Chapter 58 Li Si: What are the preferences of 'Qin'? 58...

Qin pretended not to notice Lü Buwei's expression and deliberately asked, "Oh, why is Prime Minister Lü sending so many handsome servants into the palace? Zheng'er doesn't lack servants."

As she looked at them, she realized that Lü Buwei was quite thoughtful; these people all had fair skin and no beards, which was also a kind of disguise.

Ying Zheng immediately understood that his mother was indulging in a mischievous mood and wanted to tease Lü Buwei.

He cooperated and said, "Yes, why did you send so many people to the palace, Uncle?"

Li Si, who had come along and was still a retainer, turned his gaze slightly to Lü Buwei. He didn't believe in his heart that Lü Buwei had acted on his own initiative.

He knew quite a bit about the Right Chancellor Lü Buwei. Although the man seemed to be autocratic in the court, he could actually sense that the man was being restrained by something.

Moreover, the king's question today was somewhat unusual. He felt that something was missing before this question, as if he had missed hearing a non-existent statement from a non-existent person.

Lu Buwei glanced at 'Qin' and then at his superior, King Zheng of Qin. He figured that since the king didn't want to tarnish his image in front of 'Qin,' he had to find a way to salvage the situation himself.

"These are..."

It's really hard to explain; he thought about it over and still couldn't come up with a suitable reason.

Seeing Lü Buwei's troubled expression, Qin kindly let him go and stopped persecuting one person. Instead, he asked Li Si, who was standing next to Lü Buwei, "You brought seven people, six of whom are good-looking. Why is he so average-looking? His beard is covering his face. He doesn't even bother to groom himself."

Lu Buwei glanced at Li Si. Actually, Li Si was quite good-looking, but not the handsome type. He was more the dashing type.

Most importantly, a beard covering the lower half of the face... no, wait, isn't a beautiful beard quite nice?

He first noted down Qin's aesthetic preferences, then took out a spare dictionary from his sleeve. Ever since he had taken the King of Qin's dictionary, he had always kept two dictionaries in his sleeve pocket in case of any unexpected events.

This was just the right time to use it. He first looked at Ying Zheng, and only after receiving permission did he hand the dictionary to Li Si.

Li Si took the dictionary in bewilderment. Wasn't the Prime Minister explaining it? Why was he suddenly given a dictionary?

After he held the dictionary firmly, he had a strange feeling in his heart, and he saw a blurry figure in his vision, which gradually became clearer.

He was quite shocked that there had been someone sitting next to the king the whole time, so what he just said was actually a follow-up to what she had said.

Before Li Si could finish his shock, Lü Buwei spoke directly: "'Qin' asked me to ask you, I brought seven men, six of whom are very good-looking, why are you the only one with an average appearance, and your beard is covering your face, why don't you tidy it up?"

Li Si: ? ? ?

The awkward situation went from one person to two.

Li Si lived to a ripe old age, but unexpectedly, he was disliked for his ordinary appearance because of his long beard.

He's really not ugly; he can shave right now to prove it! (crossed out)

He banished the absurd thought from his mind, but he still hadn't quite grasped it. He looked around at the Prime Minister and the King, who both seemed unfazed by it.

It's not hard to tell; at least both the King and the Prime Minister agree that the title is correct.

Li Si bowed to the name 'Qin' in a daze, wondering if the 'Qin' referred to its literal meaning.

He hasn't been in Qin for very long, and Qin hasn't had a deep impact on him, so he can still view things rationally.

Qin casually waved his hand, and an invisible wind helped the people up: "Alright, I'll stop teasing you. These people weren't captured by you, were they?"

Li Si: !!!

He lost his temper! He could see clearly that she hadn't gotten up from her seat, and although they were close, there were still several steps between them.

There was no one around to help him up, so... she really did help him from a distance. Is that something a human can do? It's not human!

Li Si had a bold guess...

Looking at those people who appeared natural and without a trace of bitterness, Zhu Qing'ai didn't think they were forced into it; rather, they seemed to be quite skilled at doing this.

Because she was worried about Zhao Ji, she kindly scanned these people. The data report showed no problems; they had no psychological issues, were not mentally disturbed, and everything else was normal.

Oh, then it's alright.

"Of course not, they all volunteered. I would never do such a despicable thing."

Qin nodded, "That's true. In history, sending Lao Ai wasn't done casually. It was done by finding talented people. It's really not a despicable thing."

Ying Zheng: "That's good. What does Mother think of these people?"

Zhu Qing'ai looked them over and thought that, according to her aesthetic standards, they were all quite good-looking, and their types were not exactly the same. It seemed that Lü Buwei had put a lot of thought into it.

I wonder what this "powerful minister" thought when he was choosing people.

She chuckled softly, "If Zheng'er thinks it's okay, then send it over. I think it's fine."

“In that case, let’s send them all to the Empress Dowager’s palace,” Ying Zheng decided. He beckoned a servant to come forward and instructed him to take the people to Ganquan Palace to see the Empress Dowager, saying that he was the one who sent them. “The affairs of these people in the palace will be handled by the servants.”

"Yes, sir." Li Si took a step to the side, bowed, and accepted the decree.

After the ceremony, he efficiently went to handle the matter, and Lü Buwei quickly took his leave: "I have other matters to attend to, so I will not stay in the palace any longer."

"Okay, go ahead."

Lu Buwei bowed again, then quickly turned around and caught up with Li Si, who had already left the main hall. He patted Li Si on the shoulder from behind and said, "Please wait, my lord."

