"No--!"
"Peng!"
The angry Zixiang punched the table and burst into tears.
In the empty room, the cold wind was blowing, and only his voice echoed.
When he learned that his brother Kong Kun was publicly executed, he couldn't help but feel sad and angry.
When he learned about the words Zhao Hao said at the execution ground, he was even more furious.
When he learned that scholars all over the world were criticizing Confucius, he felt as if his heart was bleeding.
"God, God, God, could it be that you intend to destroy my Confucius family?"
As he murmured to himself, a chill penetrated Zixiang's spine.
Lu Sheng sighed, stepped forward and patted his shoulder: "Brother Zixiang, my condolences!"
"It was me who harmed my brother..."
Zixiang shook his head and sighed: "If it weren't for me, my brother wouldn't have ended up like this. If it weren't for me, Confucius..."
"Brother Zixiang, there is no need to blame yourself. You are not to blame for all this. If I am to blame, it is Zhao Hao'er who deceives his master and destroys his ancestors. He is not a son of man!"
Lu Sheng had a gloomy face and said indifferently: "As long as I can escape from Xianyang City, I will kill Ying Zheng, sacrifice blood to Zhao Hao, and avenge Brother Kong Yu!"
"Lu Sheng! Do you really think I'm a three-year-old child? If it weren't for you, how could my Confucius family be so miserable?!"
When Zixiang heard Lu Sheng's words, he angrily broke away from his arm and sneered: "I thought you were a man of lofty ideals, but I didn't expect that you are also Ying Qin's dog!"
"Do you really think Ying Chengyu will help you restore the country? He is just using you!"
"Hahaha....."
Hearing Zixiang's words, Lu Sheng couldn't help laughing loudly, then stepped forward again, patted him on the shoulder and said: "Brother Zixiang misunderstood..."
"Hmph! What misunderstanding?"
Zixiang snorted coldly.
Lu Shengcan smiled and said: "Brother Zixiang thinks Ying Chengyu is using me, but little does he know, I am also using him..."
"Over the years, Ying Chengyu has planned many affairs in the court. Many local officials are his secret pawns. As long as Ying Zheng dies and the Qin court is in civil strife, these people will accelerate the demise of the Qin State. And I, need Know these people..."
"As long as the handle of these people falls into my hands, he will be no more than a dying man..."
"you....."
Zixiang's eyes widened and he looked directly at Lu Sheng, his scalp numbing.
Lu Sheng said seriously: "Only by working hard and enduring courage can you achieve great things. I am very sorry for your brother's death. I hope that brother Zixiang will work with me in the same boat and never give up..."
After saying that, he picked up two glasses of wine, handed them to Zixiang and said, "Come, drink this wine, and let's see Brother Ling off!"
"good....."
Zixiang burst into tears and agreed with a choked voice. He took the wine glass and drank it all in one gulp.
Just as he put down his wine glass and calmed down, he suddenly felt a cramp in his stomach.
"Lu Sheng, you..."
Zixiang covered her abdomen and looked at Lu Sheng in disbelief.
Damn it!
ruthless! ?
"The Confucius Sect is gone, and you are useless to the master..." Lu Sheng said indifferently.
"puff--!"
Zixiang spat out a mouthful of black blood, filled with regret in his heart, and laughed miserably: "If I had known this, why would I have..."
After saying that, two lines of tears fell down like broken threads.
"It is not easy to restore the country, and the secret must not be spread outside. Brother Zixiang can hate and insult Lu Sheng as much as he wants."
Lu Sheng cupped his hands, turned around and walked out the door.
"Wait!"
Zixiang endured the severe pain and waved tremblingly.
Lu Sheng paused and said coldly: "What else can you do?"
Zixiang burst into tears: "Can, can you let go of the people of Confucius and Confucius who came with me?"
"cannot!"
