"This is the news reported by Yang Wei. After the news about Fusu spread, some old Qin censors and young officials secretly gathered together. They even wanted to respect Yang Wei as their leader and made him join forces with Chang Wei from Shu County.
, put pressure on the king..."
In Heifu's mansion, Ji Ying reported what happened yesterday to Marquis Wu Zhong.
Ji Ying's current position is "Lieutenant of the Guards", which was the chief position of the Qin Dynasty's military intelligence agency and was established during the Zhang Yi era.
His internal duties are to supervise his generals on behalf of the king, and his external duties are to carry out espionage activities against the six countries, master internal and external intelligence, and participate in major high-level decisions. He has the dual duties of the Investigation Bureau and the CIA, and is more like the ancient kgb.
Historically, it was Chen Ping who did this for Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty. He used countless underhand tricks, bribes with money to open the way, and poison and daggers to finish the job, all without any disadvantage.
Ji Ying is far less capable and knowledgeable than Chen Ping, but there is no problem with his loyalty to Hei Fu.
He is like Beria beside Heifu, and most of the people who work under him are trustworthy Anlu disciples.
Since Anlu County was destroyed in the war, the people of Anlu have invested all their wealth and hopes in Heifu. The elderly and mothers have sent their children to serve Heifu, and they have also received generous rewards.
In addition to doing dirty work for Heifu and secretly executing Meng Tian, Meng Yi brothers and a group of insiders in Yunyang Prison in July, Ji Ying's main task was to secretly observe every move of the Xianyang government and the public.
Yang Huan, the censor who was famous for his stubbornness and often questioned and contradicted Heifu's decisions in court, had actually taken refuge with Heifu for a long time. By acting and singing double acts, he really attracted some people who were opposed to the New Deal.
Take the line.
Ji Ying stretched out his hand and struck it hard: "Pavilion Chief, do you want to..."
Nai group special?
"What's the hurry?" Hei Fu picked up the cup of water on the table, took a handful of soil from the stove indoors, and sprinkled it down.
"When we first entered Xianyang, the water was muddy and unclear."
He put the cup on the table. After a while, the sand began to sink.
"Now that it has just rested for a while, those slightly thicker fools...well, the sand has started to sink."
"But the water is not clear enough, and it is far from safe enough to drink."
"You have to let the water in this glass clear for a while!"
Ji Ying understood: "What the pavilion chief means is to lure the snakes out of their holes and catch them all in one fell swoop?"
Hei Fu nodded: "Let Yang Zhen be the leader of those people with peace of mind, continue to open their eyes and embolden more people."
"We must find out how many people in the court are opposed to the New Deal, and what is their relationship with the military nobles in the opposition? Are Li Si, Ziying and others who seem to be staying at home meddling in it, and are they brewing something bigger?
The conspiracy? Which step do you want to take? You have to figure it out one by one!"
If the water is extremely clear, there will be no fish, but politicians must know how much sediment there is in the water.
"No!" Ji Ying was about to leave as ordered, but Hei Fu stopped him again.
"You complained to me last time, saying that over the past hundred years, the position of the Guard of the Army has always been established just before the war and then abolished after the war. It is quite inconvenient to have no official office of its own. From now on, a new permanent official office will be established.
You rule."
"Of course, outsiders will not know about it, and your achievements will be buried in the dust and no one will know."
Also buried in the dust are mistakes and sins.
Ji Ying realized something: "I know this, but we still have to hide in the dark, with sharp knives in hand, to find those threats that are detrimental to the pavilion chief and get rid of them!"
"It is a threat to the stability of the world." Heifu emphasized. He stood up and thought for a moment.
"Hide in the dark and drink ice for ten years."
Heifu smiled:
"Let's call it 'Black Ice Terrace'!"
…
"My beloved, you are not in a hurry at all?"
After Ji Ying stepped back, Mrs. Ye came out carrying a palace lantern. It was almost night and their family hadn't started eating yet.
But she heard the end of what happened just now, complaining in her mind about the bad reputation of "Black Ice Terrace", and couldn't help but worry.
Ye Zijin has never liked Xianyang. She has experienced turmoil and knows that Xianyang has always been an unstable place. People here are unstable, and Hei Fu is sitting on the lid of the cauldron now.
"No matter when and where, the struggle for power will never stop."
"But power is really a weird thing. Let me ask you something."
