In a blink of an eye, it was the second day of the first lunar month.
Even if this is not an auspicious day, the official who calculates the date will close his eyes and say that the second day of the first lunar month is an auspicious day.
The weather was nice that day, with no clouds in the sky.
Ying Zheng looked up at the rare warm sun in winter, with the corners of his mouth curled up.
Just like the day when Ying Zheng ascended the throne, the two queen dowagers, together with Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji, helped him change his clothes and put on his crown, and smoothed out every wrinkle on his robe.
Zhu Xiang looked at his child's energetic young face, and for some reason Xia Tong's image suddenly flashed before his eyes.
He shook his head and laughed in his heart. In fact, even if Zheng'er was thinner, he still looked a lot like Xia Tong.
The second day of the first lunar month is not only the day when Ying Zheng ascended the throne to become Qin Shi Huang, but also his 25th birthday.
Ying Zheng became Qin Shi Huang at the age of 27. Even though he still couldn't escape the hurdle of 49, he still had 22 years to sort out this unprecedentedly huge empire.
Zhu Xiang once said to Ying Zheng that he would be judged by later generations as "the remaining strength of six generations". However, after reading the few historical records of the pre-Qin period, we know that the situation of Qin was not good when he succeeded to the throne. Therefore, those who admired him in later generations laughed at him for "taking the blame for seven generations".
Ying Zheng gave Zhu Xiang a big cold look at that time.
He didn't understand why those who admired him in later generations always liked to laugh at him. All the "interesting stories" about Qin Shi Huang mentioned by his uncle were spread around by those who admired and loved him.
Now, as the son of Qin Shi Huang at the age of 25, he probably cannot get rid of the label of "carrying on the legacy of six generations".
If Zheng'er still wants to become the greatest emperor of all time, he has to work harder.
"Uncle, can you walk with me?" Ying Zheng hesitated for a moment before going out and said to Zhu Xiang.
Zhu Xiang laughed: "Silly child, no one in the world can stand shoulder to shoulder with you. You have grown up, it's time for you to go on your own."
He gave his nephew a gentle push on the back.
"Go quickly, don't miss the time." Zhu Xiang said with a smile, "Uncle and aunt, please take Xunzi's car."
Ying Zheng stumbled forward a step.
He turned around and looked deeply at his uncle and aunt, clenching his fists in his sleeves.
Ying Zheng said with a straight face: "Okay."
Then, the young emperor stood up straight, left without looking back, and boarded the huge nine-horse carriage that belonged to him alone.
Xue Ji stretched her neck and looked at the child's back as he left.
She shed tears.
"My dear, why am I more sad today than when I saw Zheng'er succeed to the throne?" Xue Ji didn't understand her own mood at the moment.
Zhu Xiang gently hugged Xue Ji and patted her on the back without answering her questions.
There is no answer to this, it is just a special emotion that suddenly emerges at a specific moment. It does not mean anything.
"It's time for us to leave too." Xue Ji only cried for a short while before she cheered up. Zhu Xiang wiped Xue Ji's tears and said to her.
Xue Ji nodded.
She supported the Queen Mother Huayang, and Lin Zhi's wife, who had been silent all the time, supported the Queen Mother Xia, and they got on the Queen Mother's carriage together.
Cheng Jiao picked up Fusu and said, "Uncle, I'll go first."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Go ahead."
Fusu, wearing the heavy crown of the crown prince, poked his little head out from Cheng Jiao's shoulder and waved to his uncle.
Zhu Xiang also smiled and waved to little Fusu.
Fusu's mother was not among the noble ladies who attended Qin Shihuang's enthronement ceremony.
When Zhu Xiang came back, he found out that Mi Ji had fallen ill due to grief when the State of Chu was destroyed. Her body had not recovered since giving birth to Fusu, so she passed away quietly last year.
Mi Ji was not born in Qin State. After entering Qin State, she was taken care of by her uncle Gongzi Qi, who was of high status at that time. She regarded Gongzi Qi as her father. So she would naturally feel sad for the demise of Chu State and King Qi of Chu.