Lu Sheng said without hesitation: "Cut the weeds without eradicating the roots, and the spring breeze will blow them again. Lu doesn't want them to come to me for revenge!"
"Lu Sheng! You are so cruel!"
Zixiang stamped his feet and beat his chest: "God will punish you!"
"Hahaha--!"
Lu Sheng laughed loudly without comment and walked away.
.........
Two days later, news about Kong Kun's death and the destruction of the Confucian sect spread like wildfire.
The entire Guanzhong land, including some counties and counties in the Six Kingdoms, quietly set off a "hole-by-hole storm".
I thought this turmoil would last for a while, but unexpectedly, another piece of news quickly covered up the 'hole-by-hole turmoil'.
There are rumors that a certain prince of the Qin State, relying on the favor of the First Emperor, did whatever he wanted, framed Zhongliang, and retaliated against the officials.
It is also the culprit of the "hole-by-hole controversy", whose purpose is to prevent scholars from getting ahead.
For a time, the crowd was furious.
Most scholars have been emotionally aroused by thoughtful people.
"Sir, something is wrong with this situation now. Why don't you come forward to refute the rumors?"
On the carriage leaving the city, Zhang Cang looked at Zhao Hao with worry.
Zhao Hao glanced at him and frowned: "What do you care about them? Didn't you see that I am busy rescuing the emperor's brother? They are a bunch of sons of bitches. I will slap them in the face sooner or later!"
Hearing this, Zhang Cang couldn't help but shook his head and sighed: "Although that is the case, people's words are worth the money and the bones are destroyed. If the rumors continue to spread, I'm afraid it will be detrimental to the young master..."
He now places all his hopes on Zhao Hao, and he definitely doesn't want anything to happen to Zhao Hao.
But Zhao Hao smiled softly: "Isn't this just right? I would like to see who is stirring up trouble behind the scenes!"
"Why....."
Zhang Cang let out a long sigh, not knowing what to say.
The entire journey was silent.
About two hours later, they arrived at the destination of their trip, Quyi County.
Last time, I used several hundred kilograms of watermelons to defraud five coal mines from the First Emperor, but he hadn't come to complete the handover procedures yet.
Now that coal was needed to burn cement, he simply came to Juyi County.
"I am the magistrate of Qiuyi County. I pay homage to Young Master Hao and meet Mr. Zhang!"
Zhou Bing, the magistrate of Juyi County, knew yesterday that Zhao Hao and his two men were coming, and had been waiting outside the county town to greet them early.
Zhao Hao saw him with a gray beard, a thin figure, fast feet, and a smile on his face. He couldn't help but feel good about him. He smiled and waved his hands: "There is no need to be polite, County Magistrate Zhou. Let's talk about it after we enter the city!"
"promise."
County Magistrate Zhou agreed and immediately raised his hand to Zhao Hao: "Please."
Soon, Zhao Hao and his two men were seated in the yamen hall of Jueyi County.
The maid serves hot tea.
Magistrate Zhou picked up the hot tea and signaled to Zhao Hao and Zhao Hao again: "Master, Zhang Shaofu, please have some tea."
"please!"
Zhao Hao responded politely, picked up the tea and took a sip.
Zhang Cang didn't say much and went straight to the point; "Mr. Zhou, the young master came to Juyi County this time to take over Fengshan. Please take over the handover!"
"The lower official knows, the lower official knows!"
Magistrate Zhou smiled and cupped his hands, and then said with a puzzled face: "I just have something unclear. Why did your majesty reward the young master with barren mountains? I have a lot of fertile land in Juyi County..."
"Can you guess His Majesty's holy will?"
Zhang Cang raised his eyebrows and asked coldly.
"It turns out that the young master is simply in the emperor's heart. No wonder, no wonder..."
County Magistrate Zhou laughed twice, his heart was shaken, and the expression on his face could not be maintained. He quickly picked up the tea cup and took a sip of tea to hide it.
