Chapter 581 Let's Compare?

The ceremony of the six states' submission concluded successfully. From then on, there were no more seven states in the world, only the Great Qin.

Of course, the nominal unification is only the beginning; the integration of different regions and the sense of belonging among the people still need to be gradually worked out.

This is a fact that everyone knows, but on the other hand, everyone also knows that they don't have that much time to work things out.

Even if everyone shares the same goal, the "millions of people" mentioned by Xunzi is merely an ideal state. In the face of "destiny," it remains uncertain how many people's strength can be gathered.

If one does not recognize their identity as a Qin person, who would be willing to be a pioneer?

There was much debate in the court about this, and a unified conclusion could not be reached from before the six states submitted to the government until after their submission.

"Is this something I should be worrying about?"

Pulled out of the soft blankets, Fusu looked at Ying Zheng with a weary expression, his tone slightly reproachful: "Father, you are a mature adult now, you must learn to rely on yourself!"

The people in the hall lowered their heads and suppressed their laughter, pretending they hadn't heard anything.

Ying Zheng remained expressionless, grasped Fusu's outstretched hand, and spoke in a serious tone that was completely inconsistent with his status: "But I want to rely on Fusu, is Fusu unwilling?"

After unifying the six kingdoms, the imperial system of rites was reshaped, and the King of Qin was renamed "Emperor," with "朕" (zhen) becoming the emperor's exclusive self-reference.

"Sigh—" Fusu sighed helplessly, "Father, if you were to act cute, I might actually agree."

The courtiers were almost unable to control their expressions. What was with the eldest son's look? How did His Majesty seem to be acting like a child? Or was this just their unique way of communicating as father and son? And His Majesty didn't even refute it.

“However…” Fusu said, turning to look at everyone in the hall, “Father, you should learn from Prime Minister Li!”

Upon hearing this, Li Si's legs went weak. The newly appointed prime minister after the six states submitted felt as if the imperial prison was beckoning him.

What should we learn?

The King of Qin's casual gaze swept over Li Si, and Li Si broke out in a cold sweat.

"Learn from him how to delegate government affairs to Mr. Han!"

Fusu spoke so bluntly that everyone present kept glancing at Li Si and Han Fei.

"Although Prime Minister Li's methods are rather subtle, Mr. Han always falls for it... I mean, he always accepts the task..."

Han Fei couldn't help but smile wryly, his ears turning red with embarrassment. The eldest son was really not tactful at all.

Now everyone knows he's easily fooled. Even though it was Li Si who did the deception, it's him who feels ashamed!

"But his attitude is something to learn from!" Fusu seemed completely oblivious to the changes in Li Si and Han Fei's emotions, and said confidently, "I forget who said it, but if you can't lead a team, you'll just work yourself to death. I think that makes a lot of sense."

At this moment, no one paid attention to the word "death" in Fusu's words; they were only subconsciously watching his expression and the origin of his words... Everyone thought about it and then quietly looked at the King of Qin.

Ying Zheng, who had been listening casually to Fusu's ramblings, saw the corners of his mouth flatten as he looked at the clarity in Fusu's eyes and the fleeting look of longing and confusion. Ying Zheng felt a pang of bitterness and annoyance. Really, he had already dealt with Zhao Gao, so why was there still this annoying Gao Yao? Even with Fusu's amnesia, he could still blurt out Gao Yao's words?

Resisting the urge to ask Fusu who he or Gao Yao would save first if they fell into the water, Ying Zheng stared at Fusu and changed the subject: "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is, don't rely on me alone. We're not just sitting around doing nothing, right?"

Fusu glanced at everyone; none of them wanted to admit they were just there to do nothing. But the problem now was, everyone had so many ideas, which one should they choose?

"Only adults make choices; what I mean is, they want it all!"

With Ying Zheng's indulgence, Fusu read through all the policy proposals submitted by his ministers, his eyes aching from the dense text. Although he didn't read for long, he waved his hand and spoke firmly.

"Aren't there still many talented people left over from the six states?"

Fusu stroked his chubby chin and revealed a sly smile.

Ying Zheng nodded. Peaceful unification meant that the power of each country was well preserved and there were many talented people, but this was also the reason why they could not reach an agreement for so long.

After all, the more power each country retains, the more difficult it is to achieve complete internal unity.

"Then let's have a competition!" Fusu said casually. "Some people want to lie down and do nothing, while others want to realize their ambitions. Civil and military officials, the capable rise and the mediocre fall."

Fusu got more and more excited as he spoke, and pulled out several memorials from the table, spreading them out for Ying Zheng to see: "Isn't the goal to unify the written language? What kind of written language should we use? We can brainstorm together and make it a competition. This would not only be more efficient, but also make everyone feel more involved."

“And this,” Fusu pulled out another book, “The standardization of cart tracks and the cement roads developed by the Shaofu can completely cover the current territory of Qin. This can also be one of the competition’s contents. People from the original six states can draw lots to exchange areas for paving roads and see who can pave the best. It saves money and effort and makes people feel more involved.”

"Well, with the reform of the ritual system and the unification of the world, we can certainly absorb the cultural and ritual systems of the six states. But which one to absorb specifically, let's compare and see, and let the whole nation participate..."

"Civil officials are compared in political affairs, military officials in military skills, officials in charge of rites in etiquette, scholars in academic debates, and so on. They are compared with other regions and with each other internally. With so many comparisons, what difference is there between Qin and the other six states?"

Fusu spoke with great enthusiasm, and the crowd listened with admiration and praise.

In this way, the government policies that were originally intended to be implemented can be implemented quickly, and the internal forces of each country will also be divided for their own interests. The higher the participation, the higher the recognition, and the higher the assimilation.

"The eldest son is truly talented!"

Li Si was the first to step forward and endorse Fusu's idea, and the other ministers followed suit, cheering one after another.

Fusu smiled proudly at Ying Zheng without any attempt to hide it. Ying Zheng nodded and immediately ordered everyone to compile a complete plan according to Fusu's ideas.

Soon, the news of the "nationwide competition" spread.

The former rulers and ministers of the six states, now the feudal lords, were all eager to act upon learning this. After all, it concerned their own power in the Qin court; who wouldn't be tempted?

Surrender does not mean they have no ambition; on the contrary, it is precisely because they have greater ambitions that they are willing to facilitate submission.

After all, with one miracle after another, who wouldn't be moved by the sight of the Qin youth radiating sword energy?

Not to mention, to celebrate the submission of the six states, the King of Qin gifted everyone a weakened version of the "Body Strengthening Pill," which made the originally gray-haired King of Qi look several years younger overnight, making everyone even more envious.

Of course, they would compete with the Qin people for such benefits.

Of course, they are greedy, not stupid. It would be best to have a fair and aboveboard way like a competition.

When exactly does the competition start?

Time waits for no one, and even if the rules are unclear, they can still help! No offense intended, I just don't like being a busybody!