Chapter 113: Qin Shi Huang was shocked! His ministers were puzzled!
When the First Emperor saw Fu Zikang's attitude, he immediately understood what Fu Zikang meant.
What's going on lately?
Why does everyone want me to dismiss my attendants and tell secrets...
The First Emperor looked at Fu Zikang and saw that he was tall and thin, and walked with an unsteady gait, and did not look like a man with great martial arts skills.
He turned to Gai Nie, Meng Yi, Wang Wan, Li Si, and Zhao Gao who were following him and said, "I am alone with Fu Zikang..."
"Nie wants to follow." Gai Nie said coldly without waiting for the First Emperor to finish.
The last time Gai Nie was away, the First Emperor was ambushed by Ying Chengjiao, which left a big shadow in Gai Nie's heart.
Everyone he sees now seems to be trying to launch a surprise attack on the First Emperor. It seems as if he has developed a delusion that the First Emperor is being persecuted.
He now attaches great importance to the safety of the First Emperor.
Everyone, including the First Emperor, looked at Gai Nie in surprise. They obviously did not expect that the first person to speak out in opposition would be Gai Nie, who had always supported Fu Zikang.
Fu Zikang looked at Gai Nie and thought for a moment. Thinking that Gai Nie had been in Chang'an Jun Mansion and that he should have seen all the things made by Ying Chengjiao, he nodded.
"Can."
"The wealth of Chang'an Jun is really eye-opening. It is no exaggeration to call it a miracle."
Li Si first praised Ying Chengjiao, then turned to Fu Zikang and said in a deep voice: "Earlier, Fu Zhisu Neishi clearly said in the Council Hall that the money sent by Chang'an Jun to the Zhisu Neishi's office was enough to build the highway. But now it seems that although the money here is huge, it is only five years' military pay. Fu Zhisu Neishi deceived Your Majesty like this, I don't know what this means?"
Fu Zikang glanced at the First Emperor, then stole a glance at Li Si, lowered his head and said nothing.
But the meaning is very clear - Gai Nie can follow, but you, Li Si, can't.
Li Si felt a little angry.
Si is now the Left Prime Minister, and you are so rude when he talks to you.
Meng Yi's eyes have been wide open since he arrived at the Zhisu Neishi Mansion.
He had just learned from his father Meng Wu that Ying Chengjiao could make colored glaze, and today he saw money that was five times the amount of Qin's military pay last year.
The glittering golden light almost blinded his eyes, and the visual impact was maximum.
"Right Prime Minister, is this really five times the military pay? Then wouldn't Lord Chang'an be able to support the Qin army of 600,000 for five years by himself?"
This internal historian didn't pay any attention to what Fu Zikang said and was still pulling Wang Wan to confirm the amount of money here.
"That's true. "
Wang Wan was frightened as he answered.
Chang'an Jun's magic is back again?
As for Zhao Gao, he always served respectfully.
When the First Emperor didn't want him to speak, he kept silent and just acted as a tool.
"You wait here, Gai Nie will come with me." The First Emperor made the final decision.
Fu Zikang left behind the respectful Zhao Gao, the annoyed Li Si, the stunned Meng Yi, and the frightened Wang Wan.
He led the First Emperor and Gai Nie through twists and turns and into a small warehouse that only he could enter.
This small warehouse occupies a very small area, not even as big as the office buildings of the officials in the Ministry of Grain and the Imperial Household, it is only about ten square meters in size.
Although the warehouse door is not big, there are seven big locks hanging on it. The chain of each lock is as thick as an arm, and the surface of this small door is almost covered with those iron chains.
"Can this place hold five years' worth of military pay?"
The First Emperor knew roughly how big the warehouse was by looking at its door, and he was skeptical.
Even if this storehouse was filled with gold, it would only be around 600,000 gold.
One gold is worth a thousand coins, that is six hundred million coins.
The military pay for ten years is about 12 billion, and the military pay for five years is about 6 billion.
Although 600 million coins is also a huge number, it is ten times less than 6 billion coins, which is still far from enough.
