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

Chapter 485, Methods to Win Over People's Hearts
The State of Qin, Xianyang.

Xu Qing returned to Xianyang three days later. He was escorted by more than two hundred Qin cavalrymen along the way, so he did not encounter any trouble.

Upon returning to Xianyang, Xu Qing immediately took Bai Yifei to Zhangtai Palace to see Ying Zheng.

"Your subject Xu Qing pays respects to Your Majesty." "The surrendered general Bai Yifei pays respects to Your Majesty."

Xu Qing and Bai Yifei bowed to Ying Zheng. When Ying Zheng saw Xu Qing return, a smile immediately appeared on his usually calm face. He got up from his seat and walked to Xu Qing.

"Sir, you're finally back! I've missed you terribly these past few days."

Ying Zheng helped Xu Qing up, took Xu Qing's hand, and said happily.

Although Xu Qing was not in Xianyang during this period, he was helping him all the time. Gongyang Confucianism, Taoism Tianzong and other schools of thought that came to Qin provided him with a large number of talents that he could use, allowing him to place his own people in the court.

In addition to resolving the issue of the Marquis of Guannei's murder, Nanyang's surrender to Qin also helped him to completely win over the military generals.

All these things made him feel incredibly grateful to Xu Qing, and he even regarded Xu Qing as his benefactor.

"Your Majesty, I also miss you. I am fortunate that I have not failed in my mission."

Xu Qing smiled calmly, took Ying Zheng's hand, and gestured for him to deal with Bai Yifei's matter first.

Ying Zheng nodded slightly, released Xu Qing's hand, and looked at Bai Yifei. His smile faded, and he looked at the other person up and down with a serious expression.

Bai Yifei, under Ying Zheng's scrutinizing gaze, maintained his humble and respectful bow. Even though he had experienced the ups and downs of the court and had never been afraid in the face of tens of thousands of people fighting on the battlefield, he felt nervous standing in front of Ying Zheng now.

After glancing at Bai Yifei, Ying Zheng reached out and helped Bai Yifei up, speaking calmly.
"I had heard of the name of the Marquis of Blood Robe of Han in Qin. Now that I have met him, he is indeed a man of great talent. It is a great fortune for me and Qin to have such a general."

Upon hearing Ying Zheng's form of address, a barely perceptible glint flashed in Bai Yifei's eyes, and he spoke.

"The surrendered general is terrified and dares not accept such praise from His Majesty."

"I know that you harbor resentment, General. Your reputation as the General of Nanyang who surrendered to Qin has been tarnished. But I assure you that this stain will be washed away in the future, and history will treat you fairly," Ying Zheng said.

"This surrendered general dares not presume for a good reputation. I only ask that Your Majesty treats the people of Nanyang kindly in the future and saves them from the drought. If that is enough, this surrendered general will be satisfied." Bai Yifei glanced at Ying Zheng and then lowered his head to say in a deep voice.

On his way to Xianyang, Bai Yifei had already considered his fate. As a surrendered general, the best outcome for him in Qin would be to become a minor official without real power, live out the rest of his life peacefully, and never touch power again.

Although the ending was good, for Bai Yifei, who had held great power and dominated the scene for many years, this mediocre and stable life still made him feel a little lost.

He was just glad he could keep his life; he dared not ask for anything more.

Seeing Bai Yifei's somewhat dejected expression, Ying Zheng released her hand and beckoned to the eunuch beside him. The eunuch quickly picked up an imperial edict from the table, bowed, and walked to Ying Zheng's side.

"Nanyang has always been managed by the General. No one in Qin knows Nanyang better than the General, and the people of Nanyang also have great affection for you. Therefore, I will entrust Nanyang to the General to govern it well for me from now on," Ying Zheng said with a light smile.

Upon hearing Ying Zheng's words, Bai Yifei raised his head, his eyes showing a hint of astonishment. He clearly hadn't expected Ying Zheng to make such a arrangement for him.

The eunuch beside him opened the imperial edict and read it aloud.
"By imperial decree of the King of Qin, Marquis Bai Yifei, though discerning right from wrong, moved by the plight of the people and concerned for their well-being, is to seek a way to alleviate the drought in Nanyang."

"Being humble and knowledgeable in military and political affairs, the area of ​​Nanyang was specially designated as Nanyang Prefecture, and Bai Yifei was promoted to Prefect of Nanyang Prefecture, granted the title of Zuo Geng, awarded a thousand gold pieces, and a mansion."

Bai Yifei stared at Ying Zheng in astonishment, the contents of the edict echoing in his ears, giving him a sense of unreal illusion.

As a surrendered general, he was not only not placed on the sidelines, but was also allowed to return to his hometown, Nanyang, his former fiefdom, to serve as the governor. Ying Zheng's magnanimity shocked Bai Yifei, and at the same time, he felt Ying Zheng's trust in him.

"Bai Qing, Wang Jian has led the Lantian army and grain to Nanyang. The drought in Nanyang is now in your hands. I hope you will not fail my trust and will not refuse."

Ying Zheng looked at Bai Yifei and said slowly and deliberately.

Sensing the trust and expectation in Ying Zheng's eyes, Bai Yifei's expression hardened, and he stepped back to bow respectfully.
"Your humble servant Bai Yifei thanks Your Majesty for your trust. I will do my best to govern Nanyang and live up to Your Majesty's trust."

Ying Zheng and the Qin state have been so generous, giving him power, status, and titles. What else can Bai Yifei say?

