Chapter 489: Five cents. What’s the difference between this and giving it for free?
The familiar altar for offering sacrifices to heaven and the familiar sea of people.
Ying Chengjiao came out from the royal carriage drawn by four horses, looked at the awe-inspiring and retreating eyes of the people around him, and pursed his lips.
It shouldn't be like this.
He is in good spirits now, without any of the fatigue, weakness or irritability caused by lack of sleep.
This was thanks to the fact that he had a good nap and after he called on the sky above to bring a meteorite shower, he postponed the date of his succession ceremony by three hours.
Zhang Han kept persuading him, saying that there was no point in changing one order every day, and that the ministers were waiting for him. If His Majesty felt sleepy, he could take a rest in the carriage.
Good words or bad words, oh no, only good words, Zhang Han never said bad words to those in power in the empire.
Even after saying ten stones of nice words, Ying Chengjiao was still not persuaded to return to the ancestral temple to be with his ancestors.
Feeling ignored, the ministers standing near the altar for offering sacrifices to heaven were all somewhat resentful.
They got up early and drove 300 miles from Xianyang to the ancient capital of Yongcheng, and took their positions an hour in advance in the extremely cold wind.
As a result, the towering altar for offering sacrifices to the heaven was still empty for a long time, and it was not until a quarter of an hour before the agreed time that an official informed them that the ceremony was postponed.
What a non-human!
Of course, they cursed this evil word in their hearts thousands of times, but they dared not say it out loud. The boy turned gorgeously and became the emperor. As Qin's ministers, they had to accept it even if they didn't want to.
After all, there is no other country in the world, for now.
Ying Zheng was in disguise, under the protection of a group of quicksand impurities led by Wei Zhuang, and his face did not look very good.
It was approaching noon.
"You should have succeeded before Xueluo! This boy is not worth consulting with!"
Guiguzi, who had four fleshy moles on his forehead, stood next to Ying Zheng. No one commented on his peculiar appearance. How would the common people know the image of Guiguzi?
And considering his peculiar appearance, Guiguzi is not particularly eye-catching.
Compared with those who lost their noses due to the punishment of cutting off the nose, Guiguzi was at least not disabled.
"It is true. It was done on purpose."
Wang Xu looked at the pale sky.
A moment later, goose feathers fell from the sky and landed on his mole, feeling icy cold.
And on the high platform that expressed the succession to the throne to heaven and earth, a figure had already stood still.
Heavy snow falls in Yongcheng, and people climb the high platform in Changan!
Snowflakes fell one after another, landing on Ying Chengjiao's Tongtian crown and on the shoulders of his Xuanniao crown.
He reached out to catch it and looked down, but the white snow, which was bigger than his thick eyebrows and big eyes, blocked his vision.
He walked to the edge of the platform and glanced down. In the quiet world of snow, there were many trembling figures. They were the people of Yongcheng who were shivering due to the cold weather.
While he was still catching up on his sleep in the ancestral temple, the people were forced by the government to stand outside the altar, waiting for the arrival of the dignitaries and him.
"If there hadn't been this heavy snow, I would have said more."
The perfect inner strength of "Huangdi" is strong and lasting, and the people standing on the outermost layer can hear Ying Chengjiao's words clearly.
Feng Chang, who was in charge of the sacrifice, felt cold physically and even colder in his heart.
The winter snow did not completely take away the temperature in his body, but Chang'an Jun's words made his blood completely freeze.
He and the thirteen officials in Fengchang Prefecture, plus twenty-one doctors in the Doctoral Office, plus... in short, there were a lot of people.
They took great pains to write an article with gorgeous words, magnificent momentum, and a tribute to heaven and earth and a greeting to ancestors.
But the plain words that Changan Jun said now are not part of the article.
Heavy snowfall is an ominous sign.
He was already feeling uneasy and his heart was beating fast, and now the thing he was most worried about happened.
Ying Chengjiao once again played against the rules, causing the old Fengchang, who had served five generations of Qin kings including Ying Chengjiao, to have his blood flow retrograde.
His heart was blocked, he couldn't catch his breath, and he fell straight down.
Qin Chen beside him immediately supported him and shouted loudly for help.
Although the official entered the room quickly and carried the old Fengchang away swiftly.
But because of the previous shouting and yelling, a commotion that could not be ignored occurred here, which attracted Ying Chengjiao's attention.
Ying Chengjiao took a glance and saw that the trouble was happening in the inner circle, so he ignored it and threw the document in his hand down.
The yellow paper fluttered in the air like a divine talisman, using Qin Chen's astonished gaze as a medium to seal the commotion in the inner court.
The people outside felt cold and were immersed in grief over the death of the First Emperor.
The yellow paper floating down from the platform had no effect on them as they were unusually quiet to begin with.
It's snowing, heavy snow.
