After Li Si entered the house, he no longer dared to smile foolishly.
After hearing that this meal was prepared by Duke Zhu Xiang himself, Li Si lost his appetite and trembled with fear.
After the meal, Xunzi took Han Fei and Li Si away first, saying they were old and weak, and went back to the Xianyang Academy to continue their work. Qin Wangzhu stayed behind to rest for a day.
After reading Li Si's new policy paper, Qin Wangzhu sighed and said, "You are indeed talented, but you are a little timid."
Seeing Li Si shaking with a pale face, the food prepared by Zhu Xiang no longer tasted good.
Zhu Xiang said: "It was his first time meeting the Lord, and he was able to force himself to finish his meal. He is quite courageous."
Qin Wangzhu said: "I heard from my Lord that you and Cai Qing were very calm when you first met my Lord."
Zichu said: "My Lord, there are not many talented people like Zhu Xiang and Cai Ze in the world."
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you don't praise me? I am also calm and composed."
Qin Wangzhu was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "You are Lin Xiangru's son. How can your status and position be the same as Zhu Xiang and Cai Qing? It is normal that you are not afraid to meet the king."
Lin Zhi sighed and said, "It's all my father's fault. Why did he have such a high reputation? No matter how great my achievements are, people will always say, 'You are worthy of being Lin Xiangru's son.' How wronged I am!"
Qin Wangzhu was speechless: "Why are you aggrieved?"
Lin Zhi asked, "You want to be wronged, father, and get the credit for nothing?"
Qin Wangzhu held the cup in his hand and endured it, then put the cup down, picked up the dates, and threw them at Lin Zhi.
Lin Zhi took the dates, smiled and said, "Thank you for the reward, my Lord!"
Qin Wangzhu laughed and scolded, "Get lost! You should be more stable. Did you know that your father once suggested that you be made prime minister?"
Lin Zhi said, "I don't know. Oh, it turns out that Prime Minister Cai Ze is trying to steal my things. I will go to his warehouse tomorrow and take all the good things home!"
Cai Ze didn't even bother to look at Lin Zhi.
Qin Wangzhu said earnestly: "If you were a little more calm, I would let you be the prime minister. Can't you be more steady?"
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "I have this kind of personality and I am a descendant of Laozi and Zhuangzi. There is really nothing I can do. Besides, being a prime minister is not good. It is too tiring and not suitable for me. I can be lazy if I help the prime minister."
Cai Ze finally gave Lin Zhi a look that said "shut up".
Qin Wangzhu held his forehead with his hand: "I know you don't care about the position of prime minister, but you should know your father's expectations of you, so be a little more restrained."
Lin Zhi coughed dryly and said seriously: "I am quite restrained in the court."
Zhu Xiang was puzzled: "Really?"
Zichu said, "Indeed. He is quite respectable in the court."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Hearing this makes me want to go to court to see how serious you are, Lin Li."
Lin Zhi joked: "I'm just worried that you won't be able to get up in the morning."
Qin Wangzhu held his forehead with his hand again.
Cai Ze sighed in his heart and changed the subject, talking about Zhu Xiang's journey south.
In the trade war against Chu, in addition to Zhu Xiang who went south, the entire Qin State had to assist. Cai Ze also took the opportunity to send intelligence personnel to the six countries to collect more information in preparation for Qin's subsequent military action.
"The land tax policy that Lin Qing has formulated can be tried out in Southern Qin first," said Qin Wangzhu. "If it works well, we will implement it in Bashu. When the response in Bashu is also good, we will implement it in the heartland of Qin. During this period, Lin Qing may have to make more trips to Southern Qin."
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "I'm in good health, so this little distance is nothing."
Qin Wangzhu said: "It is not good for Zhu Xiang to always be without an official position. This time when we go south, Zheng'er, you will temporarily take over the post of governor of Nanjun."
"Okay." Ying Xiaozheng nodded, holding the date he had taken a bite of.
Zhu Xiang pointed at his nose and asked in surprise, "Why is it that I have no official position that is inappropriate, but Zheng'er ends up being the county governor?"
Qin Wangzhu said helplessly: "When you arrive in Southern Qin, will you stay in Wujun instead of traveling around Southern Qin?"
Zhu Xiang said awkwardly: "Uh, indeed."
Qin Wangzhu said: "Li Mu and Wang Jian are going south to train their troops, and have been asking me to appoint a county governor to share government affairs. Zheng'er has the protection of these two, so he should be able to govern a county well. Zheng'er is smart, but he lacks experience, so he should start with a county."
Zichu's expression fluctuated for a moment. He felt sad.
