When the imperial edict of King Zhu of Qin was sent to Southern Qin, Zhu Xiang welcomed the first batch of civilians who fled to Southern Qin from Chu.
The leader of those civilians was none other than Lin Zhi, who had a white cloth wrapped on his head.
Lin Zhi had a white cloth wrapped on his head, which meant that the State of Chu was dead.
Zhu Xiang was speechless. Fortunately, Mr. Lin had passed away, otherwise he would have broken Lin Zhi's legs.
How can you just wrap a white cloth on your head for no reason? How unlucky is that
Lin Zhi pretended to be a Chu person, and spoke in an elegant Chu accent, which stunned Zhu Xiang for a long time.
Lin Zhi "understood" Zhu Xiang's daze as a sign of concern for the people of Chu. He knelt down and hugged Zhu Xiang's legs and cried, saying that the King of Chu and the ministers of Chu did not care about the lives of the common people, and that Chu was going to perish, and begged Zhu Xianggong to save the people of Chu.
Only Duke Zhu Xiang would treat civilians as human beings. He could only take the risk and lead the Chu people south to beg Duke Zhu Xiang for help!
Zhu Xiang: “… Let’s talk it over nicely.” Don’t rub your nose on my clothes. Don’t think I don’t know you did it on purpose!
The knights who followed Lin Zhi to escort the people of Chu to Southern Qin watched Lin Zhi wiping his snot and tears on Zhu Xiang's clothes. Duke Zhu Xiang just mourned for the common people of Chu in silence and did not kick this dirty man away.
They had seen many nobles, but none of them was as tolerant of common people as Duke Xiang of Zhu.
"Duke Zhu Xiang, please save the people of Chu!"
After seeing this scene, the knight-errant believed that Duke Zhu Xiang would really save the civilians of Chu regardless of their nationality.
Originally, they only had a tiny hope, a hope that would not be worse than staying where they were. Now they really hoped that Duke Zhu Xiang could give them real hope.
"Okay. There are a lot of wastelands in Qianzhong, Nan and Wu counties of Southern Qin. I will lend them food and tools and let them reclaim the wasteland in Southern Qin. They will return it to the government when the harvest is good next year." Zhu Xiang came to his senses and said, "I will immediately arrange for officials who can speak Chu to explain the Qin laws to you. The laws of Qin are strict. If you want to live safely in Qin, you must abide by the laws of Qin."
The knights kowtowed and swore that they would never cause trouble for Duke Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang lowered his head and said, "Let's talk about it."
Lin Zhi cried, "Yes! Duke Zhu Xiang!~"
Listening to Lin Zhi's crying voice and looking at Lin Zhi's face covered with tears and snot, Zhu Xiang almost choked to death on the words stuck in his throat.
Lin Zhi, don't act so hard! I feel embarrassed if you do this, and I may not be able to follow your performance!
Ying Xiaozheng had seen enough of the excitement. Seeing his uncle was stunned, he hurried over to help Lin Zhi up and said, "Hurry up, sir. You risked your life crossing the river for the Chu people and brought them to Qin to seek a way out. You are so noble and we will not let you down."
Lin Zhi held Ying Xiaozheng's hands with both hands and choked up, "Thank you, young master! Thank you, young master!"
The corners of Ying Xiaozheng's mouth twitched slightly.
Uncle Lin, are you doing this on purpose? Young Master is Young Master, what do you mean by young master? You know I can't stand the word "young" the most. I'm already grown up!
Ying Xiaozheng secretly pinched Lin Zhi's arm to express his dissatisfaction.
Lin Zhi's expression twisted for a moment, and his crying became louder again. He shouted "King of Chu", which made the Chu people who followed him cry when they heard him and feel sad when they saw him.
Zhu Xiang managed to continue the scene with a straight face.
He finally understood why Li Mu, who was supposed to meet Lin Zhi in person, did not show up.
Couldn't this guy have given me some advance notice? What if I didn't catch this scene?!
Zhu Xiang had already made preparations to receive the Chu people. When Lin Zhi arrived with the first group of Chu people, the officials of Southern Qin arranged the lives of these Chu people in an orderly manner. Qianzhong County and Nan County had also prepared ships to take the Chu people to Qianzhong County and Nan County to reclaim wasteland.
Xue Ji also became busy, taking some single women or women with children to the workshop to arrange work for them.
After taking a shower, Lin Zhi changed his clothes but did not shave off his beard.
He chased after Ying Xiaozheng and wanted to rub Ying Xiaozheng with his beard.
