Zhu Xiang's persistence was not understood by his friends.
Before, Zichu kept Chunhua not only for the sake of Zhu Xiang's feelings, but also to make Ying Xiaozheng's position as the crown prince more secure.
During the Spring and Autumn Period, the Qin State did not follow the Zhou Dynasty's etiquette of primogeniture inheritance, but instead respected the wise.
However, as Qin gradually accepted the culture and interests of the Central Plains, by the Warring States Period, Qin had tacitly accepted the system of primogeniture.
For example, when Zichu returned to the country to compete for the throne, he became the adopted son of his biological mother, Lady Huayang, through Lu Buwei's lobbying and bribery, and became the eldest son, immediately surpassing a group of brothers who had been operating in Qin for a long time.
Now that Chunhua has become the Queen of Qin, all her usefulness has been exhausted, and Zichu can kill her at any time.
As for the outside world's speculation that Chunhua was killed, Zichu and everyone else didn't care about that.
Zichu killing Chunhua and Ying Xiaozheng killing his biological mother are two different things.
Ying Xiaozheng's injury not only made people in the world no longer harsh on Ying Xiaozheng on the word "filial piety", but also made Zhu Xiang completely give up his expectations for Chunhua.
After Zhu Xiang gave up Chunhua, Chunhua's life was over. Regardless of whether Ying Xiaozheng had sympathy for his biological mother, Zichu would never let this arrogant woman who had been under house arrest for ten years live and bring unnecessary trouble to the Qin State.
So in their eyes, Chunhua was already a dead person, and they could just let her slowly weaken until she died in a low-key manner, which would also help Ying Xiaozheng and Zhu Xiang vent their anger. Why did Zhu Xiang make such a fuss? It was not good for Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng.
Ying Xiaozheng also advised: "Uncle, don't worry about Zheng'er. I won't be hurt by her again in the future."
Zhu Xiang rubbed Ying Xiaozheng's head and said, "I am not doing this just for you. Zheng'er, one of you and Zichu will definitely become the first true ruler of the world."
"If Chunhua's position as empress is not abolished, she will be the first empress, or the first empress dowager." Zhu Xiang had a mocking smile on his face, "The first woman in the world since the creation of the world."
The eyelids of everyone in the carriage twitched.
The First Empress, the Empress Dowager.
"This title is much more famous than your title of Lord Changping." Lin Zhi understood Zhu Xiang's thoughts. "You originally thought that if Chunhua repented, she would also be given the title of 'the first person' that women from ancient times to the present should look up to because she gave birth to Zheng'er. Now, you don't want this to happen."
Zhu Xiang said calmly: "I said it's unfair."
Seeing Zhu Xiang's expression, Lin Zhi gave up trying to persuade him: "Forget it, do whatever you want. You are always very stubborn about things that we don't understand, and I can't persuade you. But you said it, if the ministers don't agree, you will give up obediently."
Cai Ze frowned: "If you accuse Chunhua of being vicious, Zheng'er is young and has been hurt by his biological mother, so he may not be implicated by this incident now. But your perfect reputation will definitely be damaged."
Zhu Xiang said: "When have I ever cared about my reputation? I am not a perfect person."
When Cai Ze heard Zhu Xiang say this, he immediately gave up: "Okay, since you said so."
Zichu was originally waiting for Lin Zhi and Cai Ze to persuade Zhu Xiang, but he did not expect these two friends to give up so cleanly and neatly. His face was full of disbelief.
"Why don't you try to persuade him?" Zichu said anxiously, "This is heresy. Even Xunzi would probably beat him up in the court."
Lin Zhi finally laughed: "He deserved to be beaten. Things in the backyard should be kept in the backyard and done quietly. If he insists on sacrificing his reputation, then let him do it. Anyway, at most he will be scolded, and there is no danger."
Cai Ze nodded in agreement: "It's only Zhu Xiang's reputation that will be damaged. He doesn't care about his reputation, so let him vent his anger. It will be fine once he feels better."
Ying Xiaozheng grabbed Zhu Xiang's sleeve and said, "Uncle! What's the point of doing this? She will just die in the end, and she won't cause us any more trouble after she dies!"
Zichu held his forehead with his hand.
Zhu Xiang is really amazing. He forced Ying Xiaozheng, who had been disguising himself very well, to say words of murdering his mother.
After hearing Ying Xiaozheng's words of murdering his mother, Zhu Xiang was not angry.
He just rubbed Ying Xiaozheng's hair again and said gently: "Many things I do are meaningless in the eyes of the world, including this one. I just firmly believe that all etiquette in the world should guide people to be good."
Zhu Xiang was silent for a while, and then continued: "She abused you, abandoned you, and hurt you, but she wanted to use you to become the number one man that other women could not look up to. That's unfair. With your uncle here, your uncle will not allow Zheng'er to suffer such injustice. Zheng'er, don't worry, you don't have to worry about Chunhua's affairs. Leave it to your uncle and the rest of your elders."
"You should have discussed this with us. You are not yet an adult, and these matters should be taken care of by the elders. It is not your turn to hurt yourself for something." Zhu Xiang tapped the uninjured part of Ying Xiaozheng's forehead gently. "There is nothing in this world worth hurting yourself for, do you understand?"
