Zhao Gao was very good at guessing people's thoughts.
He grew up in the palace and was particularly familiar with the intrigues and deceptions that took place there.
Although he had never had the opportunity to meet the King of Qin before, the constant purges of palace maids in the palace made him well aware of the King of Qin's suspicion and cruelty.
After following King Zheng of Qin, Zhao Gao quickly adapted to the work of a eunuch, which made King Zheng of Qin very satisfied.
But Zhao Gao didn't want to be just a eunuch.
There were two types of eunuchs in the Qin King's palace. Most of the eunuchs who served the concubines in the harem were castrated eunuchs. Zhao Gao was very worried that he would lose favor, so he was sent by the Qin King to serve the concubines in the harem.
He was a descendant of a well-known noble family. Going back hundreds of years, he could be connected to the King of Zhao. Going back hundreds more years, he was even a descendant of the King of Qin!
Zhao Gao thought that he was no worse off than the other ministers in the court, but was just unlucky. The position where those ministers in the court of Qin were standing was where he should be.
He is just a small eunuch now, and it is too far for him to think about a bright future.
Zhao Gao knew that the most important thing he should do now was to improve himself, read books, practice calligraphy and martial arts. Only after he showed his talents in front of the King of Qin would the King of Qin give him a chance.
But in terms of talent alone, it is difficult for him to compare with the ministers of the previous dynasty.
Zhao Gao didn't want to endure the hard times. He wanted to get ahead quickly and take shortcuts.
The best shortcut is to flatter the King of Qin, stand in line in time, and help the King of Qin when he is hesitant. If things can be done, the King of Qin will regard him as a confidant, and his future will be smooth.
Is there anything easier than becoming close confidants than hating someone together and trying to bring him down together
The King of Qin was young and ambitious. The ministers entrusted by the previous king to take care of him restrained him in every way and often regarded themselves as the King of Qin's elders, showing no respect for him at all. The King of Qin must have resentful thoughts.
Kings are the superiors and will not allow anyone to be above them.
A mere minister dares to call himself the elder of the King of Qin. Isn't this a way to seek death
Zhao Gao didn't know how Changping Jun and the King of Qin got along. Although he was in the palace, he didn't dare to go to any place where Changping Jun had appeared before.
He only saw how Prime Minister Lin Zhi and the King of Qin got along.
Lin Zhi was respectful to the King of Qin only in public. He was very disrespectful and rude to him behind others, even treating the King of Qin like a child.
Once, Zhao Gao went to stay at a villa with the King of Qin. Lin Zhi came uninvited and went straight into the wine cellar.
The King of Qin went to scold him angrily, but Lin Zhi actually opened his clothes, exposing his chest, and climbed up a tree to mock the King of Qin for being fat and having short legs.
The King of Qin looked down at his own long legs and became silent out of anger.
Zhao Gao thought that Lin Zhi should at least be dismissed for insulting the King of Qin. However, Prime Minister Cai Ze, who was close to Lin Zhi, fooled him with a sentence: "Lin Zhi was drunk and mistook the King of Qin for a young boy." The King of Qin was unable to punish Lin Zhi.
From this we can see how severely King Zheng of Qin was suppressed by Lin Zhi and Cai Ze.
Seeing this scene, Zhao Gao had already seen Lin Zhi's miserable death.
Whoever makes the King of Qin be patient will be doubly angry after he comes to power and burn him to death.
Zhao Gao was very excited. He thought he had found a shortcut to become the confidant of the King of Qin.
But he was very cautious. Even if he was sure that Lin Zhi would die, he would not jump out early, lest he be abandoned by the forbearing King Qin.
While he continued to observe the relationship between the King of Qin and Lin Zhi and Cai Ze, he also said some dissatisfied words towards Lin Zhi when Lin Zhi bullied the King of Qin, so that the King of Qin gradually realized his loyalty.
Zhao Gao now looked at Lin Zhi with great enthusiasm. In his eyes, Lin Zhi was the stepping stone for him to reach a higher position.
