Chapter 45 Two Phases of Separation
Empress Dowager Huayang and Lü Buwei reached an agreement on their interests once again. Empress Dowager Huayang believed that Lü Buwei's relationship with her was similar to that with Ying Zheng—both were familiar strangers.
It remains to be seen who will benefit most from this [illegible] in the future, but former high-ranking officials are naturally more conspicuous.
One wrong move and they could become a thorn in the side of the King of Qin; the maternal relatives were like a slow poison coated in honey...
However, she was somewhat reluctant to try to win over the current Empress Dowager Zhao Ji.
Empress Dowager Huayang sighed and leaned back in her reclining chair. Ever since the chair appeared, the artisans working for the royal family had been inspired, creating one novel work after another, just like the rocking chair she was lying in.
Some people also tried to guess her thoughts and offered it to her...
Try to figure out what she's thinking...
Empress Dowager Huayang raised her hand and grasped the armrest of the chair, closed her eyes and called out, "Someone, go and summon Prince Yangquan to see me."
****
While Lü Buwei was making various arrangements in the court, Taishu Jiu was essentially under home quarantine, staying at the school the whole time. Zhu Qing'ai was in charge of checking the fields and providing him with data analysis.
He stayed at school quietly, not participating in any conflicts, and showed no inclination to take sides. Those who specifically sent people to win him over were also dismissed by him with various excuses.
This included people sent by King Zheng of Qin. All the various factions knew about this, since it had become a routine for each King of Qin to invite Taishu Jiu to serve as an official.
This turbulent situation persisted until the various factions had redistributed power, and numerous positions underwent constant changes. Finally, under the suppression of forces such as Empress Dowager Huayang and Lü Buwei, things stabilized.
The matter with the imperial clan ending with two members of the clan entering was deemed harmless, and Qin breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that he didn't have to let Zhao in.
This is the third power shift she has been involved in in five years. Although she has had a run of bad luck in recent years, she has actually been quite lucky. Neither the current King of Qin nor the three Kings of Qin who have died have been outrageous.
She felt that her book, "National Classics," was not far from being published.
****
The first thing the new king did after ascending the throne was to hold court for the first time. Naturally, the first thing to do was to 'reward those who had contributed to the cause'. It should have been a joyous day, but the atmosphere became tense when Taishu Jiu appeared in the court.
Most of the people present were veterans of two reigns, and some were even veterans of three reigns. They were quite familiar with Taishu, who was not in court but whose legend was known throughout the court.
They still vividly remembered how Taishu had refused to serve as an official in the court three times, and now that they saw him here, they suddenly had some guesses.
Did Taishu Da Liangzao accept the new king's appointment?
Some ministers who firmly believed that Taishu Jiu was skilled in physiognomy immediately began to secretly observe King Zheng of Qin. This new king must be a long-lived person, otherwise why would Taishu Jiu, the Grand Minister of State, agree to enter the court as an official?
Their evidence to convince themselves was that the people Taishu Jiu refused to serve had reigned for no more than three years. King Zhaoxiang's refusal was due to Taishu Jiu's own late birth, which was understandable, but King Xiaowen and King Zhuangxiang both granted his request!
They believe it will be accurate this time too!
Their expressions varied, and some even whispered among themselves. If the late king were sitting above them, they certainly wouldn't dare to speak ill of him.
But those sitting on the throne were women, children, the elderly, and the young; the vulnerable groups were all present. The ministers below, mindful of their age, behaved with unbridled arrogance.
Empress Dowager Huayang's people were all quiet and well. Lord Yangquan even secretly gave his sister a wink, indicating that everything was arranged properly and there would be no mistakes today.
Just as Lord Yangquan finished giving his instructions, a thunderous remark was heard from above by Ying Zheng. The specifics of his opening remarks were not important; what mattered was the second half of his statement.
The assembled officials almost exclusively listened to the latter half of the sentence: "...In accordance with the late king's will, I hereby appoint Chancellor Lü as my second father, and following the example of the late King Wu of Qin, I have established a system of two chancellors, left and right, with Grand Chancellor Taishu as the left chancellor and Second Father as the right chancellor..."
Yangquan Jun: ?
He really didn't expect this kind of 'mistake'. Why didn't anyone notify him in advance?
He quickly looked at Empress Dowager Huayang, who was sitting to the left of King Zheng of Qin, and saw that his sister shook her head slightly, as if to say that she did not know about the matter either.
Lord Yangquan frowned and looked at Lü Buwei, his eyes darting around as he pondered the relationships between the various factions.
What was said later to save face for Lü Buwei, that the power of the prime minister was still in his hands, did not concern the other officials. What they cared about was that there were now two prime ministers above them, and that there was a clear distinction between them.
Almost instantly, all eyes in the court turned to Lü Buwei. As the only prime minister before, and Qin being a state that valued the left, Lü Buwei's position had always been at the forefront of the left column since he became prime minister.
The person at the very front of the right column is a member of the Ying clan, but now that the new king has issued an order, this position will change.
Firstly, the frontmost position in the left column can only be occupied by Taishu Jiu, the current Left Chancellor, while the frontmost position in the right column belongs to Lü Buwei.
They all wanted to see how Lü Buwei would respond, because in principle, Taishu Jiu's achievements were more than enough to make him a prime minister. Even if Lü Buwei were removed and Taishu Jiu became the only prime minister, it wouldn't be considered outrageous.
Apart from Lü Buwei's side, probably no one would object.
At most, onlookers can only sigh and say, "His achievements and reputation are overwhelming."
