My son, Fusu, please abdicate the first emperor!

“What is worrying is not the scarcity of cities, but the inequality of their distribution. Once big cities are built, some people living in small cities will be unhappy.”

"People are all thinking about moving to big cities, and small cities will become empty shells."

"If that's the case, then why are we still suppressing business development? We should just open it up completely."

Qin II's voice sounded a little weak.

In fact, the ministers try every possible means to become superior to others. Their purpose is not to get a little money to support themselves, but to get several times, even ten thousand times, or even a hundred million times more money than the people around them.

It's for the sense of superiority gained from comparison, for that feeling.

What made Qin II speechless was that they had much more money than he did, but they were still not satisfied and kept racking their brains to make more.

Some people wish they could earn all the money on earth in one day, and spend money that others cannot spend in several lifetimes.

They are already very rich, but they still try their best to find loopholes and get more money.

What made Qin Ershi most tired when he went to court was never the tedious things, but the never-satisfied hearts of his ministers and the abyss of desire deep in their hearts that could never be filled.

They had to feed their subjects every day, but they still cried out. They only cared about themselves and didn't care about the lives of the common people who gave them blood transfusions.

They pretend not to know where their money comes from and where the food and wine they eat and drink come from.

Sometimes, Qin II was really annoyed to be with these people who pretended to be asleep and confused.

Out of sight is pure.

How good.

“Is it fair that prices of goods are not allowed to be too high, but a few cities are allowed to vigorously develop their economies?”

“Isn’t this contradictory?”

Qin II had a gloomy face, and the ministers who had just made the proposal felt guilty and kept their heads down.

Some of the high officials who instigated this matter pretended to be indifferent and pretended that these things had nothing to do with them. Their clothes were gorgeous and clean, without a speck of dust.

However, the craftsmen and farmers who were working on the excavation of soil and building walls outside the city were covered in mud.

This is how the world is, there is black in white and white in black.

No one can live without the other, because the existence of one is for the existence of the other.

If there were no demons in the world, how could people want to become Buddhas?

The ministers were silent for a moment and dared not speak.

If a teacher from a remote area happened to pass by the Da Zheng Hall and saw this most common scene in the court, he would definitely be moved.

The so-called wealth, power, and famous officials are actually like this.

The so-called court was actually no different from a lecture hall in a remote countryside.

Whenever the teacher lost his temper, the students would sit obediently and dejectedly.

Whenever the emperor lost his temper, the ministers would sit on the ground obediently and dejectedly.

The purpose of insight is precisely this, to help you break through the demons in your heart rather than being immersed in them.

Wang Wan sat on the ground, drowsy, saliva slowly flowing out from the corners of his mouth and falling to the ground.

To be honest, the deceased old Zongzheng knew how to behave properly. Even at such an old age, he still knew to take care of his appearance and at least not drool.

But today, Wang Wan was so unbecoming.

When Feng Quji saw this, he was horrified and his eyebrows raised in fear.

He knew that Wang Wan was old and could not do many things. But this was the court, and he did not even care about etiquette.

If a man has no manners, what is the point of living?
Feng Quji couldn't bear to watch it anymore.

The prime minister of the empire actually looks like this.

Qin II looked at Feng Quji, who was trembling, and then he noticed Wang Wan.

Wang Wan's health has been deteriorating since the spring of this year. He was ill for a while not long ago and his face turned black. Everyone thought he was not well.

Qin II still remembered Wang Wan's kindness. In order to treat his mother's illness, he personally took action, used his connections, and found many doctors.

In order to repay him, Qin II sent his own doctor to treat Wang Wan.

Wang Wan recovered from his illness quickly, and after recovering, he has been full of energy and has a rosy complexion.

Everyone said he would live to be a hundred years old.

As a result, he developed amnesia and kept forgetting things.

Today, everyone was discussing such an important economic event, but he actually fell asleep.

Qin II couldn't help but grit his teeth.

"Economic affairs concern people's livelihood and the foundation of the country. I wonder what the Right Prime Minister thinks?"

Wang Wan was in a daze and seemed to hear someone calling her, but she also heard someone say that the red pears smelled very good.

Wang Wan slept even more soundly.

The official who was maintaining etiquette in the hall tiptoed over and called out softly several times.

Only then did Wang Wan wake up.

