The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 367: The chess pieces fall into place, Mi Huang asks two questions

The butler was also a Chu person and knew a lot of things. Deep down, he believed that these things should not be told to Chang'an Jun.

But since the master said so, he couldn't go against the master's wishes, so he just told him everything.

Huayang Bufei didn't react much when he heard that Xiong Wen and Xiong Qi came to see him. When he heard that Xiong Wen and Xiong Qi left without waiting for him to go home, he still didn't react much.

The old man responded indifferently, and his old eyes, which were less and less likely to fall on the increasingly handsome face of the young man during Qingming Festival.

"Hua Long, this name is not good." He said seriously, "When the Queen Mother was alive, she also gave you a name - Huo Huang."

"Uncle, the phoenix is ​​male and the huang is female." Ying Chengjiao felt helpless. He suspected that Huayang Bufei either remembered it wrong or was sick again. How could Queen Mother Huayang get the gender wrong?

"A phoenix is ​​a phoenix, regardless of gender."

"Okay, okay." Ying Chengjiao said in a coaxing tone: "Then I will have one more character in the future, one for Transformation Dragon and one for Fire Phoenix."

Smiled:
"Others only have one word, but I have two. Uncle, what do you think?"

The old man reached out and touched the boy's face:
"Even if you have two characters, the other one won't be Fire Phoenix, but Black Bird."

My eyes were hazy, and a turbid tear flowed down:
"Cheng Jiao, the Queen Mother is dead, and I am no longer the Minister of Justice.

"Let Xiong Wen and Xiong Qi go, and give us Chu people a chance to survive in Qin, okay?

"Huayang won't fly, please..."

The old man sat on the bed, bowed his head, and the old scar on his head was clearly visible to Ying Chengjiao.

That was the mark left by a seven-year-old child using the Qin King's Seal.

The boy stared at the scar for a long time without saying anything.

The old man's white hair looked like the saline-alkali marshes that were everywhere in the Guanzhong Plain before water was controlled, trembling as if the wind blew the marshes.

"Uncle." The young man straightened the old man and said, "There will definitely be people from Chu in Qin."

"You must have a clan!" The old man pleaded, holding the boy's hand tightly: "You must have a clan!!! You must have the Xiong clan and the Huayang clan!!!"

The old man knew that Mi Huang and the young man were together, but that was not what the old man wanted. He did not want someone to be considered a Chu person just because he had Chu blood.

Women are not entitled to be called by a surname and are not eligible to inherit a surname.

Only the Chu people with a surname are the real Chu people.

The Xiong family was a royal family of the Chu State.

The Huayang clan is Huayang Jun, the lineage passed down from the old man’s father.

Ying Chengjiao remained silent.

Even though Xiong Wen and Xiong Qi left immediately after finding out that the old men were useless, the old men from Huayang clan still fought for the two men from Xiong clan, putting the Xiong clan before the Huayang clan.

This is the Chu people.

The Chu State, which gave birth to such a Chu people, was the only country among all the nations that had both theocracy and monarchy.

A country that always believes in Donghuang Taiyi, likes fire, claims to be the descendants of the phoenix and Zhurong, and has deep faith in the royal family of the Mi and Xiong clan.

A country of faith.

A Chu people with faith.

Can't assimilate.

Only conquest.

Conquest with blood and fire.

"Okay." The young man held the old man's hands with both hands and said softly, "There is the Xiong clan, and there is the Huayang clan."

"Thank you, sir." The old man burst into laughter and said, "Thank you, sir!"

In this world, there is no one more trustworthy than Master Chengjiao.

----

The Qin King's Central Palace, Li Yi Palace, and the Front Hall.

"Merge of surnames?" Princess Qi read out the four words on the rightmost bamboo slip in confusion.

"That's right." Ying Chengjiao, who gave the bamboo slips to Princess Qi, nodded affirmatively: "When you return to Qi, give this bamboo slip to Xiangfu Xizi."

"I will." Princess Qi closed the bamboo slip, handed it to her trusted maid Xuanyi beside her, and responded seriously.

She stared at the boy:
"Yingzi, can you tell me what you think?"

"Of course." Ying Chengqi smiled, "There's nothing to hide."

The boy thought about the girl's identity and experience, and soon found a good entry point for the girl to understand:

"All students at the Jixia Academy have student uniforms, which are issued uniformly by the Qi government.

“During class, the academy requires students to wear student uniforms.

"Why do you do that?"

Ying Chengjiao asked himself and answered his own questions:
“In order to focus students’ minds and attention.

“Everyone was wearing the same student uniform, so people only focused on the clothes.

“The same principle applies to the merging of surnames.

"Everyone has a last name, so people won't focus on the last name."

