Chapter 219: Zhang Liang of Yingchuan and Liu Ji of Pei County were...

Ying Zheng, struck by her thoughts, gave a wry smile. "I have no intention of promoting Li Si directly to the position of Prime Minister. This time, the imperial examination will be presided over by Lord Weiyang and Yang Pan, with Lord Weiyang as the chief examiner and Yang Pan as the deputy examiner. As for Li Si, he will just be there to help out and mark the papers."

Zheng Jia gave him a helpless look and didn't mention Li Si again. Instead, he said, "Let's choose another deputy examiner. Choose one from among the former nobles of the six kingdoms in Xianyang. This will show that this imperial examination treats the entire Central Plains equally."

Ying Zheng nodded, and suddenly a sinister thought came to his mind. He curled his lips and smiled, saying, "The old nobles of the six countries are not on good terms with each other. If we directly point to one country, no matter which one is pointed at, the other five countries will definitely be dissatisfied.

In my opinion, to be fair, we should simply let them nominate someone of high moral character and prestige to take the test first, and whoever comes out on top will be made the deputy examiner."

Zheng Jia burst out laughing: "You are using two peaches to kill three warriors!"

——This is too mean!

But she likes it.

What is wrong with the old nobles of the six countries?

Even though they had a feud with each other, after Tongyi was captured by Qin and taken to Xianyang, they shared a common hatred for Qin and put aside many of their old grudges.

Ying Zheng's move would definitely bring up their old grudges again, and their original harmony would become irreconcilable.

As for whether there will be an expert who can see through it and not be fooled?

That's impossible.

The plot of "Two Peaches to Kill Three Warriors" was originally an open conspiracy, so why would they be afraid of being seen through?

As long as you become an examiner, even if you are an assistant examiner, you will have a close relationship with the students who have passed the exam.

This kind of relationship will be of great benefit to the future development of their respective families.

Therefore, when the old nobles heard the news, not only would frictions between countries resume, but even different families that were originally from the same country would be wary of each other and might even hinder each other.

Ying Zheng's move was so bad and so harmful!

But Ying Zheng, the man involved, refused to admit it. He said with a righteous look on his face, "I just couldn't bear to see the talents of the six countries buried, so I gave them a chance to succeed."

"Yes, yes, yes, Your Majesty is benevolent and wise! Hahahahahahaha..." Zheng Jia slammed the table and laughed.

After a while, Ying Zheng could no longer hold back, and the king and queen burst into laughter.

At this moment, Ying Sen's wet nurse came out from the back hall, holding him in her arms: "Your Majesty, Queen, the young master has woken up."

When the little guy smelled his parents' scent, he immediately fluttered in his nurse's arms and tried to stand up, turning his little head to look for his parents.

Zheng Jia said, "Give me the child."

The wet nurse walked over, carefully placed Ying Sen in Zheng Jia's arms, bowed, and quietly retreated to the corner.

Zheng Jia held the little guy in front of Ying Zheng and saw that his eyes were bright and lively, without any confusion from just waking up. He smiled and said, "Sen'er is really full of energy."

Ying Zheng stretched out his big hand and waved it in front of the little guy. Ying Sen excitedly waved his little hands to catch it, but every time he was about to catch it, the big hand disappeared in an instant.

Once, twice, three times, four times...

Ying Sen missed every time, but he never got annoyed or annoyed. Instead, he became more and more excited about the game.

Ying Zheng laughed and said, "This child has a really good temper. He is neither like me nor like the queen."

Zheng Jia subconsciously said, "He's a man after all, so it's better for him to have a gentle temper."

Most men in Shu are like this, and she thinks it is normal.

Although Ying Zheng disagreed with this view, he did not object because he thought that he had already decided to make his eldest daughter Ying Yan the crown prince.

=====

The imperial edict announcing the reopening of the imperial examinations was quickly promulgated throughout the country. It declared: "The unification of the Central Plains is a cause for universal celebration." This examination was a special favor granted by the king, with relaxed entry requirements. Regardless of wealth, any talented candidate could register at the local county yamen. The county magistrate would organize personnel to escort them all the way to Xianyang. All food, lodging, and medical expenses along the way would be covered by the government.

The announcement of this decree set the whole country ablaze. County offices across the country were packed with people, and for more than half a month, people came to the county offices almost every day to sign up.

The imperial examination was to be held in September. At the beginning of July, county lieutenants from places close to Xianyang began to arrive one after another with candidates from their counties.

The court specially organized personnel to be responsible for reception, headcount, and handover. Only after the escorting county lieutenant completed his mission could he return to report.

The person in charge of the reception was Li Si.

On this day, the troops from Pei County, Sishui Commandery arrived. When the county lieutenant was handing over to Li Si, he reported a piece of news to Li Si.

"Scholars Xiao He and Cao Shen from this county, along with their friends, have captured eight nobles from the six kingdoms who were colluding to secretly rebel against Qin."

Li Si perked up: "Where are those people?"

The county lieutenant said, "Just keep them in custody in the group. I'll have someone bring them here right away."

Li Si nodded, and the county lieutenant retreated. Soon he came back with a dozen commoners and eight people who were being held down by armored soldiers.

There were a dozen or so common people, both men and women, of different ages, but their clothes were not made of good materials. It was obvious at a glance that their families were not well off.

