Not long after, several guards brought in a man.
Everyone has seen this person, it is the Korean envoy who chose the concubine this time - Zheng Guo.
Just when Zheng Guo was about to ask a courtesy, he heard Zhao Gao sternly say: "Kneel down!"
Zheng Guo originally thought that Ying Zheng summoned him to ask about canal construction, but he did not expect to be scolded. In panic, he quickly fell to the ground.
Ying Zheng said solemnly: "Zheng Guo, do you know your guilt?"
All the ministers looked confused.
Previously, Zheng Guo's suggestion to build the canal was given as a national gift, and everyone thought it was a good thing that benefited the country and the people, but they didn't expect that this time Ying Zheng would directly accuse Zheng Guo.
Zheng Guo also looked puzzled and said, "May I ask your Majesty, what crime did the foreign ministers commit?"
"Don't you know what crime you committed?" Ying Zheng said with a gloomy face.
"The foreign minister really doesn't know." Zheng Guo regained his composure. Although he was still kneeling on the ground, his expression was quite stoic.
"Hmph..." Ying Zheng snorted coldly and said, "Although you have committed a capital crime, if I don't point it out clearly, you will definitely be dissatisfied, and I will let you know clearly."
Zheng Guo cupped his hands and said, "My foreign ministers would like to hear the good news."
"I'm asking you, I'm afraid Han Feizi didn't just plan this plan to open the canal. He must have been planning it for several years." Ying Zheng stared at Zheng Guo, "Why do you take it out now and offer it to our great Qin?"
"This..." Zheng Guo's aura changed immediately.
"This policy seems to help Qin build water conservancy, but in fact it makes Qin busy building canals and has no time to send troops to attack Korea. Korea can rest and recuperate for a few years to build up enough troops to resist Qin." Ying Zheng paused and asked, "Right?"
Zheng Guo stopped talking and lowered his head, sweating profusely.
Everyone's eyes were also fixed on Zheng Guo. Judging from his expression, no one could fail to see that Ying Zheng was right, and Zheng Guo undoubtedly acquiesced.
Ying Zheng continued: "The three families of Zhao, Wei, and Han are divided into Jin, and they can be said to be of the same spirit. They really put a lot of effort into the Qin Dynasty. First, the weakest Han Dynasty proposed the strategy of opening a canal, and then Wei Guo He pretended to be a Chu man and assassinated a few people, while Zhao prepared a large army and waited for the opportunity."
"The result is that within a few years, Da Qin's financial resources will be exhausted due to canal construction; the war with Chu will be stalemate, and the morale of the army will be low and there will be no fighting power; while Zhao and Wei will send large armies to take advantage of the weakness. And enter. If it goes well, the situation of the three families dividing Qin will be staged in Qin."
"Right?"
Ying Zheng's accusation made Zheng Guo sit down on the ground in shock, his lips constantly trembling.
When all the ministers heard what King Qin said, their eyes widened with anger, as if they wanted to kill Zheng Guo with their eyes.
Mrs. Huayang also stared at Zheng Guo, as if she was afraid that he would fly away.
The whole place stood still for a moment, and you could hear the needle drop.
Ying Zheng stood up and walked over.
"Fortunately, God bless Great Qin. I tracked down the two assassins who assassinated me and exposed their identities. Just now, they were kneeling where you are now. Therefore, the decision just now was for Great Qin to send a large army to attack Wei, not Attack Chu." Ying Zheng said.
Zheng Guo raised his head and looked at Ying Zheng in surprise.
"What's even more fortunate is that Da Qin has not yet started to build the canal, so the national strength will not be damaged. Your life is in vain." Ying Zheng stood in front of Zheng Guo and said with a slight mockery.
"Hahaha..." Zheng Guo smiled bitterly and shook his head, stood up and said, "I never expected that the king of Qin is so young, but he is so impressive. Such careful plans of Zhao, Wei and Han were easily seen through by you. , Zheng Guo died in your hands, I don’t feel unjust."
"I won't kill you for the time being." Ying Zheng said leisurely, "The army attacks Wei. If the Wei army fights to the death and Zhao comes to help, Da Qin may not be sure of victory. But if it is easily destroyed on the way back, It's easy to conquer South Korea. When the time comes, wouldn't it be better to capture the King of Han and deal with it with you?"
"You..." Zheng Guo's face turned pale. He knew in his heart that this situation was not impossible. If Ying Zheng said it, he would definitely do it.