Heifu closed his eyes, enjoying his wife kneading his sore shoulders after a busy day, and said calmly:
"Three noble people are sitting in a hall: a king with a crown on his head, a witch Zhu who is highly virtuous and respected and is said to be able to reach heaven and earth, and a rich man whose family has tens of thousands of gold."
"Between the three of them, stood a small soldier from the ranks, holding a sharp sword. Each nobleman ordered the small soldier to kill the other two. The king promised him a title, the witch Zhu threatened him with gods, and the rich man took out gold and jade as bribes.
May I ask who lives and who dies in the end?"
Ye Zijin thought for a while: "There is honor in the title, everyone is afraid of the power of the gods, and gold and jade can be reached with your hands, but if you ask who lives and who dies..."
"That depends on the pawn's will."
Heifu said: "Really? He has neither a crown nor gold and silver jewelry, and he has no favor from the gods."
"But he has a sword."
She looked at Hei Fu's broad shoulders: "The king's promise can turn into clouds and rain with his hands. The gods are insubstantial and it is difficult to help. Sooner or later, the gold and jade obtained will be spent. If the pawn is ambitious enough, he may kill all three of them.
, take charge of everything yourself.”
"Yes!"
Heifu held up his palm: "Strength of soldiers and horses is what really determines life and death in these troubled times. If there is no sword in the hand, it is useless to say anything. This is what those anti-kings in Kanto did. My generals
, I think so too.”
"But if we add a condition, there is a huge crowd outside the hall? It is easier for the pawn to attack, but when he walks out of the hall, he may be cheered or torn apart by the crowd."
"Public support?"
Ye Zijin shook his head: "People's hearts are the easiest to be influenced."
"The king's deep-rooted power, a few lies from Wu Zhu, a little charity from the rich, and even the coercion of the sharp sword."
"It can influence people's hearts."
Heifu agreed with his wife's view: "So, where does the power lie?"
He looked at the lamps and candles on the table. They were flickering, casting the shadows of the couple on the wall, making them appear ambiguous.
"In the king's crown? In the gods given by heaven? In wealth, gold and jade? In the strength of soldiers and horses? Or in the people's hearts and minds?"
"No one can tell clearly. There are always people who care about one thing and not the other, thus losing their power and life."
Throughout the ages, there have been many people in power who were not necessarily monarchs. Some died because they were not worthy of their name, some died because they did not pay attention to sacrifices, some died from financial depletion, some died because they had no soldiers in their hands, and some were overthrown by the surging popular tide.
"The most stable way is to keep all five in your hands."
Heifu stretched out his hand, grasped the air in front of him, and said: "I want them all!"
"I took over the affairs of the country and issued orders; I held the two major purses of the Shaofu and the internal history of grain management; I let Lu Jia take charge of the sacrifices; I looked for excuses in those ancient books for my power to be in line with the laws of heaven; I firmly controlled the army and spoke the truth;
He also bribed the people in Guanzhong with reduced rents, revoked the royal family's enjoyment, and distributed the profits to them."
"I have all five of them under my control. How can there be some unruly people in the court to change the situation?"
"Is it a completely destroyed law?"
"The old man who has been deprived of his power?"
"It's still in their imagination that as long as a certain young master named Ying raises his arms, people will come to kill me, an unjust minister..."
"The people only care about their own jobs. Who cares about who is in power? Is it in line with the ancestral rules? In addition, my uncle Sun Tong and others are promoting my achievements in driving away the Xiongnu from the six countries everywhere. Although, their surname is Ying.
You are still deeply entrenched, but as long as I don’t get hot-headed and immediately attempt to usurp things, everything will be stable..."
Heifu said: "So the troubles of those people are just like a few flies hitting a wall. The buzzing, shrill sounds, and sobs are not the slightest threat to me."
Just let Ji Ying and Lao Yang control it secretly and openly, and maybe we can take the opportunity to fish out one or two big loaches hidden in the soil.
"Those Xu Yushi young officials cannot afford to make trouble, but..."
Ye Zijin reminded:
"The source of these conspiracies is Fusu."
In her opinion, the young master's comeback is a very difficult matter for Heifu.
The return of an orthodox successor will make Heifu's regent position very embarrassing, and Heifu's old subordinates will never allow anyone to ride on them. Their family will have to worry about settling the accounts after losing power.
.
Regardless of whether you care or not, it is inevitable that someone in Guanzhong will be careful.
In short, if it is not handled properly, big trouble may occur.
"My beloved, can you think about how to deal with it?"
