The average temperature is generally high now, so Wujun can plant another season of beans after harvesting late rice.
Zhu Xiang held the bean seeds and sighed, saying that soybeans were truly the life-saving food for the common people in ancient times.
As the weather gets cooler, it will be easier to develop the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain, but not much easier because there are too few people available.
Zhu Xiang went to inspect the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain for a few days, and sat on a huge rock by the lake, sighing constantly.
Even if Li Mu captured people from the south to open up the wasteland, the number of people now would only be one or two thousand.
Does this number sound surprising? It seems as if Li Mu didn't achieve much.
Of course not.
The earliest record of Minyue in history books showed that there were only a few thousand people when Minyue proclaimed itself king.
When Qin Shihuang marched south, the Baiyue people only had about 60,000 to 70,000 people. But relying on their mastery of the terrain, they were able to suppress the Qin army, which was unfamiliar with the environment and had a casualty ratio of more than 1:5.
By the Western Han Dynasty, the Central Plains had recovered and the Baiyue people had also achieved a certain degree of development, and the permanent population in coastal cities had reached tens of thousands.
At that time, the area south of the Yangtze River was a wild and sparsely populated place. This was no joke.
Zhu Xiang thought about whether to ask the King of Qin for help. After calculating the number of people Qin could provide, he reluctantly gave up the idea.
The population of this era was originally small, and the number of people involved in the war between the seven countries was often hundreds of thousands. Apart from false reports, it also took the entire country's strength.
That's why Qin State massacred Zhao army in the Battle of Changping, which caused the death of a generation of Zhao people.
After Qin Shi Huang unified the country, he wanted to win the hearts of Eastern scholars over to Qin but failed. He also wanted to win the hearts of the people over to Qin so he ordered the common people to verify how much land they had and report it themselves, which resulted in soaring prices. Finally, he resorted to the old method of Qin to stabilize its rule - sending troops and using forced labor to tire out the people.
According to historical data, Qin Shi Huang only had about 20 million common people under his rule at that time. Therefore, the number of civilians he conscripted was about one-fifth of the total population, which led to the rapid collapse of the Qin State.
Zhu Xiang sighed again. There are still people in the future who seriously hope that Qin Shihuang will live forever and unify the world with the Qin State. With a population of more than 20 million, if they use it as Qin Shihuang did, there is really no need to learn foreign languages, because if the people are gone, there will be no descendants.
It is also possible that Qin Shihuang himself was killed by the common people who had no way to make a living, and even the elixir of immortality was useless.
The population of more than 20 million, although not including the population in hiding, also represents the population that the Qin Dynasty can control.
There were only so few people after the unification of the world. Even if many people died in the war of unification, the total population of Qin would not be more than this. Without any modern machinery, it was really difficult for Zhu Xiang to develop the Hangjiahu Plain.
The prisoners dug canals to drain the water and then filled the silt with soil.
Zhu Xiang stared in a daze at the fields that showed almost no growth.
After a while, he slapped himself hard on the face and adjusted his attitude.
Didn't I already know the limits of this era? Why was I in such a hurry? It took our ancestors nearly a thousand years to develop the South into a land of plenty. Could it be that a time traveler could accomplish this in a year or two
Let’s make a good start and strive to make the southern areas with better geographical locations livable within a hundred years for future generations.
Without the pressure from King Zhaoxiang of Qin, Zhu Xiang's work has been going smoothly recently. He has become more impetuous and always feels that he can accomplish a lot.
The progress of land reclamation in the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou Plain woke Zhu Xiang up from his euphoria. He calmed down again, slowed down his development in the south, and took a rest.
He always told Ying Xiaozheng to combine work and rest, but in the end he was the most tired person.
When Zhu Xiang had some free time, Xue Ji started to get busy.
The looms were ready. Zhu Xiang had planted some cotton in Wu County when he went south last time, and this year's cotton had already been harvested. After the autumn harvest, it was the off-season, and Xue Ji was recruiting people to work in the weaving workshop.
Despite her experience in Xianyang, Xue Ji's work was still very difficult to advance.
The old Qin people in Xianyang have been exploited since Shang Yang's reforms, and they don't mind working hard. As long as there is money and food to be taken, the old Qin people can make the six countries doubt their lives.