People with great ambitions tend to have a big gambling nature. Who could have thought that a small palace slave would dare to plot against the state of prime minister
It was precisely because they all looked down on him that he could manipulate them at will. Zhao Gao felt elated.
Lin Zhi indeed did not realize Zhao Gao's ill will towards him.
Qin Wangzheng didn't notice it either. When he was angry with Lin Zhi, it was normal for the servants around him to agree with him, and they didn't think about what Zhao Gao expected at all.
When the hunt was over, Zhao Gao pretended to sigh unintentionally. Prime Minister Lin Zhi and Chancellor Cai Ze looked at the King of Qin defeating the strong man with sarcasm on their faces and whispered to each other, they must be mocking the strong man for not being strong enough.
King Zheng of Qin immediately became alert, dismissed everyone and thought alone, as if he didn't know to whom to write the secret decree.
Zhao Gao looked at the flickering candlelight shadow on the window and a dark smile appeared on his face.
Being able to become a eunuch from a palace slave, Zhao Gao must have been very good-looking. Even if he usually had a somewhat flattering look, it was hard to make people feel disgusted with him.
But now the gloomy look on his face ruined his good appearance, as if he was a ghost in human skin.
King Zheng of Qin knew nothing about this.
He was completely unaware that Zhao Gao was indirectly deepening his dislike for Lin Zhi and Cai Ze. Now he was writing to the two elders, reiterating their promise to him that he would never complain to his uncle and aunt.
"They must be laughing at me. I am so proud now. I will be in so much trouble when my uncle and aunt scold me." Qin Wang Zheng gritted his teeth and said, "It seems that I gave them too little official duties!"
Zhu Xiang didn't know that his own Zheng'er had promoted another historical celebrity.
After the autumn harvest, Zhu Xiang did not rest. He came to the Yellow River and took advantage of the dry season to dredge the Yellow River waterway and reinforce the Yellow River embankment.
The middle reaches of the Yellow River flow through the Loess Plateau with relatively loose soil, and the lower reaches pass through the gently sloping North China Plain. There are few tributaries in the middle and lower reaches, and silt is easily deposited.
The Loess Plateau in the pre-Qin period was rich in forest resources and soil erosion was not serious.
However, in the late Warring States period, the promotion of iron tools and ox-drawn plows gradually destroyed the vegetation on the Loess Plateau; the seven countries belonged to different basins of the Yellow River and often destroyed the Yellow River embankments for wars, causing the Yellow River to flood and allow more silt to enter the Yellow River channel; coupled with the abnormal weather in recent years, the temperature in the north has gradually dropped and rainfall has decreased.
Zhu Xiang was very worried that something might happen to the Yellow River.
While the Yellow River does not have many problems now, most of them are hidden dangers and are easier to control.
The people of Zhao were short of food, and Qin had temporarily stopped fighting, so granaries were full everywhere. Zhu Xiang used work-for-relief to repair the Yellow River, and dug several more ponds and tributaries to store water for irrigation, leaving behind experience in managing the Yellow River for future generations.
Zhu Xiang didn't know much about water conservancy at first, but he worked with Li Bing to control floods in Shu County, and consulted with Zheng Guo in Wu County. Now he is considered a half-expert in water conservancy.
In addition, he had scientific knowledge of soil erosion in later generations, which was more than enough for him to control the Yellow River before it became a river on the ground.
The biggest difficulty in managing the Yellow River in the pre-Qin period was the lack of unified political power along the Yellow River. Now that the Three Jins were all under the control of the Qin State, most of the problems had been solved.
As long as Zhu Xiang wanted to do something, the power given to him by successive Qin kings was almost equivalent to that of a monarch's agent. So he only handed Qin Wangzheng a document stating that he wanted to repair the Yellow River dam, and then set off with his entourage, carrying his bag on his back. He acted first and reported later, without worrying that the Qin king would disagree with his mobilization of so much money and grain.
He rode his horse along the Yellow River in Wei, Han, Chu and Qi. While supervising the officials along the river to repair the original Yellow River embankments, he personally drew a map of the terrain and waters along the Yellow River, preparing for the systematic management of the Yellow River after the Qin Dynasty unified the world.
