The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 303: Qin Wangzheng's team, Zhao Gao takes the lead

"Brother, you are drunk." The blue-clothed scholar who was in the same case with the drunk man hurriedly pulled his sleeve, stood up, and smiled awkwardly to the diners around him.

"I'm not drunk! All I said was wuwuwuwu!" The drunk man was halfway through saying this when the blue-clothed scholar covered his mouth.

"Bartender! Put the money on the table, no need to find it!" The blue-clothed scholar shouted loudly and gave a wink to the two people involved in the case.

The three of them worked together to drag the drunk man out of the restaurant and hurriedly disappeared at the door.

[Is it okay to walk away after slandering the King of Qin and the Queen Mother in public?] Han Fei looked at the four people leaving, then at the diners who were still discussing the matter, and seemed to be thinking about something.

As far as he knew, since Shang Yang, the State of Qin had implemented severe punishments to stop adultery.

After Shang Yang's reforms, all laws and regulations in the Qin State became extremely strict, including the control of speech.

There is a ban on defamation in Qin law, which prohibits people from discussing state affairs. Anyone who discusses state affairs will be executed in public.

When Gongzi Qian, the elder brother of Qin Xiaogong, and Gongsun Jia, the teacher of Qin Huiwenwang, criticized the reform and violated the law, Shang Yang cut off Gongzi Qian's nose and tattooed Gongsun Jia's face.

In addition, Shang Yang also burned the Book of Songs and the Book of Documents and made laws to suppress freedom of thought. He prohibited people from traveling and promoting those who worked in the fields and fought in battles.

During the reign of Shang Yang, many people in Qin were convicted for their words, and the Wei River often switched between green and red.

The clan of the slanderers - the clan of those who slander will be exterminated.

Anyone who uses the past to criticize the present will be exterminated. Anyone who uses the past to satirize the present will be exterminated.

Those who speak nonsense are treated without discrimination - those who incite speech will have their entire family killed indiscriminately.

Qin law also encourages reporting of "inappropriate remarks". If one knows about it but does not report it, the neighbors will be held accountable.

Han Fei absentmindedly picked up a piece of celery with chopsticks, put it in his mouth and chewed it.

The Qin State he saw before his eyes was different from the Qin State he had learned from the bamboo slips and from other people's mouths.

We will know in a few days whether those who slandered the King of Qin and the Queen Mother will be punished with clan punishment - all death penalty sentences are usually dealt with publicly and clearly as a formal punishment, and clan punishment is even more so.

What he could see now was that the diners in the restaurant, who had heard such important news, were still eating and drinking, and did not rush out to report to the police.

One or two of them were whispering, seemingly discussing what they had just heard.

[This trip to Xianyang was a good choice...] Han Fei had mixed feelings: [Is Qin going to reform again? Or has it already started?]
"Brother, are you thinking about Korea?" Ji Yaoyao's eyes dimmed, and she said softly, "You have skills but no moral principles. You don't seek to strengthen yourself but only to weaken others. Korea is still there, but it is dead. Brother's talent is like the bright moon in the sky, you should think about the future."

Han Fei's eyebrows and eyes were full of anger, and he spoke each word with a pause, each word like thunder:

"Han! Ruo! Died!

"That's because they are all you people!

"You are a selfish worm who doesn't think about serving your country but only about yourself!"

With her head drooping and her eyes half-closed, she looks like a phoenix folding its wings.

Ji Yaoyao lightly raised a bottle of wine to her lips and sneered:
"Who is it that I, Ji Yaoyao, am sorry for South Korea, or is it South Korea that is sorry for me, Ji Yaoyao?

"My brother studied hard when he was young and acquired many skills that are a thousand times better than those of a young man. But how much of his skills have been used to serve Korea?

"Yaoyao is a termite in Korea, but only Yaoyao can describe herself as a termite.

"Others are not qualified."

Han Fei bowed his head dejectedly, like a deflated ball.

In terms of contribution to Korea, no one alive today can match Ji Yaoyao.

With her bare hands raised slightly, the wine bottle tilted slightly. Ji Yaoyao took a sip of the clear wine and savored it carefully.

