The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 356: The shocking changes in the officialdom, the two sides are in the tide, Wei Zhuang advises, and the two generations of Jixia Academy priests meet

On the second day after the bodies of the thirty-six old Qin nobles were piled up outside the palace, King Zheng of Qin ordered the Supreme Court to thoroughly investigate the officials who were negligent in their duties in accordance with the law.

Left Prime Minister Xiong Qi and Right Prime Minister Xiong Wen were overjoyed.

Although the actual person in charge of the Supreme Court is Li Si, as long as the Supreme Court is still in Huayang, everything will be easy.

The Supreme Court dismissed people from other forces, and the Prime Minister's Office arranged for people from the Chu faction to take up official positions. This was simply perfect.

The two young prime ministers were ready to use the power given by King Zheng of Qin to do something big and recreate the situation when the Chu clique dominated the court during the time of Queen Dowager Xuan.

As soon as the old court judge Huayang Bufei met with the two young prime ministers, they decided that this major change in the officialdom should be accomplished by the two governments working together.

The Chief Justice Li Si and his team were excluded from this operation.

Xiong Wen and Xiong Qi were prepared for Li Si's resistance, but Li Si did not resist.

Li Si, who was capable of fighting in the Supreme Court, silently accepted the orders of the old Supreme Court Justice, interrogated prisoners, checked documents, and did the daily work of the Supreme Court Justice.

Li Si's behavior of obeying orders without resistance greatly disappointed his team, and many of them defected to the Chu faction, believing that Li Si was afraid of the Chu faction.

When your position reaches a certain level and your influence reaches a certain degree, every move you make must be made with extreme caution.

Like Li Si.

Prime Ministers Xiong Wen and Xiong Qi themselves did not believe that Li Si was afraid.

Li Tonggu, who traveled thousands of miles from Qi to Qin, first served Lu Buwei and then served the King of Qin. He was almost walking on the edge of a knife, as he was always taking risks.

Such a person who dares to cross thousands of miles when he has no support from the bottom can become one of the Twelve Lords.

With the support of King Zheng of Qin, is it possible for us to surrender without any resistance?
The two brothers had no idea what Li Si was up to, so they were on guard, but their subordinates did not have the foresight they did.

In their eyes, if Li Si didn't resist, it meant he was afraid and had no chance. Some people who had a little confidence in Li Si didn't have the time or energy to wait.

Their level is too low, so low that Li Si doesn't even know of their existence, and so low that they may very likely lose everything in this waiting.

They are like fish in the Wei River, seemingly free but actually drifting with the flow.

The dark waves underwater have nothing to do with them; they must first survive the waves.

The result of Li Si's failure to resist was not that he remained standing still, but that his power rapidly shrank.

Half a month passed.

The Supreme Court arrested people and interrogated them. The list of officials with a salary of 800 dan or more who were negligent in their duties was sent to the palace, and the list of officials with a salary of less than 800 dan was sent to the Prime Minister's Office.

The bamboo slips were neatly bundled, sealed with vermilion mud, and carried hurriedly through the corridor by clerks in crimson uniforms.

In the Prime Minister's Mansion, the two Prime Ministers first stamped their seals on the bamboo slips of dismissal, and then on the bamboo slips of appointment of new officials. The copper seals pressed heavily on the silk, making a dull sound, and the smell of cinnabar ink filled the room.

In just these two moves, the old official stepped down and the new official took office.

The old Qin nobles, who were the main target, dared to speak out, but generally they remained tolerant.

There were constant minor frictions with the Chu faction, but no major disturbances.

There were no corpses in the two pavilions in front of Xin Palace, but the influence of Qin Shihuang's murder was still there.

The Central Palace, Fengtian Hall.

The Imperial Censor Wei Zhuang and others were in the square outside the palace.

He was wearing a loose robe with two open lapels, revealing his inner linen undershirt. He wore brown deerskin boots, and the jade on his waist made a ding-dong sound when he moved. He held a scroll of bamboo slips in his hand, intending to meet King Zheng of Qin.