"Equality." Tian Yan said suddenly.

She had guessed it since the young man asked to hand the bamboo slips to Xiangfu Xizi.

In addition to being a scholar of Jixia, Xiangfu Xizi also has another identity, a great scholar of Qi and Mo.

Although Mohism is divided into three parts, they still have some common points.

For example, the core of Mohism is equality.

When she cited the example of the Jixia Academy when she was young, she was sure of what she was thinking.

"Same", "all", "all", "many".

The boy didn't mention equality, but in the girl's ears, every word he said was about equality.

"Colorful." The young man clapped his hands in praise.

"That's nothing to praise." The girl gritted her teeth, feeling that she was looked down upon. "Although I am a Confucian student, I am not ignorant of the most important principles of Mohism."

Confucianism and Mohism were in opposition, and disciples of the two schools often debated.

Every disciple who has mastered Confucianism to a profound level cannot escape the study of Mohism, and vice versa.

Only by understanding the enemy can you defeat him.

To determine what Yingzi thinks, the girl is not optimistic:

"There is a story in Lüshi Chunqiu:
“The Fan family of Jin State declined.

"A thief took a fancy to the big clock hanging in the courtyard of the Fan family and wanted to steal it.

“But since the bell was too big and heavy to be moved directly, he planned to smash it with a hammer and take it away in pieces.

“However, when he struck the bell, it made a loud noise.

“He was afraid that others would hear the bell and come to arrest him, so he covered his ears and continued to smash the bell, thinking that others would not be able to hear the bell.

“As a result, the sound of the bells still spread all around.

"People heard the noise and came over, and caught him on the spot. (Note 1)

"What's the difference between what Yingzi did and the thief who stole the clock?

"Surnames indicate origins, clan names indicate branches, and both can distinguish between noble and humble.

“A person with a surname is nobler than a person without a surname.

“On the premise of having a surname, people with a surname are more noble than those without a surname.

“But what is truly noble is not the surname or clan name, but the person who has it.

"Yingzi's teacher, Lü Zi, has the surname Jiang and the clan Lü. He is a descendant of Taigong Wang, so he should be very noble, right?
"When Lü Zi was just a merchant, many people looked down on him, especially those from Qin and Zhao.

"After Lü Zi became the prime minister of Qin and was named Marquis Wenxin by King Zhuangxiang of Qin, those who had previously looked down on him no longer dared to look down on him. "It can be seen that when surnames merge, they cannot be equal. "

"Then how does Princess explain the rule of the Jixia Academy that students must wear student uniforms to attend classes?" Ying Chengjiao's eyes showed even more admiration.

Princess Qi was delighted and said:
"Wearing student uniforms during class is to encourage students to listen carefully and concentrate, this is what Yingzi just said.

“This is equality without equality, no different from a thief who covers his ears while stealing a clock.

“The wealthy and the poor will not sit together just because they are dressed the same.

"Elders who are officials or businessmen will not sit together just because of a student uniform.

"Yingzi's classes are often overcrowded. I wonder if Yingzi has noticed this phenomenon?"

"He who is dressed in silk and satin is not a silkworm breeder." Ying Chengjiao borrowed a line from a poem and said it.

"That's the truth." Tian Yan replied with a flat reaction.

Since five-character and seven-character poems were not popular in that era, this line of poetry by Ying Chengjiao was simple and mediocre.

He has neither the grand romance of Li Bai nor the concern for the country and the people of Du Fu.

So Princess Qi just responded with a drink and continued:
"During class, they can listen carefully because they are wearing the same student uniforms. After class, they, they, they..."

Princess Qi stared at Yingzi with eyes wide open.

She is one of the few women in that era who reads books, and she reads books written by sages.

As she spoke, she realized that what was important was not the end of get out of class, but the beginning of class.

During class, the students of Jixia Academy were equal because they wore the same clothes and studied hard.

This is what Yingzi wants.

"What Yingzi wants is a moment, not a lifetime." She said in the encouraging eyes of Ying Chengjiao, her tone full of affirmation.

To her surprise, Yingzi did not nod this time, but shook his head.

"Cover your ears. You won't be able to steal the bell." Ying Chengjiao walked to her side, covered one of her ears with one hand and covered his own ear with the other: "Then, how about this?"

The boy smiled, thinking he was warm:
"If we cover everyone's ears, can't we steal the clock?"

It was daytime and no lights were turned on in Li Yi Palace.

The two of them were three feet away from the wall, and the sunlight only shone two feet into the room, without a trace of golden light falling on Ying Chengjiao.

But at this moment, in the girl's eyes, Ying Chengjiao was smiling majestically, with golden light all over his body, like the Emperor of Heaven.