He held the bottle to his lips, his face as usual, and said softly:
"This wine is called Sleeping Firewood, and it is one of the two exclusive wines of Taozhu Restaurant. It is known for its strong taste without being spicy, and its long aftertaste.

"It tastes bland at first, like drinking water, without any flavor. But after an hour, it can make your stomach burn. Even a strong man cannot resist the intoxication after drinking two catties of wine.

"In today's South Korea, the king is not a king, the ministers are not ministers, intrigue and conspiracy are rampant. Everyone's eyes are fixed on the tiny country, no one looks outward.

"Although it is natural to fight for power and profit for the family, all the noble families in the countries do so. But it is rare to fight to the point of not caring about the life and death of Han, as was the case with Qin before Shang Yang came.

"My brother is willing to be the Lord Shang, reforming the country and devoting himself to strengthening the country, but is my brother willing to be the Duke Xiao of Qin? Will the Qin, Zhao, Chu and Wei around our country give us time?

"It is true that Shang Yang's reforms marked the beginning of Qin's strength.

"But Shang Jun made the greatest contribution to the strength of Qin? Yaoyao personally thinks otherwise.

"When Shang Jun first met with Qin Xiaogong, he talked about the way of the emperor. He said he would use the methods of the three sage kings Yao, Shun and Yu to govern Qin, but Qin Xiaogong refused.

"The second time, Shang Jun explained the kingly way and how to govern the Qin State with the Confucian principles of benevolence and righteousness, but Qin Xiaogong refused again.

"The third time, Shang Jun talked about hegemony and used the hegemon Qin Mugong's method of fighting for hegemony. Qin Xiaogong was tempted but did not respond, and arranged to discuss it next time.

"The fourth time, Shang Jun used hegemony as the basis to discuss reforms to strengthen Qin, and he talked with Qin Xiaogong for several days without getting tired of it.

"It was Duke Xiao of Qin who chose Shang Yang to carry out the reforms, and Shang Yang led the reforms in Qin. If Duke Xiao of Qin had not chosen Shang Yang, who would he be? Only Wei Yang.

“There are many good horses, but there are few who can identify good horses.

"My brother is an excellent choice in both literary and military strategy. If South Korea's development follows your advice, it will be like the firewood in my hand. The power will only come in the future.

"But is my brother willing to listen to my clan brother?

"What's the use of having wise ministers if the ruler is not wise?

"Besides... Qin will conquer the world within ten years."

[Ten years? Dream on…] Han Fei mocked in his heart.

The Qin State was strong, but not strong enough to defeat all the other states.

After the mockery, he was lost in thought, feeling disillusioned.

Reform is an opportunity for both our country and foreign countries.

If Qin were to reform, it would have to focus on fighting against the vested interests of its own old laws and would have no time to fight foreign wars. This would be South Korea's opportunity.

Han Fei can explain this truth, but will the King of Han listen?
Han Fei smiled bitterly, already having the answer in his mind.

The dishes at Tao Zhu Restaurant are second to none in Xianyang City and are famous for their delicious taste.

Han Feizi didn't find the taste good, it was like chewing wax.

"Brother, eat less." Ji Yaoyao held the chopsticks and pressed them on Han Fei's chopsticks that were holding the dog meat, saying, "There will be a good show in the evening."

Han Fei looked at him in confusion:

[What does watching a play have to do with me eating now?]
Ji Yaoyao saw his eyes and knew what he meant. She smiled brightly, like a blooming peach blossom:

"It is not advisable to eat too much while watching this play."

The Palace of Observation and Diligence in Learning.

The two brothers Meng Tian and Meng Yi were lying on the table, looking up with confused faces.

"Your Majesty, this, the intelligence must be wrong." Meng Tian shouted loudly: "How can we win this battle? We have gone deep into the desert to sweep the Hu people, and the captives are huge. It is impossible to bring my great grandfather with us."

Meng Yi agreed with this and nodded repeatedly:
"In my opinion, Li Mu must have suffered heavy losses in the defeat and was unable to explain to King Zhao, so he fabricated the battle record to fool King Zhao!"

