Chapter 268: The Furious First Emperor
The man tore off the thing covering his face, revealing an angry and majestic face. It was none other than the First Emperor, the master of the Qin Empire.
Plop~
Before Ying Chengjiao, who was so skilled in martial arts, could react, the old man who was originally sitting in front of him had already knelt down in front of the First Emperor, with his head lowered and tears streaming down his face.
"Your Majesty! Ze has accused Chang'an Jun of rebellion! Chang'an Jun told me personally that he wants to do the king's work and also..."
Cai Ze spilled everything out like pouring beans out of a bamboo tube.
He recounted everything he had said to Ying Chengjiao after he arrived at the prison, as well as everything he had done during that time, with some slight processing.
It would take some time to describe this experience in words.
While Cai Ze was narrating with his head down, the First Emperor frowned and glared at his brother who refused to let him stay quiet.
Not knowing what Ying Chengjiao was up to and not wanting to ruin Ying Chengjiao's plans, the First Emperor opened his mouth and said silently - what tricks are you playing, you brat?
Ying Chengjiao sighed silently, shook his head, and raised his hands, indicating that this matter had nothing to do with him and that he was helpless.
"Ze Wan refused to agree, saying that Your Majesty is the Lord of Heaven's Mandate, and those who disobey will be punished by Heaven. But Chang'an Jun claimed that the former King Zhaoxiang had already said that he was the king, and that he was the king that the three generations of Qin kings wanted. His words and actions are wild and rebellious..."
Cai Ze continued his argument, but the First Emperor knew that this was not instigated by Ying Chengjiao, so he didn't want to listen any more. He didn't have that much free time.
He immediately took up the topic and said, "That's true. Grandfather, great-grandfather, and uncle all prefer this boy."
The old man, who had been kneeling on the ground and talking until his mouth was dry and who had been expecting the First Emperor to say something, finally received the Holy Message from the First Emperor.
The old man mobilized his quick but not slow brain and tried hard to prove his innocence and loyalty based on the words of the First Emperor.
Then, the old man found that he was really old, and his brain was old too, and he didn’t know what to say.
He lay prostrate on the ground, silent.
The First Emperor glanced at Ying Chengjiao and said, "You brat, do you still want me to help you get up?"
Ying Chengjiao rolled his eyes, got down from the ground and helped Cai Ze up with both hands, saying with a half-smile : "Sir, you are really a man of steel and loyalty. A minister will never serve two masters and would rather die than betray his master."
Cai Ze didn't look up.
Ying Chengjiao lifted Cai Ze's chin and raised the old man's head, forcing Cai Ze to look directly at himself and the First Emperor.
The old man had a very interesting expression on his face. He kept looking back and forth between Ying Chengjiao and the First Emperor. Disbelief and incomprehension occupied half of his face respectively.
The incident happened so suddenly and so incomprehensible that the old man, who was well versed in the art of preserving himself in troubled times, even forgot the prudence ingrained in his bones and recklessly looked at the First Emperor and acted presumptuously.
Since the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, the system of abdication has been changed to a hereditary system, and there have been countless cases of fathers and sons killing each other and brothers fighting for the position of king.
The old man had seen too much in history books, and in reality he had witnessed the fight between Mi Bazi and King Zhaoxiang of Qin, and the last powerful Queen Dowager Xuan who died of starvation in the cold palace.
How could His Majesty be so close to Chang'an Jun? Why did His Majesty have such an expression when he heard that Chang'an Jun was going to rebel?
"Now, Lord Gangcheng can believe what Chengjiao says? Lord Gangcheng wants to work for my two brothers, or for the nobles." Ying Chengjiao asked the same question again.
"I am doing this for you. It has nothing to do with me." The First Emperor dismantled Ying Chengjiao's platform in front of Cai Ze, and said unhappily, "I have not yet agreed to your request."
And this sentence automatically turned into eight words in Cai Ze's ears - Just go for it, I support you.
