I am already immortal, why should I ascend to become an immortal?

Chapter 254: Concubine Dora, multiple children; the second daughter of a merchant family
"My capital, my great Qi!"

After confirming it again and again, Tian Jian finally accepted that the destroyed ruins dozens of miles ahead were Linzi, the capital of his Great Qi that had stood for nearly a thousand years.

"My palace, my wine and meat, my rare treasures, my comfortable hot spring palace and my lovely children."

He watched as the Wu Palace, which he had built with all his heart and soul, turned into ruins.

Tian Jian cried loudly, his hairless face evenly covered with snot and tears.

However, every tear shed by Tian Jian was shed for his luxurious palace.

As for the lives of the people, he didn't care at all.

Even in his eyes, the people in the city were not as important as the bathing pool.

"Who, who?"

"I will bury him with his entire nation."

I saw "Quail Sky" spitting out its snake tongue and moving on its fingertips, while Tian Jian's ferocious facial features were completely distorted because of anger, and wisps of white mist were rising from his hairless head.

"Your Majesty, could it be the Qin State?"

Zhao Guizhen stroked his beard and looked at the ruins all over the ground and the ravines that split the earth. His intuition told him that this might be related to the Qin State.

"Qin? Qin can't even take care of itself, why should he?"

Tian Jian suddenly stopped, his gleaming rat eyes rolled around in his eye sockets, and then he spoke again.

"Could it be that the Qin State used that Central Plains unique weapon? That's impossible. Since the establishment of the Seven Kingdoms, there has been no record of the description of that thing, and it's not just a rumor."

When Tian Jian thought of the rumor that Qin's Central Plains troops were powerful enough to destroy a country, the skin above his eyes instantly frowned.

"You bunch of Qin bastards, I, I, I will make you pay in the future!"

With puffy cheeks and a red neck, Zhao Guizhen, who was standing by, thought that Tian Jian would make some grand speeches, but he did not expect it to be just a mild verbal threat.

"Your Majesty, you have nothing to fear. Once I have recovered, we will use the Golden Escape Flowing Light to go to Xianyang and bring a bigger plague to the Qin State."

Seeing that Tian Jian was so timid and cowardly, Zhao Guizhen fanned the flames.

Moreover, for Zhao Guizhen, whether it was the destruction of Linzi or the plague raging in Qin, these corpses would become part of his army of zombies and mandrills in the future.

Even in this Central Plains, Zhao Guizhen had long wanted to turn all the men into zombies and keep the women as slaves.

And if I could live forever, I could enjoy this endless joy forever.

By the way, we also have to leave behind tens of thousands of breeding pigs to ensure that there will be people to serve us for generations.

"Get out of the way, you bastard. Do you want Da Qi to be buried in my hands?"

Tian Jian snorted coldly and pointed the two sharp fangs of Queqiaotian directly at Zhao Guizhen.

Although Tian Jian was extremely licentious, he was not without means and schemes, otherwise he would not have succeeded in killing his father, brother and younger brother and sat on the throne of the King of Qi.

But he knew very well in his heart that he and Zhao Guizhen were just using each other.

Before Qin State mobilized its troops from the Central Plains, he could have listened to Zhao Guizhen's slander and spread the plague at Hangu Pass.

But at this moment, if he went to Xianyang again to use Queqiaotian, he would probably die without knowing how.

Looking at the ruins of Linzi and the thousands-meter-long gullies, although Tian Jian had a grim face, he had already planned in his mind how to negotiate peace with the State of Qin.

And at this time.

suddenly.

I saw a zombie rolling and crawling, running towards the two of them from a hundred meters behind.

"The zombies I left behind at Hangu Pass!"

Zhao Guizhen was stunned.

Logically speaking, the plague in Hangu Pass should not have ended yet, so why did this zombie appear here?

As the zombies came to the two of them.

Zhao Guizhen put two fingers together and cut off half of the zombie's skull, revealing the rotten brain inside.

After the yellow paper talisman was pasted, the brain fluid melted and everything that happened in Hangu Pass the day before was displayed in the form of a scroll in mid-air.

"What? My disease was cured by a bloody rain?"

Tian Jian bit the nail on his thumb, and cold sweat dripped onto the ground from his bald head.

He couldn't believe that the most vicious and cruel soldier in the Central Plains, Queqiaotian, was so easily defeated by a bloody rain.

"Wait, wait, if the Qin army didn't suffer many casualties, then wouldn't they be about to invade our Great Qi?"

Tian Jian paced back and forth anxiously. At this moment, he really regretted listening to "Hei" and Zhao Guizhen. He had to use Queqiaotian for no reason. Now, the relationship between the two countries might no longer have room for maneuver.

You may say you are not afraid of the Qin's powerful army, but you must know your own limitations in your heart.

After returning to Linzi.

Tian Jian didn't even bother to look at the lives of the people on the street, and rushed straight to Wu Palace.

"National Master, Sun Bin, the two of you must go to Hangu Pass quickly. You must meet the King of Qin before the Qin army enters Qi. Tell him that I was deceived by Li Mu and mobilized the Central Plains' best troops. As long as the King of Qin is willing, Qi can form an alliance with Qin to attack Zhao together."

