Ying Zheng followed Lu Buwei's wishes and gave Sima Hong an official position, and the power of this official position was not small.
Ying Zheng looked at Lu Buwei and saw that Lu Buwei's expression showed no doubts. He seemed to be just waiting for Sima Hong's reply.
Sima Hong cupped his hands and said: "Your Majesty, it is our great fortune that Caomin father and son met the King and were appreciated by the King. It is also the duty of the people of Qin to serve the King. In order to repay the King's knowledge and encounter, Well, the grassroots people are willing to dedicate the harvest of hundreds of fertile fields to the royal family forever."
Sima Hong said it very sincerely. This statement seems very reasonable on the surface. Sima Cuo wanted to repay his kindness and gave back to the royal family. It was also the food harvested from the cultivated land, not the land. Once the land changed hands in the future, this agreement would be terminated.
Another subtlety of this move is that it logically rationalizes the cultivation of original grain seeds. The cultivated land serves the royal family. Of course, what the royal family likes to eat must be grown on these cultivated lands. Sima Hong only mentioned the area of Baiqing, but did not say whether it was a whole piece of land or multiple separate pieces. Since the royal family had to plant whatever they wanted to eat, they would inevitably select small pieces of land in various places to plant different crops. Supplies the royal family.
Ying Zheng took advantage of the situation to the extreme today and said: "Mr. Sima is so generous, how can the royal family accept it in vain? I will give you a thousand households, reward you with a hundred thousand silver coins, and ten servants."
After speaking, Ying Zheng looked at Lu Buwei.
Lu Buwei was silent for a moment, then said to Sima Hong: "Master Sima, why don't you thank me quickly?"
Lu Buwei figured this out. As a treasury, it was a good deal, not to mention that he could make friends with Sima Hong.
"I would like to express my gratitude to the King for his kindness. My father and son will definitely serve the King wholeheartedly." Sima Hong bowed and saluted.
"Hahaha, in this case, I would like to congratulate the king. It is really a blessing for our king and even the great Qin Dynasty to have such virtuous talents as Sima and his son." Lu Buwei said with a smile.
Instead of blocking the appointment of Sima and his son, Lu Buwei was very happy, and Ying Zheng was completely relieved.
"Then the matter is settled like this. If I bother Father Zhong to announce it in the court, Sima and his son will officially take office." Ying Zheng said.
"This is natural, the king can rest assured." Lu Buwei said.
Ying Zheng nodded and said: "I am in a better mood than before coming here. It is almost noon. Sima Jie, this is the place under your jurisdiction. Please arrange some food and drinks."
Sima Jie bowed his hands in response and stepped back to prepare the food and drinks.
Although the food and drinks in Wen Lei Ju were not as good as those in the palace, they were much richer than usual. There was also one more person at the wine table, Li Si.
Li Si, as always, didn't talk much when there were many people, and would only say a few words when he was alone with Ying Zheng.
Everyone was drinking and chatting. The atmosphere was completely relaxed and not as tense as in the court.
After the banquet, Lu Buwei said that he still had some official business to attend to, so he resigned and returned home.
After Lu Buwei left, there was a different atmosphere in Wen Lei Ju.
"Lord Sima, you have worked hard during this period." Ying Zheng said.
Sima Hong cupped his hands and said: "Time is tight, and the cultivation of original grain seeds cannot be delayed. No matter how hard I work, I will definitely complete the king's order."
"Lu Xiangbang was here just now. It's not convenient to ask about these matters. What's the progress on Yuan Guzhong?" Ying Zheng asked.
"Back to the king, the cultivation of the land of Bashu has been completed. Yesterday, I went to a piece of land on the east side of Xianyang, and the arrangements have been made. Now, only the land north of Xianyang is left. Calculated according to the season , it’s so urgent.” Sima Hong said.
"Are those original grain seeds cultivated according to corresponding methods?" Ying Zheng asked eagerly. The first time he saw Sima Hong, Ying Zheng wanted to ask these questions, but because Lu Buwei was present, he was unable to speak.
Sima Hong nodded and said: "They are all in accordance with the methods taught by Master Li. There are no omissions. Please rest assured, Your Majesty."
"That's good." Ying Zheng said, "I just returned to Xianyang the day before yesterday, but I didn't see Meng Tian. Presumably, he went to various places to help you share the burden."
"Before leaving Xianyang last time, in order to save time, Weichen and Mengtian ran in different directions and brought different primitive grain seeds. Presumably, Mengtian had not made proper arrangements there, so he returned to Xianyang later than Weichen. "Sima Hong analyzed.
"Mengtian's side is not familiar with your territory, and they are even stranger to the farmers who grow crops. Are you sure there is no problem with Mengtian's side?" Ying Zheng asked doubtfully.
Sima Hong smiled and said, "Has the king forgotten that Weichen is his biological uncle? Weichen took his two brothers to travel through the mountains and rivers of the Qin Dynasty, and most of Weichen's lands used to be owned by him. They have been there. Besides, Wei Chen also sent a personal steward to accompany him, so there will be no mistakes."
"In this case, I can feel at ease." Ying Zheng was not only worried about Meng Tian, but also worried about the original grain seeds, which were precious because of their scarcity.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured. Once the ministers have arranged the northern area properly, and then inspect the places where Meng Tian has been, everything will be safe." Sima Hong said confidently.