Ying Xiaozheng covered his forehead and lowered his head very low, so that people could not see his expression. Only his voice with a little nasal tone could be heard: "Yes."
"Listen to your uncle." Zichu was also persuaded by Zhu Xiang. He would rather not have an empress than let Chunhua become one.
"I'm almost convinced by you." Lin Zhi said with a mischievous smile, "If Chunhua had been the queen when she died, she would have been buried with the king. I'm afraid the king would not sleep well."
Zichu's expression froze.
Cai Ze said with a straight face: "Indeed."
Zichu: “…” Do you think I can’t see the smile on your lips just because you have a stern face
"Puchi..." Ying Xiaozheng quickly covered his mouth and shook his head vigorously, "I'm not laughing!"
He thought that in his dream, he actually had Zhao Ji buried together with his father and king, hahahaha!
Zichu rolled his eyes fiercely and said through gritted teeth: "I don't care. Am I the kind of person who cares about what happens after my death?"
"Hahahahahaha!" All the friends laughed, even Zhu Xiang couldn't straighten his back with laughter.
The atmosphere in the carriage finally became cheerful, except for Zichu.
The King of Qin returned to the Xianyang Palace. He was furious about the Crown Prince's injury and immediately sent people to detain the Queen.
All the ministers petitioned the king of Qin to release the queen for the sake of the prince. Even though the queen had acted mad, she was the prince's mother after all and had given birth to him.
The King of Qin was originally tempted, and Changping Jun, who had never attended court before, actually came to the court.
The ministers and officials could not help but rub their eyes and looked at Changping Jun's iconic snow-white hair in disbelief.
The hair is really white! It is the real Changping Jun!
Only then did they remember that the Queen of Qin was the elder sister of Lord Changping.
Is Lord Changping here to ask for forgiveness
Some people couldn't help but feel happy. Did they finally find out the mistakes of Lord Changping and make this perfect gentleman have a crack
Those who think this way are not necessarily Zhu Xiang's enemies. Many people just can't stand a perfect gentleman.
Their thoughts were similar to those of later generations. How could there be a perfect gentleman in this world? He was so kind all the time, so he must be pretending, a hypocrite.
In the future, even if Zhu Xiang had been a gentleman all his life, there would still be people who would say that Zhu Xiang had been pretending all his life.
Even if they are refuted, they will only say hypocritically, "Judging by deeds, not heart, although Zhu Xiang pretended all his life, he can be considered a gentleman all his life."
Even if they could not explain why Zhu Xiang showed no signs of being a hypocrite in his life, how could they see the hypocritical heart of Zhu Xiang
Now, those who had similar ideas were looking at Changping Jun excitedly. The ugly appearance that was unconsciously revealed made the Qin Prince Chu, who was sitting at the top, couldn't help but hold the armrest of the throne tightly.
He sneered in his heart. This was the reason why three generations of Qin kings, from his great-grandfather, the emperor, to him, all tacitly allowed Zhu Xiang to not attend court.
"Your Majesty, I, Lord Changping Zhu Xiang, ask Your Majesty to uphold justice for me and my nephew." Zhu Xiang left his chair and bowed, "If a woman nearly killed her younger brother's son, why should her younger brother's son support her just because of blood relationship? How can you repay kindness with kindness? If the role model of women in the world is such a vicious woman, wouldn't it lead people to evil!"
Zhu Xiang raised his head: "Please Your Majesty, please look carefully!"
The ministers were shocked!
Prince Chu of Qin looked at the expressions of his ministers and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up.
He shocked the world as soon as he appeared. This was his friend, the unparalleled Changping Jun Zhu Xiang.
Prince Chu of Qin had no expression on his face and said calmly, "Lord Changping, do you know what you are talking about? The ministers tried their best to dissuade me from imprisoning the queen, saying that the queen had given birth to the prince, and asked me to forgive him for the prince's sake."
Zhu Xiang took a deep breath, knelt down on his knees, and prostrated himself on the ground.
Prince Qin was so shocked that he pressed his hands on the armrests, his body slightly moved away from the throne, then he came to his senses and sat back on the throne.
His eyes were deep and he clenched the armrests with both hands again.
"Everyone says that parents are very kind to their children by giving them life. But life is full of suffering. When parents give birth to their children, do they ever ask their children whether they are willing to come into this world?!"
"You brought your children into this world on your own initiative, so why do you shamelessly claim to be grateful to them?!"
"If parents educate their children well and let them cherish the world, they will naturally be grateful to their children."
"What kindness have parents shown to their children who give birth to them but do not raise them, or even abuse them like animals after giving birth to them? Why should their children be filial to them?!"
"If you give birth to a child but don't raise him, or abuse him but want his children to be filial to you, does this word 'filial piety' lead people to good or evil?!"
Zhu Xiang's unorthodox words shocked the ministers so much that they staggered to the ground. Some of them were shaking and their faces turned red, and they looked like they were about to rush up to fight with Zhu Xiang.
Logically speaking, Xunzi, the great Confucian scholar who should have been most sensitive to the word "filial piety", had his eyelids drooping, as if he was old and weak, lacking energy, and had fallen asleep.
Zhu Xiang, with his forehead pressed against the ground, listened to the noise in the court, and his heart was at peace.
