Although Cheng Jiao was a minister, he could do the work of the king.
These nine words made Cai Ze, who already had cold sweat on his forehead, feel as if he was sitting on pins and needles.
Ze should not have come today. What's the point of being a subject and doing the king's work? This guy just wants to be the king!
Cai Ze felt so remorseful that his intestines turned blue and then black.
There is no two suns in the sky, and no two kings in a country.
This is an eternal truth.
Cai Ze was speechless and his mind was tense.
There are clearly legs under my butt, but why do they feel so prickly?
Not to mention Cai Ze, who was good at protecting himself in troubled times, even Feng Quji, who was the best at taking advantage of others and serving them in different ways, knew that he could not respond to this conversation.
Only a very small part of what Cai Ze said to Ying Chengjiao today was truly out of consideration for Ying Chengjiao.
The old man was just hypnotizing himself by saying a few more words to this boy for the sake of King Zhaoxiang.
If the old man really believed in King Zhaoxiang of Qin that much, he would not have resigned from his post because of the slanderous words of three or two people.
The old man has lived a long life and has seen many things.
Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an, who had witnessed the undefeated battles on the battlefield, was so famous that no one in the country could match him.
On the night that King Zhaoxiang of Qin went to look for him, Bai Qi, who was usually in good health, suddenly fell seriously ill and died. The life of a butcher came to a sad end.
He also witnessed with his own eyes the lord he worshipped in Qin State, who was kind to him and recommended Fan Ju, who had done him two favors, after helping King Zhaoxiang of Qin to eliminate the four nobles and regain the kingship.
King Zhaoxiang of Qin told Fan Ju that he missed Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an, and that it would be better not to kill him. Fan Ju, the prime minister who had been suppressing Bai Qi, was so frightened that he immediately resigned and returned. King Zhaoxiang of Qin did not try to keep him, and soon Fan Ju, who was in good health, died of a mysterious illness.
Regardless of other things, these two things alone made the old man conclude that King Zhaoxiang of Qin could employ people but could not tolerate them.
The old man had an average impression of King Zhaoxiang of Qin. Although he had served under King Zhaoxiang of Qin, he had no feelings for King Zhaoxiang of Qin. Why would he take special care of King Zhaoxiang of Qin's great-great-grandson Ying Chengjiao?
The reason why he has such psychological activities in his heart is that the old man has always believed that if you want to deceive others, you must first deceive yourself.
As long as you believe this in your heart, even if you meet those people who have the ability to see through people's hearts, the probability of being persuaded by the old man is still very high, after all, what you say and what you mean is what you mean.
What the old man is after all aiming for today is, as Ying Chengjiao said, just for the affairs of the aristocratic family.
If Ying Chengjiao stopped fighting with these aristocratic families, the old man could continue to follow the big aristocratic families of Qin and reap the benefits.
The old man who could not leave Qin due to special reasons did not have too many demands. He was fortunate to be able to maintain the status quo and allow the descendants of the Cai family to live in peace.
The old man didn't care at all about being forced by the great families of Qin State, and he never thought of revenge.
There is no benefit in taking revenge if it succeeds, and if it fails you may even die. So what is there to take revenge for?
The old man has never had a high spirit, otherwise he would not have succeeded his lord Fan Ju after he "died of illness" and served as prime minister to King Zhaoxiang of Qin for several months.
The old man’s plan was very clear. If he failed to persuade Ying Chengjiao today, he would go to find the First Emperor after he was released from Xianyang Prison.
The old man will never get involved in this muddy water because it is not clear enough to see the bottom.
The old man would go to the First Emperor and ask for a few planks of wood so that he could build a bridge across the muddy water.
The old man always thought that Ying Chengjiao was like Shang Yang and Fan Ju, those ministers who ended up badly, and did things for the King of Qin by speaking the king's words.
Otherwise, Ying Chengjiao’s behavior cannot be explained at all. First, it is said that the Queen of Qin wanted to exterminate the nobles.
What was left of the Qin State? Wasn't it just one emperor? Wasn't that centralization?
From Duke Xiaoxian to King Zhuangxian, every generation of Qin kings did this.
