The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 246: Qin Wangzheng without the Qin King's Seal, the powerful minister Lu Buwei, and Guo Kai's second awakening
There was a civil war between Lian Po, a famous general of the older generation of Zhao State, and Le Cheng, a famous general of the new generation.

Lian Po won and fled to the State of Wei.

Le Cheng was defeated and fled to the State of Qin.

Once this news came out, not only the whole Zhao State was in an uproar, but the whole world was in an uproar.

There were many cases where a country's military generals were marginalized, fled to other countries, or were attacked by the country's own troops.

But before the incident of Lian Po playing music, there had never been a case of an excluded general leading his own soldiers to attack his own generals.

This civil war in Zhao State cost not only the lives of two famous generals, but also the dignity of the new King of Zhao, Zhao Yan.

King Yan of Zhao made the whole world know a truth.

Changing generals in the middle of a battle is a big taboo in military strategy.

It is a taboo for the country to replace generals when they have won a battle and are taking credit for the final victory.

"You old villain Lian Po! How dare you disobey my orders! How dare you rebel!" Zhao Wangyan was furious and said, "He should be killed! He should be killed!"

King Yan of Zhao, who was already furious, issued an order to arrest Lian Po and all the others, young and old, and put them in prison to be executed at a later date.

A general who had just defeated the invasion of Wei State and made great contributions to Zhao State.

He ended up like this, which made the officials of Zhao feel sad.

Today it is Lian Po, tomorrow it may be them.

The ministers of Zhao took the initiative to plead for Lian Po, stating Lian Po's achievements and asking King Yan of Zhao to revoke his decision.

King Yan of Zhao was already angry because Lian Po disobeyed his orders, and now so many Zhao ministers disobeyed his orders and refuted him.

The new King of Zhao became even more angry and executed seven ministers who had given him advice.

This move surprised Guo Kai, who had been watching the show from the sidelines and silently waiting for the position of prime minister to fall upon him.

The new king has an unstable foothold, so how can he be so bloodthirsty?

Establish authority?

Aren't you really afraid that these Zhao officials will divide Jin into three parts?

Guo Kai immediately entered the palace and advised Zhao Wangyan:

"Your Majesty has just ascended the throne. When you succeeded the previous king, there was no one else around, which has aroused suspicion among the civil and military officials in the court.

"If we offend the officials at this moment, there may be more than just Lian Po who will rebel."

The same truth sounded completely different to King Yan of Zhao when heard from Guo Kaikou and from other Zhao ministers.

Only Guo Kai, who shared weal and woe with Zhao Wangyan, was believed by Zhao Wangyan to be sincere in his interests and not disrespecting the king's orders.

"Do you want me to go back on my word and release that old villain and his entire clan?" King Yan of Zhao shouted angrily, his unwillingness evident in his words.

Guo Kai hugged Zhao Wangyan, lay in Zhao Wangyan's arms, put his palm on Zhao Wangyan's chest and patted and comforted him gently.

When Zhao Wangyan's anger subsided, he said softly:

"My great king.

"Lian Po is away, and if you kill his three clans, he will regard my king as his mortal enemy.

"If Wu Zixu was able to fight his way back to Chu, there's no guarantee that Lian Po wouldn't do the same.

“I definitely cannot kill him, but if I let him go, it would damage my prestige as king.

“It is better to imprison rather than kill.

"It will neither drive the old villain Lian Po mad nor damage the king's prestige."

King Yan of Zhao listened and made a plan in his mind.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded sincerely, kissed Guo Kai hard, and said affectionately:
“I never thought that the beauty was not only beautiful, but her wisdom was even better than her looks.

"I am blessed to have a beautiful woman.

"Let's do this as the beauty says."

After the advice of Jianxin Jun Guo Kai, Lian Po's entire family was arrested but not killed, but imprisoned.

Most of the Zhao officials who had been pent up with grievances heaved a sigh of relief and began to have a new attitude towards Guo Kai.

It seems that this concubine of the previous king can speak human language.

The State of Zhao was in trouble frequently, and the State of Qin was no less troubled.

