Although there is still a sharp chill in the air, the summer in Xianyang still slowly comes in with the call of the season.
When the sun reaches its peak, the cold quietly recedes. The water vapor evaporated by the sun spreads warmly on both sides of the street, awakening the branches of the locust and willow trees.
Quietly, amidst the casual footsteps of people, they opened their small green leaves and stared curiously at the apricot flowers sticking out of the high wall.
People on the street welcomed the warmth of early summer with smiles and smiles. Some were walking quickly, some were walking slowly, some were whispering, or some were sighing secretly that they were one year older.
At this time, as usual, newsboys were walking through the streets and alleys, selling the latest newspapers in their hands.
This is the main way for newspapers under the Propaganda Department to sell newspapers.
Most other counties also adopt this approach.
The common people seemed to have been accustomed to the existence of newspapers, and they approached the newsboys one after another.
But I heard the newsboys shouting one after another:
"The Xianyang Rich List is newly released, come and take a look!"
"Shocked! The officials of Great Qin are so rich!"
"Rich list? What rich list?"
It seemed that this was the first time the common people had heard this term, and they couldn't help but rush to buy it.
"Come on, come on, bring me a newspaper!"
"I want it too, I want it too, give me one."
As newspapers were sold one after another, people stood on the streets, sat in tea shops, or checked in wine shops.
Most of the people who bought newspapers were literate and illiterate. They gathered around other literate people and listened to each other interpret the contents of the newspapers.
This newspaper mainly records the properties of the major families in Xianyang and ranks them from high to low according to the amount.
No ministers in the court were spared, and they were all listed.
From family assets of tens of thousands of gold and grain storage of tens of thousands of stones to hundreds of gold and hundreds of stones, they are listed one by one.
As for the specific amount of property each family has, it was basically compiled by Cao Shen.
Of course, it is not a baseless fabrication.
As early as more than a year ago, Zhao Hao ordered people to investigate officials of all sizes in Xianyang, and now he has achieved some success.
In order to form a sharp contrast with this matter, Xiao He also deliberately imitated Zhao Hao's tone and added a paragraph in eye-catching red font, writing:
If you don't make decisions for the people when you are an official, it is better to go home and grow wheat and millet!
The article explains in detail the current situation of the Qin Dynasty, the displacement caused by last year's snowstorm, and the numerous rebellions in various places, and calls on the court officials to serve the country and the people and be benevolent in order to get rich.
Once this edition of the newspaper was released, it undoubtedly aroused public opinion in Xianyang.
Countless people's gossips and hatred of rich people were instantly stirred up in their hearts.
They never imagined that the ministers in the DPRK would have so much property in their homes.
Damn it, how long will it take to squander it?
With my limited imagination, I could never have imagined how much property their family would have at that time.
It seems that there is no good official in the DPRK who serves the country and the people!
Except for Qin King Zhao Hao who was ranked last.
In fact, Zhao Hao's ranking is true, because he doesn't have a family at all. Without a family, how can he get his wealth?
Li Si was so shocked when he saw that his family ranked second on the Xianyang rich list, but when he saw that the Feng family was ranked first, he felt that it was not that simple.
"How come I don't know when this newspaper was printed?"
Li Si put away the newspaper and looked at Zhao Gao seriously.
Zhao Gao glanced at him in third place with a bitter look on his face. He was obviously just a conspirator hiding between Li Si and Hu Hai, but now he became a household name because of this newspaper. It was really unfair.
To say that he annexed the Qing's Trading Company, it doesn't matter if he has so many properties.
The key is that he didn't even catch a hair, but he ended up becoming the third richest man in Xianyang.
If someone is interested in this, it will be difficult to do anything secretly in the future.
However, since Li Si asked, Zhao Gao refused to answer and said in a calm voice, "According to my investigation, this newspaper was printed and distributed by Xiao He and Cao Shen."
"Xiao He and Cao Shen? Aren't those people from King Qin?"
"Yes, and they printed and distributed it before the Prime Minister took over the Propaganda Department!"
"hateful!"
