"Jiang Shang! What nonsense are you talking about? This is all based on your petty speculation! The Qin Dynasty asks questions without asking for traces. How can you be worthy of being the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty when you say something that has not yet been revealed?"
Wei Zhang did not dare to get angry with the First Emperor, so he immediately scolded Lu Buwei to show his innocence. He did not want to lose his fifth-class title.
Most of Qin's aristocratic families are ranked by their title. If Wei Zhang really loses his title, it will be a major blow to the Wei family, which is originally a first-rate family, and may directly fall to a second-rate family.
He no longer cared about provoking a powerful enemy.
Because Lu Buwei is like a dead horse and has no intention of coexisting with these aristocratic families, Lu Buwei is the mortal enemy of these aristocratic families.
"You said that we took advantage of our positions to steal the treasury, but does the state of Qin still have a higher official position than the prime minister? And you are suddenly rich, and we have been rich for a hundred years.
"When it comes to lust for money and using your position to seek your own personal gain. Jiang Shang, you who don't even dare to show your true face are the most likely to be a thief who steals the country!"
Wei Zhang launched a second attack to muddy the waters, reminding the First Emperor that Jiang Shang's background was unknown.
How could such a guy who dared not show his true colors be compared with the old Qin family who had been in Qin for hundreds of years.
It is a disaster rather than a blessing for these people to become the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty.
If Lu Buwei was obsessed with power, the First Emperor would believe it. It is said that Lu Buwei has no resistance to money because he has not lived a wealthy life.
In anger, the First Emperor failed, his expression was strange, and he wanted to laugh.
The world-famous leader of Lu's Chamber of Commerce in six countries, relied on money to pledge Zhao's abandoned son Ying Yiren, and forcibly established himself as the king of Qin Zhuangxiang Ying Zichu. Lu Buwei, a big businessman, is short of money?
"Your Majesty has made me your Prime Minister. If you are dissatisfied, are you dissatisfied with His Majesty's policies?"
Lu Buwei asked in a deep voice, answering Wei Zhang's first question.
Wei Zhang changed his color and opened his mouth to denounce him.
"You are evil-minded, I only have doubts about your ability, and I have no intention of questioning Your Majesty!"
Lu Buwei nodded.
"Your Majesty believes that my ability is worthy of the position of Xiangbang. If you have doubts about my ability, you are still questioning Your Majesty."
"Slander, this is slander! You villain is slandering me!"
Wei Zhang is not Yao Jia, although he can be said to be extremely alert and articulate.
But compared with the name who relies on his head and mouth to make a living, there is still a big gap between that.
He was also demoted to the fifth rank of nobility by the First Emperor, and his mind was in chaos, which was reflected in the fact that he didn't know how to speak.
At that moment, Lu Buwei said that he didn't know how to respond, so he just repeatedly said the word "slander".
If Yao Jia had been asked this question, he would never have said this. Instead, he would have avoided the question and just said that Lu Buwei was not capable enough, and then cited a few examples of wise kings being deceived by villains.
No matter what you do, being led into the opponent's rhythm is a taboo and a harbinger of defeat.
Seeing that Wei Zhang had lost his sense of control, Lu Buwei turned around and leaned slightly towards the First Emperor.
"I am the prime minister. If measurement, measurement, and balance are not consistent, I will be greedy. People cannot resist greed. Wealth and honor are like floating clouds to me. This is what Confucius said. It is the behavior of a sage. I am a mortal, and it is difficult to discipline myself."
Wei Zhang was shocked.
The officials were shocked.
Lu Buwei's self-destructing truck-like method of solving problems gave them a familiar feeling of powerlessness.
They had seen this kind of thing that harmed others and was not beneficial to oneself. It was the famous Shuzi from Xianyang who yelled like a madman during the ceremony to worship the heaven.
The reason why they came to Xianyang Palace together like this today was to overthrow that man.
[crazy! crazy! How can you say this! ]
[This person deserves to die! This person deserves to die just like that guy! ]
[Even for a relative of the prince, such actions are unreasonable. Could this person have been ordered by His Majesty? ]
[…]
All the ministers have their own secrets.
The First Emperor glanced at Lu Buwei in surprise, thinking that Zhu Zi was really influential. Lu Buwei would not have said this ten years ago.
"This matter has been decided. Anyone who dares to speak out about discomfort will be treated like Wei Zhang."
Several big nobles who originally wanted to stand up and defend gave up their arguments and struggled. The bigger the nobles were, the more afraid they were of being demoted.
Their titles are all 14th and 15th, not those first-class knights. If you are demoted today, you will be promoted back after killing an enemy elite on the battlefield tomorrow.
The higher you go to the 20th level of Military Merit, the harder it becomes to upgrade. The difficulty does not increase exponentially, but geometrically.
The lowest level, a first-class knight, only needs to behead an elite enemy soldier.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were two million casualties in the conquests of various countries. Bai Qi, who was called the Human Massacre by the people at the time, killed half of them by himself, and he only managed to reach the rank of Daliang Zao, the sixteenth rank.
