Li Si was ordered to investigate the case of Jing Ke's assassination of Qin and finally got results.
One day, Li Si went to see the King of Qin and reported: "The case of the traitor Jing Ke involved a total of eight people from the Qin State of Yan State. Prince Dan of Yan State, Prince Fu Juwu, hermit Tian Guang of Yan State, and the mastermind Jing Ke were all dead; Qin Wuyang knew the traitor but did not He was accused and sentenced to death by being quartered with five horses; the concubine Meng Jia was demoted to a commoner for the crime of negligence; there were also Jing Ke's friends Gai Nie and Gao Jianli. Gao Jianli was not involved, but Gao Jianli saw Jing Ke off and knew the traitor but refused to report it."
King Qin asked curiously: "Who are Gai Nie and Gao Jianli?"
Li Si replied: "Gai Nie is a famous swordsman today. The thief Jing Ke visited him several times, but he was scared away the first time! Later, Jing Ke visited again, and the two of them exchanged blows. Jing Ke could not get out of three moves under his sword." .Now this person is in jail!
Gao Jianli was from Yan and was good at building construction. However, he fled after Jing Ke was killed and is now missing. I have issued a warrant for this man. "
King Qin immediately became interested. He had seen Jing Ke's swordsmanship before. In terms of swordsmanship alone, he was considered a master in the world. Now that he heard that Ge Nie was even more brave, he wanted to see the warrior's grace and completely forgot about the assassination. He said: "Can you find this person for me? I want to meet him."
"Everyone related to Jing Ke has been brought to Xianyang and imprisoned in prisons, including Gai Nie."
"How can you treat a warrior like this? I want to give a banquet to entertain you!"
Li Si knew that King Qin loved talents and did not want to offend King Qin, but he also wanted to ensure King Qin's safety, so he sent double the number of guards at the banquet.
When the King of Qin saw Gai Nie, he was eight feet long and majestic. He did not kneel down when he saw the King of Qin and showed no fear on his face.
They scolded each other: "You bold thief, you don't kneel down when you see the king!"
The King of Qin said: "If Dun Ruo doesn't kneel down when he sees me, the strong man will be spared! Let me remove your shackles for me!" When Dun Ruo met the King of Qin, he asked not to kneel down, but the King of Qin was eager to ask for talents, so he exempted Dun Ruo from the ritual of kneeling. . Afterwards, he was weak and ridiculed the King of Qin, but the King of Qin did not accuse him.
When the guards saw that the King of Qin was about to remove the shackles of Gai Nie, and also knew that Gai Nie was a skilled swordsman, they were afraid that Gai Nie would harm the King of Qin, so they did not dare to take action.
King Qin said angrily: "Didn't you hear? Remove the shackles of the strong men and give them wine!"
The guards had no choice but to remove Ganie's shackles, but still stood on both sides to prevent any unexpected events. The eunuch sent a wine bottle to Gai Nie.
Seeing that King Qin was so polite to him, Gai Nie calmed down his anger a little. He stretched his arms and muscles and drank the wine in one gulp! He asked: "Your Majesty called Nie here to ask for a crime?"
"I heard that my husband is a master of swordsmanship, and I really want to see him. But my husband has none, so how can I ask for guilt?"
Gai Nie smiled coldly and said, "Then why did the king put me in prison?"
"We, the Qin Dynasty, govern the country by law, and everything has rules and regulations. Now that the strong man is found to be innocent, I will naturally let you go."
"That's it, Gai Nie takes leave!" After saying that, he started to walk out.
King Qin said anxiously: "Sir, if you want to go out now, it is naturally your right. If you have time to perform a sword dance for me, I am willing to give you a thousand pieces of gold!"
Seeing that King Qin was sincere in letting him go, Gai Nie turned around and said, "Bring me the sword!"
He sent long swords to the left and right, Gai Nie took a look at it and said: "What a sword!" After saying that, he danced gracefully. The sword was like a white snake spitting out letters, hissing through the wind, and like a dragon shuttle, walking around, sometimes light. Like a swallow, it rises up with a sword, and sometimes it is as sudden as lightning, and the fallen leaves collapse. All four were amazed! King Qin also watched with fascination.
After the dance, Gai Nie was about to return the sword when the King of Qin said, "This scissor is called the Xiaolian Sword. It was collected by Kong Zhou. I would like to give it to you, sir!"
