When King Zhaoxiang of Qin died, all six kingdoms sent their generals and ministers to pay tribute, but Han was the only one that was different - the King of Han came in person, wearing mourning clothes.
When Qin Wangzhu learned about this, he was stunned for a long time and didn't know how to react for a moment.
In order to reduce the burden on Qin Wang Zhu, Zhu Xiang did not attend court, but temporarily assumed the responsibility of half of Qin Wang Zhu's attendant and helped Qin Wang Zhu handle paperwork.
Upon hearing that the King of Han had come in person to pay homage, Zhu Xiang's mind flashed with Han Fei's crying face, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
After he came back, although he had no time to interact with other people because he was busy taking care of the Qin King's family, Zhu Xiang still met Han Fei several times because Han Fei served Xunzi.
The death of the old King of Qin did not give Han Fei hope. Instead, seeing with his own eyes the old King of Qin's wholehearted efforts for the Qin State before his death made Han Fei even more desperate. Therefore, Han Fei's mental state is now a little dazed.
At this time, Han Fei saw with his own eyes that the King of Han disregarded the dignity of a monarch and wore mourning for the old King of Qin. He was afraid that his mental state would be even worse.
"The King of Han offered sacrifices to the First Lord in the same way that the princes offered sacrifices to the emperor, probably to show his loyalty to the king. As long as the king promised that Han would continue to be a prince, Han would immediately surrender and become a vassal state of Qin." Zhu Xiang rubbed the corners of his twitching mouth, "It's just that he was too eager, and his posture looked a little ugly."
Qin Wangzhu put away his surprised expression and said with a straight face: "Even if he becomes a vassal state of Qin, Qin will destroy Han. He wants to force me by surrendering himself, humph."
After so many years of training by King Zhaoxiang of Qin, King Zhu of Qin had no suspicion of Zhu Xiang, but he was quite suspicious of others. When King Han did this, he immediately suspected that King Han was not really stupid, but wanted to force him because he heard of his reputation for generosity.
When the princes worshipped other princes, they only needed to send their generals and ministers; when the princes worshipped the emperor, they had to come in person and wear mourning clothes. Didn't the King of Han show the world that he had recognized the King of Qin as the emperor? If the King of Qin attacked Han again, wouldn't it be the King of Qin who was unreasonable
But Qin Wangzhu is still the King of Qin, and he will not be restrained by this moral blackmail.
"Your Majesty, what you said makes sense. Perhaps he did consider this point. Not all the people in the court of Han are mediocre." Zhu Xiang smiled, "But since they can come up with a plan to morally blackmail Qin by humiliating the king, maybe the people in the court of Han are not mediocre, but they are not much better than mediocre."
After hearing Zhu Xiang's ridicule of the king and his ministers of Han, Qin Wangzhu's expression improved: "Humph, you don't even care about the king's face. I'm afraid the ministers of Han don't take the king of Han seriously either."
Zhu Xiang nodded: "Since the King of Han is willing to wear mourning for the First Lord, Your Majesty should reward him for his loyalty. After the Nine Cauldrons were returned to Qin, according to the law, the King of Qin was already the Son of Heaven, and the First Lord deserved this gift from the King of Han."
Qin Wangzhu smiled and said, "You are right."
He rubbed his eyes and they became a little red again.
The closer it got to the funeral, the worse Qin Wangzhu's mood became. Although he could hide his emotions most of the time, when he was alone with Zhu Xiang in the dead of night, he couldn't help but reveal his true feelings.
"When my father finds out, he will laugh heartily." Qin Wangzhu said.
Zhu Xiang said, "Of course." He sighed in his heart and was very worried about Qin Wangzhu's health.
Qin Wangzhu had been in poor health to begin with, and he had been tired and sad recently. He was under double pressure both mentally and physically, and Zhu Xiang was worried every day.
I don't know if it was for this reason that King Zhu of Qin in the original history followed King Zhaoxiang of Qin just one year and a few days after he ascended the throne.
Fortunately, Qin Wangzhu also knew that he could not fall down, so he tended to follow the doctor's advice.
In addition, he was busy with government affairs and no longer lingered in the harem. The imperial physician said that Qin Wangzhu's physical condition was slightly better than when he was the crown prince.
Looking at Zhu Xiang's mischievous eyes, King Qin Zhu became angry and embarrassed in front of Zhu Xiang for the first time.