They thought this was very unlucky and believed that it was Heaven's will that opposed Chang'an Jun's succession to the throne. Heaven, like them, only recognized the First Emperor.
They were also very cold, and their thinking slowed down.
Thinking that they would have to kneel on the ground with their hands pressed into the freezing snow, they felt cold before they even knelt down.
They didn't want to kneel, they even forgot that kneeling before heaven and earth was a matter of course.
In this era when even a minor cold can lead to mortality, they want this succession ceremony, which is opposed by both heaven and earth, to end quickly.
They think a lot, but they won’t say anything, they just wait silently.
Every succession ceremony was an extremely important event for the Qin State. How could it end as quickly as they wished?
Chang'an Jun, this madman, doesn't even care about the heavens, so how could he care about the thoughts of these untouchables?
Their faces gradually hardened, like terracotta warriors that always had only one expression.
If the succession ceremony had gone on as planned, many people would have been frozen to death by the heavy snow.
"But God didn't give me face and it snowed heavily. I know you are looking forward to the end, so I will make it short."
In the past, Ying Chengjiao hated the opening ceremonies of elementary schools, middle schools, and universities.
The school leaders spoke one by one in the shade upstairs, and they sat in the sun for the entire afternoon.
This annoying form of nonsense accompanied him until his death. Every morning and evening, the leaders of his department would hold meetings to motivate him, make big promises, and talk about corporate culture.
Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.
As the top leader, he should not be the kind of person who tears up other people's umbrellas just because he himself has been caught in the rain.
The people of Yongcheng looked up and looked at the madman on the platform in surprise.
Ying Chengjiao chuckled.
Although the wind and snow were dazzling, the people's collective movement of raising their heads could not be concealed by the wind and snow.
He raised his right hand, pointed to the sky, and spoke in a clear voice.
“During the wax festival last year, the First Emperor offered sacrifices to the heaven, earth, ghosts and gods here, asking the yellow sky and thick earth to bless our Great Qin.
"I am here to say that the sky does not exist. This is a great disrespect to the sky. I want you to stand up. Say 'If I don't die, there will be no sky in Qin' and use your life as a witness.
"This year, the First Emperor who led you to kneel down and worship heaven, earth, gods, and ghosts has died, but I, who refused to kneel down and said that heaven was a bird, am still alive.
"If there really are gods above my head, and there really is heaven above them, why don't they protect the First Emperor who reveres them, and strike me with a thunderbolt to kill me?"
The people's faces changed and turned white.
I was cold and scared.
No wonder it snowed so heavily. The king of a country was disrespectful to the heavens, so of course the heavens would be angry! This heavy snow was proof that the heavens were angry!
This winter, many people will freeze to death because of the new king's disrespect for heaven and earth!
A look of panic appeared on their frozen faces. They wanted to criticize the arrogant Chang'an Jun like they did during the wax festival last year, but they dared not utter a single word.
They heard that Chang'an Jun called himself "朕", a word that only the emperor and the King of Qin could use.
They dare not curse the king of a country, the master of the world.
"This brat!"
Ying Zheng had a dark face and was furious.
He never imagined that his brother would use his death to write such an article.
He had long agreed with his brother's idea that he had no heaven, but he did not agree at all with his brother's behavior today.
Being among the common people of Yongcheng, he had already sensed the drastic change in the emotions of the people around him.
This year the snow is heavy and the weather is cold, and many people will not be able to survive.
After today's succession ceremony, Ying Chengjiao's words will radiate throughout the world with Yongcheng as the center, causing chaos.
Needless to say, even if nothing happened in the lands of the Six Kingdoms, the remnants of the Six Kingdoms would definitely slander everything about the Qin State.
What they are really worried about is Guanzhong, the Qin State's base. The old Qin people will blame the new emperor for this.
The hearts of the old Qin people are no longer united. Once Guanzhong is in chaos, there is no point in pacifying the six kingdoms. It would be good enough if they could defend Hangu Pass.
Ying Zheng became more and more frightened the more he thought about it. He took a deep breath and was about to step onto the platform.
The lands of the six kingdoms are in chaos, and the arrows are no longer on the bowstrings, but have been shot out.
At this time, whether he is alive or dead, the remnants of the six kingdoms will rebel.
Since his younger brother is not capable, he will come himself and ascend the throne again.
Ying Zheng seriously suspected that his brother said this to force him to come out, but he really had to come out.
If you don't come out, this matter will be out of control.
"Your Excellency should just be patient."
Guiguzi smiled slightly and said softly:
"This is not Mount Tai, but it is easier for Zen to die with you than Mount Tai."
Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes, showing no fear at all, sneered, and was about to speak.
Wang Chan said again:
"I know you have never been threatened, but if you die now, what will happen to the Qin State?"
The First Emperor, who did not die, died at his brother's succession ceremony.
Given the prestige of the First Emperor in Guanzhong, the seriousness of this matter was greater than Ying Chengjiao's disrespect for heaven.
