The next morning, the rooster crowed.
It was already dawn at Chenshi, but the sun had not yet appeared.
In Zhangtai Palace, the First Emperor wore loose brocade robes, put a jade hairpin in his hair, and gently splashed his face with cold water from the basin.
The cool touch was so exciting that all the remaining pajamas of the First Emperor were patted away.
Wow~
The First Emperor washed his face with cold water and said casually: "Have you not caught the remnants of the Xiang family yet?"
Ge Nie said nothing and glanced at Zhao Gao beside him, Your Majesty asked you.
Zhao Gao responded with a grateful look, bowed and said humbly: "Never."
As the two personal bodyguards of the First Emperor, their routines were basically the same as those of the First Emperor.
Of course, the two did not always follow the First Emperor together, and they also had time to take turns to rest. But when it comes to traveling, it's basically the two of them together.
Fortunately, martial arts masters are skilled enough to reach the level of Ge Nie and Zhao Gao, and can control their bodies to the nearest millimeter in seconds. Resting does not have to be limited to the bed. You can rest standing up when you have nothing to do.
"Never?"
The sound of rushing water paused, and the First Emperor held a handful of cold water and narrowed his eyes.
Wow~
Cold water paving.
The First Emperor rubbed his cheeks vigorously.
"Zhao Gao drafted an imperial edict and asked those in Chu where the remnants of the Xiang family are hiding."
Taking the plain white handkerchief handed over by the palace maid, the First Emperor wiped his face carelessly twice and threw it back into the palace maid's hands.
"Whoever has a remnant of the Xiang clan on his fief shall be captured and returned within three days. If this is not possible, then the fief shall be given to those who can."
"only."
Zhao Gao bowed his head and responded respectfully.
"What if the remnants of the Xiang clan are not in Chu Di?" Gai Nie, dressed in white like snow, asked expressionlessly.
Zhao Gao was already used to the plague god around him having convulsions from time to time, so he pretended that he didn't hear anything.
He ran to the table made of sandalwood, laid out the blank bamboo slips, picked up the Chishou Yantai, added water and the ink purified by Qin ink, and while grinding it, he thought about the content of the imperial edict to be drafted later.
This is the work of Xingxi Mansion.
Most of the imperial edicts given by the First Emperor were general, and the specific content was polished by the decrees of the Xingxi Mansion.
Although it has been more than two months since Zhao Gao resigned from his position as the magistrate of Xingxi Mansion, there is no trace of unfamiliarity when he returns to his old job.
The First Emperor casually answered Gai Nie's question.
"If you want to rebel, you need soldiers. The Xiang family only has prestige in the Chu land, so they can only recruit soldiers from the Chu land. I don't believe that there is not even a single remnant of the Xiang family in the huge Chu land."
Gai Nie was puzzled.
Your Majesty has unified the world and conquered six kingdoms. Why do you think so highly of the Xiang family alone?
"Your Majesty cares so much about the Xiang family. Are you worried that Xiang Yan will inherit his military strategy and become a serious nuisance to Qin?"
The First Emperor straightened his clothes and smoothed out the wrinkles.
"I don't care about the Xiang clan. What I care about is the control power of our Great Qin in the world. Whether we can capture the Xiang clan and how many Xiang clan we capture. According to what Zhuzi said, it means that I will eat the Chu land. How many."
】
Zhao Gao studied the ink peacefully without making any other noise.
Gai Nie nodded clearly. He knew everything with his clear sword mind.
In this era when there were no telephones for instant communication, the First Emperor used the intensity of his pursuit of the Xiang family in the Chu region to determine the extent of the empire's penetration into the Chu region.
It’s not that the memorials submitted from various places cannot be trusted, it’s just that they cannot be trusted entirely.
If all the affairs of an emperor were understood through the memorials submitted by his ministers, there would be the absurd incident of "the people have no corn to satisfy their hunger, so why not eat minced meat?"
The First Emperor spent the whole morning in Zhangtai Palace reviewing the endless memorials.
It's approaching noon.
Ge Nie went out for a while, and when he came back, he stood next to the First Emperor and reported mechanically.
He sent a group of aristocratic families to Xinlou Terrace last night and reported them to the First Emperor in detail about how they stayed there for the night.
The First Emperor nodded, waved his hand, and continued to review the memorial, obviously not taking this little thing to heart.
The First Emperor had long been tired of watching the drama of fighting for power and profit.
As long as it doesn't violate the laws of Qin, it doesn't matter. The First Emperor is too lazy to care about such nonsense.
"Zhao Gao, go and call Fu Sheng over."
"only."
Zhao Gao responded humbly and looked at Gai Nie with envy, without hiding his eyes.
It was Zhao Gao's job to learn that the intelligence report was reported to the First Emperor before.
…………
In Xianyang Prison, there is hay paved with the remaining warmth of the setting sun.
Ying Chengyu and Gan Luo were lying on the warm hay, one lying on their backs and the other lying on their sides.