"If this is the case, that would be great. It's not that I can't trust Meng Tian, but these raw grain seeds are really precious. It would be a pity if they were wasted." Ying Zheng couldn't tell how precious these seeds were, so he had to try again emphasize.
"This year, Wei Chen will continue to patrol until all the seeds are harvested." Sima Hong paid no less attention to this matter than Ying Zheng, because he could see how much Ying Zheng cared about this matter.
"Do you have enough manpower? Do you need more manpower for you?" Ying Zheng asked.
"Let the minister personally supervise the matter. Didn't the king say that the fewer people who know about this matter, the better." Sima Hong said, "What's more, ordering some servants to patrol will make people even more uneasy. "
Ying Zheng nodded and said: "That's right. If anyone can handle this matter, then I won't trouble Master Sima so much. So, Meng Yi returned to Xianyang with me, and Master Sima will do it again. When we set out on the road, we asked Meng Yi to accompany us. Speaking of which, this is also his responsibility."
"That's good, it will be safer on the road. Wei Chen originally wanted to set off again tomorrow, but he will send someone to notify Meng Yi later to prepare." Sima Hong said.
Sima Jie looked at the time and said to Sima Hong: "Father, there is no need to inform them."
"Oh? Why?" Sima Hong asked in surprise.
"Wenleiju has always been guarded by soldiers sent by the Meng Mansion, and the defenses are changed every day. It should be time to change the defenses now. Yesterday, I ordered someone to notify my uncle. I think my uncle will bring Meng Yi here today. "Sima Hong said.
As soon as he finished speaking, a bachelor walked in from the outside, bowed his hands and saluted, and said: "I would like to report to the king, Lord Sima, that General Meng has brought people to change the defense."
Ying Zheng stood up and said, "Let them come in."
The bachelor responded and retreated.
Not long after, the father and son quickly entered the hall, with Meng Wu in front and Meng Yi behind.
"My minister Meng Wu pays homage to the king."
"Your Majesty, Meng Yi, pays homage to the King."
Father and son saluted in unison.
"This is not the palace, so there is no need to be polite." Ying Zheng smiled and waved his hand, "Take a seat."
Everyone sat down, Ying Zheng glanced at everyone, still smiling.
Meng Wu didn't know why and asked: "Your Majesty, you haven't seen me for many days, so are you in a good mood?"
"Haha." Ying Zheng said with a smile, "On the one hand, I am in a good mood, but the most important thing is that seeing you all gathered around me, I feel that any difficult things are not worth mentioning."
Meng Wu, Sima Hong, Li Si and others looked at each other and smiled at each other.
This is his own team that Ying Zheng established, and now it is finally gathered together, although there are still a few people who are not present.
Li Si cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, I suggest that Wen Lei Ju be temporarily designated as a place for the official ministers to discuss matters with the king."
"Okay!" Ying Zheng said loudly, "Master Li's words make sense. From now on, Wen Lei Ju will be our place of discussion. If there are suitable talents who can serve Da Qin and the people, you should also recommend them. "
"I respect the king's orders." Everyone said in unison.
Ying Zheng smiled, and then ordered Li Si to briefly explain what happened in the morning to the Meng family and his son.
"It seems that Lu Xiangbang is quite cooperative with the king." Meng Wu said, stroking his beard.
"I didn't expect that the promotion of Sima and his son would go so smoothly. In this way, whether it is original grain seeds, new weapons, or even Wen Lei Ju, who recruits talents, there will be people with corresponding official positions to control it. It will be much easier to do things in the future." Ying Zheng analyzed.
Meng Wu nodded and said: "That's right. However, why do I feel that Lu Xiangbang is deliberately trying to win over Sima and his son?"
Meng Yi said: "Lu Xiangbang has always been trying to win over famous families. It's not like you don't know, dad."
"The more he tries to win over me, the more it proves that he has not discovered that I am establishing my direct ministers, so I don't need to be afraid of him for the time being." Ying Zheng said.
Li Si said: "Although this is the case, you should not be careless. Your Majesty, it is better to be careful."
Ying Zheng nodded and said: "I won't alert others, sir, don't worry."
Meng Wu said: "Wei Chen heard that the king fell ill before returning to Xianyang. Yesterday Wei Chen took Meng Yi to the palace to visit the king, but the king went out early in the morning. In the afternoon, Wei Chen went there again, but again I was stopped by several palace maids, who said that it was the king's destiny, and no one was allowed to disturb the king's rest. The minister then thought that the king might be ill and had not yet recovered, so he couldn't help but be very worried. Today he saw that the king was refreshed and healthy. It feels good, Wei Chen feels relieved now."
Ying Zheng smiled awkwardly and said: "I recovered yesterday. I went to Jingyao with Lu Xiangbang early in the morning, and then came to Wenleiju, and then went to pay my respects to the Queen Mother, so I didn't have time to meet you. See."
Ying Zheng only told half of yesterday's itinerary. He did not explain why the maids did not allow Meng Wu to see Ying Zheng. He had no nerve to explain it so clearly.
While everyone was chatting, several palace maids walked in from outside and came to Ying Zheng to pay homage together. The leader said: "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother has invited you."
Ying Zheng smiled bitterly and shook his head. It seemed that it was time to go to the errand.
The meeting of the legitimate ministers can only go so far.
