Chapter 78: In just one chapter, he went from being the King of Qi to a commoner! 78
When the King of Qin and the King of Qi traveled, the people of Xianyang lined the streets to welcome them. King Jian of Qi could even see the expressions of the crowds who were blocked behind their guards in the distance.
Seeing that they looked very happy, King Jian of Qi subconsciously waved to them, just like he had done before.
This caused a commotion, but he assumed it was a welcome from the Qin people in Xianyang and confidently ignored any other thoughts.
This might be one of the reasons why he later believed the Qin King's lies...
****
King Jian of Qi stayed in Xianyang for no more than ten days before setting off to return to his country.
The Bai family members also went through various difficulties and finally got registered in the news department. After the interview, they found that they could be featured on Tianmu, but the articles they wrote had to be approved by the King of Qin.
This immediately caused a group of people to retreat indignantly. The curse of "This is a lack of freedom of speech" appeared in the world thousands of years ahead of time, leaving Zhu Qing'ai stunned.
No, where do these people get the confidence to use state organs to promote their ideas without being subject to review?
Many people have this kind of wishful thinking, but fortunately these people also have some sense of shame, and they left Xianyang without getting too entangled.
Of course, some people obediently accepted the conditions and even went to school at Qingjiu School in Xianyang City.
From then on, several more clubs were added to the school.
****
Leaving aside education and culture, Zhu Qing'ai was also recording data on the issue of territory expansion.
Comparing the progress with the historical timeline, Zhu Qing'ai found that the two were actually progressing at roughly the same pace, but the territory now in Xinduo was clearly more stable than in the past.
Historically recorded rebellions, however, have actually occurred very few times.
After all, the government had the right to control the seedlings. Food is the most important thing for the people. King Zheng of Qin had a happy childhood and a happy family. He also had the background of being from the Qin state. He still cared about the common people.
Compared to their previous treatment, the treatment of ordinary people in Qin has improved by leaps and bounds. Not to mention compared to later peaceful times, at least compared to the six states at present, not to mention hereditary nobles, the treatment of commoners in Qin is the best.
This may also explain why, after a long period of silence, the common people on the other side of the border, who had long envied the other side, welcomed the royal army with joy once the Qin state went to war.
From the initial gradual encroachment to the final, devastating annihilation of 'Han' and 'Wei', it was soon 'Zhao's' turn.
The moment the State of Zhao was destroyed, Zhao was in Xianyang, sitting calmly opposite Qin. One side played black and the other white, and the battle on the chessboard reflected the outcome in reality to some extent.
King Zheng of Qin, acting as the referee, sat to the side, looking at this and that.
Recently, Wang Jian led his troops to attack the State of Zhao. He thought that Zhao seemed unusually calm.
After a long while, Qin seemed to realize something and said, "You should die."
She stated the fact calmly, her voice gentle and devoid of emotional fluctuation. Although the battlefield was thousands of miles away, she already knew the outcome.
As for Zhao herself, she was naturally aware of this matter, and she felt that the connection between Zhao and her had been severed by the victors of the war.
“Ah, I’m doomed.” Zhao repeated Qin’s words, put down the white chess piece in her hand, and looked at the black chess pieces opposite her that had formed a solid line and surrounded her white pieces.
"Qin" wins.
Ying Zheng dutifully announced that the Qin state, playing black, had won the game. He wasn't surprised that Wang Jian would win; rather, given the current strength of the Qin state, it would have been strange if they had lost.
“But they’re not completely dead,” Zhao said with a smile as he looked at Ying Zheng. “Those who died early left nothing behind, but my State Sword is still in his hands.”
Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng looked at the sword at his waist. He had worn this sword ever since he was crowned, but today, after hearing Zhao's words, he couldn't help but frown and think more.
"You wouldn't be so petty as to steal your own child's sword, would you?"
'Qin': "If you say less before you die, it won't matter."
“Oh,” Zhao held out his palm, looking at the increasingly obvious cracks on it, “then I’ll say a few more words, and you won’t lose two cities…”
Zhao casually remarked that a nation and its spirit often do not perish at the same time. For example, if the foundation of a nation is taken away by another nation, the spirit may remain even if the nation is gone. If a nation like her does not come to devour her, she will gradually lose her power and eventually shatter.