But compared with King Yan of Zhao who came to the throne in an illegitimate way, King Zheng of Qin came to the throne in a most righteous way.

The royal family, relatives by marriage, civil officials, and military generals were all there.

Prince Chu of Qin died in front of everyone and passed the throne to Prince Zheng of Qin.

Half a month later, the King of Qin announced his death and gave him the posthumous title Zhaoxiang, and he was known in history as King Zhaoxiang of Qin.

Prince Chengjiao, who was rumored to have returned to Xianyang, showed up at Jingquan Palace and saw King Zhaoxiang of Qin off for the last time.

Prime Minister Lu Buwei looked at Prince Chengjiao with extremely complicated eyes from time to time, like an infatuated man and a resentful woman who could not get what he wanted.

This time the kingship of Qin was transferred.

The death of Duke Bie, the death of all the brothers of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, and indirectly the death of King Zhao allowed them to escape danger.

The previous king had passed away half a month before Ying Zheng ascended the throne.

The young man had already lost most of his sorrow over the passing of the late king in the past half month.

King Zheng of Qin was extremely excited when he first ascended the throne, and he wanted very much to prove himself and show his abilities.

He stayed in the diligent palace where the previous king handled government affairs for three days, approved all recent memorials, and gave his opinions on how to deal with them with his own hand.

After reviewing the memorial, King Zheng of Qin divided it into three parts.

One part was a memorial in which he requested that the order be executed immediately, another part was a memorial in which he wanted Prime Minister Lu Buwei to read it and give his opinion, and another part was a memorial in which he rejected the order.

After the distribution, King Zheng of Qin asked Zhao Gao, who was appointed to be in charge of various seals, to take the memorial away.

Except for the part of the memorial sent to the Prime Minister's Office, the remaining two parts of the memorial were stamped with the seal of the King of Qin and sent out, and the government executed them immediately.

Zhao Gao was embarrassed, bent his waist 90 degrees, and said:
"Your Majesty, this eunuch does not have the seal of the King of Qin."

Qin Wangzheng raised his eyebrows, a little surprised:
"You haven't handed over the seal and talisman matters to your predecessor yet?"

The Seal of the King of Qin is one of the most important seals of the Qin State. No one would dare to withhold the seal without permission, unless they wanted to risk their life.

Zhao Gao was even more embarrassed:

"The handover is complete, but..."

"Stop talking nonsense!" Qin Wangzheng was a little annoyed: "Speak quickly!"

Zhao Gao knelt on the ground with a plop, lowered his head and dared not look at the King of Qin's expression:

"In the Seal Hall that the eunuch took over, there was not a single seal or tiger talisman."

King Zheng of Qin was furious.

He succeeded to the throne as King of Qin, but did not get any seals or tiger talismans of Qin.

Without Wang Ling's seal, it would just be an ordinary bamboo slip!

So how is he going to convey the king's orders and govern the country? Is it by using his reputation as King Zheng of Qin?

"Where are the seal and tiger talisman?" King Zheng of Qin stood up suddenly and shouted sternly.

"I heard that most of them are in the hands of the prime minister, and the rest are in the hands of the Queen Mother Huayang, the Queen Mother Ji, and the Minister of the Imperial Clan." Zhao Gao told him everything he had learned.

King Zheng of Qin's face changed color repeatedly, and only anger remained.

Pointing at the three piles of bamboo slips, Qin Wangzheng's eyes were filled with anger:

"I approve the reply and the Prime Minister will review it.

"I can only give advice, but the final orders must be obeyed by the Prime Minister.

"Am I the King of Qin, or is the Prime Minister the King of Qin?"

Prime Minister's Mansion.

Prime Minister Lu Buwei received three piles of bamboo slips from King Zheng of Qin.

Prime Minister Qin didn't even look at it.

He had already read these memorials before King Zheng of Qin read them.

The current rule for submitting memorials in the Qin State is to send them to the Prime Minister's Office first.

After reading them, the prime minister selected some memorials and presented them to King Zheng of Qin.

After reading it, King Zheng of Qin would send it back to the Prime Minister's Office if he wanted to give any instructions.