It is true that the royal family is the greatest noble family.
But it would be foolish to equate the royal family with Your Majesty and believe that Your Majesty is also a noble and will stand on the side of the nobles.
King Wu Jifa established the Zhou Dynasty and set up ten classes of people in the world: the emperor was first, princes were second, ministers were third.
They are all ministers, and there is still a prince between them and the emperor.
Isn't it just a matter of weakening the power of the ministers and strengthening the power of the emperor?
The old man thought he had figured everything out and there would be no danger on this trip, so he stepped into the Xianyang prison.
Those noble family heads who were sitting in the carriages outside the prison and waiting quietly and contentedly thought that it was because of their persecution.
It's ridiculous. How could an old man who is good at protecting himself in troubled times commit suicide?
The old man never expected this.
It turns out that Ying Chengjiao was not working for the king, but wanted to be the king.
Ze is in danger today!
"Sir, why are you silent? Do you really want to end your life in this Xianyang prison?"
Ying Chengjiao considerately wiped the sweat from the old man's forehead with his sleeve, his movements gentle and careful.
It seemed as if the person in front of him was not an old man in his seventies or eighties, but a pretty and beautiful woman as beautiful as a flower.
"Then I have to explain it clearly to you, sir. Bao Bailingzhi only stayed in the hospital for three days. You are older than Bao Bailingzhi and weaker than him. You didn't live as long as Bao Bailingzhi. You can only live..."
Ying Chengjiao first stretched out two fingers, hesitated, and then broke off another one.
"one day?"
The old man finally spoke, but what he said was the date of his own death, pretending to be angry.
"Ze is a noble just like you, and you kill him just like that? How come you are even more domineering than the late King Zhaoxiang? Are you really not going to let me live if I don't do what you want?"
Ying Chengjiao smiled embarrassedly.
"Gang Chengjun has wrongly blamed Cheng Jiao. A talent like Gang Chengjun cannot last for just one day. Cheng Jiao is talking about one breath."
Cai Ze's expression looked much better after hearing the first half of the sentence, but after hearing the whole sentence, his face, which had been pretending to be angry, turned into real anger.
"If I say no, will you kill me immediately?"
Ying Chengjiao nodded.
Cai Ze grabbed Ying Chengjiao's two fingers and said angrily, "One breath, two breaths, what's the difference? Why are you so fussy about it!"
Ying Chengjiao patted the old man's hand and told the truth.
"There really is no difference. Cheng Jiao just wants to put some psychological pressure on you. Looking at your expression, even if he is pretending, the pressure should have been put on you."
Cai Ze was speechless. For a moment he didn't know whether to praise Ying Chengjiao for his honesty or to feel sad for his own life.
Sincere words are the most hurtful. Cai Ze was seriously hurt by Ying Chengjiao.
"Ze once met Tang Ju when he was young. Do you know this person, Tang Ju?"
Ying Chengjiao nodded and said, "He is from Liang and is a famous fortune teller. He predicted that Li Dui could take over the country within a hundred days. Within a hundred days, Li Dui was appointed as the prime minister by the King of Zhao. Tang Ju became famous throughout the world because of this incident, and people all praised his fortune telling for being accurate."
Ying Chengjiao didn't mind chatting more with Cai Ze, since he was very free every day anyway.
The more Cai Ze spoke, the more he revealed, and the deeper his understanding of Cai Ze, a prime minister who was in the dark under the lamp.
If a person wants to hide himself, the easiest way is to speak less.
The more you talk, the more mistakes you make, even if you are telling lies.
"That's right. Ze was already over forty when he met Tang Ju. Ze asked Tang Ju how much longer he had to live. Tang Ju smiled and said, 'Forty-three more years.' Now Ze is seventy-three, so he should have thirteen more years to live."
Ying Chengjiao understood what the old man meant. The old man was testing him.
The physiognomist Tang Ju said that I am not old enough to die, and whether I agree to your request or not, I will not die today and you will not kill me.
Ying Chengjiao pointed at the prison roof above his head, which was built with solid black stones.
