Chapter 28 Cheng Jiao: Is Farming Fun?

Ying Zheng was slightly taken aback. What official position did he want to offer?

Slightly taken aback, he blurted out, "I've already come up with a solution, but I haven't had a chance to try it yet. Please allow me to give it another shot, Father!"

Ying Zichu hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. He didn't doubt that his eldest son was just boasting to show off, but he was a little suspicious that this idea might have been devised while he was on the roof in the cold wind...

"...Alright, don't do such dangerous things again. How can a crown prince act like this?"

While pretending to listen attentively to the teachings, Ying Zheng was inwardly pondering the issue of the official position of Taishu. The problem was not difficult; he could simply bestow a higher official title upon him. The real issue was where to place him.

This isn't just being rude; it's practically asking for a beating.

His father had a good temper, but... he knew that things probably wouldn't get any better.

He didn't doubt what his motherland said. Since his mother had said so, she must have her reasons. What he should be thinking about most was how to help Taishu find a reason to politely refuse...

Seeing that his eldest son had taken it to heart, Ying Zichu nodded in satisfaction: "Then you can try one last time tomorrow. If it doesn't work, so be it."

Anyway, that place is now the place with the most troops stationed near Xianyang. It can be said that even birds cannot enter or leave without permission. His insistence on making the other party an official is just a small personal obsession.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Ying Zheng bowed, took his younger brother from his father's hands, and stepped down, then turned and led his men toward the inner palace.

Qin also walked towards the palace where Zhao Ji lived, and Zhao Ji, as the Queen of Qin, occupied the largest room in the palace.

The remaining palaces, large and small, were either empty or occupied by Ying Zichu's other concubines.

Because of her relationship with Chengjiao and Ying Zheng, Han Ji got along well with Zhao Ji and lived with her, but she also lived in a side palace with Chengjiao.

Ying Zheng no longer needed to detour to another palace to escort his younger brother; he went directly back to the palace where Zhao Ji was.

Along the way, Chengjiao kept asking him where he had gone, and he had accidentally forgotten to take him with him. When they returned to the palace, he secretly went up to the roof without taking him with him!

Ying Zheng: ...It really wasn't a secret trip to the roof.

The clueless 'Zhao' who followed along said, "That's why I said it's really strange to choose the roof of the palace as the meeting place."

Qi: "But you can't deny that you can indeed overlook Xianyang City from there, and the feeling is different from looking at your own illusory image."

Qin subtly sent a warning look to both countries, silently indicating that the visit's time limit for the day had been reached and that she should leave quickly.

Zhao left decisively, not forgetting to say before he went, "I'm leaving now, come again next time~"

Qi, always cheerful, smiled and said goodbye: "Then I'll say goodbye to Zhao as well. I apologize for the inconvenience. I'll come back when the Qi delegation arrives."

Ignoring the two states that were singing in unison, Qin smiled gently and said, "Chengjiao is such a silly child. Your brother didn't mean to leave you out of the way; he did it on purpose."

The figures of the two countries faded away one after another, clearly having left Qin territory. They were quite bored staying here, restricted from going here or there and unable to 'visit'.

When 'Qin' hinted that they should see the guests off, they didn't linger and left immediately.

This land is only so big, and they live together in clusters, so whether they like it or not, there will always be a time when they meet again.

****

Ying Zheng swallowed back the words he was about to say and changed his words: "Brother is out of the palace on the king's orders to learn farming from the Grand Master of Agriculture. It's not a trip for fun. I'll take you with me next time I go out of the palace to play."

Cheng Jiao rejected the promises Ying Zheng made to him and replied with "td".

His focus was not on obeying the king's orders; he was more concerned with leaving the palace and farming.

"Brother, is farming fun?"

Qin replied without hesitation: "It's fun."

In her mind, there was an equation: Taishu's farming method = increased grain production = better lives for commoners = she becomes stronger = more territory = she becomes stronger = farming is 'fun'

Infrastructure development = new and beautiful clothes to wear = she becomes stronger = infrastructure development is also 'fun'

Ying Zheng paused for a moment, then lied to his younger brother against his conscience: "...It's fun."

Planting small plots of crops can be a hobby, but if you have a large tract of land to cultivate, it becomes a tedious and repetitive task. He followed his uncle and farmed for a few days before he truly understood the hardships of ordinary people.

He had previously thought that being left behind in an enemy country would be very difficult, but today, experiencing the life of ordinary people, he realized what true suffering was.

Farming is secondary; he likes to stick close to his older brother after spending half a year with him, since they even have the same swordsmanship master.

Ying Zheng thought for a moment and said, "There's no need to leave the palace tomorrow; we can stay in the palace today."

Cheng Jiao: "Huh?"

Ying Zheng couldn't possibly lead his men to Taishu Jiu's place; even he couldn't just take people in there. So he led his men through a maze of twists and turns until they found a small flower garden, which he used as a substitute for the fields.

After waiting for a while, the servant who had just received the order came over with farming tools and seeds. Ying Zheng stuffed the things into Cheng Jiao's hands: "I can teach you now."

Cheng Jiao struggled slightly to hold the farm tools; their size and weight were still too much for a six-year-old child.

Ying Zheng demonstrated it to someone, then gestured for Cheng Jiao to try it himself. Although Cheng Jiao's movements looked extremely difficult, the strong-willed Cheng Jiao refused to give up. Most importantly, he couldn't lose face in front of his elder brother!

Miracle Qiaoqiao, working hard online (jpg)

After all that commotion, it was already dark, but Cheng Jiao was still struggling in the first 'field' he had planted in his life.

Ying Zheng watched his younger brother from the side, and also had time to whisper a few words to 'Qin'. Cheng Jiao's huffing and puffing as he worked hard to loosen the soil masked the conversation on the other side.

