The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 172 The dust has settled, the crown prince has changed?
Zhang Liang finished speaking.

Li Mu, Li Yuan, Tang Ju and Ju Wu looked at each other and quickly looked away.

The grand plan is to force Qin to control its water resources, making it unable to move eastward and preventing it from developing for ten years.

As long as the big plan can be accomplished, a little expense is nothing.

How could the alliance force the world's hegemon Qin without paying a price? As long as the price was within an affordable range, there was no problem.

The four followed Zhang Liang's example and expressed their willingness to provide food aid to Qin as long as their people did not starve.

Prince Chengjiao was overjoyed.

The young man first apologized sincerely for doubting the envoys from the five countries.

Then he raised his head in front of Lu Buwei, the prime minister of Qin. It seemed that the attitude of the envoys from the five countries once again gave the young man pride:
"In this case, does Prime Minister Qin have any other requests?"

Lu Buwei sneered:
“Although he is cunning, he is not without courage and is willing to invest.

"In this case, I only have one request."

The Prime Minister of Qin looked around at the envoys from the five countries and said in a deep voice:
"My Qin State wants to sign an alliance with you. During the period of water control and canal construction, you must not invade!"

Without looking at the expressions of the envoys from the five countries, Lü Buwei smiled and said to Prince Cheng Jiao:

"Sir, this request is not excessive, right? It does not violate morality, right?"

There was a hint of anger on the boy's face:

"Prime Minister Qin's words clearly show that he doesn't trust us! He doesn't trust our integrity!"

"This is about the people of Guanzhong in Qin State. I dare not be careless." Lu Buwei said, "It is my moral duty to be responsible for the people."

"Okay! Let's do as Prime Minister Qin says!" The young man agreed angrily.

Seeing that things were about to come to an end, Tang Ju hurriedly spoke up:

"Wait a minute."

The boy looked back with a puzzled look on his face, as if asking if there was a problem.

Tang Ju smiled bitterly inwardly.

The boy agreed so quickly, so quickly that he couldn't react in time.

Not being able to attack Qin during the period when Qin was conserving its water was another condition that tied one's own hands.

But...it is also acceptable. Exhausting Qin is the most important strategy.

But if we are going to tie up the hands and feet, we can’t just tie one side, right?

"Since it is an alliance, it should restrict both parties. How can it be that only one party is not allowed to attack?" Tang Ju said in a deep voice: "During the period when Qin is controlling the flood, it is not allowed to attack eastward!"

If it is impossible to attack Qin, then it is necessary to contain Qin.

Lu Buwei looked back at his superiors and asked for their advice.

In the State of Qin, Prince Chu of Qin has the final say.

Qin Wang Zichu nodded slightly and said personally:

"Okay, I promise you.

"During the flood control period, my Qin State will not go east to attack, and you will not invade Hangu Pass."

Prince Chu of Qin made the final decision and agreed to the demands of the five countries.

He was willing to let Zheng Guo control the flood in Guanzhong, divert water and build canals.

Most of the Qin generals had sullen looks on their faces, and looked at the envoys of the five countries and Prince Chengjiao with murderous intent.

The flood in Guanzhong is extremely difficult to deal with and it will take ten years to cure it.

If they can’t cure the disease in ten years, they won’t be able to fight for ten years.

How many decades does a person have in his life? And how many decades can he fight?

They did not dare to complain to the king, so they could only vent their anger on the envoys from the five countries and Ying Chengjiao.

Swearing and using foul language all the time.

But this does not affect the overall situation.

Zhangtai Palace, front hall.

The meeting, which lasted for more than two hours, was adjourned.

The envoys of the five countries returned to the post station one by one, waiting for the second battle.

The amount of food aid the five countries will provide has not yet been decided, and I expect there will be another fierce debate.

And these have nothing to do with Ying Chengjiao.

What the young man does is beneficial to the countries, so the countries give him seals of prime minister and let him make the decisions.

Now the nations are required to obtain food from outside, which is harmful to the nations, and the young man has no say in the matter.

Government Hall.

Ying Chengjiao stood at the entrance of the hall, pushed open the door, and stopped at the threshold.

It seemed like the threshold was too high and he couldn't get over it.

"Come in." The Qin prince Chu, who was inside, held the jade chopsticks in his hand and shouted with a smile, "What are you standing there for?"

Just now in the front hall of Zhangtai Palace, the two were still on the verge of a fight and confronting each other.

