People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 334, Lü Buwei's Purpose

Just as Xu Qing was imparting knowledge and resolving doubts to Yan Lingji, Lu Buwei, the Marquis of Wenxin, also received a guest.

In the elegantly decorated study, Lü Buwei knelt before the desk, writing something on a scroll of bamboo slips under the light of an oil lamp.

“Father, the Grand Commandant Biao has arrived,” Lü Yi said, bowing to Lü Buwei.

Lü Buwei put down his pen, looked at Lü Yi, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes, and asked...

"Master Biao? What brings him here?"

Biao Gong was a veteran general of the Qin state. Like Wang Yi, who was killed for treason, he served three generations of Qin kings. Although he was not well-known, his military achievements for the Qin state were no less than those of Wang Yi.

When King Zhuangxiang of Qin entrusted his son to him, his name was second only to Lü Buwei. Although he was old and no longer concerned himself with state affairs, no one dared to underestimate this Biao Gong who was in charge of Qin's military affairs.

However, since Ying Zheng ascended the throne, this Grand Commandant has distanced himself from him, partly to avoid suspicion and partly to prevent him from taking the opportunity to interfere in military power.

“I’m afraid it’s because of your bestowal of the title of Grand General to the Imperial Physician, Father. The old Grand General has always had a bad temper, though he’s gotten much better with age. But the matter of the title is related to the foundation of the Qin army, so he came to you,” Lü Yi said.

Lü Buwei and Ying Zheng worked together to change Xu Qing's title from Right Chancellor to Grand Chancellor. Even though only half a day had passed, it had already stirred up a storm throughout Xianyang.

In the Qin state, there was an unspoken rule that those holding the titles of Grand Master of the Palace, Chief of the Four Chariots, and above had to have military merits.

Lu Buwei was granted the title of Marquis Wenxin by accumulating military merits when King Zhuangxiang of Qin was the crown prince.

"Go and invite the old general here," Lü Buwei nodded and said.

Biao Gong is the Grand Commandant, and he has never had any personal relationship with him. He didn't even come to him when Lao Ai was granted the title of Marquis of Changxin. But now he has come to him because of Xu Qing's matter. If he doesn't give him an explanation, he probably won't let him off the hook.

"promise."

After bowing and leaving the room, Lü Yi soon returned with an elderly man dressed in fine clothes and exuding an air of authority.

The old man's hair was already gray, and his face was aged, but his tiger-like eyes were still bright. He walked with a powerful and imposing gait, his sharp eyes fixed on Lü Buwei.

"The old general has come to visit late at night. Please take a seat."

Lü Buwei gestured for Biao Gong to proceed.

Without any hesitation, Biao Gong sat down opposite Lü Buwei and took out his seal of office from his bosom, placing it on the table.

"Lord Wenxin, Prime Minister Lü, since Shang Yang's reforms that established twenty ranks of military merit, our Great Qin has always determined ranks based on military merit. Previously, the eunuch Lao Ai was granted a marquisate with your and the Empress Dowager's guarantees, so I did not agree to it."

"But for the sake of the stability of the Great Qin, I didn't say anything more."

“Now you have promoted Xu Qing to Grand Master of Works. I admit that his entry into Qin was a service to our Qin state, but he has no military merit whatsoever. If you value him, making him Junior Master of Works would have been enough, but you have given him the title of Grand Master of Works.”

“You speak before the seal of the Grand Commandant bestowed upon me by the late King, saying that you have repeatedly violated the laws of Lord Shang, do you intend to shake the foundation of my Qin state?”

Without any politeness, Biao Gong pointed at the seal of the Grand Commandant and launched into a tirade against Lü Buwei. His sharp eyes and flushed face, radiating anger, suggested he was ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

The military merit system was the foundation of the Qin state. It was one thing to open the back door once, but to grant Lao Ai a marquisate was just like the Empress Dowager following the example of Empress Dowager Xuan in granting the title of king to the King of Yiqu. It was all for the purpose of stabilizing the Qin state.

Even with precedents, that incident caused a huge uproar and even worsened the relationship between Ying Zheng and the Qin royal family and military.

Now, they've opened the back door again, granting him such a significant title as Grand General. Lord Biao simply can't stand it anymore.

Giving other things is one thing, but is the position of Grand General really something that can be given away so easily? You, Lü Buwei, have never held that position, and no other living meritorious official in the entire Qin state has ever held it.

Giving such a random gift to a mere child would surely cause a great deal of controversy.

Lu Yi watched this scene with extreme tension, fearing that Biao Gong would take action.

Although Biao Gong was old, he was a veteran of the battlefield, and he and Lü Buwei combined probably wouldn't be a match for each other.

"Grand Commandant, please calm down. I have my own reasons for doing this," Lü Buwei said calmly, maintaining his composure.

Biao Gong looked at Lü Buwei without speaking, waiting for the other party to continue. He had come prepared, and if Lü Buwei could not persuade him, he, the old Grand Commandant, would not hesitate to turn his back on him.

Lü Buwei waved slightly at Lü Yi, signaling him to leave.

After glancing at Lü Buwei with concern, Lü Yi bowed and left the study, closing the door behind him.

"The Grand Commandant, please take a look at this letter first."

Instead of explaining directly, Lü Buwei took out a silk scroll from the bamboo slips and silk scrolls piled on his desk.

Biao Gong glanced coldly at Lü Buwei, then unfolded the cloth, revealing a story about Gongyang Ru avenging Xu Qing. "Gongyang Ru? Isn't that kid from the medical school? How did he get involved with Gongyang Ru?" Biao Gong asked, frowning.

