Qin Gong

Chapter 714 Debate

Chapter 714 Debate

There was a long silence, and then, as footsteps were heard outside the study again, everyone turned their heads and looked. What came into their sight was Master Lu, following behind the eunuch, walking in with an arrogant look on his face.

"Master Lu!"

When Ying Zheng saw the appearance of Master Lu, his eyes were full of curiosity, because unlike what he had imagined, Master Lu not only did not run away, but his expression did not look like that of a guilty or frightened person at all.

"Your Majesty, it is this man. I was defrauded of my wealth by this man. I dare to guarantee with my life that this man is by no means a saint or a great talent. He is just a swindler!"

The kneeling man was at a loss when he saw Master Lu's appearance. It was completely unexpected, but he was not panicked. He always believed that what was fake could not be real. He knew Master Lu too well. He was just a swindler.

"absurd!"

Different from what Yao Jia just said about fleeing in a hurry on the street, at this moment, under the gaze of everyone, it was seen that Master Lu did not feel guilty at all, and did not look like a person who was trembling with fear and panicking.

"Meet the king!"

Under the gaze of Li Si, Wei Liao and others, Master Lu stepped forward and stood beside the man, bowing to Ying Zheng who was sitting behind the wooden table.

"No need to be polite, Master!"

Ying Zheng spoke, then looked at Master Lu and smiled, pointing at the man on the ground.

"Taifu, do you know this person? This person slandered Taifu Lu as a fake person, not the author of the book!"

Ying Zheng asked.

At this moment, Ying Zheng was also very curious about why Master Lu had the courage to come to the palace study for a debate, and he seemed to be confident.

"Your Majesty, I know this man!"

Everyone was caught off guard and surprised when Master Lu suddenly admitted it in person. Even Yao Jia, who had been frowning and watching, showed a look of surprise at this moment.

However, unlike the kneeling man who was ecstatic after hearing this, Yao Jia couldn't help but frown when he heard what Master Lu said.

"In other words, Master, are you admitting that you cheated me in the past?"

Ying Kan looked at Master Lu, and with new and old grudges in his heart, he looked directly at Ying Zheng and bowed.

"Your Majesty, since this man has confessed, please order his arrest and punishment according to the law!"

As soon as Ying Kan finished speaking, the voice of Master Lu rang out.

"Mr. Chongquan is too hasty to punish me. Although I admit that I know this person, I have never mentioned... that I deceived him, let alone impersonated him!"

Wei Liao, Feng Quji and others looked at Master Lu one after another. Seeing that Master Lu was not panicked at all, they couldn't help but look at each other silently.

Master Lu looked confident and didn't seem to be faking it, but...

Almost all the important officials of Qin State were more inclined to support Yao Jia. Although Yao Jia had traveled to various countries for many years, everyone knew him inside and out and believed in his character.

"If you all don't believe me, you can ask Lord Wu Lie's wife to come and meet me in person, or I can go to Lord Wu Lie's mansion and meet his wife in person!"

When Master Lu saw everyone's puzzled looks, he snorted coldly and spoke without hesitation.

A few words.

Everyone present was stunned. Not to mention Yao Jia, even Ying Zheng couldn't help but look at Bai Yan who was equally stunned.

"When Lord Wu Lie invited me in the past, I declined, but the past was fleeting. The little girl is now Lord Wu Lie's wife, and I was just trying to avoid suspicion! Besides, I have already seen that Lord Wu Lie and I have different ways of governing the country, so why should I let a little girl get in the way in the future!"

While Master Lu was explaining, he looked at Bai Yan, who looked a little dazed, and continued to speak on his own.

This explanation not only made clear the reason for their past separation, but also reminded that Bai Yan had personally agreed to the enfeoffment in the past.

"I never thought that today would cause more trouble!"

Then Master Lu looked at Ying Zheng, shook his head slightly, sighed, and then looked at the kneeling man.

"In the past, I once thought of accepting you as my disciple, but later I saw that you were cruel, selfish and greedy! So I gave up the idea. Sure enough, what you have done today is really disgusting!"

Master Lu turned to look at Ying Zheng and said with a bow.

"Your Majesty, I came here to fulfill an important matter!"

After the ceremony, Master Lu took out two scrolls of bamboo slips from his wide embroidered robe.

Seeing this, Meng Yi, who was serving as the eunuch in the study, looked at Ying Zheng, then hurried forward, took the bamboo slips from Master Lu's hand under the gaze of everyone, and turned to hand them to Ying Zheng.

"Bamboo slips?"

Seeing what Master Lu did, Wei Liao couldn't help but look at Feng Quji, full of confusion.

Bai Yan and Ying Kan looked at each other in confusion, and both of them couldn't help but frown.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible! Liar, you are nothing but a liar! If you were not a liar, why did you chase me all the way in the heavy rain on the street today? Yao Shangqing saw this with his own eyes. How do you want to explain it?"

