Three days later in the morning, in the octagonal pavilion in the back garden of Chang'an Jun's Mansion, Cheng Qiao was practicing his piano skills and flirting with a girl. He was flirting with Jing Salamander while they were working in the farm. Xiu Niang walked over quickly.
"Sir, the king is here." Xiu Niang walked closer and shouted louder.
The sound of the piano stopped and Cheng Qiao looked puzzled. It seemed like it was the first time that his brother Wang took the initiative to visit?
You didn’t even say hello, what do you want to do all of a sudden?
Could it be that you wanted to discuss Han Fei's theory with him on a whim?
After thinking about it for a while, Cheng Qiao felt that it was very possible. Besides, there seemed to be nothing much to say between the two brothers in recent days, so he couldn't help but smile.
"Yinglang, I'm going back first."
Wearing a goose-yellow dress with a green edge and an open collar, revealing her slender white neck and delicate collarbones, Jingsha slowly stood up. A gentle and tranquil smile appeared on her cool and delicate face, and her voice was as gentle as water flowing from a spring.
"Okay, I'll come back to you after I send Brother Wang away."
"You don't have to be anxious if you win. Don't delay your business just to have fun with me."
"Don't worry, I have my own sense of discretion."
After hearing the words, Jing Salamander said no more. After Yingying Fushen bowed, he turned and left. The maid waiting outside the octagonal pavilion quickly followed.
After watching Jing Salamang leave, Cheng Qiao and Xiu Niang went to greet Ying Zheng.
On the way, Cheng Qiao suddenly remembered something and asked casually: "Xiu Niang, I remember that Xuan Jian's children will be born soon, right?"
"Yes, sir, I will be born in April at the latest."
"Don't forget to send some congratulatory gifts and supplements when the time comes."
"Don't worry, young master, I will remember everything."
"Well, I have seen all your achievements over the years. You also grew up with me, so the relationship is naturally extraordinary."
"I have already thought about it. I will admit you into the room when my wife comes through, and then you will assist my wife in handling the housework."
After Cheng Qiao finished speaking, he continued to walk forward. As he was walking, he suddenly noticed that there was no movement behind him. He couldn't help but turn around and took a look. He smiled bitterly and said, "Why are you crying? Don't you want to serve me?"
"No, no, it is my honor to serve the young master. I am so happy that I am crying with joy."
Xiu Niang shook her head quickly, tears like golden beans fell down one by one, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes were red, her face seemed to be crying but not crying, and it seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
Cheng Qiao smiled, and came to Xiu Niang's side in a flash. He took out a black handkerchief and wiped Xiu Niang's tears. Xiu Niang closed her eyes with a happy smile on her face.
"If you are like this, don't follow me to greet Brother Wang. Go back and rest."
Xiu Niang nodded, her red lips opened, but she stopped talking.
"Say what you want to say. Is there anything you can't say to the young master?" Cheng Qiao put away his handkerchief, tapped Xiu Niang's forehead with his finger, and cursed with a smile.
"Sir, who is your wife? Is she easy to get along with?"
Xiu Niang asked curiously and anxiously.
Xiu Niang also knew Jing Sala's identity, and it was difficult for her to become Cheng Qiao's first wife. Only Cheng Qiao was stubborn to the end and could he elevate Jing Sala to the position of his first wife.
When Cheng Qiao heard this, he thought of Concubine Yan's temperament, which is indeed difficult for most people to get along with. The women of the Yin Yang family are very well-educated, but they are arrogant and have a bad temper. They dare to kill if they disagree with each other. Generally,
Men can never surrender.
Of course, you can't tell the truth, which will make Xiu Niang uneasy, but if Concubine Yan comes to visit, Aiwu and Wuxia should not be difficult to get along with as long as they don't provoke Concubine Yan's bottom line.
Once a woman like Concubine Yan falls in love with a man, she will put her lover first in everything for the rest of her life, love her house and hate her house.
"It's not difficult to get along with her, as long as you don't provoke her."
Although his relationship with Yan Fei has not yet been confirmed, Cheng Qiao already regards Yan Fei as his treasure. He does not believe it. After being baptized by modern times, his ability to attract girls will not be as good as Yan Dan. Besides, Yan Fei
I already have a good impression of him now.
The women of the Yin Yang family know a lot, but they are basically novices when it comes to love. There is nothing they can do about it. Donghuang Taiyi doesn't mention whether he has any experience in love, and even if he does, he can't teach him this.
The Moon God also had a crush on him, so Cheng Qiao decided to make full use of Yan Fei's arrogance in not taking the Moon God seriously, as well as the Moon God's jealousy of the Yan Fei, and finally became a master and sister.
