"He wants to atone for his sins with a prince?"
King Qin looked at Li Si who was standing aside.
"Only. It is said in the "Military Jue Laws" that if a person wants to return to the second level of the rank to avoid having his biological parents become a concubine, and if the subordinate is beheaded to become a public servant, and to pay homage to the public servant, but to avoid having his old wife become a concubine, he is allowed to do so. Thought he was a commoner."
"It's just that Heng does not belong to Zhao Tuo's relatives and is inconsistent with the law. Whether to agree or not depends on the king's decision." Li Si responded.
Although the Qin State governed the country by law, this law only governed the common people and officials, but the king was not restrained. This is what is often said, "the king is above the law."
Regardless of what Qin's laws say or what Qin's laws say, just one sentence from the King of Qin is more effective than all laws.
But although the king has this privilege, he cannot use it indiscriminately, especially in some major matters. The consequences of breaking the law at will are very serious.
However, Zhao Tuo's request to use the title as a means of atonement is obviously not included in this.
King Qin thought for a moment, "Yes."
Li Si responded, he hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Your Majesty, does he still want to join the army to conquer Yan?"
King Qin frowned and whispered: "He really wants to go to the battlefield?"
Li Si smiled bitterly and said: "I know that the king cherishes talents and wants to keep him in Xianyang to cultivate one or two. But I think this son has made up his mind. He also said, 'The prime minister must start from the state, and the fierce general must be sent to the soldiers. Wu', he wants to make meritorious deeds on the battlefield and contribute to the unification of the king."
King Qin suddenly asked: "Is he fifteen this year?"
Li Si nodded and said: "Wei. Five years ago, the king ordered men to start serving at the age of seventeen. Strictly speaking, Zhao Tuo is under the age. But he is already seven feet tall, which meets the previous conscription standards. If With the permission of the king, he can also recruit them."
King Qin sneered: "Since he wants to go, let him go."
"only."
Li Si was ordered to retreat. Before leaving, he saw King Qin's cold face and knew that the king was displeased.
He shook his head helplessly. He really didn't know what Zhao Tuo was thinking. He insisted on running to the battlefield to fight for his life without waiting for Xianyang.
Shortly after Li Si withdrew, a lively girl ran into the palace.
"Father!"
Before he even got close, she screamed happily.
Her small body rushed forward, like a swallow returning to its nest, and happily hugged King Qin's neck. The girl said coquettishly: "Father, I'm back!"
King Qin's face, which had always been tense, rarely showed a smile.
He looked at the girl lovingly: "Just come back. How was your trip to Shanglin?"
The girl pouted and said, "It's nothing interesting. It's the coldest month of winter, and you can't even see many birds. And not long after I arrived, I heard about the assassination of Yan Envoy, so I hurried back. Father, are you okay?"
King Qin smiled and said: "The situation is under my control, so what can happen?"
"I hope your father is fine. I heard from my elder brother about the deputy envoy of Yan State. I heard that my father admires this person very much, right?" The girl stared with big eyes, full of curiosity.
…
Zhao Tuo and Heng were walking on the country road.
"Tuo, do you really want to join the army and help the Qin people attack Yan?" Heng asked still in disbelief.
Zhao Tuo said casually: "Qin will definitely destroy Yan in this battle. I also want to gain some military exploits."
Hearing this, Heng Yi burst into tears. He knelt on the ground and bowed his head to Zhao Tuo.
"Although I'm not from Qin, I also know how valuable a title is. In a battle on the battlefield, you need to kill an armored man and take their head in exchange for a first-level title. Now you are willing to give up two levels of title to atone for the sins of a villain like me. . I can’t repay you for this kind of kindness.”
Zhao Tuo smiled, stretched out his hand to pull Heng, and said: "Although the title is good, no one is important. If it weren't for your help, setting fire at night gave me the opportunity to accuse the adulterer, how could I have done it?" See the sun today. My title is half of yours, so what’s wrong with atonement for you?”
