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

Chapter 555, Xu Qing: What should you call me now?
"Your Majesty, the ministers' opposition to Zhaoming Jun's appointment as prime minister is the will of the people. We urge you to reconsider carefully and not let personal feelings interfere with public duty!"

Lord Weiyang straightened his back and continued.

"The will of the people? Is there anyone who disagrees with Zhaoming Jun being appointed as prime minister?" Ying Zheng suppressed his anger and asked in a deep voice.

The others naturally sensed the anger in Ying Zheng's voice, and those from the Chu state's foreign relatives and the scholars of the six states who were about to step forward immediately hesitated.

The Minister of Agriculture glanced at Yao Jia, then at the hesitant men behind him, and stepped forward, holding his official tablet, and loudly proclaimed...

"Your Majesty, I also oppose the appointment of Zhaoming Jun as Prime Minister. Now that our Qin state has just been established, the position of Prime Minister must be filled by someone who is familiar with the affairs of our Qin state and who has prestige and is respected by the people!"

"I also object."

Although Yao Jia didn't know what Xu Qing and Lü Buwei were up to, he followed suit when the Minister of Agriculture stepped forward.

The Grand Counselor and the Imperial Censor also stepped forward. Although Yao Jia and the Minister of Grain Administration's sudden actions were different from what they had expected, the die was cast.

Despite their fear, the scholar-officials still stood up and expressed their opposition when they saw that all four leaders had taken the stage.

"We, your subjects, also oppose the appointment of Zhaoming as prime minister!"

Seeing that the civil officials were almost unanimously against Xu Qing becoming prime minister, some of the military officers wanted to stand up and say a few words in Xu Qing's defense, but they were stopped by Meng Ao's eyes just as they were about to take action.

Meng Ao looked at the group of people who were about to make a move with a serious expression, and shook his head slightly to signal them not to act rashly.

Seeing this, the military officers, restrained by Meng Ao's imposing presence, could only stop what they were doing and stand obediently in place, silently watching the civil officials passionately oppose Xu Qing's appointment as prime minister.

Xu Qing glanced at the officials standing in the center of the hall. Seeing that nearly three-quarters of the civil officials and members of the imperial family were opposing him, Xu Qing remained calm, as if he were not the one being attacked by the ministers.

"There are still the Chu foreign relatives left. Let me see if you, Xiong Qi, will choose to stand up against me?" Xu Qing glanced at Xiong Qi out of the corner of his eye and thought to himself.

Once Xiong Qi steps forward, he will have a reason to send someone to fight against the Chu state's foreign relatives.

Xiong Qi was also observing the situation. Looking at the assembled officials and the calm Xu Qing, he grew increasingly uneasy. Although he didn't know Xu Qing's true intentions, this time he was willing to give up the position of Prime Minister rather than compromise his intuition.

"Peace of mind should be the priority in everything."

Xiong Qi thought for a moment and then looked at Chang Wenjun, giving her a look that signaled her to abandon her original plan.

Changwen Jun frowned slightly. He naturally understood Xiong Qi's meaning, but now all the ministers had stood up. Although no one had explicitly spoken in front of the palace, they had all tacitly chosen to cooperate in opposing this matter.

If their relatives from Chu were to withdraw at this point, the royal family and scholars would not let them off the hook unless Xiong Qi became the prime minister.

Just as Changwen Jun hesitated for a moment, an official from the Chu state, who was related to the emperor, couldn't help but step forward, cup his hands in greeting to Ying Zheng, and said...
"Your Majesty, I also object."

As he spoke, the official couldn't help but feel a surge of secret delight.

He had just noticed Xiong Qi's gaze and assumed it was a signal to proceed according to plan. By standing up against it first, he and the others would have the merit of supporting Xiong Qi's ascension to the throne, and being given an important position would only be a matter of time.

While the official was lost in his fantasies, he failed to notice that Xiong Qi's face had darkened.

