The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 683 Double Dragon Meeting (Part )
After stopping, Liu Ji looked up at the front, his pupils trembled and his eyes widened. Through the brilliant stars and the moon, as well as the series of lights, Liu Ji looked at the steps of the Zhangtai Palace in front of him. He could not see the top or the end at a glance.

The bright moon cast its cool afterglow, covering the earth with a layer of silver gauze, reflecting the magnificent steps before one's eyes.

After being shocked, Liu Ji lowered his head again, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

His heart was like a calm lake, thrown with a huge rock, causing a turbulent wave. A trace of confusion flashed through his mind: How many years will it take me to walk up these steps to enter the palace?

At seven quarters past the hour of Yin, the night had not yet completely faded away, and the morning light was faintly visible on the horizon.

Three clear and loud whip sounds came from the top of the stairs, and the ministers began to climb the invisible stairs. Liu Ji followed Tian Guang and climbed up steadily step by step.

He took each step so steadily and counted each one in his mind.

"Three hundred and sixty-five steps, equal to the number of the celestial sphere," Liu Ji silently recited in his mind.

"Yes, once you enter this palace, you are no longer a mortal."

Liu Ji's face was solemn, and his heart felt heavy, as if he was carrying a thousand-pound stone, but there was also an inexplicable sense of heroism quietly growing in his heart.

He secretly raised his eyes, his gaze as sharp as torches and as passionate as fire, at the towering Jianzhang Palace. Under the interweaving of night and lights, the palace seemed even more solemn and majestic, like an insurmountable towering sacred mountain.

Then he turned his gaze to the high-ranking officials dressed in red and purple official uniforms. The auspicious clouds and auspicious beasts embroidered with gold and silver threads on their uniforms were lifelike, majestic and solemn.

Especially the two leading the way, they exuded an awe-inspiring aura. Liu Ji didn't even dare to peek at them for a long time. He just glanced at them out of the corner of his eye, then clenched his fists and swore in his heart:

'A real man should be like this!'

Then he was taken by the eunuch to the outside of the Zhangfa Hall, waiting to be summoned after the court was adjourned.

At this moment, he is not qualified to attend the court meeting.

Liu Ji waited quietly in a side hall on the side of Zhangfa Hall, where he was specially summoned. Time passed by minute by minute, and the side hall was silent, with only the occasional faint sound of the court meeting coming from afar.

He longed for it so much.

He was really glad that he hadn't drunk a drop of water. No wonder there was such a rule. Otherwise, he would have been impolite during such a long wait.

As for dissatisfaction, there is certainly no dissatisfaction. The longer I wait, the more nervous I become, the more expectant I become, and the more respectful I become in my heart.

After the court meeting was over, Ying Zheng returned to the Zhangfa Hall to deal with some important government affairs before summoning Liu Ji.

It was almost noon.

When the eunuch came to summon Liu Ji, Liu Ji hurriedly straightened his clothes, straightened his spirit, took a deep breath, and then walked quickly in small steps to keep up with the eunuch's footsteps.

At this time, Tian Guang was already waiting in the Zhangfa Hall.

Liu Ji entered the hall cautiously, walked forward with slow steps, then knelt on both knees, performed a great kowtow, prostrated himself on the ground, and said in a loud and respectful voice: "Your Majesty, I am Liu Ji, and I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be blessed with good health." His etiquette was meticulous.

Ying Zheng was concentrating on the red seal in his hand. When he heard the voice, his dragon body paused for a moment, slowly put down the pen in his hand, raised his head, looked at Liu Ji with a lightning-like gaze, and said softly: "Stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Liu Ji's voice trembled slightly. He slowly stood up, leaned forward slightly, bowed and waited, his eyes lowered, not daring to look directly at Ying Zheng.

Ying Zheng raised his eyes slightly and ordered: "Raise your head."

Hearing this, Liu Ji slowly raised his head with a hint of nervousness on his face. His pupils tightened unconsciously, and then his eyes quickly drooped again.

A minister should not look directly at his sovereign.

Ying Zheng looked at Tian Guang, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he smiled and praised: "The talented person recommended by Tian Qing is indeed extraordinary. Haha."

Tian Guang stood aside, smiling and looking humble, and said with a cupped hand: "Your Majesty, I am just trying my best. It is a great honor for me and other talented people to be appreciated by Your Majesty. Everything depends on Your Majesty's wisdom."

Ying Zheng laughed and said, "Liu Qing, where are you from?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Ji hurriedly saluted with his hands in a respectful manner and replied, "Your Majesty, I am from Zhongyangli, Peifeng, on the Sishui River in Chu. Before entering Xianyang, I settled in Waihuang County in Wei."

Ying Zheng nodded, his expression calm, and slowly said: "Chu is a land of family background, and now there is endless war. It is not a good place. It is better to come to my Great Qin. There are talented people who have the opportunity to realize their ambitions."

Liu Ji replied in a clear voice: "Your Majesty, you are wise! The situation in Chu is turbulent, the nobles are corrupt and despotic, and there is no way out. Under Your Majesty's rule, the Qin Dynasty has recruited many talented people, and the new policies benefit the people. The people live and work in peace and contentment. It is truly a peaceful country. I yearn for it with all my heart, and I am willing to go through fire and water for Your Majesty's great cause."

