The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 264: God descends upon Qin, the King of Qin asks the heavens, and the Prime Minister establishes a school
Ji Yaoyao, who had received the answer from her son, had a strange look on her face as she calculated the progress of events in her head.

Ji Yaotiao soon found out that telling or not telling would not affect the overall situation, and she would know the answer.

She rubbed her eyebrows gently, her fingertips pausing slightly there, as if she was thinking about something.

After a moment, she said in a tentative tone, her voice soft but with a barely perceptible sharpness:
"I heard that Shaofu is also Lu Buwei's man?"

The Shaofu of Qin State.

One of the Nine Ministers, with two responsibilities.

One is responsible for collecting taxes from mountains, seas, ponds and lakes, and collecting local contributions for use in the palace.

Second, he is responsible for providing services such as food, clothing, daily life, hunting and entertainment for the palace.

Ji Yaotiao's charming pupils slightly dilated, a trace of surprise and anger flashed in her eyes, her red lips slightly opened, and her voice suddenly rose:
"He dares!"

Ji Yaoyao said nothing, but just looked at Queen Dowager Zhao quietly, her eyes gentle but filled with silent questioning.

Those eyes seemed to be saying - what is there for him to be afraid of?
The pale green veins on Queen Mother Zhao's forehead bulged slightly, and her charming face seemed a little distorted by anger.

She slammed the table and said in a cold and sharp voice:

"How brave!
"Don't blame me, sister. I am being rude."

The voice of Queen Mother Zhao was still echoing in the hall. She had already left, with the hem of her skirt drawing a sharp arc on the ground.

She wanted to go to the Shaofujian to see whether Lu Buwei had stolen the royal funds!

Shaofujian.

Sikong Ma, who had served as Shaofu since the reign of King Xiaowen of Qin, was sorting out bamboo slips at his desk.

Suddenly he heard hurried footsteps outside the palace. He looked up and saw that it was Queen Dowager Zhao who came in person. He was surprised - how could Queen Dowager Zhao be the first one to arrive?

Although he was surprised, he quickly calmed down and let him go according to his master's order.

Ji Yaotiao didn't expect that entering the Shaofu Prison for inspection would be so smooth. She felt relieved and thought that Yaoyao's guess might be wrong.

[If all the funds of the Shaofujian were embezzled, how could Sikong Ma dare to let it go so easily?]
This thought disappeared instantly when she saw the empty treasuries of the Shaofujian.

Inside the treasury, the shelves that should have been filled with gold, silver and treasures were empty.

The dust slowly floated in the sunlight, appearing particularly dazzling.

There were piles of bamboo slips that should have recorded the expenditures of the Shaofujian, but now there was no word to be found.

"Sikong Ma!" Queen Mother Zhao's eyes were blazing with anger, and her voice exploded like thunder in the empty treasury.

"I'm here." Sikong Ma was as calm as water. He bowed and saluted without any fluctuation in his expression.

"Give me an explanation." Queen Mother Zhao's voice was as cold as ice, and her eyes pierced Sikong Ma like a knife.

"I will make this clear to the emperor at the meeting." Sikong Ma remained neither humble nor arrogant, and his tone was calm.

"You are the ruler of the country, so you should be loyal to him!" Queen Mother Zhao's voice suddenly rose, filled with uncontrollable anger.

"I am a Qin official and I am loyal to Qin." Sikong Ma raised his head slightly, looked directly at Queen Mother Zhao, and spoke in a firm tone.

On the afternoon of the day when the 517,000 gold coins were distributed, the Shaofu Sikong immediately submitted a memorial.

This was the only memorial submitted directly to King Zheng of Qin since he ascended the throne without any comments from the Prime Minister's Office.

The Palace of Observation and Diligence in Learning.

Qin Wang Zheng, who learned the truth from his mother and went to the Shaofu Palace to see the facts in person, was now sitting at his desk with a face as gloomy as iron.

He slowly flipped open the bamboo slips, his eyes wandering between the words, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

The bamboo slips read:
[In the early days of his reign, the king worked hard to govern the country with great ambitions, wanting to carry on the aspirations of his predecessors. ]

[However, this ambition did not last long. He was restrained by delusions and became obsessed with beauty. He wanted to force the hidden palace maid to be his queen and even invited her to ascend to heaven with him.]