He knew this would happen.
In ancient times, parents had the right to kill their children.
According to unearthed Tang and Song Dynasty laws, parents and other elders who killed their children were only sentenced to four to five years in prison. If the parents told the government that their children were unfilial, the government would not investigate and directly sentence the parents not guilty.
At the same time, if parents sued their children for disobedience, the government would not investigate and would directly sentence the children to be guilty. Therefore, it was common for parents to seize the property of other sons for their beloved sons.
The Qin laws were the most stringent, and all common people were treated as "leeks of the Qin State". Their personal freedom belonged to the King of Qin and could not be handled privately. However, the punishment for parents killing their children was only "tattooing and forcing them to work in the city for a day", which was considered very mild.
This was the reason why Cai Ze killed the palace maid on the spot immediately after interrogating her, without even waiting for Zichu to come back.
As long as Ying Xiaozheng slapped Chunhua before, it would be in line with the current morality even if Chunhua killed Ying Xiaozheng.
The palace maid lay on the ground and dared not get up after Ying Xiaozheng slapped Chunhua, also because she knew about this.
The Crown Prince of Qin cannot be unfilial, so they are doomed to die.
Later, when Ying Xiaozheng was hurt by Chunhua, no one stood up. Besides the fact that they were so frightened by the impending death that they dared not move, they were probably also resentful of the Crown Prince of Qin who had put them in this situation.
As Chunhua's younger brother, Zhu Xiang has the right to sue Chunhua for being unfilial and killing him.
But he couldn't help Ying Xiaozheng sue Chunhua for being unkind, because parents can be unkind! Because children can be unfilial even if their parents are unkind!
"I beg you to let me bring witnesses to prove this." Zhu Xiang cried, "I know that everyone in the world believes that filial piety is the best. Parents give their children a life, and they can decide whether to kill or give birth to their children. My words may be useless. But even if they are useless, I will argue with you and let you know the pain of the prince."
When Prince Chu of Qin heard Zhu Xiang's low sobs, he took several deep breaths before he suppressed the discomfort in his heart.
Just as he was about to speak, Xunzi opened his eyes and spoke before him: "Your Majesty, let Changping Jun bring the witness up so that you can hear what the rift between Changping Jun, the Crown Prince and the Queen is. If you don't let you hear it clearly, you will think that Changping Jun is bullying the women and children in his family."
"Xun Qing is right." Qin Wang Zichu said immediately, "Jun Changping, please stand up... Zheng'er, help your uncle up!"
Ying Xiaozheng, who had bandages on his head and hands, loosened his clenched fists: "Yes."
He helped Zhu Xiang up and wiped her tears, but he couldn't hide the blood from the broken wound on his hand.
Zhu Xiang held Ying Xiaozheng's hand distressedly: "Imperial Physician..."
"I'm fine. I'll go find the imperial physician after the court session." Ying Xiaozheng stopped him, "I want to accompany my uncle to finish this matter."
Zhu Xiang gritted his teeth: "Okay."
He turned around and asked someone to bring the witness who had been prepared long ago.
There are three waves of witnesses.
When the first wave of witnesses entered the palace, Lin Zhi brushed his sleeves and stood up from the prime minister's chair.
"The witness is an old man in my family." Lin Zhi smiled casually at his colleagues and said, "Everyone knows that when Changping Jun was young, he was suffering from illness. He took a gamble and ran into my father's carriage to show his talent. He was accepted as a retainer by my father and survived. This matter has become a well-known story."
"My father regarded Zhu Xiang as his own son, so he naturally investigated Zhu Xiang's situation. This is the testimony of Zhu Xiang's fellow villagers. My father and I did these things because we were worried that Zhu Xiang's sister would falsely accuse Zhu Xiang. I didn't expect that it would be used now."
Lin Zhi glanced at his colleagues again, with a casual smile on his face tinged with sarcasm.
He didn't lie.
Zhu Xiang found the evidence so quickly, it must not be forged.
When Zhu Xiang first went to Lin Xiangru, although he could not read much, he was already very mature and thoughtful. He asked Lin Xiangru to take people to his hometown to collect evidence of his abandonment and file it with the Zhao government, leaving a record of his suing Chunhua for taking away the family's property and abandoning her brother.
"One must always be on guard against others." This is what Zhu Xiang said about the great effort he put into guarding against a woman who sold herself into slavery.
Lin Zhi said, "If you wait for a while, I can send someone to find the officials from Zhao. Those criminal records should still be kept."
King Zichu of Qin ordered someone to bring Lin Zhi's wooden tablet to the court.
Paper was not yet widely available at that time, so Zhu Xiang made two copies of the report, one of which was a wooden slip with the official seal of the government in his hands.
Prince Chu of Qin knew very well what happened back then, and as he read the brief words on the wooden slip, he couldn't help but get angry.
He felt a little regretful.
He thought that Zhu Xiang's character was made of clay and he had let go of what happened to Chunhua in the past, so he maximized his benefits and gave Chunhua ten years of wealth and honor.
In addition to Zhu Xiang's accusation that Chunhua abandoned him, the wooden slips also describe more of Chunhua instructing others to try to abduct Xue Ji as a slave in the market, but fortunately she was rescued by others.