We must make full use of the internal conflicts of the "enemy".
Xiuniang breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "I feel relieved now."
"Keep your heart in your stomach, there is nothing to worry about. Xiu Niang, you are gentle and capable. Madam will like you." Cheng Qiao gently patted Xiu Niang's shoulder and comforted her.
"Well, I'm leaving first. Young Master, please go and greet the king."
Cheng Qiao nodded slightly and turned to leave. After Cheng Qiao's figure disappeared, Xiu Niang then turned and walked towards her yard.
…
Cheng Qiao met Ying Zheng at the small gate from the inner courtyard to the front courtyard, and took Ying Zheng to the study room in the inner courtyard.
Naturally, not everyone can enter the inner courtyard and backyard of Chang'an Jun's Mansion. It must be a member of the family or personally invited by the owner. Of course, a close brother like Ying Zheng can enter and exit at will.
"Brother Wang, isn't this chair more comfortable to sit on than to sit on your knees?"
In the study room, Cheng Qiao and Ying Zheng sat opposite each other on a long red sandalwood table. They watched Ying Zheng leaning on the back of the chair and resting his hands relaxedly on the armrests, and couldn't help but show off.
"It's indeed a lot more comfortable. I'll ask the young master to make some and send them to the palace tomorrow." Ying Zheng smiled in agreement.
Chairs are not difficult for the skilled carpenters in the Shaofu Mansion. In fact, some of the dignitaries in Xianyang City have already used tables and chairs. These dignitaries have all been to the Chengqiao Mansion as guests.
"Brother Wang, have you finished reading Han Fei's works?"
"I just finished reading it. You haven't finished it yet, right?"
He came to me to discuss the plot as soon as he finished watching it, and he is indeed a die-hard fan!
"After reading it, Brother Wang, if you have anything to say, just say it."
Cheng Qiao knew that Ying Zheng must have a lot to say in his heart at this moment. He decided to let Ying Zheng say enough first so as not to bother him with this matter again in the future.
Ying Zheng was not polite. He took a sip of tea first to moisten his throat, and then began to talk about his thoughts after watching it. He started talking about it one by one, putting "Five Worms" at the end.
This talk lasted for a full hour, and except for Cheng Qiao asking someone to come in once to refill the tea, there was basically no pause in the middle.
What surprised Cheng Qiao was that although Ying Zheng admired Han Fei's theories, he did not think that everything Han Fei said was a wise saying, and a few of his views were different from Han Fei's.
Cheng Qiao thought about it for a while and roughly understood the reason. The victory in this life was smooth, and he basically didn't suffer any blows. Therefore, his temper was not so stubborn and he could listen to advice.
He talked a little more about the academy last time, and coupled with the subtle influence of his childhood, Ying Zheng listened to the advice, and the effect was initially seen.
After saying his thoughts, Ying Zheng picked up the teacup and drank the warm tea in one gulp. He looked at Cheng Qiao with piercing eyes and said with a smile, "I've finished speaking. What do you think, little brother?"
"We are the only two brothers here, so we can talk freely about anything."
"Brother Wang is a great talent. He analyzed Han Fei's theory very clearly. I don't have much to say, only some superficial opinions."
"You are too modest, little brother. I know your talents very well, but your temper is a bit lazy. I am all ears."
Cheng Qiao was not polite, smiled and said: "In Han Fei's article, the sentence I agree with the most is that when things change, things will change, and when things change, we will be prepared for changes."
"Han Fei's theory is very suitable for troubled times in which the strong survive and the weak perish. It can knit the country into a whole, quickly become stronger and survive, and then exert its strongest national power and grow stronger."
"But after reunification, it became too extreme, too authoritarian, and too brutal. If we copy it, it will only lead to tyranny!"
"Does unification count as a prosperous age?"
"In my opinion, judging from the conditions of today's era, the initial prosperous age should be these eight words."
"Which eight characters?"
"Unification, people's security, a strong military, and a strong country."
"It is not difficult to achieve this preliminary prosperous age."
"The great cause of unification has been completed. Our Qin State has surpassed the Zhou Dynasty. The country is naturally extremely strong. Our Qin Army is the strongest army in the world. After wiping out the six kingdoms, it is the best army in the world. Regardless of the southeast, northwest, and which barbarians dare to confront each other head-on
?”
"The three conditions are not difficult to achieve, but the key lies in the condition of people's safety."
"If you want to make the people settle down, it is basic to have enough food and clothing. Without enough food and clothing, the people will never be able to settle down."
"But people's security is not just about having enough food and clothing, but also not disturbing them too much."