Ying Xiaozheng ran away while cursing: "I'm already grown up! Don't poke me with your beard!"
Li Mu stood in the corner of the courtyard with his arms folded, watching the farce with an expressionless face.
Zhu Xiang rushed forward and kicked Li Mu, cursing: "Couldn't you send someone to inform me in advance? I was almost scared to death by Lin Zhi!"
Li Mu patted the footprints on the hem of his clothes and said, "I was frightened by Lin Zhi. Lin Zhi said that he wanted you to be frightened too."
"You just let him do whatever he wants?" Zhu Xiang scolded.
Li Mu nodded: "Yes."
Zhu Xiang: “…” Um, your head!
"Zhu Xiang, how did I do?" Lin Zhi came over with a smile, "I played the role of the old man with white hair well, didn't I?"
Zhu Xiang said: "It's too dangerous."
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "It's not dangerous. No one in Chu dares to kill me, the white-headed old man. Many people say that the white-headed old man in Chu is Duke Zhu Xiang of Zhao."
Li Mu interrupted, "From his tone and expression, he is just imitating you."
Ying Xiaozheng also said: "I noticed it too."
Zhu Xiang thought of Lin Zhi's face full of tears and snot, and shook his head vigorously: "Nonsense, it doesn't look like me at all."
Lin Zhi said proudly: "It's not up to you to say whether it's like that or not. Alas, I will just rest for a few days, and then I have to go to Chu to suffer again. Since I am Zhu Xianggong of Chu, I certainly can't just save a group of people. Besides, I have to die in Chu."
Zhu Xiang grabbed Lin Zhi's arm and scolded him, "Even if you want to cause civil unrest in Chu, you must not put yourself in danger."
Lin Zhi shook his head: "I said, I won't be in danger."
He pulled his sleeve out of Zhu Xiang's hand, patted Zhu Xiang on the shoulder and said, "I have things I want to do, you go do what you should do."
Zhu Xiang took a deep breath and turned his head to the side.
Lin Zhi laughed: "Zheng'er, don't you think your uncle is very childish? He actually quarreled with me."
Ying Xiaozheng said in a mature manner: "You are the elder brother of your uncle and aunt, it is normal for him to be upset with you. Uncle Lin, I stand on your side this time. Don't worry about Chu, Chu will be in chaos. You shouldn't add to the chaos by risking your own safety. I can wait."
Lin Zhi said, "Indeed. But... haha, I want to go. Li Mu, come here, let's discuss it quietly."
Li Mu nodded.
Zhu Xiang quickly turned his face over and asked, "What do you want to discuss?"
Lin Zhi said: "It's none of your business, just go and do your job as the governor of Wu County."
He held Li Mu's shoulders and winked at Zhu Xiang: "I am the Prime Minister of Qin, and he is the general of Qin. How can you, the governor of Wujun, have any say in what we discuss? Let's go, general!"
Li Mu gave Zhu Xiang a look that said "calm down" and left with Lin Zhi.
When Ying Xiaozheng saw Zhu Xiang being defeated, he wanted to catch up happily, but was kicked away by Lin Zhi.
"As the grandson of the King of Qin, you are not qualified to listen to the discussions of the Qin generals and ministers." Lin Zhi said arrogantly.
Ying Xiaozheng was so angry that he jumped up and down, and swore that when he became the King of Qin, he would send Lin Zhi to guard the border.
"Uncle! Uncle Lin is too arrogant. We must teach him a lesson!" Ying Xiaozheng said angrily, "You decide whether to send him to exile in Baiyue or Rongdi?"
Zhu Xiang said slowly, "Rongdi. Rongdi is close to Xianyang, and he can be exiled while continuing to serve as your prime minister."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Good idea!"
Zhu Xiang: “…” He was just joking, was Zheng’er serious
"I wonder what they are going to discuss?" Zhu Xiang was very worried.
Ying Xiaozheng said: "It's probably related to my uncle. If it had nothing to do with my uncle, he wouldn't have discussed it behind your back."
Zhu Xiang was silent for a long time, then sighed and said, "I roughly know what he discussed with Li Mu."
Ying Xiaozheng looked up: "What are you discussing?"
Zhu Xiang said: "I won't tell you."
Ying Xiaozheng's face fell: "Uncle!"
Zhu Xiang patted Ying Xiaozheng's head and said, "Go ask Lin Li yourself. Let's go, we still have a lot of things to do."
"Hmph." Ying Xiaozheng followed Zhu Xiang to work angrily.
He will definitely ask! Is there anything that my son Zheng doesn't know? This world belongs to me!