Seeing that someone on their side had stood up, the other members of Chu's foreign relatives naturally followed suit, expressing their opposition to Xu Qing's appointment as prime minister.

"I also object."

Seeing that the others had stepped forward, Chang Wenjun could only give Xiong Qi a helpless look before stepping forward as well.

His subordinates had all stood up. If neither he nor Xiong Qizhong expressed any opposition, then he would not only be unable to give an explanation to the other factions, but he would also be unable to give an explanation to his own subordinates.

Xiong Qi glanced coldly at the man who had stepped forward first, his fist clenching slightly beneath his sleeve.

Now, Xiong Qi finally understood that it's not the cunning schemes of bad people that are scary, but the sudden bursts of cleverness from fools. Fortunately, his good younger brother, Chang Wenjun, was willing to sacrifice himself to ensure his safety.

"Fool, you can't be allowed to continue causing harm to people."

After taking one last look at the official, Xiong Qi glanced at Xu Qing out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that Xu Qing remained calm and composed, he couldn't help but feel a little more curious and inquisitive.

The situation is now quite clear: of the seventy-six civil officials in Qin, all but him and Xu Qing, including Li Si, have expressed their opposition. Even if this was a scheme orchestrated by Xu Qing and Ying Zheng, the officials' opposition is genuine.

If Ying Zheng had insisted on appointing Xu Qing as prime minister, the power struggle between the civil and military officials in Qin would have erupted in full force.

Having finally come to power, Ying Zheng not only had to deal with the struggles between the royal family and the scholars, but also with the conflicts between the civil and military officials, which would greatly hinder him.

"So what exactly does Your Majesty intend to do? Even Zhang Yi and Fan Sui back then would probably be powerless to change this situation, so what method does Xu Qing have to persuade these officials to give up their opposition?" Xiong Qi looked at Xu Qing and thought to himself.

When Ying Zheng, who was on the throne, saw that all the civil officials from all factions had stood up, his originally unpleasant expression softened slightly, and a smile flashed in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, the current opposition from the ministers proves that Lord Zhaoming is truly unsuitable for the position of Prime Minister. I urge you to choose another worthy candidate!"

Lord Weiyang stood behind his ministers, cupped his hands, and shouted loudly, "We beg Your Majesty to choose another worthy man!" The civil officials behind him shouted in unison.

"Lord Zhaoming, what are your thoughts?" Ying Zheng ignored the crowd's petitions and instead looked at Xu Qing.

Looking at the opposing ministers in the room, Zhao Gao couldn't help but feel worried for Xu Qing, and looked at Xu Qing with concern in his eyes.

"My Lord Zhaoming, what have you done? You've made everyone oppose you," Zhao Gao thought anxiously.

Upon hearing this, everyone present turned to look at Xu Qing with sharp eyes, seemingly trying to intimidate him in this way.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xu Qing took a step forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Ying Zheng, and said...
"Your Majesty, I do indeed have something to say."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly.

"The ministers oppose my appointment as prime minister, and I have nothing to say about that. The considerations of Lord Weiyang and the ministers are indeed reasonable. However..." Xu Qing was interrupted by Lord Weiyang before he could finish speaking.

“Lord Zhaoming, since you know that you are not suitable to serve as prime minister, there is no need to continue. Your contributions to our Great Qin are well known, but the position of prime minister is indeed not suitable for you.”

Lord Weiyang looked at Xu Qing and said in a deep voice.

"Lord Weiyang, please allow me to finish speaking. Today I do not wish to argue with you all about whether I am suitable to serve as Prime Minister. I have more important matters to report to His Majesty," Xu Qing said calmly.

The officials were taken aback by his words and looked at Xu Qing with some confusion.

What's going on? Is he trying to ignore their request and completely steer clear of the topic? Or is Xu Qing so arrogant that he completely disregards them?

Meng Ao and his generals looked at Xu Qing with confusion, not understanding what he was trying to do.

