The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 336: There is no two suns in the sky, and there are two kings in Qin.

The villa by the Wei River is brightly lit.

The spring evening breeze swept across the water, carrying with it a damp fishy smell, and made the flames in the bronze lamps under the porch flicker.

The shadow of the old locust tree in the yard was cast on the blue brick ground, like a ghost with bared fangs and claws.

Meng An threw a carp he caught into the pottery jar, and the splashing water caused a burst of laughter.

The carp with glittering silver scales flapped violently in the jar, and the water droplets splashed onto the hem of Meng An's long gown embroidered with dark patterns.

The head of the Meng family didn't care at all. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and enjoyed the smell of fish.

"I heard that the king wants to discuss something with someone today?" He wiped his hands and said to the people present with a smile.

As he spoke, his left thumb unconsciously stroked the jade pendant on his waist. It was a piece of mutton-fat white jade passed down from generation to generation in the Meng family, and it glowed warmly under the light.

The people who came today are all those who are capable of taking charge among the old Qin nobles.

At the front row are Meng family head Meng An and Xi family head Xi Shan, sitting together fishing.

Xishan, whose sister had died, remained in the fishing posture, his skinny fingers holding the green bamboo fishing rod motionlessly, as if he was deaf to the conversation and did not mention the fish biting the rod.

The first person to come down was Wang Kuan.

The head of the Wang family, who was known for his steadiness, was slowly and leisurely peeling a pear with a silver knife.

The fruit peels were connected into a long strip and hung down on the table, showing amazing patience and control.

"Let's discuss it and see what our king can come up with." He was the first to say with a smile, but there was no trace of smile on his face despite fine lines at the corners of his eyes. Instead, he looked like he was wearing a carefully carved sandalwood mask.

The atmosphere at the table suddenly became lively, and those in power joined in the discussion.

The maids serving wine tactfully retreated to the shadows, and the golden wine jug was passed from hand to hand, making crisp sounds when it collided with other people.

"We did as the tyrant said and acted according to Qin law. We did not make any mistakes this time." The person who said this was Baili, with a tone full of resentment. Baili Sheng, who has not been released yet, is his father.

Gongsun deliberately slammed the wine jar heavily on the table.

The amber wine splashed out, leaving a dark mark on the lacquered table, and sneered:
"How can those outsiders know how government works? Isn't it normal for them to make mistakes?
"If the tyrant wants to avoid making mistakes, he should clear out these outsiders."

"Hehe, our country is the most rule-bound. No step can be wrong. If one step is wrong, everything will be overturned." Xishan suddenly spoke.

Meng An glanced sideways and smiled.

He knocked the pottery jar with a fishing rod, and the carp in the jar jumped up in surprise, then fell heavily back into the water, and the splashing water wet his and Xishan's clothes.

"This ungrateful beast!" A drunken laugh rang out.

Everyone drank and talked happily to celebrate the victory, and the toasts in the courtyard became louder and louder.

Someone began to beat the rhythm with the scabbard of a sword. The sword tassel drew messy arcs in the firelight, turning the originally orderly Qin State into a mess.

The Qin State was a rigorous and machine-oriented country.

This rigor was a good thing in the past and was the root of Qin's high efficiency.

Everyone has their own duties and responsibilities, and only does their own work every day. Over time, they can do government affairs well just by relying on muscle memory.

Throughout the dynasties, only the Qin State achieved this, creating the prototype of industrialization in an agricultural era and building an industrial machine, which was a thousand years ahead.

However, the more sophisticated things are, the less they can withstand turbulence.

For example, the most common bamboo slips.

The old Qin nobles could create chaos simply by deliberately filing official documents according to the most cumbersome classification method and transferring them back and forth between different warehouses - Qin law had strict requirements for document preservation, and set up multiple verification links, each step requiring the seal of a specific official.

All the children of the noble families tacitly agreed not to keep any written evidence, and all instructions were passed on orally with tacit glances.

In just a few days, the Qin government was like an old, dilapidated machine with problems everywhere.

The government offices that had been in power during Lu Buwei's reign were still issuing orders, but they were extremely slow, to the point of being outrageous.

Nothing major happened in the government. They were all trivial matters that were not worth mentioning separately.

But so many small things added together become a big thing, a big thing that must be reported to the king.

Government Hall.

King Zheng of Qin stood in front of a huge screen, looking at the map of government obstacles that Li Si had just drawn.

Each red line on the map points to an old Qin noble. Baili, Wang, Meng, Xi... These surnames are like vines firmly entwined around the trunk of the Qin State.

They depended on Qin for their survival, but now they are strangling Qin to let the king of Qin know.

The Qin State cannot survive without them!
King Zheng of Qin rested his hands on the large table and scanned the densely packed names on it one by one.

Below these names is a summary of the methods used by the Qin nobles to manage their affairs, written by Li Si, with Ying Chengjiao, Xiong Wen, Xiong Qi, Wang Wan, and Meng Tian as assistants:

[1. Things.]