Shang Yang, who changed the world for the Qin State, revived the Qin State and laid the foundation for the prosperity of the Qin State. He was the creator of the twenty-first-class military merit, and his final title was also the sixteenth-class Daliangzao.
The two monarchs Wu'an Jun and Shang Jun do not belong to the Qin State's twentieth-level military merit system, but belong to the Qingdafu system. They have a good reputation in the Qin State but their actual benefits are basically zero.
From this we can see how difficult it is for the twenty-level military meritorious officials of Qin to be promoted in the later stage. Perhaps the original Qin Jun did not want to send out the four nobles after Daliang made the sixteenth grade.
Even Wang Jian, the Marquis of Wucheng, complained about this before he was granted the title of Marquis of Che. The First Emperor worshiped him for leading a 600,000-strong Qin army to attack Chu.
He once said: "As a general of a great king, he will not be granted the title of marquis after his meritorious service. Therefore, when the ministers of the great king are invited, the ministers will promptly invite the garden to serve as a karma for their descendants."
Although there is an element of self-defeat in this, there is definitely some complaint.
Wang Jian, the God of War of the Great Qin Dynasty, believed that one could not become a marquis by relying on military exploits in battles.
Of course, the First Emperor was not an errand man. After destroying Chu, he made Wang Jian the 20th Duke of Chehou and Marquis of Wucheng.
However, although the Chehou of Qin State could be sealed off during the tenure of the First Emperor. But apart from Dun Ruo, the Marquis of Zongheng who bought horse bones for a thousand gold, the only Marquis of Che was Wang Jian's Marquis of Wucheng.
Under the hereditary title system, many nobles took three generations to advance to the next level of title.
Wei Zhang's title was demoted five times in a row. For him who was not a general of Qin, it would be difficult for him to return to his original title during the period of his grandson, even if the Wei family's ancestral graves were smoking. Once you have it, you still have a fire that cannot be extinguished by people pouring it on you.
Yao Jia, who had been abolished from the position of Shangqing, saw Wei Zhang, who was demoted to the fifth rank, pale and lost control of his expression, and his originally bitter heart suddenly felt much better.
Official positions cannot be hereditary, but titles can be hereditary.
Compared with the miserable Wei Zhang, Yao Jia was very lucky.
"Gai Nie Cao Zhao."
"only."
"From now on, the carriages will be on the same track, the carriages will be on the same track, and weights and measures will be unified, all in accordance with the Qin system."
Gai Nie wrote quickly without changing a word, thinking that he would let the licking dog polish his writing when he returned.
After the First Emperor finished speaking, Lu Buwei solemnly raised his hand.
"Your Majesty is holy."
The ministers did not think that the First Emperor was wise, they thought that the First Emperor was fatuous.
But looking at Wei Zhang, who was stunned on the spot, with no idea where he was, and looking at the chickens killed for these monkeys, no one dared to speak out against it.
They are reluctant to stand up and speak out His Majesty's wise words, just like listening to the leader's performance during a meeting, but also agreeing with the leader's right words to beat the workers.
In the midst of another shout of sage, Sima Yi, the head of the Sima family of the Qin family, stood up.
With a sincere face, he said: "What the Prime Minister said is very true, and Sima Yi deeply believes it. However, the prosperity of Qin lies in Qin's laws, the Qin army's wolves and tigers also depend on Qin's laws, and the Qin country's unification of the world still depends on Qin's laws. I invite you His Majesty.
"Since everything has been unified, the most important thing to unify is the Qin Law. Only in this way can we win the hearts of the people in the world, and in this way can the Qin Empire last forever. As a minister, I ask your majesty to abolish the laws and regulations of various places, and the world will follow them. Qin Law.”
Lu Buwei, who was just about to sit down, immediately stood up, turned around and stared at Sima Yi with eyes that wanted to bite him and drink his blood.
As soon as he opened his mouth, the echoing sound of mountains and tsunamis suddenly sounded, which was much louder and more sincere than the voices of His Majesty's Holy Wisdom just now.
"The prime minister's concerns are extremely serious. It is urgent to implement Qin's laws in the world. I second my opinion."
"A country cannot be run by two orders. I will second the advice of the state."
"The Qin Dynasty established its country based on law. Law is the cornerstone of the Qin Dynasty, and I will support the proposal of the prime minister."
"..."
There are countless people who seconded the proposal.
Although Lu Buwei opened his mouth and spoke loudly without stopping, the sound of so many words was suppressed and he could not hear what he said at all.
Sima Yi used Lu Buwei's logic and hid behind Lu Buwei in the name of Lu Buwei checking for leaks and filling the vacancies, and persuaded the First Emperor to fully implement Qin's laws.
All the nobles nominally followed Lu Buwei, but in fact they used Lu Buwei as a spearman. This trick was not uncommon.
The First Emperor sat back on the throne and curled up inside, looking at the commotion below and looking at the ignored Lu Buwei, silently indifferent.
[Lu Buwei, this court is no longer the court ten years ago. Your time has passed. ]
[Since you are the prime minister, you should be able to coerce the ministers. If this cannot be done, I will be really disappointed. ]
Li Si, who was observant of words and expressions, was caught in a dilemma when he looked at the Emperor Shihuang who was watching a play on the high platform, and Lu Buwei who was speaking but silent under the high platform.