According to the crime reported by Zhu Xiang, Chunhua must die.
So it wasn't that Zhu Xiang didn't want Chunhua to die. But after listening to his plan, he endured it.
Is it because of myself or because of Zhenger
It's probably both.
Prince Chu of Qin waved his hand and asked Ying Xiaozheng to come forward and take a look.
When Ying Xiaozheng saw the content of Zhu Xiang’s report, his eyes trembled.
"My aunt and I thought we had kept this a secret from my uncle." Ying Xiaozheng's voice became hoarse as if he was suppressing something. "It turns out that my uncle had kept it a secret from us."
My uncle knew everything, even that they were hiding this matter.
Ying Xiaozheng realized in his heart. If it weren't for him, if Chunhua wasn't his biological mother, his uncle would have made Chunhua pay the price long ago.
My uncle was kind-hearted, so he just lit one more stick of incense in front of my parents to end this family relationship. But my uncle was not the kind of person who would repay evil with kindness.
Prince Chu of Qin handed the wooden tablet to his attendant and said, "Circulate it to all the ministers for review."
Cai Ze waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to look.
He had seen it a long time ago.
Xunzi had seen it before, and he watched it again, sneering as he watched it.
Lin Zhi said, "The knights who saved my sister that day were found by my father and recommended to Lord Lian to serve in the army. As far as I know, one of them is already an official in Zhao. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to ask him."
All the ministers in the court shook their heads and said that they would not disbelieve it.
This old wooden tablet had been stored for more than ten years. Moreover, the witness Lin Zhi mentioned was still there. If they went to investigate, they would definitely get the news, so it couldn't be false.
In fact, since Lord Changping and the Queen had been estranged from each other for the past ten years, they had guessed that there must be some grudge between the two, but they did not expect the grudge to be so great.
Seeing that they had no objections, Lin Zhi sat back in his chair.
The second wave of witnesses came forward, and Lu Buwei, who had returned to Qin and was appointed as the prime minister, stood up.
The eyelids of all the ministers in the court jumped.
They remembered that the Queen of Qin was the concubine given by Lu Buwei to Prince Chu of Qin.
Lu Buwei bowed and said, "The wealthy merchant that the Queen of Qin took away all her valuables and went to seek refuge with was my family. When I presented the Queen of Qin to Your Majesty, I specially prepared her indenture to prove her innocent background. According to her, she was the only daughter in her family and had to sell herself to my family because her parents had both passed away. These testimonies are enough to prove that the Queen of Qin's claim that she sold herself to save her younger brother was a lie."
When Zhu Xiang found Lu Buwei, Lu Buwei was terrified.
What he fears most now is that someone will reveal that the Queen of Qin was his singing girl.
When he heard that the Queen of Qin had injured the Crown Prince, Lü Buwei was thinking about his last words. He had been with Crown Prince Zheng before and knew that he had always disliked him. His biological mother was going crazy, and the Crown Prince might not be able to do anything to her, and she might even vent her anger on him.
After Zhu Xiang assured him, Lu Buwei gritted his teeth and agreed.
Although this matter is dangerous, if it is done well, maybe he can get out of it completely.
The evidence in Lu Buwei's hands was indeed true.
He wanted to give a woman to the prince of Qin in order to seek wealth and honor for the next generation, so how could he not find out Zhao Ji's identity? He would give all these things to Zichu.
He also prepared good evidence about himself against Zhao Ji, in case Zhao Ji came to power and disowned him in the future.
Now these evidences can also prove Zhao Ji's viciousness.
All the information Lü Buwei had been looking for about Zhao Ji started after she sold herself. After Lü Buwei was sure that Zhao Ji was a commoner's daughter, he no longer cared about anything else.
Zhao Ji was very good at pleasing people, had a charming appearance and a voice like a nightingale, and accumulated a lot of rewards and wealth. She spent all the money herself and never sent any to her family.
In addition to the evidence that Zhao Ji lived a good life after selling herself but never thought of her younger brother Zhu Xiang, Lu Buwei prepared more evidence that Zhao Ji abused Ying Xiaozheng.
The people who served Zhao Ji were all those left by Lü Buwei. Although Zhao Ji eloped with the subordinates who betrayed him, it was easy for Lü Buwei to find those people back.
The second wave of witnesses are these people.
Lu Buwei had been keeping these people, intending to give them to Crown Prince Zheng for revenge.
But Prince Zheng said no, and told him to keep it for himself as it would be useful in the future.
Could it be that Prince Zheng had already anticipated what would happen today? Lü Buwei's clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
After listening to Lu Buwei's testimony and the self-narration of the servant who served Crown Prince Zheng, the officials in the court sighed.
Ying Xiaozheng stood on the podium, looking at the overly calm expressions of the people below, and recalled the words he had heard in his dream.
He should not have experienced these things, but when that sentence was churning in his heart, it was as if he had experienced them personally.
"Your Majesty, you tore your fake father to pieces, which showed jealousy; you beat your two brothers with a bag, which showed unkindness; you moved your mother to the palace in Aiyang, which showed unfilial behavior."
