How to Cultivate a Ten-Thousand-Mile Empire for the Young Emperor Qin?

Chapter 44: Meat porridge with braised pork slices

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There were no chairs or stools in the new house, so Zhu Xiang sat on the cushions, swaying from side to side. Before he could come to his senses, Xue had already stood up and greeted him impatiently: "Zheng'er!"

Ying Xiaozheng immediately shook off his father's hand and charged towards his aunt, "Aunt!"

According to his usual habit, Ying Xiaozheng slowed down when he was about to hit Xue, and his body fell forward due to inertia. Xue bent down and stretched out her hand, just in time to catch Ying Xiaozheng who was falling forward.

"Zheng'er, are you eating well and sleeping well?" The moment Xue hugged Ying Xiaozheng, her heart settled down.

In the difficult time when Zhu Xiang was away, Xue had been relying on Ying Xiaozheng for support. Yesterday, Ying Xiaozheng and Zhu Xiang were not around, and Xue was worried for half the night.

Seeing Ying Xiaozheng now, Xue temporarily ignored her fear of the King of Qin. After hugging Ying Xiaozheng, she saluted the King of Qin, Bai Qi and an unknown noble.

Fan Ju was very curious when he saw that this commoner woman was obviously disrespectful to the King of Qin, but after she came to her senses, she did not panic, but followed the proper etiquette that the wife of Changping Jun should follow towards the King of Qin and other ministers.

I heard that this civilian woman was so scared that she didn't dare to get out of the carriage when she first entered Xianyang City. How could she have changed so much

The King of Qin was not angry at Xue's impoliteness. Instead, his approval of Xue increased a little.

The value of snow to the King of Qin is, first, to raise Zheng'er, and second, to be used to threaten Zhu Xiang when necessary.

Now Xue's feelings for Zheng'er outweigh her fear of him, and she can finally muster up the courage to pretend nothing happened and confess her crime to him in order to make him look at her with a higher regard.

"Aunt, Zheng'er didn't eat or sleep well. Look, he's lost weight!" When the old King of Qin asked Xue to stand up with a stern face, Ying Xiaozheng pulled Xue's sleeve and pointed at his face, "Look, he's lost weight!"

Xue looked at Ying Xiaozheng's chubby face and said distressedly, "Auntie will serve you a bowl of porridge first."

"Xue, don't listen to his nonsense. How can you lose weight in just one night?" Zhu Xiang first "exposed" his little nephew, and then he and Cai Ze saluted the King of Qin in a proper manner.

After the ceremony, the old King of Qin said cheerfully: "I am visiting privately. There is no need to be polite in the future. Just treat me like you did when you met you and Wu'an Jun."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhu Xiang complained in his heart, there is no need to be so polite, then why do you want to wait until we finish the ceremony

From the old King of Qin's words, Zhu Xiang got both bad news and good news.

The bad news is that the old King Qin’s sudden visits may become the norm; the good news is that his knee can be saved.

In addition to the old King of Qin, Fan Ju, and Bai Qi, Zichu was also present, but Prince Zhu was not there.

After Zichu gave Zhu Xiang a look that said "nothing to do", Zhu Xiang sighed and complained, "Your Majesty, it's not that I don't want to cook for you, but we don't have enough millet at home, let alone beef, mutton, fish or meat. I'm just about to go out and buy some."

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it myself." The old King of Qin patted Zhu Xiang's shoulder and took Zhu Xiang to the side courtyard of the mansion. "I heard that you are good at helping people regulate their bodies?"

Zhu Xiang quickly explained: "I don't know medicine, I just cook delicious food so that the old man with no appetite can eat more. As long as people can eat, their health will definitely be better than having no appetite."

"That's true." The old King of Qin sighed, "Sir and Lord Wu'an are both in very bad health. I'll let them stay with you for a while."

Zhu Xiang was dumbfounded.

Most of the doctors in this era were witch doctors. There was a school of thought called "medicalists" that tried to free medicine from the gods, ghosts and witchcraft. For example, one of the points they debated was that "thoughts" are produced by the "head" rather than the "heart".

Later, the hundreds of schools of thought withered away, and the "medical school" became a "skill" like the "Mohist school" and the "agricultural school", and lost its own theory. Because the "heart" is in the middle of the human body, it conforms to the concepts of Confucian and Taoist philosophy such as yin and yang, so the "heart theory" dominated the entire feudal era of China.