The common people in Wu County were completely different.
The land of Chu and Yue was rich in products, and the common people were unlikely to starve to death, so they were relatively lazy. When Wu Qi reformed the law, he forced the common people to roll up, and finally the people of Chu started to move. But after Wu Qi died, the King of Chu abolished the old law, and the people of Chu gradually became lazy again.
The local women couldn't understand why they had to work again after working so hard for a year.
You can just weave cloth or something like that at home, enough for your own use and to pay taxes. Why do you have to gather together to weave and even learn new things
Xue Ji had never seen a situation where she couldn't even earn extra money, and she didn't know what to do for a moment.
Fortunately, Lu Buwei came back.
As a businessman, he knew best how to squeeze people to work. The textile workshop finally got up and running.
"What did Lu Buwei do?" Zhu Xiang asked curiously.
Xue Ji shook her head. There were too many decrees issued by Lu Buwei, and she couldn't understand them all.
Zhu Xiang then went to Lü Buwei to ask him, hoping that Lü Buwei could teach Xue Ji.
Lu Buwei was very surprised. He didn't expect that Zhu Xiang would be willing to let Xue Ji learn business.
Although there were women in the common people who engaged in business, most of them were widows seeking a living. Among the women of the nobility, it was still a matter of pride to keep their fingers clean.
Furthermore, nobles usually leave business to their servants and retainers, and they obviously feel ashamed to do business themselves.
"Xue Ji felt frustrated about this matter, so she naturally needs to learn how to do it well so that she can feel comfortable." Zhu Xiang said, "Whether she wants to do business in the future has nothing to do with her learning more knowledge."
Although Lu Buwei still didn't understand, since Zhu Xiang had said so, it was not particularly difficult. So he taught Xue Ji step by step how to do business and how to manage a workshop.
What Lu Buwei did was simple, he just used kindness and force together.
He first spread rumors in the village, saying that the Qin State would only collect taxes on cotton cloth in the future, and would not collect linen or ramie cloth; that this loom was very efficient, so the Qin people thought that everyone could weave so much cloth, and might increase taxes; that the Qin army would recruit civilian women to assist in logistics in the future, that is, to weave clothes for the Qin army, and if the recruited civilian women did not know how to use the new loom, they might be killed...
In short, Lu Buwei took advantage of the common people's fear of the Qin State and the Qin army to create panic.
Then, Lu Buwei sent someone to refute the rumor, saying that it did not happen.
"The Qin State certainly would not collect only cotton cloth, nor would it raise the tax. It's just that the tax value of cotton cloth is the same as that of linen and ramie cloth. People who have learned how to use the new loom can weave a month's tax in one day, which means they have to pay less tax than others."
"Besides, the weaving workshop provides food, accommodation, and cloth. If you save your food, you won't starve to death even if there is a disaster next year."
The women of Wu County were frightened at first, but then they heard the benefits and thought carefully. They didn't know whether what the Qin officials said was true or not. The worst case scenario was that what they were scared of was true, then they had to enter the textile workshop; if what they were scared of was false, then they saved food and got cloth, so they didn't lose anything.
So they immediately signed up enthusiastically, and the textile workshop's recruitment office went from being deserted to being crowded.
Zhu Xiang listened to Lü Buwei's teaching of Xue Ji, and seeing that Lü Buwei was indeed not perfunctory, he left with peace of mind.
Ying Xiaozheng was worried.
Although he knew that his aunt was completely different from his biological mother, and he trusted his aunt very much, he did not trust Lu Buwei.
So he sent Li Si out to study together, and asked Li Si to write down to him what Lu Buwei said and did every day.
Li Si understood Ying Xiaozheng's disgust towards Lu Buwei, and was about to do something when he was stopped by Zhu Xiang.
"You are a wise minister, not a sycophant." Zhu Xiang said gently, "Your current starting point can allow you to rise to prominence without tarnishing your reputation. I believe you are not the kind of person who muddies the waters of your own making."
Li Si was frightened by Zhu Xiang and broke out in a cold sweat.
He didn't understand why he was discovered by Duke Zhu Xiang just as he had such an idea. Could Duke Zhu Xiang be able to read people's minds
After Li Si left, Ying Xiaozheng walked out slowly from behind the screen and emphasized: "I didn't ask him to frame Lu Buwei! I just asked him to help my aunt!"
