The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 265: The King of Pressure, the King of Summons, the New Qinwen

Since the gods descended upon Qin, the expenses of the Qin royal palace fell from the peak to the bottom, decreasing rapidly in three days.

During these three days, King Zheng of Qin, Queen Dowager Huayang, Queen Dowager Zhao and other nobles living in the palace experienced many inconveniences.

Clothing, food, shelter and transportation are the most basic needs of life, and the most basic needs of the nobles in the palace have been affected.

Take eating as an example.

The kitchen, which usually only prepared food for one day, was paralyzed on the second day.

The chefs who are skilled in preparing all kinds of delicacies looked at each other in bewilderment at the empty cooking utensils. It was the first time in many years that they had a collective holiday.

The King of Qin, the Queen Mother and other nobles were forced to rely on dishes provided by ministers at home and purchase food from Xianyang, which was a great shame and humiliation.

Everyone, regardless of their level of cunning, had a sullen face while eating, except for a certain guy.

Young Master Cheng Jiao was not affected at all and ate with great relish.

What's wrong with stopping eating takeout at home for a few days to change the taste?

Power has always been used to stabilize money.

Lu Buwei, who was a big businessman in his early years, taught those in power a lesson using the thing he was most familiar with, money.

This was the first time that money overwhelmed power, and also the last time.

For three days, the palace was unable to solve the problem of daily expenses and all affairs came to a halt.

The royal power was oppressed by the power of the prime minister.

Three days later, the palace, which had been shut down, resumed operation.

Prime Minister Lu’s intention is very clear - everyone be honest.

There are many people who exchange money for power.

But people like Lu Buwei, who first used money to support the Qin King Chu, and then used money to exchange for the Qin Prime Minister and Qin Wenxin Marquis, and now used money to exchange for the decline of royal power and the strengthening of prime minister's power.

unprecedented.

Weiyang Lord Qin Xi, who did not live in the palace, was humiliated by it. He wanted to use the money of the Ministry of Grain and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for palace expenses at all costs, divert the national treasury for private use, and get the palace out of Lu Buwei's control.

The king's life is tightly controlled by the prime minister, so what's the point of fighting? Which noble family is so stupid as to stand on the king's side?
Shi Cang, the Internal Secretary of the Ministry of Grain, had always been a member of Qin Xi's staff, since the time of King Xiaowen of Qin.

After much thinking and struggling, Qin Qi chose not to alarm Shicang.

Right now, the Qin king and prime minister are still fighting among themselves, which does not harm the foundation of the country.

But using money from the national treasury would hurt the foundation of the country.

The royal family puts the interests of the royal family first, and the interests of the royal family are the interests of the Qin State.

Zong Zheng came to Yongcheng, entered the ancestral temple, and stayed with the ancestors of all generations.

Qin Qi, who knew that Afang died not at the hands of Lü Buwei but at the hands of Qin Wangzheng, respectfully offered incense to his ancestors:
"Under Lü Buwei's rule, our country is thriving and benefiting the country.

“Although he is domineering and not beneficial to the king, he has no intention of rebellion.

"The clan values ​​the country more than the king."

Glancing at the tablet of King Zhuangxiang of Qin at the bottom:

"Qin Zichu, if you can't survive this disaster, then you'd better sit on the throne and be a puppet.

"This is what an incompetent person should do as a king."

Qin Xi stayed in Yongcheng and did not return to Xianyang, and the Qin clan temporarily withdrew from the dispute over the position of prime minister and king.

Qin Xi, one of the three major forces of Qin Wang Zheng, did not return to Xianyang for three days, causing a slight commotion among the royal faction.

After five days of not returning, the royal faction could no longer sit still and tried to probe and inquire why Zong Zheng stayed in Yongcheng.

Was he really delayed by something, or...had he given up on the king?

It is the seventh day since Qin Qi returned to Xianyang.

Two days were enough time for the royal authority to find out clearly that there was nothing important at the Qin royal family's ancestral temple, and the chief of the clan, Qin Qi, had given up on the king.

Qin Qi's change of attitude should have triggered a major change, causing a large number of royalists to leave.

However, in reality, it only triggered a small change, and the royal power did not contribute much.

This was not because King Zheng of Qin did anything to remedy the situation, but because the royalist faction did not have much power to begin with.

The Palace of Observation and Diligence in Learning.

On the eighth day after learning that his father Qin Qi would not return, King Zheng of Qin had been confined here alone for three days.

He reviewed over and over again what he and Lu Buwei had done after he succeeded to the throne.

He reviewed the incident on bamboo slips.

I wrote down one name after another, one event after another, the causes, results, reactions of all parties, and so on.

The bamboo slips used for the Guangfu Plate consumed five stones of material.

King Zheng of Qin discovered many of his own small mistakes and admitted that some things could have been done better.

But he didn't think he made a mistake in the decision to kill the "queen", which was the only one that affected the overall situation.

He set up a deeply affectionate character, invited Afang to ascend to heaven, and committed suicide by her bedside in the Yongcheng Palace on New Year's Eve.

