The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 350: : Thirty-six people in mourning died to remonstrate. Die to remonstrate. Then die.

At Weinan Jun’s birthday banquet, Meng An, the head of the Meng family, was holding the bamboo slips that had been prepared long ago.

First, the old patriarch of the Xi family, Xidi, was asked to sign his name, followed by his father Meng Hua, and the third was the host of the banquet, Weinan Jun Jianjian.

Weinan Junjian saw that the pen was trembling slightly when signing. He felt it was a great honor to be the third one to sign after Meng Hua and Xidi.

He knew that this was the result of his use of the banquet as a cover and his active stance, and that both were indispensable.

Many people at the table cast envious glances at Jian Jian, either openly or secretly, and cast playful glances at Wang Kuan, who was standing upright in an awkward situation.

According to status, the third person to sign should be Wang Kuan.

Observing Meng An's steps, many clan leaders thought that the head of the Meng family would let Wang Kuan sign last after everyone present had signed their names, in order to suppress the Wang family to the end.

Even Wang Kuan, who had a grim look on his face and pretended to be angry, thought so.

Meng smiled secretly and took the brush from Weinan Jun. He bowed slightly to show his respect to Weinan Jun, who was both an elder and the master of the family.

Weinan Jun Jian, who was older than Meng An but had a lower status than Meng An, smiled kindly and bowed in return, with an even larger movement than Meng An.

The head of the Meng family took light steps, pausing with each step.

Very smoothly, he walked to Wang Kuan's side naturally. He held the bamboo slips in one hand and handed over the brush in the other, and said in a gentle voice:

"Brother Wang, please."

Suppress Wang and let Wang recognize himself. Offer Wang a way out and let Wang walk down smoothly. Combining kindness and force, this is the method used by the Meng and Xi families.

The nobles of the old Qin Dynasty wanted a long-term and stable existence, not like those generals who put their heads on the leather belts around their waists and thought about fighting and killing every day.

Wang Kuan was stunned, both on his face and in his heart.

He turned to look at Meng Hua.

The old man nodded amiably and said:
"Wang Xiaozi, please sign it."

Turn your head and look to the west.

The old general waved his hand and said impatiently:

"I am the first one to sign. What are you afraid of? If the king wants to kill someone, he will kill me. So sign it."

Wang Kuan, who for the first time so directly sensed the protective feelings among the Qin nobles, had a flash of hesitation in his mind.

The hesitation only lasted for a moment, and his heart once again became harder than rock.

He pushed Meng An's hand away, bowed slightly to Meng Hua and Xidi, and said firmly:

"Mr. Meng, Mr. Xi, I won't sign."

Turning around and facing the clan leaders, Wang Kuan said earnestly:
"I ask all my brothers and uncles not to sign.

"We are the ministers of Qin, and Your Majesty is the King of Qin.

“The last time the king dismissed an official and replaced him with a lowly person, it was unreasonable of the king.

“It is understandable and natural for us to fight back.

"This time, the Queen Mother Zhao went to Yongcheng to keep vigil for the late king. This was something the Queen Mother Zhao admitted herself. Your Majesty has both the title and the reason.

"And when the king has clearly stated that anyone who speaks up again will be killed, we will force him to act according to our wishes and bring back the Queen Mother Zhao.

“Your Majesty, if you kill someone, there will be no further consequences.

"Even if the king doesn't kill her, he won't be forced by us to take Queen Mother Zhao back. The final outcome of our joint petition is that nothing will happen."

"Not necessarily?" In the hall, the head of the Lu family frowned, relying on his age, he said in a deep voice: "Mr. Meng and Mr. Xi are reasonable, but my nephew's words are irrational and unreasonable. They are groundless."

Wang Kuan took the initiative to salute and spoke louder:
“What Kuan said was by no means rude speculation.

"Please think carefully. If the king is forced by us to change his mind and take the queen mother back, what will be the king's fate?
"The face is completely lost, the dignity is greatly damaged, and the power will be in the hands of the Queen Mother.

