Mrs. Qin Xiangguo

051

Qin Wangji has been in power for more than fifty years, and his body has always been strong and tough.

But no matter how tough he was, he was already an old man in his seventies, and he fell ill twice in a short period of time, which brought the whole of Xianyang into a rather delicate atmosphere.

During this period, Ying Zichu, who was the grandson, was always busy, serving day and night, and even Xiao Yingzheng spent most of his spare time to accompany King Qin.

As for Zhao Weizhen...

She felt the need to hold on tight.

During these days, apart from attending classes, she went to the workshop to discuss with Qin Yang about revising the drawings.

Calculating carefully now, if the historical trajectory does not change, Qin Wangji still has more than one year to less than two years to live.In any case, Zhao Weizhen had to come up with something plausible before this, so as to fulfill the promise he had never made with the old king of Qin.

The design drawings of the hydraulic machinery have been modified several times according to the diagram drawn by Zhao Weizhen, and several experimental products have been produced, and finally substantial progress has been made.

Many experienced old craftsmen joined forces and spent a week to build a brand new waterwheel and the water hole device that linked the waterwheel.

The huge waterwheel has just been launched, and it looked quite spectacular in the pre-Qin period.

Qin Yang, a great son of the Mo family, walked out of the workshop with excitement, and pulled the rotating shaft under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Then, the huge "wheel" slowly turned in accordance with the direction of the forward turbulent flow.

"Hey, it's moving, it's moving!"

"This is only the first few blueprints, and it will work. Mrs. Meng Kai and Juzi are really geniuses!"

"Go and check again, is Shi Gong moving?"

All of a sudden, the craftsmen started talking about it.

Zhao Weizhen immediately turned his head to look at the water hole in the workshop.

The device connecting the base to the waterwheel rotates slowly with the waterwheel, and the heavy stone abutment does not need to be pushed or pulled by oxen, but it rotates slowly in front of the craftsmen.

At that moment, the purest laughter of joy resounded throughout the workshop.

Witnessing all this, Zhao Weizhen was both excited and relieved.

It's finally done!

When it comes to mechanical knowledge, Zhao Weizhen can be said to know nothing about it.She provided the idea, and the other parts are the result of calculations by the Mohists and craftsmen stroke by stroke, and the experimentation of replacing parts with parts.

How much time did it take, the waterwheel is already ready for use!

"Mrs. Meng Wei, congratulations!"

"It's done, it's done! Mrs. Meng Wei is really talented."

"How much energy is saved for such a thing, Mrs. Meng Wei really thinks about the people!"

Seeing that the water hole was able to move, the Mohist disciples and craftsmen came to Zhao Weizhen to congratulate him.

No, you have to be steady!

Zhao Weizhen really struggled to restrain his pride.

People can't float, it's just invented by later generations, she didn't make things, and she didn't calculate the numbers, it's everyone's credit.

"The workshop has worked hard, I should be grateful to the workshop." Zhao Weizhen said with a smile: "And everyone understands that the success of the water hole is just the beginning."

If the water hole can move, it proves that the gear can be used.

Then, next, the water row used to replace the manpower to pull the iron smelting bellows, and the water pestle that can pound rice and gravel can also be arranged!

Just thinking about Zhao Weizhen made me laugh from ear to ear.

"It's easy."

The giant Qin Yang said happily: "The reason is the same, as long as the value of the gear is calculated."

Zhao Weizhen: "Trouble Juzi."

Qin Yang: "Madam, please go first—eh."

Halfway through his speech, he looked past Zhao Weizhen and looked behind him.

Zhao Weizhen turned his head following Qin Yang's gaze, only to see that Ying Zheng had arrived at some point.

The boy who was almost seven years old stood silently at the door of the workshop and listened to everything.Seeing Zhao Weizhen and Qin Yang looking at him, they didn't panic and just nodded solemnly.

"Prince Zheng is here!"

Zhao Weizhen was surprised and said: "Young master is here, why don't you make a sound?"

Ying Zheng: "I don't want to disturb the artisans' research."

After speaking, a faint smile appeared on his immature face.

"Congratulations Madam, Juzi." The boy said, "It is a happy event to succeed in your research."

"Oh?"

Zhao Weizhen raised his eyebrows and said with interest: "Why does Mr. Zheng want to congratulate me?"

On the surface, he asked why he was happy, but Ying Zheng knew that Zhao Weizhen's problem was deeper.

From Handan to Xianyang, Zhao Weizhen's way of educating Yingzheng has always been to say what he encounters, and to test what he thinks of. Yingzheng has long been used to it.

