From an abandoned child to the ruler of the world today, the First Emperor deeply understood one truth - human hearts cannot stand the test and cannot withstand temptation.
It only takes a small wedge and human ambition will grow like weeds, quickly occupying every inch of land at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The eight words written by his brother are the prologue.
Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different species?
Ying Chengjiao gently pressed down with his right hand, signaling the First Emperor to calm down his agitated mood and not make such a fuss.
The First Emperor took a deep breath, and then another deep breath, and then another deep breath, but he still couldn't calm down.
Gritting his teeth and trying his best to speak clearly, the First Emperor's murderous intent was even stronger than before.
The person he wanted to kill this time was even more wanted to kill than Lu Buwei, with whom he had three grudges. It was his most trusted younger brother, Ying Chengjiao.
"You are not destroying the nobles, you are destroying the Qin Empire! You are destroying the world ruled by my Ying clan!" The First Emperor's eyes were filled with murderous intent. "If killing you can make these eight words disappear, I will kill you without hesitation."
"Kill me, there is no need to be so murderous." Ying Chengjiao used brute force to lift up the heavy table. "Brother, are you planning to kill all the people in Han in order to prevent these eight words from being leaked?"
"Is it not possible?"
The First Emperor asked back, the surging murderous intent was like the waves of the sea, one higher than the other.
"If you can cause a great turmoil in Korea, I can suppress it. I am better than you at killing people."
In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient and a person's range of movement was basically fixed.
Although the laws of Han were not as strict as those of Qin, there was a law that stated that it was a crime to step out of a certain range.
But most people still live in a city or village all their lives.
"If Fusu was sitting here, he would definitely not say such words today." Ying Chengjiao laughed sarcastically and said, "Fortunately, I have never had high expectations for feudal emperors like my brother."
You, a brat, caused unrest in Han, causing so many deaths and laying the seeds for great unrest in the world. Now you say that I am cruel!
"The Confucianism that Fusu admired advocated ruling the world with benevolence. Confucius, who founded Confucianism, had been the chief prosecutor of Lu for less than seven days when he killed Shao Zhengmao, who was famous all over the country, without any reason."
"You say I am cruel, but you committed such evil deeds in Han. No wonder you are optimistic about Confucianism, because you are a person like Confucius."
"Historical Records: Family of Confucius" records: In the 14th year of Duke Ding, when Confucius was 56 years old, he was appointed as the Prime Minister by the Grand Minister of Justice, and he looked happy. His disciples said: "I heard that a gentleman is not afraid when disaster comes, and is not happy when good fortune comes." Confucius said: "Is there such a saying? Isn't it said that "he is happy to honor his subordinates"? "So he executed Shao Zhengmao, who was disrupting the government of Lu.
As long as I am shameless, no one can attack me personally.
Ying Chengjiao did not refute, and said: "Royal brother is right, I am just a scoundrel, a villain. What about the royal brother? Is he also a scoundrel, a villain?"
Ying Chengjiao has no idol burden, but the First Emperor, who believes that his virtue surpasses the Three Sovereigns and his achievements surpass the Five Emperors, cannot be as rogue as him.
At that moment, the First Emperor sneered and said, "It is rare for a boy to do this to you."
Ying Chengjiao nodded repeatedly, looking particularly agreeable, and said, "Ah, right, right."
The First Emperor: ...
The First Emperor slammed the table, leaned forward, and shouted angrily with an oppressive look.
"Stop pretending to be crazy and stupid with me, and go back. From today on, you are not allowed to leave the Chang'an Palace. If you violate the rules, you will be beheaded."
After speaking, he stood up and started giving orders.
From now on, there will be no more Koreans in this world...
"Thank you, brother, for not killing me. But at this moment, even if you kill all the people in Han, it is too late." Ying Chengjiao said slowly.
The First Emperor paused, took a deep breath, turned his head and stared at Ying Chengjiao's back, and said in a deep voice: "What do you mean?"
"The three words 'Lü Buwei' were written into this memorial, so it must have been done by Zhang Liang."
While sorting out the memorials that had just fallen to the ground when the First Emperor overturned the table, Ying Chengjiao said, "Since they don't want to be used by me, they must be seeking to restore their country. Such a person will definitely spread these eight words throughout the world."
The First Emperor was so angry that his body was shaking.
"What if he didn't spread it?"
"Then I will spread it for him." Ying Chengjiao put away the memorial and said with a smile, "It's good to have one more person to share some of the hatred with me."
Looking back, Ying Chengjiao looked sincere.
"Brother, please come back and sit down. We will discuss how to deal with the follow-up matters. From the moment this memorial reaches your hand, the overall situation of the world has been determined."
This guy only knows how to use these evil tricks!
The First Emperor was very angry, but there was nothing he could do.