For a kingdom like 'Wei', where the spirit dies before the kingdom itself, there's not much to say. It can recover and has a chance to be resurrected. But when the kingdom is destroyed, it's a complete and utter death.
Now that she has lost her foundation and her strength has greatly diminished, and the Sword of the State is still in someone else's hands, and she has even recklessly come to the capital of Qin, she really has no chance of making a comeback.
She quickly stopped smiling, because Ying Zheng directly took off the sword he was wearing at his waist and handed it to 'Qin'.
"I will probably never leave the Qin territory in my life. Although this sword has a protective effect, I will not be in danger with my mother by my side."
Zhao typed a question mark, his facial expression quite interesting.
If she remembered correctly, her State Sword had quite a few functions; at the very least, anyone who could wear it could receive protection.
'Qin' pushed the sword back again. 'Qin' and 'Zhao' are both her aliases. At a time like this, she still wants to take back the protective aura she gave to Ying Zheng. That would be too ruthless of her.
Zhu Qing'ai, who didn't consider herself particularly ruthless, refused under the pseudonym 'Qin': "What use is a sword if her country is gone? You can keep it; besides protecting against assassination, it looks quite nice."
Zhao was on his deathbed, and he couldn't hold back his complaints any longer, so he said it out loud: "So my State Sword is just an accessory? This is my sword, and you're just passing it around, you really don't respect me."
Ying Zheng politely apologized to Zhao, but his attitude was clear: if they were wrong, they would do it again.
"It's more like icing on the cake; whether it's there or not, it won't make much of a difference."
Zhao hesitated for a moment, then said, "Fine, I'll just say my dying words."
Qin readily agreed, then added politely, "Would you like me to excuse myself?"
“No need for that. It’s best if you can all listen together,” Zhao smiled and conjured up a virtual map, similar to the methods Qin often used, except the territory was displayed differently. Qin looked at the Qin state, while Zhao naturally looked at the Zhao state, and the map she conjured was a detailed map of the northern territory of the Zhao state. “I hope you don’t get robbed by these people in the chaos.”
"Then don't worry, Zheng'er will only do better than King Zhao."
Ying Zheng nodded. In fact, the court had already devised a strategy to deal with the north. After unifying the six kingdoms, the next target would be the north.
"...Zhao people...oh, now they're Qin people. It would be best if they could take care of me out of respect."
King Zheng of Qin, being watched by Zhao, said, "The new and old Qin people are not divided into different classes; they will be treated the same as the old Qin people."
Zhao thought about it for a moment, then remembered that Qin law had previously abolished the punishment of causing disability, and she believed it.
Zhao then recounted some people and matters he couldn't let go of back home, finally mentioning, "...In the Zhao royal palace, there is a memorial tablet..."
When the topic of the memorial tablet, which was personally carved by the former King of Zhao, came up again, she was truly filled with mixed emotions. She did not respond to Qin's curious question about who carved it, but simply said, "If you ever see it, just don't burn it as firewood."
"Okay, it's nothing troublesome. I'll personally go see Wang Jian later."
Zhao pursed her lips, remained silent for a long time, and slowly raised her hand to place it in front of her.
Qin frowned: "Hmm?"
"One should die in a presentable manner, so as not to frighten people..."
It was obvious who this person was. 'Qin's' lips twitched almost imperceptibly: 'What country do you take me for, that I would do such bloody and cruel things?'
She also reached out and grasped 'Zhao's' wrist, and the cracks on 'Zhao's' forearm became more and more obvious.
Zhao raised an eyebrow: "Who didn't come from a barbaric background?"
She glanced at Ying Zheng one last time and sighed. They were like twin sisters, both royal families in the country sharing the surname Ying, yet their fates were so different.
"The fall of the nation is not my fault." After saying the last sentence, the shattering from the inside out could no longer be slowed down. First, the person was torn apart, then the clothes were torn apart, and finally, they turned into tiny specks of light that surrounded the palace.
