After Xunzi entered Xianyang, the King of Qin did not greet him in person.
He even left Xunzi alone for several days, which was not at all consistent with the image he had created for himself as a man who was eager to recruit talented people.
Zhu Xiang felt that no matter which King of Qin it was, he would probably have some "prejudice" against Confucianism.
The Qin State has always been on the opposite side of Confucianism since it was still fighting with the Rongdi for territory, and has now become the most powerful country in the Warring States Period. The unspoken rule that "Confucians are not allowed to enter Qin" made the King of Qin grit his teeth.
I can do without you, but if you despise me, you deserve to be beheaded.
The last time Xunzi entered Qin, the King of Qin paid close attention to him. Otherwise, Xunzi would not have been received by Fan Ju.
If Xunzi had not praised the State of Qin to Fan Ju, the King of Qin would not have bothered to pay attention to him even though Xunzi was Zhu Xiang's teacher.
After a few days, the King of Qin ate the dishes prepared by the palace chef and looked at the latest information about Zhu Xiang's family sent by Meng Wu. He became greedy.
Although the chef had studied the recipes Zhu Xiang gave him, Zhu Xiang did not use recipes when cooking. Occasionally, he would just throw seasonal ingredients into the pot and make delicious dishes that he had never seen before. The King of Qin still craved Zhu Xiang's dishes.
The palace chefs didn't dare to use the Prince of Qin to taste the food.
In fact, the dishes made with the ingredients Zhu Xiang picked randomly might not be as delicious as those made by the palace chefs, but they were fresh and interesting enough. Even if they did not suit the King of Qin's appetite, the King of Qin would still order an extra bowl of rice.
Especially when he saw Ying Xiaozheng, who accepted all kinds of dishes and ate rice without manners in his own small bowl, the King of Qin could not help but feel hungry.
"Go to Zhu Xiang's house." In the end, the King of Qin decided to forgive the Confucians and give Xunzi a chance to be loyal to him.
Fan Ju, who rarely joked with the King of Qin, pounded his leg and joked with the King of Qin again: "Your Majesty, if you don't go again, I will go alone. It's better to eat at the same table with Zheng'er, the food is more delicious."
The King of Qin thought of Ying Xiaozheng's bulging cheeks and coughed dryly: "Zhu Xiang said he wanted Zheng'er to lose weight? What on earth is he thinking?"
Fan Ju said: "No matter what he thinks, he is definitely doing good for Zheng'er. He just reduced some snacks and did not let Zheng'er go hungry for three meals a day. Zheng'er himself agreed."
"Zheng'er is just too sensible." The King of Qin said with his hands behind his back, "As the future King of Qin, you don't need to be so sensible."
Fan Ju was speechless. Eating too many snacks before meals is not good. What is the king talking about? What does this have to do with the future King of Qin
The King of Qin muttered a few words casually, then got on the carriage with great interest and went to Zhu Xiang's house to accept Xunzi's loyalty.
Xunzi certainly couldn't kneel before the King of Qin and pledge his loyalty to him. He glanced at the old King of Qin, and although he was very polite, his expression was obviously not very polite.
The King of Qin said arrogantly: "Xun Qing has been in Xianyang for a few days. What do you think of our Great Qin?"
Xunzi said: "Zhu Xiang's craftsmanship has improved again."
King Qin: “…”
"Um... I picked some wild vegetables and made some wild vegetable cold noodles. Your Majesty, would you like to have a bowl first before we talk?" Zhu Xiang said cautiously.
He was really afraid that Xunzi would offend the King of Qin.
Xunzi said respectfully: "King Qin, the weather is hot, please take a rest first, and I will present the document to you later."
The King of Qin snorted coldly and did not embarrass Xunzi.
"What kind of cold noodles?" the King of Qin asked, "Noodles should be eaten cold?"
Zhu Xiang patted his chest and said, "Your Majesty, just wait and eat. It will definitely taste delicious!"
"Yes." King Qin said, "Where is Zheng'er?"
Zhu Xiang said: "In class, Mr. Bai is teaching Zheng'er about the rivers and mountains of Qin State and asking Zheng'er to memorize the map."
The King of Qin was puzzled: "Does Zheng'er still want to be a general?"