Less than half an hour had passed, and Qin Wang Zichu seemed to have forgotten his previous unhappiness. His smile was full of kindness, like a loving father.

Ying Chengjiao felt a little uncomfortable.

He could clearly say one thing and do another and be submissive to other princes, so why couldn't he do that when facing the King of Qin?

Ying Chengjiao looked into the hall.

The displays and furnishings were very familiar, exactly the same as they were every time he came here.

He tried to take a step forward and cross the threshold, but he couldn't.

He had always thought he was ready to meet his father.

In fact, he didn't.

Prince Chu of Qin used one hand to knock on the brass tripod containing the mutton soup pot with the jade chopsticks, and with the other hand he called out to his second son:

"Come in, the chef in the kitchen knows that you just made it after you came back, and he didn't ask me to tell him. Come and taste it to see if it tastes the same as before."

Ying Chengjiao was silent for a while, then raised his foot.

He stepped over the threshold and his shoes landed on the ground with a sound.

The sound was extremely subtle, but it sounded loud to Qin Wang Zichu's ears and shook his heart.

It was not until this moment that he felt that his son had truly returned.

Chengjiao Palace, Li Yi Palace.

Inside the palace, Queen Ji Yaotiao of Qin was wearing a dark black long skirt that dragged on the ground, showing her nobleness.

She didn't like this kind of clothing; she liked the Hu clothing that was easy to move in.

However, the noble ladies of Zhao State could wear Hu clothing in public, but the queen of Qin State could not.

"Look, Yaoyao." Ji Yaotiao raised her hands and turned around with a smile: "How do I wear the clothes you designed?"

Ji Yaoyao smiled gently:

"Ah-sister is naturally beautiful, she looks good in anything she wears."

She left all her dignity and nobility in Korea.

When Ji Yaoyao came to Qin, she was left with only gentleness.

Ji Yaotiao sighed softly and looked up at Ji Yaoyao.

The person in front of her looked exactly the same as she remembered, as if he had never left.

"Don't leave this time. The king has been missing you." Ji Yaotiao approached Ji Yaoyao and touched Ji Yaoyao's face: "You, you haven't changed at all after more than half a year."

"Sister has changed a lot." Ji Yaoyao grabbed Ji Yaotiao's hand and said, "Lying has become more natural now."

"I'm not lying. It's true. The king really misses you."

"He's not that kind of person."

Ji Yaotiao was about to ask her husband for an explanation when her mouth opened.

Looking into Ji Yaoyao's clear and bright eyes, he closed his mouth again.

After waiting for a while, he said helplessly:

“Well, he’s definitely not that kind of person.

"His left eye is himself, his right eye is Qin, and he doesn't care about anything else.

"He refuses to have sex with me now because he wants to ensure that Zheng'er's position as the crown prince is unshakable and prevent chaos from arising in the future due to a fight for the throne."

Ji Yaoyao grinned and nodded repeatedly:

"That's right, the King of Qin should be this kind of person."

Ji Yaotiao thought Ji Yaoyao would be surprised, but she didn't expect Ji Yaoyao to be not surprised at all.

She snorted softly, determined to scare Ji Yaoyao:
“That’s all.

"Maybe I pestered him too much to have sex with him, do you know what he said?

"You won't think of it!"

Ji Yaoyao said softly:
"Since you said I was overthinking, then I must have been unable to think of anything. Please help Yaoyao solve her confusion."

Ji Yaotiao looked around, as if she was afraid that someone in the house might hear her.

This look really piqued Ji Yaoyao, who had originally not cared much about what Qin Wang Zichu said.

In Ji Yaoyao's eyes, Ji Yaotiao, a girl from Zhao, has always been a bold woman who loves riding and archery more than beautiful clothes and makeup, and has a very obvious Zhao character.

She was somewhat restrained before she became queen.

After becoming the queen, even in front of the Queen Mother Huayang, Ji Yaotiao acted as she pleased without hiding anything.

What on earth could be the words that could make Ji Yaotiao want to avoid people?
Ji Yaotiao was the one who could call Ji Yaoyao's son "husband" in front of five hundred Qin cavalrymen outside Hangu Pass.

Ji Yaotiao lowered her body and whispered in Ji Yaoyao's ear:
"He said that if I really couldn't help it, I should find a man and just keep it a secret."

"What?" Ji Yaoyao exclaimed, her face pale with fear: "Sister, this is not a joke! Did he really say that?!"