He knows his own house.
Zheng Er must be a "tyrant" who "wastes money and lives on the people". Zhu Xiang could not suppress the ambition of the First Emperor, he could only guide it.
Even though it is the same corvée labor, if we build fewer palaces and more dams along the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, the labor will be rewarding, the laborers will have enough food, and the construction will be done more slowly, then corvée labor will not become a disaster.
Zhu Xiang predicted the behavior of the King of Qin's nephew, and now he was looking for things for King Qin Zheng to do after he unified the world.
Xue Ji also traveled around the Three Jins and Qi areas in a horse-drawn carriage, teaching people in these areas how to weave cotton.
Xue Ji would stay in various cities, and her journey would be much easier than Zhu Xiang's, who had to sleep in the open air, so Cheng Jiao and Fusu both took care of Xue Ji.
Meng Yi got what he wanted and became Zhu Xiang's bodyguard with a sword. He no longer had to take care of Crown Prince Fusu's excrement and piss, and he was very proud of it.
Cheng Jiao made an insulting gesture to Meng Yi.
We agreed to share the good and bad times, but you ran away. I can’t be your friend anymore. I’m breaking up with you!
Meng Yi rolled his eyes. When did he become friends with Master Chengjiao
When Zhu Xiang's letter reached King Zheng of Qin, Zhu Xiang was already living by the Yellow River.
King Zheng of Qin quickly summoned Cai Ze and Lin Zhi to the palace to complain: "My uncle is really restless. Why do you have to do the mapping of the Yellow River yourself when you can just let others do it?"
Cai Ze was also a little worried: "Not only is it too tiring to sleep outdoors, but there are also many bandits and robbers gathered from the defeated soldiers in the Three Jins and Qi. He only brought a few dozen people with him?"
Lin Zhi was speechless: "I think sooner or later, we will have to send a large army to avenge him."
Qin Wang Zheng said: "I want to issue an edict to let my uncle rest. What do you think?"
Cai Ze said: "It's useless."
Lin Zhi said, "The edicts of your great-grandfather, your great-grandfather, and your grandfather were all useless. How can your edict be useful?"
Qin Wangzheng was so angry that he slammed the table and said, "Uncle, don't you take me, the King of Qin, seriously?"
Cai Ze said: "Yes."
Lin Zhi said, "When he was doing what he wanted, he didn't even care about your great-grandfather, your grandfather, and your father. Can you expect a fourth-generation favorite of the King of Qin to respect your edict?"
King Zheng of Qin: “…”
Time flies so fast. My uncle has angered four generations of Qin kings.
"Forget it, I will send him more guards." King Zheng of Qin had no choice but to compromise.
What could he do? He couldn't really issue an imperial edict to reprimand his uncle, could he? If his uncle didn't obey, could he send troops to arrest him
Besides, my uncle has his own reasons for doing most of the things he does himself, and no matter how you persuade him, he won't change his mind.
Lin Zhi said: "Wang Jian's eldest son made great military achievements when attacking Zhao. Wang Jian just wanted to send his eldest son to study with Zhu Xiang. Your Majesty can give Wang Jian this opportunity."
Qin Wang Zheng was puzzled and asked: "Why didn't Wang Jian ask me for help?"
Lin Zhi said: "Wang Jian asked me to make a proposal to the emperor on his behalf. As for why he didn't ask directly, maybe he thought he didn't know you well enough and wasn't thick-skinned enough."
Cai Ze held his forehead and said, "Say less. It is etiquette for a general who is annexing a territory abroad to write a letter to the prime minister to submit a request on his behalf."
Lin Zhi said: "I'm still not familiar enough with you, and I'm not thick-skinned enough."
Qin Wangzheng recalled that the old general had repeatedly asked him for good farmland and beautiful houses. Although he knew that the old general was "desecrating himself", he still nodded and said: "Yes, the current general Wang is not thick-skinned enough."
Cai Ze: “…” He had long wanted to say that Zheng’er had been led astray by Lin Li.