Naturally, Gai Nie had heard of Xiao Lian Sword and knew it was a famous sword in the world! He was very happy and said, "Thank you so much, King Qin!"
King Qin continued: "If the strong man does not give up, how about staying with the weak man?"
Gai Nie was stunned. At this moment, he was also conquered by King Qin's magnanimity. He bowed down and bowed down, saying: "A scholar will die for his confidant. Gai Nie is willing to die for the king!"
The King of Qin was overjoyed. He personally stepped down to help Gai Nie up and appointed Gai Nie as a first-class bodyguard in public.
As the situation developed, Xiong Xiang gradually understood that the battle between Qin and Chu was inevitable. The Qin army failed to take advantage of the situation to destroy Yan and destroy the dynasty because they were worried about the threat of Chu. But now the main force of the Yan army has been eliminated, Wei and Zhao have also been weakened. Qi is short-sighted and only knows how to protect itself. Only Chu It is Qin's great enemy.
Xiong Zhuang was originally the son of the Chu State, and now he was the prime minister of the Qin State. A war between Qin and Chu was the last thing he wanted to see.
Xiong Zhuang met Queen Mi Hong in private and said with a serious face: "Now that the King of Qin has the intention to annex the Eight Wastelands, the Chu State cannot be alone. I'm afraid a fierce battle is inevitable!"
Now Mi Hong is the mother of two children. The eldest son Fusu is twelve years old, and the second son Sichu is six years old. Although she was born in the Chu Kingdom, her father, King Kaolie, was dead, and the Chun Shen Lord who loved her the most was killed. She could neither love nor hate the current Chu Kingdom. But it was still hard for her to accept that Chu State was really going to perish. He then said, "Brother, can't you persuade the king to give up?"
"This is also the reason why I came to you. Now the king Qiangang is arbitrary and rarely asks for my opinion on major matters. He always consults with Li Si and Feng Quji when everything happens. I came here this time to hope that my sister can persuade the king, Xiang Yan of the Kingdom of Chu. The general also sent envoys here, hoping that we can avoid the war between Qin and Chu."
Xiong Zhuang felt miserable at this time. Although he was the prime minister, King Qin had already clearly alienated him.
"The king has built many more palaces in Xianyang, all imitating Han Zhaoyan's capital, and placed the plundered beauties among them. He rarely comes to my place. I will do my best to do what my brother has ordered!"
Xiong Zhuang also knows her sister's current situation. Although she is a queen in name, since the death of Queen Mother Huayang, it has been difficult for her to fully control the harem. On the one hand, King Qin's palaces have been built more and more, and on the other hand, as time goes by, Mi Hong's youth has passed away, and the King of Qin has plundered more and more beauties from various countries, and the King of Qin's favor has already turned to the beauties newly arrived in Xianyang. Under such circumstances, it was difficult to even meet King Qin. Not to mention a special pet!
One day at the court meeting, Tingwei Li Si reported: "We attacked the Yan Dynasty before but did not destroy them, all because we needed to guard against the Chu State. Now that Han and Zhao have been destroyed, and the Yan Dynasty and Wei are exhausted, the time is ripe to attack the Chu State!"
Xiong Xiang, the prime minister on the right, stood up and said: "Chu has been a state for eight hundred years. Its land and population are no less than those of Qin. If Qin and Chu start a war, both sides will lose. The snipe and the clam will fight over each other and the fisherman will gain. In the end, Shandong will take advantage. Countries.”
Feng Quji, the Prime Minister of the Left, said: "I heard that when the Qin army attacked the Yan State, the King of Chu planned to send troops to attack the Qin State, but he did not send troops because he was afraid of the power of the Qin Army. The Chu State has always been Qin's heartache! Yes! As long as Chu is here, the Qin army will not dare to attack from afar."
Xiong Zhuang said: "Qin and Chu have coexisted for more than five hundred years, and they are both kingdoms of thousands of times. Although there were wars, they were not destroyed in the end! And now there is the Yan Dynasty in the north and Qi and Wei in the east. Once they unite, Qin will It’s dangerous.”
Li Sidao said: "You Prime Minister was originally the son of the Chu State. Could he be speaking for the King of Chu? Don't forget that you are receiving salary from the State of Qin!" As soon as this statement came out, the court was in an uproar.