Ying Xiaozheng put down the dates, stood up and bowed to Qin Wangzhu: "Yes!"
Qin Wangzhu smiled and said, "Okay, continue chewing your dates."
Ying Xiaozheng jumped back into the chair, sat down, picked up the dates and continued to grind his teeth.
My teeth are starting to grow and my gums are itchy.
Zhu Xiang hesitated and said, "But Zheng'er is the son of Qin. Is it not a good idea for him to temporarily take over as the county governor?"
There were people in the Qin royal family who served as local officials, but they were all distant relatives. Letting the prince of Qin serve as a county governor was tantamount to enfeoffment. The Qin State had a precedent of enfeoffment of the prince of Qin in other places, which resulted in rebellion. Now, even if the prince of Qin had a fief, he would only receive tribute and have no control over the fief.
Qin Wangzhu said cunningly: "So it is wrong for you, Zhu Xiang, to have no official position."
After hearing Qin Wangzhu's words, Zhu Xiang thought for a moment and said with a wry smile, "In the end, I am still the nominal governor. Since I have the title of governor, can I still run around?"
Qin Wangzhu said: "I will give you an imperial edict. When you arrive in Southern Qin, show it to other county governors. They will know about it. Even if the people in the court know about it, there is no way to stop it."
If Qin Wangzhu had directly appointed Ying Xiaozheng as the prefect in the court, he would naturally have encountered strong opposition. However, he first appointed Zhu Xiang as the prefect of Wujun, and then sent a secret decree to Zhu Xiang, allowing Ying Xiaozheng to serve as the de facto prefect of Wujun, while Zhu Xiang was free to act as the supervisor, so that both Ying Xiaozheng and Zhu Xiang could act freely.
Although Zhu Xiang's last trip to the south was also quite casual, it was after all an act without an imperial edict, and it all depended on whether the local officials supported it and whether the King of Qin would pursue it. King Qin Zhu thought that it would be better to give Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng a convenience in the imperial edict, so that the two children would be easier to deal with.
King Zhu of Qin also issued separate edicts to Xue Ji and Lu Buwei.
This also shows the difference between the governing philosophies of Qin Wangzhu and Qin Zhaoxiang. Qin Zhaoxiang simply ignored the dissatisfaction in the court, and if the opposition was too strong, he would kill the opponent; Qin Wangzhu gave face to the court on the surface, and then did his own thing in private.
But I just do what I want, and I am the only one who is in charge, Zhu Xiang added in his mind.
After chatting for a while about the journey south, King Zhu of Qin took Ying Xiaozheng for a walk, while Zhu Xiang, Zichu, Lin Zhi, and Cai Ze played mahjong.
After playing for a day, everyone went back to their respective work, and Ying Xiaozheng prepared for winter hunting.
During the winter hunting, Ying Xiaozheng carried the small bag sewn by his aunt and the lunch box packed by his uncle, and got on the carriage to the Forbidden Garden of Mount Li.
Ying Xiaozheng had a short sword, a jade pendant, and a jade ring hanging from his waist. The short sword was given by Li Mu, the jade pendant was given by Bai Qi, and the jade ring was given by Zichu to Zhu Xiang.
He patted his chest. He was not only wearing leather armor under his coat, but also a breastplate.
Ying Xiaozheng sighed in a dignified manner. Was his uncle still worried that he would be assassinated when he went to Mount Li
Mount Li Forbidden Garden is the forbidden garden that the King of Qin visits most frequently. If an assassination attempt could occur in the Mount Li Forbidden Garden, then my grandfather’s control over the Qin State would be too weak.
Wait... A scene from a dream popped up in Ying Xiaozheng's mind. In the dream, it seemed that he encountered robbers while wandering around the forbidden garden late at night because he couldn't sleep
Whether you are unable to sleep late at night, or are traveling with only a dozen guards, or encountering robbers, it is all magical.
You will never encounter such a magical thing.
After Ying Xiaozheng arrived at the Forbidden Garden, he found out that not only his uncle was worried that he would be assassinated, but his eldest grandfather and his great-grandfather were also worried.
He looked around at the guards who numbered at least a hundred people.
Surrounded by hundreds of black-armored guards, can he really hunt anything
A big question mark popped up in Ying Xiaozheng’s head.
When the hunt began, Ying Xiaozheng discovered that this hunt was not intended for him to hunt anything.
After Xunzi turned the King of Qin's hunting into a "ritual", he added many symbolic elements.
For example, the music and oath before hunting, the ceremony for the King of Qin to obtain the first prey, and the rules and regulations for rewarding warriors afterwards were so complicated that Ying Xiaozheng could only doze off while listening to them.