Lin Zhi discussed with Li Mu for half a day, and the next day he rested behind closed doors, claiming to be sick, and was diagnosed by the famous doctor Bian Que.
The next day, he took the medicine bag given by Bian Que, boarded the big ship he came with, and returned to the State of Chu with more than a hundred people.
He said there were still people of Chu suffering and he wanted to save more people.
"If the King of Chu and the nobles of Chu don't care about the lives of the common people, then I will lead the Chu people who are not regarded as human beings by Chu to make a living on their own."
"The world is so big, Chu is not the only country that can go there."
Lin Zhi had his head wrapped in white cloth and was wearing linen clothes, standing at the bow of the boat as if he was in mourning.
The Chu people he brought to Southern Qin knelt on the ground and kowtowed to him, praying to the gods to bless this noble man who refused to leave his name and only called himself "White-headed Old Man" to return safely.
The atmosphere at the scene was very touching, but Zhu Xiang did not feel moved.
Because it was a scam, a scam targeting the common people of Chu.
The people of Chu who are now kneeling on the ground do not know that the culprits who caused Chu to fall into such a situation and make them suffer such a disaster are themselves and this "white-headed old man".
Is that why Lin Zhi didn't let himself get involved in specific matters
"Uncle, will Lin... Bai Tou Weng be safe?" When Lin Zhi came back, Ying Xiaozheng's face was full of disgust. When Lin Zhi left, Ying Xiaozheng's face was full of worry again.
"I don't know." Zhu Xiang said.
Ying Xiaozheng grumbled, "Why must he go? Even if this matter is important, he can ask someone else to go. Is Lu Buwei so useless?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Lü Buwei should also be busy with this matter. Without Lü Buwei's efforts, he would not have been able to bring so many people to Wujun. After some time, I'm afraid that Chu people from the other two counties of Southern Qin will also cross the river to the south."
He turned and left without watching the boat that Lin Zhi was on leave.
"The influx of a large number of refugees in a short period of time is a great test for the county. Zheng'er, do you want to stay in Wu County or inspect the county?" Zhu Xiang asked, "What are you confident in doing?"
Ying Xiaozheng thought for a moment and said, "I'd better stay in Wu County."
Although the inspection of the county was a more important matter, given his personality, he would do the most powerful thing. However, Zhu Xiang's teachings taught him that sometimes he should not show off his power.
He might be able to do a good job of inspecting the county, but he was only the grandson of the King of Qin, and his current status and prestige were far inferior to his uncle, Lord Changping. Only Lord Changping's inspection of the county could be justified and better coordinated.
Even if the county magistrate would cooperate with him, Ying Xiaozheng still had to consider the feelings of the King of Qin and the Crown Prince of Qin.
A mere grandson of King Qin should not be too high-profile.
Zhu Xiang said, "Then Wu County will be handed over to Zheng'er."
Ying Xiaozheng said: "Don't worry, uncle."
Zhu Xiang said: "Xue Ji should also be busy in the county's textile workshop. By then, only Zheng Er will be able to support Wu County. You should use Li Si, Han Fei and Meng Tianren. You can also use the students you value."
Zhu Xiang couldn't help but sigh when he saw that Ying Xiaozheng was getting annoyed by his nagging again.
My nephew has grown up and is becoming less and less lovable.
After Zhu Xiang made all the arrangements, he went to find Xue Ji and asked her if she wanted to travel with him.
But he saw Xue Ji crying secretly.
Zhu Xiang was very panicked and asked, "Xue, what's wrong?"
Xue Ji wiped her tears and did not sit on the chair. Instead, she knelt on the cushion as she did in Zhao State.
Zhu Xiang silently took the cushion and knelt opposite Xue Ji.
He roughly guessed why Xue Ji was crying.
Xue Ji said: "My dear, many Chu people who can't survive come to Nan Qin. The reason they can't survive is us, right?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Yes."
He knew Xue Ji was smart, and he informed Xue Ji about the trade war in advance, not keeping it in the dark.
Xue Ji shed tears and said, "Is this the trade war that my dear friend is talking about? Is this also a war?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Yes."
Xue Ji wiped her tears with her sleeve and said, "I knew it was a war, but I had illusions. A war without weapons probably won't cause much damage."
Zhu Xiang was silent.
Xue Ji forced a smile: "But my dear, I must have done this because I want to weaken Chu first. When Qin and Chu go to war, fewer people will die on both sides. Now, the price now is necessary. I'm just not used to this. I will adjust quickly, don't worry."
Zhu Xiang continued to remain silent.
He knew why Xue Ji was in so much pain now.
