Mrs. Qin Xiangguo

080

In 247 BC, Prince Chu of Qin died of illness, named King Zhuangxiang, and was mourned for one year.

The 12-year-old prince Yingzheng, after experiencing the sudden illness of the former king, the queen mother's taking power and even trying to force the palace, with the assistance of Lu Buwei, Zhao Weizhen, and the Meng family, he overwhelmed the opposition and completed the transition of power without any risk.

Two days later, above the Qin court.

The ministers and ministers lined up in an orderly manner. After everything was ready, the new King Qin slowly stepped into the court.

The 12-year-old Yingzheng was dressed in a dark black court dress and a crown on his head. He walked in front, and the Queen Mother Zhao Ji walked behind, calmly stopping in front of the throne.

When he sat down, Yingzheng, who hadn't drawn a strip, was not as tall as the decoration behind the throne.

Zhao Weizhen, who was at the front, was full of emotions for a while.

The little boy who ran away with his mother in the past, the little boy who would pull the corner of his clothes and shout "Madam teach me", finally became a king.

Mian Yan covered Ying Zheng's young face, but Zhao Weizhen could still feel that he was quite calm.

She never worried about Ying Zheng's psychological quality. Ying Zheng did a better job than her in terms of staying calm in times of crisis.

As for Zhao Ji——

Now it should be called Queen Mother Zhao.Since Xinjun was young, Zhao Ji had to sit in the position of the former Huayang Queen Mother.

Before going to the court, Zhao Weizhen repeatedly mentioned her for several days, telling Zhao Ji that she didn't need to speak out in the court, but just sit down and be a mascot.

After Zhao Weizhen finished speaking, it is estimated that the female official Ziying said it several times. Zhao Ji looked a little uneasy today, but overall she was tense with the demeanor that a monarch's birth mother should have.

"The late king is mourning, and there are many matters in the court that need to be resolved urgently."

Although it was the first day that Yingzheng came to court, he consciously continued the directness and simplicity of the Qin court.The young monarch didn't say a word of nonsense, and went straight to the point: "Firstly, the old general Meng Ao defeated Zhou triumphantly, so he should be rewarded; secondly, the Queen Mother's party failed to force the palace, so it should be rewarded and punished."

There was a lot of discussion between the DPRK and China.

The 12-year-old Ying Zheng is really too young.For many veterans, it is the age of grandchildren.

But before that, the crown prince's reputation for being talented and intelligent had spread far and wide, let alone the matter of the empress dowager's forcing the palace.

Fame is useful.

Zhao Weizhen thought to himself.

The situation of Ying Zheng sitting on the throne is even better than that of Ying Zichu - he has no support from Chu officials behind him.

After a while, a civil servant came out first: "May I ask the king if he has a judgment?"

"Have."

Ying Zheng on the throne was expressionless: "Let's talk about rewards first. The old general Meng Ao defeated the Allied Forces of the Six Nations, and he was rewarded according to his military achievements. There is no need to say too much. Meng Wu, Meng Yi and his son, the queen mother forced the palace, and they should be rescued in time. reward."

After hearing the words, the civil servant continued: "Your Majesty, Xiangguo and Tai Tuo have also contributed."

Ying Zheng nodded: "Before the king passed away, in order to gain time to write the imperial edict, the Tai Tuo intercepted the Queen Mother's party and many soldiers by himself. This is a great achievement."

The young man's voice has not changed yet. When he spoke, his voice was crisp and clear, and his majesty was not reduced by half because of his youth.

"Remembering that when the Grand Tutor was in Handan, he was kind enough to save lives and teach others; after returning to Qin, he promoted the reform of farm tools and made many achievements. The widows thought that the Grand Tutor had done a lot for Qin, but Qin did not give corresponding rewards. Yingzheng said: "I want to give the Taifu a fief as a reward. What do you think?"

The monarch's words are extremely calm, but the content is like pouring boiling water into hot oil.

Qin Ting immediately exploded.

It was a low-pitched discussion just now, but it suddenly rose up.

Ying Zheng on the throne frowned unconsciously.

In the past, seeing his father wearing a crown, Ying Zheng still felt that it was heavy and blocked his sight.It's not pretty, it's useless, it's really troublesome.

But when he was sitting on the throne, he understood the purpose of the crown.

At least, this flashy ritual vessel can hide Ying Zheng's expression of dissatisfaction.

What is there to talk about?Yingzheng felt that as early as King Xianzhao, Mrs. Weizhen's achievements were enough to exchange for a fief.

He once asked his great-grandfather about this matter, but his great-grandfather was not angry, but seriously analyzed the situation for him.