[How is your action different from the legendary story of King You of Zhou playing tricks on the princes by lighting beacons? ]

[This hidden palace maid is not as beautiful as Bao Si, but she is more of a disaster than Bao Si.]

[Today, when I was counting my property at the government office, my eyes suddenly went dark and I couldn’t see anything.]

[When I regained my sight, a spirit appeared in front of me with a bird body, white clothes, two buns on his head, and a willow whip in his hand.]

[The gods don't need to speak, their voices will ring in my mind, majestic and grand. ]

[The spirit said that his name was Gou Mang, and that he came here on the orders of Emperor Taihao.]

[Because the king does not respect heaven and the emperor, he is punished.]

[The spirit waved its hand, and the treasury that was filled with articles was emptied in an instant. Not a single ink spot could be seen on the bamboo slips that were full of text.]

[The spirit asks the minister to tell the king.]

[When will the king learn to respect the Heaven and the Emperor, and think about governing the country instead of women? ]

[When will the treasury be filled again, and when will words appear on the bamboo slips? 】

[The spirit did not speak from beginning to end, these words only echoed in my mind.]

[After these words echoed in my mind, the spirit disappeared from my sight.]

[I dare not neglect it and immediately record the events I experienced in detail on bamboo slips and present them to the king.]

【Respectfully presented by Ma, the Minister of the Imperial Household. 】

The memorial was very long, but King Zheng of Qin only read it once.

Then he ordered Zhao Gao to bring the first volume of "Lüshi Chunqiu" and slowly unfold it on the table.

By expanding only five columns, he saw what he wanted to see:

【Lüshi Chunqiu】

【Meng Chun Ji】

[One says: In the first month of spring, the sun is in Yingshi.]

【At dusk, it is in the middle; at dawn, it is in the tail. 】

[The day is Jia and Yi, the emperor is Taihao, and the god is Ju Mang.]

"Zhongfu." Qin Wangzheng looked at the bamboo slips with a smile on his face, muttering to himself: "Jumang, Taihao... the opening works. You are afraid that I will misunderstand that there are real gods."

He slowly closed the bamboo slips, stroking them lightly with his fingers, with a hint of coldness in his eyes:
"It is I who do not respect Heaven and the Emperor, and even more so you, Zhongfu.

"I only forced a woman to ascend to heaven with me.

"Father Zhong, you are using the gods to compare yourself to the Emperor of Heaven.

"Using money to coerce the emperor, using one's position as prime minister to control the fate of the country.

"Really, this is an overstepping of authority..."

King Zheng of Qin clenched the volume of "Lüshi Chunqiu" in his hand. The bamboo slips made a "crunching" sound in his hand, as if they would be crushed in the next moment.

"Wang Wan." King Zheng of Qin suddenly called.

On another table, Wang Wan, who was ready to answer the king at any time, immediately raised his head:
"The minister is here."

"Do you believe in spirits?"

"what?"

"Do you believe in God?"

"I...xin."

"Do you also think that my invitation to Afang to ascend to heaven is a blasphemy to heaven?"

"minister……"

"I want to hear the truth."

"……Yes!"

"Very good." King Zheng of Qin grinned, with a hint of sarcasm in his smile.

Wang Wan felt a chill all over his body and regretted telling the truth in a fit of rage.

King Zheng of Qin walked up to Wang Wan, held Wang Wan's head with both hands, and forced Wang Wan to look directly at him.

"Look at me." Qin Wangzheng pointed at his mouth and said in a low voice with unquestionable power: "The sky is a bird."

Wang Wan's pupils dilated as if struck by lightning, and her body softened and she almost fell down.

Respecting Heaven and worshipping God is the characteristic of this era.

The Book of Songs, one of the Five Classics of Confucianism, which is widely read today, says:
[The black bird of heaven descended and gave birth to the Shang Dynasty.]

Yin Qi's mother was named Jian Di. She was the daughter of Yousong and the second concubine of Emperor Ku.

