Chapter 52 Lü Buwei: The King's imagination is correct.
Even Zheng Guo himself probably didn't expect that he would be able to persuade the Qin ruler and his ministers so easily; it was much simpler than he had anticipated.
Fortunately, he had real skills and wasn't just using this as a backup method to make up the numbers. Otherwise, if the Qin people discovered that he didn't know how to build canals, it would be troublesome. At the very least, his life would be in danger, and Han's life would be in danger as well.
By this time, the territory of Korea had shrunk to such a extent that it could be said that if Qin wanted to, they could be destroyed the next day.
In retrospect, the border of Korea at that time was only about the size of a city, and that wasn't even calculated based on the city's largest area.
Their territory was not even enough to satisfy Qin's hunger. In the past, the surrounding countries would have protected them out of consideration for the fate of the country. However, the victory that King Zhuangxiang won against five opponents before his death stunned them all.
How could a country win against five opponents? That's not fair!
Lord Xinling has remained secluded since that war, constantly muttering about how "she is dead." Now, all six states are watching and waiting to see what kind of approach this new King of Qin will take.
Some optimists even believe that things can't get any worse than when King Zhaoxiang and King Zhuangxiang were in power, since King Zheng of Qin is just a young child who has just ascended the throne.
What deserves more attention are the two empress dowagers of Qin and the prime minister who served two dynasties.
If the news gets out after this court meeting, the above impressions may be shattered.
Zheng Guo followed Lü Buwei out, and the task of repairing the canal was once again handed over to Lü Buwei.
The two were surrounded by ministers who were leaving, and a few people who wanted to curry favor with Lü Buwei were also around them, making small talk and offering compliments.
Lu Buwei was still thinking about the figure he had glimpsed in the main hall earlier. He could only see it for a very short time, as if something had triggered it, but the King of Qin seemed to be able to see him all the time...
He gave a few perfunctory words to the people around him, and they didn't care. They were all eager to please him, so they certainly wouldn't turn against him because of a little difficulty.
Upon arriving at the palace gate, Lü Buwei politely bid farewell to the people around him and took Zheng Guo back to his residence. After listening to Zheng Guo reiterate his ideas, Lü Buwei concluded that the proposal to build the canal was indeed feasible. He arranged accommodations for Zheng Guo and began writing orders for various places.
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The next day
Lü Buwei requested to enter the palace to meet the King of Qin. Logically, after he had written the transfer order and made a plan, he did not need the King of Qin's approval. He could have simply discussed it with the ministers in charge of the relevant departments and then proceeded with the plan.
After all, the King of Qin and the two empress dowagers had already approved the plan during their deliberations, and the final proposal was written by professionals, so it didn't need to be revised by the King of Qin and the empress dowagers. However, Lü Buwei still requested to enter the palace to meet the King of Qin, not to show his respect or anything like that, but because he had other purposes...
When writing the transfer order yesterday, Lü Buwei also tried to secretly call upon 'Qin'. He believed that such a major project as building the canal would surely attract the attention of 'Qin' if he were truly alive, and that he would have a great chance of seeing 'Qin'.
But he waited for a long time yesterday and did not see Guo Ling appear.
He wondered if it was because of his different position that he had last seen a figure resembling the King's spirit, as the last time he saw such a figure was beside the King.
He used to disbelieve in destiny, thinking it was just a lie concocted by those in power to maintain their rule. But after meeting that person (country) yesterday, he began to waver.
So today he brought his own 'proposal' into the palace, hoping to see if he could see 'Qin' again by the King of Qin's side.
King Zheng of Qin received Lü Buwei in his palace. He still adhered to the rules set by his father and asked him earnestly, "Uncle, did you come to the palace in such a hurry? Is there something urgent?"
Lü Buwei was taken aback. In this private setting, he had assumed that Ying Zheng would address him by his official title instead of calling him "Uncle"...
He sat down opposite Ying Zheng. It had been a long time since he had knelt down, and he was a little unaccustomed to using such a low table. There were tables and chairs right next to him, so why did he have to kneel down here as if tables and chairs had never been invented?
Lu Buwei noticed that there were only two seats at the head of the table and chairs in the outer hall, while there were four seats around the low table for kneeling. He felt as if he had realized something.
"I believe that the construction of the irrigation canal is of great importance, so I dare not make a decision on my own. I ask Your Majesty to review it and make a decision." As he spoke, he handed over his written plan while subtly observing his surroundings, paying particular attention to the two empty seats.
Indeed, Qin, who was kneeling on another seat, gently shook the fan in her hand, her posture casual and relaxed, letting Lü Buwei search for her traces everywhere.
King Zheng of Qin: ?
How could he remember that the Prime Minister now held absolute power over the country, and that because he was young, his only voice needed to be spoken by the Left Prime Minister?
Most importantly, King Zheng of Qin was very self-aware. He didn't know how to build irrigation canals, so how could he be expected to operate remotely from a thousand miles away?
"Zheng doesn't understand this kind of thing. It's best for Zhongfu to discuss it with Zheng Guo and make a decision."
That's what he said, but he still opened the folded document, and casually moved it aside. It was Qin who was curious and urged him to open it and take a look.
Qin looked down at the document, stopped fanning himself with his silk fan, and frowned, pointing at the words on the document with the fan: "Isn't this requiring too much labor?"