"If I don't die, there will be no heaven for the Qin State. The foundation of physiognomy is destiny, and Cheng Jiao doesn't believe in destiny. If you do believe in destiny, then you and I might as well give it a try today."
Give it a try!
Ze wants to try it with you with his life?
The old man found the boy in front of him really annoying, and said angrily: "Boy, now that things have come to this, you don't have to say anything shameful to me. Just tell me how far the rebellion has progressed. If I find that there is no possibility of success, it is better for me to die in this Xianyang prison, at least this way my descendants can still live."
Although Ying Chengjiao said that he was working for him, the First Emperor, the old man didn't believe it at all.
The king is the king, and the minister is the minister.
The only way for a minister to do the king's work is to usurp the throne.
The Tian family of Qi was also said to be a loyal minister who acted on behalf , and then usurped the throne of Qi.
The same thing happened to the Zhao, Wei, and Han families of Jin State, and then the three families divided Jin State.
The most recent time Lu Buwei seized power, he said that Your Majesty had come of age and was returning power, and there was a rebellion in Qinian Palace.
From ancient times to the present, those who have exercised the power of the emperor have all had ulterior motives. Except for Duke Zhou, no one has ever done that since then.
Your compulsive and scoundrel character is nothing like that of Duke Zhou, but rather like that of your mean grandfather, King Zhaoxiang of Qin.
Ying Chengjiao was conflicted.
Based on his current understanding of the old man in front of him, the old man’s talent is definitely underestimated by the world.
But the world's evaluation of him as being good at preserving himself in troubled times is absolutely correct. The old man's life is a fundamental interpretation of the saying that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall.
No, maybe not an underestimation.
Ying Chengjiao denied the inference he made in the previous second.
It is normal that the old guy Meng Ao and Wang Qi don’t know that this person is talented. Those who are good at leading troops in battle are generally not sensitive in political affairs.
But Uncle Lu, how could grandfather not know this person’s talent?
The reason why he didn't care was probably because he was afraid of death.
Uncle Lu, my grandfather and his people had no way to make this man devote himself to the government.
Uncle Lu, my grandfather and others did not trust this man, but were reluctant to kill him.
This is the real reason why this person was able to live in leisure in Qin for so many years without being noticed by anyone.
Throughout history, those who have accomplished great things have mostly attached the most importance to reputation and integrity.
Life is like dirt to reputation.
Prince Dan of Yan went to Tian Guang and told him that he wanted to kill the King of Qin, and told Tian Guang not to let the matter leak out.
When Tian Guang recommended Jing Ke, he immediately said that the prince’s warning to me to keep the secret meant that he did not trust me, and then he committed suicide.
The superiors like people who value integrity the most, not people like Cai Ze who value their lives the most.
If Prince Dan of Yan had looked for Cai Ze at that time, there is a high probability that Cai Ze would have felt that assassinating the King of Qin was too dangerous when he went out.
This is impossible. If the truth is revealed and I'm an insider, I'll be killed.
As soon as he thought of this, he ran to the State of Qin to inform on the matter.
Then there would be no Jing Ke assassinating the King of Qin, and the State of Yan would have died directly.
But Ying Chengjiao was not afraid of this. He hoped that Cai Ze would expose the matter to the public.
The more the nobles of Xianyang focused their attention on him, the happier he was.
"Lord Gangcheng." Ying Chengjiao narrowed his eyes and said, "Are you planning to calm me down first, and then go to His Majesty to report the matter as soon as you are released from Xianyang Prison? Are you pretending to be like this now?"
The old man flew into a rage.
"Don't underestimate Ze, you little brat! Even your grandfather didn't look down on Ze like this!"
"It seems that Cheng Jiao has wrongly blamed Gang Chengjun. Please don't blame me, Gang Chengjun. It's time for dinner, so let's eat something first."
Ying Chengjiao called the jailer over and gave him some instructions, and soon eight food boxes and two jugs of fine wine were brought up.
As soon as the lid of the box woven from green bamboo was opened, the fragrance filled the entire cell.
"Tsunari-kun, please."
"Ze is indeed a little hungry."
The two of them ate and chatted, and the topics of their conversation were varied, ranging from beauties in the towers to the parallel system of counties and kingdoms.