Li Si crumpled the newspaper in his hand fiercely and said coldly: "I will go find King Qin now!"
"Prime Minister, wait!"
Seeing that Li Si was about to leave, Zhao Gao quickly stopped him and whispered: "The King of Qin must have done this to force Prime Minister Feng to compromise, otherwise the Feng family would not be ranked first!"
"Um?"
Li Si paused and thought about it for a moment. It seemed to make sense, so he asked Zhao Gao: "What do you think?"
"The higher you climb, the harder you fall. Since King Qin has been prepared for it, it's not as good as the beauty of an adult!"
"this"
Li Si hesitated for a moment and said hesitantly: "This so-called ranking list, you and I are both on the list, how should we deal with it?"
Zhao Gao thought for a while and said: "Anyway, everywhere is suppressing rebellion, and we also need money for disaster relief, so I just donated it together!"
"All, all donated?" Li Si asked in surprise.
Zhao Gao sneered and said: "The Prime Minister is far-sighted, does he still care about mere immediate interests?"
After hearing this, Li Si fell into silence for a moment. After a while, he looked deeply at Zhao Gao and smiled:
"I will also make a patriotic list tomorrow! The more you donate, the more patriotic you will be!"
"Wonderful!"
Zhao Gao clapped his hands and cheered, the two of them smiled at each other, and then left the side hall of the political affairs hall.
On the other side, the Xicheng villa where Zhao Hao is located.
Cao Shen and Xiao He are accepting sales reports from various streets.
It is not difficult to see from their expressions that the Xianyang Rich List matter has become more and more serious.
It was faintly as shocking as the news of the sudden death of the First Emperor.
Zhao Hao, on the other hand, was lying calmly on the rocking chair in the courtyard of the villa, basking in the sun.
"Your Majesty, is this matter a bit too big? I am a little worried."
Xiao He took the newspaper and walked to Zhao Hao with an uneasy look on his face.
Zhao Hao glanced at him with a smile and joked, "What's the matter, Director Xiao is afraid?"
Xiao He shook his head helplessly and said, "No, I am just afraid that the turmoil in Xianyang will affect the local rebellion. If this matter spreads to the ears of the remnants of the Six Kingdoms, wouldn't it give them more reason to incite the people to rebel against Qin?"
"hehe."
Zhao Hao smiled noncommittally, then stopped rocking the chair and said quietly:
"I have already thought about this matter. The worst result is that the rebels overthrow the Qin Dynasty. It is better than taking advantage of that stupid boy Hu Hai. When the time comes, if you change your identity, you may be able to achieve the position of prime minister;
And I am no longer bound by Great Qin, and I can live freely overseas from now on. No matter how you look at it, it’s a win-win situation for us! "
Xiao He looked unhappy: "If your Majesty really wants to do this, I will have no choice but to hang myself on your doorstep before you can escape overseas!"
(◎_◎;)
Zhao Hao broke into a cold sweat, he didn't expect Prime Minister Xiao to be so cruel?
No wonder Liu Bang, a fool like him, is afraid of Prime Minister Xiao. He also has such a terrible temper!
"Well"
Zhao Hao twitched the corner of his mouth and couldn't help but change the subject: "You have the skills to hang yourself on my door, why not think about how to solve it?"
"Qin Wang Hao! Qin Wang Hao! I want to see Qin Wang Hao!"
The next moment the two were talking, there was a sudden shouting outside the door.
Zhao Hao looked at the door with a surprised look on his face, and immediately smiled when he saw the visitor.
He greeted warmly: "Mr. Feng, have you been released?"
Everyone in the courtyard focused their attention on the two of them.
Hiss. Feng Jie is actually here. It looks like the person who came is not good!
While everyone was shocked, Feng Jie came over angrily, pointed at Zhao Hao's nose and scolded: "Don't be so playful with me! Qin Wanghao! You are so brave!"
As he spoke, he pulled out a newspaper from his arms, shook it apart vigorously, and pointed at the ranking list above with trembling hands.
"This thing! Did you create this thing? This is slander! Slander!"
