Soon, the group reached the village in front.
In the village, the emperor's messenger was waiting for them.
Recently, the envoy has visited many villages, obtained a lot of evidence, and has a full understanding of the annihilation of clans advocated by the banished immortals.
They have written a thick memorial.
It's just that the villagers didn't seem to be very courageous. They refused to follow the envoy to Beijing.
The messenger tried his best to persuade them, but these villagers just shrank away.
If it were not for the time of arrival, His Majesty specifically ordered not to use force or intimidate these villagers. The messenger had already tied up these villagers.
Now these envoys are discussing to find out what is going on with these villagers.
A messenger said: "What a wicked sect. Why don't these people want to go to Xianyang City? Are these people just naturally timid and unable to go to places where wealthy people go?"
Another messenger said: "I really don't understand what these people have to fear. Are they worried that we will trick them?"
A messenger next to him said: "How else can we cheat? Haven't we already made it very clear? We will take care of food and housing, and give you money to spend."
An older envoy sighed and said: "It seems that the imperial court is too majestic and His Majesty is too majestic. These people are very afraid in their hearts. They naturally stay away from Xianyang City in fear and fear." ah."
Someone else said: "When we were leaving, His Majesty once ordered that these villagers are not allowed to be intimidated or forced. This leaves us helpless. However, now we do not threaten or force. How about bribing them with money?" "
Several messengers around nodded.
The older envoy said: "No, no. It must not be done. Now there is a huge quarrel in the court because of this matter. The courtiers are attacking each other, and I don't know how lively it is."
"We must not get involved. Little fish like us will definitely be slapped to death once we get in. If those villagers come to the court and leak the truth and say that they were paid, then we will not be able to defend ourselves. ”
The surrounding envoys were all shocked, nodded repeatedly, and said, "Yes, yes, yes. It makes sense. Thank you for reminding me. Otherwise, we would all be dead."
So, the discussion returned to the beginning: How to get these people back?
Threats, intimidation, inducements... none of these will work. These villagers can only go voluntarily, otherwise it will not be enough to ensure fairness.
Do we need everyone to kneel down and beg them?
Isn’t the majesty of the imperial court even less powerful?
For a moment, the envoys were a little melancholy, and even a little worried, whether they would not be able to return to Xianyang City.
In fact, they don't know that people are not as stupid as they think.
These people also read books, newspapers, and listened to various rumors.
They also know that there is a debate going on in the DPRK, and they also know that their status is too low, and if they get involved, they will die without a burial place if they are not careful.
Therefore, these people did not dare to go even if they were killed.
Just when the messenger was at a loss, a group of ragged people suddenly came out of the darkness.
When the messenger saw these people shivering with cold in the night, they looked at them in confusion: "What's wrong with you?"
Those people said cautiously: "We... we... we want to go to Xianyang City."
The envoy was stunned: "Going to Xianyang City? Who are you? Why are you going to Xianyang City?"
The villager said: "We... were brought here by other envoys because of clan issues. They asked us to come to you and take us to Xianyang City."
The envoys were immediately overjoyed.
They naturally knew that His Majesty sent many envoys this time, and they were just one of them.
Could it be said that other messengers have better luck? They persuaded many villagers to go to Xianyang City, and even kindly gave some to themselves?
These messengers said with emotion: "What a good man."
The older envoy said: "These people are not only good people, but also very kind-hearted people. You see, they gave people to us, but they were worried about our embarrassment, so they let these people come over on their own and never showed up. "
"What a great guy, kind and considerate. So admirable."
The other messengers nodded with emotion.
The messengers waved their hands and said to Lao Niu Village Chief and others: "You all should follow."
These people nodded in agreement, and no one dared to say anything along the way.
The envoys discussed: "Since they are so kind, we must not let down their good intentions. We must hurry up and get to Xianyang City as soon as possible."
"There is a saying that goes, "The nights are long and the dreams are many. What if these people change their minds on the way? Not only can we not find anyone to take them back to Xianyang City, but we have also failed to live up to their good intentions."
