The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 240: If you kill me, won’t everything be solved?

Prince Chu of Qin waved his hand and asked Prince Zheng to come closer.

Prince Zheng did as he was told.

Prince Chu of Qin slapped Prince Zheng in the face, and said word by word with a gloomy face:
"Do you want to know more?"

The slap was so powerful that it didn't sound like it was coming from a dying person.

Ying Zheng was slapped and staggered, almost falling down.

His face felt hot, reminding him of the experience of scratching his scar.

He licked the corner of his mouth and straightened his head:

"want."

Prince Chu of Qin narrowed his eyes and waved again for his eldest son to come closer.

The eldest son does not move:

"If you want to continue fighting, I'm sorry I can't obey your orders."

Qin Wangzichu looked a little angry and shouted in a low voice:

"If your brother were here, he would definitely step forward! He wouldn't leave until he was beaten to death!"

Ying Zheng was neither humble nor arrogant, and his attitude was cold:

“My brother usually plays it safe and is too conservative.

"However, once their bottom line is touched, they will go from one extreme to another.

"Don't care, be radical to the point of being unwise.

"If father thinks my brother's character is suitable for being king, it's not too late to appoint a crown prince instead.

"I will never be like my brother and accept a slap from our father just for the sake of emotion."

Qin Wang Zichu sneered and said unceremoniously:
"You think I dare not? Do you think your character is suitable for being a king?
"If your brother hadn't been unwilling, how could you have become king?
"If your brother hadn't begged me so earnestly, I would never have brought you and your son back from Zhao State!"

Prince Zheng was very sad, but he didn't show it at all:
"If I don't want to, Your Majesty can't change the crown prince.

"If I don't want to, the king's plan will not work.

"Since it is unchangeable that Zheng will be the king, for the sake of our country's development, the king should inform Zheng of all his thoughts, plans and plots, so as to prevent Zheng from ruining the king's plans."

Prince Chu of Qin laughed out loud.

As if he was afraid that the noise would be too loud and attract his second son, he covered his mouth with both hands.

Qin Princechu, who was as thin as a bamboo pole, swayed from side to side with laughter on the bed, just like a reed in a marsh that would die if stepped on.

Prince Zheng was feeling irritated but tried to control his temper.

When the king's smile faded, he said stiffly:
"Why is your Majesty laughing?"

Prince Chu of Qin said contemptuously:
"I laugh at your endless boasting and exaggeration. How can you compare with your brother?
"If your brother doesn't become king, I can do nothing about it.

"You, ruining my plan, is really ridiculous."

There was a hint of teasing between his brows:
"You said a few days ago that you could compete with your brother. I didn't expose you to your face because I wanted to save your face. Do you really think you can win?

"Lü Buwei was willing to go against the will of the king and risk his life for your brother.

"We will change the national policy for the next ten years and control the water in Guanzhong.

"You can't even defeat Lü Buwei, so how can you fight your brother?

"You even tried to ruin my plan. Ha, you are really bringing shame upon yourself.

"I will tell you everything about the battle, and I will see how you are going to sabotage it.

"I am critically ill and will soon die.

“Every time a country changes its ruler, it is always a test.

“Let’s not talk about the distant things, let’s talk about the near things.

"When the Queen Mother of Qi died, Yan, Wei, and Chu all attacked Qi.

"You have seen what happened to Qi. It lost cities and territories one after another, and even came to our country for help.

"If your brother succeeds to the throne, I will not worry at all, everything will go on as usual, and the other nations will not attack.

"But your brother doesn't want to, and I am worried about you taking over the throne.

“I am afraid that the great Qin Dynasty of six hundred years will be destroyed by you, so I have no choice but to withdraw the water control personnel and strike first to attack Han and Zhao.

“This war is not for the purpose of expanding territory.

"In order to destroy Han, Zhao, and the nearby manpower, plunder their food, and force the other states to unite while I am still alive, to keep the enemy out of Hangu Pass and force them to retreat.

"After I die, Zhao and Han will have the will but not the power to attack Qin again.

"It will be difficult for the other nations to unite and attack again.

"The first coalition failed, so the second coalition is almost impossible to follow. Do you understand this truth?"

Prince Zheng opened his mouth slightly and was about to answer.

But Prince Chu of Qin did not give Prince Zheng time to answer, and seemed not to want to hear his eldest son's answer at all, and continued:

"The following is what you want to know, so you must listen carefully..."

A moment later, Qin Wangzichu finished speaking and raised his eyebrows provocatively:
"Now that you know it, what does it matter? How can we change it?"

Ying Zheng took a step forward, gritted his teeth, and said in a deep voice:

"Father, I don't need you to do this, I can"

Prince Chu of Qin interrupted his eldest son and said:

"You can be a fart!

“You don’t need to tell me these things.

