Early the next morning, Feng Quji and I led the officials who stayed behind in Xianyang to bid farewell to Ying Zheng at the south gate of Xianyang City. In addition to the officials who maintained the normal operation of Xianyang City, almost the entire Qin center also left with us.
Watching Ying Zheng's eastern patrol team go away, Feng Quji turned to me and said, "Your Highness, although the emperor said before he went on the tour that he would handle the affairs of Xianyang together with His Highness, it's just that when the emperor goes on tour, most of the civil and military officials will follow him. Emperor, there is nothing particularly important, so His Highness can rest assured."
I smiled, cupped my hands and said, "The Prime Minister is too modest. My father asked me to learn more from the Prime Minister, and I have been entrusted with the important task of building Afang Palace and Lishan Mausoleum. Fusu dare not neglect it."
Feng Quji laughed and said: "Your Highness is humble and studious, which is the blessing of my great Qin."
Then he continued: "If Your Highness does not give up, can you tell me at home?"
"It's disrespectful." I didn't refuse. As Feng Quji was the right minister, he should have a deeper understanding.
Then I followed Feng Quji to Prime Minister Feng’s Mansion.
Da Qin had two prime ministers on the left and right, so there were also two prime minister's mansions. Generally speaking, Feng Quji's official residence was called Prime Minister Feng's Mansion, while Li Si's official residence was called Prime Minister's Mansion.
The main reason is that although Feng Quji and Li Si are both prime ministers, most of the actual power of the empire is in the hands of Li Si. Ying Zheng also prefers Li Si, so most things are handled by Li Si. The Prime Minister's Mansion where Li Si is located is only for office purposes. , Li Si does not live in it, he has his own mansion where he lives alone.
Feng Quji's Feng Xiangfu is a combination of office and residence. The front yard is where he works daily, and the backyard is where he lives. It is said that people who were close friends with Feng Quji complained on behalf of Feng Quji. Why is Li Si's official office called the Prime Minister's Mansion? Isn't Prime Minister Feng the Prime Minister? In the end, Feng Quji stood up and clarified that he specifically asked Ying Zheng to set it up like this, and the matter was settled.
However, I feel that Ying Zheng may like Li Si, but in terms of trust, I think Ying Zheng trusts Feng Quji more. The reasons are nothing more than two points:
First, Feng Quji is a descendant of Feng Ting. His ancestral home is Korea, but he has served the Qin State since his father. If compared with Li Si, he can be regarded as an old noble of the Qin State and has made great contributions to the Qin State's unification of the world. . There is no doubt about their loyalty to the Qin State. Otherwise, if Feng Quji had already become the right prime minister, how could Ying Zheng let his son Feng Jiegui be the imperial censor, and the three princes, the Feng family, would occupy the second position?
Second, Ying Zheng took Li Si with him on his previous patrols, while Feng Quji stayed in Xianyang. You can say that Li Si was more favored, but it is also reasonable to say that he was afraid that Li Si would do anything in Xianyang, so he took him with him. Xianyang is the capital, so Ying Zheng can safely hand over Xianyang to Feng Quji. This at least shows that Ying Zheng is not worried that Feng Quji will cause trouble.
Of course, these are all my guesses. After all, I know people well but don’t know their hearts. With these old foxes, I still seem too young.
Soon we arrived at Prime Minister Feng's Mansion. Feng Quji and I sat down and the servants served tea. I glanced at the tea that was still brewing, took a sip and put it down.
Feng Quji noticed my movements and asked with a smile: "Your Highness, are you not used to drinking tea from me?"
I apologized: "No, it's just that I prefer to drink tea directly now. Brewed tea is indeed a bit unfamiliar."
Feng Quji was a little confused. Isn't this how tea is boiled and drank? This is the best tea from Bashu.
Seeing Feng Quji's doubts, I waved my hand and said, "Mr. Feng, don't worry too much, it's okay. I have undergone many changes since I fell into the water, and I was a little uncomfortable for a while."
Can you adapt to not having your own body but imitating another person's body?
