Xianyang, inside the imperial palace.
The emperor Ying Jiuxiao was at his desk reviewing government affairs.
Although Ying Jiuxiao is nearly sixty years old, his physical condition is very good. After all, Ying Jiuxiao also practiced martial arts in his early years. Even if his martial arts skills are not very strong, it is enough to strengthen his body.
Ying Jiuxiao felt a little irritated when he looked at the many government affairs in the memorial. Because the memorial mentioned that droughts occurred in many places in Yongzhou of the Great Qin Dynasty, making the people's lives quite difficult.
Qin State is located in the northwest, and its land is inherently poorer, inferior to Xia State and Qi State.
Because the people of Qin are simple and honest, the people are more adept at fighting and more valiant. In particular, the Qin State attaches great importance to military merit and attaches great importance to its officers and soldiers. Therefore, if the soldiers dare to fight and kill, Qin can firmly establish a foothold on the western border and occupy a corner of the world.
Now, something like a drought has happened, which makes Ying Jiuxiao feel a little irritable.
A burst of footsteps broke the silence of the hall. A chamberlain entered, stood with a bow, and reported: "Your Majesty, Wang Tang, the Minister of Household Affairs, wishes to see you."
"pass!"
Ying Jiuxiao ordered.
The chamberlain went to convey the order, and not long after, he saw Wang Tang entering in a hurry and bowing in salute.
Ying Jiuxiao rubbed his tired face, put down the memorial, and asked, "Wang Qing, what's the matter?"
Wang Tang took out a letter from his sleeve and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, this is the memorial sent back by Quanzi. The matter is serious, so he asked me to report it directly to Your Majesty. Although the matter may be important, Quanzi despises the superior and goes against the grain. I beg your Majesty to convict you of this crime."
Having said this, Wang Tang knelt down directly.
Ying Jiuxiao was a little surprised.
Wang Yue wrote a special memorial and asked Wang Tang to forward it to him. Such an operation was indeed contrary to officialdom. Under normal circumstances, when you encounter something, you must report it at various levels.
If you skip a level at will, on the one hand, you will mess up the rules. On the other hand, if everyone does this, the emperor will be in chaos.
Ying Jiuxiao waved his hand to ask Wang Tang to stand up, but took it over anyway. He read it carefully and found that the letter was sealed and had not been opened. Ying Jiuxiao opened the letter and took out the memorial.
Ying Jiuxiao browsed carefully, but the further down he browsed, the colder his face became.
The Li family in Yongning County is very rich.
It’s just money.
A big family, any big family has accumulated countless wealth. However, the Li family's hoarding of millions of kilograms of grain in a mere Yongning County was a bit excessive.
Ying Jiuxiao's old face turned completely dark.
In the main hall, the atmosphere suddenly became solemn.
When Wang Tang saw Ying Jiuxiao's expression, his thoughts changed and he said, "Your Majesty, what happened in Yongning County? The dog is ignorant and has overstepped its bounds. Please punish him. This kid has no scruples in his words and deeds, so he deserves a beating."
"Wang Yue did a great job."
Ying Jiuxiao gave the letter to Wang Tang and said, "Let's take a look."
Wang Tang took it and browsed it quickly. After reading the contents of the letter, he returned the memorial to Ying Jiuxiao with a look of shock on his face and said, "Your Majesty, the situation in the letter is a bit scary."
"Although the aristocratic families are rich, even my Wang family has a lot of money, but they dare not hoard millions of catties of grain like this, let alone hundreds of thousands of taels of silver, and many good land titles."
"It's really shocking that a mere Li family in Yongning County has so many assets."
"However, Yongning County is also somewhat special. It is located to the east of Da Qin and is not too far from Xia Kingdom. Yongning County itself is the place where the commerce of Da Qin and Xia Kingdom gathers. Xianyang Li's business is all under the premise of the Li family in Yongning County. It’s actually not surprising to have such money and food.”
"After all, the Li family has a good foundation."
"So Li Xu has made a lot of money in Yongning County, and I agree. However, if Li Xu has other thoughts, especially when this letter mentions that the Li family collaborated with the enemy and betrayed the country, I don't believe it."
Wang Tang clasped his hands together and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, please give me a clear warning."
Ying Jiuxiao was a little surprised and asked: "Wang Qing, you and Li Xu are always incompatible, but you actually speak for Li Xu?"
Wang Tang said sternly: "I have a conflict with Li Xu, but it is a private feud between the two families. When it comes to national affairs, how can we abolish the official position for personal reasons? My Wang family is a family of generals. Although I do not join the army, I still have a passion for it. . Men have personal vendettas and should resolve them privately. If our Wang family wants to defeat the Li family, we must do so in a dignified way and make the Li family submissive."