As Ying Zheng watched the figure disappear, he couldn't help but recall events from nearly twenty years ago. Although his memory was hazy, that withered green figure remained there forever.
With Zhao's death, a scene he saw when he was two years old seemed to be unlocked deep in his memory.
Under the small blue sky, the woman holding him was crying, her words already blurred, but he thought she was crying for her father who had abandoned them.
A tiny point of light entered his eyes, and his thoughts became even more immersed in the memories, as if he were truly there.
The point of light transformed into a withered green figure, its face blurred but he still recognized it.
****
Later, his illusions shattered, and Ying Zheng realized that he was no longer a one- or two-year-old child. He was still in his own palace, with a completed game of chess in front of him.
From the side, Qin asked with a concerned expression, "What did you see?"
On the opposite side of 'Qin', the figure of 'Zhao' could no longer be seen.
Ying Zheng paused, his voice slightly hoarse: "I saw her back when she was still in Zhao, 'Zhao'..."
“There’s no need to say that, and I’m sure she wouldn’t want me to know,” interrupting Ying Zheng, 'Qin' then asked him seriously, “After seeing those things, did you regret it?”
Ying Zheng's voice was firm: "Of course not. Unifying the world is the wish of every Qin king, and it is also your wish. I will be the sharp blade in your hand, removing all obstacles in your path."
'Qin' slightly widened his eyes, smiled and patted Ying Zheng's head as always. Even though the person opposite him was almost thirty, in the eyes of 'Qin' who was hundreds of years old, he was still very young.
For a fleeting moment, the scene seemed to transport us back to Ying Zheng's youth.
In their youth, they sat facing each other in the same way, one from each country, just like back then.
****
Zhu Qing'ai arranged for the scene of 'Zhao' tearing off its disguise. The countries that fell in the following years did not receive this treatment. It couldn't be that they all died in front of Ying Zheng every time. It would be too deliberate. Most importantly, they were not familiar with each other.
Only Zhao died silently; the two nations' spirits were already separated by life and death without any battle.
It took Qin Shi Huang nineteen years to conquer half of the countries in the world after he came to power, but only two years to destroy the remaining half.
****
21st year of King Zheng of Qin
King Jian of Qi never expected that just a few years ago he was a guest in Xianyang, the capital of Qin, and this year the Qin army was at the gates of the city.
King Jian of Qi: Ah, this…
The persuader who came to convince him said that if he surrendered, the King of Qin would grant him five hundred li of land as his fief.
King Jian of Qi thought it over and over, and felt that he was doomed sooner or later, so he might as well...
When he first attempted to travel to Qin to pay homage to the King of Qin, he was stopped by a Sima official at the west gate of Linzi, the capital of Qi, who brandished his halberd and questioned him: "You established the king for the sake of the state; why then does the king abandon the state to enter Qin?"
However, King Jian of Qi recalled the scene he had witnessed in Qin several years ago and really didn't think his country had any chance of winning.
It should be noted that of the six states that still exist, only Qi remains, and at most, the barbarians to the north can be included.
Sima Guan then said, "You are doing this, and 'Qi' is watching. What will she think?"
King Jian of Qi, who had been hesitant, was persuaded to go back. He thought that there was still Guo Ling, and perhaps there was still a way to survive!
Qin's appearance remained unchanged from back then, but for a moment one might think she had grown a little taller.
King Jian of Qi didn't care about this, nor did he have time to care. He asked in a trembling voice, "What are you doing here?"
Can't guess?
King Qi Jian suddenly realized that Qin's smile was just like it was back then. He remembered that she seemed to have said something and asked something, but his mind went blank due to nervousness.
“My presence here proves that Qi is doomed.” Qin looked at King Jian of Qi with the eyes of someone looking at a fool, and then kindly revealed the truth.
King Jian of Qi didn't want to believe it at first, but since "Qin" was sitting in his palace so casually, her sleeves naturally fell down, and there wasn't even a breeze around.
The moment King Jian of Qi heard Qin reveal the truth, he felt a sharp pain in his heart, and the sadness in his heart was uncontrollable. He even saw tears falling on the back of his hand.