Although he could remember these rules and regulations if he listened carefully, who would have the patience to travel such a long distance to come to the Forbidden Garden and listen to a bunch of explanations
However, Xunzi's efforts made the hunting ceremony more solemn, and the King of Qin and his ministers seemed very satisfied.
"Zheng'er, don't fall asleep." Zichu protected Ying Xiaozheng and let Ying Xiaozheng lean on him to take a nap for a while, and then woke Ying Xiaozheng up when the hunting began.
Ying Xiaozheng immediately sat up straight, suppressed a yawn, and showed a serious and mature look.
Zichu speechlessly took out his handkerchief and wiped away the saliva left by Ying Xiaozheng's sleep.
"Hold the bow steady and shoot the arrow, and you'll be successful." Zichu said, "Don't be nervous."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Don't be nervous!"
It's just archery, no big deal!
Ying Xiaozheng went to shoot the first prey of the day on behalf of Qin Wangzhu with high spirits.
Then, he looked at the toy bow in his hand, and then at the tiger in the distance that was only a small dot left, and a big question mark appeared in his head.
Father, are you kidding me? I can't even shoot this!
Ying Xiaozheng sighed in his heart and understood what the "ritual" was all about.
He showed a determined expression, pulled the small toy bow to its full length, and the small arrow shot out quickly.
There was even only one arrow in his quiver.
When the arrow was shot, someone soon shouted excitedly: "Master Zheng shot a tiger!"
Then all the ministers congratulated him excitedly.
Ying Xiaozheng showed a proud expression.
Qin Wangzhu laughed loudly, picked up Ying Xiaozheng and shook him up and down: "You are worthy of being my good grandson! You are so brave!"
Zichu showed a reserved and proud expression.
The other ministers all began to praise him, and flattery flowed out like water.
Ying Xiaozheng continued to accept the flattery of his ministers with a proud look on his face.
The ministers watched and had their own ideas in mind.
"Young Master Zheng is so calm and composed at such a young age. It's really not easy."
"Even if I told him about this in advance, his performance is pretty good."
"I saw that Master Zheng had a puzzled look on his face when he picked up the bow and arrow. Maybe the Lord didn't tell him in advance?"
"That shouldn't be the case, right? Even if it's a test, it shouldn't be done when Master Zheng is participating in the ceremony alone for the first time?"
"No matter what, Master Zheng has performed well this time. Your Majesty has achieved his goal."
The ministers were whispering to each other, and their eyes changed when they looked at Gongzi Zheng.
Although Ying Xiaozheng's reputation for intelligence had been spread for several years, he had not yet shown his talent in front of the public when he was in Xianyang, so most people were skeptical about Ying Xiaozheng's reputation.
Even though two generations of Qin kings continued to promote Ying Xiaozheng's fame, seeing is believing and hearing is not. If others did not see with their own eyes the extraordinary side of Ying Xiaozheng, they would not believe it.
Now King Qin Zhu finally found an opportunity to show Ying Xiaozheng's maturity and calmness.
In fact, all the ministers believed that Ying Xiaozheng should be very smart. After all, he was the nephew of Zhu Xiang and had many great sages as his teachers, including Xunzi.
But smart people may not necessarily make good heirs to the King of Qin. King Zhu of Qin asked Ying Xiaozheng to appear calm and composed in front of his ministers (excellent acting skills), which made them suddenly realize that this young prince of Qin was indeed extraordinary.
Ying Xiaozheng leaned over to Qin Wangzhu's ear and said, "Father, why didn't you tell Zheng'er in advance? Zheng'er was scared when he saw such a small bow and arrow."
Qin Wangzhu was puzzled: "What did you say?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "It's not about letting Zheng'er really shoot the prey."
Qin Wangzhu was even more confused: "How old are you? Why would I let you go hunting?"
Ying Xiaozheng: “…”
Father, are you a little unreliable sometimes? You shouldn't let me guess about this. You should tell me.
Zichu suppressed his laughter and said, "My father trusts you."
Ying Xiaozheng looked at Zichu speechlessly without asking his biological father. His grandfather might trust him, but father, are you trying to make fun of me on purpose
What good will it do you if I make a fool of myself at this ceremony? It will only do you harm!
Well, maybe my father also trusted me. But Ying Xiaozheng still decided to complain to his uncle when he got home and let his uncle chase his father and beat him up.
As for whether his uncle could beat his father, Ying Xiaozheng was not sure.
"You want to hunt?" Qin Wangzhu finally understood what Ying Xiaozheng was thinking, even though he knew he was wrong. "Then go ahead. You'll have some fun with someone to protect you. How can Master Qin not know how to hunt? Be careful and safe."