"However, even if Zhang Shaofu's abbreviation is in the heart of the emperor, compared with thousands of hectares of fertile land, the barren mountains are still at a loss..."
Magistrate Zhou couldn't help but sigh: "If the young master's fiefdom is in Juyi County, maybe he will be a prince..."
At this point, he did not continue talking, but bowed to Zhao Hao apologetically and said: "Young master, don't blame me, the lower official made a mistake, the lower official made a mistake..."
Zhao Hao drank tea calmly, as if he didn't hear what he was saying just now.
Seeing this, County Magistrate Zhou showed a look of gratitude on his face and quickly changed the subject: "Here comes someone! Go ask the county magistrate to bring up the county map!"
Soon, a middle-aged county magistrate came with a county map with a smile on his face.
"I paid my respects to the young master, met with Zhang Shaofu, met with County Magistrate Zhou..."
After the county magistrate saluted one by one, he presented the county map with both hands.
Magistrate Zhou took the county map, placed it on the eucalyptus table between him and Zhao Hao, and spread it out for Zhao Hao to check.
"Sir, please look at this. This is the county map. All the fertile fields, land, and barren mountains in the county are here. I wonder which five barren mountains you would choose?"
The First Emperor promised Zhao Hao to give him five barren mountains in Juyi County, but he did not specify which five barren mountains, so he had to choose by himself.
Fortunately, before Zhao Hao came, he had already sent someone to investigate.
After just a cursory glance, he pointed on the county map and said: "Here, here, here, and here, here, these are the five barren mountains!"
County Magistrate Zhou looked at the five barren mountains he selected. He couldn't help but be surprised and said with some embarrassment: "Sir, these five barren mountains you selected are barren land!"
He had been an official for more than ten years, and he had only seen people buying fertile land and flat fields, but he had never seen people choose barren hills for free.
This, this, this... Is this young man stupid?
County magistrate Zhou knew these five barren mountains very well. In the early years, some people from Guizhou went to open up wasteland, thinking of planting corn on them. Even if they couldn't grow corn, they could just cut firewood for burning. What he didn't expect was that they didn't catch anything and even suffered. A whipping.
In the Qin State, you can cultivate land and open up wasteland, but if you waste farm tools, you will be whipped.
From that moment on, no one ever thought about these five barren mountains.
It can be said that even if the government gives these five barren mountains to the head of Guizhou, the head of Guizhou will not take them without punishing them.
Magistrate Zhou looked at Zhao Hao again, wanting to confirm whether Zhao Hao had really determined these five barren mountains.
But seeing the determined expression on Zhao Hao's face and his thoughts changing rapidly, could there be something fishy about these five barren mountains?
However, after thinking for a long time, he still couldn't figure out what was wrong.
Finally, under Zhang Cang's urging, he said with a smile: "Since the young master has chosen these five barren mountains, it would be better for me to be respectful and obey my orders, so this is the arrangement."
"Thank you, Magistrate Zhou."
Zhao Hao smiled politely, his heart was so ecstatic that he was separated from his body. He quickly took a sip of herbal tea to suppress the joy in his heart.
"Hahaha, easy to talk about."
Magistrate Zhou laughed for a while, glanced at Zhang Cang subconsciously, and changed the topic: "However, although this barren mountain is a reward from His Majesty, in the name of the Young Master, the taxes still have to be paid. I wonder what the Young Master wants?"
"Even though I am a member of the royal family, I am also a law-abiding citizen. I pay taxes legally and everyone is responsible!" Zhao Hao said with a serious face.
"Young Master is so righteous, my subordinates admire me!"
Magistrate Zhou stroked his beard and sighed in admiration, then continued: "Then this barren mountain costs one thousand and a half taels. I wonder if the young master can accept it?"
"One barren mountain costs one thousand and a half taels. Five of them cost five thousand and a half taels?"