He smiled bitterly: "It's alright, it's alright. In the end, I still have to cry for her. She didn't die silently..."
And who will cry for him in the future?
The answer to this question was quickly found: of course, it was his own children.
****
After King Jian of Qi surrendered, he was demoted to a commoner and lost his throne. He was then required to visit King Zheng of Qin, and now it was a great joy that the First Emperor had taken power.
He's going to be surrounded by people watching Qin Shi Huang's coronation ceremony. Isn't he afraid he'll burst into tears and spoil the fun?!
He and the royal family members weren't really harmed; their property was confiscated, and they were sent to an agricultural society to work alongside farmers and become self-reliant.
The farmers were deeply moved and happily accepted the large number of new members.
Instead of transporting their wealth to Xianyang, they spent it directly on establishing an orphanage in the local area.
Since the money was spent on the local people anyway, they naturally kept quiet after receiving the benefits.
Some people were puzzled, because they had always just handed over money to their superiors and had never seen any money come back and be used on their own.
King Jian of Qi was unaware of this, nor did he know that his palace had been converted into the largest university in the area. The palace no longer belonged to the Qi royal family; instead, it was a place where university students could live on campus.
He was just gazing at the scene before him in a daze. The emperor's coronation ceremony was even grander than the ceremony for inheriting the throne, and as the First Emperor, his ceremony was different from that of the emperors who succeeded him.
For example, the Imperial Seal of the State was personally handed over to Ying Zheng by the Qin state, which was tantamount to reaffirming Ying Zheng's legitimacy.
Subsequent emperors did not receive this treatment; they either omitted the procedure altogether or simply indulged in self-deception.
If someone usurped the throne, they might be able to receive the imperial seal from their father or mother. In any case, those who came after would most likely not have the chance to see 'Qin' at their coronation ceremony.
After all the officials paid homage, the final step of announcing the coronation ceremony to the world was completed, which was broadcast across the entire Qin Kingdom.
The ceremony can be considered complete.
****
Within the Qin territory, all important cities had canopies above them where the First Emperor's enthronement ceremony could be viewed.
Since the dictionary was published, for more than a decade, not to mention that everyone had a copy, at least every household had one on average. Most people in Qin witnessed the ascension of the new emperor.
This naturally includes the former inhabitants of the six states, the new Qin people of today, who will become the old Qin people in a few years.
Some of them didn't care who the emperor was; they were more concerned about how much grain they had in the fields when it was time to harvest. They only knew that as Qin people, they could have good seeds and good farming tools, and they could live a better life.
And the former king...
They didn't even know their own names!
But the current emperor, they know his name.
Proudly hands on hips jpg
Many of them are illiterate, but quite a few are literate. After watching literacy channels for so many years, they may not know all the characters, but they do recognize a few commonly used ones, and there are also literate people explaining them to them.
In no time, most people across the country knew that their current emperor was named Qin Zheng.
The second most eye-catching figure was the one who smiled as she handed the imperial seal to Ying Zheng, bearing the character 'Qin', because she was the only one in the entire audience without any accompanying subtitles.
This is the time to show off one's extensive knowledge; before anyone can ask, someone mentions 'Qin'.
"If we were to speak of the spirit of our Qin state, it would be none other than the most benevolent..."
The people around him listened intently, and the man became more and more enthusiastic as he bragged, almost forgetting about the coronation ceremony. Clearly, the 'story' was more captivating than the solemn ceremony.
****
Zhu Qing'ai calculated the energy she earned from the live broadcast of Ying Zheng's ascension to the throne. Although energy could not be directly exchanged for points, it could replace the points spent on time travel. So, rounding up, she still made a huge profit today.
Taishu Jiu, who appeared as the Right Chancellor, also gained a lot of fame by taking advantage of the spotlight. Because the Qin Dynasty valued the color black after unification, the right side was honored.
Therefore, the former Right Chancellor Lü Buwei voluntarily resigned and went home to retire, and the Left Chancellor Taishu Jiu was promoted to Right Chancellor, which was truly a cause for celebration.
Host Taishu Jiu also unlocked the special achievement "Both left and right are me", earning a lot of points.