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "Whether he is a general or not, he must remember the topography of Qin. If he does not know Qin well, he will not know what kind of policies will be most effective."
The King of Qin nodded and said, "That is true. However, he is so young and he has to carry the imperial map. Alas, are you being too harsh on him?"
Zhu Xiang touched his nose and said defensively, "Your Majesty, I didn't ask Zheng'er to learn something so difficult. I only set the time and number of subjects for Zheng'er to study, and the rest is up to him to choose. As long as he gets a good grade in a course, he can change to other subjects he wants to learn. This is his own request."
The King of Qin was surprised: "He chose it himself? What else did he choose?"
Zhu Xiang said, "Too many. Zheng'er wants to learn everything."
The King of Qin frowned and said: "Don't learn too much."
Zhu Xiang shook his head: "Zheng'er won't choose a new lesson if he doesn't finish the previous one. As long as you can finish them all, it's not considered greed."
He pointed at himself proudly and said: "Zheng'er is like me. I can learn anything!" Having a good memory is amazing!
When the King of Qin saw Zhu Xiang started to brag about Zheng'er, he gave Zhu Xiang a look of contempt and went to listen to Zheng'er's class.
After the King of Qin left, Xunzi unclenched his fists and wiped the sweat from his palms on the hem of his clothes.
The old King of Qin was very imposing, and his trip to Qin was related to the future of Confucianism and Xunzi's ideals. Every word Xunzi said and every expression he made was carefully considered, so that the King of Qin could act according to his expectations.
But a tyrant would not want to be led astray by others. If the King of Qin found out that he was playing hard to get, it would probably bring disaster upon himself.
Fortunately, the King of Qin was obviously in a good mood. He did not regard Xunzi as an enemy and carefully considered every word of Xunzi.
"Are you being too rude to the King of Qin?" Xunzi asked in a low voice.
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "I am Zichu's good friend and Zheng'er's uncle, so I can be considered Your Majesty's junior, right? Once I leave this door, I will be respectful to Your Majesty. If I still treat my elders as Your Majesty after returning home, that would be disrespectful."
Xunzi frowned and thought for a long time, then sighed.
He thought Zhu Xiang simply didn't know how to get along with the king, but now it seems that Zhu Xiang is very smart and has grown a lot.
But Lin Xiangru would not be too willing to see such growth. Parents always look forward to the growth of their children and grandchildren, but also feel sorry for their growth.
"Go make your cold noodles. I'll go see Zheng'er too." Xunzi said, "Don't make food that's too cold."
The old King of Qin is old, and it would be bad if he got a stomachache.
"Don't worry, Xunzi." Zhu Xiang had already prepared hot tea. Cold noodles with hot tea would definitely not hurt the stomach.
Some wheat was also planted in the Guandong Plain of Qin. After Zhu Xiang submitted a document requesting the King of Qin to give him money for food, the King of Qin sent many tribute ingredients, including rice from Shu and Chu and wheat from Guandong.
The wheat that Zhu Xiang brought had not yet been harvested. Even though the rice and wheat from Qin had been ground into flour and sifted many times, the taste was still not very good.
Zhu Xiang added potato starch to it, making a mixed noodle that would make people in later generations blacklist the takeaway merchant after eating one bite, but people at this time praised it highly.
After collecting wild vegetables from the mountains, Zhu Xiang squeezed the juice and made green healthy noodles. He used boiled water and saltpeter to make ice water, and put the cooked noodles into the ice water. When the noodles became chewy, Zhu Xiang took sesame oil and kneaded the noodles carefully.
"Uncle! It smells so good!"
Zhu Xiang looked back and saw Ying Xiaozheng running forward holding the King of Qin's hand like a fat little puppy being taken for a walk, and the King of Qin seemed to be being dragged by him.
Whenever he saw this scene, Zhu Xiang would sigh that his nephew was much braver than himself. Although he tried his best to show the King of Qin how an ignorant commoner treated his elders, Zheng'er really dared to act like a naughty child in front of the King of Qin.
"Go away, even if the Lord comes, you shouldn't skip class." Zhu Xiang waved his hand to drive Ying Xiaozheng away, "Don't come over, you'll dirty the noodles."