Ying Xiaozheng looked at Zichu and said, "Father, you can actually hunt? Can you draw a bow?"
Zichu: “?” You unfilial son, do you want to be beaten
Qin Wangzhu protected Ying Xiaozheng and said, "Your father is still able to draw a bow."
Ying Xiaozheng rubbed his face, showing an expression of admiration, and said in a long tone: "Father is so awesome!"
Zichu: “…” You unfilial son! Do you want to be beaten
After amusing his father, Ying Xiaozheng changed into a bow and arrow that suited him, rode on his horse and went hunting happily.
He studied under Lian Po and Li Mu, and was a leader among his peers in both horse riding and archery. The prey in the Imperial Garden was free-range and relatively docile, so it shouldn't be a problem for him to hunt a few rabbits for his uncle and aunt.
Ying Xiaozheng originally thought so, but after setting off, he had no choice.
He was soon surrounded by unfamiliar cousins, who were very affectionate with each other, as if they knew each other very well.
Ying Xiaozheng was stunned for a long time before he remembered that he had so many cousins.
In the dream, I only set out to return to Qin after the death of King Zhaoxiang of Qin. Only three or four years after returning to Qin, I succeeded to the throne and became the King of Qin. I had almost no chance to get along with my cousins of the same age.
After returning to Qin, he first studied the Qin language, writing and etiquette behind closed doors. He became the crown prince of Qin before he even started his apprenticeship, so it was impossible for him to be too close to other members of the royal family.
For the next three years, he studied hard almost every day, hoping to become a qualified prince of Qin as soon as possible.
But before he could fully master the knowledge and ability, his father and king passed away, and he took the throne of King of Qin in a daze.
After becoming the King of Qin, it was even more impossible for him to get along with his cousins.
Although he returned to Qin early in this life, because he was young and he and his father returned to Qin to grab the positions of other grandfathers' sons and grandsons, his great-grandfather did not introduce him to the royal family members of the same age.
Ying Xiaozheng guessed that this might be because his great-grandfather was afraid of his uncle.
When Great-grandfather discovered that his intelligence was far superior to that of his peers, he began to devote all his energy to cultivating himself, and he no longer needed to have any contact with his cousins who he could not play with at all.
It is said that in Qin State, because the princes of Qin had not made any achievements and were all commoners, the relationship between brothers was originally rather weak. They viewed each other as competitors and there was no need to build up a good relationship in advance.
King Zhu of Qin did not plan to let Ying Xiaozheng "get to know" his cousins, but he did not deliberately isolate Ying Xiaozheng from the Qin royal family like King Zhaoxiang of Qin did.
He believed that Ying Xiaozheng had grown up and was able to distinguish right from wrong and choose people he wanted to make friends with.
Ying Xiaozheng had a terrible headache.
Why didn't you tell him in advance? At least let him memorize the names of his cousins. Now he was looking at a group of strangers and didn't know how to respond.
I'm afraid this hunting is no fun.
Ying Xiaozheng cheered himself up and dealt with his cousins' repeated overtures and tests.
Qin Wangzhu was still in mourning and did not participate in the hunt. Zichu sat with him in the big tent, waiting for news from the hunting warriors.
"I didn't introduce the names of his cousins to Zheng'er. Will it be difficult for Zheng'er to get along with them?" Zichu said worriedly, "Although it is called tempering, it seems a bit too much."
Qin Wangzhu smiled and said, "It's better not to tell him. Zheng'er is very good at everything he does. If you don't give him some surprises, it won't have the effect of sharpening him."
Zichu said: "If Zheng'er didn't do well..."
Qin Wangzhu interrupted, "You are asking too much of Zheng'er. Zheng'er is just a little kid, it's normal that he can't be perfect."
Zichu smiled bitterly: "I'm just worried that Zheng'er will complain to Zhu Xiang afterwards, and Zhu Xiang will come to argue with me again."
Qin Wangzhu said: "Zhu Xiang's quarrel with you won't hurt you. You can quarrel with him."
Zichu: “…” He suspected that his father and king wanted to laugh at him, such as seeing Zhu Xiang chasing him and chopping him again.
"Your Majesty, don't worry. Zheng'er has been traveling around the world with Zhu Xiang for several years. He has seen many different kinds of people and knows how to get along with strangers." Lin Zhi smiled and said, "It's just that Zheng'er may not be able to enjoy hunting properly."
Qin Wangzhu followed with a smile and said, "He is still young, and there are plenty of opportunities for hunting. Lin Qing, why don't you go hunting?"