Li Si turned to look at Lü Buwei: "Prime Minister Lü, is there something you need from me?"

"Of course, please return the book to me, sir."

Li Si: ...

Why be so stingy? You even have to chase him for a dictionary?

"I'm a little curious, is that a god or something else?"

He had a guess before, but he wasn't sure. He needed someone to tell him the answer in person.

Judging solely from his demeanor and bearing, Li Si found it difficult to associate the person with ghosts or monsters, and thus believed that it was a deity who had come to protect the Qin Dynasty.

Lü Buwei looked at Li Si as if he were a fool and said, "Didn't I say before? That is 'Qin'. Its name is 'Qin'. It is the original Qin state and the spirit of the country."

As he spoke, Lü Buwei took the dictionary back from Li Si, ignoring the other man's reluctant gaze, and coughed, "My lord, you should think about how much salary those people should receive if they are placed under the jurisdiction of Ganquan Palace. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

“Wait a minute,” Li Si called out to Lü Buwei, and asked one last question, “So, does ‘Qin’ really dislike people with beards?”

When Lü Buwei was asked this question, he suddenly felt that his beard was a bit of a nuisance. What did it mean to dislike people with beards? Was it an insult directed at him?

"Who knows? Why don't you give it a try?"

What difference does it make whether you like it or not? In Guo Ling's eyes, they're all just one face with one pair of eyes, one nose, and one mouth.

Lü Buwei believed that the spirit of the state did not depend on appearance, saying that judging by birthplace was more reliable than judging by looks.

"I thank you for your guidance, Prime Minister." Li Si thanked Lü Buwei very politely, but this thank you left Lü Buwei speechless. Wait, what are you trying to do?

Lü Buwei no longer had time to think about what Li Si wanted to do. After completing the task, he remembered that someone had told him that he had a friend who wanted to lead troops into battle again before he died.

****

After thinking it over, Lü Buwei realized that the person who came to him with these words was Wang He, so the friend he was referring to must be Meng Ao.

After all, there were only a few high-ranking officials in Qin. Once he pointed them out, he could guess who Wang He was talking about. So Lü Buwei personally visited Meng Ao.

Upon meeting Meng Ao, he went straight to the point: "General Meng, I heard that you recently intend to lead troops into battle?"

Meng Ao: Huh?

There haven't been any battles to fight in the past two years, but he hasn't been idle. He's been mentoring a few younger people. If you ask him if he's in a hurry, he's really not.

So, where did the rumor come from that he really wanted to lead troops into battle?

He couldn't understand it, so he said to Lü Buwei, "Hmm, hmm, that's right... If Prime Minister Lü thinks it's inappropriate, then I'll give up on this idea."

"Of course not. I also think we can fight a small-scale battle. We can't let down the old Qin people's dream of going east."

Upon hearing that there really was a battle to be fought, Meng Ao immediately sat up straight. What he was more concerned about was that...

"So, how should we calculate the gunpowder allocated for this battle? The production over two years should be considerable..."

Meng Wu, Meng Ao's son who was listening in, was also excited and wanted to go too.

Even Meng Tian and Meng Yi, who were following behind, had their eyes shining. That was gunpowder! Every time they heard their grandfather talk about how he skillfully used gunpowder to achieve great feats (actually, he just liked to brag to his grandson), they were very envious.

Lu Buwei stuck to his bottom line and refused to make any promises: "General Meng will have to ask Physician Ji Yu. Whatever she agrees to give, that's what it is. Or you can ask the King."

Meng Ao knew that there was no point in trying to stall Lü Buwei here, so after discussing it for a while, the two of them saw their guest off.

After Lü Buwei left, Meng Ao fell into deep thought. Having worked with Ji Yu before, he knew that the other party was not easy to fool, and besides, the matter of going to war was still far from being settled.

When it comes to a serious war, it has to be discussed in court. The process, if not too long, would at least take a long court session.

Meng Wu stepped forward: "Father, what are you thinking about?"

Meng Ao blurted out, "I was thinking about gunpowder. I heard that Doctor Ji Yu has invented something good, but I haven't tried it yet..."

"Father, how did you know?"

Meng Tian and Meng Yi, the two curious children, also looked at their grandfather, wondering how he knew about this.

"Ahem, children shouldn't ask such questions; this is not something children should know."

Meng Wu was speechless. His son was already so big, how could he still be considered a child?

Before he knew it, he had said those words. Meng Ao looked calmly at his eldest son and said, "In my eyes, you will always be a child who never grows up, so don't ask. I will know the answer if I have the means."

Meng Wu: ?

"So, Father, you have a way to persuade Doctor Ji Yu?"

Meng Ao: ...Then he really didn't...

Meng Wu rubbed his hands together and offered his opinion: "Given Doctor Ji Yu's age, although he is not yet married, he is approaching that age..."

"Oh~~" Meng Ao pointed at Meng Wu, "You brat, you're selling my grandson, aren't you? I agree."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Meng Wu: I raised my son all these years just to sell him; what's the point of raising him if I can't sell him? (Image of a loving father and filial son)

Meng Ao: Well said, grandson, the time has come to sacrifice yourself for your grandfather, go!

-

Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2024-05-12 22:44:38 and 2024-05-13 11:52:05!

Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: lalala 39 bottles; 邩乇 12 bottles; 沧月 5 bottles; 冰叶, 青青, 吾问无为谓, 许家夫人 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!