Xiao He immediately stood up: "Feng Gong misunderstood! This is caused by the lower officials! It has nothing to do with the king!"
Feng Jie had a very good sense of Xiao He, because when Zhao Hao was away from Xianyang, he often dealt with Xiao He, so he comforted him with a sad face: "Oh! Brother Xiao, don't mention him covering up! I know everything! "
"He was dissatisfied with my father's objection to his using the name of King Qin to reward him for his merits, so he deliberately targeted my Feng family!"
"That's right! This king did it on purpose! What do you think Mr. Feng has to say?"
"Look, look, he admitted it! He looks so shameless and shameless, he doesn't look like a king!"
Feng Jie really couldn't stand it any longer.
He was originally dismissed from his official post by Hu Hai and had no time at home. He was very depressed. However, when this newspaper came out, he felt completely bad.
Although the Feng family is considered a big family in Xianyang, it pales in comparison to the Wang, Meng, and Li families. As a result, this broken ranking has directly elevated the Feng family to the position of the first family in Xianyang.
How can you be so virtuous!
At first glance, it looked like someone was making it up!
Don’t you still know what’s going on at home? Two to three thousand kilo of grain is enough to feed hundreds of people for more than a year. This is tens of thousands of kilo of grain. Your family is not a grain seller, so what do you do with so much grain? Hoarding to get moldy?
I still have a family fortune of tens of thousands of gold, my late emperor! Please open your eyes and take a look! What evil has happened to my family!
Feng Jie, who was already frustrated and had no intention of intervening in the affairs of the court, finally couldn't sit still and came directly to Zhao Haoxing to question him.
Zhao Hao, on the other hand, looked at Feng Jie with an indifferent expression: "What exactly does Mr. Feng want to say? You might as well just say it!"
"Okay! I'll tell you straight now!"
Seeing Zhao Hao's calm expression, Feng Jie tried his best to calm down his emotions and said in a deep voice: "I ask you, who told you how many tens of thousands of stones of food and tens of thousands of gold in my family's wealth are there?"
Zhao Hao tilted his head and thought for a while; "It's Zhao Gao, well, that's him!"
Feng Jie's eyes were straightened and he looked at Zhao Hao blankly, trembling with anger: "You fucking think I'm a fool?"
Failed to sow discord!
Zhao Hao sighed, shook his head quickly, and said with a smile: "Where is it? This is estimated by the Security Bureau and the Commerce Bureau. If it is not accurate, you can report the number and I will have someone change it for you tomorrow!"
After he finished speaking, he winked again and said, "Tell me, Mr. Feng, how much property does your family have? I'll have someone record it for you right away, and I'll publish it in the newspaper tomorrow to clarify!"
"you!"
Feng Jie slapped his thigh and was about to cry: "You are going to kill my family! If my family's name is cleared, how will they behave in the future!"
As he said that, he suddenly thought of something and threatened Zhao Hao: "I know what the king has in mind. I advise the king to stop as soon as possible, otherwise he will offend the civil and military officials of the dynasty, and there will be no good results!"
"Even if you want to award rewards based on merit, you still need the consent of the ministers! If you do this, it is equivalent to offending all the ministers!"
Hearing this, everyone around was moved.
Feng Gong's heart is still towards Qin Wanghao. He has been harmed like this, and he still thinks about Qin Wanghao.
However, Zhao Hao curled his lips and acted like a scoundrel: "What?! The civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty dare to be enemies with this king? Who among the people in the city doesn't know that this king and the prince are brothers? Do the civil and military officials of the Manchu Dynasty want to rebel? I will mobilize the imperial army to suppress them!"
"you!"
When Feng Jie heard this, he suddenly felt like his three senses were shattered.
Are you a monster? Can we communicate using our human minds?
Feng Jie was so angry that he was trembling all over: "It's hopeless. You really are hopeless!
Qin Wanghao, are you crazy? Now that the late emperor is gone, can you be lawless? Is there anything you can’t say well? Isn't it just that I don't agree with you to reward based on merit? It doesn't mean that we can't discuss it again! "
Zhao Hao looked directly at Feng Jie; "More discussion? Feng Gong, you should not say this to me, you should say this to Prime Minister Feng, he is a cabinet minister! Even if I want to discuss it again, I am not qualified to participate in the cabinet meeting!"