When the funeral began, Zhu Xiang, as a ceremonial officer, met with all the people sent by the princes to pay tribute to King Zhaoxiang of Qin.
The funeral was solemn and dignified. Even though the envoys of the princes wanted to talk to Zhu Xiang, they could not find a chance to do so for the time being. After the process was completed, they would stay in Xianyang for a while. Only then could they openly visit the important officials of the Qin State in Xianyang.
It was not just the envoys of the six states who came to pay tribute to King Zhaoxiang of Qin. Although they were later called the Seven Kingdoms of the Warring States Period, there were actually many small states at that time. Although these small states became vassal states of the Seven Kingdoms of the Warring States Period, they were also qualified to send people to attend the funeral of the King of Qin.
Among the small countries, the envoy from Wei State attracted Zhu Xiang's attention.
If he remembered correctly, this envoy from Wei was the son-in-law of the King of Wei. He heard from Cai Ze that the King of Wei intended to support this son-in-law to inherit the throne of Wei, but there seemed to be a lot of opposition in Wei.
Many talents in Qin State came from Wei State, which had close ties with Qin State. If there was a chance, Wei State would definitely be more willing to submit to Qin State. They were not willing to be tied to the chariot of Wei State.
However, now the King of Wei actually sent the King of Wei's son-in-law to take on the responsibility of an envoy. I wonder if he has changed his mind and is ready to compromise with the State of Wei.
Zhu Xiang remembered this matter and prepared to go back and discuss it with Cai Ze.
In addition to the envoys from Wei, Zhu Xiang would naturally also pay attention to the envoys from Zhao.
Unfortunately, although the envoy from Zhao had an expression that said “Duke Zhu Xiang, I admire you” on his face, Zhu Xiang did not recognize him.
Zhu Xiang originally thought that it would be Lord Pingyuan or Lord Pingyang who would come to Qin. Although it was a little awkward for old friends to become enemies after meeting, there were many friends in the Seven Kingdoms who were hostile to each other. Zhu Xiang believed that Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang would still be willing to drink a glass of wine with him, temporarily put aside the distinction between enemies and friends, and reminisce about the past.
Seeing that there was no one he knew in the Zhao envoys, Zhu Xiang looked a little lonely.
Lian Po was also very concerned about the envoys from Zhao State. Although he said that he did not want to see people from Zhao State, he still went to take a look.
Seeing Zhu Xiang's lonely expression, he found an opportunity to scold him.
"You are now a minister of Qin, the brother-in-law of the prince of Qin. Even if you see someone familiar among the Zhao envoys, you should pretend not to know him!" If Zhu Xiang hadn't been wearing a crown, Lian Po would have hit Zhu Xiang on the head. "What's wrong with your expression? Are you missing Zhao? Don't you think there are enough rumors about you in Xianyang recently?!"
"Lord Lian, I was wrong. I will control my expression and not embarrass Your Majesty." Zhu Xiang has always been good at sliding on his knees, and he immediately bowed his head to admit his mistake.
Lian Po snorted coldly and said, "If you are worried about Lord Pingyuan, I will ask someone in private and tell you that you are not allowed to contact the people of Zhao. Even if they send a visiting card, you are not allowed to see them!"
Zhu Xiang nodded vigorously: "Okay!"
After Lian Po gave his instructions, he was still a little worried. He found Zichu and Cai Ze, hoping that they would look after Zhu Xiang.
Lian Po specifically instructed Zichu to make advance arrangements with the King of Qin and the Crown Prince of Qin, informing them that Zhu Xiang did not really miss Zhao State, but just missed his old friends, and asked them not to doubt Zhu Xiang's loyalty.
Although Lian Po has discovered that the current King of Qin is much less suspicious than the old King of Qin, as an old minister abandoned by the King of Zhao, Lian Po has now learned to be tactful and prepare for a rainy day.
Afterwards, Zhu Xiang was instructed by Zichu and Cai Ze respectively. Qin Wangzhu and Ying Xiaozheng also whispered in Zhu Xiang's ears. Even Bai Qi and the bedridden Fan Ju could not help but nag a few words, which made Zhu Xiang very annoyed.
Zhu Xiang couldn't help but say to Xunzi: "Xunzi is still the best. Believe that I am not that stupid."
Xunzi raised his eyelids lazily and said, "I know you are stupid, but I believe there are many people who will tell you not to be stupid, so I won't waste my breath on you."