It was not until the late Ming Dynasty that doctors represented by Li Shizhen once again sparked discussions, and with the introduction of modern medical techniques from overseas, that the "heart theory" gradually declined.

This example shows how backward the medical skills of that era were. The miracle doctors that were passed down to later generations, apart from the myths and legends conjectured by the people, were probably not as capable as the experts in traditional Chinese medicine hospitals.

Science and technology are developing, people's level of understanding is improving, some small skills may be lost, but the overall trend is definitely rising. If there is no gap in civilization and technology, there will be no such thing as "the present is not as good as the past". So people in this era basically just bear it when they get sick.

When the immunity of the elderly is reduced, various minor illnesses may kill them. Fan Ju and Bai Qi are staying at Zhu Xiang's house tonight. They may catch a cold and never get up again. Zhu Xiang took this matter and buried a mine for himself.

Lin Xiangru and Lian Po were Zhu Xiang's elders. Even if something happened, no one would seek revenge on Zhu Xiang, and no one would suspect that Zhu Xiang was plotting to murder them. Can Ying Hou and Wu An Jun be the same

But the King of Qin had given the order, and Zhu Xiang had no room to refuse. He could only accept this difficult and dangerous task with great concern.

The old king of Qin may have felt that he was a bit unkind, but Fan Ju and Bai Qi's health declined too quickly, and the doctors in the palace said they were powerless and could only perform witch dances for them to pray for mercy from God and ancestors. The old king of Qin could not find anyone to replace Fan Ju and Bai Qi, so he could only hope for Zhu Xiang's magic.

"It's good that I can eat. I really have lost my appetite." Fan Ju said gently, "Don't worry, Lord Changping. General Bai and I know our own health, and so do our families."

Zhu Xiang could only bow and smile bitterly, promising to make delicious food for Ying Hou and Wu An Jun as much as possible.

The old King of Qin said: "Zi Chu is your disciple. He will help you serve the master and Wu'an Jun."

Zichu bowed respectfully: "Teacher."

Zhu Xiang got goosebumps all over his body.

It's like talking about father-son relationships with your roommate every day in the dormitory, but one day your Dogecoin roommate actually respectfully calls you "Dad". Your reaction will definitely be that your hair will stand on end and your face will be full of disgust, thinking that this Dogecoin must be up to something.

Even if there was no big conspiracy, Zhu Xiang still felt uncomfortable.

He said quickly, "Your Majesty, Xia Tong... Young Master Zichu is my friend. If he wants to know anything, I will do my best to tell him. You don't have to call me teacher."

"His name is Xia Tong, which I gave him." The old King of Qin said with a smile, "Yesterday I asked him to call you teacher, and you didn't seem unhappy?"

Zhu Xiang coughed dryly and said, "I was really relieved yesterday."

The old King of Qin smiled and patted Zhu Xiang on the shoulder and said, "I don't care how you get along with each other in private. You decide for yourselves."

Zhu Xiang was deeply moved.

Even though he knew that the old King of Qin was pretending, and in fact he and Zichu were surrounded by the old King of Qin's spies, this sentence was pleasing to hear, and it was comparable to that of a modern enlightened elder.

Zichu continued respectfully, "Teacher, if there is anything you need me to do, please let me know."

Zhu Xiang laughed in his heart. You sickly thing, come here to give me another mouth to feed, right

Forced to cram in three old, weak and sick people, Zhu Xiang was dragged by the old King of Qin to choose houses for his two good ministers and a grandson.

Fortunately, this was originally the mansion of Crown Prince Zhu and it was big enough, and Zhu Xiang would not take a concubine, so the mansion was still quite spacious.

Zhu Xiang looked at the empty yard and had an illusion of Lin Weng and Lian Weng arguing, Xunzi watching with his sleeves in his hands, and Li Mu and Lin Zhi making gestures to each other.

He was trying to stop the fight, while Zheng'er was running around the yard. Xue loudly told Zheng'er to run slower. The servants in the house would occasionally look in, laughing and whispering to each other.

