The next day, Zhao Gao woke up and saw Zhao Zheng beside him looking at him intently. He felt a little dazed for a moment and couldn't distinguish between dreams and reality. He woke up, his eyes still full of chaos. He reached out and touched Zhao Zheng's face in a daze, and found that it was true. He felt convinced and called "Your Majesty" calmly.
He just touched it. He didn't feel anything, but Zhao Zheng was suffering from it. Zhao Gao looked the most lazy when he woke up. Zhao Zheng had seen him like this many times in the past, and every time he would sit up from his lap. Even though he thought he looked good at that time, it was not as good as this time. So uncomfortable.
"You are not allowed to touch." Zhao Zheng felt impatient, so he simply grabbed his hand and said in a commanding tone. In this way, Zhao Gao, who was still a little dazed, regained his clarity of mind. Seeing his awkward look, he felt funny for a while and replied readily: "Okay, don't touch." After saying that, he patted his face and said, He also playfully pinched the fleshy part before stopping.
When he was a child, Zhao Zheng would have endured this kind of bad behavior. Now he couldn't swallow it. Looking at Zhao Gao, who had no feeling on his face, his teeth itched with hatred, and he immediately turned over and was about to get up. The man pressed under him and hugged him tightly, and laughed evilly.
Sure enough, Zhao Gao was stunned. There was someone suddenly pressed against him, and it was a man, which made everyone feel a little weird. However, although Zhao Zheng, who had succeeded, was reluctant to let him go, he was also afraid that he would notice his emotions, so he stopped when he was ready. He let go of his arms and rolled outward, stood up, took the clothes on the side and put them on, said "Good morning, teacher", and walked out of the inner room.
Staring at his tall and straight back, Zhao Gao felt a little confused in his heart, but that was not what Zhao Zheng was thinking. After a long while, he thought with some pity: As expected, when he became a king, it would be hard to bully someone with a bun face and short legs.
Zhou Wu's men were very efficient. Zhao Zheng took Zhao Gao to finish the food, and Zheng Guo was really brought over. After completing the task, Zhou Wu stood aside and couldn't help but glance at Zhao Gao. Zheng Guo originally wanted to come in to see the driver, but Zhao Gao planned to go out to avoid suspicion. After all, it was more formal than meeting Zhou Wu and the others before.
But before he could speak, Zhao Zheng noticed his intention and said in a tone that left no room for doubt: "Teacher, please stay too." After hearing this, Zhao Gao did not refuse anymore. Let Zheng Guo come in.
As his name suggests, Zheng Guoren has a Chinese-character face, a beautiful beard and thick eyebrows. There was no fear on his face when he was escorted in. Zhao Zheng raised his hand, and the soldier who escorted him in released his hand. Without the restraints, Zheng Guo stood up straight and could not even salute. Zhou Wu, who was on the side, wanted to scold him, but Zhao Zheng raised his hand indifferently.
"Zheng Guo, the evidence of tiring Qin is conclusive, what can you say?" Zhao Zheng didn't waste any time and asked directly and solemnly. Zheng Guo said solemnly with no fear on his face: "It is true that Zheng Guo's intention when he entered Qin was impure, but he has been doing his job diligently in building the canal over the years and has never slacked off in the slightest. Once the canal is completed, it will only extend the life of our country, Korea." It took several years, but for the Qin State, this move has benefited the world forever."
"What a meritorious person, you mean that the serious crime that brought disaster to our Qin country can be ignored just because of four vague words? Do you think that our Qin people are really upright and can be deceived by you and other small countries? I can tell you You, King Han’s good ideas will not work in Qin State, and your strategy of weakening Qin is useless in Qin State!” Zhao Zheng’s voice got louder every time. No matter how Zheng Guo had prepared before, at this time he was also worried about his overwhelming power. Frustrated by momentum.
At this time, Zhao Zheng's attitude towards Zheng Guo was completely different from the attitude when the two discussed yesterday. Zhao Gao watched silently, but was not in a hurry. He knew that Zhao Zheng was well versed in the ways of an emperor. If he easily released Zheng Guo, he would let Zheng Guo and the King of Han behind him clearly realize that Qin State must rely on Zheng Guo to build the canal. Then he would be even more emboldened and underestimate the repairs. It's his business, so it's okay to beat him.