Soon after, Taishu Jiu proposed a new method for selecting officials in the court, and the examination system that was already implemented in schools was finally moved to the court.
Over the years, Qingjiu School has trained many low-level officials for the Qin Dynasty. While it cannot be said that all the ministers standing in the court were his disciples, at least a quarter of them were his students.
Upon hearing this, not only did the emperor himself, who had known about it all along, immediately agree, but Taishu Jiu's disciples also jumped out to support him.
They may not hold high official positions, but they have a large number of people.
Someone stepped forward and said it was inappropriate: "If it is calculated this way, then what about the rest of us in the same court? None of us have gone through this so-called imperial examination."
Right Chancellor Taishu Jiu remembered what Zhu Qing'ai had told him many years ago: it would be great if he could also get the achievement points from the imperial examination.
Without hesitation, he declared, "I am willing to lead all my colleagues to take the exam and start from scratch!"
The assembled officials gasped in shock, turning to the person who had initially raised the question. Why did you provoke him? He really would disregard the Right Chancellor's dignity and take the exam himself!
"Your Excellency, is it really appropriate for you to personally compete with the scholars of the land?"
After years of training from Zhu Qing'ai, Tai Shu Jiu had become very good at grasping the key points. He said, "So Lord Wang also agrees with the imperial examination? He just doesn't agree to me taking the exam myself."
Fortunately, Taishu Jiu had served as prime minister for many years, so even when imitating Lü Buwei, he still exuded a powerful aura.
Lord Wang, who was called out, chose to keep quiet.
Li Si, who had been promoted to Left Chancellor, followed Taishu Jiu out of the ranks and bowed in the direction of Ying Zheng: "Your humble servant is also willing to go down and try, so that those who are not convinced will be convinced."
Qin, who only participated in the first grand court assembly, spoke up, saying in a knowing tone, "Are you all objecting because you're afraid of failing the exam?"
She maintained a gentle demeanor, and with just one sentence, she struck a chord with the ministers. Who would admit that they lacked knowledge?
How could they say they were afraid? They didn't want to show their fear.
She added, “Don’t worry, the emperor and I are not people who would abandon each other after we’ve served our purpose. Even if you fail the exam, you will have the opportunity to retake it. With ten years to go, you will surely pass.”
The words were spoken with a smile, yet they sounded so cold. If you extend the meaning slightly, wouldn't it mean that if someone fails to pass the exam in ten years, they should be dismissed from office?
Ying Zheng directly ordered: "The first imperial examination will be held in a month. Officials in various regions will be notified directly through the heavens at that time. You should make the necessary preparations."
The timeframe wasn't actually that urgent. After all, schools in various regions frequently held exams and were very familiar with printing test papers. As for the notification, it was enough to emphasize it on the daily news broadcast, which was much faster than local officials notifying each student individually.
"Your Majesty is wise!" Li Si immediately knelt down.
Taishu Jiu was stunned for a moment and then shouted that His Majesty was wise. What? They no longer needed to argue?
As it turned out, there was no need for further debate. With the momentum of unifying the six kingdoms, no one dared to challenge Ying Zheng at that time.
Since the emperor has made his decision, then so be it. Is it too late for them to pack up and enroll in a cram school at Qingjiu School?
****
So the assembled ministers, having finished their court session, surrounded Taishu Jiu outside the palace, asking similar questions: "Prime Minister Taishu, are your schools still accepting students? Do you need anyone my age?"
Military officers who had risen through the ranks based on their merits also curiously gathered around: "Do we need to take an exam?"
Taishu Jiu recalled Zhu Qing'ai's instructions: how could a general be uneducated? There was a special military academy that hadn't been arranged for him yet.
Looking at the military officers who knew nothing, Taishu Jiu smiled slightly: "Of course we will take the test, but there is no rush, and we won't be taking it with them."
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Author's Note: I won't go into detail about fighting north or south after unification, as it might lead to nihilism. I'll finish in a few more chapters. The extra chapters are modern ones, written from an archaeological perspective. There will also be extra chapters about modern life, as well as some time periods that haven't been covered yet. I'll briefly write about those in the extra chapters.
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