Chapter 245: Luo Di, do you want a glass ball?
Xianyang Prison.
Gan Luo was placed in a single cell.
This single cell is independent of other cells and has no adjacent cells around it.
The outside is built with blue bricks and iron doors, using the materials of the palace built in Xianyang Palace.
The interior is furnished with a rosewood bed covered with Shu brocade and Su satin, as well as precious wooden tables, desks and benches.
Gan Luo, who was among them, was not only not abused or tortured, but was treated very well.
Not only are there chicken, duck, fish and meat for three meals a day that are difficult for ordinary people to eat, but they can also drink alcohol, which is strictly prohibited outside, and there is no limit on the amount, so they can drink as much as they want.
If word of this kind of treatment spread to the outside world, I wonder how many people would dream of going to Xianyang Prison.
As long as you survive, you will still make a lot of money even if you are locked up for life.
Even a doctor with an annual salary of 800 stones in the Qin Dynasty could not enjoy such a comfortable life as Gan Luo did.
Lying on the rosewood couch that was padded with countless animal skins, Gan Luo placed his hands behind his head and crossed his legs, swinging back and forth.
This posture was neither in accordance with etiquette nor in keeping with aristocratic status, but it was very comfortable. He had learned this from Ying Chengjiao when he was a child.
"You seem to be in a good mood."
Ying Chengjiao stood in front of the Xianyang prison door, holding a copper key in his hand. He looked through the small window on the iron door, where Gan Luo was lying.
Ding ding ding~
He knocked on the iron door with the copper key, and the sound of copper and iron hitting each other attracted Gan Luo's attention.
Gan Luo turned his head and took a quick look, then turned his head away and ignored him, as if he didn't see Ying Chengjiao.
Click~
The lock tongue pops open under the action of the key, making a crisp sound.
Ying Chengjiao pushed open the cell door, stepped into the cell, and first looked around the entire cell.
He sighed and said, "Several years ago, I rescued Han Fei from this cell. I didn't expect that I would send you in today."
Gan Luo sneered and thought Ying Chengjiao was really ridiculous.
Since you sent me to this prison in Xianyang, and now you are showing off with a smug look on your face, that is also your ability. I can only blame myself for my bad luck.
But you insist on pretending that this is not your true heart and that you have no choice but to do it. I just look down on you.
Gan Luo felt something strange around his waist and realized that Ying Chengjiao was sitting next to him.
Suddenly he turned to the left, and his raised thigh slammed onto the bed with a bang. He avoided Ying Chengjiao like a snake or scorpion, fearing that he would get even a little bit of it.
Ying Chengjiao narrowed his eyes, said nothing, and slapped Gan Luo hard on the head. There was a hollow sound, as if he had slapped a big watermelon.
Gan Luo was caught off guard and felt his head being stuffed into an ancient bronze bell. Ten ceremonial officers were outside, holding a bronze pillar and striking the bell together.
His head was shaking back and forth, his ears were buzzing, and for a moment he was so dizzy and confused that he couldn't even get angry.
I finally got through this period and the buzzing in my ears became a little less.
Gan Luo's eyes widened with anger. He turned back again, leaning on the soft animal skin with his hands, and shouted at Ying Chengjiao: "What are you doing, you brat!"
These five words sounded normal to Ying Chengjiao, but to Gan Luo himself they echoed. This fact made Gan Luo, who was already dizzy, even more angry.
If he hadn't known that his mediocre kung fu skills were no match for Ying Chengjiao.
Young Master Gan Luo, who has never suffered much since childhood, wants to let Ying Chengjiao experience what a dandy boy is like and beats him to death.
Qin law can regulate many people and even more things.
But Gan Luo is not among these people, and Gan Luo’s affairs are not included in these affairs.
There are two reasons for this.
First, Gan Luo’s grandfather Gan Mao was very powerful and laid a solid foundation for Gan Luo’s early years.
After Gan Mao rebelled against the State of Qin, in order to make Gan Mao change his mind, the King of Qin not only spared Gan Mao and the other members of the Gan family who remained in Qin, but also rewarded and cared for them.
The Gan family became the first-class family in Qin during the time of the second generation Gan Mao, and its power reached its peak.
After Gan Mao's rebellion, as there were no outstanding children in the next generation of the Gan family serving in the Qin court, the power of the Gan family did not decline too much.