"As a ruler, as long as you express your dissatisfaction with someone, even if you don't plan to do anything, someone will do it for you." Zhu Xiang said, "You even know that framing someone you don't like will only bring you trouble. But those who want to please you may not be so smart."
Ying Xiaozheng asked: "So a ruler shouldn't express his preferences directly?"
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "How is that possible? Even if you try to hide it, people who want to please you will keep observing you and will be able to find out your preferences."
Ying Xiaozheng thought for a moment and said, "A ruler should learn to judge for himself how to treat his subordinates. If someone uses my preferences as an excuse to hurt someone I don't allow, I should ignore the close and distant, punish those I like, and reward those I hate."
Zhu Xiang said: "This is difficult."
Ying Xiaozheng crossed his arms and said, "This is what Xun Weng and my uncle always say. A ruler should be public-spirited and not selfish."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Zheng'er already knows it very well."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Of course. But I didn't expect that Li Si actually wanted to frame Lu Buwei? Even if he doesn't please me, don't I value him enough?"
Zhu Xiang said: "People are always greedy, not to mention that he is born in a humble family and is surrounded by many great sages. He always feels that his future is in danger and hopes to curry favor with you with all his strength. For such a person, if you are a wise ruler, he will be a wise minister, if you are a tyrant, he will be a flatterer, and if your descendants cannot suppress him, he will be a treacherous minister."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "It seems that we need to train our descendants well."
When Ying Xiaozheng thought of the sons of Great Ying Zheng in his dream, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.
My sons will not be as useless as the sons of Ying Zheng in my dream. As soon as they are born, they will be given to my uncle to raise!
Zhu Xiang was very pleased to hear Ying Xiaozheng's words.
After most kings understood Li Si, they would think of taking Li Si with them when they died, so that their descendants would not be able to suppress Li Si.
Ying Xiaozheng chose to teach his offspring well without hesitation.
Zhu Xiang could see that Ying Xiaozheng was not deliberately saying what he liked to hear just because he was here. Ying Xiaozheng made this choice very confidently.
When Fusu is born, he will raise him himself. I just don't know if the child will still be called Fusu. Zhu Xiang's nephew is still a child, but he already fantasizes about his nephew's son.
In winter, Zhu Xiang calculated the time and wanted to go back to Xianyang.
Ying Xiaozheng was puzzled: "Why do you want to go back to Xianyang now?"
Zhu Xiang said, "I promised the king that I would prepare a feast for him after he is out of mourning."
Ying Xiaozheng's eyelids and mouth corners kept twitching: "Just for this, my uncle traveled thousands of miles and spent nearly half a year traveling back and forth from Xianyang to Wujun?"
Zhu Xiang rubbed Ying Xiaozheng's head and said, "Since you have made a promise, you must do it."
Ying Xiaozheng waved his hand, told his uncle to go away, and said he would take good care of his aunt.
Sometimes he really didn't understand what his uncle was thinking, but there was nothing going on in Wu County now, and his grandfather had given his uncle the power to travel back and forth freely, so if his uncle wanted to go, he could go.
Zhu Xiang then headed north with a few jars of pickled cabbage.
Although he still did not cultivate Chinese cabbage, he cultivated different varieties of green vegetables. Wu County had a lot of sea salt, so Zhu Xiang was very extravagant and pickled all the green vegetables with high-quality sea salt to make kimchi.
Chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns are added to the kimchi, which highlights its spicy and fresh taste, and is the favorite flavor of the Qin King’s family.
Zhu Xiang thought that the King of Qin must have had a hard time mourning for a year, and considering his filial piety to the old King of Qin, he would definitely not dare to eat any delicious food. Now he brought some old pickled vegetables back to whet the King of Qin's appetite.
Zhu Xiang traveled a long distance back to Xianyang in order to prepare a delicious meal for the King of Qin. Li Mu and Wang Jian both responded to Zhu Xiang with speechless expressions.
Lu Buwei and Li Si slapped their thighs in the same way and learned a lot.
Meng Tian carefully gave Zhu Xiang a package, hoping that Zhu Xiang could help him deliver a letter to his family.