"Yes."
Fu Zikang couldn't stop nodding, took out a bunch of keys, and started opening the seven locks on the warehouse door.
Upon seeing this, the First Emperor said nothing more and just watched Fu Zikang open the door quietly.
I thought to myself: Could this guy have stuffed a whole storehouse of colored glaze into my pocket? Even so, he has done a great job by taking out enough money to build half of the highway. The amount of colored glaze on the market has not increased significantly in recent years, so where did he get so much money?
Click~
…
The sound of the seven large locks' tongues colliding with the lock bodies was crisp and pleasant, and Fu Zikang opened seven locks in a row.
"Your Majesty, please step back."
"Withdraw some?"
"Yes."
Are you afraid that the things inside will hurt me?
Could it be that there are living things locked up in this warehouse?
What kind of rare and exotic animal is it?
Black bird?
Dragon?
The First Emperor took two steps back in confusion.
"Your Majesty, please retreat five more steps."
“…”
The First Emperor's curiosity had been aroused by Fu Zikang, and he retreated five steps.
Fu Zikang nodded and then opened the warehouse door.
When he opened the warehouse door, he stood at the door and moved with the warehouse door.
Under the expectant gaze of the First Emperor.
What caught his eyes was not the glittering gold, nor the colorful glassware, nor the mysterious bird or dragon that he had just imagined.
Instead, it was a handful of ash.
The dust seemed to have been firmly trapped in the warehouse by the door. Now that the door had left it, it all rushed out at once, as if a hundred people in the room were throwing a ball of dirt at the First Emperor at the same time.
"retreat!"
The First Emperor hadn't reacted yet.
Gai Nie gently pulled the First Emperor back with his left hand, and drew the sword from his waist with his right hand to block the First Emperor.
The sword master in white danced with his sword as if thousands of swords were wielding at the same time, and his posture was extremely gorgeous.
The invisible and intangible sword energy showed its shape and quality among the dust, making all the flying dust fall down as if hitting an invisible wall.
After five breaths, all the flying dust had been knocked down by Gai Nie.
Snap~
The sword master in white sheathed his sword, his clothes still as white as snow, without a speck of dust or stain.
The First Emperor narrowed his eyes, stepped on the dust on the ground and walked to Fu Zikang who was still standing at the door. He said calmly : "What you said can be used to pay for five years of military pay is this dust."
Fu Zikang nodded, then shook his head, and the dust on his crown kept sliding down.
Although he had been hiding at the door, he was not protected by a sword master after all, so some dust fell on his body and he looked dirty and grimy.
"This is not soil, it's cement."
The First Emperor did not lose his temper. Even though this seemed so ridiculous, he did not look annoyed at all.
"Cement? This is the first time I've heard of this name."
The First Emperor looked at the cement piled to the ceiling in the warehouse, took two quick steps, and reached out to grab it.
"Wait a minute, Your Majesty."
Fu Zikang hurriedly stopped him.
"Um?"
The First Emperor looked back at Fu Zikang, who was so scared that he immediately retracted his hand.
"This thing will burn your hands. Your Majesty should not touch it directly."
"Burn your hand? How can this thing burn your hand if it's not fire?"
The First Emperor heard more and more strange things today, and his tone became calmer.
If Zhao Gao were here, he would know that the First Emperor was already angry but was just holding it back.
"I don't know. It was Chang'an Jun who told me. I saw with my own eyes that Chang'an Jun put a piglet into lime. One day later, the piglet's skin was red and swollen, with burn marks, and it cracked when it came into contact with water."
"...You said that this thing was sent by that bastard? What did he call this thing?"
"cement."
"He said this cement could be used to pay for five years of military pay?! Is that how he fooled me?"
When Ying Zheng heard that it was Ying Chengjiao who sent it, his calmness disappeared and he became furious.
The First Emperor stamped his feet in anger, causing dust to rise up, making the black bird on his crown look like it was in the clouds.
Gai Nie looked at the crown stained with cement from Ying Zheng's body with an expressionless face.
