The setting sun.
Turn the world into red.
Xianyang Xicheng.
In a quiet small courtyard, wisps of green smoke were rising, and the fragrance of tea spread around the courtyard.
The door of the small courtyard house was closed tightly. Moss had grown on the stone walls around the door. However, under the scorching sun, it had turned yellow and dried up. Under the wrinkled and rolled moss, there was also a light layer of green. lime.
now.
There were two people sitting in the small courtyard.
One of them was sitting upright, and the other was leaning against him with a relaxed expression. Neither of them said anything, they just looked at the tea in front of them quietly, as if they were only interested in the clear tea.
boom!
There was a very slight knocking sound.
It broke the tranquility in the courtyard and finally made the two of them change.
Fusu stretched out his hand, picked up the tea bowl in front of him, blew the water vapor on it slightly, and said with a smile: "Mr. Ji, you are still as elegant as before, but what Fusu didn't expect was that the tea he thought was It was just a whim of my husband, but after tasting it several times, it has become a good story that is well-known all over the world."
"Not long ago, there were rumors that the Xiongnu seemed to want to send someone here to exchange sheep and horses for some tea leaves."
“This tea has unknowingly become an important tool for trade.”
Fusu looked at the tea with interest.
Hearing Fusu's words, Ji Heng was stunned for a moment, and then he seemed to think of something. A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth, and he said lightly: "It is reasonable for the Xiongnu to value tea."
"Oh." Fusu asked curiously: "Why is this?"
Ji Heng smiled and said: "The grassland is different from the Central Plains. The grassland is mainly based on animal husbandry. They live mostly on meat, and there are very few fruits and vegetables. Meat is good, but if you eat too much, your body may not be able to handle it. Sometimes you need tea." This kind of thing is tempered.”
"For the Qin Dynasty, tea was not necessary, but for nomads like the Xiongnu, tea could cure diseases."
"This is their 'medicine' to cure illnesses!"
"However, it is a bit unexpected for the Huns to realize the extraordinary nature of tea so quickly. It only took three years for tea to come out. In three years, it is good to spread the name to the Qin Dynasty, and it can also spread to the Xiongnu. There, it is more appreciated by the Huns, but there seems to be some situation happening in the north against the Huns."
Hear the words.
Fusu's eyes changed slightly.
He could certainly hear the tone of Ji Heng's words.
The war between Great Qin and the Xiongnu had just ended a few years ago, and they were still in a stage of hostility with each other, and they were still on guard against each other. Although the royal court of the Xiongnu had long followed, there were still some remnants wandering around the grasslands, so Great Qin did not relax its vigilance.
Normally.
This tea should not have flowed into the hands of the Huns.
And this also means that in the past few years, someone in northern Xinjiang had an affair with the Huns.
Fusu said coldly: "Thank you sir for reminding me. I was negligent. I also forgot that tea has been around for only a few years. It seems that there are still people with ulterior motives in Northern Xinjiang."
Fusu's eyes were cold.
Ji Heng picked up the tea bowl and took a light sip.
Slightly astringent.
But it brings back joy.
He said calmly: "You don't have to be so nervous. The Huns won't be able to make a comeback in a short time."
"The last Mengtian Northern Expedition almost killed the Huns. If they want to recover, less than ten years are not enough. In addition, the Great Wall has been under construction. The Huns cannot fight the autumn wind and plunder the population. It is even more difficult to recover. "
"The Huns are nothing to be afraid of now."
"When the First Emperor insisted on conquering the north and south, it was for the sake of peace and stability outside. Now that the external environment is stable, the court's focus should naturally be on peace within the country, so it can slow down relations with the Xiongnu if necessary."
"We will decide whether to continue the war or make peace after the imperial court has finished reorganizing its internal affairs."
"war."
"It's always just a continuation of politics."
"If there is no political benefit, there is no need to force a conquest."
"It is of no benefit to the country to waste money and people."
"War is the continuation of politics." Fusu whispered this sentence with thoughtful eyes.
Ji Heng continued: "Now that the Huns have released the news, they want to ease relations with Da Qin. Firstly, it is to lick their wounds, and secondly, it is to accumulate strength. Da Qin actually also needs to ease relations with the Xiongnu so that he can concentrate on settling down the internal affairs. This is actually something both sides are happy to see.”
"If we continue to fall into the blood feud of the past and maintain high-intensity hostility, we will actually lose more than we gain."