Especially the letters to his younger brother, he put wax seals on them for fear that others would read them.
Meng Tian and his younger brother were both chosen as Ying Xiaozheng's "playmates", but now only he follows Ying Xiaozheng. I think his younger brother must be very sad.
Meng Tian wanted to tell his brother, don't be sad, hurry up and study, brother has listed the things you need to learn. If you come to Gongzi Zheng, you don't know anything, and Gongzi Zheng treats you like a mediocre person every day, then you will be really sad!
Every time Meng Tian felt that he could barely keep up with Ying Xiaozheng's pace, Ying Xiaozheng would use his actions to tell him that he was still far from it.
Usually, this kind of "speeding" behavior would be stopped by Zhu Xiang. His proud little master was dragged by his great uncle and forced to rest.
Only then could Meng Tian breathe a sigh of relief.
He wiped away tears while writing a letter to his brother.
All bitter tears.
My brother, you must study hard and don’t be like me. Young Master Zheng may think I am a fool.
When Zhu Xiang passed by Meng Wu, Meng Wu opened the letter without any hesitation when he heard that Meng Tian had written it, and Zhu Xiang couldn't stop him.
Zhu Xiang was a little angry: "Meng Tian specially sealed the letter, how could you not leave him any privacy?"
Meng Wu was very confused: "What privacy does my son want? Do you want to see it?"
Zhu Xiang: “I don’t want to watch!”
Meng Wu said happily: "Okay, if you don't want to see it, I will tell you."
Zhu Xiang covered his ears.
Meng Wu laughed so hard that he couldn't straighten his back.
Sometimes his friend's inexplicable persistence was really funny, whether it was refusing to read or listen to what his son wrote in the letter, or going back to cook for the King of Qin.
After Meng Wu laughed enough, he carefully read Meng Tian's letter and made sure that there was nothing taboo in it before he sealed the letter again with wax.
"Where is Han Fei?" After seeing the letter was resealed, Zhu Xiang put down his hands that were covering his ears and turned around.
Meng Wu said: "I don't know. He runs outside every day, and I don't know where he goes."
Zhu Xiang frowned: "Will there be any danger?"
He originally asked Han Fei to come to him after he finished his work, but Han Fei wrote to say that he had a lot of things to do and would not come to Wujun in the short term.
Seeing that Han Fei had found what he wanted to do, Zhu Xiang naturally would not let Han Fei come to Wujun by force.
"I sent people to protect him, so he should be fine." Meng Wu said, "If anything happens, it's his own fault."
Zhu Xiang: “…”
He raised his fist, which was smaller than a casserole, and was about to hit Meng Wu.
Meng Wu dodged and said with a smile: "I have almost wiped out all the bandits here. If he has any problems, he must have strayed from the official road and went to a place where there are few people. This is not his own fault. Zhu Xiang, Han Fei is not older than you. Why are you taking care of him like you take care of Zheng'er? Do you think he is a child?"
Zhu Xiang said: "I am more mature than him mentally. Do you really have no news about him?"
Meng Wu said: "I got news from him five days ago. He is still doing well."
Zhu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief, then realized that Meng Wu was teasing him on purpose. He glared at Meng Wu and took away the jar of pickles that he had given to Meng Wu.
Meng Wu's face fell and he regretted teasing Zhu Xiang.
But Zhu Xiang did not give him a chance to make amends. He could only watch helplessly as Zhu Xiang left on the boat, making insulting gestures to him at the bow of the boat as he left.
Meng Wu turned around and asked his deputy general: "Do you think he still looks like a great sage?!"
The deputy general was too lazy to pay attention to Meng Wu. You asked for it.
Zhu Xiang went upstream in the Yangtze River and entered the Han River.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Xiang saw the grain transport fleet of Bashu on the Han River.
Li Erlang happened to be on the boat in Shu County.
"Uncle! Uncle!" Li Erlang jumped on the deck. He had become a lot darker, but still so lively and cheerful.
Zhu Xiang boarded Li Erlang's boat and gave Li Erlang a jar of pickled vegetables that he had seized from Meng Wu: "How is your father? Is the project going smoothly? Did Shu County have a good harvest this year?"
Li Erlang answered them one by one: "Father is in good health, the project is progressing smoothly, and Shu County has a good harvest. Everything is fine, but father misses uncle and Master Zheng a little."