Zhu Xiang: “…”
He just wanted to chat with old friends, why did they all act as if he was going to defect to the State of Zhao
No matter how you think about it, he can't be that stupid!
Of course, Zhu Xiang's elders and juniors all knew that Zhu Xiang would not defect to another country. It was just that Zhu Xiang's softness was taken advantage of by the envoys, who designed to put Zhu Xiang in danger.
Although Zhu Xiang will not be in danger, he may suffer from the betrayal of an old friend.
Zhu Xiang didn't know that even friends, if they stood on different sides, would use friendship for their own benefit.
Many of the Qin State's strategies for sowing discord were carried out through "friends", and the friendships between these friends were mostly very sincere.
Qin Wangzhu saw that the foreign envoys were staring at Zhu Xiang like black chicken eyes. In order to prevent anyone from making trouble by using Zhu Xiang's "secret talks" with the foreign envoys, he specifically told Zhu Xiang and his family of three to continue living in the Xianyang Palace. In this way, even if they wanted to meet Zhu Xiang privately, they would not find a chance.
King Zhu of Qin also briefly entertained the envoys from the six countries in the Xianyang Palace, giving them the opportunity to communicate with Zhu Xiang so that Zhu Xiang could ask about his old friend.
"It's human nature to miss friends. Ask whatever you want to ask." Qin Wangzhu said to Zhu Xiang, "I will use feeling unwell as an excuse to leave first."
Zhu Xiang said with a little embarrassment: "Thank you, sir." He wanted to say it was not necessary, but it was better to say thank you at this time.
He regretted showing his regret. It was the Lord who needed comfort the most, so why was the Lord pampering him
After Qin Wangzhu had made all the arrangements, Zhu Xiang sat down with the envoys from Wei and Zhao.
As expected, he left early, leaving only Crown Prince Zichu and Zhu Xiang to entertain the envoys.
Chunshen Jun Huang Xie looked at Zhu Xiang with a slightly depressed expression. Chu was now stronger than Zhao and Wei, so he should sit on Zhu Xiang's left and right, right
Although the Qin State arranged him to sit next to Crown Prince Zichu, he was still in a very bad mood.
What is the Crown Prince Zichu? Even if we talk, we can't coax him to come to Chu. He just wants to chat with Zhu Xianggong!
"How is Lord Xinling?" Zhu Xiang saw that King Qin Zhu gave him a look that said "just chat" before leaving, so he put down his chopsticks helplessly and started chatting with the Wei envoy.
His Majesty has given him this opportunity, and he would be letting His Majesty down if he doesn't use it.
"Lord Xinling... I don't know." The Wei envoy did not expect Zhu Xiang to take the initiative to talk to him. He asked about Lord Xinling, "Does Lord Changping know Lord Xinling?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Although we have only met a few times, Lord Xinling sang a song to see me off when I left Zhao State. Since then, Lord Xinling and I have been friends."
The Zhao envoy on the other side of Zhu Xiang showed an embarrassed and awkward expression on his face.
The fact that the King of Zhao persecuted Duke Zhu Xiang and forced him to join Qin was a pain in the hearts of all the people of Zhao. Hearing Duke Zhu Xiang personally mention it, he naturally felt bad.
"Lord Xinling is now in Zhao." He said with a stiff face, "The King of Zhao has granted Lord Xinling a fief. Although Lord Xinling has stayed indoors, he should be fine."
Zhu Xiang was disappointed: "Xinling Jun went to Zhao? He must have gone to Pingyuan Jun, right? Is Pingyuan Jun okay? Is Pingyang Jun in good health?"
The Zhao envoy replied: "All right, they are all healthy."
Zhu Xiang was upset when he saw that the Zhao envoy answered briefly without thinking.
He glanced at the Zhao envoy's calm expression and said calmly, "That's good."
The Zhao envoy was not a good actor. Although he deliberately showed a calm expression, as if he was not lying, he looked embarrassed when he mentioned the incident of entering Qin. His expression changed so quickly, obviously he had something to hide.
Pingyuan Jun's health is probably very poor. We don't know how Pingyang Jun is doing, but he must be worried about Pingyuan Jun's health.
Although Pingyang Jun had a slightly longer-term vision than Pingyuan Jun, he was inferior to Pingyuan Jun in terms of identifying and employing people, as well as talent and reputation. Now that the reputation of the King of Zhao has been hit many times, Pingyang Jun may not be able to support the entire State of Zhao.
