Chapter 301: The First Emperor resolves his grievances, and Lü Buwei becomes Prime Minister
If the parallel system of counties and kingdoms plus the Enfeoffment Order were meant to nominally eliminate the risk of division in the world, then the standardization of the wheel gauge was the practical implementation of this concept.
The tracks in all parts of the country are the same, breaking the blockade of tracks in various places and truly achieving no barriers.
This was naturally disadvantageous to the Qin nobles who regarded their fiefdoms as their own private plots.
They also thought that after a hundred years after the First Emperor's death, when Crown Prince Ying Fusu would succeed to the throne, the empire would be truly divided up.
Standardizing the wheel gauge brought many benefits to the Qin State. It was a major step towards national unification and had great strategic significance.
As the saying goes, if you want to get rich, build roads first.
With the highways that are being repaired and lead to all parts of the country as the backbone and the tracks of the world as the flesh and blood, this will be able to lead the Qin State to a new life.
But for the nobles.
To put it in a broader sense, the wheel ruts are fixed and the Qin State is unbreakable. For them, this means that their path to promotion is blocked. They will only be able to serve the Qin State and cannot establish their own country.
To put it simply, the fixed wheel tracks meant that they could not ride six or eight horses on their own fiefdoms, which limited their enjoyment of power.
Personal interests and national interests are no longer consistent. This is the real reason why Yao Jia opposed the standardization of the wheel gauge, and it is also the reason why all the nobles in the court opposed it.
Lü Buwei, who had spoken out all this, should have been one of the beneficiaries. He should have kept a tacit understanding with his ministers about this matter, and everyone should have kept quiet and made a fortune.
But Lu Buwei said it out loud, and made everything as clear as it could not be clearer.
Half of the officials were focused on Lü Buwei, and the other half were focused on the left prime minister, Li Si. Their eyes were filled with hatred, just like Li Si who was determined to implement the county system.
This is betrayal!
It's also a betrayal!
Li Si, who had been observing people's hearts with his eyes slightly closed, did not avoid these gazes. Instead, he opened his eyes wide, with murderous eyes, and looked back at them one by one.
[You are a scoundrel! How dare you disrespect me? You don't know the will of heaven or reason! ]
After the court officials were glared back at by Li Si, the left prime minister of the Qin Dynasty snorted coldly, thinking that the emperor should have left. His mind suddenly became clear, as if he had been enlightened by the gods.
"I understand. In your eyes, I am the same." With a bitter smile on his face, the new prime minister said softly, "I am no different from these petty villains. I am just laughing at someone who is only fifty steps away..."
"Zuo Xiang seems to have some insights. Would you like to share them with Wan?"
Right Prime Minister Wang Wan, who was sitting next to Li Si, heard Li Si mumbling to himself and began to speak.
The old prime minister really wanted to know what Li Si meant by this sentence?
I want to know how Li Si, who betrayed his own interests and did such a stupid thing, could still have the sense of superiority that he was the only one sober while everyone else was drunk.
Li Si still responded in a voice that only Wang Wan, who was closest to him, could hear.
"You don't understand Jiang Shang's actions, and I don't understand Chang'an Jun's actions. A difference of one thought can make a huge difference. The world is changed by a few people. Your Majesty is one of them, and Chang'an Jun is one of them. It's a blessing for you and I to follow."
[Nonsense, he is just your majesty's Shang Jun, but you use this to excuse Chang'an Jun, which is unreasonable. ]
【Lu Buwei was originally the leader of the court officials, but he reentered the court and betrayed himself. Why are there so many crazy people and crazy things recently? It's really ridiculous.】
Wang Wan was in deep thought.
He said softly, "Wan accepts your instruction."
Lü Buwei, who was hostile to his ministers, did not glare back like Li Si did. Instead, he stared at the famous Yao Jia with his eyes as unfathomable as the abyss and nodded slightly.
"That's all I have to say."