A hundred years ago, a man named Shang Yang did this kind of thing, making an enemy of all the nobles of the Qin State.
Without the support of Duke Xiao of Qin, Shang Yang would not have survived even if he had a hundred lives.
Similarly, in Cai Ze's eyes, without the support of the First Emperor, Ying Chengjiao would have died long ago.
Now, this sentence that I disagree with your request is just a fig leaf.
Monarchs are all great, bright, and righteous. This kind of exploitation of aristocratic families against ministers must be done spontaneously by a reformer and has nothing to do with the monarch.
If this succeeds, the monarch will benefit smoothly. If it fails, the reformer will be beheaded to appease the anger of the nobles. Isn't this how Shang Yang died?
"Your Majesty, if Lord Chang'an wants me to harm your Majesty, what should I do?"
The old man had to get things clear. He didn't want to go to the underworld with Ying Chengjiao to taste the saltiness of Meng Po's soup. Those who reform the law will hardly have a good ending.
"Listen to him."
The First Emperor once sent Cai Ze as an envoy to the State of Yan and knew Cai Ze's character.
I immediately prescribed the right remedy, without saying anything to explain that this guy would not do anything bad to me, and just went straight to the point.
"only."
The old man responded respectfully.
The greatest person in the world is the First Emperor.
Although the old man did not agree with the First Emperor so much, he felt that he was more trustworthy than those aristocratic families who gathered together to persecute him .
"Royal brother, you can go now." Ying Chengjiao said with satisfaction.
Nothing could dispel Cai Ze's doubts better than the First Emperor coming here in person.
The First Emperor wanted to get angry. He said, "I am so busy with government affairs every day. How can you summon me and send me away at will?"
Seeing Cai Ze by his side, he held back and said unkindly, "I heard that Bao Bailingzhi drowned."
"Yeah, old people are so careless."
"This is the last time." The First Emperor raised a finger and warned, "If your so-called reform is to kill people in this way, don't blame me for interfering."
When I wanted to kill Chunyu Yue and bury the Confucian scholar in order to wake up Fusu, I had to find a legitimate reason and excuse. How dare you, a boy, do this!
"only."
Ying Chengjiao nodded.
Killing Bao Bailingzhi was a drastic measure he took to stimulate the noble families. Strictly speaking, this private killing had violated the rules of the Qin State.
"The Qin Empire is governed by law. Bao Bailing's crime deserves death, so he can be put to death by public trial. Don't let me hear such absurd remarks as drowning in Xianyang Prison again, and don't kill people in the middle of the night like you did ten years ago, otherwise I won't be able to sit idly by."
"Don't worry, my brother. I know my limits. It's enough to kill one Bao Bailingzhi and put the Qin sword on their necks. I won't swing it. If I kill them all, who will govern the Qin State?"
“That’s exactly what’s going on.”
The First Emperor glanced at Gangcheng Jun Cai Ze, who had calmed down and returned to being cautious, standing respectfully and not daring to look him in the face.
In front of Cai Ze, he said to his brother: "Cai Ze has great talent but no ambition. His eloquence is not inferior to Yao Jia and Dun Ruo. I once promised him a high position, generous salary and rare treasures to lobby various countries, but he did not dare. It is up to you to decide whether to use him or not and how to use him."
My brother the Emperor really knows Cai Ze’s talent.
Ying Chengjiao smiled and glanced at Cai Ze who didn't look embarrassed at all.
"I actually had a very pleasant conversation with Gang Chengjun. We hit it off right away, just like Boya and Ziqi."
The First Emperor made his words clear and understandable, and without stopping, he hurriedly left with Gai Nie.
After the First Emperor left, Cai Ze looked ashamed and was speechless, as if he regretted having abandoned Ying Chengjiao in front of the First Emperor just now.
"Sir, are you still performing with Cheng Jiao? You and I are the same kind of people. Our lives are more important than anything else. How can we be embarrassed to act in order to save our lives?"
The old man returned to normal and agreed: "This is a great saying."