After Zhu Xiang inquired in detail about the progress of Dujiangyan, he was amazed.
After the site selection and construction time were shortened, Dujiangyan could probably be completed ten years earlier. After the Dujiangyan was completed, such a great achievement should allow Li Bing to serve as an official in the court. He might even have a chance to meet Li Bing again in Xianyang.
Li Erlang was no longer the rash young man who yearned to be a knight-errant. He had matured a lot, so Li Bing allowed him to follow the grain escort ship to Xianyang to gain more experience.
Li Bing also prepared a letter and gifts for Zhu Xiang. Although he didn't know whether Zhu Xiang was in Xianyang, he could send the letter and gifts to Zhu Xiang's residence first.
Zhu Xiang traveled with Li Erlang and others. After visiting the officials who were escorting grain in Bashu, he traveled with the fleet that was escorting the grain. By the way, he called Li Erlang to his boat and pointed out the doubts that Li Erlang had accumulated in his recent studies.
The officials of Bashu all looked at Li Erlang with envy and jealousy.
They also wanted to ask Lord Changping for advice, but Lord Changping looked very kind, and they felt that there was something between them, so they did not dare to disturb him rashly.
Could it be that the alienation they felt was due to the immortal aura of Lord Changping
Li Erlang smiled quietly to Zhu Xiang and said, "They all envy me."
Li Erlang shook his head and said, "Uncle, I understand. Stop nagging. Uncle is still nagging like this."
Zhu Xiang corrected: "You should call me uncle."
Li Erlang said, "My father said that he would be friends with you regardless of age."
Zhu Xiang said: "Then you should call me uncle... Never mind, it's up to you."
He didn't understand the way they addressed him. Maybe it was because of his high status? It couldn't be because of his white hair
In fact, Li Erlang was originally called Zhu Xiang Zhongfu. Then Ying Xiaozheng told Li Erlang that he didn't like the word "Zhongfu", so Li Erlang changed it to "Uncle".
Zhu Xiang couldn't help laughing when he thought of this.
Sometimes Zheng'er really didn't hide his "strangeness" at all. Even though he knew that Zheng'er's behavior was the same as his mind, and he must not be the real Qin Shi Huang, he always suspected that Zheng'er might know some information about the future.
Otherwise, why would he say that he would never reconcile with Lu Buwei and hate the title of "Zhongfu"
Li Erlang asked, "They said that you, uncle, are separated from outsiders. You look easy to get along with, but in fact, it is difficult to approach you. But if they ask you for advice, you will definitely answer their questions. They misunderstood you."
Zhu Xiang said seriously: "The alienation they saw was real. I just don't want to talk to people I don't know."
Who wants to socialize with strangers for no reason? Even if Zhu Xiang could just chat with farmers on the road for most of the day, he didn't want to discuss academic matters with these officials.
"But if they come to ask me, I will certainly help them solve their doubts." Zhu Xiang winked cunningly and said, "So it's better for them not to ask me."
Li Erlang burst into laughter.
He seemed to have returned to the happy times when Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng were still with his family in Shu County.
It must have been one of the happiest times he would remember for the rest of his life.
When Zhu Xiang went ashore, none of the officials from Bashu could speak to him.
They felt they were thick-skinned enough, but they did not dare to disturb Zhu Xiang.
They thought they would have a chance after landing. There is still a land route from here to Xianyang.
There will always be a chance when we are all stationed together and resting, right
Who would have thought that Crown Prince Zichu would actually greet Zhu Xiang at the dock.
Of course, Crown Prince Zichu did not come in the name of welcoming Zhu Xiang, but to accept and escort this batch of grain sent from Bashu.
But when anyone saw that Crown Prince Zichu walked quickly towards Changping Jun as soon as he saw him, without even glancing at the officials from Bashu, they knew that this was just an excuse.
"It's a rare opportunity for me to meet you again after such a long absence. You didn't fall ill." Zhu Xiang touched the crown prince Zichu's shoulder with his fist. "You're still strong."
Zichu said, "In order to stop you from nagging me, I have stayed in Xianyang for the past six months to take good care of my health."
Zhu Xiang said: "I am very relieved that you have finally changed your ways."