"And you, Zheng Guo." Ying Zheng said coldly, "Before you came, the King of Han ordered you to come and offer suggestions to delay the Qin Dynasty from attacking Han for a few years, so that South Korea could restore its military strength, but you have not been able to do so for several months. It’s difficult to do. If South Korea is really destroyed this time, then the number one sinner will be none other than you, Zheng Guo.”
Ying Zheng's every word is like a knife, and the eyes of the ministers are as captivating as thunder and lightning. No matter how strong Zheng Guo's psychological defense is, it will never be able to withstand it.
Zheng Guo knelt down again, but this time, he knelt down from his heart.
"The guilty minister, Zheng Guo, begs the King of Qin to let Korea go this time." Zheng Guo's eyes looked stern, "Zheng Guo cannot afford this eternal infamy. If the Qin Dynasty does not send troops to destroy Han this time, Zheng Guo is willing to die to apologize."
After saying that, Zheng Guo kowtowed deeply to Ying Zheng.
Ying Zheng seemed unmoved and said leisurely: "It's okay to apologize, but if I execute you to atone for South Korea's sins, what else can I get besides venting my anger?"
Zheng Guo seemed to see hope and looked up at Ying Zheng: "What do you mean, your Majesty?"
Ying Zheng spoke faster and said: "If you want Great Qin not to destroy Han, you need to exchange it for something of equal value, and your ability is far more valuable to me than your life."
There is an old Chinese saying that the living are always more useful than the dead.
Zheng Guo is also a smart man. How could he not understand what Ying Zheng meant? He was silent for a moment, and then he raised his hands and said: "Zheng Guo, the sinner, is willing to serve the King of Qin from now on. If the King of Qin does not mind, Zheng Guo is willing to use all his knowledge in his life to help the Qin Dynasty. Build this canal."
Ying Zheng was very pleased to see that Zheng Guo could pick it up and put it down.
"Hahaha..." Ying Zheng said with a smile, "If you are sincere, then building the canal will be a great achievement, and the merits and demerits will be equal, and I will naturally not attack South Korea again. But if..."
"If Zheng Guo is against his will, the king can send troops to destroy Han at any time, and Zheng Guo will do as he pleases." Zheng Guo said firmly, seeming to have made up his mind.
"In that case, get up." Ying Zheng said, "Take off your coat and put on Da Qin's official clothes."
"Thank you... thank you, Your Majesty." Zheng Guo changed his name to Ying Zheng, stood up, and took off his Korean official clothes.
A young eunuch held a set of Qin's official clothes and walked to Zheng Guo's side.
Zheng Guo put it on himself without even thinking.
The eyes of the ministers were no longer hostile, and they were quite impressed by Ying Zheng.
With a few moves, he exposed the conspiracy of the three Jin Dynasties and made Zheng Guo willingly build canals in Qin State.
Ying Zheng walked a few steps, then turned around and asked, "If I give you enough power and order you to be fully responsible for building this canal, how many years will it take to complete it?"
"Go back to the king." Zheng Guo had changed his clothes and said with cupped hands, "The king ordered his subordinates to build this canal before. In order to buy time for South Korea, the subordinates must be able to delay it. It will take at least ten years to complete. , and once there is a slight deviation in the financial resources, it will take even longer. Now, I will definitely try my best to build this canal for the king, and it is estimated that it will be completed in five years."
"Okay!" Ying Zheng said, "Then I will order you to be solely responsible for building the canal. At the same time, I will issue several laws to cooperate with you to complete the project faster and better."
"What kind of decree is it?" Zheng Guo asked.
Ying Zheng returned to the throne and said: "First of all, the construction of the canal must occupy fertile land. People who suffer losses due to the occupation of fertile land can be exempted from all taxes until the canal is completed."
"Second, laborers involved in the construction of canals will also be exempted from all taxes for three years. Those who contribute more will have their tax exemption years extended."
"Third, all laborers involved in building the canal will have their work points calculated based on the time and efficiency of their work. After the canal is repaired, the amount of water available in the canal, or the royal family's special grain seeds provided by the court, will be allocated based on the work points accumulated by the laborers. It will be used for farming after the water is ready.”
"What do you think?" Ying Zheng did not ask Zheng Guo, but asked the important ministers.
The court was silent for a while before the ministers started talking, and most of them were in agreement.