Just as Wei had Lord Xinling, Zhao was able to overcome difficulties many times because of Lord Pingyuan.
Zhu Xiang felt a little sad and regretful.
He did not have strong feelings for Lord Pingyuan and Lord Pingyang, he just felt a little pity for them.
Seeing Zhu Xiang's expression, although the Zhao envoy's acting skills were not good, he was not a stupid man as he was carefully selected to be sent as an envoy to Qin. He immediately realized that Zhu Xiang might have guessed something and became very nervous.
Zhu Xiang also noticed his nervousness and tried to smooth things over by saying, "I will prepare some gifts. Please help me pass them on to Lord Pingyuan, Lord Pingyang, and Lord Xinling."
The Zhao envoy breathed a sigh of relief: "Yes."
Zhu Xiang did not continue to question the envoys from Wei and Zhao. He drank alone, as if in a daze.
The envoys from Wei and Zhao did not dare to take the initiative to talk to Zhu Xiang.
They had prepared many words to flatter Zhu Xiang, and even if they were not representing their respective countries, on a personal level, they also hoped to get Zhu Xiang's guidance.
But they didn't expect that after seeing Zhu Xiang, who was not like an ordinary person, they would feel so nervous that they didn't even dare to breathe.
Duke Zhu Xiang had white hair and a youthful face, and his temperament was like a mountain cedar. Even when sitting in a noisy crowd, he seemed to be isolated from the world, as if there was a layer of wind and snow around him, isolating him from the mortals in the world.
Zichu winked at Cai Ze: Zhu Xiang is in a daze.
Cai Ze answered with his eyes: He must be very bored and want to leave.
The two friends sighed in their hearts at the same time.
The first lord and the emperor both doted on Zhu Xiang, allowing him to live too freely. He almost never attended banquets and did not accept other people's invitations. Even when the dignitaries in Xianyang City invited him to a banquet, Zhu Xiang only sent gifts and rarely showed up. So it's no wonder that Zhu Xiang was so bored that he was distracted when he attended the banquet.
Seeing that Zhu Xiang had been in a daze for a long time without drinking a sip of wine, as if he was in a trance and sleeping with his eyes open, Zichu could not bear it any more, so he asked someone to make an excuse that Ying Xiaozheng missed Zhu Xiang and asked Zhu Xiang to leave temporarily.
Zhu Xiang really thought that Ying Xiaozheng missed him, so he hurried to find Ying Xiaozheng, but it turned out that Ying Xiaozheng was sleeping soundly.
He poked Ying Xiaozheng's belly angrily and said, "You little heartless guy, your uncle is suffering in the front, but he is lazy here."
Xue put down the embroidery in her hands and said: "Zheng'er has been crying for several days, and now he has to carry the coffin to the tomb of the former lord. He is so tired, what's wrong with taking the time to rest? Besides, you are attending the banquet in front, how can you say you are suffering?"
Zhu Xiang sat beside Xue, hugged Xue, put his head on Xue's shoulder and said, "I know Zheng'er is tired, so I'll just talk. But going to the banquet is really suffering."
He began to complain that the food was bad, the wine was unpalatable, and it was tiring to engage in intrigue with others.
Zhu Xiang complained: "How can there be wine during the Qin Dynasty's national mourning? It's better to drink water. And when did the wine in the Qin Palace become so unpalatable? Did I give you the winemaking recipe for nothing?"
Xue said helplessly: "Didn't you listen to Xunzi's explanation of the banquet? That's not wine, it's a drink that has special herbs in it to replace wine."
Zhu Xiang said: "I really didn't listen. Who would listen to what kind of drinks and dishes will be served at the banquet?"
Xue was even more helpless. You are the official of etiquette, why don't you listen? Xue assisted the Queen of Qin, Lady Huayang, in preparing the banquet, and remembered the menu in detail.
Zhu Xiang casually chatted with Xue about some daily things. As they chatted, Zhu Xiang also felt sleepy. He crawled into Ying Xiaozheng's bed and fell asleep with Ying Xiaozheng.
Xue put down her embroidery, picked up the account book, and while looking at it, she fanned Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng to drive away mosquitoes.
The smoke from the incense rose in the room. Apart from the loud breathing of Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng, there was the sound of Xue flipping through the pages of a book. Although there were sounds, it seemed very quiet.
When the smoke cleared and mosquitoes no longer appeared, Xue put down her fan, looked at her lover and child's sleepy eyes and smiled.