At that time, the forces of the Qin court and Chu faction were still influential, and the royal family and officials would not easily accept a foreign minister as a fief.

What's more, Mrs. Weizhen is also a woman, and it is a precedent to directly confer the monarch into the court as an official.Whenever a precedent is set, it will always touch the interests of other people and be obstructed by various forces.

A food utensil is only this big. Grandpa said that if there is one more person to share the food, other people who work on this utensil are always unhappy.

Therefore, he and Mrs. Weizhen almost agreed on the matter of rewarding, and invited her into the court first.

It does work.

Over the past few years, Mrs. Weizhen has gained more prestige, and she can be regarded as gaining a firm foothold in Xianyang.It's just that the father didn't find a good opportunity.

Now that he has ascended the throne, he just has a ready-made opportunity.

Ying Zheng naturally wanted to bring it up.

Not only for Mrs. Weizhen, he knew it very well.As long as one person does meritorious service for Qin and gets no reward, there will be a second person.

There is indeed no precedent for a woman to become a king. It is impossible for the Qin State to do it, and it will be ridiculed by the Central Plains.They will say that it is really a country of tigers and wolves, without etiquette and rules.

But in the same way, more people will understand that women from noble families can be appointed officials and nobles if they are talented, and the same is true for men and women from poor families.

The whole world is watching, Ying Zheng cannot chill the hearts of those who intend to be loyal to Qin.

Of course, Ying Zheng didn't think it was easy.

Sure enough, as he expected, the officials were bustling with each other, discussing and arguing again.

"Teacher has made great achievements, but is it worth setting this precedent?"

"I don't like to hear these words in the end. What else does the Taifu need to do for Qin to become the king?"

"The reason why the previous king named her Mrs. Lunyi was because the Taifu had no plans. After being appointed as the king, isn't this a plan?"

"Why do you say the same thing as Mr. Yangquan? Didn't the Taifu refute it before? Don't you have any plans?"

Ying Zheng was not as patient as King Xian Zhao.

He waited for a while, seeing that the ministers had no intention of stopping, he said calmly: "The widow has not finished yet."

The ministers who discussed it all paused and chose to shut up.

Qin Zhaoxiang Wang Yingji is very old. He has been in the Qin court for more than 50 years and has long cultivated the character of an old fritter.King Zhao's Qin Ting quarreled as soon as they quarreled, and everyone took it for granted.

But the new king on the stage was also cold and sharp, but he hadn't developed the patience to make Qin Ting quarrel like a street.

"I just said it was a reward."

Ying Zheng remained expressionless: "Punishment is next. According to the laws of Qin, the Empress Dowager and Lord Yangquan trespassed in the king's bedroom. They are suspected of treason and should be sentenced to death."

The ministers: "..."

The crisp words of the young monarch landed on the ground, and within an instant, death-like silence spread.

Lu Buwei said without hesitation, "Your Majesty, the Queen Mother must not be killed!"

He immediately came out and said righteously: "At present, there has been no discord between Qin and Chu for many years. The monarch has just ascended the throne, and the government is not stable. If the Queen Mother's party is executed, Chu will definitely use it to attack."

Ying Zheng sneered: "Qin is afraid that Chu will not be able to call?"

Lu Buwei insisted: "Qin is not afraid of being beaten, but it cannot be beaten in vain."

The Prime Minister of a country stood up and finally brought back the scared souls of the officials.

In an instant, the ministers and ministers all forgot about whether or not to become the king.

How to deal with the queen mother's party, the court is divided into two factions.

General Meng Wu stood up without hesitation: "Since the king's illness, the Chu family has become more and more rampant. The Queen Mother has been in charge of the government for nearly half a year, and the heart of a jackal is self-evident. I never thought that she would actually force the palace. The last general I don't understand, what is Xiangguo afraid of?"

Before Lu Buwei could speak, another minister who had been attached to the Queen Mother stepped forward.

"General Mengwu is referring to the queen mother, the first wife of King Xiaowen, and the aunt of King Zhuang Xiang." He said righteously: "Executing the queen mother is not only embarrassing for the Chu people, but also for the Qin family!"

Ying Zheng quickly glanced at Zhao Weizhen.

Only then did she stand up.

Regarding the "proposal" of his wife in charge, Zhao Weizhen seldom took the initiative to speak out in the Qin court.

But for the queen mother, she made a lot of contributions.Zhao Weizhen took half a step, and the other people who were still discussing closed their mouths one by one.

Zhao Weizhen looked at Lu Buwei with a calm face: "I have something to ask Xiangguo."

Lu Buwei saluted: "Teacher please."

Zhao Weizhen: "In Qin, who has the final say?"