"It won't get dirty." Ying Xiaozheng stretched his neck to look into the basin. "Grandfather Zeng asked me to leave get out of class early. How can that be called skipping class?"
"Your Majesty," Zhu Xiang said helplessly, "Please don't disturb Zheng'er's class, okay?"
The King of Qin ignored Zhu Xiang and walked over slowly: "When did you get the ice from the ice cellar?"
He gave Zhu Xiang the right to use his ice cellar, but Zhu Xiang never took ice from his ice cellar. Meng Wu said that Zhu Xiang's family had no shortage of ice, and he had always been curious and wanted to observe where Zhu Xiang took the ice, but now he has not found the reason.
Seeing him again today, he was too lazy to wait for the secret guards to investigate and asked directly.
"Saltpeter making ice is a trick for material transformation, and it is the same principle as burning firewood." Zhu Xiang was waiting for the King of Qin to ask this, but he didn't know that the King of Qin was only curious now. "Your Majesty is interested. I will perform a magic trick for you later."
The King of Qin was curious: "What is a magic trick?"
Zhu Xiang said: "It's just conjuring flames, ice cubes and the like out of thin air. It looks magical, but once you know the principle, it's just a very common performance."
Ying Xiaozheng's face twitched.
Even though it was not the first time he saw Zhu Xiang perform magic tricks, he still felt a little nervous.
The King of Qin nodded and said, "Okay, I'll wait and see your magic tricks. Is your cold noodles not ready yet?"
"Okay, okay, we just need to season it." Zhu Xiang introduced his seasoning to the King of Qin.
The two most important condiments for cold noodles are naturally vinegar and soy sauce.
Vinegar is already available at this moment, but the brewing technology of vinegar is improving in tandem with the brewing technology of wine. Now even the technology for brewing spirits is still under exploratory, so the brewing technology of vinegar is naturally not very good.
Vinegar was a rare commodity during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and it was also a rare commodity in the Qin State at that time. The King of Qin liked to pour vinegar into millet porridge.
After seeing how the King of Qin ate, Zhu Xiang couldn't help but sigh that the King of Qin had become the ancestor of the people of Shanxi from the ancestor of the people of Shaanxi.
Look at this unique skill of making rice soaked in vinegar. No one would believe it if you said it wasn’t the ancestor of Shanxi people.
In later generations, the techniques of making vinegar and wine have been separated, making vinegar easier and the vinegar is more delicious.
As a professor of agronomy and a member of the Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhu Xiang naturally knew how to make vinegar. After all, both the Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Academy of Agricultural Sciences would sell handmade agricultural products to the outside world to subsidize their families.
After a period of trial and error, Zhu Xiang had already brewed a much stronger vinegar than the current one, and was ready to give it to the King of Qin as a gift. Now it was just the right time for the King of Qin to taste it and see if he liked it.
"In addition to vinegar, I also brew soy sauce. The brewing method of soy sauce is similar to that of soybean paste." Zhu Xiang said, "If Your Majesty likes it, I will write down the recipe for you."
The condiments in the pre-Qin period were mainly various sauces. The predecessor of soy sauce was bean paste, also called clear sauce.
The sauces that nobles ate were all made from various fish, lean meat, and poultry. When some nobles became commoners, they kept looking for substitutes for various meat sauces. They found that the taste of bean paste was very similar to meat sauce, so they invented "clear sauce". After that, bean paste continued to develop and became various common sauces in later generations, such as soy sauce, bean paste, and fermented black beans.
Zhu Xiang's arrival shortened this process.
"We can use soybeans to make delicious sauces that ordinary people can eat." Zhu Xiang said happily.
The King of Qin looked strange: "Not only do you want the common people not to starve to death, you also want them to eat delicious food?"
Zhu Xiang said as he prepared the seasoning: "According to common sense, we should first avoid starvation, then eat enough, and then consider nutrition and taste. But why do we have to follow this common sense? Even if we can only eat one meal a day that barely keeps us from starving, if this meal is a little more delicious, life will be a little more hopeful."
The King of Qin said: "The common people do not pursue delicious food. They do not have such thoughts."
