Inside the Prime Minister's study, Li Lin, restless and uneasy, kept his brows furrowed.
This made Han Xin, who was sitting opposite him, extremely anxious.
It seems that the First Emperor's requirements were too demanding.
Even though he was such a clever prime minister, he had no clue whatsoever.
Li Lin had originally asked him to come.
We hope he can offer some advice.
Unfortunately.
Han Xin was of no help whatsoever.
"Your Excellency, I am truly at a loss for what to do. I have been thinking for a long time, but I still have no idea. Your Excellency, you are a divine being of this world, do you have any good ideas?"
"I?"
He was somewhat at a loss and couldn't help but shake his head. "I have no idea what to do either. It's all because His Majesty values me too much and has made such an impossible request of me. Alas!"
"My lord, don't be discouraged. There's always a way. Why don't you have a frank talk with Xiang Yu and the others? Let them provide false evidence. That way, it'll be a win-win situation for both of you. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
"This... Han Xin, are you saying I should deceive His Majesty?"
"My lord, how does His Majesty treat you?"
"This...isn't too close, but not a stranger either."
"Your Excellency, you mustn't think like that. I've been living in Xianyang these past few days, observing the situation in the Qin court and among the people. I feel more and more that the Qin is becoming stagnant. Your Excellency, although Xiang Yu and the others are bandits and remnants at this time, who can guarantee that they won't rise to power one day?"
"You mean, I want to leave myself a way out?"
"That's exactly right!"
A hint of joy appeared on Han Xin's face. In fact, he didn't feel much dependence on the Qin Dynasty. On the contrary, he hated the Qin Dynasty's legal system to the core because he had been forced to perform corvée labor in his early years.
What is corvée labor?
They force you to do unpaid labor for the state.
Let's not talk about compensation.
Even the provisions for the journey had to be carried by themselves, otherwise most of them would starve to death on the way, and that would be none of the government's business.
Along the way, officials treated ordinary people very badly.
They frequently resort to beatings or, at the very least, verbal abuse.
They didn't treat the common people undergoing corvée labor as human beings at all; they treated them like animals.
Han Xin also experienced such a thing.
There were many complaints about the officials of the Qin Dynasty.
"Alas, I did not want to enter politics in the first place, because I knew that the ship of Qin was already dilapidated. Although the First Emperor was still holding on, once he died, a large-scale rebellion would inevitably break out in the world. The hearts of the people of Qin were lost within a few years after Your Majesty unified the world!"
Li Lin shook his head.
He has no other choice now.
Since he married the First Emperor's daughter, his life and fortune have been inextricably linked to the interests of the Qin Dynasty.
Rather than saying it's about leaving a way out.
Rather than saying it's about breaking free from the bond between himself and the Qin Dynasty.
"Yes, Your Excellency, I have witnessed the immense suffering of the people in Huaiyin County, a place so impoverished as to be almost nonexistent. It's not that Huaiyin County lacks land, but most of it has been seized by that dog of a magistrate and a few wealthy families. And what about the ordinary poor? They can only accept this fact and become tenant farmers. In years of famine, they are forced to resort to cannibalism to survive!"
"Alas, the rich feast while the poor freeze to death. This Qin Dynasty is doomed. Even if I were to push for reforms, the changes for ordinary people would be negligible, because the Qin Dynasty is rotten to the core. Unless, unless I were to kill, to use killing to replace the law, to kill corrupt officials, to overthrow them, to use an iron fist to carry out a top-down purge, otherwise, even if the reforms succeed, they can only prolong the Qin Dynasty's reign for another hundred years!"
Li Lin shook his head.
Even now, he still hasn't noticed Han Xin's unusual behavior.
Han Xin, who usually didn't like to talk about politics, suddenly started discussing the situation of the Qin Dynasty with him today, which was enough to surprise him.
However, he was so engrossed in the thorny task assigned by the First Emperor that he failed to notice this unusual occurrence.
"My lord, I was originally reluctant to say more, but I simply cannot bear to see someone of your extraordinary talent continue down the wrong path. The Great Qin is a monstrous Qin, full of tigers, leopards, and wolves. These officials are born to devour people. In their eyes, what are the common people? When they need them, they say they are important; when they don't, they say they are foolish. Ha! The common people are like a coin, moved wherever they are needed!"
"this......"
Li Lin was somewhat stunned by Han Xin's words.
He simply couldn't understand how Han Xin's people-oriented ideology came about, but he knew that Han Xin's early life was very impoverished, and it was only because an old woman gave Han Xin a bite to eat.
Han Xin might starve to death on the street.
perhaps.
Was it because of his early experiences that he developed such advanced ideas about people's well-being?
"Han Xin, tell me, have you done something shameful behind my back?"
"My lord, as expected, I couldn't hide it from you. I was persuaded by Xiang Liang yesterday and have agreed to join them in overthrowing the tyrannical Qin!"
"What?"
Li Linke's eyes widened in surprise.
[What's going on? So after all this talk, you're the damn mole? Then all that talk about what I was asking you for advice, wasn't that just telling Xiang Yu and the others?]
"My lord, rest assured, you have shown me great kindness, and I would never betray you. They don't yet know that you know their identities, so you don't need to worry about that. I, Han, know my limits!"
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