Jian Di and three others went to the river to take a bath. They saw a black bird drop an egg. Jian Di picked it up and swallowed it, and thus became pregnant and gave birth to Qi.

Qi, the merchant ancestor.

The History of Qin states:
[A black bird dropped an egg, a woman swallowed it, and gave birth to a son. 】

Daye, the ancestor of the Qin people.

In today's mainstream culture, gods do exist and can be written into history books.

The older the history books, the more common the appearance of gods.

Many of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the ancestors of the Chinese nation, as well as their concubines and ministers, were recorded as gods.

Ju Mang was a subordinate of Taihao, and Taihao was Fuxi, one of the Three Sovereigns.

King Zheng of Qin spoke frankly to Wang Wan in front of him and insulted Heaven.

The shock in Wang Wan's heart was even greater than when Wang Wan knew that Lü Buwei had given out 517,000 gold. Qin Wang Zheng supported Wang Wan with his two strong arms and squinted his eyes.

The King of Qin, who was threatened by Lü Buwei with the fate of heaven and whose kingship was taken away by the god Ju Mang, said the most horrifying words in the most calm tone:

"If there really is such a thing as heaven, come and kill me today.

"If I die today, you, Wang Wan, should continue to worship the gods.

"If I had not died today."

King Qin licked his lips:

“I am the sky.

"I will be the Heaven of Qin, and the Heaven of the world.

“No, not the world.

"I am the sky, what is the difference between heaven and earth?"

King Zheng of Qin looked up, his eyes piercing through the roof of the palace, as if he was looking directly at the sky:

"God, are you there?
"I am Ying Zheng, waiting for you to kill me."

King Zheng of Qin was born in the State of Zhao and suffered humiliation.

A memorial to the emperor triggered the madness that had been dormant for many years in the deepest part of his bones.

Anyone who has seen the light can no longer endure the darkness.

Having tasted the power, King Zheng of Qin could not accept himself being powerless and at the mercy of others.

No man, no god, and no heaven can stop it.

He would rather die than go back to the past.

The next day.

Wang Wan paid a visit to King Zheng of Qin.

Meet, kneel, and bow.

Why wouldn't Wang Wan be loyal to a man who couldn't even be killed by the sky?
This is the recklessness of youth and also the arrogance of youth.

In just one day, the news that Lu Buwei had embezzled money from the Shaofujian to do things spread among the Qin's high-ranking officials along with the bamboo slips of punishment from the gods.

At that time, all the civil and military officials abandoned King Zheng of Qin because he forced the hidden palace maiden to ascend to heaven, which was disrespectful to heaven.

Now, facing Lu Buwei, who used Emperor Taihao and the god Ju Mang as a cover and was even more disrespectful to heaven, he felt uneasy.

People would say behind his back that he was mad, but when they met him they would address him respectfully as "Prime Minister Lu" or "Mr. Prime Minister".

Blasphemy against God and disrespect to the King.

If he behaves in this way, will he replace the king next?

The Qin high-ranking officials remained silent and were so frightened that they dared not make any rash moves for a while. Many of those who originally intended to surrender to King Zheng of Qin stopped making any moves.

Everyone watched the development of the situation quietly, wanting to know what this crazy and powerful prime minister would do next.

The old general Meng Ao wrote a letter and sent it at full speed to his son Meng Wu, the garrison commander of Hangu Pass.

Meng Wu unfolded the expensive animal skin book and saw only six words:

【Seeing the tiger talisman, he did not move.】

Meng Wu, who had served as the defender of Hangu Pass for three dynasties, gasped. He had never expected that the situation had developed to such a serious level.

He looked at Xianyang in the distance, and recalled the fat businessman who used to follow Master Chengjiao and was frightened by a word from Master Chengjiao.

There is no way he could be associated with the current prime minister, who has the greatest power in the history of Qin and can directly threaten the royal family.

The Prime Minister's Mansion, the main hall.

Lu Buwei, who was the focus of attention of all the senior officials of Qin State, was still quietly reviewing the bamboo slips and carefully making arrangements for everything for Qin State.

"Master." Zhao Di walked in and called softly.