"And Mr. Feng, you don't really think that I just want to exercise the power of the emperor, do you?"
"Rebellions are happening all over the place, and the border is about to move. We urgently need someone to scare them. If I am not qualified to reward based on merit, how can I make them believe what I say, and how can I make them surrender?"
"this"
Feng Jie was speechless.
He knew that in the current Qin Dynasty, apart from the First Emperor, only Zhao Hao had the ability to frighten the world, because Zhao Hao had just unified the South China Sea and was named King of Qin by the First Emperor.
This is the first prince in the Qin Dynasty who earned his title by his own ability.
It's nothing like that kind of inherited throne.
However, he never expected that Zhao Hao would use this method to make the Feng family bow their heads.
"Even if your Majesty wants to reward you based on your merits, now is not the time." Feng Jie muttered.
Zhao Hao said earnestly: "How long are you waiting for? Mr. Feng, you old bones, if I don't force you, you don't know how useless you are!"
"you!"
Feng Jie choked on Zhao Hao's words, feeling unspeakably uncomfortable.
Does this kid really not know how to speak human language?
But when I think about the fact that one of my three most dignified officials, the imperial censor, was replaced by a young boy like Hu Hai, I feel that I am indeed a bit of a loser.
However, he still didn't want to admit that he was a waste, and said with a cold face: "Are you really not afraid of offending all the princes in the court? Are you going to continue?"
Zhao Hao walked to the table, stood up directly, and said condescendingly, "Mr. Feng, do you think I will stop now?"
"This king has always done things like this. I will never give up until I achieve my goal!"
"Why"
Feng Jie sighed helplessly and said excitedly: "Why is this? Why are you so radical? Stop now. I can help you persuade your father!"
Zhao Hao also sighed: "Mr. Feng doesn't understand me!"
"If you tell me, I'll understand!"
“If you really understand, you don’t need to say anything!”
Feng Jie; "."
Zhao Hao; "."
The two looked at each other, both speechless.
After a while, Feng Jie saw Zhao Hao's resolute attitude and smiled bitterly: "That's all, just do whatever you want. I thought the late emperor finally chose the right person, but I didn't expect he was wrong after all."
"I'm leaving."
After saying this, he turned around and left, his back full of desolation.
However, what is unexpected is that Feng Jie, who had just walked out of the door, turned back and said righteously: "My family only has less than two thousand shi of food and a few hundred gold of wealth!"
After saying that, he hurried away again.
Zhao Hao smiled slightly and turned to look at Xiao He and others: "Remember it, Feng Gong shed tears in the Qin Palace. He is grateful for the injustice in the world and understands the righteousness. He is willing to donate all the food at home, which is less than two thousand shi, and the wealth of several hundred gold. Put an end to the country’s chaos!”
"this"
When Xiao He heard Zhao Hao's words, he was dumbfounded and instantly fell into confusion.
Cao Shen held the brush in his hand, his heart trembled, and his hands also trembled.
A drop of ink fell on the paper and spread quickly.
"Your Majesty, Mr. Feng doesn't seem to have said that. Besides, this is too cruel."
Cao Shen came back to his senses and said hesitantly.
Zhao Hao glanced at him and said solemnly: "It's the voice of my heart! I have heard Mr. Feng's heartfelt wishes for the country and the people! Although he is currently idle at home, he is thinking about the world! I admire Mr. Feng's high righteousness very much. !”
"As the saying goes, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility! The Feng family ranks first, and they deserve it!"
"Note! Note to me as the front page headline! It will be published tomorrow!"
"Feng Gong Gaoyi——!"
After hearing this, everyone bowed and saluted in the direction Feng Jie left.
Cao Shen and Xiao He looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly.
Now, the Feng family is afraid that it will be difficult for them to ride a tiger.
It seems that if you offend anyone, don’t offend our King Qin! (End of chapter)