This is why successive Qin kings wanted to get Gan Mao to return to Qin by treating the Gan family well, even at the cost of using their royal power to favor them.
The Gan family survived this
Second, Gan Luo is not an ordinary person.
By the time Gan Mao's grandson Gan Luo came to power, Gan Mao had already passed away.
Relying on the remaining influence of Gan Mao and his own efforts, Gan Luo was appointed Shangqing at the age of nine.
After he succeeded the position of the head of the Gan family, he began to resell scrap weapons. The First Emperor may not know or have other considerations, but he did not order his arrest.
The major families of the Qin State have been headed by the Gan family for two generations. They are watching Gan Luo for the time being and have not taken the initiative to find Gan Luo to make him feel uncomfortable.
After several months, Gan Luo got through the connections and made money, but he did not eat alone. He invited all the noble families to make money together and bound them with interests.
He used his grandfather Gan Mao's talent in fighting in battles in interpersonal communication, and as a senior minister of Qin, he became the leader of the Qin family.
In Qin, Gan Luo's reputation was far less famous than Wang Wan, Wei Zhuang, Wang Jian, Meng Ao, etc. But in terms of power, Gan Luo, who had the support of the old and new families of the Qin Dynasty, was the most powerful.
How can Qin law govern a person like Gan Luo?
No matter how fair the Qin laws are, as long as they do not operate automatically and require human implementation, they are meaningless to Gan Luo.
In the Qin State, as long as one reaches a certain status, few people are willing to trouble Gan Luo for the so-called fairness and justice.
Those young men who couldn't see the situation clearly are now three, four, five, six, seven, eight or nine years old.
Bang~
Ying Chengjiao slapped Gan Luo hard again, causing secondary damage to his head.
The big bronze bell was struck twice, and Gan Luo, who had just gotten up, was slapped back onto the bed.
My mind was a mess, and the sound of the water flowing was so cheerful.
Gan Luo lay on the bed, gasping for breath. He closed his eyes and endured the torment, while cursing Ying Chengjiao in his heart for being a unfilial son.
"If you want to curse, just curse it out. It's so uncomfortable to hold it in your heart. It hurts me to see you like this."
Ying Chengjiao said with a smile, and in Gan Luo's eyes, whose mind was a little clearer, that smiling face seemed as if he had activated the shadow clone technique and there were several of them.
Gan Luo wanted to spit on the first smiling face, hit the second smiling face with a big punch, and chop the third smiling face with a sword.
One smiling face made Gan Luo hate it deeply, and multiple smiling faces made Gan Luo hate it many times more.
What he wanted most now was to put a big bronze bell on Ying Chengjiao's head and then hit it hard with a thick and big bronze hammer from the outside, so that Ying Chengjiao could also experience what it felt like to have dizziness and tinnitus.
"Brother, look at what you said." Gan Luo grabbed Ying Chengjiao's raised right hand with both hands, "How could I scold you? You are my brother!"
The two big bags that landed on the ground and the one that didn't land caused great harm to Gan Luo, who was less than 30 years old and could barely get close to the young man.
This leader of the aristocratic family, who was originally fearless and looked down on Ying Chengjiao, learned how to endure and not act rashly, learned how to be a brave man and not suffer a loss in front of him, and learned how to endure hardships and endure hardships.
"I thought you had been a beast for ten years and had forgotten how to speak human language. It turns out that you still remember what I taught you when you were a child, and you still know how to respect your elders."
Why don't you think about respecting your elders when you keep calling Queen Mother Zhao "Zhao Xianglu"? How hypocritical! How hypocritical!
Gan Luo agreed with him and said, "Brother, you are right. I have not received your teachings for ten years and have gone astray. It is my great honor to meet you today."
Ying Chengjiao laughed loudly and slapped Gan Luo on the head.
Gan Luo rolled from the head of the bed to the foot of the bed, holding his head with both hands and smiling, he said: "Luo said something wrong again? Brother, what do you like to hear? Tell me."
"Dogs barking." Ying Chengjiao also smiled and said, "I like to hear dogs barking."
Gan Luo's face changed, and he could no longer maintain the smile of joy at seeing his long-lost brother. A gloomy look appeared on his face.
"Ying Chengjiao, don't go too far. My case is not over yet, don't think you have won for sure."
Ying Chengjiao narrowed his eyes and raised his right hand.
Gan Luo felt as if a large bronze bell was placed on his head again.