During the days when she was separated from her lover and children, Xue often felt so lonely that she couldn't sleep. But later she got used to it.
Once there are many things to do during the day, you won't miss your family too much at night. This is what Liangren often said to her, "Xue, you should find something you want to do, and don't focus all your energy on me and Zheng'er, so that you can live happily", right
But even though she found what she wanted to do, she was happiest when she was with her lover and children.
She put the account book away and lay down beside Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng, spending a little time relaxing with them.
Zhu Xiang used his great talent of sleeping with his eyes open during banquets to let the envoys from various countries know that he was an independent person who lived away from the world and should not be spoken to casually.
Even Huang Xie was a little embarrassed, not knowing how to arouse the interest of this immortal. If Zhu Xiang was not interested, he would not be able to find a chance to make friends with Zhu Xiang.
After much thought, he sought help from Lin Zhi.
After Lin Zhi returned to Qin, he did not return to Xianyang immediately. He did some work for Qin Wangzhu and only managed to catch up with the end of the funeral.
Afterwards, he would accompany all the Qin officials to bury King Zhaoxiang of Qin and would not leave Xianyang for the time being.
After Lin Zhi returned to Xianyang, Huang Xie immediately came to visit him and offered a large sum of money, hoping that Lin Zhi could help him make an introduction.
At this time, Zhu Xiang was at Lin Zhi's house.
Zhu Xiang warned: "If you accept bribes, be careful that the king will put you in jail."
Lin Zhi said: "Don't worry about that. I just need to give half to the Lord, and the Lord won't punish me."
Zichu said, "Everyone who sees it gets a share. If you don't give me half, I will sue you as the crown prince."
Lin Zhi cursed, "Bullshit, don't even think about it, don't even think about getting anything from me! You are the crown prince now, you should give me something. If you don't bribe me, I will support your brother. Do you think you are safe as the crown prince?"
Zichu took a deep breath and said, "Zhu Xiang, listen to what Lin Li said. If this gets out, he will have several heads to chop off!"
Zhu Xiang replied perfunctorily: "It's okay. The disaster has lasted for thousands of years. I believe Lin Li will be able to turn the disaster into a blessing."
Zichu said, "Next time I won't come with you to see Lin Li. I should come with Cai Ze."
Lin Zhi was puzzled: "By the way, where is Cai Ze? He didn't even come out of the city a hundred miles to greet my close friend? Did he become proud after becoming the prime minister?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Zi Chu and I have both left the palace. Guess who is in the palace handling the paperwork we need to do?"
Zichu coughed dryly and said, "I will do what I should do after returning to the palace."
Zhu Xiang bared his teeth: "I will never do what I pushed to Cai Ze after returning to the palace."
Zichu was speechless: "How unlucky must Cai Ze be to have met you?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Same here."
Lin Zhi nodded: "How unlucky is Cai Ze to have met you two?"
Zichu and Zhu Xiang said in unison: "You are the least qualified to say this!"
Lin Zhi stroked his newly trimmed beard and said, "I know you are jealous of my noble character and talent. It doesn't matter. I am broad-minded and will not argue with you."
Lin Zhi's old servant couldn't help but remind him, "My Lord, Chunshen Jun is still waiting outside."
Lin Zhi showed a look of realization: "Oh, right, I forgot about him. Let's get back to the topic. Do you think I should accept this huge sum of money?"
Zhu Xiang said, "I'll take one-fifth. Your Majesty, Xia Tong, and Cai Ze will each take one-fifth."
Lin Zhi showed a painful look: "I only get one-fifth? Zhu Xiang, you are too cruel. Who said that Lu Buwei was a profiteer? You are the real profiteer."
Zichu said, "If Lü Buwei were here, I'm afraid all the money would go into Zhu Xiang's pocket. Since we are meeting Zhu Xiang, how can Zhu Xiang not accept some gifts?"
Zhu Xiang agreed: "Yes, you have to bribe me with extra money before I go to see Chunshen Jun, otherwise I won't."
Lin Zhi waved his sleeves to drive Zhu Xiang away: "Go away, I will not see you anymore."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "You're saying no now? It's too late? Come on, Zichu, let's move things from his warehouse!"
Zichu and Zhu Xiang stood up together and walked towards Lin Zhi's backyard storehouse.
Lin Zhi cursed at their backs, and then told his servants to prepare a carriage and move whatever they set their eyes on.