After the prime minister read it, he thought it was acceptable and stamped it with the Qin King's seal and issued it.

Lu Buwei believed that it was important to understand the preferences and political views of the current King of Qin, but there was no rush.

Meet Le Cheng.

The most important thing at the moment is to understand the State of Zhao from the perspective of a military general at the top of the State of Zhao.

Le Cheng narrated a series of events that happened in the State of Zhao. He expressed his dissatisfaction with the veteran general Lian Po and his suspicion about the death of King Xiaocheng of Zhao. He emphasized that the reason he was not at a disadvantage in battle but because he had no soldiers.

Lü Buwei listened very carefully, taking notes as he listened. After he finished listening, Prime Minister Qin tapped the bamboo slips with his fingertips and said in an unclear tone:
"The traitor was Lian Po, not Lord Wuxiang.

"The defeat to Lian Po was not the fault of Lord Wuxiang.

"Even if Taigong Wang were resurrected, he would not be able to defeat tens of thousands with a few hundred.

"Buwei wondered why Lord Wuxiang did not return to Zhao but chose to come to our country instead?"

Le Cheng looked embarrassed and found it difficult to express this matter.

Lu Buwei's expression remained unchanged, and he had to say it even though it was difficult to express.

When you live under someone's roof, how can you not bow your head?
The majestic Wuxiang Jun of Zhao arrived in Qin and sighed:
“The king has replaced Lian Po with me and has shown me great kindness. I should not have said anything bad about the king.

"But since Prime Minister Qin has asked, I should tell you everything I know.

“As I have already said, the cause of the late king’s death is in doubt.

"He died suddenly, with only the crown prince by his side. This is not in line with the late king's temperament.

“The crown prince succeeded to the throne and actually made the previous king’s favorite concubine his lord.

"The ministers criticized and took the opportunity to express their disapproval. Now the king has no reason to explain and can only use his royal power to suppress them.

"After scolding Cheng for a concubine, he immediately ordered Cheng to replace Lian Po and showed him great kindness.

"The king now decides on national affairs based on his own preferences, which makes me feel uneasy about being a minister in Zhao State and I don't know how to be a minister."

Lü Buwei understood, nodded, and asked again:

"Why don't you go to Wei and Han, two of the Three Jins, but come to our country?"

Once the hardest words are said, the rest will be much easier to say.

Le Cheng leaned back slightly, let go and said:

"Cheng's elder brother and grandfather are both here.

"And I have a life-and-death relationship with your country's young master Cheng Jiao..."

After Le Cheng said the four words "Prince Chengjiao", Lu Buwei paused slightly.

After Le Cheng finished speaking, Lu Buwei asked Le Cheng to wait in Xianyang for a while.

The Qin State has been busy recently.

After Lu Buwei is done with this busy period and has sorted everything out in order, he will definitely bring him to meet the King of Qin.

Le Cheng's heart was slightly moved.

Lu Buwei was talking about waiting for him to finish his work, not the King of Qin to finish his work...

Another powerful prime minister…Le Cheng thought secretly.

He said goodbye to Lu Buwei without changing his expression.

He went straight to look for Le Yi and Le Jian, father and son, who were from the same clan.

Lu Buwei rubbed his eyes, closed them and thought for a while, not knowing what he was thinking about.

He then called Gan Luo, the chief secretary of the prime minister, and asked him to read to him the reply of King Zheng of Qin on the memorial.

Gan Luo wanted to persuade his lord not to be too domineering, but when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back and sighed.

Pick up a scroll, unfold it, and recite...

Lu Buwei listened to it hastily, his brows still furrowed.

"Nonsense!" Qin Xiang shouted, "Write down my words and send them to the king."

Gan Luo responded.

Spread the bamboo slips, pick up the brush, and wait for the master to speak.

After waiting for a while, seeing that the master still closed his eyes and did not speak, he reminded:
"Lord."

"What's the matter?" Lu Buwei opened his eyes and asked in confusion.

Gan Luo raised his hand slightly and showed his master the brush dipped in ink, reminding his master that he had not spoken yet.