"A gentleman can be killed but not humiliated!"
Bang~
The bronze bell was struck and the humming continued.
Gan Luo fell on the bed with a wail, covering his ears and trembling continuously.
Before he could recover, the slap that hit the big bronze bell came again.
Gan Luo's body twitched slightly, and his brain nerves could no longer control every part of his body as he wished. He lay on the bed like a puddle of mud.
"Woof."
He lay face down, laughing and whispering.
“Woof woof woof woof woof woof.”
A series of dog barkings sounded in his ears, so he laughed even more happily.
Ying Chengjiao placed his palm on the back of Gan Luo's head, and a warm current emanated from his palm and seeped into the back of Gan Luo's head.
The boiling river water began to slow down and even calm down, and the surging waves fell and never rose again.
Soon, Gan Luo was sweating all over and lying on the bed panting.
I covered my ears to make sure that the buzzing sound had already faded away along with the unbearable barking of the dog.
The "Huangdi" technique is strange and weird, but the internal force it generates is moderate and peaceful, with no signs of evil.
If we ignore the training process and only look at the internal strength, "Huangdi" is indeed worthy of the name.
Like the legendary ancestor of mankind, he has both a side that can overcome all obstacles and be invincible, and a side that encompasses everything and preserves everything.
"I thought you and I would meet at my home, but I didn't expect it to be in Xianyang Prison."
Based on Gan Luo's understanding of Ying Chengjiao, before Ying Chengjiao took action against him, he should have met with him to have a talk to make sure there was no room for negotiation between the two parties before taking action.
"I didn't expect that Li Si would act so decisively. I thought he would at most inform me." Ying Chengjiao sighed.
One never knows what’s going on.
He threw all the bamboo slips at the Supreme Court with the intention of testing Li Si. He wanted to know whether Li Si was still on his side.
Although Li Si's most valued eldest son Li You became Ying Fusu's personal soldier and followed Ying Fusu to the northwest, it seemed as if Li Si was tied to Ying Chengjiao's chariot.
But after those words were spoken at the wax sacrifice, Ying Chengjiao sacrificed himself for others.
If he were Li Si, he would definitely cut off all ties with me now and stay away from me, a man who claimed to have completely eliminated the nobility, so as to avoid being splattered with blood and losing the lives of his family.
No matter how much you love your eldest son, he is not as important as your family, right?
When he saw those bamboo slips, he would definitely give them to Gan Luo and stand on Gan Luo's side.
Li Si came to the court in Qin during the reign of Emperor Qin Shi Huang. Not much was known about him, so it was natural that people had no confidence in him.
However, Li Si is a person who does not follow the usual path.
Those bamboo slips did fall into Gan Luo's hands, but Gan Luo was captured from Gan's home and brought to the court for trial, where they were handed over to force Gan Luo to confess his guilt.
In the absence of a plaintiff, Li Si took the role of plaintiff himself and led the charge on behalf of Ying Chengjiao, turning the test into a decisive battle.
Now Gan Luo is living comfortably in Xianyang Prison, while all major factions outside Xianyang Prison are in chaos.
A normal struggle should be to test, contact, find loopholes, and throw out the pawns. Just like what Gan Luo did, he started with the people around Ying Chengjiao.
How could it be that two armies had just faced off and the troops hadn't been deployed yet, but a flying sword could be used to kill the main general? There was no such way of fighting.
Li Si's desperate fighting style not only surprised Ying Chengjiao.
This made people from all factions feel terrified, and they all blamed Ying Chengjiao for this incident.
On the altar in Yongcheng, it was Ying Chengjiao who said in front of everyone that he wanted to take action against Gan Luo, not Li Si.
Only Lu Buwei was not surprised at all when he heard this.
The businessman Xiangbang continued to tease the fat fish in the pond with the straight needle, and sat back calmly and commented - we are both businessmen.
"I thought you had instructed Li Si a long time ago."
Gan Luo replied with some surprise, and then said with three parts of admiration and seven parts of sarcasm: "I didn't expect that I would fall for Li Si. Is this what you said, 'Those with bare feet are not afraid of those with shoes'?"
Ying Chengjiao gave Gan Luo another big blow without hesitation, and Gan Luo tried to dodge but failed.
Fortunately, this big hole has mostly symbolic significance and the actual damage is minimal, so Gan Luo breathed a sigh of relief.