"Get out!" Zichu cursed with a smile.
After the two chatted for a few words, Zichu went to meet the officials of Bashu.
When he learned that Li Erlang was the child of Zhu Xiang's friend Li Bing, the fake smile on his face became real like the Sichuan Opera face-changing that does not exist yet.
He took the jade pendant from his waist and gave it to Li Erlang, encouraging him: "I often hear Zhu Xiang mention you and your son. You must work hard and you will definitely achieve great things in the future."
Zhu Xiang joked, "After the diversion dam is built, the locals will definitely build a temple for them. As long as the dam is not destroyed, the temple will always exist. Does conferring the gods count as a great achievement?"
Zichu glanced at Zhu Xiang and said, "Nothing is as great as your actions of felling mountains, destroying temples and exterminating gods. I heard that you went to Dong'ou this time and killed some evil dragon in the sea?"
Zhu Xiang held his forehead with his hand and said, "What evil dragon? What strange rumors are there in Xianyang? I haven't even seen a slightly larger snake, so where did the evil dragon come from?"
Zichu couldn't help laughing: "There are many rumors about you, tell me slowly when you get back. Your father can't wait to see you."
Zichu recalled the expedited document that Qin Wangzhu had received from Zhu Xiang in advance, which said, "I will come back as agreed to cook a delicious meal for His Majesty before returning to Wujun." He was stunned for a long while, and then he actually wiped his eyes quietly, not knowing whether he was too moved or felt dazzled.
Zhu Xiang said: "Okay, this time I not only brought pickled vegetables, but also a lot of dried seafood."
Whether it is sauerkraut or seafood, the elderly should not eat too much.
However, the King of Qin, who was living in the inland, could hardly eat much seafood. After eating vegetarian food for a year, it should be no problem for him to replenish his body.
Zichu said, "Why don't you hurry up and leave?"
Zhu Xiang said goodbye to Li Erlang, got on the prince's carriage and left first.
The officials of Bashu were speechless.
They said that the prince was definitely only there to welcome Lord Changping and it had nothing to do with them.
They said they were there to receive the grain, but they left immediately without even loading it.
The officials who came with Zichu looked at their noses with their eyes and their hearts with their noses, pretending to be wooden sculptures.
He didn't want to talk about who would come to welcome Duke Zhu Xiang. The prime minister and the crown prince even had a game of pitching pots in front of the King of Qin.
When it came to Duke Xiang of Qin, even the King of Qin became strange.
In the carriage, Zichu first asked about the lives of Ying Xiaozheng and Xue Ji, and then talked about Wei Wuji.
Zhu Xiang then realized that Wei Wuji had actually listened to him and decided to go to guard the border.
He smoothed his chest and said, "If he can't bear the hardship of the frontier, will he scold me?"
Zichu laughed and said, "Let him scold you, can you really let him scold you and make you lose a piece of meat?"
Zhu Xiang nodded: "That's right. If he wants to scold, he will definitely start with Cai Ze."
With Xinling Jun's wisdom and information sources, he should have known that the person who used the strategy of sowing discord was Cai Ze.
But there is no need to guess. The Qin State's strategy of sowing discord has always been managed by the prime minister.
"I helped him, and he should be able to be appointed by the King of Zhao soon." Zichu said, "Wei Wuji is not only a prince of Wei, but also a relative of Zhao. There is no problem for him to lead troops to guard the border for Zhao. The King of Zhao is just narrow-minded and worried that Wei Wuji will be detrimental to Zhao after he has a large army."
Zhu Xiang asked, "Did you scheme to make the rift between the King of Wei and Wei Wuji even wider?"
Zichu smiled and said, "Do you still need to use a trick? As long as the news of the King of Wei coming to visit me at the border of Han State spreads, everyone in the world will know that Wei Wuji will definitely not return to Wei State."
Zhu Xiang sighed: "It's not that I can't, it's that I can't."
The King of Wei would rather kowtow to the Crown Prince of Qin than call Wei Wuji back. He was so afraid of Wei Wuji that it was difficult for Wei Wuji to return to Wei.
Zichu said: "Wei has become a vassal state of Qin and is paying tribute to Qin."
Zhu Xiang held his forehead with his hand: "The King of Wei is really... Does he think that if he becomes a vassal state of Qin, Qin will not attack Wei?"