Lu Buwei laughed.There is still gentleness in his clear facial features: "I am the king."

Zhao Weizhen: "Then what does the monarch do?"

Lu Buwei responded humbly: "The laws of Qin are clear, and the monarch naturally acts in accordance with the laws of Qin."

"I think Xiangguo has been in power for a long time, and he has forgotten about it." Zhao Weizhen's words were extremely harsh: "Since this is the case, the monarch is acting according to the laws of Qin and wants to execute the Queen Mother's party. Why do you refute it?"

The inside and outside of the words turned out to be an allusion to Lu Buweili's desire to influence the will of the monarch.

The sternness of these words is not inferior to the words of the empress dowager's party in the past.

However, Lu Buwei was not angry at all.Even on his fair face, there was a slight smile on his face.

"Back to Taifu." Lu Buwei replied: "For Qin."

Zhao Weizhen: "..."

If it wasn't for a formal occasion, she would really have stretched out her hand to pinch Lu Buwei's cheek.

How is this a human face? Ten layers of leather are not so thick!

"Before the old king died, he asked me to promise to assist the new king and help the new king to make Qin strong." Lu Buwei continued sincerely without waiting for Zhao Weizhen's reaction: "The Queen Mother's party controls the government and intends to force the palace. I don't hate them. When it gets down to the bone, I wish I could cut it myself to relieve my anger."

"Even if we don't talk about political opinions, but just talk about grievances, Buwei and Lord Yangquan have been at odds for many years." Lu Buwei added: "In public or private, it is impossible for Buwei to intercede for the ministers of Chu. I hope the king and Tai Fu will learn from each other."

This is true.

Even Gongqing, who usually dislikes Lu Buwei, has to admit that he has a point.

Yangquan Junming often found fault with Lu Buwei in private, and in private he even made jokes about concubine Ji who was forcibly sent to poison the Taifu.

Based on this, if something happened to the queen mother's party, it would be good if Lu Buwei didn't have fun.

Ying Zheng, who was sitting on the seat, nodded: "I naturally believe in Father Zhong."

A sentence of Zhongfu made all the officials tremble.

"When Buwei was doing business in the past, I came across an interesting story, so I would like to tell you all about it." Lu Buwei said frankly: "The sea fish transported from Qi State to Zhao State is bumpy and the environment is harsh, so it is worthless." Qianjin. I was going to give this big fish to King Zhao, but I never expected it to be placed in the yard, but the housekeeper didn’t like it, so the passing civet cats ate it.”

At the end of his speech, his tone was full of regret, as if this happened just yesterday.

General Meng Wu couldn't help saying: "The journey is so far away, Xiangguo's daughter will not be recovered."

Lu Buwei smiled bitterly: "No, Wei Ben thought the same way. At that time, he was so distressed that he couldn't speak, so he quickly ordered the housekeeper to catch the civet cat."

General Meng Wu: "Isn't this killing to vent your anger?"

Lu Buwei: "I wanted to kill it, but that cat is smart and has a docile personality. I also heard that King Zhao's favorite concubine usually loves these cute little things, so she made a plan. I raised this civet cat in captivity for its delicious food and drink, and after raising it for a while, after it was completely unwarranted by people, I asked someone to give it to my favorite concubine, and as expected, my favorite concubine couldn't put it down."

After speaking, he turned to look at Ying Zheng.

"The favorite concubine accepted the civet cat and said a few good words to King Zhao. Buwei was able to buy shops and restaurants in Handan, so that he could have acquaintance with the former king." Lu Buwei said sincerely: "Your Majesty, you mentioned the past. It’s because Buwei learned from this that things that harm interests for a while are not necessarily completely bad things, and they can also become good things.”

Zhao Weizhen tilted his head: "Can the matter of you catching the cat be compared with the Queen Mother's treason?"

Lu Buwei: "It can be."

He didn't budge an inch, and saluted Ying Zheng again.

"Your Majesty, if the Empress Dowager Huayang is executed, it will be an enemy of Chu and handing the other party a knife. But thinking about it the other way around, the Empress Dowager's party committed heinous crimes in Qin. If the King does not execute them, Chu State owes Qin State, hang this knife over the head of Chu State brightly."

Speaking of this, Lu Buwei's good-tempered demeanor completely restrained, and said loudly: "Give time, even if this is an excuse to conquer Chu, the Chu people dare not say anything."

Ying Zheng fell silent.

On the surface, the young monarch seemed to be moved by Lu Buwei. After a while, he said: "I don't want to deal with the queen mother's party. I'm sorry for the father, and I'm sorry for the Taifu's heart of protecting the country."

Lu Buwei said happily: "It still needs to be dealt with, but Buwei thinks it's better to reward first and punish later, what does your majesty think?"