Heifu did not answer directly, but asked:
"What do you think Fusu meant by calling him King of Zhao?"
Ye Zijin said: "I heard that the summoner Zhao Ye, the emperor built seven temples, and the order of placing the main tablets in the ancestral hall is Zhao Mu... The second generation is Zhao, and the third generation is Mu."
"Self-proclaimed King Zhao, or implying that he is the real second emperor?"
Heifu laughed: "Why do you think exactly the same as Chen Ping? You still don't understand Fusu well enough."
Ye Zijin stopped: "My beloved understands, my beloved understands? Why don't you help me clear up my doubts."
Heifu said: "According to my guess, the reason Fusu called him King Zhao instead of King Qin or even Emperor is because he wanted to have some escape route when he met me."
Ye Zijin frowned: "It's like summoning a duke, granting him the title of Liaodong in the land of Yan? As a prince?"
"No, this is not Fusu's ambition."
He was an idealist. Even though he suffered many setbacks and suffered, and his beauty was covered with dust, he began to change his appearance and miraculously achieved some results.
But the idealism in his heart remains unchanged.
Heifu talked about a past event from the previous dynasty: "The Zhou Dynasty used the Shaanxi Plain as a boundary to divide the east and the west. When King Wu of Zhou died, those who came from Shaanxi to the east were the princesses of Zhou; those who came from Shaanxi to the west were summoned to the princess."
After Zhou Zhao divided Shaanxi and ruled it, Zhou Gongdan could devote his main energy to quelling Yin Yi's rebellion and stabilizing the new territory in the east; while Zhao Gongxi's responsibility was to stabilize the Zhou territory.
"I guess Fusu's intention is to express that he wants to repeat what Zhou Gong and Zhao Gong did with me, and establish a 'King Zhou Cheng', even like when Zhou Zhao was in the Republic, the throne would be vacant, and the two of us would rule the world together.
, put an end to the chaos, protect the people, restore order, and finally allow the Qin Dynasty to revive..."
Let’s end this troubled world together?
If I have to compare, this kind of co-governance of East and West is a bit like the co-governance of the four emperors of the Roman Empire.
After Heifu made a bold guess, he spread his hands and said, "Of course, this is just a guess. I may not even recognize Fusu now."
"If such a day comes, will my beloved agree?"
Heifu was silent for a long time and then said: "Fusu believes in Zhou Zhao's republic and that people with the same goals can work together in the same boat."
"But what I believe in is that Uncle Gong and Gan Zheng are responsible for taking the throne of the emperor. There are no two suns in the sky, and there are no two superiors..."
"What's more, it doesn't matter whether he and I can trust each other."
"There are only five important words left."
Heifu said word by word: "The situation is stronger than the person!"
Behind him and Fusu, there were countless extra hands.
"When Fusu proclaimed himself King of Zhao, he may have overestimated the speed of his westward march, and also underestimated the time it would take for me to enter Guanzhong."
"I won't wait for him."
"After next spring, when Guanzhong is stabilized and spring seedlings are planted, I will go eastward, sweep across the world, wipe out the remnants of the six kingdoms, and then rule the world."
"When we meet again, there is destined to be one person between him and me who must leave!"
…
Heifu was a little tired, so he stood up, smelled the smell in the air, and asked what food to eat today.
Ye said: "My uncle sent us lotus roots and boiled pig shoulders."
The eldest brother still knows Heifu’s taste.
With his index finger moving, Heifu quickened his pace, still thinking secretly:
"Fusu, I don't think he is my enemy."
"At least not the number one enemy."
Heifu has sent a letter to Chen Ping in Jiaodong, asking him to focus on resisting Qi and Chu, cooperating with him to attack the Central Plains, and not to interfere too much in the situation in Yanliao.
Heifu is more concerned about two other things now.
"Did you know? Chang Yi from Shu County finally decided to join the imperial court after hesitating for a while."
Ye Zijin was refreshed. This is good news. Now the only person within Qin who has the ability to cause trouble to Hei Fu is Chang Yan:
"When will you arrive?"
"Arrived in Xianyang in mid-September, and brought Fusu's eldest son Gongsun Jun with him."
And Lu Jia is almost ready...
Before the new year arrives, Heifu will completely determine the political structure of the Qin Center until his death!
Sitting in front of the food table, picking up the sweet lotus roots and overcooked meat on the plate, Hei Fu was very satisfied and ate happily, boasting:
"This pork shoulder has been cooked well enough to be eaten!"