After he finished speaking, he actually sat down on the ground.
When the debate with Yao Jia was undecided and the outcome was related to the most important position of prime minister, he withdrew first.
Yao Jia's face turned pale, his eyes followed Lu Buwei, his mouth slightly opened but no words were revealed. It was not that he didn't know what to say, nor was he speechless because of the retort.
He had thousands of words in his heart and a brilliant idea in his mind, and he was confident that he could leave Lu Buwei speechless.
He is able to explain the matter in a way that is beneficial to himself from both the emotional and logical perspectives, and is worthy of the reputation he carries.
The reason he didn't say anything was because he knew that no matter what he said, it would be meaningless.
The referee who decided the outcome of this debate was the First Emperor. Yao Jia was able to persuade all the courtiers in the hall to stand on his side, except the First Emperor who was standing behind him.
The butt determines the thinking.
In this matter, the interests of his meritorious officials were naturally contrary to the interests of the First Emperor. No matter how much he said, no matter how infectious and inflammatory his words were, it would be useless.
As long as the First Emperor follows the thinking model constructed by Lu Buwei, all his sophistry and fixed thinking patterns will be broken.
He was like a werewolf whose identity was determined in the Werewolf game. No matter how good his rhetoric was, as long as his identity remained unchanged, everything was false.
Yao Jia didn't need to turn around to know that the First Emperor's gaze on him at this moment was devoid of any warmth.
[This is the second time… This is the second time! Li Si is like this, Dun Ruo is like this, and this Jiang Shang who came out of nowhere is also like this! ]
[Are you the king? Are you a royal family? How dare you speak like this! You all deserve to die!]
If the First Emperor had not been present, Yao Jia would have used the most vicious language in his life to scold and curse Lu Buwei.
This is not a narrow victory strategy of injuring the enemy by 1,000 but losing 800 of your own. This is a stupid and foolish move of losing 20,000 of your own to help the enemy.
"Jiang Shang, the strategy has not been decided yet, why are you sitting down?" The First Emperor pretended to be puzzled and asked, "Don't you want to be the prime minister?"
When called by the First Emperor, Lü Buwei, who had just sat down, had no choice but to stand up. He suspected that the First Emperor was torturing him for personal revenge.
"Right and wrong are in the king's heart."
“Hahahahahahaha!”
The First Emperor laughed heartily. No one understood why Jiang Shang's mere words could make the gloomy First Emperor so happy.
[Who is this Jiang Shang? How could a single sentence from him cause such a huge fluctuation in your Majesty's emotions? ]
[From what he said, could it be that he is a relative of the emperor? Is his sister a concubine of the emperor? Can his nephew be the king?]
[The crown prince has been decided, could it be the brother of Concubine Zheng? This is to lay the foundation for the prosperity of the crown prince. 】
[The surname Ji in Zheng State is not Jiang, Jiang Shang is a pseudonym! If you were not a relative of the Crown Prince, how dare you give up the opportunity to be granted a fiefdom! ]
The most elite ministers in the world were speculating wildly, trying to find a reasonable explanation for Lu Buwei's words and deeds and the performance of the First Emperor.
But people cannot earn money beyond their cognition, nor can they think of things beyond their cognition.
They could not understand why Ying Chengjiao, the most noble person, was against nobility and pursued freedom, equality and democracy.
He also couldn't understand why Lu Buwei didn't care about his fiefdom and family.
Just like in this world, for many years, the Mohist school has been excluded by other schools of thought, and it is assumed that all Mohists are madmen.
"You call me king! Hahahahaha!"
The First Emperor walked down from the high platform with a loud laugh , and in a flash he was beside Lu Buwei with the gait of a dragon or a tiger.
Few of the ministers knew what the First Emperor meant by this. Your Majesty is the king...
The veteran general Meng Ao sighed secretly. Even he who knew the inside story had not expected that the First Emperor would have such a huge reaction when Lu Buwei personally recognized him as the king.