Anyone with a bit of common sense in the world knows that Qin had only one goal, which was to unify the world.
This is no longer the Spring and Autumn Period. It is not the case that a monarch will convene a meeting and the monarchs of other vassal states will show their support and acknowledge him as the overlord, and then he will happily withdraw his troops.
"He may know, but so what?" Zichu said, twirling the fan in his hand. "Even if he knows, he can only do this and pray for peace for a while. If Qin attacks Han and Zhao first because of his obedience, and Wei doesn't perish while he's alive, at least he's not the king of a ruined country."
"Is this all he can accomplish?" Zhu Xiang was speechless.
Zichu asked, "How much do you expect him to achieve?"
Zhu Xiang said: "I don't know how great the King of Wei is, but I know that anyone who plays with a fan in the middle of winter is mentally ill."
Zichu's attempt to show off froze.
Zhu Xiang said, "I brought you the fan so that you can use it in the summer, not so that you can wear thick fur in the winter and fan yourself with cold wind."
Zhu Xiang confiscated the folding fan that Zichu used to show off.
Zichu glared at Zhu Xiang fiercely: "Folding fans are for decoration, not necessarily for fanning."
"Yes, yes." Zhu Xiang said, "I'll make you another feather fan, you can use it alternately."
Zhu Xiang complained that Zichu was showing off with his folding fan, but he himself turned the folding fan and performed a few difficult moves on Zichu, then provoked Zichu with his eyes.
Zichu refused to admit defeat, so he grabbed the folding fan and imitated Zhu Xiang's movements, then smashed the folding fan on Zhu Xiang's head.
Zhu Xiang covered his head: "Did you do this on purpose?"
"How is that possible?" Zichu laughed.
The people outside couldn't help but smile when they heard the laughter in the prince's carriage.
Crown Prince Zichu became less and less expressive, and even the old retainers around him felt the crown prince's growing authority and began to fear the future King of Qin.
As soon as Duke Zhu Xiang came back, the Lord Father returned to his previous state, which made them feel a lot more relieved.
It was still lively when Duke Zhu Xiang was in Xianyang.
The prince's carriage was allowed to gallop directly through Xianyang City, and Zhu Xiang soon arrived at the Xianyang Palace.
Qin Wangzhu was working. When he heard Zhu Xiang coming, he threw down his pen and told the officials to stop arguing while he went to see someone first.
"Duke Zhu Xiang is back? Is there something urgent in Nanjun?" Meng Ao asked cautiously.
His son and grandson were in the south, and he was worried.
Qin Wangzhu glanced at him and said, "If there was something urgent, he wouldn't tell me here."
Meng Ao immediately lowered his head and dared not speak again.
King Zhu of Qin dismissed all the ministers, then raised the corners of his mouth, put his hands behind his back and walked in square steps to find Zhu Xiang.
He didn't find Zhu Xiang, but only saw Zichu and Lin Zhi dividing things.
Qin Wangzhu asked, "Where is Zhu Xiang?"
Zichu replied, "My Lord, as soon as Zhu Xiang came back, he went straight to the kitchen and said he would make a big meal for me."
Qin Wangzhu asked again: "Lin Qing, why are you here?"
Lin Zhi said confidently: "Of course I'm here to eat and drink for free!"
Qin Wangzhu gave Lin Zhi a look that said "You are very courageous" and sighed.
His temper now became more and more like that of his father, but Lin Zhi was still not afraid of him at all.
Qin Wangzhu suspected that Lin Zhi was not afraid of his emperor and father.
This person...
"Where is Cai Qing?" Qin Wangzhu asked, "He heard that Zhu Xiang was back, so he came to eat and drink?"
Lin Zhi said, "Cai Ze is a hypocritical person. He insisted that he would come to eat and drink for free only when you, Your Majesty, summon him. Your Majesty, you must not summon him."
The corner of Qin Wangzhu's mouth twitched again. He raised his foot and kicked Lin Zhi, and asked someone to call Cai Ze and Xunzi over.
Of course, Xunzi and Cai Ze wanted to eat the first meal that Zhu Xiang prepared after returning.
Lin Zhi kept complaining: "Your Majesty, why bother? Since he doesn't come, he just doesn't want to come. Ouch."