Why congratulations?Naturally, it is because the researched things are useful, and what Mrs. Weizhen wants to ask is what is useful.

He thought for a while, and then responded: "Borrowing water power can greatly save manpower and material resources. Farmers can use these tools to process wheat and rice. In this way, manpower can be freed up to do other things, and it can also be used for food processing. saves time.”

and……

Ying Zheng vaguely felt that Mrs. Weizhen's series of drawings seemed to be connected.

"Improving farm tools can expand the arable area and grow more food." Yingzheng thought about it: "More food requires faster processing methods, so we need to improve stone tools and other tools. Food can feed more people People can have spare energy to build weapons, raise horses, and increase more cavalry. Is this... the productivity Madam Weizhen mentioned before?"

When Zhao Weizhen heard this, his already beaming smile became brighter again.

Xiao Yingzheng has always been good at drawing inferences from one instance!

She leaned down (), still couldn't hold back, and gently pinched Xiao Yingzheng's face.

"Master Zheng is always so smart!" Zhao Weizhen praised without hesitation.If this continues, she feels that she will not be able to teach Xiao Yingzheng.

Ying Zheng pursed his lips slightly, as if to show his joy after being praised.

"When will this water hole be put into use?" He asked curiously.

"You have to try again and make sure it's safe." Zhao Weizhen replied: "Otherwise, if something goes wrong, even if it doesn't hurt the farmers, it will be a waste of resources. This kind of thing, Mr. Zheng, must not be anxious."

Ying Zheng said, "But, Grandpa is also anxious."

Zhao Weizhen paused.

Looking at Zhao Weizhen's suddenly complicated expression, Ying Zheng couldn't help but recall the scene in Xianyang Palace.

As soon as he arrived yesterday, Qin Wangji, who was on the sickbed, insisted on getting up, and the servants tried to dissuade him one after another, but Qin Wang not only refused to listen, but also scolded the servants for being ignorant.

Ying Zheng was also worried about his great-grandfather's health, but when he met the resolute eyes of the old King Qin, he swallowed his concern and advice.

"Come on, Zheng'er."

Although the old man is seriously ill, his pace is still firm.He got off the bed and waved to Ying Zheng: "Come here with me."

So Ying Zheng followed King Qin out of the bedroom.

The Xianyang Palace is magnificent and solemn, no matter how many servants and eunuchs there are, it cannot fill the emptiness in the room.The aisle outside the hall is spacious and bright, Qin Wangji's back is outstanding and straight, but Ying Zheng follows behind, but he feels a kind of superior loneliness inexplicably.

As a king, do you have to be accompanied by such loneliness?Ying Zheng couldn't help thinking.

The aged King Qin took him to the meeting hall of the side hall.

There, hung a huge map of mountains and rivers.

King Qin took Yingzheng's hand and personally led him forward, standing still in front of the picture of mountains and rivers as tall as a man.The map was as high as King Qin, so Ying Zheng had to look up to see the contents clearly.

The national capital Xianyang and Handan are big and noisy in the eyes of Ying Zheng, but they are just a small dot on the map.The world and the Central Plains are all condensed on such a map, which seems to be within reach.

And King Qin, when he looked at the map, his clear eyes were full of obsession and sincerity.

Ying Zheng was a little surprised: this is the look that my father will have when he looks at his mother.

It seems that this country is the living person King Qin loves the most.With a wave of his hand, wherever the fingertips can reach is the territory of the six countries.

"If you want to conquer the world—"

The King of Qin said firmly: "If we attack Zhao Han first, we will be alone and helpless; after we take down Wei, the Three Jins will return to Qin, and our land will be bordered by Chu. Chu State is in the bag, and the remaining Yan Qi is weak and small, so there is nothing to fear."

The old man's beard and hair are all white, but his tone of voice is as high-spirited as a boy's: "Now our Qin's national power and military strength are stronger than those of the six countries. The grain and grass production has increased, and the soldiers are strong. It won't take much time. If I can live another ten years, no, In five years, the whole world will belong to Qin!"

The generosity made King Qin himself laugh out loud.

Ying Zheng couldn't help but smile.

"Grandfather has always been in good health." He said, "After he recovers, you will be able to unify the six countries."

However, Xiao Yingzheng's serious words made King Qin burst out laughing.

Under the picture of mountains and rivers, King Qin shook his head slowly.

"I know my body well." At the end of the sentence, although King Qin was not afraid, his words were full of regret: "Leave it to Zhu'er and your father."

Ying Zheng pursed his lips.

Qin Wangji turned his head, looked at the boy's slightly tense expression, and tried to persuade him.

