Chapter 120: All the Scholars Who Attended the Banquet Died
"only."
After Zhao Gao responded, he looked around the First Emperor, hesitated a little, and did not leave immediately.
He was worried about the safety of the First Emperor.
"Go do your thing."
"only."
The First Emperor looked at Zhao Gao's back, thinking about what Ying Chengjiao had just said about Guo Kai being similar to Zhao Gao.
Does Cheng Jiao mean that Zhao Gao of Qin is Guo Kai of Zhao? Should he be killed?
How foolish! Zhao Gao has protected me since I was young and has escorted me from Zhao to Qin. How could he kill him just because of Cheng Jiao's few words?
Even if Cheng Jiao saw that Zhao Gao was going to rebel, that was a matter for the future.
How can a fearful person dare to claim to be a king? How can he be a king? How can he be worthy of being a king!
I will never do what King Zhaoxiang did when he killed Bai Qi and cut off his own arm!
"When Fusu leaves the Zheng Palace, I will tell you how to strengthen the country."
My brother wants my eldest nephew to sit in on the class? Okay, I'll teach two at a time.
Ying Chengjiao agreed and said, "Well, if you leave on your own, I won't see you off."
"Give me the book." The First Emperor said without turning his head, "I want both."
…
Zhao Gao went to the Prime Minister's Mansion twice in one day.
"...Left Prime Minister, Right Prime Minister, this is the order of His Majesty. Gao still has to go to the Palace of Internal Affairs and the Palace of the Chief Censor, so he will go first."
Zhao Gao bowed to Wang Wan and Li Si.
Wang Wan and Li Si returned the greetings, saying polite words of farewell.
Zhao Gao turned around and was about to leave, but suddenly he slapped his forehead.
"I almost forgot something important."
He turned his head again in the confused eyes of Li Si and Wang Wan, and said to Li Si: "Your Majesty asked the left prime minister to inform Chunyu Pushe that there will be a grand banquet in six days. All Confucian students, regardless of their official position or title, can attend the banquet."
"The Left Prime Minister is the best of both Confucianism and Legalism. I envy him for being entrusted with such an important task by Your Majesty. The Imperial Household Department is very close to the Doctoral Office. If the Left Prime Minister has no other important matters, can he go with me?"
"It is a great honor to travel with Zhao Chefu for a while."
The two walked side by side out of the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Wang Wan looked at the backs of the two men, a hint .
These two people should have been together for some time...
Outside the Prime Minister’s Mansion.
Li Si and Zhao Gao chatted as they walked.
Zhao Gao first said: "After Brother Li became Prime Minister, his aura was very different from when he was the Minister of Justice. He was even better than Prime Minister Wei."
This sounded like Zhao Gao was complimenting Li Si, but in fact, it was Zhao Gao warning Li Si - if you continue to maintain this mentality, you will lose your position as prime minister.
A bitter look appeared on Li Si's rigid face, and he said, "Brother Zhao is teaching me that my mentality has become abnormal since I became the prime minister. I have a desire to compare and show off, but I won't do that again in the future."
The child is teachable.
Zhao Gao said with satisfaction: "I didn't mean that. Brother Li is overthinking it."
All the Qin people passing by were in a hurry, and the city defense soldiers holding long spears were also patrolling diligently.
The long road was deserted, splitting the bustling yet silent Xianyang city in two.
The two chatted casually.
When Li Si was chatting with Zhao Gao, he kept thinking in his mind why the First Emperor wanted him to tell Chunyu Yue.
The Doctoral Office and the Internal History Office are not far from each other. Your Majesty could have asked Zhao Gao to inform Chunyu Yue on the way, so why did you insist on having me go?
According to what Chang'an Jun said, we should not think too much about your majesty's will. If he wants me to tell Chunyu Yue, it means that in your majesty's mind, I am the most suitable person to do this.
But why am I the most suitable?
I can’t figure it out…
The two were walking as usual.
Li Si suddenly bowed deeply to Zhao Gao and said seriously, "May I ask, Brother Zhao, why does His Majesty want me to talk to Chunyu Yue about this matter?"
This is the realization Li Si gained when he was pressed on the stone table by Ying Chengjiao and nearly died, and only survived after he said "Si wants to be the prime minister" - sometimes, being straightforward can have miraculous effects.
I wonder how Li Si would feel if he knew that Ying Chengjiao had no intention of killing him and would let him go in the end no matter what he said.
Zhao Gao was extremely surprised.
While helping Li Si up, he complained in his heart.
He is simple-minded and can't hide his feelings when encountering things.
Can the position of prime minister change a person so much?
Should I continue to associate with Li Si?
Never mind. He is already the prime minister and a high-ranking official. If the diplomatic relationship is severed, all Gao’s previous efforts will be wasted.
"Brother Li, what do you mean? Please stand up quickly. Brother Li is the master of both Confucianism and Legalism, and he and Chunyu Pushe studied at the Jixia Academy together. It is only natural that the emperor wants Brother Li to tell him the good news."
"Thank you, Brother Zhao."
Li Si didn't have time to think about what Zhao Gao meant, so he just thanked him first.
The two continued walking side by side.
But Zhao Gao did not say another word to Li Si until he arrived at the Imperial Household's Office and said goodbye to each other.
"Brother Li goes ahead, Gao will go and inform Monseigneur."
"Then I will go first. Brother Zhao can come to my house when you are free. The door of my house is always open to you."
Farewell to Zhao Gao.
Li Si lowered his head and walked forward alone.
He continued to think about what Zhao Gao had said to him.
He combines the strengths of both Confucianism and Legalism.