According to his observation, the First Emperor obviously did not want to interfere with this matter and was testing Lu Buwei.
What Lu Buwei needs most at the moment is support. It will be extremely difficult to get his prestige back in the future.
As a newcomer to Ying Chengyu's team, Li Si wanted to stand up for Lu Buwei, but he was afraid that the First Emperor would be displeased.
When he was hesitating, he saw a man standing up from the table. He was more than nine feet tall, but his figure was too thin.
Walking among the ministers, it was like a bamboo pole being dragged along, very conspicuous.
The man's steps were steady, and he soon came to stand next to Lu Buwei. Although he never opened his mouth or said a word from beginning to end, his actions have made his position clear.
The history of Jiuqing's governance of Su Nei was paid to Zikang.
He has excellent arithmetic skills and overall planning skills. He claims that he only knows how to calculate accounts but not about government affairs. Fu Zikang, who came from a lowly background and gave the name to Ying Chengxiang, was not loyal to the King of Qin, but loyal to the King.
Fu Zikang was once one of the many unnamed guests of Chang'an Jun's Mansion, an ordinary man. What I am helping today is not the prime minister of the Great Qin Empire, but the merchants of the Chang'an Junfu.
Ying Chengyu didn't ask Fu Zikang for any instructions beforehand, and Fu Zikang didn't know that Ying Chengyu had escaped.
The governor of the Great Qin Empire only knew one thing: his life was saved by his Majesty, so he should return it to the Majesty. Whenever your Majesty needs him, he should step forward.
Li Si was still hesitant, thinking about how he was resisted by the ministers when the system of prefectures and counties was established that day, and Ying Chengyu used nonsense to break the situation to prevent him from being showered with saliva.
[This is not your Majesty. There are many things your Majesty can do, but this is not what you can do! ]
He sat calmly, looking away from the crowd or Lu Buwei, and focused on the ground.
Having made a decision, his legs tightened, as if they might spring up at any time.
Lu Buwei, who had been greatly favored by him, was in danger. If he didn't save him, his conscience would be uneasy.
Although he himself doesn't know if he still has a conscience...
The First Emperor was not surprised to see Fu Zikang's actions.
After all, this is someone who dares to say in front of him that his salary is more than that of Chang'an Junfu, and his family is much richer.
However, if there is an order from the emperor, he can resign from his position as Zhisu Neishi in a short time.
"The backup plan left by Zhuzi? But it's not enough."
The First Emperor was talking to himself, and his words could only be heard by Ge Nie, who was sitting at his desk writing the imperial edict, and Zhao Gao, who was standing respectfully and hunched over in front of him.
"Don't talk about Zhi Su Neishi. If you want to suppress these people, you can't do it even if all nine ministers stand together."
Gai Nie stopped writing and looked at the sound below, which did not weaken at all but seemed to get a little louder.
"Your Majesty, can I kill with my sword?"
The paralyzed swordsman asked with an expressionless face, as if he was telling a joke.
Zhao Gao's body trembled slightly.
[Gao originally thought he would not be frightened by this plague god, but he overestimated himself...]
"No."
The First Emperor said coldly, giving Gai Nie a warning look.
He didn't think that Gai Nie was joking. Yesterday, many people from the three major families died at the hands of the person next to him who rarely wrote, often held a sword and had no idea about his official government affairs.
"Why?"
Gai Nie asked coldly.
[I could kill yesterday, why can’t I kill today? ]
Zhao Gao stopped breathing for a moment.
[How could the God of Plague ask this question? How dare you ask His Majesty to allow you to kill ministers in Xianyang Palace? ]
The First Emperor's breath also stopped for a beat.
[That Zhuzi was absolutely furious. There was nothing he could do about Gai Nie, so he sent him to me! ]
"Shut up! Write your edict!"
The First Emperor roared lowly.
"only."
Gai Nie wondered why he couldn't kill today and bowed his head.
"A group of birds are screaming loudly! The noise makes Nai Gong upset!"
A booming old voice spread throughout the Xianyang Palace, suppressing the noise of the officials. Only military commanders could have such a voice.
The ministers were not very familiar with this voice. After all, the speaker had not been in court for a long time. But there is only one person in Da Qin who can curse people like this in Xianyang Palace, Meng Ao.
[Meng Ao is familiar with Jiang Shang? ]
The ministers were shocked and stopped talking.
Meng Ao's influence was huge in the Qin court, and his disciples accounted for half of Qin's generals.
Lu Buwei didn't even look at him gratefully, and immediately reported it to the First Emperor.
"Your Majesty, this must not be done! Qin's laws cannot be implemented, and it is not the right time!"
Lu Buwei did not agree with the Qin law at all. He felt that the law was too strict. Once it is implemented in the world, the world will be in chaos.
The First Emperor shook his head.
"Accurately, the laws of Qin will be implemented throughout the world."
The ministers were overjoyed and called His Majesty to be wise.
