Li Lin looked at the group of ministers who were laughing at him and couldn't help but burst into laughter as well.
"Li Lin, what are you laughing at?"
"Your Majesty, I laugh at their folly, their stupidity. Since I became an official, have I ever done anything without a certainty of success? Having made a military pledge, I will naturally quell the rebellion in Chu swiftly. However..."
"But what?"
The First Emperor became curious.
"However, it is impossible for me to launch attacks from multiple locations by commanding troops alone, which would seriously delay the efficiency of suppressing the rebellion. Therefore, I request Your Majesty to grant me the authority to mobilize the personnel I wish to mobilize."
"I can give this to you!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, I request the assistance of Zhang Han, the Commander-in-Chief of the Construction Department, Han Xin, the Inspector General, and Zhang Liang, among others. Please grant my request!"
"What do you, my esteemed ministers, think?"
The First Emperor did not grant his request directly. Instead, he looked at the other ministers present and left the decision to them.
The Minister of Justice, Meng Yi, immediately stepped out from the ranks of the officials and replied very respectfully, “Your Majesty, the people that Prime Minister Li wants, such as Han Xin and Zhang Liang, are wanted criminals of the court. They are currently imprisoned in the imperial prison. If we send them into battle, I am afraid we will be criticized for having no capable people in our Great Qin!”
As soon as he finished speaking, the newly appointed Junior Chamberlain Meng Zhen immediately jumped out.
“Your Majesty, although Zhang Han is the Commander of the Construction Bureau, the Construction Bureau currently operates independently from the Imperial Treasury. If he leaves the Construction Bureau, how will the daily operations of the Construction Bureau be handled? The Imperial Treasury cannot directly take over the Construction Bureau at present.”
"this......"
Li Lin was stunned; he really hadn't considered the construction company's involvement.
certainly.
He had previously relinquished the position of Junior Chamberlain.
The Meng family behind Meng Zhen and the Li family of Li Lin have been close friends for a hundred years. Meng Zhen's elder brother even married Li Lin's sister. Therefore, after Li Lin relinquished his position as the Junior Minister of the Imperial Household Department, he recommended Meng Zhen to succeed him based on this relationship.
I originally thought Meng Zhen was one of my own and someone I could trust.
Unexpected!
I can't believe I betrayed him today.
They caught him completely off guard.
"That's true, Minister Li. It's not that I disagree, but the people you need are either criminals imprisoned in the imperial prison or important figures who can't leave because they have important responsibilities. I can't arrange it for you."
"What are you saying, Your Majesty? There's always a way. Besides, what Lord Meng just said about Han Xin, Zhang Liang, and the others being prisoners and not being able to send them to the battlefield is utter nonsense. Does that mean prisoners can't have a chance to reform? Besides, they are only accomplices, while I am the principal offender. What? Does he want to throw me into the imperial prison?"
"Prime Minister Li, you've gone too far!"
Meng Yi was somewhat angry, clenching his fists. "How can you, as the Prime Minister of Qin, humiliate your status like this?"
"Lord Meng is too kind. I am a man of great stature and have never demeaned myself. Moreover, I know that as the Prime Minister of Qin, I represent all the people and all the officials of Qin. That is why I have gone against the opinions of the majority and given them a chance to make amends. No one is perfect, who can be without fault?"
"You're all smooth talkers and sophistry..."
"Alright, Meng Yi, Prime Minister Li is right!"
Just as Meng Yi was about to retort with a flushed face, a voice that was completely unfamiliar to Li Lin and the civil and military officials suddenly rang out.
"Young Master Fusu, you're back?"
"Ah, it's Prince Fusu!"
"It's the eldest son!"
"Heavens! Young Master Fusu is back! Now we have someone to rely on and can fight against this Prime Minister Li!"
"Fusu is back?"
"Your son Fusu greets Your Majesty!"
"Get up!"
"Thank you, Father!"
After performing the court etiquette between ruler and subject with gentle grace, Fusu returned to the assembled officials and bowed to Li Lin, saying, "Grand Tutor Li's words are quite reasonable. No one is perfect, and everyone makes mistakes. To err is human, to forgive divine! I wonder if Grand Tutor Li is also a Confucian scholar?"
"Haha, Young Master Fusu is joking. We are old acquaintances, why be so polite? Besides, I am not a disciple of Confucianism, but have formed my own school of thought, learning from the strengths of all schools while discarding their weaknesses."
Li Lin knew that one shouldn't hit someone who's smiling at them.
Although Fusu had many conflicts with him before, now that he was all smiles and treating him with respect, he naturally wouldn't go too far.
"Oh, I see."
The fleeting joy that had just crossed Fusu's eyes vanished instantly.
At first, he thought Li Lin was a Confucian disciple, so he agreed with him.
Unexpected.
This person was so arrogant, a stark contrast to his previous foolish demeanor when he was pursuing Li Yao's favor.
"You, Prime Minister Li, are so arrogant! You actually claim to be able to learn from the strengths of all schools of thought while discarding their weaknesses. Do you even know what the teachings of Confucius and Mencius are? You openly declare yourself to be your own school of thought. What qualifications do you have?"
"Hahaha, who is it now? It's you, Minister. I remember you're a Confucian disciple, aren't you? Since you're a Confucian disciple, why bother asking me about the mere teachings of Confucius and Mencius? Don't you know perfectly well enough?"
"you......"
Chunyu Yue, who had just been promoted to the position of Minister of Works, was at a loss for words. He hesitated for a long time before finally managing to catch his breath and continue, "Didn't you say you wanted to learn from the strengths of all schools of thought? Why don't you even know the basic principles of Confucianism, the teachings of Confucius and Mencius? How can you talk about learning from the strengths of all schools of thought?"
"Oh, it's just that I believe the teachings of Confucius and Mencius are the shortcomings of Confucianism, that they are spiritually corrupt, useless to learn, and harmful to the spirit, so I don't study them!"
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