As a result, these envoys rushed on horseback and ran away quickly with their people.
At the same time, other envoys were worried: Why don't these villagers refuse to leave? Call them smart, but they look silly. Call them stupid, they are stupid and shrewd.
…………
The courtiers in Xianyang City finally ushered in the court meeting after being trapped in the palace for half a month.
In fact, this court meeting was only held at the strong suggestion of the courtiers.
After all, all the adults are already exhausted.
There are many rules in the palace, how can you feel comfortable living in your own home?
In addition, this is a life-and-death struggle with the banished immortal. The banished immortal can sit on the Diaoyutai and pretend that nothing has happened, but these courtiers do not have such psychological quality.
Therefore, the court officials hope to convene the court meeting as soon as possible and produce results as soon as possible.
Whether it's life or death, once it's announced, there's no need to worry.
So, the court meeting was held.
One of the main reasons why Ying Zheng agreed to hold a court meeting was that a team of envoys had returned. The messenger brought back evidence to know who was right and who was wrong.
When the officials entered the government hall, they saw several envoys covered with dust standing on the ground.
The courtiers could tell at a glance that these people had just arrived.
Ying Zheng looked at the courtiers and said calmly: "I have just met them. I haven't asked who is right and wrong yet. Please come and witness together."
The courtiers responded nervously.
Ying Zheng said to the envoy: "What did you see and hear along the way?"
The messenger gasped and said: "We have seen a lot of things. We have seen that the people are breaking up the clans. The clan forces have collapsed and disintegrated."
"The village chiefs and clan chiefs were very dissatisfied with this and criticized the imperial court one after another, but the people were very supportive. I saw that in many villages, the word "Emperor" was erected in their homes and they burned incense every day."
The more Ying Zheng listened, the happier he became. He smiled and asked, "Seriously?"
The envoy said: "I saw it with my own eyes."
Li Shui also breathed a sigh of relief and thought: It seems that this time the bet was right.
Some courtiers said to the envoy: "Are you... not from Shang Jun's Courtyard?"
These envoys said unhappily: "Your Majesty, we are His Majesty's people, not any other one's. Please don't frame us."
Subsequently, the envoy produced many investigation reports, which were handed over to the courtiers.
After the courtiers saw it, they were all speechless.
In this report, there are names, addresses, and even photos.
It is impossible to cheat. Even if you suspect that he is committing fraud, you can easily find them based on the information of these people, and you can check them very conveniently.
Zhou Qingchen smiled slightly and said: "It can be seen that the strategy of banishing immortals not only did not shake the foundation of our Great Qin, but actually made our Great Qin's foundation more stable."
Some courtiers who were good friends with Li Shui nodded and agreed.
Li Shui took a sneak peek at Ying Zheng's expression and found that Ying Zheng was also smiling. I couldn't help but feel relieved.
So he became energetic and said: "There are tens of thousands of people in our Qin Dynasty, but how many rich and noble people are there? It doesn't matter whether the rich and noble people are yearning for the imperial court. If thousands of people are yearning for the imperial court, then it will not matter. Our Da Qin foundation is the strongest.”
"What I am doing is to lay the strongest foundation for the Qin Dynasty. As long as we have the support of the people, how dare those rich and noble people not support it?"
Ying Zheng nodded slowly.
Li Shui felt even more happy when he saw Ying Zheng nodding.
He said to Chunyu Yue: "Sister-in-law, what do you think is the most important thing about our Great Qin?"
Chunyu Yue said helplessly: "Of course it is the people's support."
Li Shui said: "Wrong, the most important thing is Your Majesty. The second thing is the people's support."
Chunyu Yue: "..."
Is this guy really sick? Is this just to trick me?
Li Shui continued to talk: "Now, our Great Qin court has won the hearts and minds of the people. The ministers will learn the detailed experience later, as long as we proceed according to this idea."
"The people will always support the imperial court, and our Great Qin Imperial Court will continue to do so. If any nobles want to rebel, they will not be able to succeed because the people will not recognize it."
Ying Zheng nodded with satisfaction.
