Chapter 303: The Nobles’ Counterattack, Qin Law
"Jiang Shang! What nonsense are you talking about? These are all your petty speculations! The Great Qin only cares about the heart and not the deeds. How can you be the Prime Minister of the Great Qin if you are talking about things that have not been said?"
Wei Zhang did not dare to get angry with the First Emperor, so he immediately denounced Lu Buwei to prove his innocence. He did not want to lose his fifth-rank title.
The status of Qin's noble families was mostly ranked by their titles. If Wei Zhang really lost his title, it would be a major blow to the Wei family, which was originally a first-rate family, and they might directly fall to a second-rate family.
He no longer cared whether he would provoke a powerful enemy.
Because Lü Buwei was acting in a desperate situation, and he had no intention of coexisting with these aristocratic families. Lü Buwei was the mortal enemy of these aristocratic families.
"You say that we took advantage of our positions to steal from the state treasury, but is there any position in Qin higher than that of prime minister? Besides, you suddenly became rich, while we have been rich for a hundred years.
"In terms of the desire for money and the use of your position to seek personal gain, Jiang Shang, you who dare not even reveal your true face are most likely to be a thief who stole the country!"
Wei Zhang launched a second attack to muddy the waters, reminding the First Emperor that Jiang Shang's true background was unclear.
How could such a guy who dared not show his true face be compared with them, the old Qin families who had been in Qin for hundreds of years.
It would be a disaster rather than a blessing for such a person to become the prime minister of the Qin Dynasty.
If it is said that Lü Buwei was obsessed with power, the First Emperor would believe it a hundred times. It is said that Lü Buwei had no resistance to money because he had never lived a wealthy life.
The First Emperor was so furious that he lost his composure and had a strange expression on his face. He wanted to laugh.
Lü Buwei, the leader of the world-famous Lü Chamber of Commerce with branches in six countries, relied on money to hostage Zhao's abandoned son Ying Yiren and turned into a big businessman named Ying Zichu, King Zhuangxiang of Qin. Is he short of money?
"Your Majesty appointed me as Prime Minister, and you are dissatisfied. Are you dissatisfied with Your Majesty's policy?"
Lu Buwei asked in a deep voice, answering Wei Zhang's first question.
Wei Zhang's face changed color and he started to denounce.
"You are a wicked villain. I only doubt your ability, not your majesty!"
Lu Buwei nodded.
"Your Majesty believes that I am worthy of the position of Prime Minister. You doubt my ability, which is still a questioning of Your Majesty."
"Slander, this is slander! You villain, you slander me!"
Wei Zhang is not Yao Jia, although he is extremely smart and eloquent.
But it is still far behind those who make a living by relying on their brains and mouths.
He was demoted five ranks by the First Emperor and his mind was in great confusion, which was reflected in his not knowing what to say.
He didn't know how to respond to what Lu Buwei said, and just kept saying the word "slander".
If Yao Jia were to answer this question, he would definitely not say so. Instead, he would avoid the question and just say that Lu Buwei was incompetent, and then give a few examples of wise kings being deceived by villains.
No matter what you do, being led into the other party's rhythm is a taboo and a precursor to defeat.
Seeing that Wei Zhang had lost his composure, Lu Buwei turned around and leaned slightly towards the First Emperor.
"I am the chancellor. If the measures, scales and balances are not unified, I will be greedy. People cannot resist greed. Confucius said that wealth and honor are like floating clouds to me. This is the behavior of a saint. I am just an ordinary person. It is difficult for me to discipline myself."
Wei Zhang was shocked.
The ministers were shocked.
Lu Buwei's self-destructing truck-like method of solving the problem made them feel a familiar sense of powerlessness.
They had seen such things that harmed others and did not benefit oneself before. It happened to the famous young man in Xianyang who shouted like a madman during the ceremony of offering sacrifices to heaven.
The reason they all gathered in Xianyang Palace today was to overthrow that brat.
[Crazy! Crazy! How can you say that!]
[This person deserves to die! This person deserves to die just like that brat! ]
[Even if he is a relative of the Crown Prince, such behavior is unreasonable. Could it be that this person was instructed by Your Majesty? ]
【……】
All the ministers had their own ulterior motives.
The First Emperor looked at Lu Buwei in surprise, thinking that the boy really had a huge influence. Lu Buwei would not have said so ten years ago.
"This matter has been decided. Anyone who dares to speak out against it will be treated like Wei Zhang."
Several nobles who wanted to stand up and defend themselves gave up their struggles. The more powerful the nobles were, the more they feared being demoted.
Their titles were all 14th and 15th class, not the first class dukes. They could be demoted today and promoted back tomorrow by killing an elite enemy on the battlefield.
It becomes increasingly difficult to advance to the next 20 ranks of military rank, and the difficulty does not increase exponentially but geometrically.
The lowest-ranking first-class duke only needs to behead an elite enemy soldier.
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there were two million casualties in the wars among the various countries. Bai Qi, who was called a butcher at the time, killed half of them by himself and only managed to be promoted to the sixteenth rank of noble title, Daliangzao.
