As the King of Qin and his successor, Qin Wangzhu and Ying Xiaozheng naturally studied Wu Qi's new policies.
But Zhu Xiang's sneer made them feel Wu Qi's sadness even though they were in the King of Qin's position.
Many famous officials and generals in the Warring States period cannot be simply classified into any one of the Hundred Schools of Thought. This classification was made by later generations, and most nobles learned everything. Wu Qi was a military strategist when fighting, but he was more inclined to the Legalist school when reforming. He was not only a brave general, but also a meticulous "strategist" who was more rational than emotional for the sake of interests.
When the State of Lu was attacked by the State of Qi, Wu Qi killed his first wife who was from Qi to show his determination in order to be employed by the King of Lu.
This does not conform to the values of later generations, but it was a good thing at the time and laid the foundation for Wu Qi's good reputation.
There is another good story about Wu Qi, that is, he sucked pus and blood for the soldiers. But there is another story behind this, the mother of the soldier whose pus and blood Wu Qi sucked cried bitterly, and the soldier's father was also moved by Wu Qi and died on the battlefield.
Behind every touching or frightening move of his there is a deep calculation of interests.
Before Wu Qi died, he included himself in the reforms of Chu State so that they would be successful.
The State of Chu was different from the State of Qin. Shang Yang could not escape, but Wu Qi could escape if he wanted to.
But for the greatest achievement of his life - the New Deal for the State of Chu, Wu Qi was willing to die and dragged more than 70 noble families to be buried with him.
If Wu Qi were in Qin, the King of Qin would probably be so moved that he would not want to tear Wu Qi's body into pieces.
The biggest obstacle to the advancement of the State of Chu was that there were too many feudal lords, and the King of Chu was sidelined. Now the power of the old feudal lords of the State of Chu was almost all buried with Wu Qi, and the King of Chu could use whatever new policies he wanted, and from then on, his orders were unimpeded.
Zhu Xiang's "Lüshi Chunqiu" of that time and space lamented that "Wu Qi's wisdom can be described as quick."
Wu Qi probably never dreamed that he had cleared all obstacles for the new policy, the King of Chu, and the State of Chu. King Su of Chu also saw through his actions and caused rivers of blood to flow in the State of Chu.
Then, King Su of Chu abolished the new policy.
Not to mention Wu Qi who is in hell, anyone in later generations who reads this historical record will be scratching their heads.
Zhu Xiang said: "After the abolition of the New Deal, during the reign of King Huai of Chu, Chu fell back into the same situation as during the reign of King Sheng of Chu. The power of the feudal lords became unprecedentedly strong, and the royal power was lost."
In less than a hundred years, the State of Chu entered the next cycle, a cycle that it could have avoided.
When King Huai of Chu was mentioned, King Zhu of Qin and Ying Xiaozheng stopped stuffing sugar-roasted chestnuts into their mouths and gave an awkward yet polite smile.
The most notorious thing about King Huai of Chu, the father of Qin Wang Zhu and the great-grandfather of Ying Xiaozheng, is his reputation.
"Qu Yuan saw the problems of Chu and wanted to implement new policies again. Qu was not only one of the three great nobles of Chu, but also a member of the royal family of Chu. Therefore, he did not adopt a radical policy like Wu Qi. He just wanted to reduce the power of the feudal lords, so that the decrees of the King of Chu could reach every place in Chu and make use of foreign talents."
When Zhu Xiang talked about Qu Yuan, he felt a little regretful. He regretted not having met this sage who gave the whole country a day off.
The sages who provided the whole country with a reason to have a holiday were all good sages.
"The Chu State was controlled by the three aristocratic families of Zhao, Qu, and Jing. They not only excluded foreign talents, but also excluded talented people in the court. They only recommended mediocre people to the King of Chu to prevent the king's power from becoming too strong and causing the "harm" of Wu Qi again. Qu Yuan hoped to change this situation." Zhu Xiang sighed, "In the end, King Huai of Chu could not bear the pressure of being a feudal lord and betrayed Qu Yuan."
King Huai of Chu and his son King Qingxiang of Chu were really stupid and cowardly in exiling Qu Yuan. Especially King Qingxiang of Chu, who knew that Chu was weak and in urgent need of repairing the fold, did not dare to employ Qu Yuan to carry out reforms.
