Chapter 307 Liu Ji Enters Xianyang
"I am not Zhang Liang." Zhang Liang raised his glass at the same time. He thought he would not be able to find Liu Ji on this trip, but he did not expect to wait for him at Xiao He's place on the last day before leaving.
Xiao He asked with a smile, "Where have you been? Why are you so embarrassed?"
Liu Ji's face was full of vicissitudes, "Don't mention it!"
Zhang Liang listened attentively. With Xiao He there before him, he did not dare to look down on this man. The Queen Mother was right. This place was indeed a place of hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Liu Ji: "Wei was conquered by Qin last year. Did you know that?"
Xiao He heard some news, and Zhang Liang knew it very well.
Seeing that they both knew, Liu Ji continued, "Those Qin soldiers were truly fierce. They nearly took my life. If I hadn't encountered a merchant caravan, I don't know how long it would have taken me to return. I finally made it to Chu territory, but the Yingshui area was hit by a drought. Not only was there not enough food to eat, but there wasn't even enough water to drink. I only managed to return alive thanks to my tough luck."
"Drought?" Zhang Liang was surprised.
Liu Ji cut a few pieces of meat and ate them with wine. "It's not too serious, but we encountered drought in the winter, and the situation this spring won't be much better. Fortunately, our place is good. We can harvest regardless of drought or flood. We won't get rich, but we won't starve to death either."
Xiao He's face was gloomy. "If it's serious, Yingdu should have taken action."
"How could those nobles care about the life and death of their subordinates? I saw many people starving to death along the way, and I didn't see any help from the government." Liu Ji snorted.
The princes and ministers in Yingdu were all busy fighting for power and profit. Probably few of them knew that a drought had occurred in Yingshui. Even if they knew, they might not care.
Xiao He sighed, "Everyone in Yingdu is on guard against Qin right now. I'm afraid no one will send this news to the Chu Palace, as it would only bring trouble to themselves."
It’s not that Xiao He wanted to explain for the King of Chu. In fact, the King of Chu himself cannot be the master of Chu.
Liu Ji got drunk and started to talk nonsense, "If the Qin State really attacks, it wouldn't be a bad thing..."
Xiao He was so frightened that he quickly told him to stop talking.
Zhang Liang had a barely perceptible smile on his face. These two people were really interesting, especially Liu Ji. The Queen Mother would probably like this guy.
Liu Ji then remembered that there was someone else here and smiled at Zhang Liang. "Don't blame me, don't blame me. I like to talk nonsense when I'm drunk. Where are you from? Why have I never seen you before?"
"I'm originally from Xinzheng, South Korea, but now I live in Xianyang!"
"Xianyang... cough cough!" Liu Ji almost choked on his own saliva. He was sure that Zhang Liang was not joking. He suddenly remembered the news he heard when he was in Wei State. It seemed that the King of Han was persuaded by a man named Zhang Liang to surrender to the Qin State. Could that man be him?
"Are you Zhang Liang, the envoy to Korea?"
"Exactly."
Liu Ji was excited. "I never thought I could meet such a person! Sir, you are a great man of the time. Why did you come to our remote place?"
Xiao He pretended to be deep and calm, and said, "Of course you came to find me."
"Stop joking, let's be serious!"
"Who's kidding you? Brother Zhang, are you here to look for me?"
Zhang Liang laughed, "Brother Xiao is right. I came here to recruit you."
"Not bad! You've become rich! Don't forget to help your brothers." Liu Ji winked at Xiao He and smiled as if he didn't want any money.
Zhang Liang took the opportunity to speak, "If Brother Liu is willing, you can also return to Xianyang with me."
"Go to Xianyang?" Liu Ji had never thought of going to Xianyang.
He did want to find some ways to get rich, but that was in Chu. Is Qin a place that a normal person can go to?
"You might as well tell Brother Liu that I came here not only to look for Brother Xiao, but also to find some great talents for the Queen Mother. I think Brother Liu is a rare talent, and he will have a great future in Xianyang."
Liu Ji was hit on the head with such a big pie, and his head couldn't help feeling dizzy, but he quickly calmed down and said, "I'm not being too modest. I still know my own limitations. What can I do with my limited ability in Xianyang?"
The Queen Mother of Qin summoned him over, so she couldn't just let him sit there and eat for nothing!
He would like to eat for free there, but there is no such thing as a free lunch.
"Brother Liu, don't worry. No matter what we do, you won't be treated unfairly."
Liu Ji pondered for a moment, glanced at Xiao He, and then his gaze fell on Zhang Liang. "Okay, then I'll do it with you!"
Anyway, he is still young, it's not bad for him to go out and try his luck. If he doesn't do well, he can just come back!
However, before that, he had to go home.
What he had said to Zhang Er before about wanting to accompany his old father was not entirely empty talk. After finally coming back, he had to show his filial piety to his father in any way he could.
Zhang Liang gave the Liu family a lot of money, enough for Old Man Liu to have food and clothing for the rest of his life.
When seeing Liu Ji off, Old Man Liu urged him, "You are not young anymore, it's time for you to get married. If you can't find one yourself, I will find one for you!"
Liu Ji was excited to go to Xianyang and do something big, so he didn't think about getting married. "Aunt, I'm still young!"
"The eldest and second eldest's kids are all running around, and you're just sitting there doing nothing all day. You finally come back for a few days, and then you run away again!"
"I know, I know! I'll bring you a wife next time I come back."
"What do you mean by 'bring me a wife'?" Old Man Liu picked up a stick and was about to hit him. Liu Ji immediately ran away and jumped into Zhang Liang's carriage, urging him, "Hurry up, hurry up!"
Zhang Liang had a fruitful trip. Not only did he bring back many specialties from Chu, he also brought back the person the Queen Mother wanted.
When Zhao Yuanxi received Zhang Liang's letter, his hands were shaking. Did he find the person just like that?
"Zifang, so you're now a teacher in Xianyang?"
Liu Ji spent about a month with Zhang Liang, and they seemed like good brothers.
"yes."
"But weren't you the hero who persuaded Han to surrender? Didn't the King of Qin reward you anything?"
Zhang Liang pursed his lips slightly and sighed, "This is a long story."
"Then talk slowly, we have plenty of time anyway."
…
After much difficulty, the two finally returned to Xianyang. Liu Ji stretched himself and jumped off the carriage. Looking at the bustling and prosperous surroundings, he couldn't help but sigh, "Xianyang is indeed a great place."
He read the words on the plaque and looked around. He had to admit that what Zhang Liang said was indeed right. Queen Mother Zhao was indeed rich. She used such a prosperous place to build an academy, and most of the students enrolled were children from ordinary families. Only those with poor financial resources could do such a loss-making business.
What Liu Ji didn't know was that before Jianyuanxi College was built, this place was just an ordinary street, no different from any other place.
After the college was built, surrounding study rooms, newspaper offices, and various shops opened up, making this place particularly lively.
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