When they accepted the Chu people, they learned about their miserable situation.
Indeed, the Chu people could go south to find a way to survive, as if there was a way to survive.
But how many people can walk on this path to survival? How many people can complete this path to survival
It is hard to leave one's hometown. Unless one really cannot survive, who would be willing to leave? Most people in this era will never leave their small village in their entire lives, and rarely even go to a county town.
How much courage did they need to cross the river and seek survival in the Qin State, which was considered the most brutal by the people of Chu
This may not be courage, but just because it is a desperate situation.
Since they are in desperate situations, they must have witnessed the death of others, or even their loved ones, before they made up their minds.
When they were on this road, there must have been starving people everywhere on the roadside, as if it were hell on earth, so that they would grit their teeth and not turn back.
Therefore, the Chu people who came to Southern Qin were very few lucky ones, and more Chu people fell in this man-made disaster.
The inaction of the King of Chu and the greed of the Chu nobles were the causes of this man-made disaster. The King of Qin and his minions, who took advantage of the human weaknesses of the King of Chu and the Chu nobles to create this man-made disaster, and Zhu Xiang himself, who first proposed the concept of "trade war" and put it into practice with the economic concepts of later generations, were not the culprits of this man-made disaster
Xue Ji, who invented the spinning machines and looms and led the textile workers to weave cotton cloth day and night, was the biggest contributor to this trade war. Shouldn't she be held responsible for this man-made disaster
Perhaps the nobles of the two countries would not care too much about these "costs". But Xue Ji would not, because Xue Ji was a commoner woman, originally at the bottom of the society except for slaves.
What about Zhu Xiang himself
What about Duke Zhu Xiang, a great man known for his love for the people and loved by the people of Zhao and Qin
Zhu Xiang said: "Xue, yes, if I do this, fewer people will die in the war between Qin and Chu, much less."
Xue Ji forced a smile and said, "Then I feel relieved."
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "But the people who survived are not the people who died."
Xue Ji was stunned.
Zhu Xiang said: "Yes, they are the price. But should the price be the price? I killed many people for my purpose. To the dead, I am a sinner. Even if this price can be exchanged for more people to live in the future, the people who live are not the dead. Has anyone asked the dead if they want to be the price?"
"My dear!" Xue Ji held Zhu Xiang's arm and said, "Stop talking."
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "Since I have involved you, I should tell you what I am thinking."
He patted the back of Xue Ji's hand and said, "Give me another chance, I will do the same. But I will not forget that I am a sinner for those 'prices'. What I did was wrong and sinful. No one deserves to be sacrificed, but in order to accomplish something, seek greater benefits, and keep more people alive, some people must be sacrificed."
"Just like when Li Mu led the army, he would let a group of soldiers lead the others into an encirclement. This group of soldiers was bound to die. But did they deserve to die? Aren't their lives worth lives? Are they less valuable than those soldiers who didn't die, and the lives of the generals who commanded them?"
"It's not like this. It shouldn't be like this."
Zhu Xiang pointed at his chest.
"I know they are just like me, and I remember I killed them. I'm sorry, Xueji, I should comfort you, but I can't tell you that their lives are the price to be given up as a matter of course. I can't say that."
Xue Ji cried, "I understand, I understand, my dear. We should all remember those people, those Chu people who starved to death because of us."
"Yes, we must remember, and then carry all of this and move forward unwaveringly." Zhu Xiang held Xue Ji in his arms and buried his head on Xue Ji's shoulder. "When making any sacrifice, we must keep the victims in mind and never forget their weight. If we forget the weight of the 'price' and forget that the 'price' is also a person like us, we will definitely go astray. At that time, we will be separated from humanity and no longer be 'human'."
Xue Ji also buried her face in Zhu Xiang's shoulder and cried bitterly.
This was the first time she had encountered such a thing. But given her status and intelligence, she would definitely encounter such a thing as long as she was the wife of Lord Changping.
As a woman, she could indeed hide in the backyard and, like other noble ladies, only worry about the affairs of the inner courtyard.
But she couldn't bear to let Zhu Xiang bear all this alone, she must do what she can. So she will definitely encounter these choices again.
That was why Zhu Xiang had to tell her, when she was confused for the first time, to remember that these "prices" were the sins committed by both of them, and that they should not turn a blind eye to the "sins" or even regard them as merits just because they could gain greater benefits.
This is something that should never be done.
Zhu Xiang knew that this was cruel, but if Xue Ji and he took different paths, it would probably be even crueler for both of them.