He could kill all the people in Korea, but he couldn't kill all the people in the world.
If he had that ability, he wouldn't have to be so secretive about the eight words "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers born into a certain family?"
He stood there, staring at Ying Chengjiao with a look that said, "I really want to kill you a hundred times."
Ying Chengjiao accepted it calmly.
"In fact, my brother, you don't have to worry too much. The chaos in Korea is unlikely to happen again in other regions. This is related to the Korean national style."
"Go on." The First Emperor said coldly.
"After Shen Buhai's reform, Han ruled the country with 'tricks'. From the King of Han to the common people, everyone wanted to take shortcuts instead of working hard. Conspiracies and intrigues spread from the court to the humble room, and everyone was calculating."
He wrote the word "Shu" in the air with his finger.
"The more you are schemed against, the more people you scheme against. The common people will lose their loyalty and love for the country. The nobles will lose their humanity and kindness. The first point can be seen from the fact that none of the assassins caught in the Xianyang Palace were Koreans. The second point..."
The memorial submitted by envoy Ying Chengjiao Huanghuang speaks for itself.
The hundredfold increase in food prices in Korea is the best proof that the Korean nobles do not treat the common people as human beings at all.
"If the same tactics were used in Zhao, the nobles there would hoard food, but they probably wouldn't hoard it to the point of killing the common people."
"If they really hoarded food like this, before the price of food skyrocketed a hundred times, there would have been knights who would have gone out to kill people in the middle of the night. My trick only works in Korea, don't worry, my brother, the world won't be in chaos, at least not for the time being."
The First Emperor was still furious.
What made him angry was not whether the world would be in chaos. The First Emperor was really not afraid of chaos.
If he was afraid, he would not have implemented the county system with all his strength, nor would he have thought of gathering all the rich people in the world in Xianyang.
It’s just a mess, it’s just another fight.
If the First Emperor could conquer the world once, he could conquer it a second time; he had the confidence.
What made him angry was that when these eight words "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers born into a certain class?" came out, the people all over the world were moved.
Don't be afraid of chaos, you can put it down.
What I am afraid of is the restless human heart.
Once people’s hearts are moved, chaos will be difficult to quell.
"Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers of different races? They do have different races."
Ying Chengjiao laughed and said, "The title is hereditary, and the nobles are born nobles. They monopolize knowledge and are educated far more than the common people from a young age. If the Qin State continues to develop like this, there will be more and more nobles, and the oppression of the common people will become more and more excessive."
"One day, the world will suffer from Qin for a long time. When the time comes, the whole world will rise up and overthrow the Qin Empire. The Ying family will perish, and my brother's dream of passing down his throne for eternity will be shattered. However, the vast majority of nobles will simply change their loyalty to a different emperor and continue to be nobles."
"The calamity of the nobles in the world must be borne by my Ying family. The demise of my Ying family will appease the people's grievances. Don't say that there have been no peasant uprisings since ancient times. The matter of Han is right in front of us. Brother, we can't just sit there and wait for death. We must take the initiative to attack and destroy the nobles!"
The First Emperor walked to the wall where the Sword of the King of Qin was hanging, took off the Sword, removed the scabbard, and threw it on the ground. The sharp sword tip gleamed in his hand.
"According to what you said, shouldn't I thank you?"
"No need. I, Ying Chengjiao, am also a member of the Ying family. This is what I should do." Ying Chengjiao said righteously.
The First Emperor was approaching step by step.
"The Qin Empire has its own laws, which concern all aspects of the Qin Empire. If nobles dare to bully others by taking advantage of their power, they will be punished by the Qin laws. Minor crimes will lead to demotions, and major crimes will lead to expulsions. The indignation of the people of Qin will never be as great as that of Han, and the number of nobles will not continue to increase."
I have to say that Qin Law is really a good thing.
In that era, the Qin Dynasty, which ruled the country by law, wrote almost everything into Qin law, avoiding almost all possible disasters.
All power was concentrated in the emperor, and all other people, regardless of whether they were nobles or commoners, were equal before the Qin law.
Qin law ensured basic social stability, and because of its strict nature, it controlled the number of nobles within a specific range.
If Qin laws were strictly enforced.
"Then please, my royal brother, kill all the doctors in the Doctoral Office." Ying Chengjiao got some water on him and flicked his finger at the First Emperor.
The water droplets flew at high speed under the influence of internal force and energy, and hit the Qin King's Sword held diagonally by the First Emperor. After a slight sound, they exploded into pieces.
"Selling discarded weapons, forcing women into prostitution, and occupying land. None of these are minor crimes. According to Qin law, they are all crimes that will punish the three clans. The secret guards have already reported the evidence to my brother. If my brother gives the order, I will personally carry it out ."
The First Emperor had a grim expression on his face but kept walking.