"I'm here." Lu Buwei responded, "Sit down first and wait for me to finish reviewing."

"only."

Zhao Di sat on the chair, looking at the bamboo slips all over the floor and looking at his master.

Today's master has more white hair on his temples than yesterday's master.

Zhao Di took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

[If you want to die, then die.]
The people of Zhao repay kindness with kindness and revenge with revenge.

Zhao Di perked up after hearing the "click" sound of the brush being put down.

Stand up automatically, stand straight, and wait for instructions.

Lu Buwei rubbed his right hand with his left hand and said with a little fatigue:

"With 517,000 gold being distributed, there must be a lot of fools tempted, right? Tell me."

"Yes." Zhao Di responded and recited everything in detail: "Yesterday, the fourth son of the Bai family went to the home of a farmer who had earned a thousand gold coins and forced the farmer to pay the rent for the land..."

Zhao Di's speech lasted nearly half an hour...

Lu Buwei's brows were furrowed and his breathing became heavier.

He had long known the character of these nobles, but when the incident really happened, he still couldn't help but feel angry.

The Qin Law was indeed strict, and its scope was limited to the common people.

When Shang Yang was alive, he intimidated the Qin nobles with the heads of 700 old Qin nobles.

After Shang Yang's death, everything gradually changed again.

Although the Qin kings of all generations still followed the laws of Shang Jun, they no longer treated everyone equally as they did at the beginning.

It was too easy for the Qin nobles to kill the illiterate Qin people within the Qin Law.

What Zhao Di mentioned at the beginning about the four sons of the Bai family forcing the rent of land to be collected sounds reasonable, but it is actually not the case at all.

After the Qin Dynasty's reforms, land could be privately owned and was initially distributed to the people.

But as natural disasters and man-made calamities struck, the common people, who had no ability to resist risks and had to work day by day, could only sell their fertile land to the nobles at a low price in order to survive.

This is the heritage of nobility.

When dealing with the common people, the nobles do not need to bully men and women or seize good land.

As long as you stay alive, the people will eventually offer you their fertile land and land.

After the good farmland becomes the property of the nobles, they will rent it out to the common people for cultivation.

The Qin Law cannot regulate this rental price.

This is someone else's private land, and the Qin Law cannot set a price for it.

It was extremely easy for the fourth son of the Bai family to embezzle the wealthy tenant of his family. He only used a freshly prepared rental account for the previous three years - exactly one million taels of silver.

The oldest part of the account, where the servant's handprint was printed, was the only real part.

Most people are illiterate and can only remember the land rental price in their minds.

But the government does not recognize memory, but written documents.

Even if the matter of the fourth son of the Bai family stealing the daughter's gold was brought to the Supreme Court, the fourth son of the Bai family would still be in the right.

Seeing that his master was getting angrier, Zhao Di paused before finishing his speech.

After a moment of silence, he forced a smile and said:
"It is only because of the threat from the Lord that they dare not act too recklessly and act within the laws and regulations.

"With one order from the Lord, everything can be investigated thoroughly.

"Things like piecing together written documents may be enough to fool the common people, but it won't fool the Supreme Court."

There was a hint of excitement in Lu Buwei's eyes.

The powerful minister closed his eyes, sat up straight, and endured for a long time before saying:
"Not the time."

When he opened his eyes again, Lü Buwei's vision had regained clarity, but there was still some reluctance left:

"Run a school!"

In one month, eight schools were established in Xianyang.

These schools recruited students under the slogan "Learn to read and study, and you will earn a fortune."

Nobles and common people are treated equally.

And precisely because of this equal treatment, there were only common people and no nobles in the school.

It is a shame to study in the same classroom with untouchables.

Almost all the high-ranking officials of the Qin State knew that this school was founded by Lu Buwei, but few people cared.

Since Prime Minister Lu is willing to teach some untouchables to read and write, then just teach them. It’s not like they are paying for it.

As for whether these untouchables’ learning of writing would have an impact on their official positions.

Except for Ying Chengjiao, almost no Qin senior officials considered this issue - it was too absurd.

Even if there is, it is nothing compared to 517,000 gold.

An official position is a matter for the future, but money is present.

(End of this chapter)