Human nature.
Zhu Xiang felt very sympathetic towards her.
However, if Fusu's biological mother in his original time and space was also this Mi Ji, Zhu Xiang could probably guess why the First Emperor was reluctant to make Prince Fusu the crown prince.
Apart from the fact that Prince Fusu did not meet his requirements, perhaps the death of Mi Ji also made the fickle-minded First Emperor unhappy.
Ying Zheng did not tell Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji that Mi Ji was dead, nor did he notify Fusu to return for the funeral. He handled the matter calmly.
Zhu Xiang blamed Ying Zheng.
Even if Ying Zheng was unhappy, he had to consider that Fusu had to mourn.
Ying Zheng said unhappily, "It is difficult for children to grow up, so children under the age of six are not allowed to observe mourning or eat vegetarian food. This is a rule that you and Xun Weng made up specifically to make me eat more meat. Did you forget, uncle?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Even if you don't eat vegetarian food, you still need to be in mourning so that others won't find fault with you."
Ying Zheng insisted: "Fusu doesn't even know his biological mother, why should he mourn?"
Zhu Xiang sighed. It was too late to talk about mourning now. He would wait until Fusu grew up a little before telling him about his biological mother.
Although Zheng'er is narrow-minded and probably won't posthumously confer a title on Fusu's biological mother, when Fusu grows up, he can posthumously confer the title of queen dowager on Mi Ji, just as King Renwen of Qin posthumously conferred a title on his biological mother Tang Ji.
Ying Zheng guessed what his uncle was thinking and snorted coldly, "He can posthumously confer the title of Queen Mother on Mi Ji, but he is not allowed to bury Mi Ji with me!"
Zhu Xiang: "... You are so stingy. Mi Ji didn't do anything to let you down."
Ying Zheng walked away in anger.
I, King Zheng of Qin, am arbitrary and domineering!
Zhu Xiang held his forehead. Hmm, arbitrary, or willful in short.
Zhu Xiang watched the Queen Mother's carriage slowly start, and sighed in his heart. If Mi Ji was still alive, the person who supported Queen Mother Xia should be Mi Ji, and she would become the first queen in Chinese history. Qin Shihuang's queen would no longer be a mystery for all ages.
Sometimes he really doubts whether the so-called "inertia" in history really exists
"What are you daydreaming about?"
Lin Zhi quietly approached Zhu Xiang from behind and slapped him hard with his hand.
Zhu Xiang jumped up like a rabbit, holding his chest and gasping for breath in fear.
Lin Zhi laughed so hard that he fell forward and backward, swinging his sleeves vigorously: "Hahahahaha, did you see that? Did you see that? Zhu Xiang is so timid!"
Cai Ze came over with Xunzi, frowning and saying, "You are almost fifty years old, can you be more stable?"
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "My teacher Zhuangzi was also like this when he was over 70 years old."
Seeing Lin Zhi frightening Zhu Xiang with a calm face, Xunzi clenched his cane and his face darkened.
Lin Zhi quickly shut up.
Today is the day when Zheng'er becomes the Qin Shi Huang. He'd better not get beaten by Xunzi, or it will be recorded in the history books.
Occasionally, Lin Zhi still had to save face, although not much.
Zhu Xiang kicked Lin Zhi hard, held Xunzi's other arm, and got into the carriage with Xunzi and Cai Ze.
Lin Zhi patted the footprints on his skirt and followed him with a swagger.
Li Mu, who was already in the carriage in the distance, looked over here and said helplessly: "Why is Lin Li still so unstable?"
Lian Po, who was taking a nap with his eyes closed, kept his eyes closed: "When has he ever been steady?"
Li Mu began to recall, but he did not remember the memory until the carriage started moving.
Countless horse-drawn carriages set out from the Xianyang Palace and drove towards the altar that King Zheng of Qin had newly built last year.
In preparation for the coronation ceremony, King Zheng of Qin specially ordered the construction of a magnificent altar at the foot of Mount Li to worship the gods of heaven, earth and ancestors.