In Qin Shi Huang's plan, the first person who could be won over by this move was Qin Xi, the chief of the imperial clan, and then the Queen Dowager Huayang who lived in the Xianyang Palace. His mother, the Queen Dowager Zhao, and her brother Cheng Jiao were not within Qin Shi Huang's consideration. He trusted the two as much as he trusted himself.

After the royal family and the Chu-based relatives took sides, as time went on, those nobles who dared not speak out under the power of Lu Buwei would come closer to him one after another - Lu Buwei recruited many retainers and placed them in major government offices. The positions occupied by these retainers should have belonged to the Qin nobles.

Things happened just as King Zheng of Qin had expected. The royal family and the foreign relatives of Chu stood behind him the next day. The squeezed nobles gradually moved closer to him because of their attitude.

There is nothing wrong with this plan itself.

The one with the problem is Lu Buwei himself.

Lord Xiangbang reacted too quickly.

He only gave King Zheng of Qin one month before returning the letter that was hung on the East Gate, with each word costing a thousand gold coins.

At this time, the nobles who had defected to King Zheng of Qin were still not strong enough, and the royal power faction was far inferior to the prime minister's power faction.

Qin Wangzheng, with sunken eye sockets, casually pulled out a bamboo scroll and wrote in the blank space between the bamboo scrolls filled with words:
[Beggar]

A word is worth a thousand gold coins, and the beggar breaks the impasse.

Until now, King Zheng of Qin still thinks it is a brilliant strategy.

Someone must take away the thousand gold coins worth of a word. The lower the status of the person, the more likely he is to break Lu Buwei's power. The beggar at the bottom of the country is the best candidate.

If no one takes it, Lu Buwei's power will surge again, and Ying Zheng's situation will at most be slightly better than it is now.

Qin Wangzheng put a dot of ink on the bamboo slip and laughed at himself:
"This is my ignorance."

Before Ju Mang surrendered, King Zheng of Qin had never thought that his food, clothing and other expenses were actually controlled by others.

And this other person turned out to be his good uncle.

Lü Buwei was promoted to the position of Prime Minister and the title of Marquis Wenxin, both of which were levels that could not be climbed any higher.

His younger brother Cheng Jiao said that the beggar's plan to break the impasse was wrong, but King Zheng of Qin did not think so.

Shaofu Sikong Ma has always been Lu Buwei's man and can cut off the palace expenses at any time. What does it have to do with being a beggar or not?
Does it mean that if no one gets the thousand gold, the Supervisor of the Imperial Household will no longer be under the control of Lu Buwei?
"I am somewhat relieved..." Qin Wangzheng muttered to himself, "The gods must descend to Qin. It is a blessing that they can descend early for a word worth a thousand gold coins."

His mother said that Lu Buwei was outrageous for daring to use royal money.

King Zheng of Qin now felt that this was the opposite of what was said, and that he was the one who was being presumptuous.

He actually wanted to overthrow Lu Buwei while spending Lu Buwei's money.

He deserves the current situation.

Bamboo slips were scattered on the table.

You suppress me in one corner, and I suppress you in half.

One of the bamboo slips was covered with densely written words "Sikong Ma".

Each "Sikong Ma" is marked with a heavy stroke of ink.

This stroke is extremely thick and the ink is extremely heavy, showing the strength and state of mind of the person who wrote it. The simplest way to break the impasse is to dismiss Sikong Ma from his post and appoint a new Shaofu.

The source of money for the Shaofujian was the taxes collected from mountains, rivers, ponds and lakes, and the tributes from all directions. It was a profitable business for the King of Qin with no investment.

If it were not under the control of Lu Buwei, the source of money might be much less, but it would at least be enough to cover the basic expenses of the palace.

But King Zheng of Qin could not do this simplest method.

According to the previous king's will, King Zheng of Qin could not rule the country until Lu Buwei believed that he was capable of doing so.

King Zheng of Qin did not have the power to appoint and dismiss Qin officials, especially one of the Nine Ministers who stood at the top of the Qin officialdom.

Among the bamboo slips on the table, many have the words "Father King" and "Former King" written on them.

The handwriting is also very thick and the ink color is very dark.

King Zheng of Qin had a lot of complaints against the late king - Lü Buwei was now in power and was using this to pressure the king, which had a lot to do with the late king's giving up power before his death.

The previous king's will not only gave Lu Buwei power, but also gave him the legal basis to abuse his power.

Legal rationality is important most of the time, just as important as the reputation of having a legitimate reason for doing so.

King Zheng of Qin closed his eyes, suppressing the murderous intent surging in his heart.

He could not remove Sikong Ma, but he could kill Lu Buwei.

As long as Lu Buwei entered the palace, he could kill or chop people up with just a word.

And inviting Lu Buwei into the palace was a simple matter.

"Zhongfu has never resisted entering the palace..." King Zheng of Qin opened his eyes, and the murderous intent in his eyes disappeared.

He pushed the table lightly and stood up.

Walk to the temple door and pull it gently.

With a creaky sound, the door of the Guanzheng Qinxue Hall opened from the inside.

"Zhao Gao." King Zheng of Qin said softly.

"I'm here." Zhao Gao lowered his head and responded respectfully.