Zhu Xiang fried some spice oil to use as the base oil for the cold noodles: "Yes. Common people would also care about the cooking time and taste when eating Houttuynia. They would pick beautiful wild flowers on the roadside and rub them on their heads. During the slack season, they would wash their faces before going out to chat with people... Even if they don't have as much free time as the nobles to make themselves happy, they would still find ways to find happiness around them. That's what people are like."
The King of Qin said, "How can nobles and commoners be the same?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Most of the nobles today have a very powerful ancestor who started from scratch, and weren't those ancestors who founded the foundation of the nobility commoners at the time?"
Ying Xiaozheng quickly stepped forward and grabbed Zhu Xiang's clothes: "Uncle!"
Zhu Xiang stopped what he was doing and sighed, "Your Majesty, this is also good for Qin's rule. Even if Qin has unified the world, it will have to employ nobles who are not loyal to Qin. Because to be an official, you must be literate, right? There are only so many people who can read and write now, and Your Majesty will have no choice if you are not confident."
"When the monarch's power is strong, the nobles are weak, and vice versa. So if Qin wants to completely prevent the nobles of the six kingdoms from turning over, it must select more talents who are not nobles of the six kingdoms." Zhu Xiang looked at the King of Qin and said, "Nobles and commoners are all citizens of the king. Except for the supreme power of the king, no one else has the right to say that they are superior to others."
"You." The King of Qin sighed, "Go and cook your meal."
"Oh." Zhu Xiang continued to be busy.
Ying Xiaozheng tugged at the corner of Zhu Xiang's clothes, looked up at his uncle, and then at his great-grandfather.
Was Grandfather Zeng angry? Not only did he not seem angry, he seemed very satisfied.
Ying Xiaozheng pondered over his uncle's words and suddenly thought of Han Fei.
When he saw Han Fei in his dream, he felt it was a pity to kill Han Fei. But if it were him, he would probably also...
Well, I won’t kill.
Han Fei was very talented, but from Han Fei's accusation of Yao Jia, it can be seen that Han Fei would not be loyal to Qin. Such a great talent, if he is not loyal to himself, he will naturally be killed.
Although he regretted it later and thought he could still persuade her, he killed her and didn't feel too sorry.
If it were him now. What Han Fei, it doesn't matter, you can yell as much as you want, senior brother, I look down on you and I lose.
Ying Xiaozheng snorted and put his hands on his hips. "I have Xun Weng and my uncle, so Han Fei is really nothing."
"Uncle, please don't tell anyone else what I said today." Ying Xiaozheng said, pulling Zhu Xiang's clothes.
Zhu Xiang said: "Do you think I am stupid, your uncle? There are no outsiders here."
"Oh." Ying Xiaozheng looked at the King of Qin.
King Qin nodded: "Yes. The cold noodles are not ready yet?"
"Alright, alright." Zhu Xiang held up a small bowl and said, "Your Majesty, try it first. If the taste is not right, I will adjust it."
The King of Qin took a bite and said, "Not bad. The sauce should be a little stronger."
Zhu Xiang smiled and said, "I'll bring the sauces up as well. You can add whatever flavor you want, Your Majesty."
Add it yourself? Even though he was once a hostage, the King of Qin never cooked for himself. Zhu Xiang's "overstepping his authority" was quite interesting, so he agreed.
In addition to the cold noodles, Zhu Xiang also cut a lot of blanched mushroom shreds, vegetable shreds, and meat shreds and mixed them with the cold noodles.
When Zhu Xiang and his men brought the noodles over, Bai Qi was chatting with Fan Ju. Although it was unknown what they were talking about, from the way they chatted, it seemed that both of them were very relaxed.
Zhu Xiang breathed a sigh of relief. Bai Gong and Fan Gong finally became friends. It was really rare.
Although Bai Qi was a butcher, people in later generations sympathized with him for being forced to death. Fortunately, he saved the prisoners of war in Changping and did not have to stand on the opposite side of a respectable person.
"The cold noodles are here! Have a sip of hot red date and ginger tea to warm your stomach before eating." Zhu Xiang greeted.
The old men gathered around a table under the shade of a tree.