Zhao Gao said this to me twice over tea time. Including the time at my house, that’s the third time.
But what is the intention of this statement? Is it just to say that I studied under Master Xunzi and studied both Confucianism and Legalism?
Chunyu Yue and I studied at the Jixia Academy, so I was asked to tell Chunyu Yue the good news.
This statement may not sound wrong, but Zhao Gao liked to use metaphors and implicit meanings when speaking, so it was definitely not meant literally.
Hmm? Good news? Good news!
How can this be good news!
Li Si suddenly stopped, his body trembling, his eyes blank, and cold sweat continuously pouring out of his body.
He felt a little dizzy and wanted to hold on to something.
Look up and around.
On his right was an office building made of red bricks and black tiles, half built in the rough Qin style and half in the Qi style.
Doctoral Office, here we are.
Li Si looked at the huge three characters "Doctor" and felt uncertain.
Chunyu Yue was Si's good friend, but Si could not lose the emperor's favor.
This is already the prime minister, there is no one higher than him, so why bother doing it?
But if this matter is not handled well, the position of Prime Minister may be lost, and the example of Wei Zhuang will be right in front of us.
What is Si struggling with?
He has killed his senior brother Han Fei and sold out his junior brother Zhang Cang. So what's wrong with selling out Chunyu Yue today?
Can this only be a knife?
Your Majesty, don’t you see this talent?
Will Your Majesty remove Si from the position of Prime Minister because of this matter?
Countless thoughts were swirling in Li Si's mind, causing the newly appointed Left Prime Minister of the Qin Dynasty to stand in front of the Doctoral Office for a long time, unable to take a step forward.
" It is still duty time. Brother Li is well-known for his diligence in government affairs. Now he is not in the Prime Minister's Mansion but in the Doctor's Office. What is the important matter?"
The familiar voice brought Li Si back to reality.
Li Si looked up and saw Chunyu Yue, the person he was looking for, right in front of him.
Li Si stood there for so long that he was seen by a Confucian student in the Doctoral Office, who then went to inform Chunyu Yue.
Chunyu Yue treated Li Si with ancient rituals.
His ancient rituals were very strict and meticulous, and he could follow the ancient ritual standards every time.
In a trance.
Li Si seemed to have returned to the Jixia Academy.
I saw Chunyu Yue, the only traditional Confucian scholar left under the tutelage of Xunzi, the Confucian outlier.
Li Si suddenly felt relieved.
That rigid face forced out a very ugly smile.
He looked neatly dressed.
But Chunyu Yue, whose eyes were bloodshot, whose face was pale and haggard, said, "Your Majesty ordered me to come and find you."
Li Si originally thought that Chunyu Yue would have a surprised and puzzled expression.
But Chunyu Yue didn't.
Chun Yuyue seemed to have known the news for a long time, and said softly: "I don't know what it is."
Looking for you to die.
Li Si muttered silently.
Holding Chunyu Yue's arm, he walked towards the doctoral office.
"Go in and find a private room to talk."
Chunyu Yue knocked down Li Si's hand that was grabbing him, and in Li Si's puzzled look, he said, "It is not in accordance with etiquette."
Li Si stared at Chunyu Yue's bloodshot eyes.
"The Zhou Li does not say that friends cannot walk with each other on their shoulders."
"It is not in accordance with Qin etiquette. The left prime minister studied law while Yue studied Confucianism. Confucianism and law are two different paths. Since Your Majesty wants the left prime minister to take the oral instructions to Yue, after saying this, the left prime minister can leave."
Li Si looked at Chunyu Yue's distant face and listened to Chunyu Yue calling him "Left Prime Minister" all the time.
His expression changed in just a moment.
The newly appointed left prime minister of the Qin Dynasty rushed over, grabbed Chunyu Yue's arm, and walked towards the Doctoral Office.
Li Si's grip on Chunyu Yue's arm was so severe that it hurt. Chunyu Yue knew without even trying that he could not get rid of him without using force.
"Looking for a private room!"
"It's not easy to be the Prime Minister, why bother coming here?"
"When the granaries are full, one knows etiquette; when one has enough food and clothing, one knows honor and disgrace; when one is a prime minister, one has a conscience."
"The last seven words are missing from the Guanzi: Pastoralism. Brother Li has arbitrarily changed the work of the ancient sages, which is not in accordance with etiquette."
Li Si grabbed Chunyu Yue and walked past him in front of everyone in the Doctoral Office.
Chunyu Yue found a private room, approached it, and stopped Li Si.
"It's not too late to repair the sheepfold after the sheep run away."
Li Si pulled Chunyu Yue aside and entered the private room first.
"Your Majesty has said twice in front of me, 'If the meritorious officials cannot escape unscathed, how can Your Majesty face the world?' Shi's contribution is great!"
Chunyu Yue rubbed his aching arm and followed Li Si into the private room.
The two of them went in and sat opposite each other.
"Brother Li, you can now speak."
"Your Majesty wants Si, Wang Wan, Feng Quji, and Meng Yi to lead their respective offices. Within three days, you will draft fiefs for all the ministers and hand them over to Your Majesty. Six days later, Your Majesty will hold a grand banquet to distribute fiefs to the ministers. Your Majesty wants Si to inform you. Six days later, all Confucian students, regardless of their official position or rank, can attend the banquet."
Chunyu Yue nodded calmly and said, "I know."
Li Si stared at Chunyu Yue's face, which was as expressionless as his, and couldn't help but ask, "You really don't know what this means?"
Chunyu Yue smiled and said, "All the scholars who enter the banquet will die."
