Chapter 53 Lü Buwei Steals a Sheep from the Palace

Lü Buwei readily accepted the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and even offered to grind the ink for the work ahead.

When he picked up his pen, he suddenly remembered something else: wait a minute, what did he come here for?

He doesn't seem to be here specifically to cause trouble...

However, Lü Buwei quickly stopped paying attention to this, because the map provided by 'Qin' was simply too detailed...

The view of a landmass from above is truly amazing. To prevent them from being unable to draw it, golden lines flow across the mountains, rivers, and various terrains.

However, this doesn't seem to be within the territory of Qin. He had seen the map of Qin before, and while it wasn't exactly the same as this, it was at least completely unrelated.

Seeing Lü Buwei's question, Qin said directly, "Zheng'er has already drawn up Qin's map, it's the scroll you have here. This is an overview of the neighboring states of Han and Wei."

She even considered that Lü Buwei's painting skills were not good, so she directly had the topographical map placed on the paper in front of Lü Buwei, so that he only needed to copy and trace it.

"Unfortunately, we can't see any more detailed scenes now, so let's just make do with this."

Without even looking at Lü Buwei's expression, he summoned his 'monitoring screen' again, this time to see how officials in various places who received the 'letters of condolence' followed up.

A dozen or so screens of various sizes were stacked together, and a cacophony of sounds came from them. Some people in the pictures were working, some were discussing matters with their subordinates, and some were slacking off and delegating everything to their subordinates.

Without exception, they all took the tasks they had been given seriously. Some even joined forces with the people from Qingjiu School to promote the benefits of learning simplified characters and help the school recruit students, hoping to atone for their past mistakes.

Qin was fairly satisfied with the scene. With a light wave of his silk fan, all the images shattered and disappeared. Five or six more images appeared, this time with a different scene: most of the main characters in the paintings were in prison.

Lu Buwei, who would steal a few glances whenever he had a spare moment, guessed who these people were. The letter he had seen before, which was ostensibly a letter of condolence but was actually a threatening letter, was probably written by 'Qin'.

He was still wondering what kind of incredible organization King Zhaoxiang had left for King Zheng of Qin. There was no intelligence organization at all; it was all the work of 'Qin'.

Then the overly detailed words interspersed in those letters can be explained: who could know Qin better than Qin itself? This is not just an organization left by King Zhaoxiang; it is simply divine favor.

However, upon closer reflection, since 'Qin' was indeed passed down to King Zheng of Qin, how could it not be the best 'legacy'?

Lü Buwei was not afraid of this. It is said that Heaven is watching what people do, but no evil in the world has disappeared because of this. Besides, the spirit of the nation is itself a product of the nation.

His only question was whether 'Qin' considered him a Qin person.

Will he be treated the same as everyone else? Will he be able to gain the approval of 'Qin' like the people of Qin?

Foreign advisors are now found in many countries, almost becoming a trend. I wonder what Guoling thinks about this...

Lu Buwei had a lot on his mind and his hands were quick as well. Putting aside his personal painting skills, he could still manage to trace the image onto paper.

After checking for any oversights, he set aside a map he had just finished drawing, and without even looking up, Ying Zheng summoned his attendants and ordered them to take the completed scroll and the one that Lü Buwei had just finished drawing to be framed.

Mounting was not something Taishu Jiu came up with; he didn't consider it after he invented paper. Mounting relied entirely on the wisdom of the artisans who served the royal family.

The initial requirement was that the map could be preserved for a long time. They even tried engraving the map on copper plates, but they found that it was time-consuming, laborious, and expensive, so they gave up on that idea. It was only then that someone came up with the idea of ​​mounting the map.

Needless to say, after Lü Buwei finished drawing one, 'Qin' automatically replaced it with a place that hadn't been drawn before.

Lü Buwei could only continue drawing, and after finishing, he would write on the side to indicate which country and which place it was.

If the generals who later led the troops were familiar with Lü Buwei, they should have been able to recognize the handwriting on the map as the work of the Right Chancellor, and wonder why the Right Chancellor had changed the map.

Whether it was intentional on Qin's part or not, Lü Buwei spent the entire day in Xianyang Palace drawing maps. His hands were so tired from drawing that he finally managed to finish his day's work.

Ying Zheng was no longer kneeling opposite him. According to Qin, "He is still young and growing, so of course he can't sit still for a long time..."

"You're not going to grow any taller anyway, so it's okay, right?"

Lü Buwei: I'm so touched... (tears welling up in his eyes)

Lü Buwei smiled and stood up, tentatively asking, "If there's anything I don't understand, may I ask you for guidance?"

Qin raised an eyebrow at him: "What do you want to ask? Tell me first, just in case I don't know either."

She spoke very frankly, and Lü Buwei didn't think there was anything wrong with Guo Ling not knowing something.

He first tried asking 'Qin' about the construction of the irrigation canal: "Do you have any suggestions regarding the construction of the irrigation canal?"

"No, you should ask Zheng Guo to repair the canal. I am Guo Ling, not Zheng Guo. I don't know how to repair canals."