After a while, there was a violent knock on the door.
Bang, bang, bang~
The sound of flesh hitting the iron door was dull.
"Brother! Bring me food!"
The voice is loud, clear and impatient.
"Is this, Lord Gan?" Cai Ze raised his glass and took a sip of wine, then said casually.
A few drops of wine dripped onto his sleeve, leaving two water marks.
"Sir, wait a moment."
Ying Chengjiao stood up apologetically, picked up a handful of hay from the ground, and skillfully kneaded it into a ball.
The corner of Cai Ze's eye twitched.
"Boy, what are you doing?"
"He's too noisy. I'll cover his mouth and it will be fine in no time."
Ying Chengjiao walked out of the prison door without closing it. Cai Ze looked at the wide-open door with longing in his eyes.
"What the hell! Didn't I give it to you the day before yesterday? I'm trying to recruit Gang Chengjun! You better be quiet! If you dare to take out this bunch of grass, I'll throw you down!"
The world is quiet.
Cai Ze turned his head silently, picked up the vegetables and meat mechanically, and put them into his mouth, enjoying them with relish.
"Okay, Tsunaari-kun, let's continue our conversation."
Ying Chengjiao felt refreshed and knelt in front of Cai Ze again. He saw that Cai Ze looked a little unnatural.
He explained honestly, "You can tell from Gan Luo's full-throated voice that he is not hungry. I have never stuffed his mouth with a hay ball before. I said and did that just to scare Gang Chengjun. Gang Chengjun is very careful and must have seen through it a long time ago. He pretended to be scared very well. Thank you for your cooperation."
Cai Ze gave a bitter smile and immediately broke his promise, saying, "Chang'an Jun doesn't have to be so honest."
Ying Chengjiao said with embarrassment: "In front of you, I'd better be honest. You don't have to panic. Even if you don't obey, I won't let you suffer from hunger. In a moment, you will be free from this world of suffering."
"...Ze still wants to suffer more." Cai Ze put down his chopsticks and got off the bed. He bent over at a 90-degree angle and bowed, saying, "Ze will follow the orders of Lord Chang'an."
Ying Chengjiao hurriedly jumped off the bed, supported Cai Ze with both hands, and helped Cai Ze sit up again.
"How can Cheng Jiao be worthy of such a gift from a master!"
"I heard that Lord Chang'an loves to support scholars, and I am willing to serve under Lord Chang'an."
Ying Chengjiao was overjoyed and said, "Chengjiao's acquisition of you is like Xuande's acquisition of Kongming and Liu Bang's acquisition of Zifang."
Who is Xuande? Who is Kongming?
Who is Liu Bang? Who is Zifang?
Four question marks flashed through Cai Ze's mind. Although he was well-versed in hundreds of books, it turned out that he had no idea about the four people that Ying Chengjiao mentioned as examples.
"Your Excellency is well-informed and knowledgeable, Zeyuan is not as good as you."
"It's not your fault, sir, but Cheng Jiao's fault."
"Your Majesty is not wrong, it is Ze who is ignorant."
“…”
For a while, the host and the guests were polite to each other in the prison and both of them were happy.
For example, when King Xiaogong of Qin heard that Wei Yang was talking about hegemony, legalism, and reform, he shouted to him to save Qin.
If King Zhuangxiang of Qin met Lü Buwei and bowed down to him and made a promise, I would leave everything to you.
The relationship between the two heated up rapidly, like a king and his subject who had been interacting for decades.
Cai Ze told Ying Chengjiao everything he knew, and Ying Chengjiao benefited greatly .
Time passed quickly, and the two of them became more and more engaged in their conversation, neither of them seeming to notice.
I don't know how much time had passed before the cell door opened and two people entered.
A man stood with his back to the cell door, and a black scarf knot could be seen tied on the back of his head.
His back was straight, his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath.
The other man walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, his face was covered with a veil. The pair of eyes exposed were sharper than a golden-winged eagle soaring in the sky, and were filled with dissatisfaction and annoyance.
"You bastard! What's the matter with you calling me so anxiously?"