The only variable here might be whether Taishu Jiu himself is willing, but now that he's standing here, how could he possibly be unwilling to accept this official position?
Look and listen! They have already seen Taishu Daliangzao step forward generously, bow and express his gratitude.
"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty. I am willing to work diligently for the long-standing foundation of our Great Qin Dynasty..."
Lu Buwei ignored the second half of the sentence, thinking it was just polite talk. He looked up at the young emperor sitting above.
He felt a chill run through his body. There's a saying, "When the ruler is young, the country is suspicious," but he couldn't see that in Ying Zheng. This move of using the Grand Master of Works to suppress him was truly...unexpected.
He even suspected that the persona Taishu Jiu had created was all fake, designed to deceive them and make them overlook this highly competitive opponent.
Otherwise, it's completely inexplicable why Taishu Jiu would suddenly side with King Zheng of Qin. It can't be that the other party really knows the art of physiognomy.
Lu Buwei recalled that during the previous turbulent period, he had sent troops to protect the other party, and he had lost a lot of hair for the other party's safety.
When it came time for the routine rewards, the young master immediately betrayed him.
The shadow he saw in the new king, that figure... seemed to resemble King Zhaoxiang.
This tactic, using the Grand Chancellor's merits to suppress him, although it has a bad reputation—his father had already demoted the entrusted minister after his death—is unreasonable for the Grand Chancellor to have contributed so much to the Qin Dynasty without being granted an official position.
His grievances became insignificant under the watchful eyes of the world.
And... those two above who could step in to stop him, probably won't speak up for him.
People in higher positions always cherish their reputation the most. Neither Empress Dowager Huayang nor Empress Dowager Zhao Ji would stop Taishu Jiu from entering the court as an official for his sake.
How could they not support the new king's clear system of rewards and punishments?
He subconsciously looked up again, and as a chill ran through him, he felt dizzy. He seemed to see a fourth person who shouldn't be there.
Him?
It must be her. She sat beside the King of Qin, her demeanor dignified yet tolerant, smiling as she looked down at the people below, as if she were very satisfied with the decision.
A warm feeling dispelled the chill from his body, and Lü Buwei was immersed in comfort. The warm breath permeated every pore, and for a moment he forgot to speak.
Lu Buwei closed his eyes and looked again, but she was gone. The three people sitting there were still Empress Dowager Huayang, King Zheng of Qin, and Queen Dowager Zhao Ji.
The image he had just seen seemed like an illusion; in an instant, she vanished like a bubble.
****
Lu Buwei remained silent for too long. Empress Dowager Huayang slightly turned her head to look at his expression, but couldn't see anything unusual. While guessing Lu Buwei's intentions, she coughed.
She used her eyes and subtle gestures to signal her younger brother, Yangquan Jun, to come out and speak.
Upon receiving his sister's hint, Lord Yangquan immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Majesty is wise. The Grand Chancellor has devoted himself to the cause of our Great Qin. He is truly deserving of the position of Left Chancellor."
As soon as Lord Yangquan spoke, the ministers who were ostensibly aligned with Empress Dowager Huayang echoed, "Your Majesty is wise! Your Majesty is sagacious!"
Queen Dowager Zhao Ji remained silent. She had just been promoted to the position of Queen Dowager with power, and it was impossible for her to have gained her own power instantly. She was not yet the Queen Dowager who would later dominate the court.
Her power came from her son, and she didn't care about Taishu Jiu becoming an official; she would just go along with her son's wishes.
Apart from Lü Buwei's faction, who were still hesitant, the rest of the people echoed him for the sake of appearances. Besides, there was no problem with the official appointment, so they did not object.
As Lü Buwei listened to their boasting, he looked at them expressionlessly. When he turned to look in the direction of the King of Qin, he showed a humble smile: "Your Majesty is not worthy of such high praise. It is too much of an honor for me to be called your uncle."
"I hope Your Majesty will rescind your order."
Lü Buwei immediately bowed deeply, without mentioning how the new king had embarrassed him in public upon ascending the throne.
His words were also a reminder to those people that even if his only prime minister became the right prime minister, who was subordinate to the left prime minister, he was still a minister entrusted with the care of the young king by the late king, and this game had only just begun.
After the usual back-and-forth between King Zheng of Qin and Lü Buwei, Lü Buwei finally accepted the title of "Uncle Zhongfu".
Subsequent bestowals became much more normal, following established practices without any surprises. The items read aloud were based on certain criteria and were even the result of discussions.
On the first day of court, the officials did not say anything of substance. Even when there were important matters, the two empress dowagers and the right prime minister Lü Buwei discussed and made decisions.
The young King Zheng of Qin had little say, and Taishu Jiu, whom he had promoted to the high position of Left Chancellor, also stood silently at the front of the left column in accordance with Zhu Qing'ai's request, keeping his eyes down and his mind at ease.
Zhu Qing'ai meant that he shouldn't personally get involved in political struggles, which were extremely difficult for him; he should just blindly support whatever Ying Zheng said.
Political infighting was Qin Shi Huang's job; developing agriculture and technology was Taishu Jiu's job.
King Zheng of Qin sat there quietly, listening to the ministers discuss matters. This was both a way for him to learn from the proceedings and to observe the character of these ministers.
He didn't expect to take over the reins immediately; he's still young and has a long way to go and much growth to do.
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 11:36:40 on May 5, 2024 and 00:23:15 on May 6, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Yuan (10 bottles); Li Fengyin (2 bottles); 69588267, Youzi, Shengshengbuxi, Yunixiaosi, and Yanxiaoyanyan (1 bottle each);
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