The white mourning hall is solemn and a little sad.
Ying Zheng stood in front of everyone and said, "My lords, please listen to what I have to say."
Everyone present fell silent.
Ying Zheng said loudly: "General Meng Ao is the pillar of the Qin Dynasty and the pillar of the country. Do you agree?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, even the two princesses Hu Yu and Nan Su nodded like chickens pecking at rice.
"But I ask myself, I am too ashamed of General Meng Ao." Ying Zheng said, "There are three reasons for this."
"Since the White Age, Great Qin has never allowed anyone to hold the post of Daliang Zao. General Meng Ao has been doing the things of Daliang Zao for many years, but he has not been able to hold the post of Daliang Zao. This is something that generations of kings of Great Qin were ashamed of. General Ao's place. This is one of the..."
"Secondly, General Meng Ao has been fighting in the north and south for several years and has made countless military achievements. However, because I am young, I have neglected to reward General Meng Ao. This is why I feel ashamed of General Meng Ao."
"Thirdly, as we all know, General Meng Ao's hometown is in the far Qi Kingdom. Now, General Meng Ao has passed away, but he cannot return to his roots and be buried in his hometown. This is the reason why the people of the entire Qin Dynasty are ashamed of the old General Meng Ao..."
Speaking of this, Ying Zheng was a little moved and his voice was trembling.
Everyone present was affected by Ying Zheng's words, and they admired Meng Ao even more.
From the previous generations of kings to the current Ying Zheng, and even the entire country, they are all ashamed of Meng Ao. This is really unimaginable.
However, what Ying Zheng said was so reasonable that it was impossible to argue with it.
"So, I have decided to posthumously grant the title to General Meng Ao. The ministers have no objections." Ying Zheng glanced at everyone.
"No objection." Cheng Yu said first.
"Yes, I am afraid that no one here can match the achievements of Old General Meng." An old man from the royal family echoed.
Ying Zheng looked at Lu Buwei again.
Lu Buwei's expression was slightly embarrassed. In terms of meritorious service, he really cannot compare with Meng Ao.
However, on this occasion, Lu Buwei still nodded to Ying Zheng.
"In that case..." Ying Zheng said firmly, "Zhao Gao, draw up the decree."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Zhao Gao said in response.
"Posthumously, General Meng Ao was granted the title of Marquis of Yongxin. He led ten thousand households and granted fiefdom to five counties in northern Sichuan. He was admitted to the royal cemetery and buried with royal honors." Ying Zheng announced the decree in one breath.
Everyone's expressions were astonished. Most of them didn't expect that Ying Zheng's bestowal on Meng Ao was so generous, but no one was unconvinced.
Zhao Gao took two steps forward and said, "Meng Wu, why don't you take the order on your behalf?"
Only then did Meng Wu react and quickly knelt on the ground: "On behalf of my late father, I would like to express my gratitude to the king for your kindness."
Behind Meng Wu, Meng Tian, Meng Yi, and other family members all knelt down to thank him.
"Come on, my reward is nothing compared to what Old General Meng has done for the Qin State." Ying Zheng said lightly.
Meng Wu and everyone in the Meng family stood up with their hands raised.
Ying Zheng's pursuit of Meng Ao actually had a deeper meaning.
In one, he said that he had not given a reasonable reward to Meng Ao because he was young, but now, it was implied that he was an adult.
Secondly, he wanted all the officials to know that the rewards that should have been given but could not be carried out will be made up in the future. This will undoubtedly make people look forward to the return of royal power.
Lu Buwei stood up next to him and said: "Since the title is over, after all the journey is tiring, it is better for the king to return to the palace to rest."
"What Mr. Lu said is absolutely true," Meng Wu said solemnly, "Your Majesty is tired from the journey, so he should pay attention to his rest."
Ying Zheng was indeed a little tired and responded: "Then I will go back to the palace first. We will discuss the remaining matters tomorrow."
Ying Zheng knew in his heart that after being canonized, it was best to leave temporarily so that he could show his respect for Wang Yan.
"Meng Yi, take the king back to the palace on behalf of my father," Meng Wu said.
Ying Zheng was in front, and everyone was behind, and they left the Meng Mansion one after another.
After leaving the door, Ying Zheng directly mounted his horse, turned around and said to Lu Buwei: "Father Zhong, please settle the two princesses. Come to the palace tomorrow. I have important matters to discuss with Father Zhong."
Lu Buwei responded with his hand.
Ying Zheng urged his horse and led Zhao Gao straight to the palace. Meng Yi also urged his horse to follow.