"He not only has connections with the Gongyang School of Confucianism, but according to news from Xiaoshengxianzhuang, the Confucian scholar Xunzi praised him highly and even corresponded with him, regarding him as a close friend," Lü Buwei said, stroking his beard.

The anger on Biao Gong's face gradually faded. He looked at Lü Buwei with some hesitation and doubt, and after pondering for a moment, he said...
"So you want to emulate King Zhao of Yan's purchase of a horse's bones with a thousand pieces of gold, and use Xu Qing to bring Gongyang Ru into the Qin state? In order to ease relations with the Confucian school?"

Even though the Qin state coveted the other six states and its army was so powerful that the other six states could not submit in fear, the other six states still referred to Qin as the "Land of Tigers and Wolves." This seemed to be a compliment to Qin's martial prowess, but in reality, it implied that Qin lacked civil virtue.

Of course, if it were just the six states insulting Qin for its incompetence, that would be one thing, but this statement is true; Qin's civil and moral character were indeed lacking.

The reasons for this are quite complex. Firstly, the Qin state was founded on horse breeding. Secondly, due to many factors such as Shang Yang's reforms, the power of the empress's relatives, and the exclusive promotion of Legalism, the Qin state not only lacked local talent, but even when it issued a decree to attract talent, very few scholars from the six states actually came to Qin.

While scholars from the six states did enter Qin, many preferred to remain in the corrupt states rather than join Qin.

While Lü Buwei's practice of keeping retainers was aimed at consolidating his power, it cannot be denied that it also alleviated the shortage of talent in the Qin state.

"Yes and no," Lü Buwei said, shaking his head slightly.

According to his intelligence, Xu Qing was definitely not Gongyang Ru, and had no connection with Gongyang Ru at all, but he had heard some news from Xiaoshengxianzhuang.

That is, Xunzi once wanted to go to Han to find Xu Qing and discuss learning with him, but due to an accident involving the Gongyang School of Confucianism and other schools of Confucianism, he had to stay in Xiaoshengxianzhuang to help Fu Nian, who had just become the head of Xiaoshengxianzhuang, deal with this matter.

He did want to improve relations with Confucianism through Xu Qing, but not through the Gongyang School of Confucianism, but through Xunzi.

The reason for giving Xu Qing the position of Grand Master of Ceremonies was firstly to test him and see how capable he truly was.

If the other party is a talented individual, then there's nothing wrong with having them assist Ying Zheng. If they are merely a pretty face and a useless piece of trash, then they should obediently serve as a mascot and not run around causing trouble for Qin or ruining his plans.

Secondly, it was also hoped that this pressure would force Xu Qing to actively perform meritorious service for the Qin state, thereby encouraging the Qin state to win over physicians and Confucians.

Biao Gong watched as Lü Buwei put down the cloth in his hand. If it was because of the medical and Confucian schools, then the Grand Chancellor would give it to him, after all, it concerned the long-term plan of the Qin state.

“I believe you will not let personal matters interfere with public duty, but I want to know what you are really thinking?” Biao Gong asked Lü Buwei in a deep voice.

To avoid suspicion and to ensure that his military power was not interfered with, he rarely interacted with Lü Buwei privately. But now that he was here, he simply asked the question that had been on his mind for a long time.

Lü Buwei naturally knew what Biao Gong was asking; it was nothing more than his true attitude towards Ying Zheng's upcoming coming-of-age ceremony.

Not only Biao Gong, but the entire Qin state and even the six states east of the mountains were paying attention to this matter and observing Lü Buwei's attitude. After all, he had always been the regent in the Qin court, which was the reason why he held such great power.

"Qin is ultimately Your Majesty's Qin," Lü Buwei said.

Biao Gong was taken aback. He sensed something unusual in Lü Buwei's words, gave him a meaningful look, and then said...

"I hope you remember this."

After saying this, Biao Gong said nothing more, picked up the seal of the Grand Commandant, and left.

When Lü Yi saw Biao Gong leave in a hurry again, he glanced at him with a puzzled look and then went into the study.

"Father, has the old Grand Commandant calmed down?" Lü Yi asked curiously.

Watching the departing figure of the镖公 (镖公, a nickname for a镖师, a person named Biao Gong), a complex expression flashed in Lü Buwei's eyes. After a soft sigh, he said to Lü Yi...
"Help me ask for leave tomorrow, tell others that I am ill, and start closing my doors to visitors."

Lu Yi was slightly taken aback, looking at Lu Buwei with some surprise. He had obviously guessed Lu Buwei's purpose in feigning illness, so he cupped his hands and said...

"Yes."

After Lü Yi left, Lü Buwei looked at the shelf behind him, which was filled with various bamboo slips, and a hint of satisfaction flashed in his eyes.

If asked what his greatest achievement in this life was, Lü Buwei never thought it was investing in Ying Yiren, a rare commodity, and becoming the powerful Marquis Wenxin, but rather these bamboo slips before him.

These bamboo slips are a monumental work he painstakingly compiled over more than a decade. It is based on Taoist doctrines and incorporates the ideas of the School of Names, Legalism, Confucianism, Mohism, Agriculturalism, Military Science, and Yin-Yang School as its source material, fusing the doctrines of various schools of thought into a single creation.

Now this monumental work is almost complete, only lacking the medical expertise required. Xu Qing can make up for this deficiency, but he also faces a major problem.

That is, how to gain recognition from all schools of thought and thus spread the word.

He was confident that he would gain the recognition of his book if it were seen by future generations after his death, but what he wanted was for it to be recognized during his lifetime.

"The road ahead is long and arduous, but I will persevere in my pursuit," said Lü Buwei.

(End of this chapter)