The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 64 Apprenticeship
November 24th, the first year of Qin Wangzhu's reign.

As soon as the prince's carriage was settled in the palace, Lu Buwei, the chief secretary of the prime minister, came to the palace and asked the junior attendant to pass on the message and request to see the prince. (Note 1)
After a while, Lu Buwei entered the palace.

As soon as he saw the prince, he clenched his fists and ran towards him with big strides.

"Prince! Great joy! Great joy!"

Qin Zichu smiled, dismissed his attendants, and shook Lü Buwei's hands vigorously.

"Sir, you have great intelligence. You are far away in Xianyang, but you know the affairs of the ancestral temple." He said jokingly, "This plan will be successful. Sir, you have made a great contribution. You have to sell me for a higher price this time."

After learning about the ancestral temple affairs from Prince Chengjiao, Lu Buwei pretended to be extremely surprised, with his mercenary eyes bulging.

"Your Majesty, are you saying that what we planned has been accomplished?"

"Sir, you don't know? Then the happy event you mentioned is..."

"Double happiness! Double happiness! Your Majesty! The eldest and second sons took the initiative to ask to learn!"

"Is there such a thing?!"

The prince was overjoyed. He sat on the couch with Lu Buwei, sitting upright and asking about the details of the incident.

The two talked for two or three quarters of an hour, and then the Junior Attendant knocked on the door and announced that the two young masters wanted to see them.

Qin Zichu did not ask the Junior Eunuch to inform the two sons to come in, but ran out of the palace himself, and his hearty laughter almost shattered the window frames of the palace.

He put his left arm around Master Chengjiao and his right arm around Master Zheng, and walked happily from outside to inside, his joy radiating from inside out, and anyone could see his happiness.

Sitting on the bed with his two sons in his arms.

He crossed his legs, and his image suddenly changed from a self-disciplined prince to a kind father.

Look at the eldest son, he is so brave and extraordinary.

Look at the youngest son, he is smart and cute.

The more you look at her, the more pleasing she is to the eye, and her brows are full of joy.

"What do you want from me, my son?"

It was the first time that Gongzi Zheng had such close contact with his father. He felt a little uncomfortable, but he could not deceive himself about the emotions surging in his heart.

He is joyful.

He suppressed his emotions and said in a serious tone:
"Please ask father to set up lessons for Cheng Jiao and me and select a good teacher."

"Good, good, good." Qin Zichu said three good words in a row, pointing to Lü Buwei who had come earlier and said, "Mr. Lü has more knowledge than he has wealth, so he can be your teacher."

Prince Chengjiao knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to Lu Buwei, saying:
"Greetings, Master."

Lu Buwei was extremely excited.

He taught Master Chengjiao for several years, and the two of them had been master and disciple in reality, but never in name.

Now that his long-cherished wish has finally come true, he can't wait to help the second young master, whom he has watched grow up, to rise up.

He suppressed his impulse and looked at the eldest son with expectant eyes.

Ying Zheng lowered his head.

Although Heaven, Earth, the Emperor, Parents and Teachers are the objects of worship proposed by Confucian scholars, similar concepts existed as early as the Shang and Zhou dynasties.

It is written in the "Guoyu": "People are born from three things, and we should treat them as one. The father gives birth to them, the teacher teaches them, and the king feeds them. Without the father, they cannot be born; without food, they cannot grow; without teaching, they do not know the family of life, so we should treat them as one." (Note 2)
He took Lu Buwei as his teacher. From then on, not only could he not seek revenge on Lu Buwei, but he also had to treat Lu Buwei with respect as a disciple and serve him wholeheartedly.

"Becoming a disciple is a big deal, I need to ask my mother first." Gongzi Zheng said.

The prince reprimanded his eldest son and ordered him to kneel down and kowtow immediately to become Lu Buwei's disciple.

Lü Buwei felt a little sad, but he forced a smile, held the prince back with his arm, and nodded:

“That’s as it should be.”