Zhu Xiang introduced various sauces and side dishes to them, and told them to add whatever they wanted, or use the prepared condiments if they were too lazy to cook.
Bai Qi had eaten cold noodles several times and was not interested in various seasonings; Xunzi liked to do it himself; King Qin and Fan Ju were both curious about adjusting the seasonings themselves, tried several flavors, and finally swallowed the cold noodles they had prepared with difficulty.
The palace servants serving nearby had their eyelids twitching and lowered their heads, afraid to show a shocked expression.
The King of Qin was very picky about his meals. He had never heard of someone insisting on finishing his food even though he had eaten something unpalatable.
"This is called vinegar and soy sauce? It smells so good." After the King of Qin finished eating, he stroked his beard and said, "The imperial physician said that I should eat less meat. This soy sauce is just right for me. Zhu Xiang, what reward do you want?"
Zhu Xiang looked up, with sauce still hanging from the corner of his mouth: "Reward? Your Majesty, no need, just a little seasoning."
The King of Qin frowned and said, "If you have made contributions, you must be rewarded. According to Qin's laws, you cannot refuse rewards."
"But this is not a great achievement. I just made some delicious food for my elders." Zhu Xiang refused. "If Your Majesty insists on giving me a reward, can I go to the palace to copy some books? I heard that Your Majesty has a lot of books in his collection."
Ying Xiaozheng immediately raised his face from the bowl: "I want to see it too!"
Xunzi stood up, bowed respectfully and said, "Thank you, my Lord."
When the King of Qin heard Xunzi calling him "Your Majesty", his mouth widened exaggeratedly.
When Zhu Xiang saw Xunzi's respectful attitude, he recalled a lecture he had attended before.
Later generations of literati disliked Xunzi and preferred Mencius, because they said that Xunzi was "flattering" and lacked the "literary spirit."
In the Spring and Autumn Period, the status of scholars was very high. Some scholars who thought they were very talented even looked down on the monarch. When a monarch could not give the scholars what they wanted, it was normal for the scholars to betray the monarch and would not be criticized.
Just like when the three families divided Jin, not many people despised the monarchs of Wei, Han, and Zhao, or spoke up for their original monarch, the monarch of Jin.
This was later called "the emperor and the scholar-officials jointly governing the world." The scholars tried to put themselves on the same level as the monarch.
Mencius was such a scholar.
His attitude towards the King of Qi was not like that of a subject to his king, but rather that of a teacher to his disciple. He emphasized the character and dignity of scholars.
This certainly shows Mencius' good character, making him a moral role model for later generations. His words and deeds are actually more in line with modern people's values.
Xunzi was different. He was the first person to propose that scholars should be under the king and should not betray the country and the king.
Xunzi made strict class divisions, believing that each class must perform its duties in order for the country to remain in order. He abandoned the ideal of "teaching the king" and taught himself and his disciples to become "ministers" of the king, focusing more on seeking official positions.
It is understandable that he would teach Li Si and Han Fei. It is also understandable that later scholars hated Xunzi.
The scholars and officials were originally standing, but Xunzi asked them to kneel down.
But after Zhu Xiang came into contact with Xunzi, he knew very well that Xunzi was definitely not a person who flattered the king. This can also be seen from Xunzi's life experience.
Xunzi's choice was made only for the sake of "practicality" and "great unification". All his political speeches were about how to promote and consolidate great unification.
Absolute monarchy, centralization of power, deprivation and weakening of the power of the nobility, emphasis on loyalty to the emperor and patriotism... Xunzi's theory is "The Prince" during the later Western Renaissance, and it is also the path practiced by China during its long feudal era.
This path is not noble. To modern people, it is backward, ignorant, servile and decadent, but in the Warring States Period...
Nothing is more important than unifying the world and ending war.
Zhu Xiang said, "Your Majesty, should I go to the Xianyang Academy to help?" He was eager to try.
"Plant your fields." Xunzi said unhappily.
The King of Qin agreed: "Plant your fields."
Zhu Xiang was embarrassed. Was he being disliked
"By the way, how is your cotton crop?" The King of Qin was only seven-tenths full. Thinking about what the imperial physician had said, he put down his chopsticks and said, "Take me to have a look."
