agriculture, and prophecy could be ignored, but political books were dangerous in public hands.
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Li Si believed that it was hard to make progress and change the country with the opposition of so many "free thinking" scholars.
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Li Si himself penned the edict ordering the destruction of historical records and literature in 213 BC, including key Confucian texts, which he thought detrimental to the welfare of the state.
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When his power base was secure enough, Zhao Gao betrayed Li Si and charged him with treason.
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Zhao Gao had Li Si tortured until he admitted to the crime and once even intercepted a letter of pleas Li Si had sent to the Emperor.
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Li Si was instrumental in systematizing standard measures and currency in post-unified China.
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Li Si further helped systematize the written Chinese language by promulgating as the imperial standard the small seal script which had already been in use in Qin.
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Li Si was the author of the Cangjiepian, the first Chinese language primer of which fragments still exist.