Lu Buwei laughed:
"Didn't I already say that?"

The boy opened his eyes wide, his face full of impossibility.

He was there the whole time, when did the master say that? He definitely didn't say that!

"Nonsense." Lu Buwei said heavily.

The boy's eyes widened, and his expression gradually turned into horror:
"My Lord, this... this... you must respect the King... My Lord is my subject..."

"Write." Lu Buwei pointed his finger at the bamboo slips in the air.

He suppressed Gan Luo's words, and also suppressed something else...

After a simple response, Gan Luo felt a little cold and frightened.

Lü Buwei acted as if nothing had happened and said leisurely:

"Take another bamboo slip and write again."

Gan Luo said with a tearful look on his face:
"My Lord, what else do you want to write? Who is this for?"

"Zhao Guo Kai." Lü Buwei's eyes flashed with annoyance: "Tell him not to cause more trouble."

Guo Kai actually dared to use the Yangqi Pills he gave to kill Zhao Wangdan, and actually killed him. It must be said that this was an unexpected surprise.

But later, Guo Kai advised King Yan of Zhao not to offend the public, which was an unexpected trouble.

The worse the new King of Zhao is, the more chaos the state of Zhao will suffer, and the more beneficial it will be to Qin.

Lu Buwei gave Guo Kai gold, silver, jewelry, and provided him with everything he needed, but it was not for the betterment of the State of Zhao.

The bamboo slips passed through Gan Luo's hands, were transferred from Xianyang to Handan, and finally fell into the hands of Jianxin Jun Guo Kai.

After reading it, Guo Kai angrily threw the bamboo slips to the ground:

"You merchant bitch! How dare you be so rude!

"Do you think I am his plaything?"

The angry Guo Kai went to find King Yan of Zhao, blew himself up, and discovered the Qin spy.

King Yan of Zhao was overjoyed and ordered him to be killed.

In just three days, a slightly bloody wind blew in Handan.

Guo Kai used Lu Buwei's hidden piece who was in contact with him as the point, connected the points with lines, and involved several lines behind the hidden piece.

They also used wires to connect people and torture to extract confessions, and the Qin spies informed on each other.

Under severe torture, few people have the strong determination to remain silent.

A person who has such a strong belief has a heart as steadfast as that of a saint.

Guo Kai, who was pushed to a high position by Lu Buwei, almost single-handedly eliminated most of the hidden chess pieces that Qin had deployed in Zhao.

The reputation of Zhao Wangyan and Guo Kai, who were both king and minister and lovers, has improved.

King Yan of Zhao took the opportunity to order Guo Kai, Lord Jianxin, to be appointed as prime minister and to make the former prostitute the queen.

The ministers of Zhao State were dissatisfied but kept silent.

Although equally dissatisfied.

But their dissatisfaction with Guo Kai's appointment as prime minister was much less than their dissatisfaction with the last time Guo Kai was enthroned as a lord.

First, the ministers' tolerance towards King Yan of Zhao was increasing.

Second, Guo Kai proved that he was more than just a plaything.

As for the queen... the ministers were full of disdain and privately called her the Whore Queen.

The reason why they did not speak out in rebuttal was because making a prostitute the queen would damage the dignity of the country and would not involve their own interests.

It’s not that Zhao Chen is unpatriotic.

But the souls of the seven patriotic Zhao ministers who died have not yet drifted away.

Although those seven people spoke for their own interests, wouldn’t the result be beneficial to the State of Zhao?

Since it is beneficial, how can it not be considered patriotic?
In the Zhao court, the patriotic Zhao ministers dared not speak.

On the border of Zhao State, the truly patriotic Li Mu doesn't care about this.

The border general immediately wrote:

[A prostitute's body has been slept with by countless men, and has long been filthy. ]

[Your Majesty, by making this woman your queen, do you intend for her son to succeed the State of Zhao?]

[The blood of our royal family has been stained for generations! 】

[If a prostitute becomes the queen, our country will be laughed at by all the princes in the world! Even a barbarian country like Chu can laugh at our country! ]

[If this woman becomes queen, she will cause chaos in the country! ]

(End of this chapter)