The servants didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
After Zichu and Zhu Xiang left, Lin Zhi tidied his clothes, let his hair down and went out to greet Chunshen Jun.
He looked guilty: "I was just taking a bath. I kept Chunshenjun waiting for a long time."
When Chunshen Jun saw that Lin Zhi had his hair down, he did not suspect anything and said, "No, it was my fault for coming here without permission. Please do not blame me, Mr. Lin."
The nobles of this era attached great importance to etiquette, especially Lin Zhi, who claimed to be a disciple of Xunzi and often discussed Confucianism with others in the State of Chu, so naturally he should pay more attention to etiquette.
When meeting an honored guest, the ministers would certainly dress themselves up to show respect. Lin Zhi actually had his hair loose, which might mean he really came out in a hurry.
If it were anyone else, Chunshen Jun might have felt slighted. But Lin Zhi had always been very polite and courteous, so he was probably afraid that if he waited too long, it would be too late.
After thinking about this, Chunshen Jun felt a little more friendly towards Lin Zhi.
After hearing Chunshen Jun's request, Lin Zhi smiled bitterly and said, "Although I am Zhu Xiang's friend, it is precisely because we are friends that I cannot ignore his opinion and take people to visit him at will. If I do so, not only will my door be trampled by people, I am afraid Zhu Xiang will be annoyed too."
Chunshen Jun was in a low mood: "That's right..."
"However, Chunshen Jun is famous, perhaps Zhu Xiang also wants to meet Chunshen Jun." Lin Zhi changed the subject.
Chunshen Jun immediately said, "Can Mr. Lin introduce me? Whether Duke Zhuxiang is willing to see me or not, I will give it a try."
Lin Zhi said, "Of course. But Zhu Xiang is living in the palace now. If he wants to meet with the envoys of the six countries, he must first pass the Qin King."
Lin Zhi looked at the gifts behind Chunshen Jun and said, "I will deliver these gifts to the King of Qin on your behalf to show your feelings to him. What do you think?"
Chunshen Jun's face froze: "To see Duke Zhu Xiang, do I need the King of Qin's consent?"
Lin Zhi smiled tiredly and painfully: "Don't you know how useful Zhu Xiang is to Qin? Now the envoys of the six countries all want to receive Zhu Xiang's guidance. Even a few words may benefit them greatly."
He didn't say much, just stood with his hands behind his back, looked up at the Xianyang Palace and sighed, his smile very bitter.
When Chunshen Jun saw Lin Zhi's expression, he immediately understood the implication of Lin Zhi's words.
Although Zhu Xiang seemed to be favored, in fact, the King of Qin made Zhu Xiang live in the Xianyang Palace to place him under house arrest and isolate him from envoys from other countries.
Chunshen Jun thought again of Zhu Xiang's lonely and empty expression at the palace banquet, and of the brief conversation between Zhu Xiang and the envoys from Wei and Zhao, and he sighed in his heart.
I'm afraid Zhu Xiang himself knew that he was imprisoned by the King of Qin.
As expected, with the noble character of Duke Zhu Xiang, how could he really be willing to completely obey the orders of the tyrannical King Qin? The King of Qin also knew that he could not completely control Duke Zhu Xiang, so he imprisoned him.
Although Duke Zhu Xiang seemed to be favored by the King of Qin, he actually never served as a high-ranking official in the court of Qin after entering Qin. The King of Qin just gave him extra power to do things. When Duke Zhu Xiang was doing things, he was assisted by officials on all sides.
This may seem like assistance, but isn't it actually supervision
If Duke Zhu Xiang had gone to another country, which monarch would not have appointed him as prime minister? But in Qin, Duke Zhu Xiang could not even attend court meetings.
The King of Qin was so cruel to Duke Xiang of Zhu!
Lin Zhi asked, "Do you still want to see Zhu Xiang?"
Chunshen Jun hesitated.
The King of Qin said that he had to go through him to see Duke Xiang of Zhu, so that the envoys of the six countries would retreat? Moreover, even if he knew about Duke Xiang of Zhu's situation, and Duke Xiang of Zhu was willing to leave the King of Qin, how could he help Duke Xiang of Zhu escape from the sea of suffering
Lin Zhi sighed and said, "In fact, I still hope that Chunshen Jun can meet Zhu Xiang. At least he will be much happier if he has an outsider to chat with. When he was in Handan, Zhu Xiang showed his talent and debated with the scholars of the entire Handan city. Now he is only hiding in the shadow of the King of Qin. The world has probably forgotten the high-spirited Zhu Xiang."