Lu Buwei dismissed everyone, and sent people to send Princess Nansu to Huayang Palace, and Princess Hu Yu to the temporary residence of Zhao State.
After walking some distance, Ying Zheng looked at Meng Yi, whose face was full of sadness, and said: "Meng Yi, please forgive me, after all, people cannot be resurrected after death."
"It's okay, Your Majesty. I just feel that my brother didn't get to see my grandfather for the last time, and I feel sorry for him." Meng Yi said.
"Why don't I feel sorry for him, so I have publicly honored Old General Meng, hoping to make up for the shortcomings in my heart." Ying Zheng shook his head slightly.
"It is the greatest honor for a minister to be recognized and granted a title by the king after he passes away. My grandfather and his spirit in heaven will probably be very pleased." Meng Yi felt relieved.
"Okay, go back and spend more time with your father. The sadness in his heart is actually more serious, but he just doesn't want to show it." Ying Zheng said.
"The minister will be sent away not far away. Your Majesty, go back and have a rest." Meng Yi turned his horse's head and returned to Meng's Mansion.
Looking at Meng Yi's retreating back, Ying Zheng sighed softly, thinking of his father, Ying Yiren.
The sadness in my heart became a little more intense.
Back in the palace, Ying Zheng first visited Mrs. Xia.
Mrs. Xia and Ying Fu were planting flowers in the yard. They were overjoyed to see Ying Zheng back. They asked questions, obviously not knowing about Ying Zheng's kidnapping.
Ying Fu must have heard about it, but he definitely didn't tell Mrs. Xia.
Ying Zheng also gradually calmed down during his conversation with Mrs. Xia.
After leaving Mrs. Xia's courtyard, Ying Zheng went to Huayang Palace again.
If two grandmothers only visit one of them when they return to the palace, problems may arise.
As soon as they entered Huayang Palace, they met Changping Lord Xiong Qi telling Mrs. Huayang about the Meng Mansion. Princess Nansu was also listening and adding a few words from time to time.
Changping Jun, a clan relative of Mrs. Huayang, is also the younger brother of the current King of Chu, and Chengjiao's uncle. He was used as a hostage in Qin when he was young. He is a representative figure of the Mi family and even the Chu family in Qin, and his background cannot be underestimated. watch for.
Seeing Ying Zheng entering the door, Lord Changping stood up and held his hands in his hands and said, "I have seen your Majesty."
Princess Nansu also bowed gently.
"Mr. Changping, there is no need to be polite." Ying Zheng waved his hand, nodded to Princess Nansu, and then handed over to Mrs. Huayang and said, "Zheng'er pays homage to Grandma Wang."
"Zheng'er, I heard that you were kidnapped while traveling. Is this true?" Mrs. Huayang came over and asked eagerly.
"Although it was thrilling, we were lucky enough to be kidnapped. We only lost some ransom money. Please don't worry, Grandma Wang." Ying Zheng said calmly.
Then, Ying Zheng briefly told Mrs. Huayang what he had experienced in the past few days. Of course, the matter with the old man in white must be hidden.
Mrs. Huayang sometimes frowned, sometimes stared, and her expression changed.
"In terms of the result, I lost some money, but I exposed Wei Guo's conspiracy, which is still a good deal." After telling the experience of these days, Ying Zheng followed up.
"It's really too much to bully someone." Before Mrs. Huayang could speak, Lord Changping said angrily.
Mrs. Huayang, however, looked very calm and said in a deep voice: "Do you think that Wei Guo's actions have anything to do with the Meng family's affairs?"
"The cause of the matter is still under investigation." Ying Zheng said, "But if we can speculate, it is not without connection."
Lord Changping analyzed: "During General Meng's lifetime, the State of Wei attacked the most and robbed the most land. It is said that everyone in the Wei State held a grudge against General Meng, but because they were afraid of General Meng, they For many years, I have never dared to take the initiative to go to war with Qin."
Ying Zheng nodded and said: "So, Wei dared not go to war with Da Qin head-on, so they had to secretly instigate Da Qin to consume Da Qin. Even if the conspiracy was exposed and Da Qin attacked Wei, they would no longer be afraid of Da Qin without General Meng. .”
"Sure enough, he played a good chess move." Changping Jun said, stroking the beard on his chin.
Mrs. Huayang said: "It seems that not long after Meng Ao fell ill, the State of Wei learned about the matter and started a careful plan."
"However, the Meng family has kept the matter of General Meng's serious illness a secret." Ying Zheng said, "Even I only learned about it when Cheng Jiao accidentally mentioned it."