Fortunately, King Zheng of Qin was not King Zichu of Qin. After agreeing with Lin Zhi's words, he continued to talk about business. He was very reliable and did not need Cai Ze to remind him.
If it were Prince Chu of Qin, he would have been holding a cup of water and talking to Lin Zhi about some unknown topic.
King Zheng of Qin frowned and said, "Repairing the Yellow River embankment is indeed very important, and it can also appease the hearts of the six nations. The Yellow River is also crucial to Qin's rule over the East. Perhaps it is really only possible for my uncle to preside over this matter. I don't know when the canal in Zheng Guo's hands will be repaired, and I can send Zheng Guo to assist my uncle."
Lin Zhi said: "After the unification of the country, the strategic role of Shu will be reduced. Your Majesty can send someone to replace Li Bing and let Li Bing take charge of the repair of the Yellow River. Zhu Xiang is not confident in others, but he must be very confident in Li Bing."
Qin Wangzheng raised his eyebrows: "Yes, how could I forget Li Qing."
So King Zheng of Qin sent Li Erlang with 500 elite soldiers to escort Zhu Xiang to draw a map of the Yellow River. He also wrote a thick stack of letters to his uncle and aunt, informing them of the latest situation and urging them to send more letters through the military newspaper channel.
As for Wang Jian's eldest son, let's talk about it later. It was because King Zheng of Qin was in a hurry to send troops, and Wang Jian's eldest son was too far away.
King Zheng of Qin did not tell Zhu Xiang about his plot against King Yan. He just said that everything was fine with him, and then focused on reporting Lin Zhi.
Uncle Lin was not only drinking heavily, but also mocking my young body when he was drunk. If Uncle Cai hadn't stopped me, I would have climbed up the tree and kicked him down to let him know how long my legs were!
King Zheng of Qin sent the letter, with his hands behind his back, anticipating his uncle's angry expression when he learned about Uncle Lin's ugly behavior.
He was suspicious. He didn't trust Lin Zhi and Cai Ze to keep their promise not to tell tales. So just in case, he told tales first.
In this way, even if he is scolded by his uncle in the future, he will have someone to take the blame.
Unfortunately, Uncle Cai is a very self-disciplined person and there is no place for him to make a report. So we will give Uncle Cai more official duties.
His father had taught him that Uncle Cai was a cunning man, so he gave him too much government affairs to handle, leaving him too tired to think about anything else.
King Zheng of Qin kept the teachings of his king and father in mind.
When Li Erlang led his troops to deliver the letter from King Zheng of Qin, the assassins prepared by the King of Yan and the Crown Prince of Yan to surrender the city had already set out.
Zhu Xiang caught a few big, fat crucian carps from the Yellow River and made a dish called Braised Crucian Carp with Patchouli for Li Erlang.
"I just caught it. You are in for a treat." Zhu Xiang said with a smile, "You two should know each other. I won't introduce you."
Li Erlang and Meng Yi greeted each other.
They both worked as eunuchs for King Zheng of Qin and often played together in their spare time. They were already friends and of course did not need Zhu Xiang to introduce them.
"Such a thick stack? How many letters have been accumulated? Zheng'er is still so talkative." Zhu Xiang looked at the stack of letters, holding his forehead and laughing, and said exaggeratedly, "It's getting late, let's read it tomorrow. If you finish reading now, it will probably be dawn."
There is no king who is not talkative. Perhaps people who can review a large number of documents are born with the attribute of being talkative.
Thinking about the talkative inscriptions left by Qin Shihuang during his eastern tour, Zheng'er has restrained himself now.
Zhu Xiang's craftsmanship has become more and more sophisticated over the years. He is proud that if he could go back to the modern era, he might be able to open an Internet-famous restaurant.
There was not much meat on the crucian carp, and Li Erlang became more and more greedy as he ate, and tried to snatch the fish from Meng Yi, who was eating very slowly.
As soon as these two friends met, they showed signs of breaking up.
"If you want to eat fish, catch it yourself tomorrow." Meng Yi protected his fish.
