Chapter 51 Reactions from All Sides
Cheng Jiao's eyes darted around, and he changed the subject, smiling as he said, "Brother, are you practicing swordsmanship? Can I join you?"
Qin knew this was just another childish trick, but still spoke up and said, "The two of you haven't practiced swordsmanship together yet."
Ying Zheng was already using a real sword, while Cheng Jiao was still holding a piece of wood carved into the shape of a sword. He was embarrassed to be with his brother while holding a wooden sword, and always thought that he should wait until he could lift an iron sword.
Today, the attendant following behind him is holding an unsheathed iron sword, whereas he is usually capable of wielding a real sword.
Ying Zheng also noticed this, and thus agreed to let Chengjiao stay with him.
Qin sat back down in her chair. The morning sun was shining brightly, and she enjoyed the peaceful moment, watching the harmonious scene of her and the two children wielding swords.
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Several days later, at the grand court assembly, Taishu Jiu, as requested by Ying Zheng, stood up and impeached those officials who deliberately caused trouble in the matter of promoting simplified characters.
Of course, this reason couldn't be used directly. Ying Zheng's excuse was that those officials deliberately misread the eulogy written for the late king, which showed great disrespect. According to the law, they should be stripped of their official positions and severely punished.
Lü Buwei listened quietly to the verdicts handed down to these people. He had no intention of intervening. The letters sent to various places had already caused a great uproar among the officials. They were shocked to find themselves living under the surveillance of the King of Qin, and they did not forget to report these matters to the leader of their faction.
After being cultivated by King Zhuangxiang, Lü Buwei's men were not only ubiquitous throughout the court and the country, but also extremely powerful.
He had indeed told his men to behave themselves and not to have any improper thoughts, and they really did behave themselves. However, some perfunctory and lax behavior was inevitable, and he couldn't keep an eye on everyone.
So some of his local officials also received letters of condolence, and in their panic, these letters ended up in his hands.
In fact, he knew very well that the fact that this letter was solemnly delivered to him could only mean one thing: the contents of the letter were absolutely true and without any falsehood.
Lü Buwei thought that he had underestimated the newly enthroned young ruler. He even wondered if, since King Zhaoxiang had been able to leave a comment on King Zheng of Qin, who had surpassed two previous kings, it was possible that his great-grandfather had left behind some people in Xianyang for his great-grandson.
After all, the two kings reigned for only about five years apart, which is not a very long time.
If King Zheng of Qin was so clear about the affairs of each prefecture and county, then what about Xianyang, which should have been the place where King Zheng's power was most tightly controlled?
As Lü Buwei held the letter, a chill ran down his spine. Perhaps there was another reason why their actions, all under the Qin King's nose, had not been exposed.
Thinking about this, Lü Buwei became even more suspicious about one thing: Did King Zhuangxiang know that King Zhaoxiang had left such a force for King Zheng of Qin?
If he knew, then was this power handled by King Zhuangxiang, or was it directly passed on to King Zheng of Qin by King Zhaoxiang? Why did King Zhuangxiang never tell him? Was it because he was not yet a confidant of King Zheng of Qin?
Lü Buwei quickly dismissed this idea. He and Ying Zichu had supported each other since the time of Zhao, so how could they not be considered close friends who trusted each other? If King Zhuangxiang really knew that there was a secret organization that could silently monitor the various counties of Qin, then he had no reason not to know.
Therefore, Lü Buwei came to an even more terrifying conclusion, one that he did not want to consider: this institution was directly left to Ying Zheng by King Zhaoxiang, spanning two generations.
King Zhaoxiang was so confident in the young ruler? Why was such an important institution entrusted to King Zheng of Qin instead of being discussed with the older King Xiaowen or King Zhuangxiang?
He paused as King Zheng of Qin and his ministers exchanged words, and was startled to realize that the two previous rulers had reigned for less than five years combined. What difference would it make whether he handed the throne over to them or directly to King Zheng of Qin?
After suspecting that the Left Chancellor Taishu Jiu was skilled in physiognomy, Lü Buwei then began to suspect the deceased King Zhaoxiang, wondering if he could foresee that his sons and grandsons would all die young.
Lu Buwei frowned slightly, but when the Left Chancellor mentioned him, he did not panic. He slowly said, "What Your Majesty and the Left Chancellor say is absolutely right. We cannot allow those people to disrespect the late King."
The atmosphere in the court suddenly became quiet, and Lü Buwei's defection brought about a subtle change in the situation.
King Zheng of Qin had just ascended the throne, and he clearly only had the Left Chancellor Taishu Jiu at his disposal. Yet, Lü Buwei's words at this time made it seem as if he had pledged allegiance to the young ruler.
Lord Yangquan looked up at Lü Buwei, inwardly scoffing. Even if this man really pledged allegiance, it was uncertain whether the young lord would accept him. Who would willingly have a "regent" above their head?
Sometimes he wondered whether King Zhuangxiang was acting in Lü Buwei's best interest or trying to harm him, and whether the title of "Uncle" was meant to save his life or a death warrant.
The two largest forces in the court are currently in favor of each other, while the other remains silent. Yangquan Jun has no intention of speaking up for her as the elder sister, so the matter has come to an end. Those who were fortunate enough to be on the Left Prime Minister's impeachment list have been handed over to the Left Prime Minister for severe punishment.
What was originally intended to establish authority proceeded with exceptional ease because it was done from a moral high ground.
The previous power struggle led the ministers to habitually ask the Left Chancellor for his opinion during the latter part of the court assembly.