"Announce the Prime Minister to enter the palace."

"Yes." Zhao Gao hesitated for a moment, a ruthless look flashed in his eyes, and he leaned in and whispered, "Do you want to use the name of Chang'an Jun..."

King Zheng of Qin did not move, but slowly raised his hand and slapped Zhao Gao in the face.

When Zhao Gao saw the king raising his hand to slap him, he could dodge but didn't dare.

I dare not close my eyes for fear of angering the king, and I dare not bite my teeth for fear of hurting the king's hand.

He took the slap headlong, and even though he was prepared, he staggered suddenly.

"Don't let me disgrace your mother because of you." Qin Wang Zheng said with disgust: "Get out!"

"Yes!" Zhao Gao responded and dared not say anything else.

With five fingers printed on his cheek, he went to the Prime Minister's Mansion to announce the king's decree.

The Prime Minister's Mansion, the main hall.

Zhao Gao saw a person who absolutely should not be here—Chang'an Jun Ying Chengjiao.

Zhao Gao was in great confusion and didn't know how to react. He was stunned for a long time.

"Are you okay?" Ying Chengjiao asked loudly without hiding his disgust.

Zhao Gao woke up in shock and bowed deeply, but still didn't know how to face Chang'an Jun.

In a hurry, he gritted his teeth and his face became red and swollen, causing pain.

He turned his body towards the Prime Minister who was sitting on the chair without even glancing in his direction, pretending not to have seen Chang'an Jun, and imitated the castrated eunuchs in shouting in a long tone:

"Your Majesty, please summon the Prime Minister to the palace for an audience."

Lu Buwei ignored Zhao Gao and waved his hand.

Gan Luo, the chief secretary of the Prime Minister, understood and stepped forward and said:
"The Prime Minister has been informed. Your Excellency, please wait a moment."

Zhao Gao, who had always believed that it was Lü Buwei who killed his mother and ruined his future position as King of Qin, lowered his head to hide his murderous intent:
"promise."

Gan Luo sent Zhao Gao to the side room to rest for a while, and sighed deeply when he came back.

When the king summoned him, he did not immediately follow the palace maid into the palace, but instead asked the palace maid to wait without saying a word.

Even he, a die-hard supporter of the prime minister's faction, could not tolerate such domineering behavior.

"Where were we talking just now?" Lu Buwei rubbed his eyebrows.

Perhaps due to lack of sleep, he clearly felt that his memory was getting worse recently.

But he was interrupted by Zhao Gao and for a moment he even forgot what he had just said.

"Speaking of the new Qinwen." Ying Chengjiao smiled bitterly: "Master, aren't you trying to alienate the relationship between us brothers? If you want to die, just do it. But don't harm me while you're doing it. Can't you teach Qinwen well when you run a school?"

"My lord, are you here to complain, or are you here to use this as an excuse to ask me to give in, or are you... speaking from the bottom of your heart?" Lü Buwei raised his eyes, his face pale but majestic: "My lord, are you sure you want me to teach you Qin language, not Xin Qin language?"

"..."

"I understand." Lü Buwei smiled, feeling very happy. "Tell me, what do you want to take from me?"

Ying Chengjiao was confused for a long time, and his face looked like a bun.

Finally, he shook his head in displeasure and waved his hands vigorously:
“Forget it.

"After the commander said that, I have no face left to ask for it.

"It's really boring."

Lu Buwei's smile turned into laughter. After laughing twice, he coughed:
"Ahem, this lord, ahem, this lord, am I not acting in accordance with what the young master said?
"Didn't you say that I don't need to pretend to be nice to you?

"Hahaha, cough cough, hahaha."

Since the school was established, Gan Luo had not seen his master so happy for a long time.

He knew that the lord was not unhappy because he was running a school, but because he was unhappy because he learned that the people had lost their gold and could not get it back.

The boy's mouth twitched involuntarily and he smiled without knowing it.

[Die, just die...]
Lu Buwei laughed for a long time, and Prince Chengjiao's face became more and more angry.

Before Master Chengjiao could explode, he shook his head to stop laughing:
"The king has summoned me. Sir, should I go or not?"

Before Prince Chengjiao could say anything, Gan Luo blurted out:

"can not go!"

Even a little kid like him knew that his master had pushed the king into a desperate situation and that entering the palace was a matter of life and death.

Lü Buwei waved his hand at Gan Luo to signal him not to interrupt, crouched close to his disciple, and raised his head:
"Sir, am I going to leave or not?"

Ying Chengjiao smiled with his face but not his heart:

"Master, do you listen to me?"

"listen."

"Then I won't go."

Gan Luo's expression relaxed when he heard this. Before he could catch his breath, he heard his master's order:

"Prepare the carriage, call Zhao Gao over, and go into the palace."

The young man did not move, but looked at his idol Chang'an Jun with pleading eyes.

Ying Chengjiao gave him a helpless look and spread his hands:

"The commander is determined to die, there is nothing I can do."

The Central Palace, the Council Hall.

Lu Buwei stepped in and saw King Zheng of Qin, but did not bow.

(End of this chapter)