I'll just serve Qin until I die. Anyway, following Ying Zheng and Qin is more promising than staying in Han and following King An of Han.

"I trust Minister Bai," Ying Zheng said.

Xu Qing watched silently as Bai Yifei was won over by Ying Zheng with just a few words. He couldn't help but admire Ying Zheng's increasingly sophisticated political tactics. Giving Bai Yifei power and status made him feel secure, and then putting Bai Yifei in charge of disaster relief in Nanyang allowed him to erase the negative impact of his surrender to Qin on the hearts of the people of Nanyang.

Fame and fortune were all given to Bai Yifei at once, so he naturally submitted willingly. After all, Bai Yifei had no choice now, unless he chose to become a servant of three masters.

"Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail you," Bai Yifei said respectfully.

"I have already arranged a residence for you in the city. My dear minister, first have your teacher take you to the Prime Minister's residence to retrieve your official seal and robes, and then go and see if you are satisfied with the residence. If you need anything else, please have your teacher inform me."

Ying Zheng was quite satisfied to see Bai Yifei had submitted. With Bai Yifei guarding Nanyang, Nanyang would be safe.

"promise."

After bowing respectfully, Bai Yifei left with Gai Nie, carrying the imperial edict.

After the two left, Ying Zheng looked at Xu Qing, a smile returning to his face, and said...

"Sir, let's go to the inner room and sit down to talk slowly. A lot has happened in Xianyang recently, and I have many issues that I need to discuss with you."

"it is good."

Xu Qing nodded and followed Ying Zheng into the inner room.

The two sat down at the table. The eunuch placed tea in front of them and then left, closing the door behind him so that Xu Qing and Ying Zheng could chat in peace.

"Sir, I must thank you for orchestrating the surrender of Nanyang to Qin. Not only did it prevent me from becoming estranged from my ministers due to the death of the Marquis of Guannei, but it also allowed Qin to acquire the prosperous land of Nanyang."

With that, Ying Zheng bowed to Xu Qing to express his gratitude.

"Your Majesty is too kind. I was merely doing my duty," Xu Qing said, quickly helping Ying Zheng to his feet.

"I have discussed this privately with my uncle, and you have rendered such great service, sir. The rich land of Nanyang has fallen to Qin. Your merits deserve to be recognized as a lord. Therefore, I have decided to formally announce this at tomorrow's court meeting, bestowing upon you the title of Lord Zhaoming, to commemorate your achievements," Ying Zheng said.

"Lord Zhaoming?"

Xu Qing looked at Ying Zheng with some surprise. In this era, the status of Marquis and Lord was not much different. The only difference was that the Marquis was granted the title of Marquis or Lord because of his different achievements. The only difference was that the Lord had a higher honor and status, more real power than the Marquis, and a certain degree of autonomy within his fief.

Marquis titles were often granted to those who had made significant military or political achievements, while those who made meritorious contributions in diplomacy and persuasion were often granted the title of lord. For example, Zhang Yi was initially granted the title of Lord Wuxin.

The name Zhaoming Jun not only represents diplomatic relations, but also has a connection to the poem "Ji Zui" in the Book of Poetry, which says, "May the virtuous ruler live ten thousand years, and may your wisdom shine brightly." This is also Ying Zheng's affirmation of his status and image.

Is this meant to make him a guiding light for the Qin state's progress?

“That’s right. I have discussed it with my uncle, and the name Zhaoming is most suitable for you. As for the fiefdom, we plan to designate the wealthy land of Gaoling as your fiefdom,” Ying Zheng nodded and said.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your generous gift. Since it was agreed upon by you and Marquis Wenxin, I will accept it without hesitation," Xu Qing said with a smile.

Why not take a free title? Although the fiefdom wasn't as large as Lü Buwei's, Gaoling City was still one of the wealthiest and most prosperous cities in Guanzhong. Xu Qing was already quite satisfied.

Seeing that Xu Qing had accepted the reward, Ying Zheng began to talk about serious matters and handed a list to Xu Qing.

"Sir, your plan has been very successful. The names on this list are all people who have defected to Lao Ai during this period. Most of them are scholars from various countries, with the most from Zhao, Wei, and Yan. In addition, what I did not expect was that some clans and military merits of my Great Qin have also defected to Lao Ai."

When Ying Zheng spoke of clans and military merits, his tone became more forceful, and his expression turned complex, a mixture of anger and helplessness.

Ying Zheng and Xu Qing naturally understood why these people sided with Lao Ai. Starting with King Zhaoxiang of Qin, the status of scholars from various states in the Qin court rose higher and higher, and the number of people holding positions in the court increased. Correspondingly, the positions occupied by Qin scholars and clans decreased.

Especially after the incident involving Gan Mao and Gan Luo, the Qin clans were completely marginalized. They were bound to feel resentful when they saw the scholars from the six states, these outsiders, driving them, their "masters," out of their homes.

However, very few of them were truly talented, and they were no match for the scholars of the six states. It is not so difficult to understand why they chose to side with Lao Ai in order to return to the court and seize power.

"They are greedy and nothing but clowns. The truly learned people among the clans and Qin scholars will never follow them to join Lao Ai."

After glancing at the list, Xu Qing sighed softly.

"I didn't pay much attention to them, I was just a little sentimental," Ying Zheng echoed.

These people are no longer a concern now that they've been exposed; they can be dealt with easily later.

(End of this chapter)