"Sir, please wait a moment." Qin Zichu shook his head helplessly, raised his head and shouted loudly: "Bai!"

Junior Eunuch Ying Bai came in, bowed and waited for orders.

The prince pulled the eldest son over.

"Send this kid to his mother and ask if he can become Mr. Lu's disciple. Bring him back after asking." Ying Bai raised his head, exchanged glances with the prince, glanced around the room, and lowered his head slightly.

"only."

She brought Ying Zheng to Zhao Yaotiao's bedroom.

When Zhao Yaotiao saw her son whom she had been unable to call for a long time, she burst into tears.

The mother and son hugged each other and cried to vent their emotions.

After crying, Ying Zheng wiped the remaining tears from his mother's eyes and said:

"Mother, should I take Lü Buwei as my teacher?"

Zhao Yaotiao's expression changed, but she didn't say anything.

Ying Bai, who was standing behind the eldest son, bowed slightly with a very respectful look on his face.

"The Crown Prince has asked the second son to worship Mr. Lu as his teacher, so I came to ask Madam if the eldest son can also worship Mr. Lu."

Zhao Yaotiao looked at the Shao Changshi. She had noticed this person who always accompanied her husband a long time ago.

Because this is a woman, and a woman who deserves to be called beautiful even without makeup.

Zhao Yaotiao, who had just cried, slightly bent her red eyes and turned up her red lips, looking very delicate and lovely.

"I have just arrived in Qin State, and there are many things I don't know. Can the Junior Eunuch give me some advice on what kind of gift I should give to a teacher in Qin State?" (Note 3)
The Junior Attendant brought the eldest son to see the Crown Prince again.

The man with dark complexion and rough calloused hands held two jars of wine and placed them on the table with ease. He said to Lü Buwei:
"This is the gift that Madam prepared for the two young masters."

He turned to the prince, bowed slightly, and left the palace.

Prince Zheng and Prince Chengjiao knelt before the Prime Minister's Chief Secretary Lu Buwei and kowtowed three times.

Lü Buwei could not stop crying, he helped his two sons up, and swore to the sky:

"God bless you! I, Lu Buwei, will devote all my efforts to teach you two young masters!"

Crown Prince Qin Zichu smiled and drove the two sons away.

"You two go play first. I will discuss your future homework with your teacher. Classes will officially start tomorrow."

After the two sons left, Qin Zichu opened the mud seal of a wine jar.

Without even looking for a wine bottle (zun) or a wine glass, he just held the jar and took a big gulp.

"It's time to drink with me, sir!"

When Lu Buwei got his disciple Ying Zheng, all the grudges between him and Zhao Ji and her son were resolved, which relieved him of a worry.

His face was flushed, as if he was about to get drunk from the aroma of the wine.

Without refusing, he opened the mud seal of another wine jar, took a big sip, then bowed and thanked his master.

"Your Majesty treats Buwei like a national hero, Buwei will serve you till death!"

Qin Zichu got off the bed, but he lost his balance and rolled down, falling in front of Lu Buwei, as if he was drunk.

Lu Buwei sobered up immediately, hurriedly helped his master up, and was about to call for help.

Qin Zichu stopped him and laughed.

He grabbed Lu Buwei's hand tightly, and his mouth was full of alcohol.

"Sir, you and I are not the master's retainers, nor are we the prince's subjects. You and I are one."

…………

【Note 1: Shao Changshi, attends the crown prince and serves as his advisor.】

【Note 2: A person is born with three people, and they must be treated wholeheartedly. The father gives life, the teacher gives teachings, and the king gives food and salary. Without a father, one would not be born into the world, without the king's food and salary, one would not grow up, and without the teachings of the teacher, one would not know the clan into which one was born, so one must serve them wholeheartedly.】

[Note 3: When a disciple meets his teacher for the first time, he must first present a gift to show respect, which is called Shuxiu.]

(End of this chapter)