Ying Jiuxiao stroked his beard under his chin, with a look of approval on his face, and nodded: "What a passionate person, and the character of the Wang family, I admire him very much."
Wang Tang said: "Your Majesty praises Miao."
"Tap! Tread!"
At this moment, there was a sound of footsteps, and a chamberlain entered, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, there is a memorial sent back by Cao Xizhi of Fufeng County. Please read it."
Ying Jiuxiao took it, and when he opened the letter and saw the contents, a hint of joy appeared on his face.
This memorial is to ask for credit from Wang Yue and Lin Feng.
In the letter, it was said that many places in Fufeng County were suffering from drought and water shortage, but Yongning County dredged ditches under Wang Yue's auspices. Lin Feng invented a bobbin cart to draw water from the Yongning River, and irrigated the entire Yongning County day and night from the ditches.
The drought in Yongning County has eased.
At present, Cao Xizhi has begun to promote barrel carts in Fufeng County. The drought in Fufeng County will soon be alleviated. In addition, Cao Xizhi also talked about Li Qian causing trouble in Yongning County and leading people to cause trouble everywhere.
At the end of the memorial, the manufacturing drawings of the barrel cart were attached to facilitate promotion by the court.
After Ying Jiuxiao read it, he directly gave the memorial to Wang Tang and said with a smile: "Wang Qing, I didn't expect that your son's kind act would solve the drought in Yongning County. Wang Yue's previous letter only mentioned the Li family in Yongning County. There is no mention of drought relief in Yongning County among family matters."
"Cao Xizhi's memorial just now said that Yongning County used barrel trucks to collect water, which completely alleviated the drought crisis. It has already begun to be promoted in Fufeng County. I am ready to implement this on a large scale in Qin State."
Wang Tang took a cursory look at Cao Xizhi's memorial, and then said: "Wang Yue knew clearly that the drought was important, but he did not report the news. I have not been strict in educating my children. Please forgive me."
Ying Jiuxiao was overjoyed when he saw that the drought had been alleviated. He flicked his sleeves and said with a smile: "What's the crime? You are just cautious in everything. You don't look like the Wang family at all."
Wang Tang said seriously: "The Wang family is proud, but not arrogant. In front of His Majesty, as a minister, you should have the attitude of a minister, how can you be arrogant?"
Ying Jiuxiao stroked his beard and nodded slightly.
He and Wang Tang are not only monarchs and ministers, but also old friends who have known each other for decades. After all, when Ying Jiuxiao was the crown prince, Wang Tang was an official in the crown prince's mansion.
Ying Jiuxiao said sternly: "I originally thought that Lin Feng would not make a difference for the time being. Unexpectedly, he has already made a difference. The barrel cart he invented is very good."
"This object is worth promoting in our country of Qin. Even if there is no drought, you can still use the barrel truck to get water, which can reduce manpower consumption. This object has a great effect."
"Your Majesty is holy."
Wang Tang bowed and answered.
"Your Majesty, Li Xu, Minister of War, wants to see you."
At this moment, a chamberlain stood at the door of the hall and bowed.
"pass!"
Ying Jiuxiao spoke in a deep voice.
His expression suddenly darkened. For Li Xu, Ying Jiuxiao also relies heavily on him. After all, Li Xu is quite capable and the military department he presides over is very good. However, the Li family went overboard this time.
The chamberlain went to deliver the order, and not long after, a tall and sturdy middle-aged man stepped in.
The person who came was clearly Li Xu.
He was in his early forties and in his prime. He was dressed in black robes and a long crown. He was neatly dressed and looked majestic. When he entered the main hall and saw Wang Tang, a stern look flashed in his eyes.
Li Xu already knew that the Li family in Yongning County was destroyed. The Li family in Yongning County is one of the most important commercial bases of the Li family. Many of their money, food, and industries are located in Yongning County.
Now, Wang Yue is taking over everything.
This is what Li Xu is angry about.
Li Xu secretly cursed Li Qian for his incompetence, but he knew better that the Wang family had taken over the Li family in Yongning County, and Li Qian, Li Yu and his son were both dead. The case was settled and there was no room for change.
It is impossible for the Wang family to let him reverse the verdict.
In particular, Li Qian's case has been closed in Yongning County, so he has no chance to intervene.
What Li Xu wants to do now is to fight back.
Li Xu is the patriarch of a large family. He used his own thoughts to guess Wang Yue and believed that after such a huge sum of money and property entered the Wang family's pockets, the Wang family would definitely not be exposed and would embezzle the property money.
This is Li Xu's opportunity.