"I also think this report is fake." After knowing this for more than an hour, Qin Wangzheng still had a look of fear on his face: "The people in Longxi, Xiaoguan, Yanmen... the reports they passed on are similar. If this report is fake, it is more serious than the real one, which means that the entire northwest of our Great Qin is in rebellion."

The brothers Meng Tian and Meng Yi looked at each other and leaned over to look again.

After a long while, Meng Tian raised his head, still with a look of disbelief:

"I would rather believe that the northwest of our country is in rebellion than believe that Li Mu is sweeping away the Hu people.

"Since the existence of the Hu people, I have never heard of entering the Hu land and chasing away the Hu people!

"Li Mu has been a coward and afraid of fighting for many years. He was scolded by the Xiongnu and couldn't even leave the pass. If he could be so fierce, I could defeat Langjuxu!"

Meng Tian's confident look reminded King Zheng of Qin of a certain boy.

Many famous generals of Qin State were not optimistic about Li Mu, including the military god Wu Anjun. Only a certain boy, like Meng Tian, ​​swore that Li Mu would win.

"This guy has secretly asked the Grand Historian for astronomy lessons, hasn't he?" Qin Wangzheng cursed in a low voice, and walked around the case to check the border map between Qin and Zhao. Yanmen, Jiuyuan, Daidi... Li Mu, who swept the Hu people, would not only solve the border harassment problem of Zhao State, but also bring a large number of young and strong men to Zhao State.

Although these young and strong men are all Hu people, why does the Zhao State care about this?
Starting from King Wuling of Zhao's introduction of Hu clothing and horse riding and archery, the Hu people were integrated into the State of Zhao.

When you get out of the customs, I will call you a barbarian dog, but when you get back in, you will be my brother.

There was a knock on the door.

Palace Chief Nuanlin glanced at the king with her peach blossom eyes.

King Zheng of Qin nodded slightly.

With the king's permission, Nuan Lin walked slowly, opened the palace gate, and let the eunuch who was knocking on the door in.

The eunuch knocking on the door took a few quick steps, and when he was still seven steps away from Qin Wangzheng, he bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, Lord Chang'an left the palace early in the morning, saying he was going hunting outside the city."

[Going hunting so early?] King Zheng of Qin was a little surprised.

His younger brother was the type who would not sleep until noon, so he was afraid of disturbing his brother's sweet sleep, so he sent the eunuch to call him a little later.

"This guy is not going to cause any big trouble again..." King Zheng of Qin muttered to himself, feeling a little uneasy.

Ying Chengjiao did not tell him about the killing of the white horse, which caught him off guard.

If his mother had not stepped forward to take the blame, it would have been really difficult to quell the anger of the nobles.

Even so, the aftermath of this matter is not over yet.

Originally, he was gaining the upper hand in the fight with his father-in-law, but his younger brother pushed the Bai family to his father-in-law at this critical juncture.

King Zheng of Qin did have some complaints about this.

"Go find him!" Qin Wang Zheng ordered, "Bring him back to me. When I don't need him, I watch him every day. When I need him, he disappears."

The eunuch took the order and left.

Before long, the palace gate was knocked again, and the spacious hall became a little crowded.

Wang Wan, Li Xin, Xiong Wen and Xiong Qi arrived.

Seven young men of similar age were discussing the map on the large case and the war report on the desk, talking about the situation in their respective offices.

One emperor and one courtier.

These six people were the courtiers of King Zheng of Qin.

As he was speaking, Li Xin suddenly punched Meng Tian in the face, pounced on Meng Tian, ​​and rode on him, punching him:

"Bird! Yell! Yell again! How dare you humiliate my uncle?"

Meng Yi kicked Li Xin in the lower back and rushed forward without saying a word.

Meng Tian thrust his waist forward and knocked Li Xin over. In a rage, he fought back with his fists and feet:
"Your uncle is a coward! Nai Gong just doesn't believe it! Your family knows nothing about fighting! My father was a general, my great-grandfather was also a general, was your father a general? A civil official is fighting against us military generals! Are you worthy? Birdman! You are the birdman!"