Ying Zheng: "Father Zhong is right."

The young monarch thought for a while, and then said to the ministers: "Since this is the case, I will give Xia Yang, Mrs. Meng Kai, the township and worship as the grand master. The Empress Dowager Huayang advocates rebellion. Xianyang can't tolerate her, so she is sent to Liyang for the elderly. As for the rest The Chu ministers suspected of participating will be dealt with according to the laws of Qin, what do you think?"

Now, no one dared to speak.

The Qin State did not have the post of Grand Master, but the Zhou Dynasty did.Besides, Zhao Weizhen was originally the teacher of the monarch, and there is no way to seal him. This grand teacher is just a false name.

The thorn in the heart of the opposition party is still feudalism.

Most of these people are conservative forces in the court and courtiers who are related to Chu officials.Now that the new king is on the throne, if he is killed, a precedent must be set: either reward a woman as king, or execute a queen mother.Choose one of the two, it is definitely easier to accept the former.

As for the Chu people involved?

It's too late for them to get rid of the relationship.

Ying Zheng's heart is clear.

Seeing that there was no objection, he nodded in satisfaction: "There is no objection, so let's make it so, the Tai Tuo still doesn't accept the reward?"

Such a final word.

Zhao Weizhen took a deep breath.

At this time, she slowly came out, turned to look at Ying Zheng, and bowed deeply.

"Meng Kai thanked King Qin."

After waiting for so long, she finally arrived at this day.

Zhao Weizhen really doesn't care about feudalism.As a Chinese citizen in the 21st century, she doesn't think it is a good thing to have a piece of private land.

But according to the pre-Qin law, this should belong to her, because of various reasons - the most absurd of which is that he is a woman and has not given it for a long time, Zhao Weizhen has long been upset.

What she cares about is not the fief, but the power that should belong to her.

King Zhaoxiang didn't give it, King Xiaowen didn't give it, and King Zhuangxiang didn't give it in time.But she knew that Ying Zheng would definitely give it.

After one obeisance, Zhao Weizhen got up, across the steps, the two monarchs and ministers faced each other from a distance.

A faint smile appeared on the solemn face of young Ying Zheng.

"Congratulations to Grand Master." Ying Zheng said: "If there is nothing else, everyone can go back and rest."

After finishing speaking, Ying Zheng got up from the throne and left in full view.

After walking to the side hall, Ying Zheng suddenly realized that his back was covered in sweat.

Are you still nervous?

Between Qin Ting and the others, Ying Zheng was clearly aware that, sitting at the top, there was an insurmountable gap between him and the others.

This gap made Ying Zheng unaware that he was nervous.

But mother is different.

As soon as she arrived at the side hall, she hurriedly called the servant to sit down, and kept stroking her chest.

"Scared me!"

Zhao Ji asked again and again: "Why did Mrs. Weizhen and Mr. Buwei quarrel in court?"

Touching his mother's undisguised emotions, Ying Zheng felt completely relieved.He explained: "This was discussed in advance. As husband and wife, Zhong's father and wife have the same political views, so they will invite gossip. The two hold opposing opinions, and they use arguing to draw the result, which can be regarded as a strategy to achieve the goal."

Not only did the two discuss it, but they also discussed it with Ying Zheng in advance.

The queen mother cannot be killed, and Ying Zheng knows it well.But he just wanted to mention that the purpose was not to execute the queen mother, but to make the opposition give in to the concubine.

The effect is not bad.

With such an explanation, Zhao Ji felt relieved.

But she changed her mind and was still terrified: "No, I have to talk to Mrs. Weizhen. I can't listen to politics. The effort of saying a few words can determine the lives and deaths of so many people. I just listen I was terrified."

Ying Zheng just said calmly, "Mother, you are the Queen Mother now."

Zhao Ji: "..."

Her beautiful face suddenly showed a color between grief and helplessness.

"Yes, I am the queen mother." Zhao Ji murmured, "I should do what the queen mother does."

I don't know if he was echoing Ying Zheng or talking to himself.

After a short period of silence, Zhao Ji gradually calmed down.

She looked up at her son, only to feel that Ying Zheng, who was wearing a crown and court uniform, was extremely strange.

How did a 12-year-old son become a monarch?Zhao Ji was both sad and emotional.

"Zheng'er." She asked subconsciously: "After driving away the Queen Mother Huayang, what are you going to do? Mrs. Weizhen said, you still have to do something to appease Chu State."

Ying Zheng had already thought about it: "Maybe I need help from my mother?"

Zhao Ji: "What?"

Ying Zheng: "Mother, do you still remember when Madam talked about marriage?"