Feng Quji didn't hesitate: "Your Highness, you should pay attention to your health."
Then he seemed to accidentally remember: "The veteran heard that His Highness was interested in "Qin Code" some time ago, and copied the files of the Ying Yue case from the Prime Minister's Palace. His Highness has always had more contact with Confucianism, and now he is also quite interested in Legalism. Are you interested?"
Then he added: "After all, the veteran is the right prime minister, and the veteran has some understanding of both matters."
"Yes, recently I have gradually felt that Legalism's governance of the country is indeed unique, so I also want to compare it with Confucianism to see which one is better."
I chuckled and thought to myself: 'Sure enough, it is almost impossible to imitate a person's personality traits. No matter how similar you pretend to be, there will always be a lot of flaws exposed. Fortunately, even if I tell these people clearly that I am no longer the original Fusu, they probably won't believe it. '
Feng Quji heard this and said, "It is a great blessing to the world that Your Highness has such an idea to make up for the weaknesses with strong points and eliminate the bad."
I took a sip of tea and continued what Feng Quji said: "Yes, Prime Minister Li came all the way from Chu to write the "Book of Remonstrance and Expulsion" to help Da Qin recruit talents, and after unifying the world, he presided over the formulation of the "Laws of Qin" , delimiting counties and counties, he is a great talent."
After I finished speaking, I glanced at Feng Quji. I guess Feng Quji didn't expect me to be so straightforward. Feng Quji's expression froze, and then he recovered and said calmly: "What His Highness said is true."
I put down the cup and asked the question in my mind: "Prime Minister Feng, I don't understand something, and I hope Prime Minister Feng can clarify it."
"I will tell you everything I know. Your Highness, please tell me."
"Why is it that Prime Minister Feng is the Right Prime Minister, but rarely gives a memorial at every court meeting? I'm really curious." I feel that my question is relatively implicit. In fact, what I really want to ask is: Why are you so stubborn, and Ying Zheng is still there? I won’t mess with you…
Feng Quji didn't expect me to ask this. In his opinion, it was a bit humiliating. Didn't the implication mean that he was not as important as Li Si? His face instantly turned ugly.
When I looked at his face, I realized that these words were a little too arrogant, so I quickly straightened up and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Feng, I'm rude."
Seeing my performance, Feng Quji was a little confused. Was it not what he thought?
Then I thought, after all, I am the prince and the future emperor, I have nothing to hide: "Your Highness, forgive me, my health is getting worse day by day. I just had a headache, and I lost my temper."
I quickly asked: "It doesn't matter. Do you want to call the medical officer?"
Feng Quji saw that I didn't seem to be faking it, so he cupped his hands and said, "It's an old problem. It doesn't matter. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness."
"How about I come back another day?" I'm afraid that if the old man dies suddenly, it's hard for me to explain here.
Feng Quji responded: "It doesn't matter. Your Highness has just become the Crown Prince, so you may not attend many court meetings. What Your Highness said is indeed the truth..."
Then Feng Quji spoke eloquently.
It turns out that when Li Si was still a Tingwei, veterans such as Feng Quji were relatively important. They did make a lot of contributions in the history of Qin and the process of Qin's unification of the world.
But with the unification of the world, there is a saying, "Sir, the times have changed." When the times change, a new group of heroes will be created, and the important ministers of the old era can no longer keep up with the development of the times, such as The enfeoffment of counties, changes in laws, etc.
As a result, Li Si became more and more important, and finally ascended to the position of prime minister. These veterans were gradually marginalized, but Ying Zheng never forgot them and kept them in the court and in the army.
To put it simply, the new nobles gained favor because their abilities were more suitable for the new empire, while the old nobles were marginalized because their thoughts were still stuck in the Six Kingdoms era and they did not see the world as a true unity.
However, the Qin State has always adhered to the principle of "civilians, ministers, and military Qin". Military power must be in the hands of its own people. It is obviously not what Ying Zheng wants to see if the new noble family dominates, so they should remain in the center of power.