Zhao Hao reacted and looked at Magistrate Zhou in disbelief: "Are you kidding me? Are you actually using barren mountains as fertile land to pay taxes to me?"
"Besides, this is the barren mountain that I received as a reward. How can it be compared with the income from buying and selling fertile land?!"
County Magistrate Zhou seemed to feel that he was a little too open-minded, so he looked at Zhao Hao with an embarrassed look: "Young master, please calm down. As the magistrate of this county, I naturally have to consider this county."
"Snapped!"
Hearing this, Zhang Cang couldn't stand it any longer. He placed the tea cup heavily on the table and snorted coldly: "County Magistrate Zhou, good land has tax laws for good land, and the same applies to flat fields and barren mountains. There is no one like you who treats barren mountains as fertile land to pay taxes. It seems that , Magistrate Zhou wants to disrupt the law? Then I will report to Your Majesty and let Your Majesty make a decision!"
After saying that, he suddenly stood up and was about to take Zhao Hao away.
Seeing this, County Magistrate Zhou quickly pulled Zhang Cang back: "Master Zhang, don't be angry, we can still discuss, we can still discuss..."
Zhang Cang didn't really want to leave. After being stopped by County Magistrate Zhou, he sat back down, but the expression on his face was still full of anger.
"Sir, Mr. Zhang, if you pay taxes according to Huangshan's laws, the lower official will have to pay at least five hundred and a half taels..."
"In addition, the people who reclaim the barren mountains can only use people from my county."
Magistrate Zhou didn't care about Zhang Cang's anger in his heart. Since he could sit down again, Zhao Hao didn't get up and leave, which shows that there must be something fishy in these five barren mountains.
That would be much simpler. It's nothing more than 'raise the price and pay back the money'.
"County Magistrate Zhou, if you want to charge five hundred and a half taels for a barren mountain, how about this? I will sell you five barren mountains for two hundred and fifty taels each. How about that?"
"Ah? How...how did this happen? That was given to the young master by His Majesty..."
"We, Da Qin, have not explicitly prohibited the sale of land. Even if it is given to me by my father, I can sell it if I want. As long as the magistrate Zhou opens his mouth, I can sell it if he says..."
"I can't do it, I can't do it, I dare not..."
"That....."
"This is the minimum requirement for a lower official. No matter what, we cannot give in anymore..."
"hehe."
Zhao Hao smiled noncommittally, and then he and Magistrate Zhou came and went, bargaining, getting up and sitting down several times, and finally reached a satisfactory result.
Zhao Hao has a barren mountain, and the annual tax is one hundred and fifty-eight and a half taels. The people who cultivate the barren mountain will be provided by Juyi County.
As for the labor fee of civilian husbands, it is based on the standard of 20 yuan per person per month.
If it was labeled as a 'national project', civilian workers would not receive labor fees, but Zhao Hao didn't want to do this, so he took the initiative to offer labor fees.
Magistrate Zhou was happy to see the success, so he readily agreed to Zhao Hao's proposal.
Just like that, after the two reached an agreement, Magistrate Zhou immediately summoned the county magistrate to prepare the land deed and hand it over to Zhao Hao.
After all the procedures were completed, Zhao Hao said goodbye and left gloomily.
"Sir, are there really the kind of coal mines you mentioned in these five barren mountains?"
On the carriage on the way back, Zhang Cang asked doubtfully.
Zhao Hao glanced at him and said with a half-smile: "When you go back, arrange for a few craftsmen who know mining to dig out one of them and have a look. Then you'll know, right?"
"this...."
Zhang Cang hesitated for a moment and nodded in agreement.
At this moment, I heard a muffled sound of 'Peng'.
next moment.
The moving carriage suddenly came to a sudden stop.
"Uu——!"
Yan Le tightened the carriage and couldn't help but change his face: "There is an assassin!"
As soon as these words came out, before Zhao Hao and Zhao Hao could react, they heard another weak voice.
"Boy, you are in big trouble..."