The voices of the old King of Qin, Fan Ju and Bai Qi discussing how to decorate the house, how many servants to bring, and whether to capture a few sons and grandsons to serve them, blew away Zhu Xiang's illusion.

Xue held Zhu Xiang's hand worriedly, and Ying Xiaozheng hugged Zhu Xiang's legs.

"This will be our home from now on. Xue, Zheng'er, you should also think about what kind of yard you need. I'll find someone to build it for you." Zhu Xiang came back to his senses and smiled, "Our home here will also be very lively."

"Yes." Xue nodded gently. Her palms were sweaty. When she saluted the King of Qin before, she was not afraid, but just endured it.

Fortunately, she had met the King of Qin many times along the way, and her fear of him had faded a little, so she was able to use the etiquette she had practiced along the way.

"Zheng'er wants a seesaw, a swing, and a rocking wooden horse..." Ying Xiaozheng was not polite and immediately started to make requests, "We want a sand pile to build a fortress, and a target for sword practice!"

Zichu frowned: "Zhu Xiang, you spoil him too much."

While the three old men were chatting excitedly in front and couldn't see him, Zhu Xiang rolled his eyes: "What kind of pampering is this? Are you jealous? Don't worry, you and Cai Ze have it too."

Zichu: “…” He wanted to curse.

Cai Ze had been observing Zichu. When Zichu spoke up to oppose Zhu Xiang, he nodded slightly in his heart, initially agreeing with Zhu Xiang's judgment.

Although Xia Tong has returned to the status of Prince of Qin and has been separated from Zhu Xiang for three years, Zichu still treats Zhu Xiang as a friend.

"Prince Zichu, it's useless for you to refute him about Zheng'er." Cai Ze said, "Zhu Xiang and Xue Ji protected Zheng'er as if he were their own eyes, and so did Lord Lin, Lord Lian, and Xunzi. Even Lord Lin, Lord Lian, and Xunzi indulged Zhu Xiang's doting on Zheng'er, and even the Lord agreed."

Zichu didn't feel jealous just now, but now a strong sour feeling welled up in his heart.

Ying Xiaozheng hugged his uncle's legs, looked up and gave his father a cute smile. His two dimples swayed, filled with ridicule for his father.

Zichu's expression became extremely strange.

Is Zheng'er's expression proud or sarcastic? Although he knew Zheng'er was smart, Zheng'er is not yet old enough for Master Qin to teach him. Is he too smart

Or was it just my own illusion? Was Zheng'er simply giving me, his biological father, a smile that expressed intimacy

Just when Zichu was in doubt, Ying Xiaozheng stretched out his index finger and pulled the corner of his eye, then quickly buried his face in his uncle's legs.

Zichu: “!” His father’s slap made him feel itchy.

Cai Ze saw this scene and lowered his voice and said, "If you say now that Zheng'er made faces at you, Zhu Xiang and the Lord will accuse you of bullying a child. Zheng'er would never do such a thing."

Zichu was curious: "Have you experienced this?"

Cai Ze said: "Lin Li often plays with Zheng'er."

Zichu believed it. Arguing with a child was indeed something Lin Zhi would do.

"You are Zhu Xiang's friend, and also my friend. Please call me by my given name." Zichu bowed. "Zheng'er and I have been separated for too long. I really want to know about Zheng'er's past. Please tell me more."

"What? You want to know? Ask me." He didn't hear what Cai Ze and Zichu said before, but Zhu Xiang heard this. When it comes to Zheng'er, he becomes more energetic.

"I won't ask you. You dote on Zheng'er too much. Your words are unreliable." Zichu said, "I'll ask Xue Ji and Cai Ze. Does Brother Cai have a name?"

Cai Ze smiled and said, "I am the same as Zhu Xiang. Since I was born in a humble family and once had no name, I don't need to take a name after I become successful."

"What are you talking about?" Old King Qin came over curiously.

Ying Xiaozheng looked up and complained: "My father wants to know about Zheng'er. But my father said that my uncle doted on Zheng'er and that his words were unbelievable. He was only willing to listen to what my aunt and Uncle Cai said."

Zichu's expression twisted. This kid!