Anyway, the Li family was already in trouble. At this time, with the help of the Li family's property that the Wang family had swallowed up, Wang Tang was also dragged into the water, making the Wang family difficult. In this way, everyone was in the same boat.
Li Xu entered the hall and stood still, bowing and saying: "My lord, I would like to pay homage to your Majesty."
Ying Jiuxiao said coldly: "What's the matter?"
Li Xu frowned slightly when he heard Ying Jiuxiao's tone. He then thought that it was most likely that Li Qian's incident had been reported.
Li Xu was not in a hurry and said solemnly: "Reporting to your majesty, I heard news from Yongning County that all branches of the Li family in Yongning County were killed and all their property was confiscated."
Ying Jiuxiao said calmly: "It's not a killing, it's a suicide, a robbery and killing of officials."
Li Xu's heart trembled.
Listening to Ying Jiuxiao's words, he seemed to feel the pressure on his face, and even more so, he seemed to feel the emperor's anger over this matter. After all, Li Qian led his people to stir up trouble and prevent Yongning County from controlling the drought.
This is a black spot that cannot be erased.
Li Xu cheered up and said solemnly: "Your Majesty, Li Qian has been acting recklessly in Yongning County, and he really deserves to be killed. If he dies, he deserves to die. I am not strict in discipline, which has caused people in the Li family to act recklessly. I am guilty."
Ying Jiuxiao hummed and didn't say anything more, which meant he didn't express his position.
Li Xu continued: "Your Majesty, this time the Li family was confiscated. My Li family is doing business in Yongning County and has a lot of property, including millions of catties of grain. Although these were confiscated, they should not be taken by the Wang family. Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly to see if Wang Yue has enriched his own pockets? These properties should have been rushed into the national treasury."
After finishing his words, Li Xu looked towards Wang Tang with a stern look in his eyes.
Your son Wang Yue must be hiding something secret.
As long as Wang Yue embezzles the money and food, then Wang Yue will definitely be in trouble. The credit for controlling local droughts will also be wiped out.
Wang Tang looked calm and did not speak.
Ying Jiuxiao said: "Li Xu, you know how to deal with it. If there is a problem in the Li family, you will expose it just because of lax discipline. Instead, directly say that Wang Yue swallowed money and food."
Li Xu felt a little uneasy.
Something doesn't seem right.
Li Xu felt that something was a little tricky, but he had an arrow on the string and had to take action. He continued: "Your Majesty, the Li family has been doing business in the local area for many years and has accumulated some. It is normal. Li Qian committed a crime and should be killed. However, if these It is a pity that money has been corrupted. Therefore, I have the courage to speak out."
Ying Jiuxiao's eyes were sharp and he said: "You still have the nerve to say, let me take a look."
After he finished speaking, he grabbed the memorial on the desk in front of him and threw it directly in front of Li Xu.
boom!
There seemed to be thunder exploding in Li Xu's mind.
Somewhat confused.
what's the situation?
Li Xu bent down and picked up the memorial. When he opened the letter and saw the contents, his eyes widened with a look of disbelief on his face. Wang Yue actually reported all the materials, food, money and land deeds owned by the Li family in Yongning County.
Moreover, the amount is extremely huge.
There are some parts that Li Xu doesn't even know about.
How can it be?
Wang Yue actually didn't embezzle any of it. If he had been the one to deal with it, he would have embezzled most of it and handed over a small amount.
The current situation is beyond expectation.
thump!
Li Xu was so frightened that he knelt on the ground, knocked his head on the ground, and said: "Your Majesty, I didn't know that Li Qian was so skillful in taking possession of so much money and materials in Yongning County. I am guilty of failing to discipline my family well." Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"Of course you are guilty."
Ying Jiuxiao said coldly: "The Li family is so engaged in business that they even resell my Daqin grain. You have nothing to do with this matter. You are not strict in your upbringing. You will be fined for one year. You will be demoted to the Minister of the Ministry of War and temporarily act as the Secretary of the Ministry of War."
"I obey the decree."
Li Xu lay prone on the ground, sticking his butt out, and responded respectfully.
He secretly hated it.
All this belongs to the Wang family and Wang Tang’s plan. He is the Minister of the Ministry of War, and he will have the opportunity to go further in the future, perhaps becoming the Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty. After his retirement, although he was temporarily acting as Minister of War, his official position was actually lowered, making him weaker than Wang Tang.
The speed of improvement in the future will also slow down, step by step, and there will be a gap between him and Wang Tang.
This is what Li Xu secretly hates.
No, there is also Lin Feng.
This man was in Yongning County, cheering for Wang Yue and even making suggestions. Especially when it came to overthrowing Li Qian, Lin Feng was the dog-headed strategist.
Lin Feng, damn it.