Waste of my sword.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Your Majesty, please calm down. Allow me to explain to you the wonderful use of this thing." Fu Zikang said hurriedly when he saw that the First Emperor was angry.
The First Emperor watched it coldly.
"I remember correctly, you were recommended by that boy?"
"Yes, Lord Chang'an treated me with great kindness. When I was about to starve to death, it was Lord Chang'an who took me in. He gave me the surname Fu and the name Zikang."
When it comes to Ying Chengjiao, Fu Zikang still seems a little timid.
But his tone was obviously much firmer, and his eyes were full of reverence.
During the Qin Dynasty, many people did not have surnames, as surnames were only given to noble people.
Wooden slips No. 6 and No. 11 of the Shuihudi Qin Bamboo Slips are family letters written by brothers Jing and Heifu to their elder brother Zhong. The three of them are brothers.
Even the soldiers of the Qin Dynasty did not have surnames. This shows that people with surnames in the Qin Dynasty at least had a certain status.
Ying Chengjiao did not give Zikang a surname or a name, which was an extremely honorable thing in the Qin Dynasty.
"Then why didn't you speak up for Cheng Jiao in the court?"
"Chang'an Jun does not need my words."
The First Emperor narrowed his eyes and said in a dangerous voice: "Then if Cheng Jiao wants you to speak."
"Then I will speak."
Ying Zheng looked at this senior official who admitted it frankly and was one of the Nine Ministers in the imperial court, and said coldly: "You eat my salary and are loyal to Cheng Jiao, so you are disloyal."
"Zikang is indeed disloyal to Your Majesty. Being the Internal History of Grain Administration is like being an accountant in the palace of Lord Chang'an. Lord Chang'an recommended Zikang to be the Internal History of Grain Administration, and for Zikang, it is all to serve Lord Chang'an. If Your Majesty thinks Zikang is not suitable, Zikang will resign and return to be the accountant in Lord Chang'an's palace."
Fu Zikang even stopped addressing himself as "Chen", which showed that he really intended to resign.
"Are my nine ministers not as good as the accountant in that boy's house?"
"The annual salary of the Internal Affairs Secretary for Grain is 2,000 dan, but the salary given by Your Majesty is still more..."
Ying Zheng looked at Fu Zikang, who was shrinking but had a determined look in his eyes. It was hard for him to understand why Fu Zikang dared to speak to him like that even though he was obviously afraid of him.
"Among the nine ministers of the Qin Dynasty, Zhisu Neishi is loyal to Cheng Jiao, not to me. Do you know that for just this reason, I can kill you!"
Fu Zikang's eyes showed fear, but he said, "Chang'an Jun said that as long as I tell the truth to His Majesty, His Majesty will not kill me. As long as I take care of the accounts, no matter what I think in my heart, His Majesty will not bother to care about me."
"snort!"
The First Emperor snorted coldly, and the murderous aura just now disappeared completely with this snort.
"That boy has been so naughty these years, and he loves to read people's minds. He actually used this trick on me. How presumptuous! Fu Zikang, now is the time for you to atone for your loyalty to your master."
"If you can prove that this dust you call cement can be used to pay for five years of military pay, I will forgive you and Ying Chengjiao for what happened today. If not, you two will be convicted of deceiving the emperor and will be executed."
Fu Zikang was afraid at first, but after listening to the first emperor's words, he breathed a sigh of relief and replied easily, "Yes."
When the First Emperor saw Fu Zikang's confident look, he knew that this cement must be something magical.
While Fu Zikang was busy, I couldn't help but squat down and take a closer look at the cement.
But the First Emperor looked at it and couldn't see anything special about it. He thought it was just gray soil.
He wanted to grab it with his hands, but then he remembered what Fu Zikang said about burning his hands...
"Gai Nie."
"I am here."
"You grab some cement and see if there's anything strange about it."
“…”
Gai Nie had a blank expression on his face and looked at the First Emperor with a look that said, "Do you take me as a fool?"