"The reforms by the foreign guest officials failed, and the reforms by the great nobles of our country also failed. Who else dares to believe in the King of Chu and save the Chu State? Although Chunshen Jun is very talented, he also values power too much and his own life very much. Therefore, not only will he not reform, but he will also cater to the great nobles of Chu State." Zhu Xiang said, "That's why he looked very unhappy just now, thinking that I was scolding him."
Ying Xiaozheng licked his fingers and said, "Isn't my uncle scolding him?"
Zhu Xiang said: "I didn't scold him, I just told the truth."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "To tell the truth is just to scold him, isn't it?"
Qin Wangzhu covered his mouth and burped, "He saw the plight of Chu but didn't dare to be an enemy of the great feudal lord of Chu. He became a villain who excluded talents just like the three feudal lords of Chu. How dare such a person say that he wants to welcome you into Chu?"
Ying Xiaozheng puffed his cheeks and snorted coldly: "Why would uncle talk to such a person?"
Zhu Xiang said: "He is a talented person after all. If I had said a few more words, he would have realized that Chu is not a good country and would be willing to come to Qin?"
Ying Xiaozheng and Qin Wangzhu, both grandfather and grandson, gave Zhu Xiang a look that said "keep bragging".
Zhu Xiang rubbed his nose: "I was just talking casually. You know I love to chat. Besides, it's fun to tease him and see his expression."
Ying Xiaozheng and Qin Wangzhu, both grandfather and grandson, shook their heads and sighed at the same time.
Zhu Xiang didn't dare to do anything to the King of Qin, but he could give his nephew a slap on the head.
"The events of Chu are very instructive. Zheng'er, write ten articles on the period from Wu Qi's reform to Qu Yuan's reform. Each article must be no less than 1,000 words." Zhu Xiang assigned the students. "When you have thoroughly understood this period of history, you won't need anyone to criticize those who say we should return to the feudal system of the Zhou Dynasty. You can do it yourself."
Ying Xiaozheng sighed: "Oh." His uncle's education really took advantage of every opportunity.
Qin Wangzhu frowned: "Zhu Xiang, aren't you assigning too much homework?"
Zhu Xiang said: "I didn't set a time, so I won't tire him out."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Father, I won't be tired."
"Okay." Qin Wangzhu said, "Write slowly, there's no rush."
Ying Xiaozheng nodded: "Yeah."
Zhu Xiang said, "Write carefully. After you finish, I will ask Xunzi to share your insights with the scholars at the Xianyang Academy."
Zhu Xiang said: "Now that they are used to your words, you won't embarrass them in the future. After all, you are still a child now. Even if they disagree with your views, they won't bother with you. Besides, the king also needs someone to teach them a lesson."
Ying Xiaozheng muttered: "Why don't you let Father go?"
Zhu Xiang said, "How many times can your father's body withstand being surrounded and scolded? You are young, so they are too embarrassed to scold you."
Ying Xiaozheng sighed: "I know."
Qin Wangzhu laughed: "Zheng'er, work hard."
"Yes, father." Ying Xiaozheng was dejected. There was nothing wrong with doing homework, but getting along with those annoying scholars made Ying Xiaozheng particularly dissatisfied.
If he was Qin Shi Huang, he would just bury people when he got angry. But now he is just an ordinary prince, and he can only be scolded by people pointing at his nose. It's really annoying.
"I didn't ask you to be angry, but I asked you to take advantage of your young age to irritate them." When they arrived in front of Fan Ju's room, Zhu Xiang asked someone to fetch water and wipe Ying Xiaozheng's face and hands. As for Qin Wangzhu, he would wash his face and hands by himself.
"If someone bullies you, tell Xunzi, and he will help you teach them a lesson." Zhu Xiang said, "If ordinary students bully you, tell Han Fei. Han Fei is also very good at scolding people."
Ying Xiaozheng muttered, "Han Fei's stuttering and cursing really tormented me to a high level."
After mumbling, Ying Xiaozheng was amused by his own words: "Okay."