"Gan Mao was only the left prime minister at the beginning. How can you, a senior minister, say that Li Si is barefoot? Give him another ten or twenty years, and all the noble families will follow Li Si's lead."
Gan Luo laughed and said, "That's not bad either."
When Ying Chengjiao saw Gan Luo laughing happily without a trace of affectation, he knew that his trip was probably in vain.
Gan Luo would rather lose his position as the leader of the aristocratic family than cooperate with his reform. Gan Luo stood on the side of the aristocratic family.
Ying Chengjiao slapped Gan Luo on the head. This time Gan Luo did not dodge but watched.
Ying Chengjiao rubbed Gan Luo's head twice, and Gan Luo blinked uncomfortably.
"Brothers, why did we end up like this? Gan Long was blocked by Shang Yang and died a miserable death. If your grandfather hadn't entered Qin to reorganize the Gan family, there would be no Gans in high positions in Qin. Do you have to learn from Gan Long? Is it so difficult to help me reform?"
Gan Luo straightened his hair that was messed up by Ying Chengjiao and said calmly, "Wei Yang entered Qin without any roots there, hoping to catch the eye of Lord Xiaoxian and rise to fame overnight. He is a man like a weed, and he has nothing to lose."
"Of course I don't care about offending all the noble families of Qin. I can use the blood of the noble families to exchange for his wealth and glory."
"And at that time, Qin was in imminent danger. Wei's general Pang Juan led the Wei Wuzu to wait outside Hangu Pass, ready to break through the pass and destroy Qin at any time. If Qin did not change its rules, it would die."
"The interests of the country coincide with his personal interests. With the full support of the filial predecessor, it is possible to carry out the reform.
"Now, Qin's national strength is growing day by day, and there are countless loyal ministers and good generals. There is no worry of external destruction of the country, and no possibility of internal troubles. Now is not the right time to reform."
"It would be impossible to achieve success if you alone pushed forward the reform. If Lord Xiaoxian did not want to reform, how could Wei Yang do it alone?"
Ying Chengjiao stood up with his hands behind his back.
"Whether I can succeed or not, you should have an idea in your mind. My brother doesn't support my reform, but he won't support you either. Your grandfather built the Gan family's glory by charging into battle and using his military abilities, and it was thanks to the military merit title created by Shang Yang that he was awarded."
"Shang Yang opened up the martial arts to the world, and I will open up the literary arts to the world. What you should worry about is not whether your brother will support you, but that you, the children of aristocratic families, can no longer live a life of idleness and wait for death. If both the martial arts and the literary arts are opened up, your good days will be over."
The twenty ranks of military merit allowed Qin to reach its highest military strength, to an extremely abnormal level, but this was achieved by abandoning culture.
The Qin State did not have a systematic education system, and the Qin people only did two things in their lives - farming and fighting.
Therefore, the culture and morality of the Qin State continued to decline and was completely controlled by the aristocratic families.
Only the children of wealthy families could read and write, and ordinary people basically had no such possibility.
Even if some people were lucky enough to come across this possibility, for example, if people from hundreds of schools of thought came to Qin to teach and answer questions, the common people would not participate.
Because the Qin State valued military power from top to bottom and regarded literature as an enemy, it was not that it did not encourage it, but that it was opposed. Ordinary people would be in violation of Qin law if they could read and write.
This led to the fact that all the chief civil officials in the Qin Dynasty were from outside, such as Lu Buwei, Zhang Yi, Fan Ju, etc.
Because there was no fertile soil for the growth of culture in Qin, this land, with the whole country as its foundation, could easily produce invincible generals.
With these aristocratic families as the foundation, it would be extremely difficult to produce a person who can govern the world.
In one class, you can sleep and play until graduation and then you can get a good job.
Everyone around you is sleeping and playing, so even if you study hard, no one will appreciate you.
In the end, there is a high probability that they will still be doing the same work as those classmates who are sleeping and playing. Then who in this class will study hard?
It was difficult for children from aristocratic families to get the top civil officials in the Qin State, such as the prime minister and the nine ministers. However, the entire Qin State could not be run by the prime minister and the nine ministers alone.
There are dozens of official positions in a prime minister's office, and there are more than ten prime minister's offices in the Qin State.
There were hundreds of official positions in a county, and there were thirty-six counties in the Qin Dynasty.
There are so many middle and lower-level official positions, enough for these children from aristocratic families to divide up as they please.