"Tell the King of Qin that I am willing to cede five cities on the western border of Qi, and give him 300,000 taels of gold, 50,000 14-year-old girls from Qi, and 300 boxes of jade and precious stones to resolve the misunderstanding between the two countries."

Although the Qin Ba Nu only missed the ground, at least half of the Qi officials in Linzi died.

All the files in the palace were destroyed.

It will probably be difficult to continue this momentum in a few decades.

Even the current Qi State is probably not as powerful as the weakest Han State.

"Your Majesty, I have some personal grievances with the Qin general, so it is not appropriate for me to show up."

Zhao Guizhen quickly bent down and said.

I have been enemies with Tangqianyan and Jinchan since the Tang Kingdom. If I leave here, wouldn't I be like a sheep walking into a tiger's mouth?
"Humph, I asked you to go there just to make amends. If the King of Qin can kill you to appease his anger, then, Imperial Master, please sacrifice your life for the country!"

Tian Jian looked at Zhao Guizhen with disdain. Between destroying the country and immortality, he chose the former without hesitation.

At least the former can still live a happy and carefree life for several more years.

As for Changsheng, if the State of Qi was destroyed and he lost the throne, the ignorant people in Linzi City would probably tear him to pieces.

"Your Majesty, this is not possible. If I die, your immortality will be ruined."

Before Zhao Guizhen could finish his words, he was interrupted by Tian Jian who was sitting in the middle of the ruins.

"There is no need to discuss this matter any further, Sun Bin. When you go to Qin this time, please find some time to go to Lü Buwei and tell him that I am willing to pay five times the price to buy grain from his Tianxia Granary."

Signs of a famine crisis have already begun to appear, and Tian Jian naturally doesn't care about the lives of the people. However, this group of unruly people have risen up in rebellion after they have no food to eat. Although this does not threaten the throne, it is still a trouble.

"Your Majesty, negotiating peace with Qin is indeed the top priority right now, but it is absolutely unrealistic to ask Lü Buwei to buy grain. Instead of asking Lü Buwei for help, it would be more appropriate to buy grain from the Chu State in the south."

Sun Bin, the number one counselor of Qi State, had his patella dug out by a villain, but because he liked a quiet life and lived outside the city, he was lucky enough to survive this time.

Moreover, he had discovered the clues early on about Lü Buwei's large-scale purchase of "red deer" in Qi State.

However, Tian Jian at that time was dazzled by Lu Buwei's rare treasures and money, and did not pay attention to Sun Bin's persuasion at all.

This has also led to the sudden famine now.

"I just want to give Lu Buwei a chance to show respect. He is just a businessman, what he wants is money, right?"

Tian Jian's idea was simple. If Lu Buwei was willing to sell grain and wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune, then he had to ensure the stability of Qi's political situation.

In this way, he would have a reason to persuade the King of Qin to agree to negotiate peace and stop attacking Qi. Moreover, although Lü Buwei was born a merchant, he was now the Prime Minister of Qin, so his words carried considerable weight.

Seeing that the King of Qi was unable to communicate, Sun Bin could only nod and agree.

However, Zhao Guizhen has already started planning how to escape and go to the next country to continue living a good life.

at the same time.

Inside Hangu Pass.

Ying Lou finally woke up.

"My king, you are finally awake!"

Beside the dragon bed, Imperial Doctor Hua cried with joy, and wrinkles appeared on his face.

During the twenty days when the golden cicada was pulling the string, Ying Lou had been in a coma.

When Li Si learned about this, he ordered Zhao Gao to immediately blockade the royal tent in Ying Lou, and sent Imperial Physician Hua to prepare medicine for him.

During these twenty days, Ying Lou relied entirely on the medicine prescribed by Doctor Hua to maintain basic vital signs.

"Doctor Hua, you have done a great job in saving the emperor this time. I will reward you with a house in Xianyang and 500 acres of fertile land outside the city."

Ying Lou supported his forehead with his right hand and placed his left hand on his sore and weak legs. Layers of sweat broke out on his pale cheeks.

This time, the use of the Tyrant Crossbow caused him to wander in his mind for twenty days, which was indeed beyond his expectations.

If it weren't for Doctor Hua's medicine, the consequences would have been really disastrous.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."

Zhao Gao was reported.

After eating some light food, Ying Lou got up and walked out.

After twenty days of bed rest, my body is not like a cicada and it is really too much for me to bear.

If I don't go out and move around, I'm afraid my body will become stiff.

"Li Si, Linzi has been destroyed and Qi is in a famine. How many days do you think it will take me to include Qi in the territory of my Great Qin?"

Blowing the warm breeze, Ying Lou and Li Si walked side by side, while Zhao Gao and Heibingtai followed forty steps behind.

"If the king wants, he can conquer Qi before the beginning of autumn. If it is for the bet between you and the prime minister, I am afraid you will have to wait until winter."

Although he left Lü Buwei, Li Si always respected him and never called him by his name.

"Do you think it is necessary for me and Lu Buwei to continue this bet?"