"Aren't you the King of Qin? Don't you want to ruin my plan? Then go ahead and do it. I'll wait and see!"

The sunken pupils were filled with murderous intent, and were fierce:
“If you want to do it, do it by yourself, don’t drag your brother into it.

"If you tell your brother about this, I will include your mother's name in the list of those to be buried with her."

Crown Prince Zheng's heart was burning with rage as he stared into his father's eyes.

I want to see my father's true thoughts through these eyes, and see if he really wants my mother to be buried with him.

Ying Zheng couldn't see through it.

Just like he looked into Lu Buwei's eyes, he couldn't see through them.

King of Qin and Prime Minister of Qin.

It was not Zhao Gao who was by his side, nor was it Zhao Gao's mother who fawned on him and waited on him to sleep.

The king and prime minister of Qin were able to hide their emotions without showing any emotion on their faces, just as it was easy as eating or drinking.

If their emotions are revealed on their faces, then they are most likely doing it on purpose, just to show off their emotions to others.

"Father..." Ying Zheng gritted his teeth and changed the name from King to Father, trying to awaken the affection of Qin Wang Zichu: "Are you really so heartless?"

Prince Qin covered his mouth with his hands and laughed again.

He laughed so hard that he bent over, coughed continuously, and his nose and tears came out at the same time.

"Family affection?" He said in an absurd tone, with a high-pitched ending: "What a ridiculous word. I am the king! King, where is the family affection? Which of my Qin ancestors valued friendship and loyalty?"

Pointing at himself with his thumb, he said forcefully:
"The King of Qin is a king of tigers and wolves, mean and unkind.

"If you don't believe me, why don't you call your brother in and try it?"

Qin Wang Zichu, who looked sick, smiled sickly:
"Let's see if I will take Zhao Ji with me to death, hahahahaha!"

Ying Zheng was so angry that he was shaking all over and his face turned ashen.

Without even saying hello, he angrily left the back room of the King of Qin's bedroom.

Prince Chu of Qin looked at his eldest son's back until he walked out of the room. Then his smile disappeared and he looked lonely.

I raised my hand close to my eyes and saw that it was full of bones.

It seems that if you peel off the skin, you can see the bones directly, without any flesh.

"I am about to die, and I won't live long.

"Zheng'er, why don't you dare to give me a ride?

“Everything started because of me.

"If you kill me, won't everything be solved?
“Your throne is not that stable… Besides your brother, you also have a bunch of uncles and stepfathers.

"In our country, inheritance is not just passed down from father to son, but also from brother to brother...

"If you don't kill me, you won't be able to control these people." "You don't want my blood to be stained on your hands."

"Then I, who killed my father, will kill my brother again."

Put your five fingers together and make a fist:
“Qin is number one.

“To strengthen Qin, we must do whatever it takes.

“As long as it can strengthen Qin, no one needs to do it.

"This is the fate of the Qin emperors, and it is also my fate.

"But, it is not the fate of my son!
"My wish to unify the world will finally be fulfilled by my two sons!

"It is good that the bad reputation of the Qin monarch has ended with me..."

There was an unusual movement at the door, and the second son Ying Chengjiao entered.

Prince Qin raised his head with a warm look on his face.

"What did you say to my brother that made him so angry?" Ying Chengjiao said in a somewhat unfriendly tone.

His brother left quickly with red eyes and an angry face, without even saying hello to him.

This has never happened before.

Qin Wang Zichu pointed at his nose and said with a wry smile:
"Qiao'er, is this how you treat a dying person?
“When a man is about to die, his words are good.

"I'm almost dead, even if I said a few inappropriate words, can't your brother understand me?
"Your brother doesn't understand me, and you don't understand your father either..."

As he spoke, Qin Wang Zichu's eyes turned red and he raised his hand to wipe away his tears.

While wiping, he secretly glanced at his second son.

Ying Chengjiao could hardly keep a straight face, so he sat down next to his father and handed him a silk handkerchief:

"I was wrong, okay?"

"Is this your attitude to admit your mistake? To your dying father." Qin Wang Zichu took the Qi silk handkerchief.

He wiped his eyes and left a wet spot on his handkerchief.

"Okay, okay." Ying Chengjiao raised his hands and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, father. It's my fault."

"What's wrong?"

"No, Qin Zichu, you are not done yet, are you? Don't think I don't know you are pretending!"

"Are these tears fake?"

"You shed tears faster than I spit. You come when you want to and disappear when you want to."

"Alas, Qiao'er, you have many misunderstandings about your father... By the way, where is Ying Bai's body?" Qin Wang Zichu said casually.

Ying Chengjiao was silent for a moment, then said dejectedly:
"I've done the embalming and will be with you when you get out of the coffin."

"Thank you." Qin Wangzichu said sincerely.