The door of Fengtian Palace was wide open, and a eunuch came in, inviting Wei Zhuang in on the king's orders.

Wei Zhuang straightened his clothes and stepped into the hall.

"Greetings, Your Majesty." Wei Zhuang bowed and saluted. This was the first time he had asked to see the king in private.

"No need to be polite." Qin Wangzheng sat on the ergonomic chair and nodded slightly: "What is the purpose of your visit, Wei Qing?"

Wei Zhuang lowered his head and handed over the bamboo slips with both hands:

"I impeach the left and right prime ministers."

Qin Wangzheng found that the braided rope on the bamboo slips was still fresh green, obviously it had been woven not long ago, and a strange color flashed in his eyes. He tapped the bamboo slips with his index finger on the table and said nothing.

The main job of the Grand Censor was to supervise all officials, so there was nothing wrong with what Wei Zhuang did from a legal point of view.

Zhao Gao lowered his head and took the bamboo slips from Wei Zhuang's raised hands.

He brought it back and placed it gently on the table in front of King Zheng of Qin.

King Zheng of Qin opened the bamboo slips and took a quick look at them. His expression showed no change, neither sad nor happy.

The bronze crane incense burner in the corner of the hall spewed out a wisp of green smoke, which rose in the morning light.

Wei Zhuang, who was glancing at King Qin Zheng out of the corner of his eye, couldn't tell what the king was thinking, and his waist bent a little involuntarily.

After waiting for so long and waiting for no response from the king, Wei Zhuang took the initiative to speak:
"Every day, in every government office, officials are arrested and removed from office.

"The people of Xianyang are in a panic, and officials are worried about their own safety and have no intention of doing their work, which has seriously affected the stability of the country.

"I ask Your Majesty to stop the thorough investigation of officials immediately before any major chaos occurs, for the sake of the country."

King Zheng of Qin stared at Wei Zhuang's impeachment memorial:
"If the two people who arrested each other were not at fault, and those who were dismissed should be dismissed, do you still insist on your opinion?"

Waist straight:

“My current advice has little to do with impeaching the two prime ministers for misusing public resources for personal gain.

"When King Wu of Zhou rebelled against the Shang Dynasty, 800 princes responded. However, among the 800 princes, only eight actually sent troops to fight against the Shang Dynasty, which is known in history as the Mushi Eight Kingdoms.

“King Wu of Zhou was able to lead the eight kingdoms to attack Shang and replace it because he did not pursue the more than 700 princes who only expressed support but did not send troops.

"If King Wu of Zhou had gone after the more than 700 princes one by one, there would have been no Zhou Dynasty.

"Your Majesty should follow the example of King Wu of Zhou and not be too harsh on officials. I believe that after such a long time, the remaining officials will work seriously.

“If the king insists on getting to the bottom of this.

“As the saying goes, a rabbit will catch an eagle in a hurry. I am afraid that the last time the government offices were without officials, the situation will happen again.

"The two palaces can hold thirty-six corpses, but not three hundred and sixty, three thousand six hundred, or thirty-six thousand."

Qin Wangzheng coughed lightly, interrupted Wei Zhuang, and said with a smile:
"Thirty-six thousand, how can it be that much? Wei Qing is exaggerating."

Wei Zhuang did not smile:
"Naturally, Xianyang doesn't have so many officials. I'm talking about the Qin State. The Bai family rebelled, and members of the Bai family were arrested all over the country and taken to Xianyang to be beheaded.

"The Bai clan is like this, and so are all the clans.

“The various clans were not only in Xianyang, but also in every city and county in Qin.

"Your Majesty is either moving the city of Xianyang or the whole country.

"The water control in Guanzhong and Bashu has consumed a huge amount of our country's manpower and resources. In this situation, if we thoroughly investigate the officials, it will cause civil unrest, and foreign countries will take advantage of the chaos to invade. The consequences will be disastrous..." King Zheng of Qin and Wei Zhuang spent half an hour together in the Council Hall.