"If this was Zhao Gao, he would have arrested him. You are not as loyal to me as Zhao Gao."
Gai Nie was silent for three breaths.
"What did your Majesty want me to do just now?"
"Grab some cement and see what's so strange about it."
Gai Nie was silent for another three breaths.
"What did your Majesty want me to do just now?"
"Catch some... Gai Nie, you are getting bolder and bolder. How dare you tease me!"
"Your Majesty has ordered that my memory become worse and I cannot remember anything I have read in three breaths. I dare not disobey."
"I'm talking about text. Words can be remembered!"
Gai Nie was silent for three breaths again: "What did your Majesty just say?"
"……nothing."
"only."
I haven't given any orders, what the hell are you saying?
The First Emperor felt that Zhao Gao was more suitable for the job of issuing seals and decrees.
It doesn't matter if the memorials are reviewed slowly, but it is important not to get angry to death.
The two of them were talking.
Fu Zikang has prepared all the items.
There was half a basin of clean water, a shovel, half a basin of stones, and half a basin of yellow sand on the ground.
Right in front of the First Emperor, Fu Zikang first shoveled half a shovel of cement and placed it on the ground, then shoveled half a shovel of yellow sand and piled it on the cement, and then shoveled and a half shovels of stones and piled them on the yellow sand.
Then Fu Zikang picked up a ladle and poured clean water on the mixture of cement, sand and gravel, while stirring it back and forth with a shovel.
But Fu Zikang had probably never done similar work before, so the sand, cement and gravel were scattered everywhere.
The First Emperor looked at it for a moment, frowned, and realized that Fu Zikang wanted to mix the three together.
So he snatched the shovel from Fu Zikang's hand and started working himself.
Fu Zikang exclaimed: "How can your majesty do such a job!"
The First Emperor said impatiently: "If you do a good job, then I am willing to do it?"
The First Emperor quickly brought the three together and stirred them back and forth, which was much better than Fu Zikang.
After stirring for a while, the First Emperor felt that it was no longer sticky. Without looking up, he asked, "Should we add more water?"
"Oh? Oh! Yes, yes! Add water, add water!"
Fu Zikang looked a little dazed, but was awakened by the First Emperor's words. He hurriedly scooped up water with a ladle and slowly poured it on.
While watering, Fu Zikang seemed to be hesitant to speak.
"If you want to ask, just ask. Do you no longer have the courage to say you were disloyal to me?"
Fu Zikang asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, have you known about cement? Have you ever worked with it?"
The First Emperor still did not look up, and continued to stir the mixture of cement, sand and gravel, and said naturally: "No, but this is not much different from making mud. When I was young, I lived with my mother in Zhao State, and our house was always destroyed by the Zhao people. I always had to fill it with mud. If I didn't, my mother and I would have to suffer the cold."
"Haha, thanks to my good mud-mixing skills, I can fix whatever those Zhao dogs tore apart. My mother and I were woken up by the cold twice. I dare not say that I am the best in the world at governing a country, but when it comes to mud-mixing, no one in the world can be better than me."
Fu Zikang listened to the proud words of the First Emperor and was unconsciously stunned again.
There were some mists in his eyes. He had never thought that the arrogant First Emperor was the ruler of the world.
What I am most proud of is not governing the country, but making mud...
"Dazed again? Add water!"
After mixing it for a while, the First Emperor found that it was no longer sticky. He looked up and found that Fu Zikang was slacking off again, and said impatiently.
"Who in the world hasn't been frozen before? I was frozen before, so why are you crying? Don't think I won't punish you just because you cry. If this cement can't cover five years of military pay, you will still be beheaded."
Fu Zikang poured water while crying.
His tears mixed with clear water and flowed into the mixture of cement, gravel and yellow sand along the shovel wielded by the First Emperor.
The Qin State Secretary who was loyal to Ying Chengjiao said with a sobbing voice: "I will definitely not let your Majesty down!"
"...That's good. There is hope for a better future, and the country will be forever secure. Only then will there be no one left to suffer from the cold in the world."