Lu Buwei naturally bowed his head and clasped his hands in front of the First Emperor.
"Jiang Shang pays respect to His Majesty."
The former prime minister, Marquis Wenxin Lu Buwei, who was powerful in Qin and had almost captured him alive and did not recognize him as king, finally bowed his head before him and acknowledged his identity as king.
The First Emperor felt extremely happy in his heart. The resentment that had been accumulated in his chest for nearly ten years disappeared completely!
"Please stand up, sir."
The First Emperor held up Lu Buwei's hands and helped him stand up.
Looking at this important official, old official, and powerful official from the previous dynasty whom he once hated to the core, it would be a lie to say that he did not feel any hatred for him, but his hatred was now as light as clear water and could hardly be seen.
The First Emperor was relieved.
The First Emperor took Lü Buwei's hand and walked him to the front of the Xianyang Palace in the gaze of all his ministers.
Then he took two steps at a time and stepped onto the platform, stood in front of the throne, and pointed at Lu Buwei.
He laughed and said loudly: "I appoint Mr. Jiang as the Prime Minister. From now on, the memorial will be sent to the Prime Minister's Mansion first, and Mr. Jiang will read it before reporting it to the Zhangtai Palace!"
The ministers looked up suddenly, their eyes full of disbelief.
Reviewing memorials had always been the privilege of the First Emperor. The reason for this was that he was once regarded as a puppet by the villain Lu Buwei and could only review memorials that had been reviewed by Lu Buwei.
[Anyone who dares to interfere with your majesty's power to review memorials is seeking death. Why did you let Jiang Shang go today? ]
All the ministers looked at Lü Buwei and suddenly raised their heads, as if they were also shocked. They didn't know why he was so favored by the First Emperor.
If it weren't for the exposed skin on Lu Buwei's hands and neck, and his old voice, one could have concluded that he was an old man.
All the ministers thought that the face under the black veil was the Crown Prince Ying Fusu who was far away in Shangjun.
This authority is too great.
"I don't deserve it!"
Lu Buwei was no longer the same Lu Buwei as before. He immediately bowed in a deep voice and asked the First Emperor to revoke his decision.
The famous Yao Jia, who had been determined to become the prime minister, shook his head bitterly. Not wanting to embarrass himself any further, he slowly sat down.
No one cared about this Shangqing who once received the highest salary of two thousand stones in Qin State, except himself.
【How did it come to this? 】
Yao Jia, who believed he had done nothing wrong, asked himself, "If you value reputation and reality, observe the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, and understand the names of all things, there is nothing you cannot answer."
"If I say you can do it, then you can do it."
The First Emperor was very determined.
If it was in private, he would definitely ask, "You, Lü Buwei, did this more than ten years ago. Aren't you used to it?" This is not the first time you have reviewed it.
"I ask the left and right prime ministers to review and decide which memorials should be sent to the Zhangtai Palace. I also ask the Imperial Censor to supervise and review the memorials so that no one person can become too powerful."
After so many years in Chang'an, Lu Buwei realized the disadvantages of dictatorship, that human hearts are unpredictable, and that the legal system is far more reliable than morality.
The First Emperor looked at Lu Buwei deeply.
"Mr. Yi."
Left Prime Minister Li Si and Right Prime Minister Wang Wan looked at each other, both showing surprise and satisfaction.
If what the First Emperor said was true, Lu Buwei would be the only one in power in the Prime Minister's Office, and the two prime ministers would just be there to help.
By saying this, Lü Buwei divided his power into three parts. Although the positions of the two prime ministers were nominally still one level lower than the prime minister, their actual power was almost the same as that of the prime minister and could not be simply regarded as subordinates of the prime minister.
Imperial Censor Feng Quji, who had not said a word during the entire court meeting, was overjoyed.
Although he had the power of supervision in the past, he could use it very rarely, or even never. Otherwise, the position of the Imperial Censor would not be jokingly called the Deputy Prime Minister.