“Young brother, what you mean is to wage less wars and collect less corvees to build mausoleums, palaces, bridges, canals and other large-scale projects, right?”
"Brother Wang Mingjian, that's exactly what I mean." Cheng Qiao said with a serious face.
After unifying the world, the Qin Dynasty built too many large-scale projects, such as the Great Wall, Ling Canal, Afang Palace, Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang, Qin Zhidao, Qin Chi Road, etc.
Countless corvees were levied for this purpose. It is said that the population of the Qin Dynasty at that time was only more than 20 million, but the corvee levies exceeded 2 million, almost reaching a ratio of ten to one.
And most of them are still young and strong. As the main labor force in the fields, I don’t know how many fields have been abandoned. In addition, the corvee service is free.
There were no wages, they brought their own tools, and the government was only responsible for the food. Given the conditions at that time, the food conditions could not be good. Coupled with the corruption of officials, it is foreseeable how bad the quality of the food would be.
Besides, corvee labor is very hard, it is basically heavy physical work, the officials are beating, scolding and mistreating people, and the project itself is very dangerous. If you don't pay attention, your life will be lost.
Who can stand this?
The public resentment has been accumulating, and when Ying Zheng died, it could no longer be suppressed.
"I understand what I mean, little brother. I will restrain myself when the time comes."
"That's good. If Brother Wang insists on having his own way, don't blame me for not giving you face in private."
Ying Zheng was not angry when he heard this, but smiled and said: "Okay, if I insist on having my own way, you will wake me up by scolding me, and scold me hard!"
"Brother Wang, we grew up together. I know that you have always been forward-looking and ambitious. You want to do something great and groundbreaking. You will never be satisfied with the status quo."
"But governing a big country is like cooking small dishes. You can't rush it. You can't use the experience of governing today's Qin State to govern the future Qin Dynasty. That's not a concept at all."
"To put it bluntly, the road must be walked step by step. If you take a big step, Katcha will easily lose your temper!"
"Pfft...hahaha..."
When Ying Zheng heard the last sentence, he burst into laughter.
In front of Cheng Qiao'e, Ying Zheng was very relaxed and did not want to maintain the majesty of the king, so he could not hold back.
Bang bang bang!
Cheng Qiao was angry. He was talking seriously about business. What was going on with the laughter?
The angry Cheng Qiao slapped the table hard. Fortunately, he still had sense and didn't use much force, otherwise the table would fall apart on the spot.
"I'm sorry, little brother, your words are too funny."
A corresponding picture appeared in Ying Zheng's mind. Seeing that Cheng Qiao was angry, he suppressed a smile and stood up to apologize.
When Cheng Qiao saw this, he stopped talking and continued: "Every generation has its own mission. For example, Duke Xiang defeated Quan Rong and allowed Qin to gain a firm foothold; Duke Mu made Qin become an emerging power dominating the western frontier; Duke Xiao reformed to become stronger.
The Qin State not only revived, but also surpassed the period of Duke Mu."
"Since then, our ancestors have worked hard to govern, and finally the Qin Kingdom has the opportunity to annex the world. Brother Wang, have you ever thought about your mission?"
"My mission is naturally to complete the great cause of unification expected by my ancestors and pass it on to generations to come." Ying Zheng replied without hesitation.
“What’s the key to passing it on?”
Ying Zheng thought of Cheng Qiao's words last time and this time. Although there were differences, there was only one core.
"Public safety?"
"Yes."
"Then you can't face threats from foreigners, and you can't fight back if you hit them, or you can't retaliate when you scold them, right?"
"Of course that's impossible. We just need to ensure that most people live in peace and contentment."
"As for the threat from foreign nations, I think elite soldiers can be mobilized to form a professional army that is off-duty. In other words, they will only train for war and not care about anything else."
"The specific number will be determined based on the situation at the time. Some of the remaining troops can be laid off based on the actual situation. The elite among them can be given some court errands, and the rest can be sent home to farm."
Ying Zheng thought carefully and frowned in silence.
Cheng Qiao picked up the tea cup and watched silently without saying anything. If Ying Zheng couldn't figure it out, insisted on going his own way, and still wanted to make big moves, then he would resort to tricks.
He will never allow the situation where the world is at war once again when Ying Zheng dies. When the time comes, it is not impossible for a brother and brother to come...
"call……"
Ying Zheng frowned, leaned back on the chair, and took a long breath and said: "Although it sounds reasonable, I don't know if it is really correct, but as long as it is possible to continue the foundation, I am willing to go
Give it a try.”
"I'm confident!" Cheng Qiao put down his teacup and looked at Ying Zhengdao with a confident face.
