Chapter 54 We can kill 'Han' later.
"What are you standing there for?" 'Qin' asked.
"Hurry up and come over here. Didn't you hint that I should come and see for myself?" Now he's just standing there without moving.
With his back to Zheng Guo, Lü Buwei whispered, "I'm thinking about how severe the punishment would be for stealing a book from the royal palace."
'Qin': "..."
"You can go and explain to Zheng'er that you didn't steal the book on purpose."
But there's a problem with that explanation. Even if it wasn't intentional, it's still stealing books, so the nature of the crime remains the same. Adopting that explanation will only make things worse.
Lü Buwei did not heed Qin's advice, but simply nodded silently, thinking about when he could put the book back.
He held two dictionaries, sat down opposite Zheng Guo, and then answered Zheng Guo's question: "Your Majesty said that the time is still too tight. It is okay to conscript fewer people at a time and spend more time."
The memorial he wrote still needed to be revised, but the king didn't care about the specific revisions; he only made the request.
Strictly speaking, this request was not made by the king himself, but was suggested by 'Qin'.
Zheng Guo: ?
Wait a minute, wasn't it the King of Han who sent him who said this? Why is the King of Qin complaining that the irrigation canal took too short a time to build? He doesn't understand.
"Why...why?" Zheng Guo had a vague guess in his heart, but he was unwilling to believe that the King of Qin next door loved his people so much. Which of the feudal lords in the world truly loved their people?
"..." Lü Buwei glanced at the 'Qin' sitting next to him, hesitating to speak, "Should we give him the dictionary?"
'Qin' rested his chin on his hand: 'You've already brought the dictionary, so give it to him. I'll talk to him.'
Zheng Guo followed Lü Buwei's gaze but saw no one. So who was this Qin prime minister talking to?
He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, and some strange rumors suddenly surfaced in his memory.
Zheng Guo didn't believe in ghosts or gods, but Lü Buwei's sudden and inexplicable conversation still frightened him. He was even a little afraid that the book handed to him might have some kind of 'curse'.
He looked down and saw that the book was made of bamboo paper, which was popular in the Qin state. It was an extremely thick book and was quite expensive among the six states.
Only in the Qin state, where bamboo paper originated, would such a dictionary be relatively inexpensive.
The black ink on the cover was bold and powerful, but he couldn't understand the characters. He could only barely recognize a few of the seal characters marked in the corner.
Zheng Guo looked at it from all angles and could only tell that it was a book; he couldn't see anything else.
Lü Buwei sighed: "Brother Zheng, I didn't put poison on the book, you can take it without worry."
Zheng Guo thought to himself, "Now that you've said that, I'm even more worried," but he still reached out and tentatively took the dictionary.
This is a dictionary. Zheng Guo opened the book and looked at the contents. First, there was a comparison between seal script and simplified characters, and then the meanings of each character. These meanings also had a comparison between the seal script and what this book called simplified characters, so he could understand some of them.
This book is different from the works of other philosophers. It is not a book that expounds on profound principles, but Zheng Guo felt that this book was more meaningful than many other books.
"Did you compile this?" Zheng Guo asked Lü Buwei cautiously, but then jumped in surprise when he saw the figure beside him. "This... this lady, when did you come in?"
Zheng Guo was still struggling, hoping that he had simply been too engrossed in the dictionary in his hand to notice the approaching footsteps.
The room was completely silent; even breathing was silenced. At this moment, this space seemed to exist independently of the world. No external sounds could enter, and their conversation could not be heard from the outside.
Qin's voice was as gentle and warm as jade, as if afraid of frightening this talented person, even though she had already been frightened.
She felt she could still salvage the situation: "I've been here the whole time, you just couldn't see me just now."
The gentle voice made Zheng Guo momentarily dazed, and he stammered, unsure of what to say.
Qin was not surprised that Zheng Guo looked like his brain had fried. He raised his hand to support his chin and waited quietly for the other party to react.
It was Lü Buwei who helped Zheng Guo, saying, "You are fortunate to meet the people of Qin today, so the grand ceremony is unnecessary, but don't just stand there in a daze."
Zheng Guo couldn't really refuse to pay his respects, so he stood up blankly and bowed to 'Qin'.
He barely grasped the literal meaning of "Qin State," but in short, the other party definitely wasn't named Qin State. If the other party were a person, the Prime Minister Qin should have introduced the person from Qin State itself...
But the Prime Minister Qin was referring to the state, which means the person in front of him was not a person.
Zheng Guo was a little nervous and didn't dare to sit down, instinctively wanting to stand up to reply.
Lü Buwei: "Sit down, sit down, don't be nervous. The Qin state is very tolerant, and even more tolerant of talents like you."
Qin didn't think there was anything wrong with Lü Buwei's praise, and nodded slightly: I am very kind, don't worry.
Fortunately, he didn't actually say those words, otherwise Zheng Guo would have been even more restless. He tentatively sat down, but this time he didn't sit still. Instead, he just touched the edge of the chair, ready to stand up at any moment.
"We were just talking about the time it would take to repair the canal..." Lü Buwei began to read the issues in the memorial, and Zheng Guo gradually became serious, forgetting the non-human spirit sitting beside him.