The old King of Qin smiled and picked up Ying Xiaozheng, and scolded Zichu, "Zheng'er can speak fluently when he is one year old. Xunzi taught him "Book of Documents", "Spring and Autumn Annals" and "I Ching", Lin Qing taught him "Book of Songs" and the writing languages and laws of various countries, and Lian Po taught him military books. What's wrong with spoiling such a hardworking child?"

Whenever the old King of Qin was talking, Fan Ju could always interrupt at will: "Your Majesty, Master Zheng was previously taught by a famous teacher, but now he may not be able to receive enlightenment together with the other Masters of Qin."

"Gongzi Zheng" refers to Ying Xiaozheng in terms of his status and identity, while "Zheng Gongzi" is a more intimate and respectful title for the sons of the royal family. Although Fan Ju's address to Ying Xiaozheng is not as intimate as "Zheng'er", it also shows his difference towards Ying Xiaozheng.

When Fan Ju said this, the old King of Qin had a headache: "Wu'an Jun is definitely better than Lian Po and can teach Zheng'er. Sir, can you teach Zheng'er?"

Fan Ju said: "I can teach you strategy, but I am so busy that I am afraid I can't give it my best effort."

Ying Xiaozheng immediately bowed in the arms of the old King of Qin and said, "Please ask Yinghou to teach me. Yinghou only needs to assign homework, and Zheng'er will complete it. If you don't understand, Zheng'er can ask Uncle Cai and Uncle."

Fan Ju glanced at Cai Ze, then turned to look at Ying Xiaozheng, and said with a smile: "Cai Qing can definitely teach you. Is your uncle also good at strategy?"

Ying Xiaozheng said proudly: "My uncle knows everything! But even if he knows, he is unwilling to do it. My uncle says that he is just a general."

Zhu Xiang rubbed his nose and said embarrassedly: "Zheng'er overestimates his uncle. Your Majesty, Ying Hou, I just heard a lot and understood a little. But I can't actually do it."

"I know you are soft-hearted and can't do it." The old King of Qin smiled and shook his head, saying, "Have you thought about what to do first after entering Qin?"

Zhu Xiang said, "When I was in Zhao, Xunzi taught me the Qin Law. However, the Qin Law changes every year, and I still need to learn more. I dare not take a high position for the time being. Please let me farm near Xianyang first, cultivate good seeds, and guide farmers in farming. When I have made some achievements, I will be ordered to guide the farming of farmland in other places."

Zhu Xiang smiled sheepishly and continued, "I know my own abilities. I am not good at seeking work in the court. My greatest ability is farming. Your Majesty rescued me and brought me back to Qin, and treated me so well. If I don't make some achievements, I will not be able to stand with the ministers of Qin."

The old King of Qin sighed and said, "Zhu Xiang, although the Qin laws are strict, you are the Lord of Changping of Qin and the brother-in-law of the prince of Qin. You are no longer a commoner and do not need to look at yourself with the eyes of a commoner. With your achievements in Changping and your reputation in Zhao, the rulers of the seven kingdoms will treat you as a national hero."

Zhu Xiang bowed and said: "Your Majesty treats me as a national hero, and I will serve Qin as a national hero. Qin has no shortage of military forces to unify the six kingdoms, but only lacks a way to stabilize the six kingdoms and win the hearts of the people after unification."

"Confucianism teaches with morality, and law teaches with laws. But I believe that 'when the granaries are full, people know etiquette, and when they have enough food and clothing, they know honor and disgrace.' If faced with the dilemma of starving to death or freezing to death, the only thing left is the word 'death'. Neither morality nor laws can stop the common people from resisting in order to survive."

Zhu Xiang bowed and raised his head: "Your Majesty, please order me to ensure that the common people have food in their stomachs and clothes on their backs. Then Your Majesty will have enough time to think about how to treat the people of the world after unifying the world."

Fan Ju and Bai Qi both frowned and looked at Zhu Xiang; Zichu and Cai Ze both had their mouth corners raised; and Ying Xiaozheng raised his little head proudly.

The old King of Qin put his great-grandson on the ground, helped Zhu Xiang up, and spoke in a moving voice.

This time he was sincere, because Zhu Xiang saw that his favorability had increased a little bit, a little bit less than Zichu's increase yesterday.

"Zhu Xiang, many people have told me that Qin can unify the six kingdoms. But in my opinion, no one is as sincere as you when they say this." The old King of Qin sighed, "Qin was once strong and then declined. Even the arrogant Jin has become extinct. Why are you so sure that Qin can unify the world?"