"It's good to have confidence. I also hope that this will be a path of long-term peace and stability for generations to come."
"By the way, since I don't agree with using Han Fei's method after reunification, what kind of system should we use? It's impossible to abandon Legalism, right?"
"Of course it is impossible to abandon Legalism. Like my brother, I also admire the rule of law."
"Since Han Fei's law is too extreme, authoritarian, and brutal, then other doctrines should be introduced to moderate it, such as Confucianism."
"I don't like some views in Confucianism." Ying Zheng said with a hint of disgust in his eyes.
"We discard the statements we don't like and only use the ones we like. Our goal is to make Qin's law more moderate, democratic, moderate, and people-oriented as much as possible."
"In addition to Confucianism, other schools of thought that are beneficial to Qin can also be adopted."
Cheng Qiao was not a believer in any school of thought, so he spoke quite easily.
"Isn't that a hodgepodge?" Ying Zheng laughed.
"This is inclusive. The Dharma will always be the root and trunk of the Qin State, and the rest are branches and leaves. The fundamentals will not change, and the essence will not change."
"So what if it's a hodgepodge?"
"As long as it is beneficial to Qin, it will be fine."
Cheng Qiao doesn't know how to fix Confucianism and Dharma. He calls it Confucianism and Dharma. However, he governs the world with filial piety and governs the world with patriarchal laws. Patriarchal laws are not the same thing as real laws.
The true rule of law will never allow the emergence of patriarchal clans, let alone patriarchal clans overriding national law.
"Yes, as long as it is beneficial to Qin, everything else is just trivial."
Ying Zheng smiled easily, he was just talking casually, Qin could be where it is today just by relying on whatever is beneficial to Qin, and never paying attention to anything.
"Revising the law is a crucial matter. When that day comes, I think we will not only invite various schools of thought and courtiers to participate, but also invite people of all identities and places to participate."
"Only such a law can be realistic, and even if the law is modified, it can be changed in the future according to the actual situation."
"Brother Wang is wise!" Cheng Qiao praised sincerely.
The meaning of Yingzheng is to involve all levels of society and all places, so as to adapt measures to local conditions and the times.
You cannot just slap your head on the whole law, otherwise it may not be suitable for certain places. In the future and even in future generations, the law can be modified according to the actual situation. There is absolutely no saying that the ancestral law cannot be abolished.
There has never been any system that cannot be abolished in the history of Kyushu, such as the land system, which has been changing from ancient times to the present. Except for short-lived dynasties, the land system has never been static.
Some people really stubbornly believe that the ancestral law cannot be abolished, while others use it as a shield because it will harm their interests if it is abolished. The latter are obviously the majority.
Ying Zheng saw that Cheng Qiao's praise was sincere, so he laughed, and the pressure in his heart felt much less.
Cheng Qiao's various whimsical ideas have always put him under pressure, but he has never shown it clearly. He usually spends most of his time reading. Apart from really liking reading and running the country, there is also the reason why he is under pressure from behind.
.
As his elder brother who inherited the throne of King Qin, he can't be worse than his younger brother, right?
"Brother, I remember you were talking about the preliminary prosperous age. Does that mean there is a higher level of prosperous age?"
"Of course there is, but the initial level is very difficult. You may not be able to do it at the higher level even if you spend your whole life. As for the ultimate prosperous age, you may not be able to do it in hundreds of years."
The curiosity in Ying Zheng's heart was aroused. He really wanted to know what the prosperous times of the next two levels were. It was impossible to choose. Only in this way could he fully demonstrate his talents and strategies 1
"What is the ultimate prosperity?"
"Don't ask. After all, we will never be able to do it in the prosperous times."
The more Cheng Qiao said nothing, the more curious Ying Zheng became. Ying Zheng didn't say anything and stared at Cheng Qiao blankly.
Cheng Qiao was stared at and had no choice but to reveal something to make Ying Zheng give up.
"One of the conditions for the ultimate prosperous age is that everyone should read. Is there any hope of achieving this?"
Hearing this, Ying Zheng smiled bitterly and shook his head.
Today, the number of scholars in the world, no, the total number of people who are slightly literate is estimated to be less than 1%. This makes it impossible for everyone to have books.
Therefore, Ying Zheng could only retreat and ask, "Where is the high-level prosperous age?"
"It's still eight words."
"If you keep trying to keep me secret, I'm going to make you angry."
"The army is strong, the people are prosperous, the country is strong, and the gods are prosperous."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Qiao immediately revealed the high-level prosperity in his heart.
"Brother Wei has heard that the country is prosperous and the people are strong. Why did you change it?"