This is Zhao Tuo's true words. He could not escape from the vortex of Jing Ke's assassination this time without Heng's help.
Before the assassination, Jing Ke kept a close eye on Zhao Tuo. Even if he left, he would let the rangers guard the door and not give Zhao Tuo any chance to escape.
That's why Zhao Tuo sought Heng's help, asking Heng to set fire to the house while Zhao Tuo and Jing Ke were practicing, and create opportunities for Zhao Tuo in the chaos.
For this reason, Heng also helped Zhao Tuo kill Qi Yang, and his hands were stained with blood.
But Heng helped Zhao Tuo do all this without asking why.
Just because Zhao Tuo asked Heng to set the fire, he set the fire, and asked Heng to help kill, so he helped kill Qi Yang.
This kind of trust moved Zhao Tuo very much.
It can be said that without Heng's help, Zhao Tuo's plan would never have succeeded.
So when he was reporting rape that night, Zhao Tuo specifically mentioned Heng's name in the hope of helping him avoid the responsibility of being punished.
Thinking of this, Zhao Tuo felt itchy with hatred.
Qin's laws were too harsh, and Shang Jun's techniques were extremely perverted.
"There is no better way to prohibit rape than to punish someone who has committed a crime."
"The so-called good governance means that the punishment is bad and the good is not rewarded, so the people are good without punishment. The people are good without punishment, so the punishment is severe. If the punishment is severe, the people will not dare to commit the crime, so there is no punishment. And the people will not dare to do wrong. , it means that all the country is good."
What's the meaning?
It is the Legalists who believe that if you want to prohibit evil and prevent crime, there is no other way than using severe punishment.
Those who abide by the law do not need praise, but as long as they commit crimes, they will be severely punished, even to death.
Qin law.
Stealing other people's mulberry leaves, which are worth less than a penny, is punishable by thirty days of hard labor.
Stealing more than one penny but less than two hundred and twenty pence will result in exile.
Those who steal between 220 and 660 qian will be punished by being tattooed.
After stealing more than 660 yuan, he had to cut off his nose after getting tattoos, and finally became a Cheng Dan.
And if the gang commits a crime with more than five people, it will be even worse. Even if they only steal a piece of money, their left foot will be cut off and they will be tattooed and punished as Chengdan.
This is just theft, other punishments will only be more severe, and they are often connected. If one person commits a crime, even others will be punished.
What about being cut in half, abandoning the market, breaking up cars, barbarians...
In short, as long as you commit a crime, you will be severely punished, and you will regret it for eternity if you make a mistake.
Its core purpose is to end punishment with punishment.
Therefore, as long as Heng is in the same convoy as Jing Ke, he is guilty. As long as he did not report the rape with Zhao Tuo in the first place, it would be in vain and he would be punished.
Because he set fire to help Zhao Tuo report the traitor, Qin Ting exempted him from the death penalty, but still punished him as a subordinate.
The so-called subordinates are the slaves of this era.
Men are ministers and women are concubines. Lichen and Lichen are often called Lichen concubines.
Their jobs are many, including but not limited to: plowing land, reclaiming wasteland, grazing, building cities, building roads, guarding fields, transportation, etc.
And once you become a subordinate, you will be a subordinate for life, and your descendants will have this status for generations, unless you can perform meritorious services or someone is willing to redeem your title.
Zhao Tuo knew that after King Qin unified the country, he would start a large number of projects.
Palaces of the Six Kingdoms, tombs on Lishan Mountain, building the Great Wall, building Chi Road...
There are countless officials buried here.
If Zhao Tuo didn't atone for Heng's sins, he would probably die in less than two years based on his body and bones.
If the title is gone, you can still earn it, but if the person is gone, it is really gone.
Therefore, Zhao Tuo would rather redeem himself by helping Heng with two levels of title.
Lying on the ground with tears in his eyes, he said firmly:
"Heng, I am willing to die for Zhao Jun."