Lu Buwei stroked his beard and said: "The several laws mentioned by the king are really clever. In this way, the enthusiasm of the people to participate can be greatly mobilized. Presumably the construction period will also be shortened, and the shortened construction period will save money. The expenses must be far greater than the taxes these workers will be exempted from, so it can be said that it kills two birds with one stone."
Wang Jian held up his hands and said: "The supervision of the military may also be greatly reduced, and the expenditure saved will definitely be more than that."
"If this is done, the construction period will definitely be shortened by another two years." Zheng Guo said, "I am sure that it will be completed within three years."
"Three years?" Ying Zheng asked in surprise, "Are you sure it can be completed in three years?"
Zheng Guo handed over his hand and said, "If there are no major accidents, it should be completed in three years."
"Okay!" Ying Zheng said, "With your magnanimity, I will name this canal after you, and call it 'Zheng Guo Canal'."
"Zheng Guo thanks the king for the gift." Zheng Guo thanked him.
Ying Zheng looked at Zhao Gao again and said, "Zhao Gao, draw up the decree. However, the time is still set at five years, so don't be impatient."
"Follow the king's order." Zhao Gao said, cupping his hands.
Zhao Gao drafted two decrees, one to appoint Zheng Guo and the other to promulgate a decree.
After finishing writing, Zhao Gao handed the two decrees to Ying Zheng for review.
Ying Zheng looked at it carefully, then picked up the royal seal and stamped it on it.
Zhao Gao walked to Zheng Guo and read out the decree.
Zheng Guo knelt down to receive the decree. After that, he retreated and exited the hall.
Due to the change of status, Zheng Guo needed to return to the envoy station in South Korea to arrange the following matters. Moreover, the court discussion has not yet ended, and it is inappropriate for Zheng Guo to stay here, so Ying Zheng ordered him to leave.
After Zheng Guo left, the hall still seemed very quiet.
Everyone is still in a state of confusion.
The original intention of South Korea to provide advice is incredible; the conspiracy of Zhao, Wei, and Han is even more incredible; the most incredible thing is the sensitivity, wisdom, courage, calmness, and control of the development of things and the results shown by Ying Zheng It's clear to the chest.
"The matter of repairing the canal has been decided." Ying Zheng said, "My lords, let's move on to the next topic."
Lu Buwei collected his thoughts, cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, an important minister in the court has died of illness. According to the law, your Majesty's wedding needs to be postponed for a while to avoid bad omens."
Ying Zheng nodded and said: "This time I have married a large number of princesses from various countries. I am planning to build a few new palaces next to the palace. After the palace is built, I can hold a wedding ceremony and show off The great power of my country is Qin."
The atmosphere relaxed, and the ministers felt much more relaxed, and they all nodded.
"As for the specific date of the wedding, please let the Queen Mother know." Lu Buwei said to Mrs. Huayang.
Mrs. Huayang was originally the person with the highest status and seniority present, but Ying Zheng's performance just now made her presence almost invisible.
Mrs. Huayang asked: "How soon can the construction of this palace be completed?"
"The construction drawings have not been finalized yet," Lu Buwei said, "but according to the specifications stated by the king, it will not exceed two months at most."
"In two months, the mourning period of the Meng family will also pass." Mrs. Huayang said, "Then let's set the date of the king's wedding in two months."
Lu Buwei said: "I will try my best to shorten the construction period. After one month, the Queen Mother will choose an auspicious day. How about it?"
Mrs. Huayang nodded and said, "Then just like what Lu Xiangbang said, build the palace first and choose an auspicious day a month later."
All the ministers bowed their heads and responded.
Lu Buwei raised his hand and asked: "Your Majesty, envoys from various countries are still stationed outside the city. Postponing the wedding will only delay the envoys' time in Qin. What should we do?"
Ying Zheng thought for a while and said: "Explain the reasons for postponing the wedding to the envoys. If the envoys cannot stay in Qin for a long time, they can place the princess in the royal post house and return to the country on their own until the wedding. , just return to Qin."
"My lord, I respect the king's order." Lu Buwei responded.
Ying Zheng said loudly: "Do you still have a report that you want to report?"
The ministers looked at each other.
One after another, some people stood up and said what they wanted to say.
These court affairs should originally be resolved in court meetings, not court meetings. However, during the period after Ying Zheng succeeded to the throne, court meetings have basically been abandoned.
But now, the court meeting is reviving...