"This was her last wish." Ying Chengjiao took a breath and said, "Did you instigate her suicide?"

"Yes." Qin Wang Zichu looked calm, "I told her that if she couldn't die in your hands, she would die in front of you."

Ying Chengjiao remained silent, the last words of the female attendant echoing in his mind:
"Your Majesty, do you really want me to stay in Qi and not return to Qin?"

"I am the person the king trusts the most... Didn't the Second Young Master lie to me?"

"The king said that only the second young master can see Wang Ling..."

"I believe in the Second Young Master. He is a gentleman, and a gentleman will not lie."

"Second Master, please draw your sword."

The boy closed his eyes:

“She already knew that you wanted her dead.

"No wonder...she said I was virtuous."

"You have to get used to it." Prince Chu of Qin patted his second son's shoulder and said gently, "People will die eventually. Everyone will die."

Eight days later.

Duke Bei returned to Xianyang.

According to the king's order, he went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to find Lu Buwei and hand over the tiger talisman.

After fighting all the way, the old general was extremely tired and wanted to return to his mansion to have a good rest.

"Capture him!" Qin Prime Minister Lu Buwei gave the order after walking out of the house holding the tiger talisman.

The Qin soldiers who had been lying in ambush swarmed out from behind the screen, the back room, and behind the walls of the house.

At a rough glance, there are about thirty or forty of them.

They swarmed up.

Before Bie Gong could react, he was pinned to the ground and tied up like a prisoner.

The veteran, who was pinned to the ground like a giant insect, was extremely angry and humiliated.

He struggled hard, roaring:

"How dare you! You bastard! You dare to touch me! You are courting death! You are the one who is your mother! You bastards don't even know me! Ah!"

The veteran thought he could drive these birds away with his own prestige, but he didn't expect that the Qin soldiers around him all had cold expressions and were not shaken at all.

The veteran who had fought on the edge of a knife in the battlefield immediately realized that something was wrong.

Bie Gong is hot-tempered, not stupid, and has very sharp perceptions.

Given his resume, the possibility that thirty or fifty Qin soldiers did not recognize him was extremely small.

"Don't yell, Duke Biao." Lü Buwei crouched down in front of Duke Biao and said, "These people are all my followers. None of them has ever fought with Duke Biao. How dare I be negligent in taking action against the famous Duke Biao who has supported three generations of Qin monarchs?"

The veteran raised his head with great effort; the rope was hurting his neck.

He glared at Lu Buwei and cursed:

"Lü Buwei! If you have the guts, kill Nai Gong!
"If you can't kill me, I'll chop off your head!"

Lu Buwei's thin face was full of gloom:
"I would have killed Biao Gong even without his reminder."

The furious veteran's pupils suddenly shrank, the intensity of his struggle suddenly weakened, and soon disappeared completely.

The old general stared at Lu Buwei's face and said in a deep voice:
"Are you going to rebel?"

Lü Buwei looked directly into Biao Gong's eyes, shaking his head without moving his eyes:

"Mr. Bie is on the wrong side."

"So it's the king..." The old general smiled sadly: "I am loyal to the king. When will I stand on the side? Whose side do I stand on?"

"Prince Chengjiao." Lü Buwei leaned forward and said, "I believe in Lord Biao, but Your Majesty does not."

Bie Gong laughed loudly, and his grief and indignation echoed in the Prime Minister's Mansion.

Lu Buwei couldn't bear it.

Among the four dukes, Duke Bie treated Prince Chengjiao the best, and he really didn't want to kill Duke Bie.

He deliberately angered Crown Prince Zheng, trying to see if Crown Prince Zheng had any way to save Duke Bie.

But until Duke Biao returned, he still had not received the royal order to pardon Duke Biao.

"Our country governs by law!" The old general held his head high, his eyes bloodshot: "What crime do you want to kill me for? Treason?"

"No, on the charge of killing an innocent man." Lu Buwei stretched out his hand.

Someone nearby handed over a bamboo slip.

Lü Buwei unfolded it and placed it before Duke Bie.

Bie Gong took a closer look and found that it was the bamboo slips on which he reported the number of enemies killed.

Lü Buwei pointed at the number of enemies killed and said word by word:
“The total number of enemies you reported killed is 58,631 soldiers.

"The number of heads you submitted is exactly the same as the number of people, but you know in your heart how many of these heads are real soldiers.

"The government found that there were 9,700 soldiers.

"Where did the remaining heads come from? I think Biao Gong knows it best. They must be civilians killed from other countries, right?

"Before this war, the king had already said that it was absolutely forbidden to kill the people of other countries.

"Mr. Biao, you did it knowingly."

Bie Gong was in a daze, then roared violently:

"I have fought in wars all my life, and I have never heard that killing people from other countries is a crime!"

(End of this chapter)