"Okay." Zhu Xiang wiped his mouth and said to Ying Xiaozheng, "Go on... Hey, slow down!"
Ying Xiaozheng stuffed noodles into his mouth with all his strength, puffing out his cheeks until they were deflated: "I'm done!"
"I told you to slow down, don't choke." Zhu Xiang helped Ying Xiaozheng wipe his face, his tone very helpless.
How did he raise Zheng'er into a foodie? Is it really okay to raise the Qin Shi Huang's cubs like this
But it had already become like this, and Zhu Xiang couldn't do anything about it.
He took Ying Xiaozheng by the hand and led the King of Qin to see the cotton fields.
There is a lot of sunshine near Xianyang, and the cotton is growing well. But now there is no fruit, and nothing can be seen. The King of Qin inspected it and felt that it was not very interesting, so he returned to the courtyard and asked Zhu Xiang to perform a magic trick.
Zhu Xiang also called out Xiang He and performed magic tricks with him.
The Master of Mohism gave Zhu Xiang an indescribable look. He once said that he would follow Zhu Xiang to death and even wanted to give Zhu Xiang the Master of Mohism Order. Now he was very glad that Zhu Xiang did not accept the Master of Mohism Order.
But he regretted it and still wanted to perform magic tricks for the King of Qin with Zhu Xiang.
Saltpeter making ice, flame color reaction, pinhole imaging... The King of Qin's eyes opened wider and wider, and Ying Xiaozheng's chubby little butt on the stool was rubbing against each other faster and faster.
Every time he saw his uncle performing magic tricks, Ying Xiaozheng felt an urge to bury more alchemists in his dreams.
I have seen these little tricks in my dreams.
For example, there was a man named Xu Fu who was particularly good at performing magic tricks. Qin Shi Huang, who had become the first emperor of Qin, believed in Xu Fu's magic tricks and gave him a lot of money, asking him to go to the fairy island.
Ying Xiaozheng wanted to cover his face.
You in the dream, you have been deceived! You are the first emperor, but you were deceived by the alchemist!
When the alchemist saw that he was deceived in the dream, he must have laughed at himself for being stupid. Fortunately, the self in the dream was not the real self.
What does the fact that Qin Shi Huang Ying Zheng was deceived by the alchemist have to do with me, his uncle's good nephew Zheng'er
It has nothing to do with it!
"Really... Fortunately, I don't believe in alchemists." After sighing, the King of Qin said thankfully.
Ying Xiaozheng's little butt, which had just stopped rubbing the bench, moved silently again.
Although his great-grandfather certainly didn't know how badly he had been cheated by the alchemist, he always felt that these words were a mockery of him.
"If the alchemists really had magical powers, why would they seek wealth and honor in the mortal world?" Zhu Xiang sighed, "But immortality and becoming an immortal are everyone's dreams. Even if they know it's unbelievable, many people still want to grasp the possibility."
The King of Qin was curious: "Are there no immortal mountains overseas?"
Zhu Xiang said: "Qin should be one of the most powerful countries in this land now."
The King of Qin did not ask Zhu Xiang why he knew about overseas affairs. He only sighed and said, "That's right. If there really are immortals, why don't they appear? Either they have no interest in mortals, or they are not in this world at all. Either way, we can't find them anywhere. Are there any other tricks? I heard that alchemists can make elixirs. Do you know how to make elixirs?"
"Yes, it's the same principle." Zhu Xiang introduced the oxidation-reduction reaction to the King of Qin. The nine color changes of the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill are similar to this principle. He also talked about the toxicity of heavy metals, and used the same method to assist in the explanation.
When doing the experiment, Mohist disciples helped a lot.
"It would be great if the imperial physician could study with us." Zhu Xiang looked eagerly.
Reliable doctors are very hard to find nowadays, and Zhu Xiang could only stare at the King of Qin, too embarrassed to express his request.
The King of Qin deliberately did not answer. When Zhu Xiang lowered his head and sighed, he smiled and said, "If you want someone to help you, take my edict and go find them."
The King of Qin took out a token from his sleeve and threw it to Zhu Xiang, saying, "This token can also be used to mobilize the guards, so don't use it carelessly. But since you don't leave your house, you won't have the opportunity to use it carelessly."