His biological mother's male lover was called his fake father; his biological mother and the male lover conspired to rebel, and he killed the male lover and his son, but only moved his biological mother out of the palace, which showed that he was jealous, unkind, and unfilial. If he did not forgive his biological mother, he would be like Jie and Zhou, and people all over the world would spurn him.
Zhu Xiang glanced coldly at the group of ministers who were unmoved, and called out the third wave of witnesses.
Zhu Xiang once wanted to report Chunhua to the police for abandoning Ying Xiaozheng to prevent Chunhua from coming to snatch Ying Xiaozheng away.
Later, Lin Xiangru knocked him on the head and said that Ying Xiaozheng had a special status as a hostage of the Qin State, so he couldn't do it. He had no choice but to give up.
But he still prepared the evidence so that when Chunhua came to force Ying Xiaozheng to pay respect to him, he could use the evidence to refute Chunhua.
He didn't use any of this evidence because Xue Ji just started scolding him and didn't give him any chance to convince herself with reason.
After seeing the medical records, the indifferent doctors finally showed some emotion. They finally started to discuss Chunhua's viciousness.
If the medical records of Prince Zheng were true, then Lord Changping had put a lot of effort into saving Prince Zheng. If it were an ordinary family, Prince Zheng would have died young.
Qin Wang Zichu read Ying Xiaozheng's medical records and threw them to Ying Xiaozheng: "This is the favor that Lord Lin has done for you."
In order to recuperate Ying Xiaozheng, many precious medicinal materials and rare ingredients were used in the medical records. Then Zhu Xiang racked his brains to blend these things into medicinal food and gave it to the picky Ying Xiaozheng.
With Zhu Xiang's financial resources at the time, he could not afford these things. These must have been taken out by Lin Xiangru from his own storehouse and given to Ying Xiaozheng.
Ying Xiaozheng thought of Lin Weng's voice and said in a deep voice, "Zheng'er knows."
He thought he had a very good memory, but his good memory did not mean that he knew everything about his childhood. Because there were many things that the elders would not tell him after they did them. For example, when he was young, his health was very poor and he needed to use precious medicinal herbs and food to nourish himself, but he knew nothing about this.
He only knew that his health was getting better and better and he almost never got sick, and he thought he was just lucky.
Maybe he really is unlucky.
After Zhu Xiang brought in three waves of witnesses, the case seemed to be over when a palace maid came to report that the Queen Mother Huayang wanted to see her.
Prince Chu of Qin stood up immediately.
Empress Dowager Huayang? She never interferes in government affairs, why this time
"Please invite my mother in quickly." Prince Chu of Qin came down the steps and greeted her personally.
"Your Majesty, that's not necessary. I'm just here to be a witness. I'll present the evidence and leave." The Queen Mother Huayang came up, leading Prince Cheng Jiao.
Young Master Cheng Jiao was confused and didn't know why he was brought here by his grandmother.
When Queen Dowager Huayang let go of Prince Chengjiao's hand, Prince Chengjiao looked around, ran towards Zhu Xiang with his short legs, hugged Zhu Xiang's legs, and buried his face in them.
There are so many strangers, my uncle protects me!
Seeing Prince Chengjiao's action, some of the ministers felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.
How come Prince Chengjiao and Lord Changping are so close? !
Ying Xiaozheng first paid his respects to Queen Mother Huayang, then walked to Prince Chengjiao's side and said, "Come over here, brother."
Prince Cheng Jiao raised his head and hesitated for a moment. When Ying Xiaozheng's face turned stern, he quickly let go of Zhu Xiang's legs and grabbed Ying Xiaozheng's sleeve.
"My brother is injured, so we won't hold hands." Young Master Cheng Jiao gave his brother, the prince, who was supervising his homework, a flattering smile.
Ying Xiaozheng said: "It doesn't matter."
He took Master Chengjiao's hand with his left hand, which was not seriously injured, nodded to Zhu Xiang, and then took Master Chengjiao to the throne.
Because Zhu Xiang nagged him many times, Ying Xiaozheng finally had no choice but to learn to cooperate with Chengjiao's short legs when he was holding his hand, and no longer let Chengjiao swing his short legs to chase him.
The scene of the harmonious relationship between Crown Prince Zheng and Prince Chengjiao once again hurt some people's hearts.
They thought that Prince Zheng's position as crown prince was unstable because of the incident with his biological mother. How come he still looked flawless
"I brought all the accounts of Zhao Ji for the past ten years." Queen Mother Huayang snorted coldly, "You can see how extravagant this woman is. The king and the prince have never let her down. Because she is too extravagant, the prince has never used his share since she entered Qin, and gave it all to her. I want to see who said that the prince is unfilial!"
Zhu Xiang suddenly understood. What? Zheng'er also has a share
Ying Xiaozheng frowned. Oh, so I also have a share of the allowance
Ying Xiaozheng's biological father, Prince Chu of Qin, also realized something. Yes, Zheng'er was raised by Zhu Xiang, so where did Zheng'er's share go? Even when he was the great-grandson of the King of Qin, King Zhaoxiang of Qin gave Zheng'er a share comparable to that of the crown prince. He thought Zhu Xiang had saved it for Zheng'er.
Zhu Xiang suddenly realized what he had discussed with Xue Ji many years ago, but he had forgotten it because it was so long ago.