Meng Tian in the northwest, Wang Ben in the northeast, the generals guarding the two major frontiers of the empire were all loyal to the First Emperor.
Anger was rising and falling in Ying Zheng's eyes as he looked at the pair of eyes that saw through everything under the four moles.
"After the ceremony, I will kill you."
"If you were still the King of Qin, it would not be difficult for you to die by Zen."
Guiguzi speaks in a leisurely manner.
"You are not a king, but you can do kingly things with the king's tacit consent, not a real king. If you choose to retreat, you will retreat to the end. Qin has no master father. The world and all things are relative. You get freedom, but you lose power. Ying Zheng, you are not a king anymore. You should get used to it."
On the high platform, Ying Chengjiao finished speaking and waited quietly for a moment.
There was no thunder and lightning in the sky, nor did he see any major commotion below the stage. He sighed slightly, feeling mixed emotions.
Joy, sorrow, everything.
And I can’t tell whether I feel more happy or sad.
"My elder brother Ying Zheng, also known as the First Emperor, has passed away.
"I, Ying Chengjiao, succeeded to the throne according to the will of the First Emperor and am the Second Emperor of Qin. I have not thought of a title yet, and will make it up later.
"You think that the heavy snowfall is my fault, and as a punishment, I want you to take the blame and die in the winter. I know that.
"Today, I will fight against the non-existent sky in my body as the second emperor of Qin. I want you to survive this winter. I want you to know that heavy snow on the branches is a beautiful sight. I want you to know that auspicious snow means a good harvest."
Under the snowflakes that were flying all over the sky and getting heavier and heavier, the succession ceremony, which should have been a grand ceremony, ended just like that. There was no solemn music of drums and bells, nor were there troops and horses as seen when the Qin kings of all dynasties succeeded to the throne.
This succession ceremony was so simple that it could not be simpler. If you tell anyone about it, it sounds like a joke.
Although Ying Chengjiao spoke on the high platform for only half a minute and said many wild words, many people believed that he was afraid of God.
It was snowing heavily, which was a bad sign, so the ceremony was ended in a hurry.
As the weather gets colder, people start to feel cold hands and feet in their homes and their hearts are unsettled.
What Ying Zheng had been worried about finally happened.
For this reason, Ying Zheng even forgot about the fact that Guiguzi had escaped and wanted to find his brother first.
But the younger brother didn't want to find him and refused to see him.
The positions were reversed. Ying Zheng, who did not dare to reveal his true identity, could not break into the palace like Ying Chengjiao did in the past. He was so anxious that he could not see Ying Chengjiao.
The false fire did not burn off Ying Zheng's eyebrows , but the real fire actually burned off the black, porous honeycomb coal.
Within Hangu Pass, all county towns began selling honeycomb coal, just like Xianyang did last year.
This round, pancake-like honeycomb briquettes with many holes poked in them are far inferior to the charcoal that is considered to be exclusively for the nobility.
At the beginning, the already poor people did not want to go to the government to buy honeycomb coal, even though the price was very low, only five cents per stone.
But the people in Guanzhong would rather use the five coins to buy less than a bushel of millet.
However, the government sent clerks to deliver a stone of experimental honeycomb briquettes to each household. After experiencing the warmth brought by this obsolete object, no family refused.
Poor families who really had no spare money could borrow money from the newly opened government office, the Qianhang, to buy honeycomb coal.
As long as you buy honeycomb coal, you can borrow money without interest and just pay back the principal next year.
In just five days, the new government-run money bank was opened in every county town in Guanzhong.
Merchants who have been to Korea found this scene very familiar. Thinking about it carefully, they remembered that the Lu Chamber of Commerce had also opened up all over Korea in just a few days.
The merchant kept the matter to himself and dared not say a word. He just wanted to take the caravan to the government to purchase honeycomb coal.
Five cents, what’s the difference between this and giving it for free?
With only five cents, you can get the same warmth as your noble family in winter. This is a great business opportunity!
As long as they transport it out of Hangu Pass, they can instantly increase the price tenfold outside the pass and have no trouble selling it. The price of inferior charcoal is fifty times that of honeycomb coal.
The government doesn’t sell it.
The person in charge of the sale of honeycomb coal was the legendary prime minister Lu Buwei. This big businessman, who had been making a lot of money from his early years, knew all the ways of business very well and was very familiar with them.
The sale of honeycomb coal is strictly in accordance with the people recorded in the household registration of each county.
Private individuals are not allowed to sell the coal privately or transport the coal out of the city. Violators will be sentenced to imprisonment at the least and their property will be confiscated at the worst.
After a group of construction workers were added to the Great Wall and several businessmen lost their fortunes, no one wanted to steal this batch of honeycomb coal anymore.
In the dead of winter, it is bitterly cold outside.
It is warm as summer inside the Guanzhong house.