Xiong Zhuang was very angry that Li Si used his origin to attack him, and said: "If I remember correctly, Tingwei should also be from Shangcai, Chu State, right?" Li Si was so anxious that he forgot that he was also from Chu State, and was unable to deal with it for a moment.
When the King of Qin saw the endless quarrels at the court meeting, he said: "The people standing in the court are all ministers of Qin! The battle between Qin and Chu is inevitable! We must prepare in advance!"
When Xiong Zhuang heard this, he was despairing. He still remembered that before coming to Qin, King Chu Kaolie once held his hand and said: "You are the son of Chu. When you arrive in Xianyang, you must protect Chu!" The words are still ringing in his ears, but now he has to face It’s a choice to go or stay!
Recently, King Qin was very upset because of the attack on Chu. Since Duke Mu of Qin, the influence of the Chu people in the Qin court has been very strong. Now that Chu is being attacked, many Chu people have complaints. The Chu forces headed by Right Prime Minister Xiong Xiang will inevitably hinder the Qin army. This is indeed a very difficult problem.
After the Qin Dynasty meeting, he was bored. King Qin walked in the palace and unknowingly came to the place where the princes were studying.
King Qin himself experienced ups and downs in his childhood, so he now loves his children very much. He knew very well that childhood education was crucial to a person's future growth, so he selected ministers to give lectures to the princes every day. Li Si, Yao Jia, Feng Laiji, and Meng Yi all came to give lectures.
Today is Meng Yi’s lecture on internal history. The King of Qin was listening outside the door, and only heard Meng Yi's sermon: "The Yin Shang Dynasty established Tang Dynasty for 600 years until King Zhou. King Zhou was immoral and licentious. At this time, there were three important ministers in the court, Bigan, Jizi, and Weizi. These three people all advised King Zhou, but the final outcome was completely different. Bigan was killed, Jizi was imprisoned, and Weizi ran away. At this point, the death of the Yin and Shang Dynasties was a foregone conclusion.
Although the endings of Bigan, Jizi and Weizi are different, they are all worthy of praise from future generations! What do the princes think of this? "
Fusu was the oldest, so he was the first to answer: "In the words of the teacher, are the escaping villains worthy of learning? I think Bigan is worthy of our learning. Isn't it the king's land in the world, and the king's ministers are on the shore of the land. Where can Jizi and Weizi escape? These are all signs of disloyalty."
Young Master Gao said: "Brother's words are a bit biased. The consequence of not escaping is death, and a death like Bigan's is worthless. It can neither save the world nor oneself!" Young Master Gao was born to Mrs. Han. , is the second son of King Qin.
Mrs. Han was the Queen Mother of Xia who made the decision and married King Qin in the second year after his wedding. Shortly after the death of Queen Mother Xia, Cheng Jiao rebelled, and Cheng Jiao's mother Han Ji was also sentenced to death. In an instant, Mrs. Han became isolated and helpless in the harem. Mrs. Han and her son Gao depended on each other, and the mother and son were cautious for fear of doing something wrong. Mrs. Han was erudite and talented, and she often taught Young Master Gao how to be a good person in private. Therefore, Young Master Gao was very filial and sensible, and King Qin also liked him very much.
Fusu said: "I heard that a loyal person should not disregard justice just because he is afraid of death. Running away privately is an unjust act."
The young master who had been silent at this time said, "What the two brothers said is reasonable. Jizi and Weizi both chose to escape after hearing the words. It is not disloyal, but doing so does highlight the king's fault and can It’s unfair!”
The young master Jianglu was born to Lu Buwei's niece Lu Rong. When Lu Buwei was in power, he betrothed his niece Lu Rong to the King of Qin and called her Mrs. Lu. She was deeply favored by the King of Qin. After Lu Buwei was deposed, he gradually fell out of favor. In order to avoid harm to herself, Mrs. Lu kept to herself and never fought with others. The young master, General Lu, also developed a gentle and unconfronted character.
Meng Yi smiled slightly and said: "What you all said makes sense. However, every king has his own ministers. Loyal ministers cannot be tolerated by violent kings. There is no room for them in King Zhou's court." There are three of them, and it doesn't make any difference whether they die or flee. What they need most is to meet a wise king! They are all loyal people."
King Qin nodded softly when he heard Meng Yi's lecture outside the door.
At this time, the two youngest sons of King Qin, Sichu and Hu Hai, ignored the conversations between their brothers and the teacher. They just played and played together. At this time, Si Chu was six years old and Hu Hai was five years old.