Ji Yaotiao was very satisfied with Ji Yaoyao's reaction.

This sister who remained calm even when faced with a catastrophe also has times when she loses control of her emotions.

She pretended to be unhappy:
"Why lie to your sister?

“Although I am bold and unrestrained, how can I say such things?

"Amei, please don't tell anyone. I told her because I trust her."

Ji Yaoyao sat on the bed, dazed for a while, with storms in her mind.

Ji Yaotiao waited for a while, then gently pushed Ji Yaoyao, her charming face full of anticipation:
"What are you doing back this time, sister? Are you leaving or not?"

Ji Yaoyao came back to her senses with a hint of sadness in her eyes, which quickly disappeared as she smiled and said:

"I was afraid that Jiao'er would not feel well after returning to Qin, so I accompanied him.

"When Jiao'er left, I left too."

Ji Yaotiao was unhappy when she heard that Ji Yaoyao was still leaving.

When he thought that Ying Chengjiao was also going to leave, his displeasure deepened.

"My sister still has Korea to return to.

"Cheng Jiao was born a prince of Qin, where can he go?

"He is only seven years old. Can my sister really bear to let him continue to travel between countries?"

Almost no one in the Qin State looked down on Ji Yaotiao and Ying Zheng, the mother and son, anymore. Each of them wanted to give their hearts to them to show their loyalty.

But no matter how good these people are to Ji Yaotiao, in Ji Yaotiao's heart, they can't compare to Ji Yaoyao and her son.

Because Ji Yaoyao and her son showed goodwill before Ying Zheng became the Crown Prince of Qin.

How can adding icing on the cake be better than providing timely help?

Ji Yaoyao lowered her head and did not respond. [If Jiao'er stayed, you would be even more unhappy.]
[This child still can't get over the death of the previous king, so should I tell him...]
Government Hall.

The father and son did not speak while eating.

After finishing the meal, the king asked the eunuch to clear the table. He knocked on the table three times with his index finger turned upside down.

Ying Chengjiao raised his head at the sound of "dong dong dong".

"You've lost some weight." Qin Wang Zichu sighed and reached out to touch his second son's cheek.

Ying Chengjiao instinctively wanted to dodge, trembled a little, and then forced himself to stop moving.

Qin Wang Zichu seemed unaware, rubbed his second son's cheek twice, then withdrew his hand and said with a smile:
"Where has your prestige gone?
"Now that you are alone with me, you have lost your temper?"

Ying Chengjiao forced a smile:
"I'm just afraid of making my father angry."

Qin Prince Chu smiled exaggeratedly and pointed a finger at the second son's forehead:
"You still know that you will make me angry? Tell me, where did you get this weird idea this time."

King Qin Zichu didn't understand why the water had to be treated? Why did they have to mobilize the whole country to build canals?

"Isn't it a good thing to control water and build canals?" Ying Chengjiao asked.

Qin Wang Zichu nodded.

This is certainly a good thing, otherwise he would have stopped the Dujiangyan project long ago.

By diverting flood water into dry fields, both the disasters of waterlogging and drought are solved, and two more fields can be cultivated.

"That's it." The young man spread his hands and said helplessly, "Since water control and canal construction are good things, then what is father asking?"

"Don't act ignorant in front of me." Qin Wang Zichu didn't believe that his second son didn't know anything: "You know what I'm asking."

"I really don't know." The boy said stubbornly.

"You bastard!" Qin Wang Zichu leaned forward slightly and said, "What should we do with the food?"

"Didn't the five countries of Zhao, Chu, Yan, Wei, and Han agree to provide food aid?"

"Listen to their bullshit! How much aid can they provide? Won't our Qin still have to provide most of the food ourselves?" The Qin Prince Chu's resentment was half true and half false.

All five countries said they wanted food aid.

They all said that they would provide surplus food aid on the premise of ensuring that their people are not suffering from hunger and hardship.

But these days, people have never had enough to eat, and it’s the same in every country.

The year was bad, food was scarce, and the people were struggling to survive.

The harvest was good, food was plentiful, and after paying taxes, the people could barely fill their stomachs.

The exact amount of grain aid still needs further discussion, but Prince Chu of Qin is sure that it will not be much.

"Qian'er." Qin Wang Zichu looked worried.