But after Lü Buwei said this, he wanted to monitor the memorials issued by the Xiangbang Mansion and act as a barrier for the First Emperor to prevent the Xiangbang Mansion from undermining the First Emperor.
Although his official position did not change, his power increased a lot.
[With this power, I don't have to be under Wang Wan! Jiang Shang, who is this person...]
The First Emperor returned to the throne.
"Teacher, you only taught me to make the wheels of the same track, but you haven't taught me to make the same conduct."
After ten years away from Xianyang Palace, Lu Buwei, who returned to the top again on the first day, spoke in a deep voice.
"The writing system should be unified, the wheels should be unified, and the customs should be unified. All of these are to make the whole world Qin's territory and its people Qin's subjects. The three measures are different, but the principles are the same. They are all policies that must be implemented."
The First Emperor glanced at his ministers, put one hand on his knee, and leaned forward slightly.
He said in a deep voice: "But I see that everyone in the palace is dissatisfied, and seems to be not optimistic about this move. One person's plan is short, and everyone's plan is long. How can a plan that goes against your wishes be right?"
Before hope could rise in the hearts of the ministers, Lu Buwei turned around, glanced at the ministers behind him, and chuckled contemptuously.
The ministers sat down.
glare.
The veteran general Meng Ao cursed in a low voice, "What a joke!" and covered the mouth of the grandson of the Nei Shi.
"You all regard me as an enemy, but no one dares to stand up and refute me. A candle cannot be extinguished without blowing it out, and a truth cannot be understood without argument. This situation is enough to show that you are in the wrong."
The ministers were filled with indignation. If they were born in modern times, they would definitely say that this was a violation of martial ethics.
Lu Buwei turned around.
After a decade, the voice of the prime minister resounded throughout the Xianyang Palace, dominating the highest power hall of the Qin State.
"Le Yi led the army alone to avenge the powerful Qi's attack on Yan, and took away Qi's 70 cities, almost destroying Qi. Tian Dan defeated Yan with a fire bull, and recovered 70 cities with the city of Jimo to restore Qi. Bai Qi, the Marquis of Wu'an, defeated Chu and attacked Zhao, and with the name of a butcher, there was no powerful country in the world.
"From this, it can be seen that the one who can change the times is not the common people, but the king who has insight and vision like Your Majesty. If you doubt yourself just because others are unreasonable and oppose you, this is really not what a king does."
"I second the motion! Your Majesty is the king. All the decisions you make are correct. Your Majesty will not make mistakes!"
One person immediately stood up and spoke loudly.
Judging from where he came from, he was in the doctoral area. He was none other than Zhou Qingchen, a doctor of the Qin Dynasty who was regarded as a traitor by court officials.
The First Emperor smiled approvingly.
"Among all the comments in the palace today, only Zhou Qingchen's words are the most pleasing to the ear."
Zhou Qingchen was overjoyed and immediately knelt on the ground, prostrating himself.
"It is my great honor to be able to make Your Majesty smile!"
Most of the ministers cursed.
"Treasonous minister!"
"Thief!"
"Shameless!"
"How disgraceful!"
“…”
The hostility towards Lu Buwei was due to interests, and the contempt for Zhou Qingchen was simply because he was disgusted by him.
The First Emperor could not hear the whispers of his ministers, but he could tell what they were thinking by looking at their faces.
"Ten gold coins for reward!"
The First Emperor waved his hand, and Zhou Qingchen bowed again in great joy to express his gratitude.
These ten gold coins were not much for court officials and had little actual value, but they had great symbolic significance.
It would be fine if Lu Buwei was able to become the prime minister because he was considering the First Emperor, but why could a treacherous minister like Zhou Qingchen also be rewarded?
The ministers felt as uncomfortable as if they had swallowed a dead fly.
The First Emperor sneered inwardly.
【Because you guys forced Cheng Jiao to leave, I am also very uncomfortable. 】