After letting Zhao Gao send Wei Zhuang away, King Zheng of Qin lay on the ergonomic chair specially made for him, holding Wei Zhuang's memorial and reading it with a comfortable look on his face.

"He has Hu blood, not of noble birth..." After muttering a few words, King Zheng of Qin counted on the bamboo slips again: "No matter how difficult it is, can it be as difficult as Shang Yang's reform? If I don't do it, Hualong will do it. Such atrocities cannot be done by a gentleman. If Hualong really does it, how can he win the hearts of the people after he takes power? How can he implement the kingly way? Who will believe it..."

"Your Majesty." Zhao Gao leaned over to the side of King Zheng of Qin and called softly.

He held a tray in his hand, on which was a wine jar containing the plum wine that King Zheng of Qin had recently fallen in love with, and a piece of crushed ice.

King Zheng of Qin took a sip of wine and said while holding the wine jar:

"Zhao Gao, what do you think of this situation?"

Zhao Gao leaned forward, holding a tray in his hand, observing the expression of King Qin Zheng and said carefully:
"Master Wei speaks his mind and gives advice, which I admire."

King Zheng of Qin nodded and drank all the wine in the cup without saying anything.

"Bring another one." King Zheng of Qin placed the wine jar on the tray.

Zhao Gao responded, knowing that he was right.

He held the tray and personally took the ice wine a second time, with a humble look on his face.

King Zheng of Qin nodded secretly and ignored his brother's suggestion to replace Zhao Gao. He found Zhao Gao too easy to use.

He was an expert in driving, well-versed in Qin laws, and had a keen eye for observation.

The first bottle of plum wine was offered by Zhao Gao on his own initiative, not requested by King Zheng of Qin.

As random thoughts flashed through King Zheng of Qin's mind, he lay back on the chair and closed his eyes to rest. The mechanism of the ergonomic chair made subtle sounds as he moved.

The young king did not notice, or was too lazy to think about it carefully, that Zhao Gao's benefits were not limited to these.

King Zheng of Qin asked Zhao Gao to evaluate Wei Zhuang.

He knew that King Zheng of Qin admired Wei Zhuang, so he praised Wei Zhuang according to King Zheng's wishes. This is something that anyone with a little bit of tact can do.

But if you want to please the king, you can't just praise randomly. Your words must be meaningful and to the point, to the point that the king appreciates Wei Zhuang. This requires good eyesight.

However, this is still a level lower than Zhao Gao.

The question was about evaluation, and most people answered the question accordingly. Since the King of Qin appreciated him, he would say something like "a pillar of the country".

But Zhao Gao was different. He paid great attention to his wording. He said that Wei Zhuang was frank in his advice and he admired him. The full meaning was that he admired Wei Zhuang for his frank advice.

Zhao Gao did answer King Zheng of Qin's question, and the answer made King Zheng of Qin very satisfied, but in fact he did not give a direct answer to King Zheng of Qin, and he did not give any evaluation of Wei Zhuang.

This answer may seem simple, but it actually contains a lot of knowledge.

The human heart is unpredictable.

At one moment, King Zheng of Qin admired Wei Zhuang for his frank advice, but the next moment he might be disgusted with Wei Zhuang for something else he did.

The praise of Wei Zhuang at this moment might make the king happy, but the next moment it might turn into disgust for King Zheng of Qin.

Zhao Gao's answer would make King Zheng of Qin happy at that moment, but would not make him feel disgusted at the next moment.

Zhao Gao admired Wei Zhuang for his frank advice, and the key point is the four words "frank advice".

When Wei Zhuang was disliked by King Zheng of Qin, Zhao Gao could make up for it by saying that he was deceived by Wei Zhuang's false appearance of speaking frankly and did not know that he was such a person.