Xue Ji told him that Zheng'er and the others could support themselves, and the things given by the King of Qin should be given to Chunhua, as living allowance from Zheng'er to Chunhua.
"That's true." Zhu Xiang said, "This was decided when the prince was young."
Ying Xiaozheng pondered, is this true
Although he has a good memory, he would ignore things that are not worth remembering. Maybe his uncle and aunt mentioned it to him, but he was busy playing or eating and didn't pay attention.
Why was I so stupid when I was young! I agreed to whatever my uncle and aunt said!
Ying Xiaozheng regretted so much that he beat his chest and stamped his feet. If he had saved all the money he had saved over the years, he would have done so much! Even if he had nothing to use, it would be great to give it to his uncle and aunt!
Young Master Cheng Jiao opened his eyes wide and said, "Brother, have you ever received any punishment?"
Ying Xiaozheng nodded with mixed feelings. How could Cheng Jiao know the quota at such a young age
Prince Chengjiao hesitated for a long time, took out a small sachet from his arms, poured out half of the irregular golden ball, hesitated for a long time, and handed it to Ying Xiaozheng: "Brother, I'll give you half."
Ying Xiaozheng was stunned.
Gongzi Chengjiao stretched out his hand and said, "I don't have much money to spend, so I'll give it to you, brother."
If I bribe my brother, will he give me less homework? Seeing others bribe people in the Grand Mother's Palace, Prince Chengjiao, who knew what bribery meant, looked expectantly at his extremely strict and scary brother.
Ying Xiaozheng put away his stunned expression, gently clenched his bandaged hands, and then slowly opened them.
He took the little golden ball from Master Chengjiao: "Okay."
If you give me half of the golden ball now, as long as you don't rebel in the future, I will ensure that you will have wealth and safety for the rest of your life.
Ying Xiaozheng said in his heart.
When Prince Chengjiao saw that his brother the Crown Prince had accepted a bribe, his eyes were curved with smiles.
As a young boy, he thought that if the other party accepted a bribe, they would definitely keep their promise.
But he forgot that he had not asked for it, so his brother did keep his promise, but not in the way he had thought.
The brothers' small actions made the ministers who had been observing them feel very complicated.
How could there be brothers who were friendly and respectful to each other in the Qin royal family
Uh, it seems that King Qin Renwen and Prince Dao were also very friendly and respectful brothers at the beginning
After Queen Dowager Huayang served as a witness to this unexpected incident, she did not leave the court.
For the first time, she sat beside the King of Qin as the Queen Mother, staring at the ministers with her phoenix eyes.
In the eyes of the ministers, the Queen Mother Huayang has always been an incompetent beauty who only knows how to flatter the late king and has no faults in her heart.
Now she showed the aura of Queen Mother Qin, which made the ministers very uncomfortable.
Seeing how respectful Qin Wang Zichu was to Queen Mother Huayang, they were not sure whether Qin Wang Zichu was pretending or sincere. But it was certain that Queen Mother Huayang was on the side of the crown prince.
Could it be that Queen Dowager Huayang took advantage of the situation in order to seize Queen Qin's power in the harem
This group of people couldn't help but come up with conspiracy theories.
Queen Dowager Huayang mustered up her courage and stepped into the court for the first time.
When she sat down, the energy she had maintained was gone, and her hands and feet felt weak.
But she still managed to say to Ying Xiaozheng: "Don't be afraid, Zheng'er, Grandmother will protect you on behalf of Xue Ji."
Seeing Ying Xiaozheng covered in blood, Queen Dowager Huayang could not sleep and kept crying and saying she was sorry for her only friend.
After she learned what was going to happen today, she tossed and turned for a long time and came to help with gritted teeth.
"Thank you, Grandmother." Ying Xiaozheng said, "With Grandmother here, I am not afraid."
Queen Mother Huayang tried to force a smile, then pretended to be calm and said, "My Lords, please continue discussing your affairs. You don't need to pay attention to me."
Seeing that Prince Chengjiao was too young to stand, Prince Chu of Qin had someone bring a chair up for Ying Xiaozheng, asking him to hold Prince Chengjiao and sit with him.
Prince Chengjiao leaned carefully into Ying Xiaozheng's arms: "Will it not press on my brother's wound?"
Ying Xiaozheng said with a straight face: "No."
Young Master Cheng Jiao adjusted the position of his little butt, leaned his back in Ying Xiaozheng's arms, and quickly got used to his brother's chair.
All the evidence and witnesses brought by Zhu Xiang have been presented.
He was originally going to stand and wait for the group to discuss, to show his respectful attitude. Before Qin Prince Chu could speak, Lady Huayang urged Zhu Xiang to sit down: "Why don't you help Lord Changping to take a seat?"
Qin Prince Chu immediately followed and said, "Lord Changping, please take a seat."
After Zhu Xiang thanked the Queen Mother and the King of Qin, he sat back.
He had no real position, but his seat was just below the prime minister.
The seats were divided into two rows, with Cai Ze and Xunzi leading one row each. Lin Zhi was behind Cai Ze, and Zhu Xiang was behind Xunzi.
Xunzi saw Zhu Xiang coming back and asked in a low voice, "Are you feeling better?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Yes."
Xunzi sighed and stopped talking to Zhu Xiang.