"Then, let's talk about the rest?" Ying Chengqi said with a smile, "After the matter is done, as long as the Chang'an Palace is still there, the Cai family will guarantee your wealth and honor as long as they don't break the law."
There is only wealth, but no glory... It seems that this boy really wants to break the limits of nobility and commoners.
"Thank you, Lord Chang'an. Ze will do his best."
Ying Chengjiao was not polite and immediately said, "I have something to worry about. I have grain to distribute throughout the country and want to gather it in Guanzhong. However, nine out of ten grain from Qi is lost when it enters Guanzhong, and five out of ten grain from Chu is lost when it reaches Qin. I would like to ask you, sir, is there a way to allow me to gather all the grain here?"
"One person is weak, but many are strong. If Ruo Ze can lead all the noble families like Gan Luo, he can gather the strength of the noble families to help Lord Chang'an."
“Hahahahaha!” Ying Chengjiao laughed loudly and patted the old man on the shoulder, “Sir, even if you are forced into a desperate situation, you can still have great ambitions!”
The old man sighed helplessly and said, "Ze does not seek some benefits for himself and has no desires. Can Chang'an Jun rest assured? Since Ze must join the game, why doesn't Ze fight for more like Wucheng Hou?"
The old man's background was not humble, but it was not prominent either .
He had escaped from the common people class by grabbing the tail of the nobility. No matter where he went, he would not starve to death with this status, but that was all he could do.
The old man wanted to get rid of his current situation, so he visited a famous teacher to learn from him in his early years. This name is not the "name" of "famous", but the "name" of "famous master". After ten years, he became famous.
After the expedition, he traveled around the countries and sought official positions from many princes, big and small.
Unfortunately, he was not valued by any country and could not stay in any country for long.
But this is just a rumor spread by the monarchs of various countries to save their own face.
The actual situation is that the old man has become a guest of honor among monarchs of various countries just by virtue of his mouth, and most monarchs value the old man very much.
But the old men all smelled danger and did not dare to stay any longer.
The old man wants fame, wealth and power, but the prerequisite for all this is life.
When he arrived in Qin, the old man actually wanted to leave after resigning from his position as prime minister.
However, King Zhaoxiang of Qin issued an order that one could resign from office but must not leave Qin, otherwise he would be executed immediately.
The old man had no choice but to settle down in the State of Qin. Over the next twenty years, his family, the Cai family, became one of the aristocratic families in the State of Qin, which fulfilled the old man's wish.
Originally the old man wanted to end his life there, but he didn't expect to run into Ying Chengjiao's hands in his later years.
Since there is no way to resist, let's try harder and help the Cai family move to the next level.
The old man thought so.
"Okay, I will help you become the head of the family. If you go back on your word and ignore Cheng Jiao, don't blame Cheng Jiao for killing you." Ying Cheng Jiao chuckled and said, "My royal brother doesn't allow me to kill anyone, otherwise he won't allow me to reform the law. But if things don't work out as hoped, Cheng Jiao won't care about that. I'll just vent my anger first. I hope you're not the last person Cheng Jiao kills."
"Ze is good at preserving himself in troubled times." The old man said complacently.
…
A few days later.
Zhangtai Palace.
Even the invigorating scent of sandalwood could not sober up the First Emperor much after he finished reviewing memorials at 12:30 in the morning and went to look for a new concubine to have a baby.
The energy is leaking out, and having to get up very early, even an iron man can't stand it.
After only three hours of sleep, the First Emperor forced himself to stay awake and unfolded a memorial.
[I have seen a strange thing now. It is said that Zhang Liang invented it. It is called paper and is much more useful for carrying words than bamboo slips...]
As soon as he read the first few words, the Emperor Qin Shi Huang's originally groggy mind immediately became clear.
With anger burning in his eyes, the First Emperor threw the memorial sent back from Yan to the ground before he could finish reading it.
"How dare you!"
The First Emperor was very angry, angrier than ever before.