Now, who in the entire court doesn't know that the Left Chancellor is the young emperor's man?
Asking the Left Chancellor is tantamount to asking the young emperor. They might feel awkward asking a young child, but they have fewer reservations about asking the Left Chancellor, who is in his prime and has many honors.
Tai Shu Jiu wanted to say that at this time, one should stop being so concerned about saving face, and that he genuinely didn't understand some of the things you mentioned.
At this moment, he could only steal glances at Ying Zheng, trying to decipher the complex Morse code commands from those ordinary black eyes.
He can only guess about 50-60% of human thoughts now. Whenever this happens, he can't help but marvel at how some people are truly on the same wavelength, otherwise how could they know what to do with just a glance?
After observing Ying Zheng for a long time and dealing with his colleagues, Taishu Jiu really wanted to shout: "This humble subject cannot do it!"
If you ask him why he didn't ask Zhu Qing'ai for help, firstly, he hoped to make his way in the court as a charlatan and a mouthpiece through his own efforts, and secondly... Zhu Qing'ai wasn't here.
She left a surveillance device by Ying Zheng's side to ensure that her adopted son would not be harmed, and then she went to various places.
After those 'letters of condolence' were sent out, someone always had to go to the local area to see how effective they were. However, Ying Zheng did not have an intelligence agency covering the entire country, so in the end, Zhu Qing'ai had to do these things herself.
After several grand court assemblies, the ministers had a pretty good grasp of the new king's ways. As long as they did their jobs honestly, nothing bad would happen to them. Those who were not honest were already on the Left Prime Minister's list, and their final fate was probably not going to be any good.
The 'pawns' who had once fought for their own faction were somewhat flustered and raised their hands to wipe their sweat. If the king could so easily deal with the local officials by presenting evidence, how could it be difficult to deal with them in Xianyang City?
Thus, another harmonious court assembly passed, until finally someone, for reasons unknown, brought a Korean man to attract the attention of the ministers. That man then went out of his way to persuade the new king to build canals to irrigate the vast lands.
'Qin': What? The King of Han sent all these talents in one go? Let me see! (crossed out)
'Qin' (heavy): Someone is trying to create new patterns on my clothes, I've come to see.
The name 'Qin' popped up as if some keyword had been triggered.
She walked in a hurry, as if she had just returned from afar, and the message she brought was so that no one dared to disobey her.
Although he knew in his heart that this Zheng Guo was a talented person, Qin still asked suspiciously, "Qin's grain production is already very high, so what is Zheng Guo here for?"
The main concern was that she suspected the King of Han had made a foolish move, and how much of this was related to Han Ji.
Qin did not want the family that her chosen offspring had painstakingly pieced together to fall apart again.
She recalled Han Ji's face and remembered only that she was gentle and humble, without any such ambition.
She'd be more inclined to believe it if they said Zhao Ji was stirring up trouble.
She paused for a moment and then added, "But if it could be a little higher, I wouldn't mind."
Zheng Guo stood before the Qin ruler and his ministers, speaking eloquently and appearing confident. In reality, however, he himself was not certain. He was merely one of the methods employed by the King of Han, and he was not the one who truly had the final say.
He was a pawn that the King of Han threw out at random, and no one expected him to accomplish anything.
However, Zheng Guo saw that the King of Qin, who was sitting at the head of the table, slightly turned his head, as if listening to the Queen Dowager's opinion. Then he heard King Zheng of Qin say, "What you said has a lot of merit. The State of Qin would like to hear you explain it in detail."
Such a tentative choice of words did not attract the attention of many people. It was all too common for a king to refer to his state rather than his clan name in this era, and the Qin royal family's clan name was the same as that of the state. Perhaps the King of Qin wanted to make some distinction.
Such political tactics are also common, usually seen in proving that one has the mandate of heaven and that conforming to the mandate of heaven means being above the divinely ordained monarch.
Those with good memories couldn't help but recall the rumors circulating in Xianyang City: that Prince Zheng was blocked by a strong wind when he returned to the country, and that he was protected by a black bird, which dispelled the wind and rain.
Lü Buwei was even more affected, as he personally experienced that scene. Although his memory had become somewhat hazy after he left, the shock he felt was unforgettable. Every time he mentioned it in the future, it would deepen his impression of the black bird breaking through the storm.
He was even somewhat dazed, and for a moment it seemed as if he saw the black bird from that day... no, it was a person... a humanoid one.
The figure in black was right beside the young master. She gazed tenderly at the person standing below, as if he were an all-encompassing ocean or a foundation stone standing there supporting the sky.
Lü Buwei blinked, confirming that he hadn't misread it. What King Zheng of Qin had just said... truly was Qin requesting Zheng to discuss the canal construction in detail.
Lu Buwei looked at Zheng Guo and pondered the matter of building the canal. Logically speaking, if Taishu Jiu hadn't improved the grain varieties before, most of the people present would have been persuaded. However, having enjoyed the improved varieties for many years, he thought Zheng Guo might not succeed.
Lü Buwei then looked up and wondered what the Qin state itself was thinking.
She seemed to nod approvingly, indicating that the canal construction was indeed beneficial to the country.
It's amazing how the government directly provides the correct answer.
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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 20:55:00 on May 8, 2024 and 11:49:55 on May 9, 2024!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the landmine: 1 Blue Eucalyptus;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Gentle Sunset (3 bottles); Time Moon, Sun and Moon, Sauvignon Blanc, Blue Eucalyptus, Goji Berries in a Thermos, and Wu Wen Wu Wei (1 bottle);
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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