Ying Chengyu lightly kicked Gan Luo's right hand that was supporting his head.
"Bao Bailing is dead, why don't you seem sad at all?"
Gan Luo rolled his eyes.
"Brother, if you are really bored, go out or find a few beauties to have fun. Don't bother me all the time and ask me these stupid questions."
Ying Chengyu kicked Gan Luo's forearm away with force. Gan Luo was caught off guard and his head lost its fulcrum and hit his big arm.
"What did you do!"
Gan Luo sat up, furious.
This time it didn't hurt much, it was more insulting.
He waited for a moment and found that Ying Chengyu closed his eyes to rest, and did not answer his intention at all. Instead, the anger on his face disappeared.
He smiled bitterly and said: "Brother, you don't have to compete with me? From the moment you started to catch me, you were destined to not win. Why are you holding on so hard now?"
"oh?"
Ying Chengyu raised his head, glanced at Gan Luo with a half-smile, and then lay down again.
"I actually lost so early? Can you please Gan Shangqing to explain it to me so that I can understand clearly?"
"Pretend, just pretend."
Gan Luo sighed, sat down where Ying Chengyu could not kick, picked up a pile of hay and put it behind him, and leaned against the prison wall behind him.
"The specific charges for your arrest have never been determined, right?"
Ying Cheng didn't answer, and gave him a look that said, "I won't give you anything to eat today if you keep talking nonsense."
Gan Luo rubbed his belly silently and continued: "I have to say, brother, you are really shady. You did not hesitate to expose the surveillance on the tower and asked Li Si to arrest me. After arresting me, you immediately locked me up in Xianyang Prison, and you didn't By interrogating me, no one knows what the specific charges for arresting me are."
Gan Luo observed Ying Chengyu's expression and found that there was no fluctuation on Ying Chengyu's face. He secretly said to himself, "Let's see how long you can keep pretending."
"Don't talk about them. Even I don't know what crime I was arrested for. I didn't know what your plan was at first. It was only in the past two days that I belatedly discovered that Luo was in Xianyang Prison. It was only then that they suddenly realized that they had made no other major move other than filing a petition for impeachment.
"The day Luo is in this Xianyang Prison, and the day he is not tried, the day his crime will not be established. Those people outside dare not let go and do anything, for fear that you will also arrest them in Xianyang Prison on the same charges. Selling scraps Weapons, Luo is not the only one to bear such a big crime."
Ying Chengyu finally responded. He put his hands on the ground, sat up and scratched his head.
"It seems that my stay in Xianyang Prison these days has not been in vain. I have gained a little understanding of human nature."
Gan Luo cursed you in his heart for being such an insidious and treacherous person. You spend all day pondering these unspeakable conspiracies and tricks, and said with a shy smile that it was all thanks to your good teachings.
Ying Chengqiao chuckled.
"Go on, let's see what else you've learned."
Gan Luohan smiled and nodded.
"Okay. What I originally thought was that it would be best if you could instigate me. If you can't instigate rebellion, all the aristocratic families will not dare to do anything. But brother, you have forgotten that you have tied up the people of all the aristocratic families with the law of selling weapons. His hands and feet are also tied up. You can never judge Luo.
"Once Luo is tried and the charges come to light, you are bound to face the most thorough counterattack from all the aristocratic families. No one can bear the backlash from all the aristocratic families, not even Lord Shang, not Lord Qin, not Lord Chang'an. You can't last forever. Luo was imprisoned for no reason. According to Qin law, a maximum of thirty days would be allowed."
Bang bang bang~
Ying Chengyu clapped his hands three times and gave Gan Luo a soft cheer.
"This move is called Schrödinger's Cat. You can use it later if you can get out alive."
Gan Luo didn't know what Schrödinger's cat was, and he didn't want to know.
The young brother in front of me has liked to speak words that no one understands since he was a child.
"You're still scaring me."
Gan Luo grabbed a piece of hay and put it in his mouth, bit it tightly and pointed at the hay in his mouth.
"As long as I grit my teeth, this piece of hay will not fall off. In a dozen days, you will be defeated."
Ying Chengyu said angrily: "Am I defeated? I have in my hands the irrefutable evidence that you are colluding and collaborating. Do you believe that I can arrest you all?"
Gan Luo didn't wait for Ying Chengxuan's words to fall to the ground, and he followed them like a barrage of words.
"That's why you don't dare to arrest me. The two ministers in the court, the nine ministers, and the ministers' family do not account for 30%, but the official family of Guanzhong accounts for 80%.
"If you really arrest all the aristocratic families, the Qin State will immediately be without officials. Your Majesty will not agree. Brother, you taught me the principle that the law does not punish the public. Have you forgotten?"
Ying Chengqiao shrugged, looking at Gan Luo's eyes as to how you could still laugh.