Zhu Xiang said: "Whether a country is strong or not is closely related to the system it implements. The current system of Qin has turned Qin into a chariot. The civilians have only two options: farming or fighting. As long as the war promoted by Qin can benefit enough people, this chariot will be invincible."

The old King Qin asked: "But do you think the chariot will eventually stop? Is there a limit to the territory of this world?"

Zhu Xiang said: "The territory in the world is limited, but for the Qin State today, it is unlimited; although the territory for the Qin State is unlimited, the territory that the Qin State can control is limited. When the territory expands beyond the scope of the Qin King's control, it will soon fall apart. Jin and Chu are examples."

Bai Qi thought about it, then pulled Zichu and Zheng'er to sit on the other side of the King of Qin, and sat next to Zichu and Zheng'er himself.

Cai Ze sat next to Bai Qi and winked at Xue. Xue immediately went out to ask the servants brought by the King of Qin to continue to tidy up the furniture, and told the cooks to start cooking, while she poured sugar water for the old King of Qin and others.

The old King of Qin said: "Didn't Jin and Chu decline due to their foolish monarchs?"

Zhu Xiang said: "Every country is bound to have incompetent monarchs. The two countries were so powerful, but they all declined after reaching their peak."

The old Qin King took a deep breath and asked: "Why would the prosperity decline?"

Fan Ju frowned: "Is this the way of heaven? Once you reach the top of a mountain, you should descend. Once you are past your prime, you should age?"

Zhu Xiang shook his head: "No, it's just a rule. Specifically, the difficulties faced by a country in each period of development are different. Just like walking on the road, when you encounter plains, sand, mountains, rivers, etc., you need corresponding tools to move forward. The prosperous era is the limit of the previous car. Before the limit, the king should repair the carriage."

Xue brought the honey water, and the old King Qin handed it to Zhu Xiang with both hands: "Please continue."

Zhu Xiang took a sip of honey water and said, "Let's talk about Jin and Chu. The reasons for their rise and fall are actually the same as Zhou. When Your Majesty was governing, he should have noticed that the farther away from Xianyang, the more difficult it is to manage. Even if it is the same county system, because the remote counties can only submit documents once every few months, Your Majesty's management of them will lag behind by several months."

It goes without saying that Jin was vast. Chu was the country that destroyed the most states during the Spring and Autumn Period, and at its largest, it occupied half of the world.

The old King Qin said anxiously: "It is true, is there any way to solve it?"

Zhu Xiang shook his head: "If your army can reach a place in one day, you can command it like commanding your arm; if your army can reach it in a month, you can fiddle with it like holding a stick; if your army can only reach it in a year, then you can only accept its offerings."

The old Qin King sighed: "This is indeed difficult to solve."

Fan Ju interrupted: "Is the area that takes the army a year to reach the limit of Qin's territory? But the territories of Jin and Chu are not that vast."

Zhu Xiang said: "The king needs a stick to move the army to a place that has been reached after a month's march. The system is the stick. They did not use the stick, but handed the places that could not be reached by hands to the servants."

Fan Ju frowned even more, then relaxed: "The wider the country, the weaker the master and the stronger the servant."

Zhu Xiang nodded: "Qin implemented the county system. There is no minister stronger than the king in the court. The territory that the king can control is far greater than that of other countries. In terms of the system, only Qin can rule the Central Plains today, so only Qin can unify the Central Plains today. No matter how far away the place is, Qin cannot transform it into national strength after conquering it, and its income is not enough to cover its expenses." "How to calculate the value of a piece of land, your majesty, Yinghou should be better than me." Zhu Xiang flattered sincerely, "Your Majesty always stops and negotiates after fighting for a while. Some places are taken as Qin's territory, and some places are just recognized as Qin's vassal states, and they only need to provide Qin with food, weapons and horses."

The old King of Qin and Fan Ju looked at each other and both laughed.

The old King of Qin smiled bitterly: "Although I know that too much is as bad as too little, after listening to your words, I finally understand why too much is as bad as too little, and what is too much."

Fan Ju smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I am old. Zhu Xiang can take over as my chancellor."