"That's not necessarily true. A lot of people attended the court meeting when General Meng resigned," Chang Pingjun said, rolling his eyes.
"That's true." Ying Zheng nodded and said, "Maybe it was then that the news of General Meng's serious illness spread to the ears of other countries."
Mrs. Huayang asked: "Where is Lu Buwei, what does he think of your assassination?"
"Fu Zhong said that after returning to the palace, he would make some adjustments and then raise his troops to attack Wei." Ying Zheng said.
"It should be so." Mrs. Huayang nodded and said, "It's okay if you don't know the truth. Now that you have seen through Wei Guo's conspiracy, let them know the consequences of this trip."
"If we want to attack Wei, the people who are most familiar with Wei must be the Meng family, but..." Ying Zheng frowned slightly and said, "The current situation of the Meng family is that they cannot go to war. Look, Grandma Wang, Who is better to send to attack Wei?"
"I would like to send my troops to you!" Lord Changping said urgently before Mrs. Huayang could speak.
Mrs. Huayang glanced at Lord Changping and said to Ying Zheng: "Old General Meng died of illness yesterday. After Cheng Jiao came back from Meng Mansion, she said that he was determined to attack cities and build strongholds for the Qin Dynasty like Old General Meng. If there is another war, he will fight on behalf of General Meng to guard General Meng's spirit in heaven."
Ying Zheng was taken aback and asked, "Grandma said that Cheng Jiao is going to lead troops to fight?"
Mrs. Huayang nodded and looked at Ying Zheng's reaction.
"Isn't that inappropriate? Cheng Jiao hasn't bowed yet, so how can she lead the troops to kill the enemy?" Ying Zheng said anxiously, "Besides, I only have a younger brother. If the sword has no eyes on the battlefield, I'm afraid... "
"I think it would be good to let Cheng Jiao go out for some exercise," Mrs. Huayang said. "Just send a capable general as his deputy. If you don't let him fulfill his wish, I'm afraid he will get sick."
Seeing what Mrs. Huayang said, Ying Zheng understood Mrs. Huayang's intention and said instead: "Let's discuss this matter after I ask Father Zhong tomorrow."
Mrs. Huayang nodded and did not insist anymore.
From the bottom of his heart, Ying Zheng did not want Cheng Jiao to lead troops into battle. One reason is that Cheng Jiao is indeed too young and it is too early to go out for training. Secondly, no king of a country would want his brothers to steal his limelight. Third, and the most important point, Qin sent troops to punish Wei. If Chengjiao failed due to Chengjiao's lack of experience, it would be a disgrace to Wei, which would make Wei even more arrogant.
Mrs. Huayang asked again about Ying Zheng's posthumous title to Meng Ao, but she only asked and did not make any comments. She basically acquiesced in Ying Zheng's approach.
After coming out of Huayang Palace, it was already dark, and Ying Zheng returned to his dormitory.
Li Si is waiting for him to come back in the study.
The two finally had space to communicate independently, and Ying Zheng also asked the questions he had been holding back for many days.
Li Si also answered truthfully.
Ying Zheng asked Li Si again why he didn't tell him the truth and set up a series of plans to prevent assassination.
Li Si knew that Ying Zheng was looking for a way down the stairs, so he knelt down to apologize.
Ying Zheng shook his head with a wry smile and helped Li Si up, but he felt much more comfortable in his heart.
Li Si immediately said: "Your Majesty, please go to Wen Lei Residence with the common people."
"It's already dark, why do we have to pass at this time?" Ying Zheng asked in confusion.
"Don't you want the things the master gave you?" Li Si said with a smile.
Only then did Ying Zheng remember his agreement with Jing Liang. Jing Liang would definitely return to Xianyang before him, and Wen Lei Ju was also the best place to meet.
Arriving at Wenleiju, the three met in a relatively closed room.
Jing Liang handed over the things the old man had given to Ying Zheng, and told Ying Zheng the placement of the ransom money.
After that, the three of them briefly made a plan to go to the tomb of King Wu of Zhou Dynasty.
After making a plan, Jing Liang took out another piece of cotton and handed it to Ying Zheng.
"The king said before that he wanted to build a small palace with multiple secret rooms. This is the palace drawing that was drawn in the past few days." Jing Liang said.
Ying Zheng happily took the cotton and opened it to look at it.
"Your Majesty, please give me a name." Li Si said.
Ying Zheng thought for a while and said: "The biggest discovery I have made during this trip is the ancient ruins and the Tiancheng Palace. Let's call it the "Gucheng Palace"."
Li Si and Jing Liang looked at each other and thought to themselves: The king's naming skills are not much better than those of the master!