[Seal: Deliberately not stamping a non-critical seal, such as a medical officer's private seal, a warehouse's secondary seal, etc., so that the official document is returned due to incomplete procedures. ]

[Format: If there are format errors that are so small that they are almost invisible, such as half an inch of space not being left, and the date not being written in a standard way, the document will be rejected. ]

[Attachments: Losing seemingly unimportant attachments, such as copies of maps, lists of witnesses, etc., brings the entire process to a standstill.]

[Keys: Lock up the necessary keys as required, and the person in charge of the keys is never there. ]

【Tools: Make the transport vehicle fail reasonably, such as axle overload and damage. 】

[Law: Abuse of legal details, such as the format requirements of the "Xingshu Law" and the verification steps of the "Cang Law", to create time differences. ]

【…】

【2. People.】

[Absence: The key person is absent at the right time, such as taking leave, secondment, temporary business trip, etc. The reasons are varied but difficult to refute.]

[Mismatch: Transferring a capable person to an irrelevant position, such as letting a clerk who is proficient in criminal law to manage a warehouse, or letting an accountant who is good at arithmetic to copy books.]

[Positioning: Arrange at least one of our own people to guard each process, forming a chain link, covering up and down. 】

【…】

King Zheng of Qin read it carefully and it took him a long time to finish.

Turning around, three angry faces came into his sight: Li Si, Meng Tian, ​​and Wang Wan, each one angrier than the other.

Meng Tian's jawline was as tight as a fully drawn bowstring.

Wang Wan's jet-black hair trembled slightly, and each strand stood upright as if to break the sky.

Li Si stared at the half bamboo slip sticking out of his sleeve. It was one of the five pieces of evidence he had found with great effort.

However, the Crown Prince of Qin, who stood with the three people, looked completely different.

He stared at the large picture drawn by Li Tonggu, and praised Li Si with admiration:

"Tonggu's painting is really exquisite, and it is clear at a glance."

Li Si looked at the king calmly and said, "Isn't it inappropriate to praise me at this time?"

Seeing that the king was not angry, Fang Chong Chang'an Jun bowed and said modestly:

“Your Excellency taught me well.

"I drew this picture based on the mind map taught by you, my lord."

Ying Chengqi glanced at him and snorted twice:

"Although I like to be praised, I am not so happy when forced to praise. If I were to draw this picture, it would be better for me to understand the ancient times.

"The most I have done is to make some achievements in summarizing, but my real achievement is to understand the ancient history."

Li Si noticed that Chang'an Jun was not very happy, but the king was quite happy.

Qin Wang Zheng put away his smile and said with a straight face, "Brother, do you have any intention?
"Meng Tian, ​​Li Si, and Wang Wan were all furious, indignant at the threat. But you were smiling and playing it off.

"Is this Qin State only my Qin State, and not your Qin State?
"Is it true that my country only has me as the king and no heir apparent?"

Li Si, Meng Tian and Wang Wan, all three of them had ripples in their hearts.

There are so many cases of fathers and sons fighting for the throne, and brothers fighting against each other. There are so many that I don’t need to give examples, as they exist in almost every country.

Although the monarch and the crown prince are both monarchs, everyone knows the difference between them.

However, King Zheng of Qin raised his brother to a level almost on par with him in his words.

Li Si, Meng Tian and Wang Wan had long known that Ying Chengjiao and King Zheng of Qin had a deep brotherly love, but they were still secretly shocked by it, and the look in their eyes when they looked at Chang'an Jun changed slightly.

Ying Chengjiao didn't feel anything about this.

There was some at first, but after listening to it so many times, it disappeared.

The boy shrugged his shoulders:

"Isn't this a matter of course? Do you still expect them to be killed immediately?"

"I don't intend to kill anyone." Qin Wang Zheng followed up with: "The capable are promoted and the mediocre are demoted. I am just following the law."

“This is no different from murder.”

"You seem to be gloating?"

"No, I just want to know what you are going to do. I think you have already anticipated this."

"Kill them all."

Three words, causing nine waves.

"Your Majesty, please calm down and don't be impulsive." Meng Tian said.

"No!" Li Si said.

"Your Majesty, please think twice!" Wang Wan said.

The three were so frightened that they forgot the precautions when talking to the king and directly expressed their opposition.

Killing someone must have a reason, you can't kill people at will. Even a king needs to abide by the rules.

No one will stand by a king who is moody and kills people at will.

All these old Qin nobles acted strictly according to Qin laws. Every action they took was based on laws and regulations. They were like a group of assassins who were well versed in the law, using the provisions as daggers to cut the operation of the court one by one.

The old Qin nobles were negligent in their duties in accordance with the law. King Zheng of Qin could not reveal the Qin sword unless he caught the old Qin nobles' mistakes.

If they insisted on going their own way and carrying out an unprecedented massacre, the entire Qin State would be paralyzed in an instant.

The day the massacre was completed was the day when the Qin Dynasty was destroyed.