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "In our Great Qin, we only recruit talented people. If you come to the Great Qin, you will have the opportunity to realize your ambitions."

"Agriculture is the most important of all industries. Food is the primary need of the people, so agriculture is no small matter. You are about to take on an important task. I will test you." "If the court promotes new irrigation technology to increase the water source for farmland irrigation. How will you promote it? How will you monitor whether the agricultural officials in various places are promoting it effectively, and whether the people accept and apply the new irrigation technology?"

Liu Ji's heart tightened, knowing that this was the test and the time to decide his fate had come.

Liu Ji pursed his lips and replied slowly: "Your Majesty, I will first ask agricultural officials from all regions to organize concentrated lectures, and invite water conservancy craftsmen to demonstrate the new irrigation technology on site, and produce illustrated operation manuals to distribute to farmers, so that the people can first understand the benefits of the new technology. At the same time, set up technical consultation points to answer questions at any time."

"During the inspection, we regularly check the records of agricultural officials' promotion activities, visit farmers and ask them about their understanding of the new technology. In addition, we inspect the farmland and listen to the farmers' opinions. We count the proportion of farmland using the new irrigation technology. If we find that agricultural officials are not promoting the technology effectively, we will immediately order them to make corrections to ensure that the new technology can benefit farmers as soon as possible."

"Specifically, I will first go to the fields with agricultural officials to understand the difficulties encountered by farmers when using new technologies, and organize technical personnel to provide on-site guidance. An assessment mechanism will be established to include the effectiveness of new technology promotion in the performance assessment of agricultural officials. Agricultural officials with good promotion effects will be commended, and those who are perfunctory will be held accountable, so as to ensure the comprehensive coverage of new technologies."

"We urge agricultural officials to report the progress of promotion regularly and check the application of new technologies in farmland. At the same time, we organize farmers to exchange and share experiences, encourage them to give feedback on their experience, and reward farmers who actively apply new technologies, so as to promote promotion from point to surface."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly in satisfaction, and then asked a few more questions about farming. Liu Ji answered clearly and orderly, and he was not too nervous.

Although he mostly recited what he had learned, occasionally mixing in some of his own opinions, it was comprehensive enough. At this age, meeting Ying Zheng for the first time, he was able to answer questions so steadily, which was a rare character.

As for the specific implementation, it depends on his execution ability, and Liu Ji should have no shortage of this.

Even Ying Zheng secretly praised him in his heart, saying that his ability and character were both first-class.

Tian Guang was also relieved and became more and more satisfied with Liu Ji.

The ability to handle affairs can be learned, but at this age, it is not easy to cultivate a good character.

If you have a good character and stay calm when encountering difficulties, you can be entrusted with great things. To do great things, the most important thing is to stay calm when encountering difficulties and be able to control your emotions.

Courage is not something that is easy to cultivate.

Moreover, Liu Ji’s ability is not bad either, and he answered all the questions in an orderly manner. Although he did not have many opinions of his own or many highlights, this is already very good. How long has he studied?
Now that I can fully comprehend it and express it in my own words without leaving anything out, I can be considered a genius.

After asking a few questions, Ying Zheng stopped asking and praised him in a gentle voice, "You are indeed a talented person."

"I can rest assured that you will be given the post of Agricultural Supervisor."

"With your talent, this is just the beginning. If you work hard, your future will be limitless. You should gain some experience first. I will have heavier responsibilities for you in the future."

Liu Ji's heart was like a surging wave, and he was so excited that he could hardly suppress it. He immediately prostrated himself, hitting his forehead heavily on the ground with a dull sound:
"Your Majesty, thank you for your grace! Your Majesty, I will do my best to serve you and the Qin Empire until my death!"

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "I don't want you to die, I want everyone to work together to build this peaceful and prosperous world! Let's enjoy this peaceful world together!"

Liu Ji was even more excited and kowtowed again: "Your Majesty, your majesty! Long live your majesty!"

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "You have come from a far distance, so I guess you don't have a place to stay in Xianyang yet."

"Sang Ruoyu, pick a courtyard for Liu Qing, and give Liu Qing a hundred gold coins." Ying Zheng tilted his head slightly and instructed Sang Ruoyu.

Sang Ruoyu responded respectfully.

Ying Zheng said to Liu Ji, "Liu Qing, being an official in Xianyang will inevitably lead to high expenses, so please accept these."

Liu Ji was extremely excited and grateful. He kowtowed and said, "I thank the king for his grace."

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "You don't have to be so polite. Stand up and answer."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Liu Ji stood up and continued to wait respectfully.

Ying Zheng then said, "By the way, are your family members all right?"

Liu Ji replied respectfully: "Thank you for your concern, my parents and brothers are all well."

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "Chu is in constant war and is not a good place. It is not safe for your family to stay in Chu for a long time. If you have nothing important to do, take the opportunity to bring your parents and family to Xianyang. You can reunite as a family and serve your parents. This is also the responsibility of a child."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will invite my parents to Xianyang soon to take care of them."

Ying Zheng nodded in satisfaction: "Okay, that's it for today, you two ministers, please leave."

Tian Guang stood up and bowed and left with Liu Ji.

(End of this chapter)