The eight people who were pinned down by the armored soldiers were of varying ages. Although they were also wearing cloth, their skin was delicate and their flesh was tender. The outer cloth was torn in places, revealing the fine material underneath.

Li Si knew at a glance that these fish were not small.

"Where are you from?" He walked forward with a smile and asked casually.

As expected, no one answered him.

Li Si laughed and said, "Indeed, the Central Plains now only has the Qin State. It's normal for you, the stray dogs, to be too embarrassed to admit that you are the remnants of the Six Kingdoms."

Among them, a young man in his early twenties had a cold expression on his face and laughed coldly, "The tyrannical Qin raised an army of wolves and tigers to destroy the six kingdoms. This is completely unethical and shameful. The whole world is ashamed of this. The Qin State should be the one who is truly ashamed!"

"A common shame for the whole world?" Li Si laughed heartily. After a long laugh, he raised an eyebrow and said, "The people of the world you're talking about aren't just you guys, are they? Young man, what country do you consider yourself to be?"

The young man stiffened his neck and said in a resounding voice, "I will always keep my name and surname. I am Zhang Liang of Han!"

Li Si nodded slightly, and said sarcastically, "So you're from Yingchuan..."

"I am from Xinzheng!" Zhang Liang emphasized.

Li Si paid no attention to his impotent rage and made no effort to argue. He simply asked, "After you escaped from Xinzheng, have you ever returned to the three former Han counties? Have you seen the current state of the land? Have you ever spoken with the people there?"

Zhang Liang's expression froze and his face gradually became ugly.

"It seems he has returned." Li Si smiled confidently. "Then what do you think, if we release the Marquis of Yingchuan and raise our voices in the three counties, how many people will respond?"

Marquis of Yingchuan was a nominal title bestowed upon the last King of Han by Ying Zheng after he was brought to Xianyang. He had no fiefdom, only a fief of 2,000 dan.

Seeing Zhang Liang speechless, Li Si sneered and said sternly, "Whether the Qin Dynasty is benevolent or tyrannical, the people of the world have the right to decide. Only you nobles have no say!"

"Well said!" A man in gray among the dozen or so young men from Pei County clapped his hands and echoed loudly. He pointed at the nobles from the six kingdoms and said indignantly, "You nobles only know how to plunder the people. Not only do you force people to sell their children, but you also beat people to death or maim them at the slightest dissatisfaction. After the Qin Dynasty unified the world, the elders have only had a few days of peace and stability. You must be crazy to follow you in rebellion!"

Li Si looked over, frowned slightly, then relaxed and smiled.

The reason why he frowned was that among the dozen or so young men from Pei County, the one in gray clothes was the most conspicuous: he looked to be in his twenties, his clothes were not dressed properly, his hair was not combed properly, and there was a piece of uncleaned straw faintly visible in his slightly messy bun.

As a student of Legalism, Li Si had some obsessive-compulsive disorder. The first time he saw him, his scalp almost exploded.

But this young man was really good at speaking. Although his words were visibly slick, every word he said touched his heart.

The Legalists were born to serve the king. Since following Ying Zheng, Li Si has been adjusting himself to adapt to the king's rhythm and take the king's will as his own.

The man's words touched his heart, and were almost equivalent to what the king said.

Seeing Li Si's gaze, the young man narrowed his eyes and smiled, bowed flatteringly to him, and said clearly: "I am Liu Ji from Pei County, Sishui, and I am here to meet Lord Li."

This was a successful self-promotion, at least Li Si had already remembered Liu Ji deeply.

Li Si stopped paying attention to Zhang Liang and turned to ask Liu Ji, "Are you also a student here to take part in the special examination? You are truly a talented person."

Liu Ji chuckled and pulled two people out from his companions, one in each hand. "Mr. Li, although I can read a few words, I have never liked reading since I was young. This time I am here to accompany a friend."

"This is Xiao He, and this is Cao Shen." He mentioned each person, exerting force with his hand to push the person in front of Li Si. "After seeing the king's edict, Xiao He asserted that the king is a wise and capable monarch and will need more talents in the future. This special examination to eliminate the calculation of family property is just the beginning, a test and a forewarning."

Li Si's eyes lit up and he fixed his gaze on Xiao He, who was slightly embarrassed by Liu Ji. He looked him over carefully but only said, "Take the exam seriously. The king will not treat talented people unfairly."

If Li Si had already become the prime minister, he would be more wary of Xiao He than admire him for his extraordinary insights and potential to be the prime minister.

But at this time Li Si was just a guest official. Although he was appreciated and loved by the king, he also needed to win over allies so as not to be isolated and helpless in the court in the future.

The more talented Xiao He was, the more he admired him.

As for whether Xiao He would become a contender for the position of prime minister after entering the court, that was a matter for the future. Right now, he couldn't even walk steadily, so how could he have the time to think about running?

Xiao He took a deep breath and said with a bow, "Thank you, Mr. Li, for your advice. I'll keep it in mind."

Liu Ji helped him so hard, how could he not appreciate it?

Furthermore, Li Si's ability to undertake such an assignment would surely earn him respect in the eyes of the king. Being remembered by Li Si would definitely be a great thing for him.

Li Si nodded slightly and said to the county lieutenant of Pei County, "Pei County is blessed with outstanding people and beautiful scenery. This is all thanks to you all!"

The county lieutenant's hands trembled with excitement. He looked deeply at Liu Ji and others and kept them in mind.

——These people are all his benefactors!