"Sir, wasn't your attitude just now a bit too arrogant?"
We left Ba's Tavern.
Xiang Yu's back was already soaked with sweat.
The autumn wind outside the window at night was very bleak and cold.
But he didn't feel cold at all; on the contrary, he felt increasingly hot.
"Arrogant? Hahaha, was I arrogant just now? Dragons have scales, touch them and you die. He threatened to kill my whole family, do you think I should just swallow my anger? Let me tell you the truth, Xia Jie, I am a man with principles, but anyone who dares to push me to the brink, I will send them to meet God!"
"God......"
Xiang Yu felt somewhat bewildered.
To be honest, he is increasingly able to feel that Li Lin is not the omnipotent, humble, and wise man he once knew.
He used to think that wise people were gentlemen who were neither hot nor cold, and who could remain calm and composed no matter what situation they encountered.
But ever since he met Li Lin...
He felt he was wrong.
The image of a wise man is nothing more than a stereotype.
It is a person,
Then feelings will develop.
There are feelings involved.
There will be joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness.
Intelligent people are always able to control their emotions, thus ensuring that their plans achieve their goals.
"Xia Jie, the moment I saw you, I knew you were a promising talent. You are strong and powerful, and your martial arts are extraordinary. If you are truly willing to serve me, I am willing to recommend you to His Majesty and grant you the authority to govern a region. As for your past, I can forgive and forget about it. What do you say?"
"You little rascal, Xiang Yu, I've spent so many days with you, and I still know what kind of person you are? On the surface, you seem carefree, but deep down you're very sensitive, especially sentimental, and a loyal and good friend. Since you have these traits, when else should I not play the favor card? However, I can't say for sure about His Majesty. As long as his order isn't revoked, I have no reason to bring Princess Manyin back to my residence. Sleeping alone in the middle of the night is really a bit lonely..."
"My lord, I do not wish to be a general..."
Xiang Yu added in his mind, "I don't want to be a general of this Qin Dynasty."
"Xia Jie, you're a talented young man, I really admire you. It's a waste of your talent that you're not a great general. By the way, since you're not going to be a general, how about I offer you the position of Attendant in my household? It's not a high-ranking official position, but it's still an official post."
"Prime Minister, why are you so kind to Xia Jie?"
"Hahaha, when have I ever been particularly good to you? As a servant in my household, your monthly salary is only ten strings of cash, exactly the same as everyone else's. Besides, you've accompanied me through many dangerous places these past few days, so isn't it only right to give you a few extra strings of cash as a reward? This is all you deserve. I was just doing what I was supposed to do, wasn't I?"
"Your Majesty, Prime Minister..."
As Li Lin spoke with a friendly smile, Xiang Yu's eyes suddenly became slightly moist.
"Alright, that's enough. If you were a beautiful woman, I might be able to talk to you a bit more. But the problem is you're a man, and I don't want to talk to you too much and cause others to misunderstand my sexual orientation!"
"Hahaha......"
Li Lin made a joke, and Xiang Yu was both amused and exasperated, almost unable to resist lifting the smug guy up again.
He recalled the day they first met; he had lifted this guy up, and he still remembered the look of fear on his face.
The next day.
Early morning.
He should have been attending the morning court session.
However, not a single minister could be seen in the entire hall, not even the First Emperor, who was usually diligent and the first to arrive.
strangeness.
Where did they go?
The palace historians on duty were dumbfounded when they saw the empty hall.
Inside the construction company, however, it was unusually lively.
All the civil and military officials of the court gathered together.
Even the First Emperor's throne was moved here.
The last time such a scene was on the eve of General Bai Qi's expedition, when King Zhaoxiang of Qin personally led his officials to inspect the forging of weapons.
Decades have passed in the blink of an eye.
The bleak autumn wind blows again today, but the world has changed.
"Minister Li, is this the paper you spoke of? It is indeed incredibly smooth. Although there are some black impurities on it, they do not hinder writing or reading. If I were to write a memorial on this paper, it would be much easier than reading a bamboo slip!"
The First Emperor stretched out his aged hands and stroked the freshly printed second batch of paper, praising it repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, this is just ordinary paper. It has a yellowish sheen on the surface and some particles because no other raw materials were added to neutralize the concentration of the wood pulp. But because this kind of paper is easy to work with, it is very cheap. The cost of one sheet is less than one coin!"
"Oh? Paper that costs less than a penny?"
The First Emperor's eyes lit up, and he suddenly exclaimed with delight, "If I were to write all the laws of the Great Qin on this paper and distribute them to private schools throughout the country, so that students could learn about the laws of the Great Qin early on, and use the power of the people to supervise the local officials' governance standards, wouldn't the officials have to be more cautious? Wouldn't the people be able to live a better life?"
"Your Majesty, you're oversimplifying things!"
Upon hearing this, Li Lin couldn't help but laugh. Why was His Majesty referring to himself as "I, the lonely one" today? And how did he come up with such a naive idea of democratic oversight?
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