He knew that what Zhu Xiang asked for would definitely fail.
Why do we require children to be filial to their parents regardless of right or wrong? Because the corresponding character of "filial piety" is "loyalty" to heaven, earth, emperor, parents and teachers.
For the sake of social stability, not only Confucianism, but all schools of thought strictly defined social hierarchy, so that everyone in the world could perform their duties and not overstep the boundaries.
Don't they know there is injustice involved
Know.
But the saints and predecessors have struggled in this world for so long and hit the wall, they can only write the future they hope for in books, like the Confucian "Great Harmony", and then set unfair rules for this world.
The Queen of Qin might be deposed or killed, but the reason for her deposition or killing must not be that she was unkind to the Crown Prince of Qin.
"I know that the emperor has his difficulties, and I also know that this world has its rules. I don't expect to succeed, I just want to make this matter known to everyone." Zhu Xiang said, "If today's debate can be spread, recorded in history books and discussed by future generations, it will be enough."
Zhu Xiang knew that even without him, there would still be many discussions among the ancient sages about "unfilial piety" and "unkindness", and many ancient sages would also call for "filial piety" to correspond to "kindness".
But these calls ultimately became just calls.
Are these voices useless? No. The world is developing and ideas are progressing. One day, when the world no longer needs blind loyalty to maintain stability, blind filial piety will also be abandoned.
It was easier for people at that time to remake the rules and have something to follow than to start from scratch.
All the epoch-making ideas of our ancestors are for the moment when future generations suddenly realize something when they open history books.
After Zhu Xiang explained his idea to Xunzi, Xunzi agreed to let him do whatever he wanted.
In the court, the Confucian officials who attached the most importance to filial piety were surprisingly quiet, which puzzled the ministers who thought that the Confucian officials would be the first to rush up and beat Zhu Xiang.
The Confucian scholars put their hands in their sleeves, some closed their eyes and took a nap, some watched the discussion with expressionless faces, and some whispered with others, and no one knew what they were talking about.
Their eyes occasionally swept over Zhu Xiang, and there was admiration in their eyes, not even hatred.
It was only then that the ministers realized that none of the people who had just pretended to faint and were about to beat Zhu Xiang were Confucian scholars.
They all know that Xunzi is Zhu Xiang's teacher. Has Xunzi become the second "Confucius" in the hearts of Confucian scholars all over the world
But didn't the Lu Confucians hate Xunzi and be hostile to him? Why didn't they oppose Zhu Xiang as well
Zhu Xiang was also surprised that no Confucian scholar came to spit in his face.
What he didn't know was that when King Zhu of Qin sent the Confucian scholar from Lu to compile the book, he had already told the Confucian scholar that the idea came from him.
Later, he led the Lu Confucian scholars to study hard in Southern Qin, educate the barbarians, and instill the importance of great unification in everyone. When the refugees from Chu State came to Southern Qin, he also led the Lu Confucian scholars to comfort the refugees.
There are many Confucian scholars who are good at speaking and learning. However, there are very few Confucian scholars like Zhu Xiang who always put the word "benevolence" into their behavior. Although most Confucian scholars do not lack the intention, they just do not have the opportunity.
In the minds of the Lu Confucianists who respected Mencius, Zhu Xiang often did things like "sacrifice his life for righteousness" and was the person who inherited Mencius's mantle, completely different from Xunzi.
Moreover, the Confucian thought of Confucius, Mencius and Xunzi never advocated blind filial piety or blind loyalty. These are all appendages of later generations after Confucianism became "Confucianism".
Confucius said: "If a son follows his father, what is filial piety? If a minister follows his ruler, what is loyalty? To be careful about the reasons for following is filial piety, and to be loyal is loyalty."
Mencius said: "If the ruler treats his subjects like dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the ruler as a fellow countryman; if the ruler treats his subjects like dirt, then the subjects will treat the ruler as an enemy."
Xunzi said: "To follow the Way and not the ruler, to follow righteousness and not the father, is the greatest virtue of man."
Even though the Confucian "filial piety" at this time was basically only for the "father", ignoring the mother. However, even in terms of patriarchy, none of the three generations of Confucian giants advocated blind loyalty and filial piety.
In other words, not to mention that Chunhua is Ying Xiaozheng's mother, even if Zichu did this to Ying Xiaozheng, they all agreed that Ying Xiaozheng could be unfilial to Zichu!
At the end of the Warring States period, only Confucianism and Legalism were still on the political stage. There was a reason why Confucianism was not favored by the rulers.
They are rebels who transcend their time.
Even if Xunzi gave the rebellious Confucians a layer of obedience, allowing them to compete with the Legalists for the position of "king-teacher", this would not change their rebellious nature.
At least for now.
Therefore, not only would they not oppose Zhu Xiang, but they would also spread Zhu Xiang's ideas.
Even if the Queen of Qin was not deposed for being unkind in the end, they would tell the world that the real reason why the Queen of Qin was deposed was because she was unkind! No amount of cover-ups would change this fact!
Zhu Xiang finally understood this point and realized that his view of modern Confucianism was influenced by the prejudices of later generations.
The debate in the court soon spread to the Xianyang Academy, and then was taken to the academies of various counties by Confucian scholars who deliberately spread the news.