Zhu Xiang waved his hands and said with a wry smile: "I can't do that. I can only talk about it. If I were the prime minister, even if I knew that unification would be better for the common people, I would find it difficult to make up my mind to attack other countries... especially Zhao."

"Well, if you don't want to, then don't." The old King of Qin continued, "Because Qin holds the stick in its hands, while other countries hand over their land to servants, Qin will definitely be able to unify the world. I agree. After unifying the world, we need to change the tools we ride on? Do you want to change the law?"

Zhu Xiang shook his hands and head together: "Your Majesty, please don't scare me. Who of those who changed the law had a good ending? I want to live long enough to give Zheng'er a grandchild!"

Ying Xiaozheng moved around in the arms of Zichu, who was so thin that he was just a bag of bones, and felt uncomfortable. When he heard his uncle calling him, he quickly stretched his neck and said, "Zheng'er is here!"

Zichu pressed the restless Ying Xiaozheng back.

The old King of Qin turned his head and took a look, then pulled Ying Xiaozheng out of Zichu's arms and stuffed him into Zhu Xiang's arms: "If we don't change the law, how can we change the means of transportation?"

Zhu Xiang changed his sitting position so that Ying Xiaozheng could nestle in his arms like he was sitting on a chair: "The Qin chariot is already very strong. How can it be called a reform if we just replace some parts?"

Zhu Xiang blinked and said vaguely, "Now that the world is not unified, I can't say for sure. Probably, the county system is good, but there are too many counties. If the emperor has to review every little thing, he will have to read the bamboo slips all night and can't sleep. Should we set up another level above the counties?"

"After the military merits have decreased, the titles cannot be denied. There is no way to be promoted through military merits, and it is impossible to be discovered by the monarch after becoming famous in other countries. How is the monarch going to select talents? Is it to let people recommend, or to implement examinations?"

"After a large number of soldiers were demobilized and returned to farming, and because there were no wars, the population increased greatly every year, but there was only so much land. In addition, the nobles could no longer expand their wealth by conquering other countries, so they would definitely seize the good farmland of the common people."

"After the unification of the country, after two or three kings, the common people may face the situation of having no land to farm. At that time, there will be starving people everywhere. Even if the weapons in the hands of the common people are taken away, they will resist with stones and trees. Any noble who can take out weapons will raise his arms and call for action..."

Zhu Xiang looked at the old King of Qin's face which had turned blue and black, and quickly shut his mouth.

Ying Xiaozheng silently stretched out his arms and hugged his head.

Stop nagging, stop nagging, uncle, stop nagging. Zheng'er's head is starting to ache!

Why do we need two or three kings? These troubles appeared as soon as the country was unified!

"Uncle, do you have a solution?" Ying Xiaozheng pouted, "I'm afraid these things will fall on Zheng'er's head."

The old King Qin was stunned for a moment, then he slapped his thigh and laughed, "Yes! I am old!"

The King of Qin was afraid of getting old, and even more afraid of someone else taking his throne. But at this moment, he actually happily shouted "I am old" and held Zheng'er, who claimed to be the King of Qin, in his arms and tossed him around: "Hahahaha, Zheng'er, from now on you and your uncle will have a headache, and I and you will not have any worries."

Fan Ju stroked his beard and laughed, "Your Majesty, some things can be done now. You can't push them all to future generations. Even if you push them to future generations, there are still Prince Zhu and Prince Zichu."

The old King of Qin glanced at Zichu and said, "Zichu, study hard."

Zichu: “…Yes.” A little angry. Am I worse than a child?!

The old King of Qin stretched his legs that were sore from sitting and said, "Zhu Xiang, you may not be the Prime Minister of Qin now, but when Zichu or Zheng'er is the King of Qin, you can be the Prime Minister of Qin. Now you should go to farm. My husband, Wu'an Jun and I will work hard for a few more years."

Zhu Xiang immediately said, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Your Majesty, can you let me go to the kitchen first? I am not the one in charge of the cooking, and the food may not suit your taste."

"Hurry up." The old Qin King waved his hand to send him away. "I'm hungry. Bring me some food first."

"Okay." Zhu Xiang stood up.

Ying Xiaozheng also wanted to stand up: "Uncle Zeng, Zheng'er will go and help!"

