Early the next morning, Li Si came to Fuliang Palace. First, he handed me the crown prince's seal, then arranged for someone to remove the plaque from Fuliang Palace and replace it with the crown prince's palace, and then appointed the crown prince's subordinate officials one by one.
The others were communicating outside, and I let Li Si into the house.
After sitting down, Li Si was the first to speak: "From today on, His Highness will be the second crown prince of Great Qin. Congratulations to Your Highness."
I cupped my hands and said, "I still need the Prime Minister's teachings."
"Your Highness is serious. This is the duty of a minister. At present, the "Qin Code" has been proofread and submitted to the emperor. The emperor wants His Highness to familiarize himself with political affairs as soon as possible and supervise the construction of Lishan Mausoleum and Afang Palace. The matter of "Qin Code" will not be Thank you for your trouble, Your Highness."
Ying Zheng must have discussed it with Li Si, so I didn't say anything more and said with a slight smile: "It's okay, it's just a whim. Everything will follow the order of the emperor."
"By the way, do you have any clues about Ying Yue's case?" I casually asked about Ying Yue.
Li Si did not hide anything: "In fact, the emperor had noticed it a long time ago, otherwise he would not have directly sent Li Zhuo and Ying Yue to prison at the court meeting. The Tingwei had already interrogated the two people last night, and according to their confessions, they were indeed related to the remnants of the Chu Kingdom. 17 people have been arrested and the rest are under trial."
This surprised me a little. I was just asking casually, but I didn’t expect that the results of the interrogation would be available in one night, and 17 people would be arrested. This efficiency was too high. I couldn’t help but be surprised: "So fast?"
Li Si was not complacent: "Although His Highness knew about prisons in the past, he must not have really experienced imperial edicts. Ordinary criminal cases will send the prisoner to Xianyang Prison, and the Xianyang Order will investigate and deal with it. All you need to do is hand over the investigation results to Tingwei After examination, the case can be closed if Tingwei finds that it is correct.
However, only cases such as rebellion, collaborating with the enemy, witchcraft, violations of the law by officials with an annual salary of 900 shi or more, or cases ordered by the emperor himself to be investigated will be handed over to the Tingwei for direct investigation. For such a major case, no matter when it is handed over to the court captain, it must be heard at the same time, day and night. "
"No wonder, the prime minister was born as a court official and presided over the revision of the "Qin Code". He is indeed very proficient in criminal laws." I praised.
Li Si smiled and said: "Your Highness is ridiculous, the current Tingwei Meng Yi is the younger brother of General Meng Tian, and he has been taught by the emperor for many years. I am not as good as him."
"The Meng family deserves to be called an aristocratic family, with great talents coming out in large numbers." I sighed.
Li Si smiled and then returned to normal: "Yes, the Meng family is really the pillar of the country."
'It seems that Li Si and the Meng family are not on good terms. Li Si has grown from a small guest to the position of prime minister. Although Li Si cannot compare with the deep roots of these aristocratic families, it is reasonable. '
With the thoughts in my mind slightly moving, I asked Lan'er and the attendants to step back and mentioned two matters related to fate: "There are two more things I need to ask the Prime Minister for this time, and I hope the Prime Minister will not hesitate to enlighten me."
"I don't want to take the advice seriously. Please speak to me, Your Highness."
"First, I'm quite worried about my father's eastward tour." I said worriedly.
Li Si pondered for a long time and sighed: "I dare not deceive Your Highness. I am also worried about the emperor's health...I dare not say anything. The journey is long and the money, food and equipment required can be accommodated. However, the imperial medical order is really mediocre..."
The hidden meaning is self-evident: Ying Zheng kept his illness secret and avoided medical treatment. Although he killed a group of alchemists, he still only took elixirs when he was sick. In addition, the eastward tour was so far away that it was still a question of whether his body could withstand it. , anyone who has more contact with Ying Zheng can see it.
Li Si dared to say this, and he had already made a lot of determination. If he was asked to explain more clearly, he would risk losing his head. But he had to say that Ying Zheng was his biggest and only supporter. If Ying Zheng died, it was unknown whether Li Si could survive. You know, it is impossible for Li Si, a guest minister from the Chu State, to become the prime minister of the Qin State without offending people, and most of the people he offends are powerful families.
"Let's wait until the Ying Yue case is settled." I didn't extend this topic too much. If Li Si's words reach Ying Zheng's ears, he may be beheaded, and if my words reach Ying Zheng's ears, he may not survive. Talking about the emperor's life and death in private can be considered complicity in rebellion, not to mention the extremely suspicious Ying Zheng!
"The second thing is about the construction of Afang Palace and Lishan Mausoleum. Does the Prime Minister have any suggestions?" I asked the second question.
Li Si was happy this time: "Your Highness, Lishan Mausoleum, you don't have to worry. Basically, the prisoners of Da Qin were sent to Lishan to build mausoleums. In addition, there are also some Guizhou leaders and craftsmen who were recruited through corvee labor, so you don't have to worry about manpower issues.
Lishan Mausoleum is in charge of Zhang Han, who was originally Zuo Zhonghou, but was sent to Lishan for some reasons. He is now Zuo Xiaoling, and his performance is acceptable.
As for Epang Palace, once the case of Ying Yue is found out, I will immediately make up for the missing civilians. This matter has been reported to the emperor. "
"Another mainstay has appeared." After hearing Li Si's words, I was more concerned about Zhang Han!
Judging from historical records, this person's ability as a general was much stronger than that of a civil servant. Historically, he first appeared as a Shaofu in the Second World War, and then led an army of 700,000 prisoners to defeat him. Unfortunately, he still could not defeat Xiang Yu, who was "unparalleled in his bravery throughout history." After being defeated in the Battle of Julu He was scolded by Qin II and Zhao Gao, and then experienced the defeat of Zhangshui. Finally, under the persuasion of Sima Xin and Chen Yu, he surrendered to Xiang Yu. He was named King Yong, one of the Three Qin Dynasties, and established his capital in Feiqiu. Later, he was defeated and committed suicide in the battle of Feiqiu with Liu Bang.
'We need to find out as soon as possible whether Zhang Han is still the same Zhang Han. If so, he must be included in the core. This kind of talent cannot be wasted.' I probably had an idea in my mind, so I raised my hand to Li Si and said, "Thank you, Prime Minister, for your advice. Then I'll help you, Prime Minister."
Li Si quickly returned the greeting: "It is my duty. If Your Highness has no other instructions, I will leave."
Ying Zheng has just appointed me as the crown prince. Li Si has been staying in the prince's house for a long time, which will inevitably make Ying Zheng think too much. Thinking of this, I stood up, cupped my hands and said, "In that case, Prime Minister, go ahead and get busy."
After seeing Li Si off, I walked to the front hall to deal with matters after my identity change.
And just two days later, the Ying Yue case finally came to a conclusion. However, the wide involvement and heavy sentencing of this case really made me see what feudal society is, and I truly realized the horror of ancient major cases!