They eat, drink and have fun every day, and when they are old enough, they take up their posts and can be picky.
The Qin State was a country with outstanding military achievements. Military families were very powerful. They were respected and had real power, and they looked down on everyone.
In the shadows of these arrogant military generals, there is a group that smiles extremely happily and makes a lot of money - the family of civil officials.
Gan Luo laughed, and laughed happily, even happier than when he was imitating the barking of a dog just now.
"My great grandfather fought for the Qin State for half his life. As his grandson, what's wrong with me enjoying his blessings? Why should I compete with those lowly people whose ancestors did nothing for the Qin State?"
"You keep saying you want fairness, but this matter itself is unfair. Those who have made contributions have no power. Who would be willing to make contributions for Qin? Mozi is a saint, but he is also a fool."
"You violated the Legalist way of governing the country, and you gave up the throne that was within your grasp. You picked up the text that Wei Yang had discarded, and allowed the Five Vermin to re-activate the Qin State."
"Brother, you are really ridiculous. Why do you want to rebel against yourself? Can you tell me what you want?"
"Wei Yang's reform was to give all the fiefs to the king, and then what? Xiao Xian Gong said that the Shang land should be given to him, but he ran to eat bones like a dog, and didn't remember what he said at all."
"Is he worthy of being called Shang Jun? He is just a mean man who claims to be righteous but is actually only after fame and gain."
"The aristocratic family, the Chu family, the royal family, the Han family, the civil officials, the military generals, it turns out that all of these are standing behind you. Look at what you have left now?"
"The Chu clique's rebellion was suppressed by your majesty. The civil officials headed by Lu Buwei were all suppressed by your majesty at the behest of Wang Wan. The only military general left is Wang Xi, who is still loyal to you."
"The other Meng Ao who seems to be standing beside you is your majesty's sharp sword. If you dare to go against this sword, I will kill you first."
"The Han faction is already in decline, and you have been silent for ten years, so you have no faction at this time. I don't know much about the royal family, but I think they are more likely to stand on your side. They will not want you to rebel."
"Now you want to be my enemy and all the noble families. What do you want? You said you feel good. Then I want to ask you, brother, is it really good to be abandoned by everyone? Where is the good thing?"
"What I want is the brother who was able to take me into the tower in the first place, not the hypocrite who sent me to Xianyang Prison and came to talk to me without any intention!"
Ying Chengjiao looked at Gan Luo with disappointment, said nothing more, and walked quickly towards the prison gate.
The Gan Luo of today is no longer the Gan Luo who was ten years ago when one could hear him speak with lofty ambitions and light in his eyes.
He actually knew it a long time ago, but he was just a little unwilling to accept it.
"Why are you disappointed? Why are you disappointed? It's you who disappoints me! You should disappoint us all!"
Gan Luo jumped off the bed, ran to the cell door barefoot without wearing shoes, stood at the door blocking Ying Chengjiao's way , and was very emotional.
Ying Chengjiao smiled, but his smile was somewhat bitter.
"I remember there was a little boy who would never submit to me. I gave him five glass balls, but he told me he didn't want them and wanted to make them himself. He became prime minister at the age of nine and never submitted to anyone. He was the proudest person I have ever seen, and he would never bow down in any field."
"Even the powerful Prime Minister Lu Buwei could only use gambling to recruit him as a retainer, and he lamented that the latecomer was better than the early one."
"I told him what I wanted to do, and he was very excited. He thought it was very challenging and had a vision for that world. He said he wanted to create something new with me."
"He has been following me ever since. During the time when I was most confused, I always used him as a reminder. Ying Chengjiao, if you are not afraid of an ancient person, what are you afraid of?"
"In fact, it's not just him following me, I'm following him too. And now, that proud little boy asks me why I'm disappointed."
Ying Chengjiao reached into his arms and took out five glass balls of irregular shapes, mixed colors, and very rough appearance, and handed them to Gan Luo.
"Luo Di, do you want a glass ball?"
Gan Luo lowered his head and stared at the glass balls in Ying Chengjiao's hand.
Oh no, it's a glass ball.
These are the five glass balls that he rejected more than ten years ago, the five glass balls that he said he didn't want.
When glass balls first came out, the manufacturing process was not sophisticated and the first batch of glass balls produced were not beautiful. They were just that ugly.
Gan Luo gritted his teeth, sniffled, and slowly stretched out his right hand towards the glass balls.