It can make King Qin happy, provide him with sufficient emotional value, help him with serious matters, and prevent himself from being selected afterwards.

Who wouldn’t want such a subordinate?
You can't become the favorite of King Zheng of Qin just by flattery and fawning.

"Your Majesty." Zhao Gao presented the second bottle of plum wine.

Qin Wangzheng stood up and took a sip of the drink. Suddenly he remembered something and said:
"What has Hualong been doing recently?"

Zhao Gao understood the king's intention by listening to the music, and knew that what the king wanted to know most was who Chang'an Jun had contacted.

But he did not directly answer what King Zheng of Qin wanted to know most, but honestly and in detail told him what Chang'an Jun had done.

After listening for a while, Qin Wangzheng's originally vague thoughts suddenly became clear. Although what Zhao Gao said was what he asked and what he wanted to hear, it was not what he wanted to hear most.

"Did Hualong meet the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Guests, and the two prime ministers?" King Zheng of Qin asked in depth.

When King Zheng of Qin himself was not very clear about his needs, Zhao Gao, who knew King Zheng's needs in advance, remained calm and had no joy at all in guessing correctly.

If King Zheng of Qin knew that Zhao Gao could guess his mind, he would fall out of favor even if he didn't die.

"Six days ago, Lord Chang'an brought Princess Huang to visit the Huayang Court Judge." Zhao Gao replied.

King Zheng of Qin, who asked his brother not to follow others, did not scold his brother. He was silent for a moment and said:
"Hua Long has warned me, but I'm still acting so ostentatiously...

"I heard that Xunzi has been investigating the local conditions and customs of our country for a long time, and will return to Xianyang in the next few days.

"Tell Hualong to pick up Xunzi."

Zhao Gao responded respectfully, "Yes."

Four days later.

A high carriage drawn by four horses drove into Xianyang, with a black bird painted on its exterior.

Hu sat in the front compartment, absorbed in listening to the voices of young men and old men coming from inside the carriage.

Inside the carriage were Yingzi and Xunzi.

But sir, students who have studied in the Jixia Academy and were able to listen to two generations of Jixia Academy masters discuss philosophy at close range would all be extremely focused.

"Xunzi traveled around for more than ten days. What did he think of our country?"

"The governance of Qin was inherited from Shang Yang. The people dared not violate the law. Since I entered the territory of Qin, I have seen that most people walked quickly with their heads down. There was no noise in the streets, and no backlog of cases in the prisons. This is exactly the country that Li Kui and Wu Qi dreamed of. However..."

"Xunzi, you can say whatever you want."

"The Qin people fear laws as if they were afraid of a tiger, and they have no idea what 'propriety' is. Laws can prohibit evil, but they cannot guide people to do good. Without the nourishment of benevolence and righteousness, it is like building a city with ice. Although it is strong, it will not last long."

"I heard that Xunzi also went to the Lantian camp and saw our country's elite soldiers. We Qin people are soldiers in war and civilians when we are not fighting. No one can resist where the Qin sword points. Our country is so powerful, but Xunzi said it can't last long?"

"What Yingzi said is true. When the Qin soldiers lined up, their spears looked like a forest. The common people farmed and fought, and did not wear fancy clothes. I climbed up to a high place and looked into the distance, as if I saw the ancient 'elite army of Shang Tang and King Wu of Zhou'."

"Haha, Xunzi just said 'however'."

"However, I observed carefully and found that the Qin people did not understand the Book of Songs and the Book of Rites. The scholars talked about military achievements, but not about benevolence. Such a powerful country is just sharpening the sword, but rusting people's hearts. It can cut off the heads of the six countries, but it is difficult to convince the people of the world."

"..."

"The King of Qin once asked me how Qin compared to the Yu, Xia, Shang, and Zhou dynasties. It seemed that he regarded Qin as the next new dynasty. Would you like to know my answer, Yingzi?"

"This is indeed my brother's character. I really want to know Xunzi's answer."

(End of this chapter)