When the academies in various counties of Qin State were discussing this matter, the scholars of the other six states naturally also knew about it.
They didn't expect that when Changping Jun appeared in the Qin court for the first time, he actually brought a lot of witnesses and evidence. He did not argue with others, but just laid out the evidence, which was more rigorous than the local officials in judging cases.
Don't the ministers in the court discuss politics with their mouths? Changping Jun is too strange.
Presenting facts and reasoning, Zhu Xiang gave them a little shock that later generations of pragmatic people would have.
When Wei Wuji heard this at the frontier, he laughed so hard that he drank a jar of good wine;
When Zhao Bao regained consciousness briefly, he quickly sent an envoy to deliver the evidence that Zhu Xiang should need to the Qin State, and then continued to be confused;
Chunshen Jun, who was overwhelmed by internal and external troubles, was discussing matters with Xiong Qi, who had become the crown prince of Chu. After hearing about this, he rarely smiled.
There were also many people that Zhu Xiang knew who smiled knowingly at this incident.
The person at the center of this incident, Queen Zhao Ji, died quietly of illness in the harem, reportedly due to excessive fear.
After the Queen of Qin died of fright, Prince Chu of Qin stripped her of her title, demoted her to a commoner on the grounds of misconduct, and issued an edict that his descendants were not allowed to change his edicts.
But at this time, not many people cared about her ending. The debate about Zhu Xiang's "kindness" and "filial piety" in the court was still fermenting, and scholars from all countries joined the debate.
At this time, some people brought up the Confucian saying that "a ruler without kindness will lead to disloyalty of the subjects" and regarded Confucianism as a potential traitor. Many kings did not like this Confucian saying and began to expel Confucianism.
Many similar remarks also appeared in the Qin State.
Ying Xiaozheng's eyelids twitched, as if he were seeing something.
Zhu Xiang slapped his head, this is a big deal!
He knew that this matter would become a big deal, but he didn't expect it to be this big deal. He himself was fine, so why did he implicate Xunzi and Confucian scholars!
Zhu Xiang quickly apologized to Xunzi, who said slowly, "It's nothing, I'm used to it."
Zhu Xiang: “…”
Xunzi pointed to his shoulder, and Zhu Xiang pressed his shoulder.
"After this incident, the title of a woman was determined." Xunzi said, "According to the Zhou Li, the title of a woman is divided into five categories: Lady of the State, Lady of the County, Lady of the County, Lady, and Lady."
The Book of Rites says: "The consort of the emperor is called the empress, the consort of the princes is called the madam, the consort of the ministers is called the lady, the consort of the scholars is called the woman, and the consort of the common people is called the wife."
The titles of Madam of the State, Madam of the County, and Lady of the County were given with the name of the state or county added before Lady and Lady as a special honor. The latter was a reward based on the status of the husband's family, while the ones with a prefix required the woman to have outstanding character and merits and be rewarded by the king.
Moreover, the first three types of rewards will come with additional salaries.
The titles for women that Xunzi formulated were very simple, far inferior to the twenty ranks of titles for men today. However, it was this simple title for women that caused Xunzi to quarrel with others for several years. It was only now that Zhu Xiang sued the deposed empress of Qin for being unkind and the scholars of the world were focusing on the conduct of women that it was successfully promulgated.
Zhu Xiang didn't know what to say.
He vowed to promote some unorthodox ideas, but it was Xunzi who was the one who worked hard.
This time, too. He was fully prepared to argue with others, but the Confucian scholars took the initiative to confront him, even if they were expelled by the monarch. He was pushed behind by everyone, jumping and waving his hands to make himself felt, but no one paid any attention to him.
"Hmph, are you feeling guilty?" Xunzi glanced at Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang nodded: "Yes. I should do these things."
Xunzi snorted again: "You want to do it? You can only rush forward recklessly, what can you accomplish?"
Zhu Xiang looked even more guilty.
"But if you hadn't led me in the right direction, I wouldn't have gone there." Xunzi changed the subject and sighed, "I hope that as you said, everything we do now can provide guidance for future generations."
Whether it is a hundred years, a thousand years, or ten thousand years, as long as civilization continues, the sparks and lights lit by our predecessors will always illuminate the way for those who come after us.
Xunzi believed so, and so did the Confucian scholars who followed Zhu Xiang.
So they went ahead without hesitation, even if it meant sacrificing their lives.
"If you feel guilty, stay in Xianyang Academy for a while longer." Xunzi said, "Zheng'er also needs to recover from his injuries, so don't go back to Southern Qin in February. If you stay in Qin, the King of Qin will not expel the Confucian scholars."
Zhu Xiang said, "Yes, Xunzi."
Xunzi said: "Also, don't be soft-hearted and erect a tombstone for Chunhua! Bury her far away and don't let Zheng'er know where she is!"
Zhu Xiang, who originally thought that death was the greatest thing, and wanted to erect a tombstone and burn some paper for Chunhua, said awkwardly, "Yes, Xunzi."
"Hmph." Xunzi closed his eyes again, relaxed his body and enjoyed Zhu Xiang's massage.
Soon, he fell asleep.
Zhu Xiang lowered his hands and looked worried.
Xunzi has been sleeping more and more recently.
(End of this chapter)