A thin layer of sweat broke out on Zheng Guo's body, but he still managed to remain calm and said: "Zheng Guo has nothing to say, but it depends on the King of Qin." Zhao Zheng saw that his momentum had weakened a little, and sneered in his heart, but there was nothing on his face. A special look: "I am not unreasonable. You have indeed made great achievements in building canals over the years, and the State of Qin will not treat you badly. I will let you go back today, but you must remember that the fate of South Korea depends on you alone." , if you dare to neglect the construction of the canal, then the reason for raising troops will fall on you, Zheng Guo."
Zhao Zheng's meaning is very clear. If you dare to play tricks on our Qin State and dare to play tricks when building the canal, I will use you as an excuse to destroy South Korea and make you suffer eternal infamy. After hearing this, Zhao Gao felt funny in his heart. His ability to threaten people has indeed improved a lot.
Before Zheng Guo could recover from his shock, Zhao Zheng said again: "The king of Han will send someone to talk to him, so you don't have to worry." Zhao Zheng's kind "comfort" not only did not reassure Zheng Guo , but made him pale directly. Sending envoys to Korea just to "talk to each other" about their own king? Zheng Guo knew clearly that if South Korea did not show some signs to Qin at this time, Qin would probably not give up.
Zhao Zheng was too lazy to talk nonsense with him anymore: "Okay, you can go." He looked at Zhao Zheng in surprise. He originally thought that Zhao Zheng would send another supervisor to keep an eye on him, but it seemed that Zhao Zheng had no such intention, and he couldn't help but ask Said: "The King of Qin can safely let Zheng Guo go back?"
Zhao Zheng curled up his lips and said: "Since I dare to use you, I am not afraid that you will do anything random, so why bother? You can rest assured that the matter of building the canal will still be left to you to manage, and I will give you whatever property you lack." Come. Again, if you don't listen to orders, your life or death will be decided by you." Zheng Guo suddenly raised his head and looked at Zhao Zheng, unable to say a word.
In today's world, which king has such confidence and courage as the one in front of him? Thinking of the timid King of Han hugging a beauty and giving him repeated instructions before leaving, I suddenly felt a little ironic. If South Korea also had such a king, how could it gradually decline?
The day after Zheng Guo left, news came from Xianyang that several courtiers complained about Zhao Zheng's easy release of Zheng Guo. Zhao Zheng threw the bamboo slips on the case and said with a sneer: "I have my order to return to Xianyang as soon as possible."
Xianyang Palace.
"Several courtiers said this. I guess it was the signal from my uncle?" Zhao Zheng had just returned to the palace, and he didn't bother to repair it, so he asked someone to find out the reason. "And the teacher's matter has spread so quickly, I'm afraid someone is adding fuel to the fire."
As soon as Zhao Zheng returned to Xianyang, he heard that Zhao Gao's affairs had spread throughout the court. Although no one knew who Zhao Gao was, they heard that Zhao Gao was very respectful to him on the road and always addressed him as "teacher". Not only were several old Qin families dissatisfied with this, but even the scholars from the six kingdoms of Shandong who entered the Qin Dynasty to seek positions in the court also complained. They said that Zhao Zheng was partial and easily treated people with the courtesy of the country's scholars. That's all, I heard he is still a young unknown person.
In fact, these people are just afraid that Zhao Gao will squeeze out their positions. However, despite the rumors outside, Zhao Gao didn't care. Now he looked at Zhao Zheng with a half-smile but said: "It seems that the king has a special purpose for this tour." Zhou Wu heard this and asked curiously: "Can you guess it, sir?" Only a few people know about this.
Zhao Zheng had previously received the news that "Xiong Qi, Lord of Changping, may have secret connections with the Chu State and secretly formed parties with several courtiers." It's just that Xiong Qi was still a little careful in his work, and Zhao Zheng couldn't tell whether it was true or false for a while.
"I'm afraid that the assassination that day was related to this matter. Is Zhao Gao right about Zhou Weiwei?" Zhao Gao replied unhurriedly. Zhou Wu nodded vaguely. Zhao Zheng took advantage of the situation and said, "Why don't you ask the teacher to guess the joints?"