"Zheng'er, remember."

He said earnestly: "Being a king has never been such a simple matter."

Perhaps the King of Qin wanted to say these words to others a long time ago.

It's just that as a monarch, he can't tell his subjects, nor can he be honest with his heirs.

Only Yingzheng, in the eyes of the current king of Qin, is not only of the blood of Qin, but also separated from him by three generations, and is far away from the throne. On the contrary, he has no interests involved.

"Overbearing, can expand the territory, but can't hold the thousands of miles."

King Qin looked at the map in front of him again: "The way of kingship is to check and balance courtiers and ministers. Use your left hand to fight, and your right hand to use palms. Every hand and every foot of yours must be armed in a way that does not reveal any weakness or weakness." flaw."

In the end, King Qin's hand fell on the map.

Wrinkled, old palms across the borders of the six countries.

"It's easy to conquer the country, but it's hard to continue."

He smiled, although he was sorry, but also sly: "But these, let you worry about it."

Ying Zheng didn't speak at that time.

The six-year-old boy just memorized all the words he half-understood in his heart.

Xiao Yingzheng still couldn't understand why Qin Wangji said these things, and he didn't understand the meaning of being a king later.But he could hear the deep regret and anxiety in his grandfather's tone that he could not unify the six countries himself.

So Ying Zheng thought, even if he can't send troops to fight now, his great-grandfather would definitely want to see Mrs. Weizhen come up with new research soon.

Only then did he find time to go to the workshop to disturb Mrs. Wei Zhen.

"I don't know."

Ying Zheng was also a little confused by King Qin's words: "Grandpa said that being a king is also very important, but Mrs. Weizhen said that Mencius said that the way of kings refers to the rule of benevolence and righteousness. In this troubled world, what is the value of benevolence and righteousness?"

Zhao Weizhen didn't know what King Qin's original words were.

She pondered for a moment, then asked, "Tell me in secret, what exactly did your majesty say?"

Ying Zheng has always had a good memory, and he said without hesitation: "The king's way is to check and balance the ministers."

Zhao Weizhen was shocked.

This……

You shouldn't have told her that!

She walked around with a guilty conscience: Fortunately, when Xiao Yingzheng came over, the other craftsmen and Mohist disciples consciously avoided, giving them a chance to talk alone.

However, what I said was what I said, and Zhao Weizhen couldn't bear to refrain from resolving doubts with Ying Zheng.

and--

Being able to say this, Zhao Weizhen couldn't help admiring King Qin.

It is said that Qin Shihuang created a feudal dynasty with centralized () power, but before him, Qin Zhaoxiang King Yingji had already said similar words.

"This is not the kingly way of Confucianism."

Zhao Weizhen explained: "It's the way to centralize () power."

Ying Zheng tilted his head: "The way to centralize () power?"

In the pre-Qin period, Qin Wangji was quite far-sighted to express such thoughts.

It's a pity that people's lifespan is limited, otherwise maybe King Qin Zhaoxiang would be able to unify the six kingdoms and start the era of Qin Dynasty early without waiting for Xiao Yingzheng to grow up.

just now-

"The so-called checks and balances of ministers and ministers can be viewed by the Qin court." Zhao Weizhen explained: "Master Zheng, do you know that after the Battle of Changping, Lord Wu'an Bai Qi killed 40 prisoners of Zhao?"

"Remember." Yingzheng replied: "Bai Qi owed a lot of blood, so King Qin had to kill him."

"Not only because of his blood debt."

Zhao Weizhen said: "It's also because of his outstanding military achievements, most of the generals in the court are promoted by him. You are fighting for the monarch, but the monarch's subjects are all yours. What do you think of the monarch?"

Ying Zheng widened his eyes slightly.

"Ma'am, what do you mean," he said in surprise, "King Qin wanted to kill him a long time ago?"

Zhao Weizhen didn't know about it.

Anyway, she knew that although Bai Qi's death left many regrets for future generations, at that time, it was caused by many internal and external factors.

At the very least, Qin Wangji didn't want to see a man with a strong military force.

"Furthermore, in the former Qin court, the Empress Dowager Xuan and Ranghou controlled the government," Zhao Weizhen continued, "The Chu clan is very powerful, and the entire court is dominated by their people. If things go on like this, will the country be named Mi or Ying?" ?So after the king of Qin gained power, he expelled the four nobles from the state of Qin, and the Qin court is the king himself who has the final say."

After finishing speaking, Zhao Weizhen concluded: "To balance the power of courtiers and nobles, we must always overwhelm them, manipulate and use them. This is what the king means by 'kingly way'. Its intention is to concentrate power, not to rule the world with benevolence and righteousness. That's why I said, it's not about Confucianism, but about concentrating power on one person."