After listening to what Zhu Xiang said about the "Emperor Temple" and the "Cultural and Military Temple", King Zheng of Qin also planned to build temples and ancestral halls around the altar to worship the ancestors of mankind, emperors and ministers.
As for civil and military affairs, there is no distinction. Where is the distinction between civil and military affairs now
The Xianyang imperial guards, clad in black armor and holding ceremonial weapons such as long spears and axes, followed the convoy in a dense crowd.
The civilians in Xianyang city stood on tiptoe, looking at the convoy, their faces filled with fear and envy.
Many scholars wearing robes issued by the Xianyang Academy stood on both sides of the road, their expressions half looking hopeful and half looking confident.
For the students of Xianyang Academy, they have already stepped onto the steps of the road to success. They only need to keep climbing upwards to reach the platform leading to this convoy.
There were also old nobles from the six kingdoms who were captured and brought to Xianyang but were not qualified to attend the Qin King's coronation ceremony. They were filled with resentment and wanted to rush into the convoy and kill everyone.
The convoy came slowly and left slowly.
Everything in the city eventually returned to calm, and nothing happened.
The ceremony went smoothly.
Zhu Xiang stood among the ministers, with his head down, unable to see what was ahead, but could only hear the loud slogans of the Qin soldiers.
Praise the Great Qin, praise the monarch, and praise the Qin kings of all generations.
Then he and his ministers prostrated themselves on the ground, waiting for the King of Qin, who was about to ascend the throne, to walk up the steps of the altar alone and reach the highest point of the altar.
Xunzi declared: "Now the king has raised an army to stop the war and unify the world. His power is so great that the Five Emperors cannot match him. In ancient times, there was the Heavenly Emperor, the Earthly Emperor, and the Thai Emperor. The Thai Emperor is the most noble. Please give the king the title of 'Thai Emperor'."
King Zheng of Qin replied, "Remove the word 'Tai' and add 'Huang'. We should adopt the ancient title of 'Emperor' and call ourselves 'Emperor'."
Then they offer sacrifices to Heaven, Earth and ancestors, pray to the three realms of Heaven, Earth and man, and the ceremony is completed.
Zhu Xiang kept crawling on the ground.
Qin Shi Huang's ascension to the throne was such an important event that no time traveler would miss. Zhu Xiang had the opportunity to witness it with his own eyes, but in the end he still chose to kneel with his ministers.
On the altar, Ying Zheng had already lit the torch on the altar, completing the ceremony of worship and prayer.
From today on, he is Qin Shi Huang.
But the strange thing was that he did not feel as excited as in his dream, but rather a little disappointed.
The young First Emperor looked at the crowd kneeling beneath the altar.
My uncle must be among them.
He looked again at the two empress dowagers who were waiting for him at the foot of the stage, and his aunt beside the empress dowagers.
Although the Queen Mother was standing, his aunt, like the other ladies-in-waiting and the wives of the nobles, was also kneeling on the ground. He could not see his aunt's face.
The First Emperor suddenly thought of what his uncle said to him before he left.
“No one can stand shoulder to shoulder with you.”
Yes, no one can stand shoulder to shoulder with me now.
Elders can help me walk for a while, but they can't help me walk forever. And how can I always follow the path taken by elders
I am the First Emperor.
Since ancient times, the first emperor, the one who opened the road to the imperial system, was called the First Emperor.
The young First Emperor raised his arms and waved his sleeves: "Stand up."
The people in the audience kowtowed three times and bowed nine times, then stood up respectfully.
Among these ministers, there were excited Qin nobles, disappointed old nobles of the six kingdoms, and elders who were full of hope and satisfaction.
They all prostrated themselves at the emperor's feet, stood up with the emperor's permission, and recited the emperor's name and swore their loyalty.
King and minister.
The king looks up at the sky, and the minister looks down at the earth.
Frozen into a huge ancient painting.
The Qin Dynasty was established and began in the first year of Emperor Qin Shihuang's reign.
In the next few days, he will pay homage to his ancestors' tombs and tour various parts of the Qin State.
Then, he will start a tour around the world to let everyone in the world know that the dynasty has changed.