"Stay here, will you help me to eat secretly?" Zhu Xiang pressed Zheng'er's dishonest head.

After Zhu Xiang left, the old King of Qin drank a sip of sugar water, laughed for a while, and then said: "Zichu, your friend really has a lot of hidden abilities."

Zichu said cautiously: "Zhu Xiang may not be hiding it, but he really doesn't think he has much talent. Even though he is already famous in the seven countries, he still doesn't face up to his own talent."

"Cai Qing, you are familiar with Zhu Xiang. Why is Zhu Xiang like this?" asked the old King of Qin. "Is it really because King Zhao suppressed him too much?"

Zichu glanced at Cai Ze.

Cai Ze said: "Zhu Xiang is indeed talented, but he always thinks that he can't put it into practice, it's just empty talk, and empty talk will ruin the country, so he is only willing to take on things he can do. For example, Zhao Kuo, he is familiar with the art of war, but he can't fight. Zhu Xiang thinks that in areas other than farming, he is Zhao Kuo."

Bai Qi, who had been silent the whole time, could not help but speak up: "How could Zhu Xiang humiliate himself by using Zhao Kuo?!"

Cai Ze said: "Zhu Xiang thinks he has self-knowledge, which makes him far better than Zhao Kuo."

Fan Ju said: "When the prime minister of Qin does not need to do everything himself, he only needs to set a direction, select the corresponding talents as officials, and let the officials do it."

Cai Ze sighed, "He thinks he is incapable of selecting officials for His Majesty. Because His Majesty does not only select virtuous people as officials. The relationships among the royal family members and the hereditary noble families are complicated, and he does not understand them. Your Majesty, I also think that Zhu Xiang is not suitable to be the prime minister."

The old King Qin said in a deep voice: "Why? He is your friend, shouldn't you recommend him?"

Cai Ze said: "Xunzi said that Zhu Xiang was too kind and was a coward. Confucius said, repay evil with justice, repay kindness with kindness. When Zhu Xiang was insulted, he just frowned and left. When faced with betrayal like his sister abandoning him, he just stopped associating with her..."

"When faced with friends who use him for their own benefit but not to their own harm, he will comfort them instead." Zichu interrupted, "Zhu Xiang will not take excessive revenge for being insulted, nor will he be partial to others for the sake of favors. If such a person has the power to appoint officials, those who hate him will not be afraid of him, and those who show him favors will resent him. He will be isolated by everyone, and there is only one way left for him to die."

Zichu knelt down and stepped back a few steps, facing the old King of Qin, and said, "Father, Zhu Xiang does not have the wisdom to assist the king."

The old King of Qin looked at Zichu deeply for a long time. When the heat in the cup dissipated, he said quietly: "Forget it. I told him to farm, so let him farm."

"Thank you, father." Zichu straightened up and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was really afraid that his grandfather would put Zhu Xiang in the position of prime minister. If there was strong opposition in the court, his grandfather would never protect Zhu Xiang.

When Zichu stood up to protect Zhu Xiang, the old King of Qin showed a hint of murderous intent in his heart.

It is definitely not a good thing for a minister to have such a profound influence on two generations of kings.

But he quickly calmed down.

It may not be a good thing for other people to have a profound influence on the king, but it is not necessarily the case for Zhu Xiang. Zhu Xiang is a very stupid person who values others more than himself. He has no children, and Zheng'er is his only bloodline.

Given Zhu Xiang's sentimental character, even if he were to make all kinds of excuses now, for the sake of Zichu and Zheng'er, when there was no one else available, he would definitely grit his teeth and do something he was not good at and did not like.

Rather than saying that Zhu Xiang used emotions to influence two generations of kings, it would be more accurate to say that the two generations of kings after Qin were able to control Zhu Xiang with emotions.

"You are lucky to have such a friend. No matter what kind of difficult situation you are in, you have someone you can trust." After the old King of Qin figured it out, he smiled and showed some affection to Zichu for the first time. "I am over fifty years old and I finally met you, sir. Cherish you well."

Zichu said excitedly, "Yes, Grandfather."

"Zheng'er, you must also respect your uncle. It is rare to find an elder who will care for you wholeheartedly." The old King Qin touched his fat great-grandson's head, "Don't you want to eat secretly? Go ahead."