When he woke up and saw the eunuch beside him, he immediately understood what had happened.

Wang Wan was so frightened that he perked up all of a sudden and sat up straight.

Among the ministers, there are a few young men, but they are not young anymore, around 45 years old.

Because Meng Yi and Li Xin were exceptionally gifted, their ages were ignored. Most of the ministers accompanying the emperor were at least 40 years old.

They never dreamed that they would encounter such a funny thing when they went to court.

The prime minister of the Qin Dynasty actually fell asleep during court.

Reality is always mixed with some absurdity.

Originally, the court was very dull today. The empire was going to start doing business, which was bound to be criticized by the opposition forces. But who could have expected such a thing to happen.

So, a few people burst out laughing.

Feng Quji's face turned pale.

Zong Zheng had a stern face.

Wang Wan was old and virtuous after all, and there were many of his former students here. After he regained consciousness, he said tremblingly, "Your Majesty - isn't the construction of the Five Capitals similar to the construction of an ecological and technological city?"

"I think this move is in line with the wishes of the people today and can be implemented."

After Wang Wan finished speaking, the ministers soon returned to their solemnity and tranquility.

However, Wang Wan misunderstood the emperor's anger, and what made him tremble was that the ministers did not agree with his proposal.

Instead, the hall fell into an eerie silence.

Qin II turned his eyes away from Wang Wan, and then said to the ministers, "This construction of an economic capital is to revitalize the economy. However, as long as the economy develops, some people will inevitably become rich and some will become poor."

"Therefore, I will impose additional commercial taxes."

“All five cities can be built, but once their economies develop, they must feed back to the local cities.”

The ministers were in an uproar.

The emperor asked in return, "Why, what's the point of mobilizing the whole country to build two capitals?"

"Let a large group of strangers support a group of elites, and then let these elites build five metropolises. Finally, let the people in these five metropolises live a prosperous life."

"Do those people who provide for us deserve to be used as a tool for others for nothing?"

The emperor's words were so powerful that the ministers turned pale and felt very ashamed.

However, he felt ashamed not because he felt that what he had just said was unfair to the millions of people, but because his true intentions were exposed and he was embarrassed to face himself in this official uniform.

The emperor has a clear conscience, but it is different for these ministers.

Most of them are still selfish.

At this time, Wang Wan reacted.

The emperor, regardless of his image, changed his words and agreed, "Your Majesty is right."

"Use the income from big cities to fill the gaps in small cities. Transfer wealth back to local villages."

"Why not use the money from big cities to make up for the taxes in small cities? This way, those people will get something in return for their efforts."

Everyone said yes. In this way, the emperor and ministers such as Meng Yi decided on the major economic issues of the five cities.

Qin II had never given Meng Yi any major tasks before. This time, he unprecedentedly appointed Meng Yi to an important position and put him in charge of the economic affairs of the five cities.

Meng Yi was trusted by two emperors successively, and everyone was used to it.

However, this time Meng Yi was put in charge of building and managing the five cities, which meant that the ministers could no longer reap the benefits.

This is an absolute big deal.

The emperor knew Meng Yi's character, and this time he wanted to train him.

All five economic issues were assigned to him just to give him a good start.

Asking a corrupt official to build an economic metropolis is like putting a rat in a granary, isn't that?
The empire needs five economic cities, but it also needs Meng Yi.

Meng Yi is a good boy, loyal and smart; but he is lacking in character.

The empire will have many places to recruit people in the future, and Meng Yi can become better.

The emperor hoped that Meng Yi could see the world outside the law. If he continued to be so rigid, he would only make enemies in the court.

The emperor had not originally held out hope that Zhang Cang would change. After all, he was the one who ran to his tent in the middle of the night and spoke nonsense.

But unexpectedly, Zhang Cang has changed himself over the years.

He also knew how to assess the situation in the court.

It seems that those years in jail were not in vain.

The emperor hoped that Meng Yi would also keep pace with the times. If the ministers remained the same, the empire would not go far.

For this reason, before Meng Yi set out for Chengdu, Qin II specially summoned him to the palace.

"What are you going to do when you go to Chengdu this time?"

Meng Yi naturally felt that the emperor's question was a bit unnecessary.

"I will definitely handle this according to the law."

When Qin II heard this, his face turned pale.

Only then did Meng Yi realize that he might have said something wrong.