"What does Shenwang mean?" Ying Zheng asked doubtfully.
"Brother Wang, do you think it is more difficult for a country to become rich and its people strong, or for a country to be strong when its people are rich?"
Ying Zheng thought for a while and suddenly realized: "It is difficult to make the country rich and powerful, and it is much more difficult. Since ancient times, there have been many strategies to strengthen the country, but few strategies to enrich the people, or even no strategies at all."
"That's why there is basically no strategy to truly enrich the people, but it is often the strategy to strengthen the country."
"Because the starting points are different, it would be great if the strategies to strengthen the country do not harm the people. Many strategies to strengthen the country are at the expense of harming the interests of the people. How difficult is it to have the best of both worlds?"
Ying Zheng nodded in agreement. As the king of Qin, if there was a strategy to strengthen the country but harm the people, he thought he would definitely use it.
The people of Guizhou have always been ignored by the superior carnivores. If he had not been influenced by his younger brother since he was a child, coupled with the recent influence, he would not have taken the people of Guizhou in his eyes. He might even think that he was serving the country.
Sacrifice is an honor for the people of Guizhou.
Even now, he still knows how to use it, but he will feel a little guilty in his heart and will try his best to make up for it.
"Then what does Shenwang mean?"
"To put it simply, it allows the common people to have enough interesting entertainment activities in their free time, just like Brother Wang can find things he is interested in to pass the time in his free time."
"Crops that can fill the stomach are called food, and activities that can relieve fatigue, make people feel happy and energetic can be called spiritual food."
After listening to this, Ying Zheng finally understood what Cheng Qiao meant. The advanced prosperous age has one and a half more conditions than the primary prosperous age. Unity was replaced by Shenwang, and people's peace evolved into people's wealth.
Although it has only been upgraded by one and a half times, the difficulty has suddenly increased by countless times, making it almost impossible to do it!
However, compared with the final prosperous age, which is impossible to achieve in his lifetime, the advanced prosperous age is still slightly possible.
He has decided that he will definitely bring Qin into a high-level prosperous age in his lifetime, and whoever stands in his way will die!
Looking at Ying Zheng's determined and persistent look, Cheng Qiao roughly knew what Ying Zheng was thinking.
This is good, because both the elementary prosperous age and the advanced prosperous age he proposed can only be achieved by practicing internal affairs diligently.
He is not opposed to the expansion of territory. In fact, he also likes to expand territory. But even if this is the world of the Qin Dynasty with extraordinary powers and bug monsters, he still has to do what he can.
Now that the area is vast and sparsely populated, it is of little use to seize so much land. We only need to seize what should be taken and what can be taken, and at best send people to occupy the rest, leaving behind the "since ancient times" title.
As long as we sow the idea of pioneering and let the idea of pioneering take root in people's hearts, are we still afraid that when future generations encounter the dilemma of population and land, they will not conquer their homeland and open up new lands?
"Brother Wang, I think that after reunification, the Qin State should focus on internal affairs, supplemented by expansion, and only fight wars where the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and resolutely never fight wars where the disadvantages outweigh the benefits." Ying Zheng took the opportunity to suggest.
fo
Cheng Qiao believed that the Qin State needed to maintain its wolf nature, maintain its bloody nature, and maintain its martial spirit, but it could not resort to militarism or relax culture and education. It must be grasped with both hands and both hands must be strong!
"That makes sense. Prime Minister Lu once taught me not to engage in any business that involves losing money." Ying Zheng nodded in agreement.
"Sir, lunch is ready."
Outside the study, Xiu Niang's voice sounded.
"Brother Wang, would you like to have a taste of the food in my house?" Cheng Qiao stood up and invited with a smile.
"I came to your place because of my brother, can I still go back to the palace on an empty stomach to have a meal?"
"Let's go."
Ying Zheng stood up with a smile, and walked straight out of the study without saying anything polite.
The food in Mingyue during the Qin Dynasty was already very advanced.
In terms of cooking methods, Cheng Qiao's level can't be improved much. There are more things to come up with and more dishes for the chef to study.
Therefore, the preparation of the lunch dishes was not innovative, but there were more dishes that were not available in the palace. There were two dishes that Ying Zheng particularly liked, and he specifically asked Cheng Qiao to let the cooks in his palace teach them in the palace.
.
This meal was truly a feast for both the guest and the host!
－－－－－－Digression－－－－－
These chapters can be regarded as laying down the general thoughts of governing the country. I don't think it is a good one, because it feels more brain-intensive to write than other plots. I am not good at this. The next chapter will start to accelerate the plot.
This chapter has been completed!