The brothers Xiong Wen and Xiong Qi initially tried to persuade them with kind words and then tried to separate them.

Upon hearing this, he was furious.

Xiong Qi was originally pulling Meng Tian's arm gently, but this time he pulled it hard and punched him:

"What's wrong with the civil servant? Doesn't it hurt when the civil servant hits you? Doesn't it hurt when the civil servant hits you? Speak, military commander!"

Li Xin and Xiong Qi fought against Meng Tian.

Meng Yi rushed forward to help his brother.

Xiong Wen sneered and kicked Meng Yi, forcing him back:

"It's true that the barking dog bites."

The five people fought together.

Wang Wan, the oldest of the seven, ran to King Zheng of Qin and said with a wry smile:
"Your Majesty, don't you care?"

King Zheng of Qin calmly moved away from the battle and waved to Palace Chief Nuanlin who was standing by the palace.

Nuan Lin approached and lowered his head slightly.

"Call the imperial physician." Qin Wang Zheng ordered.

Nuan Lin responded.

Wang Wan swallowed his saliva:

"Your Majesty, pull away now. No need for a royal physician."

"Fight them, we can't kill them anyway." Qin Wang Zheng said with a smile: "Wang Wan, who do you think is stronger?"

Wang Wan: “…”

"I am asking you a question. If you don't answer, you are showing contempt for me." King Zheng of Qin nudged Wang Wan with his elbow.

"Wan doesn't practice martial arts! I can't tell!" Wang Wan spoke a little harshly. He was really speechless.

What made Wang Wan even more speechless was that during lunch, the five people who had fought to the death in the morning acted as if nothing had happened. They ate meat and drank wine with big mouthfuls, and there was no trace of grudge between them during their conversation.

The corners of Wang Wan's mouth twitched, and he glanced at King Zheng of Qin with slight dissatisfaction.

If the king hadn't insisted on eating from the same table, how could such a mess have occurred? Isn't it better to eat separately?
Sighing and picking up the chopsticks, Wang Wan took each bite slowly and chewed each bite carefully. Compared with the five people who were scrambling for food, he was truly elegant and polite.

King Zheng of Qin looked at the six people at the food table and felt much more at ease.

One old Qin noble and five outsiders.

This is the team of Qin Shi Huang.

The future of Qin belongs to them.

As night falls, the bustle of the day is over.

King Zheng of Qin sat alone in the Guanzheng Qinxue Hall with his eyes closed to rest.

He didn't see his brother the whole day, and he was a little worried.

Zhao Gao knocked on the door and came in, bowing slightly:
"Kings."

Qin Wang Zheng opened his eyes and saw his brother, and was annoyed:
"Why did you come in if you didn't find Cheng Jiao? Get out!"

Zhao Gao fell to his knees with a plop and banged his head on the ground:

"I heard...I heard some rumors about the king and Queen Mother Zhao, and I dare not not report it!"

Zhao Gao knew that he was in a bad mood and had to report the rumor at this time... Qin Wang Zheng narrowed his eyes:

"explain."

"This rumor is too offensive." Zhao Gao hesitated and said, "Your Highness, I dare not say anything."

"I'm sorry! Speak!"

Zhao Gao kowtowed heavily:

"only!

"I heard that Queen Dowager Zhao was Lu Xiang's favorite concubine. Once when Lu Xiang was entertaining the late king, he asked Queen Dowager Zhao to accompany him. The late king took a liking to her and asked Lu Xiang for her.

"Prime Minister Lu was a retainer of the previous king, so I dare not refuse. When he gave it to the previous king, Queen Mother Zhao was still pregnant... That's right, Your Majesty."

Zhao Gao lowered his head, unable to see the King of Qin's expression. But the more he spoke, the colder he felt, and he stammered, not daring to continue.

"Is there anything else?" The cold voice of King Zheng of Qin came from above and hit Zhao Gao on the head.

Zhao Gao buried his head deeper, almost into his crotch.

He felt regretful that he had obeyed Prime Minister Lu's order to report the news to the king.

(End of this chapter)