He smiled and said, "How do you know that Brother Huang won't allow it? You see, we are both in prison. This huge difference in treatment is enough to show that Brother Huang is on my side."
"Brother, stop pretending. If His Majesty were really on your side, you wouldn't have come in at all. I've figured everything out in the past few days. It's not that you don't want to go out, it's that you can't."
"You also know?"
"At first I thought you were going to jail voluntarily, but then I thought about it and thought it would be of no benefit to you. Then His Majesty should have sent you to Xianyang Prison. Your Majesty is showing by his actions that he will not help you."
"Oh, you are wrong. Brother Huang is too lazy to take care of these nonsense. He cares about the stars and the sea. I am the one who wants to come in here."
"Oh? Is that really so? Then why didn't you continue to kill other people from other aristocratic families after you killed Bao Bailing? You could have used the same method to kill people again. Swordsmanship is not what you are best at? His Majesty came forward That’s it.”
"Brother Huang's original words were to act within the scope of Qin's laws, not to protect your family. Don't think too much, kid."
"If that's the case, then brother, you can arrest all the heads of the aristocratic families and send them to Xianyang Prison. Get pens, ink, paper and inkstones to serve as witnesses and write down physical evidence. I guarantee that you can catch all the aristocratic families in one go."
Gan Luo calmly looked at Ying Chengyu, and did not avoid it even when Ying Chengyu showed murderous intent in his eyes.
"In addition to selling used weapons, the other things you have done are enough for the Yi tribe. The evidence is overwhelming. I can now use other crimes to punish you Gan family. Do you think the emperor brother will stop me?"
"No." Gan Luo shook his head and laughed at himself: "Your Majesty will not care about the survival of a family, even the largest family."
The corners of his mouth turned from self-deprecating to self-deprecating. Gan Luo stared at Ying Chengyu and said, "Gan Luo can die and the Gan family can perish. However, the family will not die. If you are satisfied with this, then you can start my trial now." ”
"Sometimes I really don't understand what's going on in your mind. You can die for the family, but you can't work with me to achieve a great cause?"
"If Luo follows you, your descendants will not be blessed if things succeed. If you don't follow the official path, the second generation will only be rich for the third generation, and the Gan family will not be able to survive for a hundred years. If things fail, Luo and the Gan family will be doomed."
"That will happen in the future. If you don't follow me, the Gan family will destroy the Yi tribe immediately."
"No, the Gan family will not die. Qianlong blocked Wei Yang's reform and was responsible for the three Yi tribes. In the end, under the efforts of all the aristocratic families, only he himself died. The Gan family has been supported by the aristocratic families of the Qin State since then until the future Father."
"Oh, you think you are Qianlong? You have committed so many things and you can just die alone, and then your Gan family, with the support of all the aristocratic families, waits for the second Gan Mao? You are overthinking, I am sure that you and the other three clans will be despised. It’s useless for anyone to come.”
"You can invade my three tribes in Xianyang, your three tribes in Guanzhong, and your three tribes in the Six Kingdoms? Li Mu and Li Xin are the same Li. Do you know how many of my Gan family there are outside?" Gan Mu, where is Gan Xin?"
"It seems that I really can't convince you." Ying Chengyu shook his head regretfully.
"Brother, if you lose, you lose. Don't hold on. Now let me out, and you will still be your Lord Chang'an. I will suppress all the noble families and not do anything to you." Gan Luo smiled apologetically.
"Young, you were so majestic just now. I thought you weren't afraid of death? Shuzi actually has two faces?"
"You are my brother, how can you have the heart to kill me? Don't take what you just said seriously, it's all a joke, a joke."
"I don't see the joke at all. I'll invite some friends in for you."
Gan Luo's body stiffened for a moment.
This guy really dares to risk the disapproval of the world and arrest all the Xianyang family?
How could His Majesty agree? Your Majesty will not agree!
This guy must be cheating me again!
"This expression is much better." Ying Chengyu patted Gan Luo's face, yawned, and said, "Although the success or failure of Xianyang will not affect the overall situation, I don't like to see a villain like you getting successful."
After getting up and walking to the iron gate, Ying Chengxuan opened the door and instead of walking out, he called the jailer.
"Ask Li Si to come see me."
"only."
After closing the iron door, Ying Chengyu sat back down next to Gan Luo and waited for Li Si's arrival.
Gan Luo looked gloomy.
"You can avoid me completely."
Ying Chengyu had a sunny look on his face.
"No, I just like to be slapped in the face."
Gan Luo suddenly chuckled.
"I still don't believe you dare to do this. Even His Majesty doesn't dare. You must still be deceiving me. Brother, if you lose, you lose. There is really no need to hold on."
Ying Chengyu waved his hand and did not answer Gan Luo's words.
When Li Si comes, he will naturally convince Gan Luo that there is no need to waste words now.
Not long after, Li Si pushed the door open and saw Gan Luo was there, so he bowed his head to Ying Chengyu.
"Greetings to Lord Chang'an."