Shang Yang, who changed the world for the Qin State, revived the Qin State and laid the foundation for its prosperity. He was the creator of the twenty ranks of military merit titles. His final title was the sixteenth rank, Daliangzao.
The two titles of Wu'an Jun and Shang Jun did not belong to the Qin State's twenty-level military merit system, but to the system of nobles. They had a good reputation in the Qin State but the actual benefits were basically zero.
From this, we can see how difficult it was to be promoted to the twenty ranks of military merit in the later period of Qin. Perhaps the original Qin monarch did not intend to issue the four ranks after the sixteenth rank, the Great Liangzao.
Even Wang Jian, Marquis of Wucheng, complained about this before he was granted the title of Marquis of Che. The First Emperor appointed him to lead 600,000 Qin troops to attack Chu.
He once said: "As a general of the king, I have made great contributions but never received the title of nobility. Therefore, when the king comes to serve me, I will also ask for a garden for my descendants."
Although there is an element of self-contamination in this, there is definitely complaint as well.
Wang Jian, the god of war of the Qin Dynasty, believed that one could not be granted a title of nobility by fighting wars or relying on military achievements.
Of course, the First Emperor was not a man who just did his job. After he conquered Chu, he conferred the 20th rank of nobility on Wang Jian, namely Marquis of Che and Marquis of Wucheng.
However, although the title of Marquis of Qin could be conferred during the reign of the First Emperor, except for Dun Ruo, who was promoted to the title of Zongheng Marquis by spending a fortune, the only other Marquis of Che was Wang Jian, who was the Marquis of Wucheng.
Under the hereditary system of nobility, many nobles took three generations to be promoted to the first rank.
Wei Zhang's title was demoted five ranks. For him, who was not a general of Qin, if his title could be restored to his original title during his grandchildren's reign, it would be useless even if the Wei family's ancestral tombs were filled with smoke. If they were caught, they would be a huge fire that could not be extinguished.
Yao Jia, who was dismissed from his position as Shangqing, felt much better when he saw Wei Zhang, who had been demoted five ranks, turned pale and lost control of his facial expression.
Official positions cannot be inherited by the family, but titles can be inherited by the family.
Compared with the miserable Wei Zhang, Yao Jia was very lucky.
"Gai Nie Cao Zhao."
"only."
"From now on, all vehicles will follow the same track, all customs will be the same, and all weights and measures will be unified, all according to the Qin system."
Gai Nie wrote furiously without changing a single word, thinking that he would let that bootlicker help him with his writing after he got back.
After the First Emperor finished speaking, Lu Buwei bowed and supported him seriously.
"Your Majesty is wise."
The ministers did not think that the First Emperor was wise; they thought he was incompetent.
But looking at Wei Zhang who was standing there in a daze, not knowing where he was, and looking at the chickens killed for these monkeys, no one dared to say anything against it.
They stood up reluctantly and spoke of His Majesty's wisdom, just like the workers who listen to their leader blustering in a meeting and have to agree with what the leader says is right.
Amidst this renewed call for wisdom and wisdom, Sima Yi, the head of the Sima family, a prominent Qin family, stood up.
He said sincerely: "What the Prime Minister said is very true, Sima Yi deeply agrees with it. However, the prosperity of Qin is due to Qin's laws, the Qin army is like wolves and tigers, and Qin's unification of the world is still due to Qin's laws. I make a request to Your Majesty.
"Since everything is unified, the most important thing to unify is the Qin law. Only in this way can we win the hearts of the people of the world and make the Qin Empire last forever. As the prime minister, I ask Your Majesty to abolish the laws of various places and let the world follow the Qin law."
Just as Lu Buwei was about to sit down, he immediately stood still, turned around and stared at Sima Yi as if he wanted to devour him and drink his blood.
As soon as he opened his mouth, a thunderous roar of approval suddenly rang out, which was much louder and more sincere than the voice of Your Majesty's wisdom just now.
"The Prime Minister's concerns are extremely serious. It is urgent to implement Qin's laws throughout the country. I second the proposal."
"One country cannot have two orders. I second the Prime Minister's proposal."
"The Qin Empire was founded on the law. The law is the foundation of the Qin Empire. I second your opinion."
“…”
There were countless seconders.
Although Lu Buwei spoke loudly after he opened his mouth, he was drowned out by the multitude of voices and no one could hear what he said.
Sima Yi used Lu Buwei's logic and hid behind Lu Buwei in the name of Lu Buwei's help in finding loopholes and filling them in, and advised the First Emperor to fully implement Qin laws.
All the nobles nominally said they were following Lu Buwei, but in fact they were using Lu Buwei as a gun. This tactic was not uncommon.
The First Emperor sat back in his throne, hunched over, looking at the commotion below, and at Lu Buwei who was being ignored, in silence.
[Lü Buwei, this court is no longer the same as it was ten years ago. Your time is over.]
[Since you are the prime minister, you should be able to overpower the ministers. If you cannot do this, I am really disappointed.]
Li Si, who was observant of people's expressions, looked at the First Emperor watching the show on the high stage and Lu Buwei who was talking but not making any sound below the stage, and was caught in a dilemma.