But Zhu Xiang had no intention of going with them.
Instead of following the First Emperor around, what Zhu Xiang should do is to continue farming in the old lands of the Six Kingdoms.
Xue Ji did not separate from Zhu Xiang this time, and the couple would travel together.
The First Emperor then gave Cheng Jiao and Fusu to Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji, saying that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles.
Who said this? My uncle said this.
After the coronation ceremony, Ying Zheng suddenly became much more mature.
In just one day, he seemed to have transformed from a young and lively man into a mature and graceful emperor.
Although he is still close to his uncle and aunt, he is no longer as unbridled as before.
Children will always grow up. When they grow up, they will no longer act like a spoiled brat to their elders. They have their own path to take.
Zhu Xiang was mentally prepared, but Xue Ji obviously was not.
When Ying Zheng ascended the throne as King of Qin, Zhu Xiang told Xue Ji to be mentally prepared. But Zheng'er was still the same Zheng'er, no different from before.
Xue Ji originally thought that after Zheng'er became the first emperor, he would still be the child she spoiled before, but this time Zheng'er seemed to have become mature.
Xue Ji did not reveal anything in front of Ying Zheng, she just sobbed under the quilt at night.
When children grow up and it's time for them to pack up and walk on their own, parents are always proud and sad.
Xue Ji was dissatisfied: "Aren't you sad?"
Zhu Xiang said: "It's okay. Zheng'er is still the same Zheng'er, he just grew up, right?"
After being comforted by Zhu Xiang for a long time, Xue Ji finally recovered and was able to barely accept the fact that her child had really grown up.
Xue Ji finally didn't cry that night.
After Xue Ji fell asleep, Zhu Xiang got up, put on his clothes, and walked into the yard.
Ying Zheng was waiting for him in the courtyard, holding a jar of wine.
Zhu Xiang was helpless: "How old are you? You still throw stones and smash windows? Who taught you that?"
Ying Zheng said: "You."
Zhu Xiang said disdainfully: "It's definitely not me."
Ying Zheng shook the wine jar and said, "That's Uncle Lin."
Zhu Xiang said: "It must be Lin Li!"
In order not to wake up Xue Ji, Zhu Xiang and Ying Zheng walked a few more steps and came to the pond where Zhuangzi raised fish.
The water in the pond had not yet thawed. Zhu Xiang and Ying Zheng built a fire in the pavilion and placed the wine jar directly next to the fire to warm it up.
"Why don't you let me go and comfort my aunt?" Ying Zheng said dissatisfiedly, "You just let me watch my aunt cry?"
How could Ying Zheng not notice that his aunt was sad? But when he wanted to comfort his aunt, his uncle stopped him and told him to pretend he didn't see it.
"Sooner or later, Xue Ji will have to accept the fact that you have grown up and are no longer the child she protects. This is good for both you and her." Zhu Xiang said, "Although you will always respect her, her mentality still needs to change."
The emperor doesn't need an elder who tells him what to do.
Xue Ji's thoughts were learned from Zhu Xiang, but Zhu Xiang was incompatible with this world.
In order for Ying Zheng to secure his position as emperor and make the Qin Dynasty more stable and lasting, many of the national policies he adopted were definitely contrary to Zhu Xiang's ideals and Xue Ji's simple moral values.
Zhu Xiang was worried that Xue Ji would feel psychologically uncomfortable and would have a conflict with Zheng Er.
Because Xue Ji had taught Zheng Er and was strict with him, if Zheng Er crossed her moral bottom line, Xue Ji would definitely blame him if she had not established the psychological construction that Zheng Er was already the emperor.
Zhu Xiang had anticipated that scene and didn't want Xue Ji to go to this step.
Now, while they and Zheng'er don't have too many ideological differences, Zhu Xiang wants Xue Ji to gradually accept the fact that Zheng'er is already the emperor, and they can no longer influence Zheng'er's thoughts, and they must trust Zheng'er and let Zheng'er go on his own. If they encounter ideological differences in the future, Xue Ji...