Qin Wangzhu said with a smile: "With Xunzi and Han Fei, Zheng'er really doesn't have to worry. Han Fei is a talented person, but it's a pity that his heart is not in Qin."
Zhu Xiang said: "If we destroy Han as soon as possible, he will have to come to Qin to serve as an official and receive a salary in order to support the Han royal family."
King Qin Zhu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter at Zhu Xiang's "evil plan".
Fan Ju was dozing off when he heard loud laughter at the door. He silently got up from the bed and sat up.
Sure enough, King Qin Zhu came to visit him with his eldest grandson.
Fan Ju and Qin Wangzhu exchanged pleasantries. Zhu Xiang peeled some chestnuts for Fan Ju and then left the room, leaving Qin Wangzhu and Fan Ju to chat on their own.
As soon as Zhu Xiang left, Fan Ju gave all the chestnut meat to Ying Xiaozheng, just like an old man who dotes on his grandchildren behind his own children's backs.
Ying Xiaozheng's cheeks were bulging from eating so much chestnut meat and he sighed inwardly.
It seems that he will shed a few tears for Ying Hou when he passes away.
After Zhu Xiang left the room, he went to take a look at the small vegetable garden in the courtyard.
He did not pull out the cabbage, but now he has the ancestor of cabbage, "Fang".
"Feng" is a general term for edible cruciferous vegetables in ancient times. The ancestors of cabbage, green vegetables, flat radish (turnip), radish (radish), and mustard greens are all feng.
Different varieties of 葘 naturally hybridized to produce "菘", which is green vegetables. Cabbage and turnip hybridized to produce the mature cabbage varieties with leaves wrapped together in later generations.
When cabbage appeared, it was already the Qing Dynasty.
Zhu Xiang artificially selected and hybridized cabbages with different characteristics, hoping to cultivate mature cabbage two thousand years ahead of schedule.
Wherever he went, he would grow water chestnuts in his garden. From Handan to Xianyang, from Xianyang to Chengdu, from Chengdu to Wucheng, and now back to Xianyang. Now the water chestnuts in his garden have been grown for more than ten generations.
Zhu Xiang has already hybridized turnips and radishes, both of which have crispier and sweeter roots, and is now moving on to cabbage.
He also hybridized mustard with turnips and radishes, hoping to produce kohlrabi, also known as rutabaga.
Kohlrabi can be used to pickle vegetables and mixed with chili powder and pepper powder. It can be eaten with any meal.
While Zhu Xiang was observing the water chestnuts in the vegetable garden and recording his observations in his diary, Han Fei came with a bucket of water to water the fields.
He had been in a state of restlessness since the King of Han came to Xianyang, so Xunzi asked Han Fei to take care of Zhu Xiang's precious vegetable garden instead of Zhu Xiang's servants, so that Han Fei could find peace in doing farm work.
It turns out that this method is quite useful. Now whenever Han Fei is in a bad mood, he will go to the vegetable garden for a stroll.
After staying in Xianyang Academy for a few days, Han Fei had another quarrel with someone. Before the quarrel was over, the other party ran away, saying "I don't want to quarrel with a stutterer." He was in a depressed mood, so he asked for leave from Xianyang Academy to go back to his residence to adjust his mood.
"Duke Zhu Xiang! Why are you here?" Han Fei hadn't seen Zhu Xiang for a long time, and his hands were shaking, and he almost knocked over the bucket.
"This is my home. If I'm not here, where else would I be?" Zhu Xiang made a joke before saying, "I came back three days ago. Mr. Fan was sick and didn't even tell me."
Han Fei blushed and said, "Ying Hou, Ying Hou won't let me."
"I don't blame you." Zhu Xiang waved to Han Fei, "I heard that you made a friend named Li Si in the academy. He took care of you when you were sick. Is he a good person?"
Although Zhu Xiang was very busy, he did not forget to inquire about Li Si and Zhang Cang, who were unknown in the Xianyang Academy.
Zhang Cang had little presence in the Xianyang Academy, and had not even gained a reputation as a playboy. Li Si was quite famous, but he was actually known for taking care of the irritable stutterer Han Fei.
Zhu Xiang's jaw was nearly dislocated with shock.
(End of this chapter)