"Your Majesty, who has been forced by us twice, will become our puppet.

"Your Majesty will no longer be able to sit on the throne!"

After a pause, Wang Kuan lowered his voice and said:
"The last Qin monarch whose mother ruled the country was King Zhaoxiang. The last Qin monarch who was forced to rule by his aristocratic family was King Xiaogong.

"The sudden death of Queen Dowager Xuan, the bright red color of the Wei River a hundred years ago, aren't these lessons bloody enough?
"Don't forget, everyone. Bai died at the hands of this king!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present had a changed expression.

The Bai family, together with the Meng family and the Xi family, were representatives of the old Qin nobles and were collectively known as Mengxibai.

In the past, on such important occasions, Bai would have done the same as Meng and Xi.

Must be present, must be a leader.

The past is gone forever.

The blood of the Bai family on the Caotan execution ground had dried up and turned black.

Patriarch Meng raised his eyebrows slightly, and a hint of anger flashed in his unusually clear old eyes.

He did not agree with what Wang Kuan said, nor did he think that Wang Kuan was truly concerned about the old Qin nobles.

Today, most of the nobles of the old Qin gathered at the banquet. All of them signed a letter and asked the king if he dared to kill everyone? Aren't you afraid of chaos in the Qin State?

Qin Jun has the blood of madness flowing in his bones, not the blood of stupidity!

Bai Shi's death was Bai Shi's own fault! Who asked Bai Shi to follow Lu Buwei in rebellion? How could a rebel not die?
Patriarch Meng believed that Wang Kuan's words were alarmist and that he was trying to compete with them for the right to speak among the old Qin nobles.

He and Xidi jointly wrote a letter, but Wang Kuan said he would just wait for development and not write a letter.

If the final outcome is really as Wang Kuan said, then Wang Kuan is forcing the Meng and Xi families to make decisions on behalf of the old Qin nobles, and their rising momentum will be difficult to suppress.

After thinking it over, Patriarch Meng let out a long sigh.

Since Wang Kuan is so ignorant, it’s no wonder that he forced himself on others.

"My son." Meng Hua tapped the poison stick heavily and said coldly, "If Lord Wang doesn't want to sign it, then forget it. Just give it to Lord Li to sign it."

The Lord Li mentioned by Meng An was Li Zhong, who sat below Wang Kuan. The Li Zhong clan was only in the middle among the nobles of the old Qin Dynasty. The reason why they could sit in the front row was because Li Zhong and Li Chong had the same ancestor.

After Li Chong was granted the title of Marquis of Longxi, the Li family among the old Qin nobles rose in status, and Li Zhong's position also moved up by eight places.

Li Zhong, who knew himself, stood up with a wry smile and bowed to Meng Hua, who was obviously angry.

"Meng Gong is in front of me, how can I be a great man?"

He took the brush handed over by Meng An and said "thank you" in a low voice.

Li Zhong held his pen over the blank space below the word "Jian Jian" on the bamboo slip, but was unable to write.

He knew that this was a dispute between the Meng and Wang families, and he also knew that his performance at this moment had displeased the old Patriarch Meng, but he sincerely felt that what the Patriarch Wang Kuan said made sense.

It's not good to force the king like this, right?

Wang Kuan looked anxious and said at the right time:

"Brother Li can't sign it!
"Your Majesty, you must not force me again and again!
"To the king, our actions are no different from those of Lu Buwei! The king first compared us to Lu Buwei, and then said that anyone who mentioned the queen mother again would be killed.

"This is a warning that couldn't be more obvious!"

With a clang, Xidi smashed the bronze jar to the ground and shouted like an old tiger that still had its might:
"Wang Kuan! The Lord has tolerated you for a long time! You are a coward who dares not sign your name. Don't deceive us!"

"Xigong, Kuan," Wang Kuan defended.

"Shut up!" The irritable Xidi interrupted him, pointed at his nose, and said loudly: "Even Naigong, a general who doesn't know much about strategy, has understood it. If the king does nothing about exiling the queen mother, we will be the next to be exiled! We are not forcing the king, we are saving ourselves!"