"Hmph, so stingy." Li Erlang poured the sauce of the fried fish with patchouli into the rice and buried his head in eating the rice to fill his stomach.
It was difficult to knead dough in the wild, so Zhu Xiang ate rice and millet.
Rice with vegetable sauce is a timeless delicacy. Li Erlang licked the bowl clean because it smelled so good. Meng Yi despised his devilish appearance.
Meng Yi also ate his bowl very cleanly, but he used chopsticks and a spoon to scrape all the rice grains and vegetable juices clean, which was completely different from Li Erlang's licking.
Zhu Xiang looked at the two young men who could quarrel over such a trivial matter as eating, and his expression was both helpless and kind.
He began to miss Zheng'er.
Zheng'er was born different and it was difficult for him to make friends with his peers. Even Meng Tian, who followed him at first, was just his subordinate.
Although it is normal for a king to have no friends, Zhu Xiang, as an elder, is always prone to worrying too much and hopes that his eldest nephew can have all the warmth in the world. Unfortunately, Zheng'er had no close friends before he became the King of Qin, and it was even more impossible after he became the King of Qin.
Qin Shihuang was unrivaled throughout the ages, but he was still a bit arrogant.
He was very worried that Zheng'er would be too lonely after he and Xue Ji left.
Zhu Xiang pounded his legs.
Alas, he is only in his early forties, but he is already thinking about his funeral. His mentality is aging too fast.
But once people start to worry, it is difficult to relieve the depression in their hearts.
Zhu Xiang was worried for a long time and wrote letters to Han Fei and Zhang Liang.
Although Han Fei had experienced many things, he was still innocent. Zhang Liang was the only one of his age whom Zheng'er looked at with a different eye. If the two of them were to accompany Zheng'er, they would probably help relieve some of his loneliness.
Southern Qin may not be able to do without Han Fei for the time being, but at Zhang Liang's age, he should be an official in Xianyang. How can he always hide behind Han Fei
Zhu Xiang wrote a letter to urge Han Fei to quickly send Zhang Liang to Xianyang. If Zhang Liang refused, he should be tied up and sent to Xianyang.
This child has a stubborn character and needs to be pushed.
After Zhu Xiang "persecuted" Zhang Liang, he finally felt relieved and prepared to go to bed.
But before going to bed, he looked at the letter Zheng'er wrote to him. After all, he couldn't suppress his longing for his nephew, so he decided to read one page before going to bed.
Just look at one page.
Zhu Xiang lit the candle again and opened the letter from King Zheng of Qin.
Then that night, Zhu Xiang accidentally burned his own tent.
"Coming?" King Zheng of Qin had a serious look on his face.
"Here I come." Lin Zhi's face was serious.
"What are you doing?" Cai Ze held his forehead with his hand, looking helpless.
King Zheng of Qin said as he tied his armor on himself, "Just in case."
While helping Qin Wangzheng tie his armor, Lin Zhi said, "Although Zheng'er is very strong, it's still not good to get bumped. This is leather armor, which is both light and puncture-proof."
King Zheng of Qin first put on armor and then wrapped himself in a robe, making him look much more majestic.
Lin Zhi praised: "With Zheng'er's appearance, who dares not say that he is a fierce general!"
Qin Wang Zheng said: "I am a fierce general."
Cai Ze couldn't help sighing: "You guys... Oh, never mind, it's better to wear armor."
Cai Ze's original plan was to have King Zheng of Qin ambush the guards in the palace, and then rush out to subdue the assassin as soon as the Yan assassin made a move.
They only needed to start the assassination attempt by the Yan envoy, and then they could send troops to Yan and kill the King and Prince of Yan. There was no need for King Zheng of Qin to take action personally.
But King Zheng of Qin insisted on showing his martial arts skills, and Lin Zhi was very indulgent towards him.
Cai Ze wanted to use the story of King Wu of Qin who died while carrying a tripod to warn King Zheng of Qin, but in the end he just made King Zheng of Qin wear armor under his robe.