"Don't be unreasonable."
Ying Chengjiao was stunned with an exaggerated expression.
"My Royal Brother, you said I was being unreasonable? Didn't my Royal Brother say that the Qin Law would restrict them? They have already violated the Qin Law, and now is the time for the Qin Law to restrict them. Why don't you enforce it?"
The First Emperor had already walked up to Ying Chengjiao, holding the Qin King's Sword, looking down at Ying Chengjiao with murderous intent in his eyes.
"You know why."
Ying Chengjiao raised his head with a cold expression.
"I have no idea."
"In the Lüshi Chunqiu written by that villain Lü Buwei, it is written that 'clear water has no fish, and a careful man has no followers'."
"Brother, you are so funny. On the one hand, you deny Lüshi Chunqiu and believe in Legalism, and on the other hand, you use the words of Lüshi Chunqiu to shut me up. You have taken all the good things in the world, right?"
"No matter who said it, or what book it was written in, it will become the truth when I need it."
Pah pah pah
Ying Chengjiao applauded repeatedly.
"Only my brother can say shameless things so righteously. My brother, do you want to add a title, the Shameless First Emperor?"
The First Emperor was not angry.
Normally, he would get angry because of such ridicule and chase Ying Chengjiao around the palace with the Qin King's Sword to chop him. That was just a joke.
But at that moment, his fear and hatred of the eight words "Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers all born with a special kind of blood?" suppressed his murderous intention towards Lu Buwei.
Ying Chengjiao's two sarcastic sentences could not touch the heart of the First Emperor at all.
"What I said is not right? The saint's principles are not always right, and the thief's words are not always wrong."
The First Emperor shook the Qin King's Sword, and it made a clear and melodious sound.
"What?" Ying Chengjiao sneered and said, "You want to kill me? Come on, the eight words have already been spread."
Do you think I was scared?
To be honest, Ying Chengjiao didn't know why the First Emperor took out the Sword of Qin at this time.
The First Emperor would definitely not kill him, and he probably wasn't in the mood to relax by having a chase in the Zhangtai Palace at this time.
When
The First Emperor held the Qin King's Sword upside down and thrust it hard into the table in front of him.
Buzz~
The Qin King's sword was inserted into the table and was shaking and buzzing.
Ying Chengjiao raised his eyebrows.
What is this for? Stab the table to warn me?
"If you can't explain it today, I will no longer be the emperor."
Ying Chengjiao: ...
"…Brother, please don't joke."
The First Emperor moved closer to Ying Chengjiao, allowing Ying Chengjiao to see the serious look in his eyes, letting Ying Chengjiao know that he was not joking.
"Since you are so capable, I will give you the Qin Wang Sword, and you will be the emperor. You will live in Xianyang Palace, and I will go to your Chang'an Palace, and we will switch places."
"…Brother, you gave the Qin Wang Sword to your nephew once. A good sword should never be given twice."
The First Emperor said nothing. He was in no mood to joke with Ying Chengjiao.
"… If my brother gives Qin to me, I will kill all the people in the Doctoral Office."
"Since you are the king, you have the final say."
The First Emperor unbuttoned his crown, took it off and shook it hard.
Crash~
The deep black crown made of fine silk made a pleasant sound, and the black bird feathers embroidered on it trembled and flew as if they were alive.
The First Emperor walked behind Ying Chengjiao while seeing the numb expression on his face that had not yet recovered.
The crown that only a king could wear was draped behind Ying Chengjiao.
The extremely majestic black bird landed on Ying Chengjiao.
"You give orders here, you have the final say in Qin, I don't care about anything. I am just like you, I will go to the street to rob a few women today, and kill anyone I don't like with a sword tomorrow."
"I have never done anything like this!"
Ying Chengqi's mouth was faster than his brain, and he immediately retorted, "I only went to the towers, I never robbed the women, and the people I killed were all for a reason. They deserved it."
“The specific things you do are different, but the results are the same.”
While buttoning up Ying Chengjiao's crown, the First Emperor said earnestly, "I want the world to be stable, you want the world to be in chaos. You want the people's support, I'll give you the people's resentment. If I become the emperor, you 'help' me, and if you become the emperor, I will 'help' you too."
The First Emperor emphasized the pronunciation of the word "help" very heavily, and Ying Chengjiao could hear the grinding sound of teeth in these two words.
"I give you the sword of the King of Qin, the crown and robes, the Zhangtai Palace, and all the six palaces. Let me see how talented you are, the son of 'one son, two kings'."
"My father thinks highly of you, my great-grandfather thinks highly of you, my grandfather thinks highly of you, and I have no reason not to think highly of you."
After the buttons were fastened, the First Emperor gently patted Ying Chengjiao's shoulder to brush away the non-existent dust.
"You are the king."