"Actually, it can be repaired slowly, there's no need to rush."
The improved crops in China are already very high-yielding, and the construction of irrigation canals is also for the sake of long-term development. Unless there is an urgent need, she is unwilling to see the frequent conscription of commoners for military service.
"Besides, your mausoleum is under construction, and a lot of people have already been mobilized..." At this point, 'Qin' couldn't help but suggest, "In my opinion, a mausoleum is unnecessary, since in the end they will all be resting in my arms."
King Zheng of Qin wanted to consult with the Qin state about how to build his mausoleum so that he could be closer to the state after his death, but Lü Buwei was still there waiting.
He continued talking about the important matter of repairing the irrigation canal: "The timeframe written in the report is a bit too tight. This is a big project and cannot be done casually. It is normal for the repair time to be longer. We should conscript fewer laborers each time."
Lü Buwei: "Yes, yes, I will go back and discuss it with the State of Zheng before making any changes."
He suddenly asked again, "Was it the advice from the Qin state?"
Ying Zheng readily admitted, turning his head to look at the 'Qin' beside him: "Yes, Mother is sitting here right now."
Lü Buwei followed Ying Zheng's gaze, but there was no one there; he couldn't even make out a faint human figure.
He was not disappointed. Instead, he brought up his first meeting with Ying Zheng: "Speaking of which, the first time I formally met Your Majesty was several years ago on the border between Qin and Zhao. I will never forget that day..."
"Was that the day when the spirits of the two nations clashed?"
To secure the future of the King of Qin upon his return to the country.
It could be said that Lü Buwei guessed half right, but was wrong about the other half.
However, King Zheng of Qin would not insist on revealing the truth. He calmly nodded and said, "That's right."
Lu Buwei found that whenever he mentioned that day, blurry images would appear before his eyes. He didn't know if it was a side effect. When he looked at the seat to his side, he could vaguely see people sitting there, but he couldn't see them clearly.
King Zheng of Qin had already pushed the memorial forward, clearly indicating that he wanted to see the guest out. He reached out to take his own memorial, and his wrist inadvertently brushed against the "New Qin Dictionary" on the low table.
In an instant, the figure solidified in his eyes. She gently shook her fan and looked at him with a half-smile.
Lu Buwei instinctively withdrew his hand and stopped touching the dictionary; he could no longer see it.
When I reached out to touch the dictionary again, the figure reappeared.
He looked down at the dictionary, so what's the principle behind this?
King Zheng of Qin watched as Lü Buwei acted in a bewildering manner, seemingly oblivious to everyone else, and felt that the question mark in the punctuation created by the Left Prime Minister perfectly represented his mood.
At the same time, a golden question mark actually appeared above his head without his knowledge. This question mark was kindly provided by 'Qin'.
She has recently taken to using punctuation marks to express her feelings. When she doesn't want to talk but feels that what the other person is saying is absurd, she will put a question mark above her head.
As someone who keeps up with the times, has his own dictionary, and has even learned the new punctuation, Lü Buwei was slightly embarrassed when he saw the golden question marks above the heads of the two people opposite him, one big and one small. He coughed, stood up, and bowed to 'Qin'.
During this time, he didn't forget to bring the dictionary with him, and while holding the dictionary, he bowed to 'Qin' and said: "Buwei greets the spirit of the state."
The nation, the nation is the spirit, the life.
He felt that his title was appropriate, partly because the king was calling her "mother," and if he followed suit, it would mess up the generational order. Also, one should not act recklessly under the king's authority, so he should behave properly and honestly call her "Guoling."
"He can actually see me?" Qin himself was also surprised by this.
So Ying Zheng personally guessed (imagined): "Could it be because the name of the New Qin Dictionary was chosen by my mother, and the characters in the title were drawn by me based on the characters my mother wrote?"
Qin raised his hand and conjured up an identical dictionary. He casually flipped through a page and nodded in agreement with Ying Zheng's statement: "What Zheng'er says makes sense. There has never been a dictionary before, nor has a king ever personally named a book or inscribed a book. Perhaps this is why."
Lü Buwei also felt that his king's guess (or rather, his speculation) was quite reasonable. Clutching the "New Qin Dictionary" tightly, he finally joined the "group chat".
As someone who had witnessed that miraculous scene firsthand, then uncontrollably forgotten it, and finally remembered it again, he was convinced of it.
He didn't have time to doubt, and 'Qin' said with a smile, "Since we're already here, why don't we work together with Zheng'er?"
Lu Buwei watched as his king, in perfect cooperation, summoned a servant to bring up a larger, lower table, then got up and rummaged through a drawer on the other side of the table to retrieve a pile of papers before finally sitting down again.
During this time, Lü Buwei stood up and then sat down again. Of the two men and the entire state, only Qin remained seated without moving, showing no intention of getting up.
This was a sign that the royal authority was completely disregarded, but Lü Buwei didn't see anything wrong with it; the state's spirit was acting in this manner, which was perfectly normal.
He then stole another glance at the papers that should have been completed and what was recorded on them... no, what was drawn on them. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a map.
Qin also said, "Zheng'er draws maps when he has nothing to do. Since you can see them, let's do it together."
Lü Buwei: !!
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Author's note: Zhu Qing'ai: A freeloader who comes knocking on my door, why not take it?
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