“It is Buwei’s rashness. Buwei just thought that Zheng Guo came to Qin at this critical juncture, probably hoping to slow down Qin’s attack on Han, so he was not very at ease with him.”

Qin was persuaded by Lü Buwei. She gently fanned herself with a silk fan, but Lü Buwei could not feel the wind. He even saw that as Qin walked forward, her skirt trailed on the ground, and when it was spread out, the fabric pierced through the hem of his robe.

He realized something else: the spirit is indeed untouchable. Even if you can see and hear it, you are not physically present with it.

He couldn't explain the specific reason, but he understood the meaning.

As Qin stepped out of the palace, Lü Buwei quickly followed, making sure to put on his shoes before leaving the bedchamber.

The attendant behind him asked urgently, "Your Excellency, what should we do with these maps?"

Without turning his head, Lü Buwei replied, "Take it and frame it."

****

Lü Buwei dared not run wildly through the palace; he could only quicken his pace and walk forward as fast as he could. When the servants who passed by greeted him, he only gave a perfunctory "hmm."

It was too late to stop it...

At this moment, Lü Buwei was determined to catch up with the 'Qin' ahead. However, no matter how fast he walked, the figure always kept a distance that was neither too close nor too far from him.

He guessed that he had persuaded 'Qin' to personally 'hold the fort' for him, but there must be some reason for his departure.

Lü Buwei began to imagine that he was the Right Chancellor, the most powerful person in the entire Qin state at present. 'Qin' was the Qin state, but what did it represent?

She represents royal power!

She always walked ahead of him, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far, so that he wouldn't catch up or fall too far behind.

It's actually a subtle way of pointing out that while power is desirable, one must consider their own status; royal power will always come first and can never be on par with it...

Lu Buwei thought he had figured it out; he could already see the shadow of the palace gate. This time, 'Qin' turned to look at him, just as he finished imagining the scene, and said, "It is not elegant for the Right Chancellor to be running around in the streets. I will wait for you at your residence. Tell your servants to prepare a carriage."

"only."

Lu Buwei bowed respectfully, startling the attendant who was standing right behind Qin. The attendant nearly fell to his knees. He quickly stepped aside and waited a few moments before eagerly approaching, "My lord, are you returning to your residence?"

Lu Buwei's expression returned to normal, with a standard smile that was easily mistaken for a fake one.

"Prepare the car, let's go home."

"Yes." The attendant quickly went to the place outside the palace where the carriages were temporarily stored and called the coachman over. After Lü Buwei got into the carriage, he followed the coachman and sat in the front.

As for why his parents suddenly bowed in his direction, he didn't dare to ask. He just pretended nothing had happened, lest he risk his life if he brought it up.

As the carriage drove through the streets, the common people walking on the road quickly made way for it. There was no need to distinguish which official was going out; a carriage was not something ordinary people could afford to ride in. It was best to avoid it if you encountered one.

Under these circumstances, Lü Buwei was unlikely to be stuck in traffic. He sat in his carriage, closed his eyes to rest for a while, and then arrived at his residence.

His residence was bestowed upon him by King Zhuangxiang. Although its location was not as good as the Left Prime Minister's residence, which had been converted into a school, it was still an excellent location in Xianyang City. It was not far from Xianyang Palace, and he arrived home in no time.

****

His wife came out to greet Lü Buwei. Lü Buwei spoke a few words to her gently and told her to go eat first, as he had already eaten in the palace.

He then ordered his attendants to invite Zheng Guo over before heading to his study.

Since the Left Chancellor invented the tables and chairs and improved the trousers, Lü Buwei took the opportunity to turn the place where he originally stored books into his office.

All the books inside that could be replaced with paper books were replaced, and a desk and office chair were placed in the empty space.

Since Zheng Guo arrived, a square table and several matching chairs have been added to his study.

A map was usually placed on the square table for the Zheng state to view.

Because of the importance of the map, the state of Zheng was always under the surveillance of the Prime Minister's office. He rarely went out into the streets and instead used the map to study and choose the best location for building the canal.

As soon as Lü Buwei entered the study, he saw a familiar person and a country. The person was Zheng Guo, who seemed to be studying the abstract map. Standing next to Zheng Guo was another country, Qin. She was leaning slightly over to look at the map, her brows furrowed as if she had encountered some problem.

Lü Buwei didn't disturb him. He first went to the bookshelf at the back and rummaged through it, finding his own copy of the "New Qin Dictionary." It was only then that he belatedly realized he had smuggled something from the palace...

In order to catch a glimpse of 'Qin', he didn't think much of it and simply took the 'New Qin Dictionary' that King Zheng of Qin had placed on the low table... It was so easy that he only realized it now.

Lü Buwei: ...

He held the King of Qin's dictionary in his left hand and his own dictionary in his right, and fell silent for a moment.

"Prime Minister Lü is back? Has the King agreed to allow such a long construction period for the irrigation canal?"

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The author says: I'm sure everyone has experienced this—holding something in their hand without realizing it. For example, I once held my glasses in my hand, looking for them, only to find they were still in my hand. I was so stupid I almost cried QAQ.

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