Zhu Xiang was so happy that he bowed to the King of Qin repeatedly: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, if I need guards to do work, I will go directly to Meng Wu and Bai Gong!"
The King of Qin smiled and said, "It would be good to let them do more work so that they don't have nothing to do."
When Xunzi saw that the King of Qin actually threw the token directly to Zhu Xiang, his eyelids could not help but tremble.
How long had Zhu Xiang been in Qin? In less than a year, had the King of Qin become so close to and trusted Zhu Xiang
Perhaps the more suspicious a person is, the more he likes Zhu Xiang.
The King of Qin was tired after watching the magic show. He was old and his energy was not good enough.
The King of Qin asked someone to call Prince Zhu into the palace to help him deal with the remaining documents, and then he rested at Zhu Xiang's house.
He decided to give himself a few days off.
Prince Zhu has grown up, and it is time for him to learn about government affairs and share his worries.
The King of Qin was originally unwilling to accept his old age, but after spending a long time with Ying Xiaozheng, he unconsciously became more relaxed.
He is indeed old, and his great-grandson is so powerful now.
Maybe I should take more rest so that I can live a few more years and teach my great-grandchildren for a few more years.
The more the King of Qin looks at Ying Xiaozheng, the more he likes him.
Although he did not believe in alchemists, nor did he believe that he could find the immortal mountain, he did believe that God existed.
The Qin kings worked hard for so long, but unifying the world was still an unattainable goal.
Even though Qin had become the most powerful country under his leadership, wasn't Jin also like this back then? He still had no idea.
It was not until Zhu Xiang and Ying Xiaozheng appeared that the King of Qin truly felt that destiny was on the side of Qin and that Qin could indeed unify the world.
It is not in his hands, nor in Dazhu's hands, but in Zichu or Zheng'er's hands.
When every dynasty changes, there will be a king with unparalleled talent.
Zheng'er was able to speak soon after he was born, and he could remember everything that happened before he was one year old. He had a photographic memory, was calm, mature, and had strong self-control. At a young age, he had already demonstrated the abilities that a king should have.
If such a prince appeared in Qin State, then it would indeed be the time for Qin State to unify the world.
The appearance of Zhu Xiang allowed the Qin State to find a way forward after unifying the world. The uncle and nephew complemented each other, and the King of Qin felt relieved even if he closed his eyes now.
Even if Zheng'er were to sit on the throne now, there would be no problem for the Qin State.
So, he could finally relax a little.
The King of Qin had a good sleep in the manor. Prince Zhu, who was sleeping on the bed of his wives and concubines, was driven out and rushed to the palace in a daze.
"Meng Wu, why did the king suddenly ask me to review the documents?" Prince Zhu became more and more frightened the more he thought about it. Could it be that the king was testing him
Meng Wu said honestly, "Because the king is full and tired from playing, he is sleeping. The king will continue to rest in the manor tomorrow and let the prince review the documents."
Prince Zhu was dumbfounded: "Ah?"
Meng Wu said: "Zhu Xiang's cold noodles are really delicious."
Prince Zhu: “…” What on earth are you talking about
Prince Zhu pressed his forehead and said, "You mean, my father is really resting at Zhu Xiang's house, and let me take over the throne temporarily?"
Meng Wu corrected him, "That is the manor given to Zheng'er by His Majesty, so it should be called Zheng'er's home."
Prince Zhu asked, "Is there any difference between Zheng'er's home and Zhu Xiang's home?"
Meng Wu said: "Zhu Xiang's home is Zheng'er's home, but Zheng'er's home is not Zhu Xiang's home. This is what Zhu Xiang told Zheng'er, there should be a difference."
Prince Zhu was stunned for a moment, then he held his forehead with a bitter smile and shook his head: "Zhu Xiang is really... Alas, why don't I have such an uncle?"
Meng Wu asked in confusion: "Prince, Zhu Xiang is your nephew, why should you envy Zheng'er?"
Prince Zhu was stunned again. After a while, he sighed and said with a smile, "Yes, he is Zheng'er's uncle and also my nephew. I was mistaken."
There was silence in the carriage for a while, and Prince Zhu asked, "Is that cold noodle really delicious?"