"..." Lü Buwei said a lot, including Qin King Zheng's requirements, 'Qin's' requirements, and his own understanding. In modern terms, he was a client with countless demands, difficult to please, and risked going to jail if things went wrong.
But Zheng Guo was used to it. He was used to the people who gave orders having so many requirements, and he thought about finding a way to achieve them himself, rather than asking the 'client' to change to a simpler requirement.
Qin sighed inwardly, thinking how tough it was for working people who were risking their lives at this time; even dissenting opinions were rare.
She coughed, interrupting Lü Buwei's long speech: "Whether it's his words or the King of Qin's orders, if there's anything that can't be done, there's no need to force it."
For requests that are clearly wishful thinking, it's advisable to refuse them outright.
With a wave of her hand, 'Qin' conjured up a simplified map of the Qin state. The light gold map, composed of illusory lines, undoubtedly revealed her identity. She then pushed the map towards the Zheng state.
"Where are you planning to fix my clothes?"
Zheng Guo rubbed his fingers together, not daring to touch the strange map in front of him. Normally, Lü Buwei would not allow him to take the map out of the study, and when he walked in the Qin Prime Minister's mansion, someone was always watching him. He could hardly believe that one day he could see the Qin state from this perspective.
Upon hearing this, he didn't think about anything else; the question that came to his mind was, if the territory of Qin was clothing, then what was the very essence of 'Qin'?
“They are Qin people.” 'Qin' said calmly, resting his chin on one hand and tilting his head slightly.
Zheng Guo: !!
Zheng was shocked. So Qin could read minds?
“Sigh…” Qin sighed and said, “I can’t read minds. Your thoughts are written all over your face. It’s too easy to understand.”
Lü Buwei nodded in agreement: "That's true." He had also noticed it, and sometimes he wondered what kind of person the King of Han had sent.
If it weren't for the people in the court recognizing the benefits of building the irrigation canal, Zheng Guo, with his acting skills, wouldn't have been able to roam around in Xianyang City until now without being arrested and imprisoned.
It's so easy to understand; it's not even in the same league as those foreign spies.
He was more concerned about Qin's answer, which also explained a certain question: there was indeed a reason why she cared so much about the number of people to be conscripted.
The land is merely clothing; the people are the flesh and blood...
Zheng Guo: ...I'm so sorry I didn't receive any professional spy training...
He stood up somewhat awkwardly, comparing the city names marked on the map with the map he had looked at before.
After looking at it, he realized that the map he was looking at was very different from the actual map of Qin. Could the abstract thing he had seen before really be called a map?
Zheng Guo looked at the high-definition map of Qin and was moved to tears. He thought, "If only I could see the actual map beforehand every time I need to make any changes, it would make my promises to the Qin rulers and ministers seem more realistic." (scratch that.)
He carefully chose a location he had previously chosen, and was about to point to the area and explain how his plan would benefit the Qin state.
He then discovered that the map had expanded again, with areas unrelated to the region he was referring to disappearing, leaving only that one area which was rapidly enlarging. This time, he could see the course of the mountains and rivers more clearly.
He had no doubt that if the other party wanted to, he could even see the people walking inside the city.
Zheng Guo held his breath, afraid that his breath would blow away the illusory lines in front of him.
“It can breathe; the wind won’t affect it,” 'Qin' had to say, reminding both Zheng Guo and Lü Buwei.
Don't get nervous like Zheng Guo. If the two of you faint here from lack of oxygen, I won't even talk about working for her anymore. I'll be lucky if they don't call for medical help.
Zheng Guo blushed and said, "Yes."
He looked around carefully, pondered for a moment, and then cautiously chose a high place as his starting point before beginning his 'speech'.
Zheng Guo became more and more confident as he spoke, after all, this was his profession, and even if the person sitting opposite him was from Qin, he was confident that he could persuade him.
Zheng Guo spoke until his throat was dry, and Qin nodded repeatedly, looking at him with approving eyes.
He was confident that he could succeed, so he began to discuss the requirements for building the irrigation canal, from the number of people to the selection of materials.
Qin also knew that this was a huge project, often requiring the joint efforts of hundreds of thousands of people.
But she still insisted that they shouldn't rush things, because if they were too hasty, it was hard to say what cruel things might happen at the construction site.
She said, "Your suggestion is good, but the number of people to be conscripted at one time should be reduced, and the time can be postponed without rushing."
Before Zheng Guo could say anything, she added, "I know why you came here, and I understand why you insist on not reducing the number of conscripts."
“I’m not here to interrogate you. I can kill ‘Han’ later. You have to do this honestly… Don’t exaggerate the numbers.”
Zheng Guo hesitated for a moment before bowing and saying, "Yes, if 'Qin' has a spirit, then 'Han' certainly has a spirit too."
It's good to have such a promise; he hasn't let down the king's dying wish.
Under the half-comfort and half-threat from Qin, Zheng Guo chose to do things honestly and live a peaceful life.
Lu Buwei noticed something amiss in Qin's words.
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Author's note: 'Qin': From now on, we're all family, so don't be shy!
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