Only Xue Ji and myself can accept this fact calmly.
Ying Zheng stared at the wine jar and said, "Uncle, are you so sure that I will take a different path from what you taught me?"
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "I have read Shang Yang's strategy of exhausting, fooling and abusing the people. Although I also taught you that he who wins the hearts of the people wins the world, the resources of the world are limited. After satisfying the most basic survival needs of the common people, in order to prevent them from developing ambitions that will shake the rule of the dynasty, the emperor will definitely use Shang Yang's strategy as well."
Ying Zheng listened to his uncle talk quietly as usual.
"And natural disasters will never disappear. As long as there are natural disasters, some people will not be able to survive. When some people cannot survive, they will rebel. The victims are innocent, but for the stability of the dynasty's rule, the victims are traitors and need to be eliminated."
"Although most of the land has been taken back by the Qin Dynasty, the nobles will gradually form new hereditary nobles after they get their share of the land. Land annexation will become more and more serious, endangering the common people. But now the hereditary nobles who can help the emperor govern the country are the backbone of the rule, and the emperor cannot harm the interests of these people."
Zhu Xiang poured himself a glass of wine and drank it all.
"Ideals are ideals, reality is reality. The monarch is the monarch, and the people are the people. Although the people can carry the boat or overturn it, before the storm, the monarch and the people may also have opposing sides."
"Zheng'er, you want to create a great achievement that has never been done before and will be admired by future generations. So you will definitely exploit the people's power."
"To develop the Hetao Plain, which is still in the hands of the Xiongnu, and to develop the Baiyue land, which is full of miasma, snakes and insects, a large number of lives will be needed."
"To expand territory is to pave the ground with corpses."
Ying Zheng refilled his uncle's glass of wine.
"This is what you want to do, and it's what you...should do." Zhu Xiang smiled kindly, "Your uncle and aunt shouldn't restrict you, let alone this era."
Zhu Xiang knew that Ying Zheng would be right, but he and Xue Ji were born commoners after all, and they could not bear to see commoners like them become the foundation of this magnificent era.
People in later generations will only see the bright flower and the huge fruit of the eternal achievements.
Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji, however, were people of this era. The first thing they saw was the piles of corpses that served as nutrients under the roots.
When King Zheng of Qin unified the six kingdoms, he raised an army of righteousness and performed righteous deeds. Qin was more righteous than any of the six kingdoms.
But after Qin Shi Huang unified the six kingdoms, he needed to use both kindness and force to consolidate his dynasty. His enemies were no longer foreign enemies, but the people under his rule.
This does not refer to the old nobles of the six states who do not want to become Qin people, but to the ordinary people who are not adapted to the rule of Qin and those who rise up in rebellion when faced with natural disasters or man-made disasters.
Looking through history books, we will find that peasant uprisings never ceased, not only during the chaotic times at the end of the Qin Dynasty, but also during the reigns of Emperors Wen and Jing, Zhenguan, Yongle, Kangxi and Qianlong, which were known as benevolent governments.
Because natural disasters and man-made disasters never ceased, and people continued to starve to death.
The reason why Qin State had few civil unrests in the past ten years was that compared with the six states, the people of Qin State lived a good life. In addition, Qin State had foreign enemies, so it could transfer conflicts.
But after the Qin State became the Qin Dynasty, and all the world belonged to the king, this no longer worked.
As for giving Qin Shihuang a world map and asking him to transfer conflicts overseas, that is even more impossible.
In order to conquer the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of Han reduced the number of households in the Han Dynasty by half in his later years, which almost caused the Han Dynasty to collapse. This was still due to the strong foundation left by the reigns of Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing.
The Qin Dynasty had only 20 million people. How could they travel across mountains and seas to conquer overseas
Where do the soldiers come from? Where do the food come from? Where do the weapons come from
How can we communicate with each other over such a long distance
In history, Qin Shihuang did try to divert conflicts, so he conquered the Baiyue in the south and the Xiongnu in the north. As a result, domestic conflicts became more intensified. It was not because there was not enough land to fight.