Meng Wu nodded vigorously: "It's so comfortable to eat in the summer. I really want to eat it every day. But even though Zhu Xiang gave me the recipe, the food I cook at home is never as delicious as Zhu Xiang's. It's really strange."
Prince Zhu was a little greedy. He wanted to go too. But after Zhu Xiang went to the outskirts of the city, he was embarrassed to bother him every day, fearing that his father would be suspicious of him.
The emperor and his father both said that Zhu Xiang was his regent, so it didn't matter if he went there for free meals, right
Prince Zhu was somewhat tempted.
When he arrived at the palace and saw the table full of documents, the excitement on his face disappeared.
There were so many documents that he couldn't move.
He sat at the desk, looking through the documents and sighing. His father had to deal with so many things every day, it was too tiring. Would he really be able to handle so many things in an orderly manner like his father in the future
"I really don't know how my father can have the energy to hang out at Zhu Xiang's house every day after dealing with the paperwork." Prince Zhu muttered.
He was reviewing documents with a sad face, while the King of Qin took his great-grandson to the waterside to fish.
When Prince Zhu learned about this, the wrinkles on his face became even deeper.
Two months later, the Xianyang Academy was established.
When Xunzi began to discuss with Lin Zhi how to "recruit students", Han Fei hurried to the outskirts of Xianyang city.
He would not have arrived so quickly, but he met Lu Buwei's caravan on the way and was given a ride.
Lü Buwei had a good eye, and even though Han Fei was still a young stutterer, he recognized that he was a talented person. When he heard that Han Fei was going to meet Lord Changping, his heart of "making the most of a rare talent" was eager to make a move, and he immediately patted his chest and said that he could help Han Fei introduce him.
After Lu Buwei explained the misunderstanding to Zhu Xiang, although he failed to become a friend of Zhu Xiang, who was very closely protected by the King of Qin, he was able to visit Zhu Xiang's house and talk to him when the King of Qin was away.
He just recommended a student who wanted to meet Zhu Xiang. Based on Lu Buwei's understanding of Zhu Xiang, he knew that Zhu Xiang would not refuse.
When Han Fei learned that the "merchant" who helped him was the famous Lu Buwei, he stuttered even more.
"Isn't Lu Gong at odds with Changping and Changping Jun?" Han Fei asked nervously.
Lü Buwei laughed loudly: "Duke Zhu Xiang is so virtuous. I admire him so much. How could I be at odds with him? Don't worry, he is a very kind person. If you are determined to study, he will definitely guide you. By the way, do you know the Xianyang Academy?"
Han Fei shook his head.
Lü Buwei asked, "Xunzi, do you know?"
Han Fei nodded.
Lü Buwei said: "Xunzi also gave Zhu Xiang some advice. In order to take care of Zhu Xiang when he went to Qin, he now became the chief priest of the Xianyang Academy. You can also go visit Xunzi."
Han Fei was surprised: "For, for care?"
Lu Buwei sighed and said, "Yes. Zhu Xiang said Xunzi was his teacher, but I think Xunzi is more like Zhu Xiang's great-grandfather."
Han Fei pulled his hair in confusion: "Xianyang, the Imperial Academy, the King of Qin wants to learn from the Jixia Academy?"
Lü Buwei said, "No, how could the King of Qin learn from others? Xianyang Academy is Xianyang Academy, not Jixia Academy. Xianyang Academy is a place to select talents to serve the King of Qin, not a place for others to teach without restraint. You will know when you go there."
Han Fei said: "The King of Qin is a tyrant."
Lü Buwei said respectfully, "Of course, that's the King of Qin."
Han Fei asked, "Who proposed to build the Xianyang Academy?"
Lü Buwei said, "It is Senior Minister Lin Zhi, the son of Lin Xiangru, and a friend of Duke Xiang of Zhu. All of Duke Xiang of Zhu are talented people."
As Lü Buwei spoke, he became a little jealous. He also wanted to be a friend of Duke Xiang of Zhu.
Not to mention the benefits for now, if you become a friend of Duke Zhu Xiang, you will be recognized as a talented person by everyone in the world.
(End of this chapter)