Chunshen Jun immediately said: "Please ask Lin Qing to help me present the gift to the King of Qin!"
After hearing what Lin Zhi said, Chunshen Jun had to meet Duke Zhu Xiang no matter how many concerns he had in his heart.
If Duke Zhu Xiang could be persuaded to separate from the State of Qin, even if the King of Qin did not let Duke Zhu Xiang leave, the State of Qin would probably find it difficult to use Duke Zhu Xiang.
Moreover, if he spread the news of Duke Xiang of Zhu, the hypocritical reputation that Qin had promoted through Duke Xiang would surely collapse.
As for whether Zhu Xiang would die because of what he did... Although Huang Xie respected Zhu Xiang very much, it was the same for anyone in the Six Kingdoms. The more they respected Zhu Xiang, the more they hoped that Zhu Xiang would die in Qin.
After Huang Xie left, Lin Zhi found his two thief friends in the warehouse and told them what he had said.
Zhu Xiang: “?”
Zichu: “?”
Lin Zhi, are you sick? Why are you suddenly adding this drama
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, aren't you worried about who is spreading rumors about Zhu Xiang? If Huang Xie misunderstands, he will definitely find someone in Xianyang who hates you two to cooperate with him. The more rumors they spread, the more outrageous they will be, and the more flaws they will reveal. Besides..."
Lin Zhi laughed a few times and said slyly, "Why didn't Zhu Xiang go to the court and why was he in the Xianyang Palace? Someone must know the truth behind this. So based on the rumor, we can roughly judge the status of the person who spread the rumor."
What he said now is far from the truth. People who have no idea of the truth will directly spread rumors, people who know a little about the truth will embellish it, and people who know the truth completely will probably just wait and see for the time being.
"If they spread this rumor, it will not only damage Zhu Xiang and my reputation, but also the reputation of Qin." Zichu sneered, "I will have sufficient reason to move against them."
Now that group of people were spreading rumors about him and Zhu Xiang, even if they were saying that he was planning treason, he could only hold back and not take action, because this was a "private matter" and if he took action it would be to strike down his political enemies.
Although the King of Qin might not care about him attacking his political enemies, he had just ascended the throne, and Zichu did not want to fight for power and profit immediately, lest he lose his favor in the King of Qin's heart. He could only wait for the King of Qin to lose his patience and take action.
If the other party directly targeted the Qin State, then this matter would be much easier to handle.
Zhu Xiang was puzzled: "Lin Li, why do you have so many evil ideas? Aren't you a Taoist?"
Lin Zhi raised his eyebrows: "Taoism embraces everything. Do you want to learn Taoism? I will teach you!"
Zhu Xiang shook his head vigorously: "... No, no, I think your Laozi and Zhuangzi's teachings are a bit unorthodox."
Zhu Xiang felt that Lin Zhi was even better at court struggles than Cai Ze. This was probably not taught by any of the Hundred Schools of Thought, but because Lin Zhi himself was vicious.
After Lin Zhi casually told Zichu and Zhu Xiang about his evil plan as if it were a casual conversation, they quickly diverted the topic to something inappropriate.
Zichu: "You are going to meet him like this? Without even tying up your hair? Doesn't Chunshenjun think you are treating him badly?"
Lin Zhi shook his head casually: "I am a disciple of Xunzi, the most orthodox Confucianist, and I know etiquette. I came out to meet him so anxiously that I didn't even care about my appearance. Doesn't this show that I value him?"
Zhu Xiang: "Bah, Xunzi would never want you as his disciple."
Lin Zhi laughed loudly: "Hahaha, it's too late. Now everyone in Chendu of Chu State knows that I, Lin Zhi, am a great scholar!"
Zhu Xiang and Zi Chu: "Bah!"
Xunzi, who was also in Xianyang City, shuddered and cursed inwardly, wondering if Zhu Xiang was talking about him behind his back again.
When Qin Wangzhu received the treasures presented by Chunshen Jun from Lin Zhi, he was completely confused: "Why did Chunshen Jun suddenly ask you to give me a gift?"
Lin Zhi told Qin Wangzhu about his exaggerated words, saying that he had played a trick on Chunshen Jun.
Qin Wangzhu's face twitched constantly: "You...you...Alas, my father always said that you were too jumpy. If not, you should be the prime minister, so I let you train for a few years before I appoint you as the prime minister. Why...Alas."