The man saw that all the ministers around him, who were dressed in Qin official uniforms, seemed to believe the words of the impostor. He immediately became anxious, stood up with an excited look on his face, and pointed at Master Lu and questioned him.

The man spoke in a very loud voice, and as he questioned, everyone else turned their attention to Master Lu again.

"Yao Shangqing!"

Faced with the questioning, Master Lu became angry and looked at Yao Jia with anger in his eyes.

"I would like to ask, what is Lord Yao's intention today? Why did he order this man to trick me out of the mansion, and why did he want to lure me to a deserted alley?"

Master Lu's words made Yao Jia's face change instantly. He sensed what Master Lu meant, and his eyes widened suddenly.

"Kings!"

And as Yao Jia was watching, Master Lu, who had just finished speaking, couldn't wait to look at Ying Zheng.

"I once heard that Han Fei said when he went to Xianyang: Yao Jia, the son of Zijian, was a thief in Liang and an exiled minister in Zhao! Because of this, he was killed! I don't know if it was because I promoted the counties and prevented Yao Shangqing from being enfeoffed as a meritorious official that my life almost hung by a thread today..."

When Master Lu said this, he paused and looked at Ying Zheng.

"Your Majesty, I have absolutely no such intention! I have absolutely no such courage! I have absolutely no such thought! I hope Your Majesty will understand!"

Yao Jia did not wait for Master Lu to finish speaking, and he knelt on the ground in a hurry to pay his respects to Ying Zheng.

This sudden change frightened the commoner man so much that he stood there in shock. He looked at Yao Jia in confusion. It was obvious that this fake Master Lu was fleeing in the heavy rain, and he looked extremely embarrassed.

Yao Shangqing saw all this with his own eyes.

Why was Yao Shangqing so scared at this moment that he even stopped questioning?

In the study room.

Ying Kan, Wei Liao, Wang Wan and others all watched in silence. Faced with this rapidly changing situation, everyone knew that Yao Jia had fallen into a passive position.

"May I ask Lord Yao, if you have no intention, no courage, and no thought, then why did you secretly bring your servants and this person to deceive me? Why didn't you come to confront the king, but instead Lord Yao secretly ordered people to come to my house and lure me out of the house?"

Master Lu questioned, then looked at Ying Zheng and raised his hand.

"Your Majesty, a servant of my mansion saw this man come to the door of my mansion with his own eyes, saying that he was from the same hometown as me! If Your Majesty does not believe it, you can order the lieutenant and the left and right prime ministers to personally lead an investigation. If I have said even a single lie, Your Majesty will deal with it!"

Under everyone's gaze, Master Lu made a resounding request.

For an instant.

The man in plain clothes next to Master Lu turned pale and his legs became weak. Muran recalled that he had indeed said this before.

"Yao Jia?"

At this time, Ying Zheng looked at the bamboo slips brought by Meng Yi. After hearing the words of Tutor Lu, he turned his gaze to Yao Jia. Under his furrowed brows, a hint of dissatisfaction could be seen in his eyes.

"This……"

At this time, Feng Quji shook his head, realizing that in this confrontation, Yao Jia was doomed.

Even though Feng Quji knew Yao Jia's character, at this moment, it was difficult for Feng Quji to imagine how Yao Jia could have a chance of winning in this debate.

"Your Majesty! I have absolutely no intention of betraying Your Majesty. I brought this person to the residence of Master Lu in private today because I was deceived by him. Please understand clearly, Your Majesty!"

Yao Jia's face was pale as he saluted Ying Zheng. In a trance, he suddenly raised his hand and pulled out the wooden hairpin and wine cap on his head.

"Your Majesty, I wish to return to my hometown to prove that I have no intention of showing favoritism. Please allow me to do so!"

Yao Jia gently placed the wooden hairpin and wine cap on the ground. As her long hair fell on her shoulders, she slowly lowered her body and kowtowed to Ying Zheng.

Yao Jia's move was unexpected not only to Ying Zheng, but also to Wei Liao, Feng Quji, Wang Wan, Ying Kan, Li Si and others. Seeing Yao Jia actually resign from his title, everyone was shocked.

Yao Jia is an old minister of the Qin State!

Before Qin attacked Han, Yao Jia had already been working hard for Qin, risking his life. His seniority and contributions in the Qin court were no less than those of Wang Jian and Bai Yan.

And such a minister, who was also a colleague they were familiar with, actually resigned just like that!

"Master Yao, no! Your Majesty! The Qin State has annexed the world, and now, there are disasters in all counties and prefectures, and there are traitors and old ministers. The Qin State still needs Master Yao's help!"

"Your Majesty, I second your opinion. The Qin State cannot do without Lord Yao!"