"Don't judge gains and losses based on the moment. This is the basic quality that a politician should have."
"It may cause a lot of controversy and dissatisfaction."
“But that’s politics!”
"Only focus on interests and don't care about emotions."
"Generally speaking, Da Qin lacks meat. The Huns mainly focus on animal husbandry. Da Qin can open some passes and allow trade between the two places. However, as the winner, Da Qin naturally wants to fight for its own profits and suppress the Xiongnu as much as possible. value, using salt, tea and other items in exchange for the meat, horses, etc. needed by the Qin Dynasty."
"However, leakage of iron tools and some smelting technologies must be absolutely prohibited."
"As for tea."
"The price can be relatively high."
"Their demand for tea is very large, second only to salt. Therefore, we should not give in easily on these two things, but we can give them a large amount in order to make the Xiongnu rely on Da Qin's supply to a certain extent."
"If the two sides fall into war again in the future, Da Qin may also pose a greater threat."
"But not too many."
"It's just enough, but there must be no surplus."
"The amount of it depends on the court itself."
Fusu nodded slightly.
In fact, he seldom asked about border affairs.
I just thought of it for a moment and said it subconsciously.
He never thought that Ji Heng would think so much from his few words, which made Fusu feel ashamed.
He smiled bitterly and said: "Sir's sensitivity to the world's situation is really amazing."
"My husband and I have known each other for several years. Every time I talk to him, I benefit a lot. It's like an enlightenment and enlightenment. In the past few years, I thought I had made great progress, but when I really appeared in front of my husband, It’s still as if it’s uncivilized.”
"Fusu is really stupid."
Fusu sighed.
Ji Heng chuckled lightly and said without comment: "The truth of the world is there, everyone can understand it, but what can you do if you know the truth of the world? Whether you can apply what you learn is the key to everything, otherwise it will just be a castle in the air, a flower in the mirror. It’s just the moon.”
"You don't have to belittle yourself."
"You and I have different identities, different pursuits, and different perspectives on things."
"Of course there will be deviations."
"You are an insider and I am an outsider."
"On the outside looking in, if you can't gain anything, you may be an outsider in vain."
Ji Heng shook his head.
He didn't want to say more about this.
Fusu was silent for a moment and did not continue to talk about this topic. The topic changed and he talked about this matter of seeking talents.
He smiled and said: "Under the guidance of Mr., this search for talents was a great success. It not only calmed down the anger of many cynical and complaining heads of Guizhou, but also recruited many scholars. More importantly, , and also allowed many of Da Qin’s policies to be further promoted.”
“The results have been tremendous.”
"I, Fusu, have also won a lot of praise in this search for talents."
"It's just that this time my husband's actions were really too big. Not only did I catch him by surprise, but many courtiers were also caught off guard and even panicked. In the past few days, many officials have cried to me and told me that I I can only cope with it reluctantly, but because of this, I, Fusu, have been reduced to a scheming and calculating person in the hearts of many officials."
Fusu smiled bitterly, with a look of helplessness on his face.
Now many courtiers seem to be interested in keeping a certain distance from him.
But who knows.
He is actually similar to these courtiers.
Knowing the specific situation is only a day or two ahead of them.
And he didn't understand it at first, but when he did, he suddenly realized what kind of big thing Ji Heng had done in silence, but Ji Heng could not see the light after all. Well, both the name and the name fell on him.
He could only admit it helplessly.
It is impossible to say that there is no depression in my heart.
After all, everything about seeking talents this time was handled by Ji Heng. He was just a tool man, but he had no complaints about being a tool man. Since the last communication with Ji Heng, he knew it clearly. own positioning.
He is just a successor to the First Emperor's ambition.
With his own talents, he cannot lead the Great Qin in the right direction, nor can he make the Great Qin achieve long-term peace and stability. Only by relying on Ji Heng, this amazing person who should not even be in the world, he can do it to these.
So how can I dare to have any opinions?
Just like what the court officials secretly discussed, Ji Heng has used his own hands to weave a net in the world. As the situation develops, he is tightening the net step by step. When the net is completely tightened, it will be the Great Qin Dynasty. When the world is completely secure.
The world is a chess game, and all living beings are pawns.
He is also a pawn.
It's just that his chess piece is different from other chess pieces. It has a little more power of independent decision-making, but it actually makes no difference whether he has this power or not, because he can't object, and he can't think of any reason or excuse to object.