King Qin Zhu kicked Lin Zhi again.
Lin Zhi didn't want to be kicked continuously, so he ran around Zichu.
Qin Wangzhu rolled up his sleeves and cursed with a smile: "I kicked you, and you dared to run? Stop! I order you to stop!"
Lin Zhi said: "The ancient sages said that if the king and the father do something wrong, the ministers and sons should stop them. I learned this from Xunzi!"
Zichu held his forehead with his hand and said, "Fortunately Xunzi is not here, otherwise he would definitely not allow you to borrow his reputation."
Lin Zhi laughed as he ran: "It's too late!"
Zichu stretched out his foot to trip Lin Zhi, and asked Qin Wangzhu to kick Lin Zhi hard on the buttocks twice: "Wait for Xunzi to come, and I will tell him what happened today."
Lin Zhi looked up and made an insulting gesture to Zichu.
Zichu chuhehe.
I wonder if Lin Zhi will still be so arrogant after he becomes the King of Qin!
When Zhu Xiang learned that Qin Wangzhu had left work early, he quickly washed his hands and went to pay his respects to Qin Wangzhu.
Then he saw the scene of King Qin Zhu chasing and beating Lin Zhi.
Zhu Xiang stood silently in the corner, watching Lin Zhi getting beaten. He tapped his chest a few times and prayed to God to protect Lin Zhi.
The palace servant who brought him here asked curiously, "Which god is Duke Zhu Xiang praying to?" Duke Zhu Xiang, who had killed gods along the way after heading south, was actually praying to a god!
Zhu Xiang said: "The gods worshipped by the barbarians in the West."
The palace servant asked, "Is it very useful?" He also wanted to worship!
Zhu Xiang said: "Of course it is of no use at all." They haven't even founded a religion yet.
The palace maid was shocked by Zhu Xiang's answer: "Ah? Then why did Duke Zhu Xiang pray to Him?"
Zhu Xiang said: "I pray because I am sure that praying is useless."
Zhu Xiang showed a gloating smile on his face: "Lin Li deserves to be beaten!"
Although he didn't know what Lin Zhi had done to be kicked by the King of Qin, he must be on the side of beating Lin Zhi!
The palace maid was stunned for a while.
This, this... Duke Zhu Xiang is actually this kind of person? This is completely different from the Duke Zhu Xiang I heard about!
"Your Majesty! How did Lin Li offend you? Let me help you beat him!" After Lin Zhi was tripped by Zichu, Zhu Xiang rolled up his sleeves and joined the battle with great interest.
Lin Zhi also made an insulting gesture to Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang said, "Your Majesty, Lin Li has committed a crime. Let's put him in jail for a few days and release him after I leave."
Qin Wangzhu stroked his beard pretentiously and said, "It's feasible."
Lin Zhi immediately changed from lying to kneeling: "Your Majesty, I was wrong."
Zichu could not help but curse: "Lin Li! You are now the Prime Minister of Qin! Can you stop looking like a scoundrel? Do you have any shame?"
Lin Zhi looked at Zichu as if he were a fool: "I studied Laozi and Zhuangzi. Have you ever seen anyone who studied Laozi and Zhuangzi with shamelessness? We just let things take their own course."
Zichu: “…” It’s because Laozi and Zhuangzi have both passed away, otherwise they would have rushed to Xianyang to expel you from their school.
When Xunzi arrived at the Xianyang Palace and learned about this, he immediately raised his walking stick and hit Lin Zhi twice again.
"Don't call me a teacher anymore!" Xunzi's saliva sprayed on Lin Zhi's face, "I don't have a disciple like you!"
Cai Ze walked slowly to Zichu and Zhu Xiang, and the three of them stood side by side and watched Lin Zhi being scolded.
"Zhu Xiang, what are we eating today?"
“Pickled fish, braised river shrimp with chives, seaweed and shrimp soup, stir-fried winter bamboo shoots with ham…”
"What's ham?"
"Hmm... pork thigh marinated in a special way."
"Oh. Go and cook. Xunzi won't be scolded enough for a while."
"good."
Zhu Xiang left reluctantly, looking back every few steps.
He really didn't want to leave his good friend Lin Zhi and really wanted to see him a few more times.
(End of this chapter)