"Your Majesty, please enlighten me."

He is an honest man and does not hide any evil intentions in front of the emperor.

Seeing that the emperor was unhappy and his face changed, he immediately changed his words without concealing it.

"Over the years, I have received many memorials impeaching you."

"What do you think about this?"

Meng Yi's face turned pale, and he gritted his teeth and said, "I have nothing to say. I have long been accustomed to those unfounded slanders."

"But I believe that those who are innocent will be innocent. Let them talk."

"As long as Your Majesty trusts me, I will die without regrets."

When Qin II heard this, he was speechless and scratched his head.

"Look at your brain?"

"Do you have any brain at all?"

"Let me ask you, how old are you this year? How dare you, a high-ranking minister of the empire, say such an angry thing."

"Your tone is no different from those little brats outside the city."

"Is such a person worthy of being a minister?"

It was the first time that Meng Yi was scolded by the emperor like this, and he felt very aggrieved.

Of course, he also realized that he was wrong.

Otherwise, Your Majesty would not have scolded him so harshly.

The eunuchs around were all startled.

Because I have never heard His Majesty the Emperor speak so angrily in front of a minister.

"I'll ask you again, what are you going to do when you get to Chengdu?"

Meng Yi looked at the emperor, then at the ground, "I plan to hold a meeting when I get there to convey your majesty's will and the central government's decision to the people below."

"After that, I will assign tasks one by one based on the reports of local officials, self-recommendations, and the information I have."

Meng Yi raised his head and looked at Qin II excitedly, just like the puppy Fusu had raised before, who lost his IQ when he saw his master.

Unexpectedly, Qin II was not happy when he heard this answer.

Meng Yi lowered his head to think, and added, "Your Majesty, I will set a time limit and order everyone to complete the task on time."

When Qin II heard this, he rolled his eyes to the sky.

Chen Ping was standing nearby, pretending to be very serious, but when he saw this, he couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Meng Yi didn't understand what he had said wrong.

Qin II stood up and came to Meng Yi. "You, what can I say about you?"

Qin II was so angry that he was speechless. He turned around and calmed down for a long time before he sorted out his words.

Meng Yi lowered his head, but he actually knew in his heart what the emperor wanted to say to him.

But he had not been prepared for this, and he always thought that his actions were approved by the emperor.

At least in the past, the retired emperor encouraged him to do so, not to show mercy to those people, but to strike them hard.

According to your majesty, those people are not worthy.

But when it comes to His Majesty, he always says that people should hide their edge.

The emperor wanted to protect himself and others as well.

Meng Yi's respect for Qin II inevitably increased.

"I'm telling you, when you get to Chengdu, the first thing you should do is accept the welcoming banquet that the ministers will hold for you."

"Ah?" Meng Yi was shocked. "But that's not what is written in the way of being an official."

"Books are dead, but people are alive. If you want to accomplish great things for me, you have to be flexible."

Meng Yi lost his temper again for a moment.

"When you go to the welcoming banquet and people give you gifts, will you accept them?"

"Of course not."

"Collect!" Qin II shouted in shock.

Meng Yi looked at the ground and said, "Yes."

"After collecting them, leave them intact when you leave." Qin II looked at Meng Yi steadily, "If I were you, I would do this."

Meng Yi was stunned.

"When you get to Chengdu, you must build good relationships with the local officials. Don't always put on a show. I remember a saying that goes, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake."

"When you go out there, you have to adapt to the environment, don't expect the environment to adapt to you. Those people who can become the top leaders of a place have a complex network of forces under them."

"It's not that simple."

"I asked you to build good relations with them, not to ask you to accept bribes, nor to ask you to flatter them. I want you to learn how to retreat unscathed."

"You've been an official for so long, but you're still like a hedgehog. You prick people wherever you go."

"There is an upper limit to the official positions of the empire's officials. However, there is no upper limit to their abilities."

"I think that if you can correct those shortcomings in yourself, you can become the prime minister in the future."

"Do you understand what I mean?"

The emperor's words were sincere and from the heart, and Meng Yi was naturally moved.

"Your Majesty has shown me great kindness and has taught me so earnestly. This time I go there, I will definitely correct my bad habits."

[Give me a monthly ticket! Dear friends, I am about to write the finale. ] (End of this chapter)