"It couldn't be more clear." Meng Hua picked up a plum, slowly put it into his mouth, chewed it and said, "The more people there are, the safer it is. Last time we neglected our duties according to the law, and the people who did the work were all juniors, and no one present came in person. The king didn't even dare to kill everyone in our family, so how dare he kill all of us, the heads of the families?"

He narrowed his eyes and his voice became sinister:

"Your Majesty is right about one thing. There is a possibility that the king will not kill us but will not take the queen mother back either.

“But this is better than the current situation.

"We expressed our attitude and told Qin Zheng that we, the nobles of Qin, would not let him manipulate us.

"The Qin State belongs to his Qin regime, and it is also the Qin State of us old Qin nobles. Not everything is decided by him alone!" He is the King of Qin, the lord of the Qin State.

"We are Qin's subjects, but we are also Qin's rulers!

"Let the situation develop as it is, and do nothing about the Queen Mother Zhao being imprisoned in Yongcheng. The one who will be most pleased is Your Majesty, and this will be in the best interests of Your Majesty.

“Gentlemen, Lord Yangquan is not here today.

"Why?
"Isn't it because the Queen Mother was imprisoned by the King that the King's prestige increased greatly, and Lord Yangquan was shaken because of this?

“Sir Wang, as an old Qin noble, you stand with us, but the plan is for the king.

"Could it be that you have three ears?"

Wang Kuan was shocked:

"Mr. Meng, this kid absolutely has no..."

"Just kidding, just kidding." Meng Hua, not knowing that he had hit the mark by accident, raised his right palm and pressed it down slightly, using his gesture to stop Wang Kuan from speaking. He put on a kind face and said to everyone, "Besides Lord Wang, are there any gentlemen who are unwilling to sign their names?"

No one answered.

On this day, there were thirty-seven people at the banquet.

Except for Wang Kuan, all thirty-six people signed their names.

On the same day, at Yangquan Jun’s residence.

Yangquan Jun Mi Chen looked out the window from time to time, from dawn to dusk.

Opposite him, Chang'an Jun Ying Chengjiao was playing with a piece of wire, wrapping it around his left index finger and then taking it off.

"It's almost midnight." Mi Chen glanced at Ying Chengjiao, who was tinkering with some strange tricks, and sighed, "Your Excellency, are you not going back to the palace yet?"

Ying Chengjiao pressed the thumb and index finger of his right hand on both ends of the spiral wire, and the wire disappeared between his fingers. When the two fingers were released, the wire became flat.

[How can it bounce back?] Ying Chengjiao thought, pressing the flat iron sheet on the table:

"Back."

After staying for an afternoon, Ying Chengjiao left.

Mi Chen looked at the round, flat iron sheet, picked it up, held it in front of his eyes and stared at it.

"Spring?" Mi Chen, who had asked Ying Chengjiao what he was doing, muttered to himself, "Is this a word he made up? Is he trying to tell me that if I move, I will be flattened like this wire? Then why did he wrap this wire around?"

After thinking for a while, Yang Quan, who was confused, shook his head and smiled sadly:
“When people get old, they are really useless.

"The kid, who hadn't even grown all his hair yet, was so frightened that he dared not move, and dared not even go out.

"My Queen Mother, you have the wrong person."

The queen dowager he was referring to was Queen Dowager Huayang Mi Bushing.

Three days later, Mi Chen realized that Queen Dowager Huayang had not made a mistake.

Three days later.

The Central Palace is the front hall of Xin Palace.

Today, the sun is shining brightly.

The scorching sun burned the bluestone floor of the square in front of Xin Palace.

The heat wave rose up, and even the air was distorted.

The chirping of cicadas in the woods rose and fell, but could not suppress the solemn and murderous atmosphere in front of the palace gate.

Meng Hua straightened the collar of her plain linen mourning gown, and her white hair was neatly tied up under her jade crown.

He raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead, but he always maintained an upright posture, as if even the scorching sun could not make him bend his back.

beside him.

My old friend Xidi was dressed in military uniform, the only one in the crowd.

behind him.

Dozens of old Qin nobles were also dressed in mourning clothes, holding bamboo slips, kneeling on the hot stone steps. Sweat flowed down their temples and soaked their collars, but no one raised their hands to wipe it off.

"Your Majesty!" Meng Hua's voice was as loud as a bell, penetrating the hot air, and even louder than that of a young man: "Thirty-six of us, your subjects, jointly submit a petition! The Queen Mother is your biological mother, and now she is living in seclusion in Yongcheng, which is against etiquette and law!"

He held the bamboo slips high in both hands. The sunlight cast a dazzling reflection on the slips. The old man's back was soaked with sweat.

The plain hemp mourning clothes clung to his body, but did not diminish his dignity in the slightest.

"Everyone in the world says that Your Majesty is a filial son. How can you sit by and watch your mother suffer?" Xidi spoke up next, his gray beard trembling slightly, but his eyes flashed with a sharp light: "Your Highness cannot bear to see Qin brought to shame, so we risk our lives to make this remonstrance!"

Inside the hall, Ying Zheng sat on the throne, his fingers slightly tightened under the black crown.

Through the civil and military officials and through the open palace doors, he could clearly see the figures kneeling in the scorching sun.

King Zheng of Qin could not see the sweat-soaked clothes of the old Qin nobles, nor could he see the unquestionable determination in the eyes of the old Qin nobles.

But King Zheng of Qin could imagine all of this, and he was extremely sure that what he imagined was exactly the reality.

"I have already issued a clear order." Qin Wangzheng's voice was colder than the ice mirror at the birthday banquet for Lord Weinan: "If anyone dares to speak of the Queen Mother again, he will be killed and his back will be thorned."

When the young king's voice reached the square, it was delivered by five eunuchs.

Meng Hua, the leader, not only did not retreat upon hearing this, but straightened his back instead.

Sweat dripped down his wrinkles, but it couldn't extinguish the persistence in his eyes:

"Your Majesty, please understand!
"We are not disobeying the emperor's order, we are just being loyal!

"Filial piety is the foundation of human relations. If Your Majesty insists on doing this, I am afraid it will hurt the hearts of scholars all over the world!"

His tone was sincere and every word was powerful, as if he was really thinking about the Qin state.

But those eyes always looked down upon him, as if teaching an ignorant junior.

"That's right." Xidi said, his voice a little hoarse due to the heat: "When the late king was alive, filial piety was the most important thing. Your Majesty, are you going to go against the late king's teachings?"

What the two said was very high-sounding and flawless.

Every sentence talks about filial piety, etiquette, and the teachings of the previous kings.

But behind every word was unquestionable arrogance, as if they were the real masters of Qin, and King Zheng of Qin was just a junior who needed to be taught.

Five eunuchs shouted in succession, conveying the words of Meng Hua and Xidi into the palace, and finally Zhao Gao, who was in charge of issuing the seal and order, repeated them to the King of Qin.

All the civil and military officials in the court were silent.

Chang'an Jun Ying Chengjiao raised his head and stared into his brother's eyes, with murderous intent burning and strong in his eyes.

Xunmen has reached Xianyang City.

Before Zhao Gao finished his retelling, a surging chorus of sound came from outside the hall, like a tsunami.

"Your Majesty, please welcome the Queen Mother back!"

"Your Majesty, please welcome the Queen Mother back!"

"Your Majesty, please welcome the Queen Mother back!"

"..."

The talking continued, the shouting never stopped.

There was no need for eunuchs to relay the message; all the ministers heard it clearly, including King Zheng of Qin.

"Death, remonstrance." King Zheng of Qin spoke these two words word by word in a normal voice, but no one heard them.

Outside the palace, the tsunami was overwhelming and still hitting the palace. After drowning out the first sentence of Qin Wangzheng's words, it also drowned out the second sentence:
"Then die."

(End of this chapter)