Li Xu had already made plans in his heart, and he would arrange for people to go to Yongning County to deal with Lin Feng after he returned.
The Li family is not something Lin Feng can offend.
Ying Jiuxiao no longer wanted to talk to Li Xu, waved his hand and said: "Step back."
"I excuse myself."
Li Xu kowtowed again and then respectfully stepped back.
In the main hall, only Ying Jiuxiao and Wang Tang were left. Wang Tang had nothing to do at the moment, so he took the initiative and said: "Your Majesty, I will leave."
Ying Jiuxiao nodded, and Wang Tang also left.
Ying Jiuxiao sat alone in the main hall, thinking about what happened to the Li family this time. In fact, in Da Qin, various aristocratic families have been doing business for a long time, and it is impossible to stop it.
After all, Da Qin was supported by these aristocratic families. Most of the people in the officialdom were from the Qin aristocracy.
It's just that the Li family did it too wildly.
"Your Majesty, I have sent back the news of winning twelve."
At this moment, a person walked out from the dark. He was Ying San, the leader of Daqin Black Ice Platform, and also the shadow of Ying Jiuxiao. Wearing a black robe, he took out a letter and handed it to Ying Jiuxiao's hand.
Ying Jiuxiao took it and browsed it quickly. After reading it, he couldn't help but be surprised: "Lin Feng is actually Xun Changqing's disciple, and he and Han Qianqiu are brothers?"
Xun Changqing is a famous Confucian and a leader in the literary world. Even if you look at the whole world, he is one of the best. With Han Qianqiu in the Qin State, there were many more scholars, especially Han Qianqiu who trained many talents.
Therefore, Ying Jiuxiao respected Xunzi very much. He even sent someone to invite him, but unfortunately he never succeeded.
Ying San stood without speaking.
Ying Jiuxiao rubbed his hands, and there was other information about Lin Feng in the letter, such as Lin Feng's exile to the Bai family, and Lin Feng's situation in the Bai family, in addition to the process of Lin Feng and Wang Yue getting to know each other.
A lot of information has been compiled and it can be determined that Lin Feng is Lin Yuanzhong's son.
Now Ying Jiuxiao discovered that Lin Feng was not only from a family of generals in the Xia Kingdom, but also a disciple of Xunzi, and a closed disciple who inherited the mantle. This identity was too important.
It will also be helpful to Da Qin’s future.
At this moment, another chamberlain entered, and after standing still, he said respectfully: "Your Majesty, the great scholar Han Qianqiu has left White Deer Academy. For the time being, his whereabouts are unknown."
"knew."
Ying Jiuxiao waved his hand.
The chamberlain turned around and left.
Because Ying Jiuxiao received the news from Ying Twelve, he knew that Han Qianqiu must have left in a hurry to meet Lin Feng in Yongning County. After all, they were brothers.
Ying Jiuxiao looked at Ying San and asked: "Ying San, Lin Feng's current identity is not only as simple as a child of a general family, but also as a member of Xunzi's inheritance. Can Ying Twelve protect Lin Feng?"
Ying San bowed and said: "Your Majesty, Ying Twelve is strong enough to protect Lin Feng."
Ying Jiuxiao said: "Send the order to Ying Twelve. He can die, but Lin Feng can't make any mistakes. If Lin Feng is in Yongning County and anything goes wrong, he will come to see him. In addition, the power of Heibingtai in Fufeng County , let Ying Twelve mobilize and cooperate with his arrangements."
"Here!"
Ying San bowed in agreement.
But after Ying San responded, he looked like he was hesitant to speak.
Ying Jiuxiao glanced at Ying San and ordered: "What do you want to say? Just say it directly?"
Ying San said: "Your Majesty, since Lin Feng's status is important, why not invite him to Xianyang? He has conflicts with Da Qin, and he is a disciple of Xunzi. Let him come to Xianyang for better arrangements."
A flash of light flashed across Ying Jiuxiao's eyes, and he said: "First, young people need experience, and I can also observe more. Second, Lin Feng has a big enemy and is destined to come to Xianyang. Therefore, I am not in a hurry."
Ying San said to His Majesty, bowed and bowed before disappearing into the darkness.
Ying Jiuxiao sat alone.
His tiger eyes were shining brightly, and his expression was even more excited. He murmured: "Lin Feng, Lin Feng, you really surprise me. I hope you can take root in Da Qin and become my Da Qin." people."
"We, the Great Qin, have lived in a corner for generations, and have accumulated strength from generation to generation, but have stopped in Guanzhong. Now that you are here, will you give Great Qin an opportunity to go east?"
"I'll wait and see."
"Hahaha……"
The hearty and heroic laughter echoed in the hall for a long time.