Cai Ze secretly resented Lin Zhi for doting on the King of Qin too much, but he himself was almost the same.
If he really opposed it to the end, he would definitely ask Xunzi to come out.
In official matters, Qin Wangzheng would not listen to Zhu Xiang. But in private matters, no matter how willful Qin Wangzheng was, Xunzi could still control him.
King Zheng of Qin said to Cai Ze and Lin Zhi, "In order to allow the assassins from Yan to take action, you must not bring swords to court."
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "Don't worry, I will cooperate with you and make sure Zheng'er has a good time."
Cai Ze sighed: "Oh, okay."
After making all preparations, King Zheng of Qin went to the Imperial Hospital to find Xia Wuqie, a teenaged medicine boy, just in case.
Xia Wuqi was very good at throwing things when he was a teenager. He often threw birds off the wall and roasted them for food.
Cai Ze was very confused. Wouldn't it be better to arrange some agile guards just in case? Why did they send a little medicine boy
King Zheng of Qin pretended to be deep and said nothing.
He had some of what his uncle called "superstition" in his heart, believing that some things were destined. Since Xia Wuqie was able to save the great Ying Zheng in crisis, he should be able to protect himself.
But in this matter, Cai Ze would not allow King Zheng of Qin to do whatever he wanted.
He arranged hidden guards in the palace, and when King Zheng of Qin gave the order, these guards would rush out to rescue him.
At the same time, although he and Lin Zhi did not carry long swords, they also hid small hammers with chains in their sleeves.
When it comes to smashing birds, the two of them, under Zhu Xiang's guidance, are also very good at it.
The day finally came when the envoy of King Yan arrived.
Because this matter was secretly planned by King Zheng of Qin, Lin Zhi and Cai Ze, and the cause of the plan was completely unreasonable, even King Zheng of Qin's close attendants did not know that King Zheng of Qin was already on guard against assassins from the State of Yan.
It was not until the Yan envoy went to the court and Cai Ze mobilized the guards to ambush that people noticed the tense atmosphere.
Among them, Zhao Gao was the most nervous.
He thought that Cai Ze and Lin Zhi had discovered the King of Qin's fear of them and wanted to force him to abdicate.
Although Zhao Gao had become the eunuch of King Zheng of Qin, his qualifications were not enough to accompany King Zheng of Qin to court.
After the King of Qin took power, if the King of Qin was in danger, the Queen Mother could also use the seal to mobilize the palace guards. He secretly wandered around the court, deciding that as soon as he heard any noise, he would immediately report to the two Queen Mothers to rescue the King of Qin.
Zhao Gao clenched his fists, feeling both excited and nervous.
Although this is a crisis, it is also a great opportunity for him!
"Duke Zhu Xiang, why are you in such a hurry to go to the capital?" Meng Yi was a little confused. "Did something happen in Xianyang City?"
After Zhu Xiang accidentally burned the tent, he left 400 men to guard the nearby city, while he, Li Erlang and Meng Yi led 100 men to rush back to Xianyang.
Zhu Xiang, who dismounted to rest, took a sip from the water bag and said in a deep voice: "There is nothing urgent, I am just anxious."
Meng Yi was confused.
Li Erlang said: "Uncle has his own reasons for doing this, just follow him."
Meng Yi glanced at Li Erlang. Public is public and private is private. You should be more respectful to Duke Zhu Xiang. Are you always calling him "uncle" to show off your closeness to Duke Zhu Xiang? You make it sound like everyone is not Duke Zhu Xiang's son or nephew!
Zhu Xiang took a deep breath.
Of course he knew there was no need to rush.
Zhao Gao started to exert his power only after Zheng'er's death. Before that, Zhao Gao was very well behaved and was one of Zheng'er's most trusted confidants.
But he was just anxious.
His mood now was as if there was a big, smelly cockroach next to his child, and it must be killed immediately without waiting a moment.
"I can actually let Zheng'er write about him in the letter..." Zhu Xiang gritted his teeth, "How long has it been?"
You are worthy of it, Zhao Gao!
(End of this chapter)