Grabbing the second son's hand, he continued:
"You've been called a gentleman so many times these days that you've really started to hold yourself to the same standard as a gentleman, haven't you?

"You don't really think that the five countries are willing to donate food to help Qin control floods and build canals for the sake of morality, do you?
"They want to consume our food and occupy our people!"

The boy glanced at his hand, but did not pull it back. He nodded:
“Cheng Jiao knows.

“The food aid from the five countries is definitely not enough.

“But, something is better than nothing.

"Father, if Guanzhong is cured, it is indeed our Qin State that will benefit."

Historically, the Qin State still allowed Zheng State to control floods in Guanzhong even without any food aid from other countries.

Now, no matter how much food the five countries can provide, it will be a profit.

What's more, the grain would not be too much or too little, otherwise the Qin State would still have a reason not to control the water and build canals.

When it comes to the details of the negotiations, neither side will abandon the banner of "morality" and both will work hard to facilitate the negotiations.

With Lu Buwei, the prime minister who made his fortune in business, Ying Chengjiao believed that the grain provided by the five countries would definitely be within the tolerable limit.

"You also said it was cured." Qin Wang Zichu said bitterly: "Zheng Guo inherited the water law of King Yu, but this lineage has never cured water since King Yu! How do you know he can definitely cure it?"

The Qin prince Chu's ideas were consistent with those of the five countries, and they were all very suspicious of Zheng.

Will it work if there is no example but just a name?

This is also one of the reasons why the five countries are working hard to promote this matter.

Although they had to pay with food, Qin paid even more, and it was very likely that the ten years of effort were in vain.

This is a ten-year period, so there are many variables.

The lineage of water engineer Zheng Guo has not managed floods for two thousand years, so the probability of success is much smaller than the probability of failure.

Ying Chengjiao couldn't tell the truth about this matter.

He couldn't say that he had seen in history books in his previous life that Zheng State successfully controlled floods, right?
"I believe in Zheng Guo." The young man was very serious, and he gestured with his hands open: "Zheng Guo mortgaged all the Dinghai Shenzhen Iron passed down by King Yu to me. That was passed down by King Yu, and it is the same as the Nine Cauldrons. If he couldn't cure the water, how could he dare to give me the Dinghai Shenzhen Iron?"

Prince Qin glanced at his second son:
"Pretend, keep pretending.

"That broken iron stick, can it be compared with the Nine Cauldrons?

“The Nine Cauldrons represent legitimacy, otherwise why would King Mu Yeol raise them?

"What can your broken iron stick prove? It can only prove that you learned King Yu's flood control method!

"Honestly, why do you believe Zheng Guo can cure the water?"

The boy who couldn't tell the truth gave up making excuses:

"Anyway, he can fix it, so I trust him."

Given his father's personality, making excuses would only add to suspicion, so it would be better for him not to give any reasons at all.

Qin Wang Zichu did not give up and continued to ask.

But no matter how many times he was asked, the boy always answered, "I just believe him."

Prince Chu of Qin was a little angry and a little upset.

He thought that his second son had made some discovery in advance that could provide evidence of Zheng's flood control, so he took a great risk and insisted that Zheng enter Qin to control the flood.

But now it seems that there is nothing at all. Didn’t I say that before?
"You dare to unite the five countries to force me without telling me the truth? Do you want to harm Qin?" Qin Prince Chu pointed at himself and said: "What if the five countries attack Qin when we are controlling the flood?"

The young man pretended to be puzzled and said:
"Didn't we make a covenant?"

"When Yan raised 600,000 troops to attack Zhao, it had just signed an alliance with Zhao! What a useless alliance!"

"Why is it useless?" The young man disagreed. This was part of his plan: "If the five countries break their alliance and attack, wouldn't it be the Qin State that has the moral upper hand?"

Qin Wang Zichu scratched his ears:

"What did my Qin State occupy? Tell me again."

He couldn't believe what he heard.

"Morality," the boy repeated.

"Morality, morality..." Prince Chu of Qin muttered in a low voice and raised his head: "Morality, can it give Qin an extra 500,000 elite soldiers?"

"No."

"Then can we give Qin 500,000 shi of grain?"

"No."

"What's the use of morality then?"

"If you occupy the moral ground, then you have a legitimate reason to fight a just war, and the morale of the soldiers will be completely different."

Qin Wang Zichu opened his mouth, not knowing what to say.

After a long while, he covered his face with his hands, and a voice came out from between his fingers:

"You've been called a 'gentleman' too many times!