Feng Quji, Wei Liao and others stood up and spoke, and even Li Si was no exception. Although Yao Jia was dealing with Taifu Lu today and was also Li Si's ally in advising on the county system, in Li Si's eyes, Yao Jia's importance to Qin was no less than that of Taifu Lu.

Moreover, Li Si and Yao Jia were old friends. The friendship between the two was far beyond what the county system could compare to. It is no exaggeration to say that in the past, Li Si dared to be enemies with the left prime minister Wang Wan, as well as Ying Kan and other relatives of the Ying family. His greatest reliance was not Master Lu, but Yao Jia!

This is Li Si's last chance to save his life, and it also gives him the confidence that even if he fails, he can still survive in the Qin State.

"Your Majesty! I second the motion!"

Bai Yan also stood up and bowed to Ying Zheng, hoping that Yao Jia would stay.

At this moment, Bai Yan was also very nervous. He didn't expect that Yao Jia would suddenly expose Master Lu today. He finally arranged for someone to send a message to Master Lu and rescue him before he escaped.

Before Bai Yan could feel relieved, he was just about to deliver the bamboo slips to Tutor Lu when he learned the news about Yao Jia. Fortunately, he was in time.

Now, seeing that Master Lu had turned danger into safety, I didn’t expect that Yao Jia would actually resign.

This is definitely not what Bai Yan wants!

Yao Jia's role is not like that of the princes in troubled times, who determine the survival of the country!

But right now, Chu, which is the most headache for Qin, still needs Yao Jia's help. It is very important for Qin to have Yao Jia or not. After all, the people Yao Jia knows in Chu, the retainers he keeps, and the time he spends are far beyond the reach of other people in Qin. What's more rare is that compared to the Chu people who surrendered to Qin after the fall of Chu, Yao Jia can make Ying Zheng and all of them feel at ease.

soon.

Except for Master Lu and Meng Yi, almost everyone in the study came forward to greet Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng naturally knew the importance of Yao Jia. Looking at Yao Jia who looked lost, and at Tutor Lu who relied on his reputation and did not restrain himself at all, Ying Zheng frowned slightly, and gradually became dissatisfied with this fake Tutor Lu.

After all, Master Lu was nothing but a swindler. It was highly likely that Bai Yan had been in Master Lu's mansion and had arranged spies there, and only then did he save Master Lu's life after getting the news.

If not for this, why would Master Lu, who had always refused to meet Bai Yan's wife, suddenly change his mind today?

While thinking, Ying Zheng couldn't help but glance at Bai Yan.

Ying Zheng couldn't help but have an idea at the moment. This Master Lu was too arrogant. Should he kill this Master Lu and let Bai Yan find an opportunity to send someone else to replace him?

Sigh.

After thinking about it, Ying Zheng finally gave up the idea. After all, it was hard to find someone who had the courage, looked good and was of good age, and could use his rhetoric to fool Feng Quji, Li Si and others.

"Why did Lord Yao resign? I have just unified the country and have not yet rewarded my meritorious officials. If Lord Yao leaves, how will the world view me?"

Ying Zheng knelt behind the wooden table and spoke to Yao Jia, then looked at the man in plain clothes.

"This incident all started because of this person. Yao Shangqing was deceived and led others to suppress it!"

Ying Zheng spoke.

"Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life! Yao Shangqing! Yao Shangqing!!!"

The man in plain clothes looked at Yao Jia in amazement, unable to believe for a long time that Yao Jia would betray him and put all the blame on him in front of Ying Zheng and many ministers. When he came to his senses and heard Ying Zheng's words, the man's whole body went completely cold, his legs went weak and he knelt on the ground, begging constantly.

However, as the eunuch came into the study, the man was dragged away while struggling.

In the study room.

Looking at Yao Jia, who looked lost and sad, Ying Zheng and other ministers did not mention the previous events again, and even the matters of counties and fiefdoms were not discussed.

Ying Zheng was dissatisfied with Master Lu, but looking at the bamboo slips on the wooden table, his eyes couldn't help but shift from the smug Master Lu to Bai Yan who was whispering with Ying Kan.

I wonder what advice Bai Yan has...

With curiosity, Ying Zheng picked up the bamboo slips and opened it to look.

"Military pay?"

The moment he saw the contents, Ying Zheng couldn't help but frown. He looked at Master Lu, then lowered his head and continued to look at the bamboo slips. His eyes gradually became solemn as he carefully examined the contents.

"Military pay?"

"Military pay???"

In the quiet study, no matter how soft Ying Zheng's voice was, Feng Quji, Wei Liao and others could hear it, so everyone frowned and looked at Master Lu.

"Your Majesty, I think..."

When Taifu Lu saw the looks from the Qin ministers, he pretended to be calm, raised his hand to stroke his long beard, then looked at Ying Zheng and explained in general what military pay was.