"Come, sir, let me see what methods you have to quell the opposition of the ministers?"

Ying Zheng's eyes also showed anticipation as he waited for Xu Qing to continue.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Xu Qingqing cleared his throat. Now that the stage was set up, it was his turn to show off.

"Your Majesty, I have important matters to report today. Since entering Qin, I have served by Your Majesty's side. Although I have not ventured deep into Qin, I have learned about the current situation of Qin from the piles of memorials. Although Qin is now as powerful as a tiger and wolf, things grow old when they are strong, and the tyrannical will not die a natural death until their time is up!"

"Beneath the surface of Qin's strength lies numerous problems. If these are not corrected in time, like a hidden ailment left untreated, they will eventually endanger the entire state!"

Xu Qing spoke with a solemn expression and a serious tone.

Before Ying Zheng could speak, Lord Jingyang stepped forward and said...

"Lord Zhaoming, what do you mean by this? Who in the world doesn't know that our Great Qin is as strong and vigorous as a healthy young man, at the height of its power? How come in your words it sounds like a dying man? You are exaggerating!"

The others present also began to whisper among themselves, seemingly disagreeing with Xu Qing's words.

"Silence!" the physician shouted.

In an instant, the officials in the hall stopped their discussions, and the huge court hall fell into silence.

"Lord Zhaoming, as I have said, all ministers are free to speak their minds in today's court meeting. Please speak your mind," Ying Zheng said.

"Then I will speak frankly. What I have discovered is that the biggest problem in the Qin state is its incomplete system. As we all know, the Qin state began its path to strength with the reforms of Shang Yang, and the most core measure of the reforms was the twenty-rank military merit system."

"Using military merit to determine ranks will inspire the sons of Qin to fight on the battlefield and shed blood for the Qin state! This will make the sons of Qin fearless in the face of death, fighting for the country on the battlefield until their bodies are wrapped in horsehide!"

"However, military merit titles are primarily awarded to soldiers, not all of whom are capable of fighting on the battlefield. Moreover, those who bring glory to the country are not all those who fight on the battlefield. The civil officials of our Great Qin assist the King in handling state affairs and maintaining the operation of the court, as well as governing the local areas, bringing peace and prosperity to the people, and protecting the stability of the people in their respective regions!"

"Our ministers are not military generals, and our people are not soldiers. Why should we turn a blind eye to our civil officials and wise men?"

"Therefore, I submit this memorial to Your Majesty, requesting the establishment of a system for the selection and promotion of civil officials, with a system based on twenty grades of military merit, and a comprehensive assessment system using indicators such as the timely collection of taxes and provisions, the handling of criminal cases, and the maintenance of public order. Only those who excel in these assessments will be promoted."

As Xu Qing spoke, he took out the bamboo slips he had prepared beforehand, presented them with both hands, and shouted loudly.

Everyone present, from Ying Zheng on the throne to the civil and military officials below, was stunned. Their eyes were filled with disbelief as they looked at Xu Qing. They never expected that what Xu Qing was going to say would be this.

They're actually going to establish a promotion system for civil officials, modeled after the twenty-rank military merit system. This is practically a reform!
Xiong Qi, Lord Weiyang, Lord Jingyang, Lord Changwen, Yao Jia, Li Si, and others stared blankly at Xu Qing.

Although they were surprised by what Xu Qing said, they quickly recovered from their shock and realized that from now on, the position of Prime Minister of Qin was truly indispensable to Xu Qing.

The civil officials gradually recovered from their shock, and their gazes toward Xu Qing changed from hostility to excitement, each one like a lustful ghost seeing a naked beauty.

They were a little too loud just now, is it too late to take it back? Don't even mention that spilled water can't be taken back, even if they licked it, they'd have to take it back.

Lord Zhaoming, no, I should say Prime Minister, there are many people here, we will kneel down before you once we get out!
(End of this chapter)