Lin Zhi said solemnly, "I respect nature and cannot bear to kill."
Qin Wangzhu said helplessly: "Tell the truth."
Lin Zhi's expression relaxed: "I'm too lazy to go."
Qin Wangzhu held his forehead with his hand, then turned to Zichu and said, "You must control Lin Qing's temper!"
Zichu: "..." I am not his elder, how can I restrain him? Even you, the King of Qin, can't restrain him!
Zichu sighed, "Yes, I will."
As they were chatting, a guard suddenly rushed into the tent and knelt down to report: "Young Master Zheng was assassinated, and the assassin has been killed!"
Qin Wangzhu was furious: "What! Is Zheng'er injured?"
Zichu and other ministers in the account who did not go to participate in the hunting also stood up anxiously.
The guard said, "Young Master Zheng is not injured."
He paused. Although the King of Qin did not ask, he still felt that this matter should be reported to the King of Qin: "It was Prince Zheng who captured the assassin himself."
Ying Xiaozheng's uncle, grandfather and great-grandfather all looked stunned.
Ying Xiaozheng was surrounded by a group of cousins and walked towards the grove.
He looked around and sighed, "Cousin, you may not be able to hunt prey if you follow me."
The cousins all said that they came here just to get to know Ying Xiaozheng and did not want to hunt.
Ying Xiaozheng roared in his heart, but I thought! I told my uncle that I must hunt a rabbit for him! If I fail to hunt, my uncle will definitely laugh at me!
He sighed in his heart and said, "It's getting late now, shall we have dinner by the river first?"
After you’re full, find an excuse to leave!
It was already a great honor for him to have a meal with this group of people!
Ying Xiaozheng suddenly felt a little envious of himself in his dream. Soon after returning, he would be the Crown Prince of Qin, and soon the King of Qin, and he would not need to socialize at all.
Ying Xiaozheng invited them to a dinner together, and these descendants of King Qin readily agreed.
Throughout the ages, eating together has been the best way to keep in touch.
The guards chose a flat area by the river, built a bonfire, boiled water and roasted dried meat.
During the hunt, in order to create artificial troubles for the warriors, they could only bring dry food to fill their stomachs. If they wanted to eat meat, they had to hunt for themselves.
They felt a little dissatisfied when they saw Ying Xiaozheng take out a big lunch box.
Could it be that the grandfather is partial again and only lets this person eat the good food
Ying Xiaozheng opened a box and took out the bread, seasonings and dried meat slices.
"Master Zheng, you...are eating this?" a guard couldn't help asking, "Just bread? Where's the dried meat?"
Ying Xiaozheng looked at the person who dared to talk to him: "Dried meat?"
The guard immediately introduced himself: "My name is Meng Tian, and I am the personal guard assigned to you by your Majesty. You are no longer in mourning and can eat meat. Dried meat boiled into broth tastes very good. Would you like to try it?"
Ying Xiaozheng said: "No, I'll just eat what I brought."
He put the dough into the small bowl he brought, added seasoning and dried meat slices, and asked Meng Tian to help pour boiling water on it and cover it with a lid.
Then he took out the second box and took out the osmanthus cake and started eating it.
After harvesting new osmanthus flowers to make candied osmanthus, Zhu Xiang of course prepared osmanthus cake for Ying Xiaozheng.
As for dried meat and the like, Zhu Xiang thought that if Ying Xiaozheng wanted to eat it, he could ask the King of Qin and Zichu for it. He would not let Ying Xiaozheng bring more of this common dry food to take up space in the lunch box.
Zhu Xiang was speechless. Why did the king insist on stipulating the capacity of the lunch box and not allow him to prepare a big meal for Ying Xiaozheng
When Ying Xiaozheng took out the osmanthus cake, everyone's nose twitched.
The osmanthus cake made by Zhu Xiang is not only sprinkled with sugar osmanthus on the surface, but the rice flour is also mixed with sugar osmanthus and osmanthus syrup, which has a fragrant aroma.
As soon as Ying Xiaozheng opened the box, the fragrance of osmanthus wafted out, overwhelming the smell of firewood.
"This is… "
Ying Xiaozheng looked down at the cake in his hand and said, "This is the osmanthus cake my uncle made. Osmanthus cake is also dry food."
The cousins looked down at the corn steamed buns in their hands.
Ying Xiaozheng explained: "Osmanthus cake is made by combining cooked rice flour and osmanthus flowers. It is no different from what you eat."
The cousins sniffed the sweet-scented osmanthus fragrance in the air and looked down at the cold steamed buns in their hands.
Really? We don't believe it.
(End of this chapter)