At this time, the envoy said: "In addition to these information, we also brought some people. When we saw these people, they looked extremely embarrassed. It seemed that they had experienced a lot of hardships. These people Maybe there’s something to say.”
Ying Zheng nodded: "Bring them up."
So the villagers of Gumai Village were brought up.
They were in ragged clothes and were very scared. After they came up, they knelt on the ground and did not dare to say a word.
Ying Zheng said: "If you have any grievances, feel free to tell them."
These people look at me and I look at you.
The village chief said first: "The little man... The little man is the village chief of Gumai Village and the clan leader. He has always been kind and helpful, rescuing people from danger and helping those in need. The villagers praised him."
Ying Zheng frowned and thought: At this time, this guy is still making excuses?
After the village chief finished speaking, it was Heisan's turn again.
Hei San said: "The villain was originally a homeless man, but later found it difficult to make a living, so he turned into a bandit and became a bandit."
Ying Zheng's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly became murderous.
He couldn't help but hate people like this the most.
Bandits, bandits, are only one step away from rebels.
Hei San seemed to feel the tense atmosphere in the court, and said quickly: "Although the villain became a bandit, he never dared to kill and accept his fate, and thieves are also good. The villain just robbed some money and took the initiative to plead guilty."
Ying Zheng thought to himself: Since this man took the initiative to plead guilty, there is no need to kill him. Just let him immigrate to Shibian and never come back for the rest of his life.
Ying Zheng looked at the most embarrassed Yangwei again and said, "What about you?"
Sheep Tail said: "My little girl... my little girl is guilty."
Ying Zheng asked: "What crime are you guilty of?"
Yangwei's lips trembled for a while, and then he suddenly cried: "I don't know either."
courtier:"……"
What a mess of people these are.
The remaining villagers admitted their mistake one after another: "We are guilty. The patriarch is a very good person. He has always led us, abided by the law, farmed and weaved. But we were tempted by the two patrolmen."
"Under the instigation of others, we robbed the village chief's things. In fact, we don't know anything. We are just ignorant people. We admit our mistakes. We plead guilty. I hope Your Majesty can forgive us."
Ying Zheng looked at these people with a strange look on his face.
He looked at the messenger and said, "Why do the witnesses you brought back not match the testimonies you brought back?"
The messengers were also shocked, they never expected it. These villagers would say so.
Shi Wu was overjoyed when he saw this scene. He knew that his long-held plan finally worked.
He stood up and said to Ying Zheng: "Your Majesty, it can be seen from this that the testimony of the envoy is countless, and the words of these common people are true."
"I suggest that you be punished severely and banished to immortality to give an explanation to the people of the world."
Ying Zheng looked at Li Shui, who coughed dryly and said, "Can I ask a few more questions?"
Ying Zheng nodded.
Li Shui walked up to the village chief and said with a smile, "Are you a philanthropist?"
The village chief hummed: "Be kind and charitable. This little man is really kind and charitable."
Li Shui walked up to the villagers again and said, "Is your village chief a philanthropist?"
The villagers nodded: "You are really kind and charitable, we can see it."
Li Shui snorted, and then said curiously: "Since he is willing to do charity, I have to ask. How many acres of land does your village chief have?"
The villagers were at a loss and obviously didn't know what to do.
Li Shui asked the village chief: "How many acres of land do you have?"
The village chief lowered his head and said cautiously: "Three thousand acres."
Li Shui snorted: "Three thousand acres of land is not a small number."
He asked the villagers again: "What about you? How many acres of land do you have?"
The villagers answered cautiously.
Some people have an acre of land, some have no land, and some farm the land for the village chief.
Li Shui said curiously: "Aren't you from the same clan? Isn't the village chief your clan chief? What? Did our ancestors allocate the land unfairly when they divided the land, and gave all the land to your village chief?"
These people were speechless.
Li Shui suddenly slapped the village chief heavily on the shoulder and shouted loudly: "Tell me! How you used clever tricks to defraud the villagers of their land."
The village chief shivered and fell to the ground exhausted. .