Therefore, Zhu Xiang understood that Zheng'er could not divert the conflict and could only recuperate while suppressing the domestic unrest.
"But Zheng'er, don't put too much pressure on yourself." Zhu Xiang said earnestly, "Governing a country requires both kindness and power. People fear power, but they are also grateful. Just go ahead and do it, and leave the matter of comforting the people to your uncle and aunt."
Ying Zheng finally poured himself a bowl of wine and drank it slowly, taking sips at a time: "So... so hard to drink!"
Ying Zheng slapped his tongue hard: "What the hell is this!"
"Wine." Zhu Xiang was puzzled. "Zheng'er, have you never drunk wine?"
Ying Zheng took out a piece of osmanthus cake from his arms and stuffed it into his mouth to dilute the taste of the wine: "… My uncle and aunt didn't allow me to drink before. But how can wine be so spicy?"
"It's strong liquor." Zhu Xiang said with a smile, "Don't drink it if you're not used to it. Come on, uncle will make you something delicious."
Zhu Xiang stood up.
Ying Zheng used a wine jar to put out the flames in disgust, leaving the jar where it was.
The uncle and nephew picked up lanterns and went to the kitchen in the dark to steal food.
"By the way, Zheng'er, are you still affected by your past life's feelings?"
"It has never had any impact. Uncle, I have a question, are the past life and this life the same person?"
"Hahaha, Zheng'er has started to think about philosophical questions."
"What is philosophy? ... Don't interrupt me, you haven't answered me yet."
"Well." Zhu Xiang said slowly, with his hands behind his back, "Some people's personality is mainly based on their past lives, and their experiences in this life will have an impact on their personality; some people's personality is mainly based on this life, and the memories of their past lives will have an impact on their personality. This is very complicated."
Ying Zheng looked down at the lantern: "Why is there a difference?"
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Who knows? Maybe the emotions carried in the memory are different."
Ying Zheng was silent.
He wanted to ask whether his uncle recognized the past life or the present life, but he gave up in the end.
In fact, he knew the answer without asking.
"Just like I know that I chose this life myself. You are my past life, but you are not me." The young Qin Shi Huang sat in front of the weathered Qin Shi Huang. "But I am curious, am I your future?"
The weathered-looking Qin Shi Huang kept his eyes closed as usual and did not answer.
The young Emperor Qin Shi Huang never thought that the other party would answer.
He continued to talk to himself, "My uncle said that in the original history, I would die on the way to the southern tour. Oh, 'Ying Zheng's coffin is made of abalone'. But your memory was cut off when you just found out that you were deceived by the alchemist. If you were still alive, if you could also share my memory, then would your future be different from what my uncle said? But you only have two years left, what can you do?"
"I'm really curious." The young First Emperor touched his newly grown beard.
"But I don't have 'future memories' myself, so even if you become me in the future, you will no longer be the you of today." The young First Emperor stood up and stretched his waist. "I should say goodbye to you."
"Take care, Ying Zheng."
He left the dream.
The weathered First Emperor opened his eyes.
His voice was low and hoarse, as weathered as his face: "Take care."
The dream completely collapsed.
"Don't see me off. This isn't the first time your aunt and I have gone on a long journey." Zhu Xiang stopped Ying Zheng from seeing him off. "Okay, go back. You also have to prepare for the trip. There are many things to do."
Xue Ji tidied up Ying Zheng's hair and his messy clothes: "Zheng'er, you must sleep well and eat well. You can't neglect your sleep and food for government affairs and harm your body."
Ying Zheng said: "Okay. Take care, uncle and aunt."
Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji smiled at Ying Zheng, and the two people with weather-beaten faces got in the carriage and headed east.
Ying Zheng stood and looked into the distance. When the dust raised by the carriage settled, he mounted his horse and rode back west.
Outside the long pavilion, beside the ancient road, the grass is green and endless. Reunion is rare in life, but separation is common.
But separation will also lead to reunion.
Ying Zheng thought that he must remind his uncle and aunt in advance of his birthday next year, and he must not go back on his promise like he did last year.
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(End of this chapter)