What happened to Yao Jia today almost scared Master Lu to death. What Master Lu did not expect was that the real old man who wrote the book was actually in Xianyang City. After sending him the two bamboo slips, he told him not to panic and that a letter would be sent to Tian Feiyan.

Fortunately, when he was in Yingchuan before, after Master Lu got the bamboo slips, he realized that the old man did not want to see Ying Zheng. Master Lu, who had escaped from the desperate situation, finally felt relieved. He knew that it would be difficult to escape from Guanzhong, so he could only place his hopes on the old man he had never met.

At this moment, Master Lu was deeply impressed by the old man who wrote books and whom he had never met before. If the old man came forward, it would be no exaggeration to say that Master Lu would rather be a servant for the old man and even wash his feet.

Master Lu knew clearly that everything he had now was due to the real old man. If the old man had not rescued him today, he would have probably lost his head long ago.

Whether in Linzi, Qi, or in Xianyang, Master Lu has enjoyed all the blessings he deserves, and now he doesn't need to live in fear. His only wish is to have the opportunity to see in person the old man whom he admires and respects, and to meet his benefactor.

"Your Majesty, this military pay is a matter of great concern, so we must be careful!"

"Your Majesty! I advise you to discuss this matter at court!"

As Master Lu spoke, not only did Ying Kan look solemn, but even Wang Wan and Feng Quji could not help but stand up.

"Your Majesty, there are now no less than a million guards, garrison soldiers, and border soldiers in various places. Shangjun, Yanmen and other places have all sent people to write letters, asking for 20,000 unmarried women to replace the soldiers' clothes! In addition to the money for the replacement soldiers, if the court agrees to pay them monthly, I am afraid that the Qin court treasury will not be able to cover the expenses!"

Li Si also bowed to Ying Zheng in deep thought, and told Ying Zheng the story in detail.

In the Qin State, in addition to the clothing and food required for the soldiers who enlisted in the army to travel back and forth along the way, as well as the soldiers, prisoners, and laborers who were not working, the Qin State would prepare weapons and armor for the soldiers. This was already a considerable expense, in addition to the grain supplies sent to the garrisons in various places in March, June, August, September, and November.

If more money is given on top of this, it would be quite a lot for the palace of the Qin court.

"But Qin is the master of the world, not the marquis of Guanzhong. The world is no longer the world of a few years ago, and Qin is no longer the Qin of a few years ago. Looking back at the Qin of the past, how did it become strong? Nothing else, it changed! And why did the vassal states first strengthen Qin and then weaken it? Nothing else, they just stayed the same. This is the cause of the country's destruction. Qin wanted to last forever, so it should have changed for a long time. Now Qin is our strong enemy, and the laws and regulations are still there. The customs of the people in various places are hard to tolerate. There are countless criminals, and now it has affected the army and destroyed the foundation of Qin. The soldiers have no war, and no one is exempted from punishment!"

Master Lu spoke these words without hesitation.

"If Your Majesty is determined to surpass the ancient saints and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and create a prosperous world, I think it is not necessary to stick to the old ways. The people of the world are all Your Majesty's subjects, and the soldiers and generals all fought and died for Your Majesty. Today, the world is united, but the people's customs are different. The Qin State should change to stop the war!"

Master Lu bowed his head and said seriously.

After the ceremony, looking at the other ministers who were all solemn and silent, Taifu Lu was full of pride. These were the contents of the bamboo slips. After reading them, Taifu Lu seemed to have his mind enlightened, and he had a look of enlightenment and agreed deeply with them.

Seeing Yao Jia's face showing a bit of daze after hearing this, Master Lu raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and felt very happy in his heart.

Isn't it doubt? Look at the present moment, does Yao Jia still dare to doubt himself!

"Heavy taxes on commerce?"

Ying Zheng knelt behind the wooden table, muttering the four most important words in the bamboo slips. He looked at Feng Quji, Wei Liao and others, who were all thinking and discussing after hearing what Master Lu said.

Ying Zheng glanced at everyone, then looked at Bai Yan, who was standing next to Ying Kan and Wang Wan and pretending to be thinking.

Looking at Bai Yan's pretending appearance at this moment, Ying Zheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't expect that Bai Yan would present such a big event in this way.

Seeing that all the ministers were present, even though Ying Zheng had doubts in his mind, he could not speak them out directly.

Looking at Master Lu, and recalling Master Lu's pretentious excuses when faced with previous inquiries, Ying Zheng did not believe that Master Lu could answer his worries and doubts in detail one by one.

After all, I still need to find an opportunity to get along with Bai Yan in private and then ask him.

Or wait until the sacrifice or parade and then ask clearly.

Thinking of this, Ying Zheng looked at Bai Yan standing among many ministers in the study. In his mind, he could already imagine Bai Yan carefully answering his questions.

(End of this chapter)