"What official position do you think would be appropriate for Taishu?"

Ying Zheng hesitated for a moment, then blurted out "Prime Minister *1".

Qin nodded. That made sense. It was an old tradition for a new king to take the throne and appoint a new prime minister, but he hadn't even ascended the throne yet, and...

“There are still some issues. I think your father will entrust you to Lü Buwei. If you ascend the throne and take away his position as prime minister, it will be difficult to suppress the opposing forces in the court.”

She didn't explicitly say whose power it was, but everyone and every nation present understood.

Ying Zheng nodded in agreement and said, "Therefore, if I ascend the throne, I plan to appoint two prime ministers. It is not appropriate for such great power to be in the hands of one minister. It would be better to divide them into left and right prime ministers."

Using one power to suppress another, Ying Ji mastered this tactic, and now Ying Zheng has also learned it. It's no wonder he's Ying Ji's student.

Qin asked with a smile, "So you're going to use Taishu Jiu's prestige to intimidate people? Then do you plan to appoint him as the Left Chancellor or the Right Chancellor?"

If her true thoughts weren't so outrageous, she would have wanted Ying Zheng to first appoint Taishu Jiu as Right Chancellor and then promote him to Left Chancellor, thus gaining points for two achievements at once.

Ying Zheng said decisively, "Of course it's the Left Chancellor."

If you're going to ban someone, you should ban the highest-ranking one. What's the point of banning someone lower?

Upon hearing this, Qin did not directly agree, but instead brought up the person of Taishu Jiu: "I have also visited Taishu Jiu many times. He is not suitable for fighting in the court."

Qin spoke tactfully, but in reality, she believed that if this Grand Chancellor were to argue with any other official, he would not win, and the other party would likely suffer as well, being choked by Taishu Jiu. However, he was truly inept at political maneuvering.

"He is simple and straightforward in nature, and I'm afraid he can't outmaneuver Lü Buwei."

"I never intended for Taishu to fight against Lü Buwei. I'll help him build up his power over the next two years. He can continue farming and managing agriculture. I'll take care of the rest."

Qin smiled and praised him as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "Zheng'er is so thoughtful. Now that we have this plan, you should also plan how to protect him in the future so that he can continue to work hard for me."

This is the highest level of being an official.

To be an official and win against opposing forces through one's own abilities is a testament to one's own strength, but it is not the highest level one can achieve.

If officials don't have to fight themselves, but the emperor personally takes the reins and does it for them, then this isn't just ordinary officialdom; it's the highest level of officialdom. How can having the emperor do the work not be considered 'being an emperor'?

Ying Zheng agreed with Qin's statement that he would work hard for her. He promised that as long as he was alive, Taishu Jiu could focus on farming and serve as his Grand Minister and future Prime Minister of Qin.

Zhu Qing'ai, in her true form, only mourned for Lü Buwei for a second. Just a few days ago, Ying Zichu announced a general amnesty to the world and bestowed favors upon the common people. He also rewarded several meritorious officials from the previous king's time and appointed Lü Buwei as prime minister. He had barely settled into his new position when he was already being plotted against by the next King of Qin.

Although Taishu Jiu may only be a figurehead in the position of Left Chancellor in the future, Lü Buwei was still ultimately overshadowed, which was never a good look for him.

No one is truly willing to be demoted after serving three emperors; there's still a struggle between the emperor and his officials.

Qin nodded in satisfaction, and casually raised his chin to indicate that Ying Zheng should look at his younger brother.

“Chengjiao is a sincere boy. I remember he said he wanted to be a general and fight for me. But this kind of land… let’s forget about it.” ’Qin’ looked at the badly ravaged soil, frowned and shook his head. This farm work was simply unbearable to watch.

Cheng Jiao, panting heavily, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, successfully making a mess of his face. But he had finally managed to clear the small patch of land in front of him (although it was full of potholes), so he didn't care too much about the dirt on his face. He happily turned around and ran to find Ying Zheng.

"Brother, I've dug the hole!"

Ying Zheng: ...He doesn't remember saying he just said he was digging a pit...Never mind, as long as his younger brother is happy with the work he's doing himself, whatever the final result may be.

He went up to examine it, and although he couldn't quite place the uneven ground as a pit, he couldn't tell that it was dug.

However, it's still possible to plant the seeds... The seeds stored in the palace are usually not grain seeds, but more often flowers and plants. He handed the small cloth bag containing the seeds to Cheng Jiao: "Give it a try?"

Cheng Jiao happily took the seed and, imitating Ying Zheng's demonstration, pressed it into the soil.

Qin took a breath and gently closed his eyes.

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Author's Note: Regarding the Chancellor: King Wu of Qin was a very ambitious man. Ashamed to be associated with the other six states, and seeing that all six states had a Chancellor, he renamed the position of Chancellor in Qin as Chancellor. In the second year of King Wu's reign (309 BC), King Wu established the position of Chancellor in Qin, appointing one Chancellor on the left and one on the right. He appointed Gan Mao as Chancellor and concurrently General-in-Chief, and Chuli Ji as Right Chancellor. He ordered Gan Mao and others to revise the land laws, amend the border regulations, dredge waterways, and build dikes and bridges.

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During the pre-Qin period, the Qin state revered the left. However, after Qin Shi Huang unified the country and established the Qin Dynasty, Qin changed its policy to revere the right, based on the Five Elements theory, because Qin was associated with the element of water.

The Han dynasty inherited the Qin system and honored the right. In the "Biography of Zhou Chang" in the Book of Han, Yan Shigu commented on the phrase "leftward transfer": At that time, the right was honored and the left was despised, so the demotion was called "leftward transfer".

(Therefore, the text still respects the left at this point.)

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