Don't even dare to object.
so.
On the surface, he is the Crown Prince of Qin.
Behind the scenes, it's just a chess piece secretly manipulated by Ji Heng.
Although Ji Heng had repeatedly reminded him to have the ability to think independently in the past, but now that the situation in Daqin was so corrupt and an arrow was imminent, how could he dare to take such a risk? How dare you make your own decisions?
Ji Heng may not know about some things yet.
But as the prince, he knew it.
The First Emperor's tour took a great toll on his body. He contracted an illness while in Langya. Although it was not a serious problem, the First Emperor's health was already in bad shape. After all this time, his vitality was severely damaged. He was usually unable to He needs help from others, and when he returns from the tour, he will have to endure some bumps on the road. How can an old man over fifty years old stand up to so many hardships?
As the eldest son, he was in charge of Xianyang.
If he couldn't handle the affairs of the court and the matters assigned by his father, and when his father came back and saw a devastated Great Qin, how could he have the face to face the First Emperor?
So he could only follow Ji Heng's instructions.
He is very happy now.
Ji Heng was not persuaded to become an official at first.
And Ji Heng seems to have expected this day long ago. He has always been determined not to be an official, and he has never been willing to show his face in public. He is not even willing to reveal his real name. If not, he is probably full of worries and uneasiness now, even if Ji Heng is like this. He was self-aware and did not dare to take it lightly. He had secretly increased the surveillance on Ji Hengwai by several layers and strictly prohibited anyone from entering.
even
The originally connected streets and alleys nearby were completely blocked.
The more he trusts Ji Heng now and does what Ji Heng says, the more he becomes wary of Ji Heng.
Believe it or not.
But when you are in your position, you dare not do otherwise.
He has been sitting in the position of Crown Prince for a while, and he understands this sentence more deeply.
People are in it and can’t help themselves!
He really couldn't help it.
Ji Heng was not aware of the change in Fusu's expression. He said calmly: "The pressure you are carrying is indeed not small. When the First Emperor returns from his tour, there will be no army to suppress Guandong. The nobles and scholars of the six countries will have to understand these days. After seeing what the imperial court has done, they will definitely not give up. There are many smart people among them, and they also have a deep understanding of the imperial court’s intentions.”
"They're not going to sit around and wait."
"I won't let him go without a fight."
"I'm afraid rumors will spread again in Kanto."
"There will be no peace in Kanto either."
Fusu snorted coldly and sneered: "The nobles and scholars of the six countries are just a bunch of rabble and lost dogs. They don't dare to show their faces at all. If they really dare to make trouble in the local area, the court will never tolerate it. However, sir, it seems that you think highly of these things." Nobles and scholars, after His Majesty caught them like this in Jiangdong, I am afraid they have lost their courage long ago. Do they really dare to cause trouble in Guandong again?"
He looked hesitant.
In his heart, he didn't really believe that Kanto would be in chaos.
The nobles and scholars of Guandong are now hiding in Tibet. If they want to communicate secretly, they may have to spend a lot of effort. How can they have the energy to stir up the world? Even if they can really be connected, the remaining power of the First Emperor's patrol is still there, how much trouble can they cause?
After all, it's just scratching the surface.
Ji Heng was silent.
He actually knew what Fusu was thinking.
It's just that Fusu's view of things is still too simple.
Kanto is not just about nobles and scholars, there are many other forces.
World affairs.
Never limit it to some people.
He slowly stood up, looked at the slowly setting sun, and said solemnly: "You are wrong, there will indeed be chaos in Guandong, but the chaos will not be caused by the nobles and scholars you think."
"Wealth lies in skills, not in physical exertion."
"The advantage lies in the situation, not in hard work."
"As the saying goes, a single move can affect the whole body. It's not just the nobles and scholars involved in Guandong?"
"I distinguished the identities of people in the world a long time ago."
"Scholars, peasants, industrialists, merchants and soldiers."
"All the previous measures taken by the imperial court were actually to guard against nobles and scholars."
"Nowadays, with the imperial court's severe suppression and the First Emperor's arrest and threat in Kanto, it is difficult for the nobles and scholars to succeed in the short term."
"but"
"In Guandong and even in the world, are the only ones who oppose Qin are the nobles and scholars?"
Ji Heng finished speaking.
Fusu was stunned on the spot.
Are the only people who oppose Qin in the world are nobles and scholars?
I'm afraid not.
(End of chapter)