The youngest son Hu Hai was the biological son of the beautiful woman presented to him by the King of Han. At that time, the King of Han was afraid that Qin would destroy Han, so he selected ten beauties from all over the country and sent them to Xianyang. The King of Qin loved one of them, Xi Le, and wanted her to sleep with her every night. She soon became pregnant and gave birth to Hu Hai. The King of Qin was very favorite.
King Qin planned to make Xi Le his wife when Hu Hai turned one year old. Unexpectedly, not long after Hu Hai was born, a plague broke out in Xianyang. All ten beauties presented by King Han fell ill and died within a few months. Although King Qin felt that what happened was very strange, However, because these women were of low status and did not even have status, it was inconvenient to conduct investigations. The King of Qin just angrily scolded the imperial doctors responsible for treating diseases for their incompetence and drove them all out of Xianyang.
Queen Mi Hong felt sorry for these imperial doctors, so she secretly gave each of them some money. After that, King Qin never gave birth again, and Hu Hai, born to Xi Le, became his youngest son. Perhaps out of guilt for Xi Le, he loved Hu Hai the most and often held Hu Hai in his arms for fun when he had nothing to do.
At this time, King Qin saw Fusu and Sichu, and suddenly thought of Mi Hong. He had not seen Mi Hong for more than a month, so he walked towards the Queen's Palace. Mi Hong was very happy when she heard that the king had arrived. She quickly dressed up and went out of the palace to greet him. When King Qin saw Mi Hong, he looked at her carefully and said, "The queen seems to have lost a lot of weight after not seeing her for a few days!"
Mi Hong was indeed upset because the Qin State was about to attack the Chu State. She was depressed and did not think about food or food. Thinking of Queen Mother Huayang's instructions before her death, she became even more sad and said: "I've just reduced my food intake in the past few days. Your Majesty." no need to worry!"
"What is it that makes you so worried that you eat less?"
"I recently heard that the king wants to attack Chu? Qin and Chu have not seen weapons for many years, and I am afraid that it will damage the authority of the king."
King Qin had always lived in the shadow of his grandmother and mother, so he hated the harem's involvement in politics. Now when he heard Mi Hong talking about this matter, he felt very unhappy and said coldly: "This is a military and national matter, and it is not your responsibility to interfere. of!"
Mi Hong didn't want to let it go, and said: "I really think about the king. The land of Chu is thousands of miles away, and there are tens of millions of people in Chu. Once the war starts, I'm afraid there will be no peace anymore! Chu land is my homeland, and I know it best. There, please think twice!"
The King of Qin did not want to discuss this issue anymore and said: "I want to dominate the world. This is impossible to change. I have decided to attack Chu! Don't interfere in national affairs again! This is a warning to you, otherwise don't blame me for being ruthless !" After saying that, he walked out of the Queen's Palace angrily. Mi Hong looked at King Qin's retreating figure and was silent for a long time. She didn't understand why King Qin was so decisive towards her.
Xiong Zhuang met Mi Hong again in private and said: "Now the King of Qin has decided to attack Chu. I can't bear to see the Chu Kingdom destroyed, so I have decided to flee back to the Chu Kingdom. My sister, take care of yourself in Xianyang!"
Mi Hong understood Xiong Xiang's choice. He was originally the son of the Chu State, but now he could not watch the Chu State being destroyed and do nothing. I can't bear it for a woman myself, let alone a young master from the Chu Kingdom! He could only comfort Xiong Xiang, "Brother, don't worry about me. Although the King of Qin will not listen to my opinion now, for the sake of Fusu and Sichu, he will not embarrass me. It's just that you are the prime minister now, how could the King of Qin let him go?" Are you going back?"
"I will resign as prime minister first. Your Majesty, knowing that I am opposed to attacking Chu, will definitely agree to my request at this time. Return to Ying and be close to Chu, so that I can wait for an opportunity to escape back to Chu."
"Brother, take care!" Xiong Xiang and Mi Hong hugged each other and cried!
A few days later, Xiong Zhuang petitioned the King of Qin to approve his resignation as prime minister and return to Ying to retire. King Qin knew that Xiong Zhuang would not fully help him attack Chu, so since he took the initiative to resign, he agreed to his request. The King of Qin then promoted the official Wang Wan to the rank of prime minister.