Ying Chengjiao looked at the map on the table without saying anything. He didn't believe that his brother would really dare to kill someone like this.

Wang Wan, Meng Tian and Li Si knew the reason why their brother killed people and knew that their brother did not kill people without reason, so they might stand firmly by their brother's side.

But these three people knew it was useless, they could not support the current Qin State.

If one wants to carry out a complete change in the Qin State, one needs to have enough talent reserves to replace the entire old Qin aristocracy.

When Ying Chengjiao was at his most radical, he only thought about Xunzi coming west and leading his disciples to replace the three major clans of Meng, Xi and Bai, and he did not think about uprooting the old Qin nobles.

First, take down the three that stand out the most, and then slowly take care of the rest, like boiling the frog in warm water.

Apart from moving the Jixia Academy here, the young man could not think of any other force that could replace the entire Qin aristocracy overnight.

Facing the Xianyang Academy which was modeled after the Jixia Academy?
Stop it.

The students of the Imperial Academy were still complaining, pretentious, and confused about the situation. They all wanted to use what they learned about Confucianism, Taoism, etc. to change the Qin State and make a big splash.

Those students who could see that what Qin needed right now was stability rather than innovation had all been arranged into government offices, becoming the fuse for the old Qin nobles' attack this time.

There is almost no one left in Qin.

So... Ying Chengjiao looked up at his brother.

[Brother, what are you going to do?]
He was really looking forward to what measures this great emperor could take to save the situation.

Although King Zheng of Qin in history books also centralized power, it was not as strong as it is today.

What is happening now has never happened in history.

"It's just a joke." Qin Wangzheng smiled and said, "If I really did this, wouldn't I be more cruel than Xia Jie and Shang Zhou?"

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that no one was really going to die.

Ying Chengjiao breathed as usual. He never believed what King Zheng of Qin said.

During these days, he gradually understood his brother's personality.

The tyrant Qin Shihuang in history books and the tyrant Qin Shihuang in the mouths of the current Qin nobles was actually an extremely reasonable king in Ying Chengjiao's eyes.

Wang Yan, the grandson of Wang He, was not killed the first time he tried to stop King Zheng of Qin. The first time he tried to stop King Zheng of Qin, King Zheng just asked him to open the door.

Wang Yan refused to listen and continued to try to stop him. Qin Wang Zheng said that if he continued to try to stop him, he would kill him. Wang Yan did not believe him and died.

King Zheng of Qin took action against the old Qin nobles, but he did not kill them all right away. Instead, he gave them a chance and told them that he would show no mercy if they committed the same offense again.

Ying Chengjiao was surprised to find that as long as he didn't do anything stupid while working under his brother, he would not die.

Qin Shihuang, who was seen as extremely domineering and arbitrary by later generations, was actually a king who was extremely strict and abided by rules.

"Transform into a dragon." King Zheng of Qin said two words.

Wang Wan, Li Si and Meng Tian seemed to be thinking about something, and pricked up their ears waiting for the king's instructions.

Transformed into a dragon? What does that mean?
The king wants to use this incident to transform into a dragon? How?
Ying Chengjiao also looked serious, waiting for his brother to continue. He forgot that he had a courtesy name, Hualong, and his brother was calling him.

Few people know that Ying Chengjiao has a new name, and even fewer people can call out Ying Chengjiao's name.

"Brother." Qin Wangzheng waited for a moment, but his brother did not respond. He raised his head helplessly and said, "I am calling you. Hualong is your name."

Ying Chengjiao then remembered and said with a long "Oh":
"Brother, you say."

Wang Wan, Li Si and Meng Tian, ​​the three Qin king's confidants who were thinking about the meaning of "transforming into a dragon", looked calm and did not show any expression, but they remembered the word firmly in their hearts.

His name was Chengjiao, and his courtesy name was Hualong... The three of them elevated Ying Chengjiao's status in their hearts. The meaning of the title Chang'an Jun was too obvious.

"I asked you to speak." Qin Wangzheng scratched his ear and said with a smile, "What solution do you have for the current situation? Tell me."

"I say?" Ying Chengjiao glanced at his elder brother: "I have no other options. Don't train me or test me anymore. Just tell me what you have to say."

"I have no other options. I am waiting for your solution."

"??? No, you can't. Why are you doing it so hard? Didn't you think about it in advance?"

"You told me that you wanted to build a school and break the clan's monopoly on officialdom. Have you ever thought about how to deal with the clan's backlash?"

"...In my imagination, I won't face backlash from all the clans at once."

"...Then why aren't you worried at all and are you always so confident?"

"I thought you had already thought of a way to deal with it! If you don't have a way to deal with it, why are you so anxious? What are you talking about using 30% or 100% of your strength? Why don't you use all your strength!"

The two brothers exchanged sharp words and complained to each other, and it seemed that they were really angry.

Wang Wan, Li Si, and Meng Tian looked at each other in bewilderment.

If the Qin State was missing a king today, the situation wouldn't be like this!

Separated they are the sun and the moon, together they are a mass!
(End of this chapter)