Qin Wangzhu pressed his temple and said, "Tell me, what is your reason for doing this? Don't you know that Chunshen Jun will use this as an excuse to discredit Qin?"
Lin Zhi said, "I am waiting for him to smear us. If he doesn't, how can Your Majesty know how many people in Xianyang City are not loyal to Qin?"
Qin Wangzhu sighed and said, "My reputation doesn't matter. The Qin kings of all dynasties didn't have much reputation, and I am no exception. But you slandered Zhu Xiang like this, do you know what Zhu Xiang thinks?"
Lin Zhi said, "I opened the storeroom and asked him to pick out a cart of gifts."
Qin Wangzhu: "..."
He pressed his temple again: "If you say this about Zhu Xiang, Zichu will also be dissatisfied."
Lin Zhi said, "When Zhu Xiang was choosing gifts, Zichu also went."
Qin Wangzhu: "... Did you also let Cai Ze pick a gift?"
Lin Zhi said: "Cai Ze is a good man. He will not be a thief or a robber."
Qin Wangzhu: “…” He came up with the idea of appointing Cai Ze as prime minister.
No matter how you think about it, Lin Zhi is not a suitable person to be the prime minister, right? !
"Okay, whatever you want." Qin Wangzhu said helplessly, "I have a lot of things to do right now, so I'll leave this matter to you."
Lin Zhi bowed and said, "As you command. Your Majesty, I will also accept a gift from Chunshen Jun to pay my respects to Zhu Xiang. Zhu Xiang said that he, the crown prince, I, Cai Ze and Your Majesty will each take one-fifth."
Qin Wangzhu: "... How come I have a share?" What on earth are these juniors playing at? Is he getting old? Why can't he keep up with what they are thinking
Lin Zhi said seriously: "Zhu Xiang said that whoever sees it will have a share."
Qin Wangzhu didn't know what to say. He felt a headache.
"You are welcome to do as you please." Qin Wangzhu said weakly, "I will leave this matter to you. You don't need to ask me any more questions."
I don’t want to hear who you have cheated out of money again, and how you left me a share in order to escape punishment!
Why is the prince also messing around!
Oh, it seems that whenever Yiren is with Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi, he becomes particularly unstable. Obviously, he is not like that when he is alone with Zhu Xiang and Lin Zhi.
Cai Ze is still the best.
My Lord and father, I’m sorry, I don’t want to appoint Lin Zhi as the Prime Minister. I’d rather appoint Cai Ze as the Prime Minister.
Qin Wangzhu missed Ying Xiaozheng who was in class very much.
He felt that Zheng'er was much more stable than Zichu, and at least he would not be led astray by Lin Zhi and Zhu Xiang. It would be better to let Zheng'er become the crown prince directly.
However, Lin Zhi's plan seemed a bit random and as if it was a joke, but it was actually very vicious.
By implementing this strategy, Zhu Xiang's reputation would not actually be affected, but Lin Zhi was using the reputation of the Crown Prince of Qin, the King of Qin and even the entire Qin State as bait to lure out the Qin nobles who had ulterior motives towards the King of Qin after the death of King Zhaoxiang of Qin.
Although Lin Zhi had formulated this plan, he could not carry it out if King Qin Zhu did not agree. He had to use the reputation of the King of Qin and the Qin State as a bargaining chip, so naturally the King of Qin had to cooperate personally to implement it.
Lin Zhi's move was not only to help Qin Wangzhu, who had been troubled by those people in the court recently, once and for all, but also to test Qin Wangzhu.
If it were the old King of Qin, he would definitely use Lin Zhi's strategy without hesitation.
Fame? If it could bring a few cities to Qin, the old King of Qin would be happy to become the most notorious king in the Warring States Period.
But Qin Wangzhu's temperament was gentler than the old Qin King. Lin Zhi used this strategy to test Qin Wangzhu's governing philosophy as queen.
If King Qin Zhu agrees, Lin Zhi will treat him like the old King Qin and come up with all possible means to help him; if King Qin Zhu resists, Lin Zhi will become a modest gentleman who follows the right path.
However, Lin Zhi was not worried that his plan would displease King Qin Zhu. After all, everyone knew that Lin Zhi was a descendant of Laozi and Zhuangzi, and was famous for his absurd and unruly behavior.
How could I, a direct descendant of Laozi and Zhuangzi, have any bad intentions
(End of this chapter)