"Okay!" Ying Xiaozheng jumped up from the old King Qin's arms, "Where is the kitchen? Take me there!"

Cai Ze picked up Ying Xiaozheng reflexively, and looked at Zichu who was about to pick up Ying Xiaozheng in surprise.

"You two go ahead. I want to chat with you and Lord Wu'an for a while." said the old King Qin.

Cai Ze and Zichu respectfully took their leave.

The old King of Qin dismissed the waiters again, stretched out his legs and pounded them twice: "I don't know when the Qin chair will be finished, my legs. Sir, Lord Wu'an, you guys should also relax."

Fan Ju shook his body, but Bai Qi didn't dare to move.

Fan Ju smiled and said, "I have heard that Master Zheng is intelligent. Seeing him today, I can see that his reputation is well-deserved."

The old King of Qin smiled and nodded: "Zheng'er is also your junior. You can just call him Zheng'er. Zheng'er has not yet shown all his intelligence. Alas, I really don't know how to teach him. Where can I find another Lin Qing and Xunzi?"

Although Fan Ju felt uncomfortable for a moment, he still smiled and said, "Your Majesty, do you want to build a school?"

The old King of Qin thought for a moment, shook his head and said regretfully: "The chariot will move in one direction. When the chariot stops, we can gather everyone to discuss which direction to move next. The matter of building a school will probably be decided by Zichu and Zheng'er."

Dazhu was old too. Thinking of his son's wrinkled face and overindulged body, the old King of Qin regretted not beating him more often.

But who could have imagined that the Qin army would suffer a crushing defeat in the Battle of Yanyu, where they had an absolute upper hand, and then be defeated by Lian Po. The Qin army was harassed on the border by the originally suppressed Han and Wei countries, and could only send the crown prince to the Wei State as a hostage. Only two years later, the old crown prince died of illness in Wei State

The old King of Qin had only two sons. The prince born to the Queen of Chu died of illness, and the relatives of the Chu Kingdom were in a panic, and they were willing to support the old King of Qin's younger brother as the King of Qin. At this time, Fan Ju persuaded the old King of Qin to depose the Queen Mother Xuan and expel his uncle and brothers, and the old King of Qin would immediately obey.

When Queen Dowager Xuan was in power, she did not restrict the power of the old King of Qin. All major matters were decided after consultation between the two of them. Otherwise, the old King of Qin would not have killed his relatives. But after the death of the crown prince, the old King of Qin could only pave the way for An Guojun.

But with this paving the way, most of the talented people in Qin were relatives of the Chu Kingdom, and now they are not contributing. After Fan Ju and Bai Qi died, who can assist Prince Zhu? How come Prince Zhu's wife, a noblewoman from the Chu Kingdom, has no son

Yiren returned to Qin through Lady Huayang's channel, which made the old King of Qin feel relieved.

Well, the relatives of the Chu family have something to look forward to again and will not skip work anymore.

In fact, the old King of Qin also knew that he could not always rely on the relatives of the Chu State, otherwise when the Chu State was destroyed, the relatives of the Chu State might rebel. But there was no other way, as Qin State had few talents.

"Zichu is a good choice as a relative," the old King of Qin praised. "Not only is he talented, he doesn't seek power, and he also attracted Cai Qing to help."

Although Fan Ju knew that Zhu Xiang would not threaten his position, he still felt jealous.

Who made Zichu say that Zhu Xiang "does not show partiality"? It was almost like he was mocking him

Bai Qi looked at Fan Ju's expression and sighed in his heart. When there is a chance, remind Prince Zichu and Zhu Xiang.

When Zichu and Cai Ze arrived at the kitchen, Xue was feeding braised meat to Zhu Xiang who was kneading dough.

Zhu Xiang was holding a piece of braised pork in his mouth while looking at Ying Xiaozheng on Zichu's shoulder. He was so scared that the piece of meat fell out of his mouth.

"Zheng'er, come down quickly, you are so fat and Xia Tong is so weak, you will crush your father!"

Ying Xiaozheng held Zichu's head and glared at him: "I'm not fat!"

Zichu gritted his teeth: "I'm not weak."

Cai Ze, who caused this situation, covered his mouth and laughed.

(End of this chapter)