"I don't want him to promote it, my father doesn't want him to promote it, my great-grandfather doesn't want him to promote it, and my grandfather doesn't want him to promote it either. Why doesn't he listen? This bastard really thinks he is the only smart one in the world, and that everyone else is drunk but he is the only one sober!"
Without having to read the entire thing, the First Emperor knew that this matter was once again caused by his beloved younger brother Ying Chengjiao.
Twenty years ago, Ying Chengjiao presented the paper to King Zhaoxiang of Qin as if it were a treasure, but King Zhaoxiang of Qin put it aside.
The person who invented paper and made paper was Ying Chengjiao, and Zhang Liang had nothing to do with it.
"The past is a lesson for the future. If the laws of Shang Yang are not followed, the Qin State will soon be destroyed. How long will it take for this idiot to understand?"
The strength of Qin State began with Shang Yang.
The purpose of Shang Yang's reform is that if the people are weak, the country will be strong. A country with a good governance should focus on making the people ignorant, tired and weak.
Shang Yang rewarded farming and weaving. Farmers only needed to be able to farm and weave, and they didn’t need to know anything else.
Shang Yang collected high taxes, and the farmers worked hard from morning to night and were exhausted. After paying the taxes, the grain they received was barely enough to fill their stomachs.
Shang Yang believed that the valuable thing about farmers was their ignorance. Once they were given knowledge, they would not farm well and would have other ideas.
The tired farmer doesn't have too many thoughts or wild imaginations.
Most of the value created by the peasants was given to the country. The Qin State was strong and the peasants were poor and weak, so the peasants had no capital to rebel.
From Qin Xiaogong to Qin Shihuang, the Qin State always implemented Shang Yang's beliefs.
The book burning order recently issued by the First Emperor is an advanced version of the Legalist policy of keeping the people ignorant.
The Qin State was in the Guanzhong version, the policy of keeping the people ignorant 1.0 - letting the peasants know nothing and just learn how to farm.
Qin State opened a new map and annexed the six kingdoms. The version was changed to Tianxia. The First Emperor updated the strategy and launched the policy of keeping the people ignorant 2.0 - let the people in the world learn only simplified characters and Qin characters, and unify their thoughts first. They can only learn books on farming and medicine, and are not allowed to read books of various schools of thought. The books that the people read are strictly restricted by the First Emperor.
The order to burn books was issued to the world by Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the Xuanniao Palace last year.
And inside the Qin State's base camp, Hangu Pass, Shang Yang had already done this.
It seems that the First Emperor made the whole country learn to read and write, which was much better than Shang Yang who banned reading and literacy.
In essence, what they do is the same, both are thorough legalist ideas.
The First Emperor did not want everyone in the world to learn to read and write. He was forced to implement the policy of standardizing writing systems in order to achieve unification.
If he had not just taken over the territories of the six kingdoms, the First Emperor would have wished that everyone in the world would be ignorant so that he could govern more easily.
Ying Chengjiao had previously proposed to him the idea of enlightening the people, but was rejected by the First Emperor.
However, out of trust in Ying Chengjiao, the First Emperor, who ruled the country according to the Legalist school, was willing to use the seven northwestern counties as a pilot and let Ying Chengjiao work on it. This was already a huge concession.
If anyone else dared to undermine the powerful foundation of the Qin State and shake the Legalist ideology of governing the country, we would have to wait and see how effective the Qin King's sword would be.
The First Emperor did not expect that Ying Chengjiao was not satisfied with the seven northwestern counties.
Without asking for permission, he distributed paper to the whole world through Zhang Liang.
The news was written into a memorial and delivered to the First Emperor. Although there was an excessive amount of paper in Yan, at least it had been made public locally for quite some time.
The First Emperor was breathing heavily on the spot, not realizing for a moment that this was the third time he had gone to the Xianyang Prison to question Ying Chengjiao.
It would be better to just issue an imperial decree to ban the paper that Ying Chengjiao had invented a long time ago.