Zhao Gao said leisurely: "I heard that the King of Chu is ill and his days are numbered. At this time, all the forces in the Chu State are ready to move, and I am afraid that someone will take a fancy to Lord Changping. Although he is the prime minister of Qin, he is also the direct son of the King of Chu. , if you stay in the Qin State, you will not be able to go further in this life, but if you return to the Chu State..."
Having said this, Zhao Gao paused and continued: "But if you want to be recognized by others, it is not enough just to be the son of Chu State, so Lord Changping took Qin State's idea into account. As long as the king's idea is Once you have done something good, everything will be easier to handle. This is the truth, but the king is not sure whether he really has such a different intention, so he simply gave him a try on the pretext of visiting the people."
Zhou Wu said angrily: "Humph, this test is indeed true. Although the assassin that day was not directly sent by him, he deliberately attracted it. Unfortunately, there was no obvious clue."
"With the changes in the court and the assassination that day, Xiong Qizhi's intentions are clearly exposed. It is just concrete evidence and cannot be produced for the time being. Moreover, this matter also involves the relationship between Qin and Chu. If it is handled slightly carelessly, I'm afraid that The gain outweighs the loss. I wonder if the teacher has any countermeasures for this?" In front of Zhou Wu and others, Zhao Zheng deliberately asked Zhao Gao to intervene in this matter, just to give him a chance to gain a foothold in the court.
Zhao Gao didn't know his intention, so he glanced at him indifferently, and the two of them understood each other tacitly. "Zhao Gao believes that the key to this matter lies in Chu and not in Qin." He said slowly: "Since it is the dispute caused by the dispute between the Chu State and the Vice-President, it is better to resolve the matter in Chu State. On the side of Lord Changping, Your Majesty You can send someone to pretend to be a merchant from another country to make a deal with the Chu forces behind him, saying that Changping Lord does not need to have Qin's ideas, why not just return to the country directly, and this country is willing to provide financial support for him to ascend to the throne as soon as possible."
"There is no reason in the world to pay someone to betray you. Sir, isn't this a bad idea?" Zhao Zheng glanced at him and signaled him not to interrupt, so Zhou Wu shut up.
Zhao Gao said amusingly: "The Weiwei is right, this is indeed a bad idea." After a pause, he said sternly: "Judging from the current situation, Lord Changping has no chance of ascending to the throne if he returns directly to the country. It is difficult to make meritorious service to the Chu State, so he has been delayed and can only make some small noises to test the king. In this case, why don't we help him feel at ease and let him go back voluntarily? After all, this person will stay in the Qin State forever. It’s a scourge.”
"But wouldn't it be a waste of money to let him return home like this?" Zhou Wu asked puzzledly. "Of course not. Weiwei, do you think it's better to fight a war on other people's territory or on your own territory?" Is this still a question? "Of course it's good in other people's territory, and it's not your own place to do bad things."
Zhao Gao said: "That's right." Zhou Wu suddenly said: "Oh, I understand, sir, it is better for him to go back to the Chu Kingdom to fight with that young master. Qin State has nothing to do with it. Anyway, it is his Chu State's energy that is being wasted. .”
Zhao Gao nodded: "The first half of the guards guessed it right, but the second half didn't. We, the Qin State, will never stand idly by in this matter. Young Master Han is timid and weak, but Lord Changping's courage and ability are definitely above him. If I accidentally allowed Lord Changping to ascend the throne. Based on his understanding of Qin in these years, I’m afraid..."
"This matter must not be tolerated." Zhao Zheng frowned. Zhao Gao continued: "So when Lord Changping returns to Chu, Qin only needs to make a deal with Young Master Han, and with a little effort, he can get rid of Lord Changping and help him ascend the throne. By the way, he can also gain a few cities from Chu..."
Zhou Wu stared at Zhao Gao dumbfounded. In the past, when he looked at Zhao Gao, he always thought he was weak. Unexpectedly, the idea he came up with was so damaging. He wanted to provoke infighting among others and ask others to help him deal with the rebellion, but also asked others to give up. Send several cities as a thank you gift, and take advantage of the situation to weaken the strength of Chu State...
"Teacher's idea..." Zhao Zheng originally had this in mind, but he didn't expect that he would go so far. After listening to what he said, he suddenly remembered that he was often "coaxed" by him when he was a child, and suddenly realized that in the past I still showed mercy to my teacher...