"This isn't stealing." The girl's voice trembled without her noticing, "This is robbery."

Ying Chengjiao thought for a moment and said helplessly:
“If I were to explain it to you, it would be too long, and I’m not sure you would understand.

"If this knowledge will not delay you from handing the bamboo slips over to Xiangfu Xizi, then you can think so."

Tian Yan knew that he was wrong, but he didn't know where he was wrong. He raised his head, took two deep breaths to calm himself down, and said:

"I have plenty of time. If Yingzi also has time, I would like to know why.

"Also... the teacher said that there is no true equality in this world."

"Except death." Ying Chengjiao continued very smoothly, as if Princess Qi had omitted four words.

"...I will send the bamboo slips to Xiangfu Xizi, even though I don't think it will do anything. In comparison, I am more optimistic about Ying Zili's new law. To hang the laws from the heads of the common people to the heads of the nobles, this kind of equality is much better than the fusion of surnames, and much better than the student uniforms of the Jixia Academy."

"This is another truth. I call it theory and practice. You can understand it as name and reality. Simply put, without theoretical support, even if you choose the right direction, practice will soon hit a wall. If you don't choose the right direction... practice is useless."

"Is Yingzi in a hurry?"

"Not really. I'll be quite free for the next while."

"Then Yingzi, can you give me some time? Or, in other words, some patience. Father attaches great importance to the Qin State, Yingzi, and Tian Yan. If you teach Tian Yan, you will teach the Qi State."

"So... if I teach you, I can get the State of Qi, right?"

"No, but it's possible."

"Since we have come to this point today, I will take the liberty to ask a question. I have never been able to figure out why you could accept the demise of Qi State, or even... contribute to its demise."

"Yingzi is indeed very presumptuous."

"Sorry, let's get back to the previous topic. I can't wait to see you understand what I'm saying."

"Please prepare a bronze mirror, I also want to see what I looked like then."

----

A few days later, at night.

Li Yigong, the rear chamber.

On the big bed, Mi Huang lay in Ying Chengqiu's arms, hugging Ying Chengqiu's waist:
"You mean...you and Princess Qi have been alone in a room these days, with one giving lectures and the other listening?"

It was such a hot day that both of them were wearing tight underwear, thanks to the ice buckets stacked at the four corners of the wall.

The ice bucket is full of ice cubes.

The ice continues to melt and emits cold air, fighting against the high temperature.

In an era without electric fans and air conditioners, it was a luxury to get a piece of ice in the summer.

Being able to use four buckets of ice to cool down a day, and do this every day, is what Chang'an Jun does.

"Yes." Ying Chengjiao, who practiced martial arts with the two sword masters every day, was the same today. He was very tired and said lazily, "Don't believe it?"

He closed his eyes, and although his body kept sending signals that he needed to rest and sleep, his consciousness was still clear - usually only one of the body or the brain would be affected.

Mi Huang lay on Ying Chengjiao's chest and sniffed hard:
"letter."

"Hmm?" Ying Chengjiao opened his eyes: "Do you believe it?"

"You only smell like me, not her." In the darkness, Mi Huang raised her lips and stared at the man's surprised eyes: "I have to attend class tomorrow too."

[Do you understand?] Ying Chengjiao complained in his heart, turning his neck to smell his arm.

It smells delicious and comes from Mi Huang.

But the boy thinks this cannot be used as a reference.

He would take a bath before going to bed every day. Even if he and Tian Yan were so intense during the day that he made Zhou Gong and begged them not to perform rituals, he would still feel no smell when lying on the big bed at night.

"Okay." The young man naturally wouldn't say anything more and cause trouble for himself, so he simply agreed.

----

"Does Miss Mi understand?" Princess Qi tilted her head, smiled politely, and said, "I hope Miss Mi won't feel bored."

A square table.

Ying Chengjiao and Tian Yan sat opposite each other, with Mi Huang sitting between them.

Mi Huang held her head high, with golden lines drawn at the corners of her eyes, which looked quite majestic when curved.

She smiled back at Princess Qi, with the corners of her mouth and her eyes curved:

"Qiren, watch."

She stood up and stood next to Ying Chengjiao.

He held Ying Chengjiao's head, aimed at his mouth, and kissed him hard.

After the kiss, she stood, looking down at him.

She wiped away the red marks from the corners of her mouth with her jade fingers, raised her head, and the flame between her eyebrows burned fiercely:

“I can kiss him, can you?
"I can sleep with him, can you?"

The people of Qi asked her three questions, and she didn't answer any of them.

She was proud, she didn't bother to ask three questions, she only asked two.

She asked everyone and no one could answer.

…………

【Note 1: The original version of the story of covering one’s ears and stealing a bell was “钟”. 】

(End of this chapter)