"Duke Xiang of Song was the most righteous, but where is Song now?

"The Qin State is notorious for being immoral, and the Qin monarchs of all generations have been said to be mean and ungrateful, but now, aren't we still dominating the world?"

The boy took a deep breath:

“In the face of absolute strength, morality is indeed useless.

"But does Qin have absolute strength now? Can it defeat the whole world with just one country?
"If it were possible, Father would not have agreed to control the floods and been forced by the Five Nations Alliance, right?"

Prince Chu of Qin was speechless.

He looked at his second son for a long time with a gloomy face.

Ying Chengjiao looked straight into his father's eyes without avoiding them.

He has nothing to fear...

"Good, very good." Qin Wang Zichu suddenly smiled: "No matter how you did it, you have indeed surpassed me."

Qin Wang Zichu clapped his hands lightly and said with satisfaction:
“You are not in Xianyang, but you can use all the military officers and half of the civil officials to help you accomplish your goals.

"From this point of view, you are more suitable to be the king than Zheng'er, and I will appoint you as the crown prince today.

"You need to pay more attention, I can't hold on any longer."

"Father." Ying Chengjiao interrupted his father and said calmly, "I am not coming back to snatch the crown prince. I still have to leave."

Qin Wang Zichu's expression froze for a moment, but soon relaxed and said with a smile:
"Leave? Where to? Qi?

"That's right, of all the great nations in the world, you only have Qi left to visit.

“But I think you don’t have to go.

“Like you said, Qi has no ambition.

"Qi did not participate in this alliance, which is enough to show that Qi does not want to cause trouble. You don't have to disrupt Qi."

Ying Chengjiao shook his head, then nodded:
“I am indeed going to Qi, but not to disrupt Qi, but for the Jixia Academy.

"Father, have you ever thought about how to govern such a vast land after Qin conquers the world?"

"You are a little ahead of your time. I have never thought of this." Qin Wang Zichu pondered for a moment and said, "But this is not difficult. Didn't the Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties do it? They just followed the example of the ancients and divided the world into fiefdoms."

Ying Chengjiao said word by word:

“Father is wrong.

"Since the world is to be divided, why should we fight now? Anyway, the conquered land will be divided up in due time.

"Father, think about it, the reason you agreed to control the flood today, in addition to the Five Kingdoms' alliance, is it because most of the nobles in the court agree to it?

"Is this Qin the Qin of my family, the Ying surname, or the Qin of the nobles?"

Prince Chu of Qin's expression flickered, and he didn't know whether to say that his second son was ambitious or that he was arrogant.

Governing the world together with the nobles is a truth that has not changed for thousands of years.

There is only one king, how can he take care of everything?
"If you don't share the world with the nobles, who do you want to share it with?" Qin Wang Zichu asked back: "You are in Xianyang, can you take care of Linzi's affairs?"

"Of course I can't. I also need to find someone to take over." The young man explained: "This is why I went to the Jixia Academy. I want the court of the Great Qin Dynasty to have officials but no titles in the future, and the nobles can no longer monopolize official positions. I..."

"Enough!" Qin Wang Zichu was angry: "Your idea is too dangerous! I understand why Lu Buwei worked so hard for you. It turns out that you agree with his idea."

"This is not only the teacher's idea, but also my idea." The young man jumped off the chair and said, "Qi State, I must go there."

The atmosphere reached this point, and the boy actually breathed a sigh of relief.

He could finally leave and no longer have to stay here and continue talking to his father.

He walked out of the hall and soon reached the threshold and was about to step over.

"Ying Chengjiao." The voice of Prince Chu of Qin came from behind, very serious.

The young man sighed, stopped, looked back, and said with a smile:
"Is there anything else, Father?"

Qin Prince Chu didn't look at his second son, but stared at the table:

"If you leave, never come back to Qin."

The boy's heart trembled, and he felt a little sour. He nodded heavily and said loudly:
"it is good!"

"I will ask you one last time. You can still be the crown prince and take over the Qin State after I die." The voice of Prince Chu of Qin was flat.

"No need, my brother is more suitable than me." The young man stepped over the threshold.

One foot inside, one foot outside, saying:
"Your Majesty, don't be so self-righteous and think you know me and my brother very well.

"It's all thanks to my brother that Wu An-jun can stand on my side."

　I updated another 6k, and I won’t make up for it if I take leave later!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)