He took Xue Ji on a path that was different from that of women of the time, and he wanted to lead Xue Ji on the right path.
Even if this road is full of thorns.
This is his responsibility.
But he would go first, cutting down and trampling down the thorns. If there was to be bloodshed and pain, he would be the first.
Just like in this trade war, he was the leader, and Xue Ji only led people to weave cloth and did not do anything else.
So the responsibility is his, and he should be the one to bear the blame.
Zhu Xiang hugged the crying Xue Ji until Xue Ji fell asleep crying.
He carried Xue Ji to the bed and covered her with a quilt.
He looked at the dark circles under Xue Ji's eyes and knew that Xue Ji hadn't had a good rest for some time. But Xue Ji had never told him.
If I didn't come to see Xue Ji, Xue Ji would probably keep it a secret forever.
Xue Ji has always been like this. Knowing that he has taken on a lot of things, she is worried that she will become a burden to him.
So does he.
"Is my aunt feeling better?" Ying Xiaozheng brought a basin of water with a towel on it.
"Well, it's better if you cry it out." Zhu Xiang wrung out a handkerchief dipped in warm water and wiped away Xue Ji's tears.
Xue Ji didn't wake up, she was indeed too tired.
"You must also remember what I said to Xue." Zhu Xiang looked at Xue Ji's sleeping face and said softly, "Zheng'er, remember the weight of the price, so that you won't go astray."
His son Zheng was as ambitious as the Qin Shi Huang in history. However, all the ambitions of the emperor were caused by the corpses of countless civilians.
He couldn't stop the emperor from realizing his ambitions, and could only ask Zheng'er to pay attention to the piles of corpses of civilians when making a decision.
He didn't even expect Ying Zheng to show pity in his eyes. Just a look, as long as he could let the miserable plight of the civilians enter the eyes of this emperor of all ages, would be enough.
"I understand." Ying Xiaozheng said now.
Zhu Xiang forced a smile and said, "Zheng'er is smart, of course he understands."
Today’s politicians should understand this.
"Uncle, what Uncle Lin had to do despite the risk was to alleviate the suffering of the common people of Chu, right?" Ying Xiaozheng asked. "He pretended to be a noble scholar who cared about the common people of Chu. Although he made the scholars of the world see the incompetence of Chu, if he did not take action, Chu might be in even greater chaos. He had to take the risk just to alleviate the suffering of the common people of Chu."
Ying Xiaozheng thought of many complicated reasons, but what he saw today made him suddenly realize that perhaps many things are not complicated.
What Lin Zhi did, just as his apparent reason was, was just to save people.
Whether he saved people out of his own will or to relieve his uncle's pain is not important. Because Lin Zhi was willing to save more civilians in Chu State, even at the cost of his own life. He is a noble man who cares about the common people.
"Yes." Zhu Xiang said, "But Lin Li will not do anything that is not profitable. He is not me. Saving the people is one thing, but saving the people will definitely not allow these Chu people to starve to death in Chu, which will be more beneficial to Qin."
Zhu Xiang raised his lips in sarcasm and said, "The foundation of governing the world today is indeed scholars. The common people are numb and easy to control, so those who love the people like their own children will not necessarily win the world. Only those who have more talents will become strong. And no matter how many common people starve to death in Chu, it will not attract much attention from the scholars of the world."
"Just like the soldiers of Zhao State were almost killed in Changping, and the common people of Zhao State almost starved to death in the famine, if it weren't for me and Lord Lian, who would care?"
"There must be a noble man who stands up, and then the nobles will cast their eyes on the common people who provide them with food and clothing, and will shed a few tears for these people whose status is usually lower than that of livestock, and will become angry and sad, and then disappointed in the King of Chu and the State of Chu."
"So, in order to make the tragic scene of Chu visible to the public, a melancholy noble man is necessary."
"Because the scholars of the world can only empathize with scholars."
Ying Xiaozheng looked at Zhu Xiang's face.
His uncle's expression was calm, as still as a deep pond.
There was a deep sadness hidden in my uncle's eyes, just like the huge waves he saw when watching the tide.
He thought of the time when the Chu people migrated south and his uncle went to arrange their lives personally. He would always ask about their lives, leading them to talk about the suffering they had endured and let them cry. He said that if they cried, they would not be depressed and would have the courage to survive in a foreign land.
My uncle said this was psychotherapy.
People didn't understand what psychotherapy was, but they found that the common people who had cried for Duke Xiang of Zhu were indeed in better spirits and worked harder.
Ying Xiaozheng now wondered, was his uncle really doing this just to appease those panicked refugees
(End of this chapter)