According to his observation, the First Emperor obviously did not want to get involved in this matter and was testing Lu Buwei.
What Lu Buwei needs most at this moment is support. It will be extremely difficult to regain his prestige .
As a newcomer who had just joined Ying Chengjiao's team, Li Si wanted to stand on the side of Lu Buwei, but was afraid of causing the displeasure of the First Emperor.
While he was hesitating, he saw a man standing up from the table. He was more than nine feet tall, but too thin.
Walking among the ministers, he was like a bamboo pole being dragged, and was very conspicuous.
He walked steadily and soon stood beside Lü Buwei. Although he did not open his mouth or say a word, his actions had already made his position clear.
The post of Internal History of Grain among the Nine Ministers was given to Zikang.
He has excellent arithmetic and coordination skills, and claims that he only knows how to calculate accounts but not government affairs. Fu Zikang, who was born in a humble family and was given a name by Ying Chengjiao, was not loyal to the King of Qin, but to the emperor.
Fu Zikang, who was once one of the many unnamed guests in Chang'an Junfu, was an ordinary man. Today, he was not helping the prime minister of the Great Qin Empire, but the merchants of Chang'an Junfu.
Ying Chengjiao did not consult Fu Zikang in advance to tell him anything, and Fu Zikang did not know that Ying Chengjiao had already escaped.
The Qin Empire's governor only knew one thing: his life was saved by the emperor, so he should return it to the emperor. Whenever the emperor needed him, he would stand up.
Li Si was still hesitant, thinking about how he was resisted by his ministers when the county system was established that day, and Ying Chengjiao broke the deadlock by making a scene to save him from the rain of spit.
[This is not the Lord. There are many things that the Lord can do, but this cannot do! ]
He sat down quietly, looking away from the crowd and Lu Buwei, and stared at the ground.
Having made the decision, his legs were tense as if they might bounce up at any moment.
Lu Buwei, who had done him a great favor, fell into danger, and he would feel guilty if he did not save him.
Although he himself doesn't know whether he still has a conscience...
The First Emperor was not surprised to see Fu Zikang's actions.
After all, this was a man who dared to tell him that the salary he gave was more than that of Chang'an Junfu, and that being his family would make him much wealthier.
But if the emperor issues an order, I can resign from the position of the Internal Secretary of Grain at any time. In my eyes of money, I would rather be loyal to the emperor than to a certain young man like me who is the Internal Secretary of Grain.
"The backup plan that guy left behind? But it's not enough."
The First Emperor talked to himself, and his words could only be heard by Gai Nie, who was writing the imperial edict at the desk in front of him, and Zhao Gao, who was standing respectfully with his back hunched before him.
"Let alone one Internal Affairs Minister, even if nine ministers were appointed together, it would be impossible to suppress these people."
Gai Nie stopped writing and looked down. The sound did not weaken at all but seemed to have gotten louder.
"Your Majesty, may I kill you with my sword?"
The paralyzed swordsman asked the question expressionlessly, looking as if he was telling a joke.
Zhao Gao's body trembled slightly.
[Gao originally thought that he would not be frightened by this plague god. He overestimated himself...]
“No.”
The First Emperor spoke coldly and glared at Gai Nie warningly.
He didn't think Gai Nie was joking. Yesterday, many people from the three major families died at the hands of this seal-carrying official who rarely wrote but often held a sword and was not clear about his job as an official in charge of government affairs.
"Why?"
Gai Nie asked coldly.
[I was able to kill him yesterday, why can’t I kill him today? 】
Zhao Gao paused for a moment.
[How dare you ask such a question, God of Plague? How dare you ask His Majesty to allow you to kill the ministers in Xianyang Palace?]
The First Emperor's breathing also paused for a beat.
[That bastard must have been so angry that he had no way to deal with Gai Nie, so he sent him to my side! ]
"Shut up! Write your imperial edict!"
The First Emperor roared in a low voice.
"only."
Gai Nie wondered why he couldn't kill him today and bowed his head in response.
"What are these birdmen doing? They are making me feel annoyed!"
A resounding, old voice echoed throughout the Xianyang Palace, drowning out the noise of the ministers. Only a military general could have such a voice.
The ministers were not very familiar with this voice, after all, the person who made the sound had not attended the court for a long time. But there was only one person in the Qin Dynasty who could curse like this in the Xianyang Palace, Meng Ao.
[Is Meng Ao familiar with Jiang Shang? ]
All the ministers were shocked and kept silent.
Meng Ao's influence was enormous in the Qin court, and his disciples accounted for half of the Qin military generals.
Lu Buwei didn't even look at him with gratitude and immediately reported to the First Emperor.
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed! Qin's law cannot be implemented. This is not the right time!"
Lü Buwei did not agree with the Qin law at all. He thought it was too harsh. Once it was implemented throughout the country, the world would be in chaos.
The First Emperor shook his head.
"Approved. The Qin Law will be implemented throughout the country."
All the ministers were delighted and praised His Majesty for his wisdom.