"That means," Ying Zheng said while thinking, "no matter what policy or strategy it is, it is to stabilize the position of the monarch."

"That's right! It doesn't matter whether you are kingly or domineering. Isn't the purpose of making the existence of the monarch more convincing?" Zhao Weizhen said: "I still think that any school of thought or method of governing the country is useful. As long as you can It is useful to let the monarch be in the position of saying one thing, and to be able to concentrate power on the monarch.”

Hearing this, Ying Zheng probably understood a little bit.

When he thought about it further, he felt that King Qin's words of domineering, domineering, and the art of war had something in common with Mrs. Weizhen's previous saying that Confucianism is the heart and the law is the bone.

It's just that Xiao Yingzheng is only six years old this year. No matter how smart he is, his knowledge and experience also limit his cognition.

Understand that there is a connection, but can't figure out how to do it.

From Zhao Weizhen's point of view, Xiao Yingzheng frowned, his eyes were serious, his head was lowered, his hands behind his back, and he looked like he was thinking hard, but he couldn't think of a reason for a long time.

Oh, as expected, children are the cutest when they look serious.

"If we can't figure it out, let's not think about it." Zhao Weizhen saw that Xiao Yingzheng was trying to get into a dead end, and he couldn't help but speak out to dissuade him: "The King of Qin has been thinking about such a big thing for a lifetime, but he still hasn't figured it out. When is Mr. Zheng so anxious?"

After finishing speaking, she took Xiao Yingzheng's hand.

"Let's go, Mr. Zheng." She smiled and said, "Go back and get a few jars of good wine with the craftsmen, and celebrate it is a serious matter."

"Ah."

Ying Zheng nodded approvingly: "If you have achieved results, you should be rewarded."

Zhao Weizhen couldn't help laughing: "Young master is becoming more and more like a royal family!"

While chatting about what they had and what they didn't, they got into the carriage and rushed back to Lu's Mansion.

It's just that Zhao Weizhen had just crossed the threshold, and before he had time to order his servants to carry the wine, he heard bursts of howling coming from his father's yard.

She tightened her face, told Wei Xing to take care of Ying Zheng, and went straight to Zhao Liang's other garden with the corner of her clothes.

After entering the courtyard, I saw Zhao Liang leaning against the tree outside the courtyard. He was obviously middle-aged, but he was holding a silk book and crying loudly, as rude as a child.

"Father!"

Zhao Weizhen paled in panic: "What happened?"

Zhao Liang was out of breath from crying, and was even more sad to see his daughter coming.He stretched out his hand to Zhao Weizhen, and he felt a little better when he held his daughter's palm.

"Weizhen." Zhao Liang choked up and said, "Mr. Pingyuan, Mr. Pingyuan—"

Zhao Weizhen's heart sank suddenly.

"Mr. Pingyuan is gone!" Zhao Liang cried.

…………

……

At the same time, Xianyang Palace.

"Mr. Pingyuan is dead?"

Even though King Qin was still on the sickbed, when he heard the news, he was still so shocked that he struggled to get up from the bed.

For more than ten years, there have been constant wars between Qin and Zhao, and Mr. Pingyuan can be said to be one of Zhao's great heroes in resisting Qin.Especially the Battle of Handan a few years ago, if Lord Pingyuan did not give up and sent people to travel between countries, I am afraid that Handan today has been drawn into the territory of Qin State.

Such a formidable enemy, who has been confrontational for many years, is actually gone just like that.

For a moment, King Qin breathed a sigh of relief, and couldn't help feeling sad.

Enemies that were difficult in the past have come forward one by one.Maybe this is what God meant for him to leave the stage?

Qin Wang Yingji, who had been sitting on the throne for more than 50 years, felt old for the first time in his life due to the death of a powerful enemy.

He looked down at the bamboo slip in his hand.

The bamboo slips were written by the crown prince, one of which stated that Mrs. Meng Kai, together with the great son of the Mohist family, had improved the old waterwheel and made many agricultural implements and tools, which could be driven by water power.The second is to make a statement for Mrs. Meng Wei, asking the monarch to give a reward that can match the merits.

King Qin asked her to give a few steps, and she did.

Not only the drawings, but also asking the prince to speak first, breaking Qin Ting's silence and not daring to speak out.

The monarch on the sickbed sighed.

"Go to court." He said to the waiter, "Meng Kai should be given justice."

This is also the last thing he can do for the crown prince and the state of Qin.