Ying Lou smiled and looked at Li Si meaningfully.

Now Lu Buwei has completely lost the opportunity to control military power, and he has also established his prestige throughout the world.

As long as they slowly nibble away at and divide the other powers in the future, within five years, they will be able to eliminate all power of the Prime Minister's Office in the Qin State.

However, by doing so, not only would too much time be wasted, but the world's money banks and granaries, two things that the six countries coveted, would probably not fall into their hands.

"Si thinks that the king does not need to rush. The prime minister's governance can only be no less than that of Guan Zhong, Wei Yang, and Wu Qi. If he can be convinced, our Great Qin will not lose a good talent."

Li Si, who came from the School of Legalism, made all his analyses based on absolute rationality.

Starting from the first king Ying Chu, it was under the governance of Lu Buwei that the Qin Dynasty leapt from a barren land to a prosperous country in the Central Plains, and the population increased by 70% in just a few decades.

After Ying Lou ascended the throne, the news that the King of Qin was critically ill and would not live long spread quickly to the other six countries.

The reason why the six countries never took the opportunity to launch a war against Qin over the years was due to Lu Buwei's maneuvering.

"Haha, what a sincere and convinced person. However, I'm afraid that the day when Lu Buwei is sincerely convinced will be the day he leaves Daqin."

Ying Lou suddenly laughed.

How could he not understand Lu Buwei? For such a proud and arrogant person, the only way for him to sincerely admit his failure was to sincerely accept it.

How could a proud person whose heart was crushed continue to stay in Daqin or in the Central Plains?

Li Si didn't understand this, but Ying Lou knew it very well.

"By the way, since Huayang gave birth to my son Su, the Longguan nobles have begun to stir up trouble again. Li Si, how do you think we should deal with these guys?"

The Longguan gentry were dependent on the royal power, and Ying Lou was not actually afraid of it, but he was afraid of the gentry class.

From the very beginning, Ying Lou planned to eradicate it completely after unifying the Central Plains.

Moreover, as the Crown Prince "Su" grows older, I am afraid that the power of Longguan will further expand.

"This is not a difficult task. First, as long as the Qin State continues to follow the Qin Law's system of twenty military merits, after the Central Plains are unified, there will be many people of commoner origin who will hold high positions to disperse the power in the hands of the nobles."

Li Si explained them one by one with reason and evidence, but Ying Lou himself had also thought of this conclusion.

However, the Longguan gentry now occupies an important town in the northwest, not far from Xianyang and belonging to the rear of the Qin Dynasty. The previous lesson of Ying Qi's founding of the country must never happen again.

Before officially sweeping across the six kingdoms, Ying Lou planned to completely take back the power and land from the hands of the gentry.

"What's second?"

"Second, I'm going to trouble the king!"

"Trouble me?"

Ying Lou was stunned and asked in confusion.

"Take many concubines and have many sons. No matter if they are from a prominent family or a commoner, as long as the king has enough offspring, Su's position as the crown prince will be threatened. The ministers in the court will not only associate with his family, but the Longguan nobles will also feel threatened. If they show the slightest illegal intention, they can be severely punished according to Qin law, and even the noble system that has existed for hundreds of years can be wiped out."

Although Li Si's words sounded a bit rough, they were reasonable.

The Longguan gentry, represented by Huayang, have placed all their hopes on the crown prince "Su".

If Ying Lou had no other offspring, all the forces in the court would probably turn to the only prince of Qin because they had no other choice.

After all, in the normal concept, the prince will be the future King of Qin. Instead of having his official position replaced when the royal power changes, it is better to start making friends and showing goodwill early.

If this goes on for a long time, the Longguan gentry will become the only powerful family in Qin, and their power over the government may even be greater than that of Lu Buwei.

"Cough~cough~"

Ying Lou put his fist to his mouth, coughed twice, then let out a long breath before continuing to speak to Li Si.

"When we get back to Xianyang, I'll leave this matter to you. It would be best if you could expose the Longguan nobles before I take a concubine."

"Your Majesty, I do have someone to recommend. This person is a woman from a merchant family in Xianyang. The family is large and has been cooperating with Longguan for many years. In addition, the family has an eldest daughter who once served in the Bai Family Army."

In order to complete the task assigned by Ying Lou, Li Si directly recommended the suitable candidate in his mind.

Moreover, in Li Si's eyes, this woman's family had close ties with the Longguan gentry. If she could be brought into the harem, it would cut off a source of wealth for Longguan.

"Oh, besides Lü Buwei's Tianxia Bank, there is actually a merchant family of this size in Xianyang?"

"What is this person's name?"

Ying Lou suddenly became curious.

"The second daughter of the Hong family, Hong Wenyu!"

　Bet with Lu Buwei: Chapter 172

　　Hong Wenyu, the proprietress of the Anzi Camp in the Southern Wilderness chapter: Hong Liangyu's sister.

　　As mentioned in Chapter 29, the Hong family has been engaged in business since ancient times, so when they were doing business in the Southern Wilderness, the purchase of supplies was entirely left to Hong Liangyu.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)