The Moon in the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 735: The Ministers Retire

Ying Zheng sent Ju Xin to the Temple of Sages, not only because he really met the three immortals, but also to commend his loyalty. An added benefit was that Ju Rong was completely devoted to him.

Sending the former enemies of the Qin Dynasty in was not only to demonstrate the broad-mindedness of the Qin Dynasty, but also to convince the people of the world.

The sea embraces all rivers, and tolerance is greatness. As the ruler of the world, how can you stabilize the country and rule this boundless country without such a broad mind?
There are also the brothers Zou Yan and Zou Shi, who are the most enviable. Some people can't help but sigh that dying early can actually lead to such a good thing!

Ying Zheng also secretly informed Lü Buwei, Zhong Cang, Wei Liao, Xunzi, Ran Hong, Chisongzi and others that those who were still alive but qualified to enter the Temple of Sages would also be sent in after a hundred years.

These people are not asking for death now, but they really don't dare to do anything that will bring bad reputation, let alone have any bad thoughts in their mind.

Now they only have one thing to say to Ying Zheng - loyalty!
Even Xunzi, an old man in his 90s, seemed to have a second spring. He worked hard every day to contribute to the Qin Dynasty. He had never been so motivated in his life.

After all, it’s the age to work hard.

The temptation to enter the temple of sages and be worshipped and sacrificed by people for thousands of years is really too great.

Among the people of the world, many can resist food and drink; most can resist wine and sex; few can resist money; very few can resist power; and only one in ten thousand can resist fame.

Everyone says that being a god is great, but they can’t forget fame and fortune.

This magnificent history book and this long scroll of red ink are a temptation that no one can resist.

No matter how indifferent a person is to fame and fortune, he cannot be indifferent at all.

Now, not only will your name go down in history, but you will also be worshipped in imperial temples and have your biography recorded in national history!
Man lives for a lifetime, plants and trees wither for a season, and eventually they will turn into rotten soil, but only the history books will be immortal for thousands of years.

Moreover, having such a great reputation can also protect future generations. The grace of a gentleman will be cut off after five generations, but the virtue of a sage will last for ten generations!

Everyone who should know about the wind blown by Ying Zheng knows that this Temple of Sages has tied all the top people tightly to his chariot.

Even if they are kicked off, they won't get off. There are still many people who are willing to show their loyalty and try their best to get on the bus.

This pie is so big that no one can resist its temptation.

The main reason is that Ying Zheng has a good reputation. Everyone knows that Ying Zheng is really generous and willing to give. As long as everyone is loyal! His Majesty sees all the hard work and contributions.

Lu Buwei, a man who had been turning the tide in the court for many years, was now ready to step out of the world of fame and fortune and wait for the end of his perfect life.

His life can be described as legendary. Now he is nearly seventy years old and has fame, wealth and honor. The only thing missing is this last breath. He is really afraid that he will lose his integrity in his later years.

He had long ago begun to strictly demand all his family members and relatives to forbid any unkind, unjust, unfaithful, unfilial, disrespectful or imprudent behavior. Now he was preparing to retire and return to his hometown, to do more good deeds for the rest of his life, and to wait for his reputation to be passed down through the ages after his death.

Coincidentally, Wei Liao and Cai Ze thought so too.

Cai Ze knew that the moon waxes and wanes, so he wanted to hurry home to concentrate on compiling the book and finish it before he died, so that he could be enshrined in the Temple of Sages for his contributions. He was also ready to retire and return home to enjoy his old age.

In fact, these people who want to retire and return home did not have this idea this year. They had this idea after they received rewards last year.

But since I had just received the reward, it was not appropriate for me to retire immediately.

Secondly, the country had just been unified and a new era had just begun. In the first year of the First Emperor's reign, it was not appropriate for Ying Zheng to retire immediately for the sake of his reputation. If the elders retired one after another in the first year of the First Emperor's reign, it would be difficult to write this down in history books.

Thirdly, the empire was undergoing restructuring and there were many things that required their involvement, so it was definitely not the time for them to retire.

How could these old foxes not understand these things? We cannot let Your Majesty lose face.

By now, these problems have been almost all solved.

The empire has entered the second year of the First Emperor's reign. The official system has been straightened out, and everyone is doing well. Now is the right time to exit.

Lu Buwei wanted to be the first to take the lead and put a perfect end to his relationship as a monarch and his subject, but he was still a step too late.

Cai Ze had already submitted his resignation letter in advance.

This top Taoist Huang-Lao school master is well aware of the principle that the moon will wane when it is full. By now, his life has been too perfect, and he is already old. If he is still greedy for power, he will lose his integrity in his later years. Cai Ze will not do such a stupid thing.

In the past, the fortune teller Tang Ju predicted that he still had forty-three years to live. Since then, more than thirty years have passed, and it has been thirty years since he came to Daqin.

He is now nearly 70 years old and has more than ten years of wealth and prosperity in Anping. He has no regrets in this life and it is time to return to his hometown to enjoy his retirement and family happiness.

The second one is Wei Liao. Today, the world is settled and the emperor is in power. He has realized his lifelong ambition and sent his mentor to the Temple of Sages. He has everything and wants nothing more. When he entered Qin, he was already sixty years old. Now another twenty years have passed. Now he just wants to stay away from the disputes and noise of the court and enjoy the little pastoral happiness left. The third one is Lu Buwei.

Lü Buwei is now sixty-eight years old, close to seventy, and has reached a very old age. He has already reached the highest position in the government, has both fame and wealth, and his family is prosperous. Having worked under Ying Zheng for his entire life, he knows too well what respectability is.

He himself is a decent man. Instead of coveting power, he would rather enjoy wealth and family happiness.

After working hard all your life, it’s time to enjoy yourself. This is good for everyone.

After the three of them submitted their resignations, as if they had discussed it beforehand, seven or eight other old ministers, including Zhang Tang, Wang Jian, and Yang Duanhe, all submitted their resignations, saying that they were old and lacked energy and wanted to return to their hometowns to enjoy their family life.

For a moment, a different atmosphere permeated the court, and all the ministers had their own thoughts in their minds.

There were many happy people. When someone went down, it meant someone else could go up.

Those who retired are all the best people.

Ying Zheng refused all of the resignations from these old ministers who resigned in a short period of time, and rewarded them all with large sums of gold, silver, silk and other treasures.

All the old ministers expressed their gratitude, and then a few days later, they submitted their resignations again. However, Ying Zheng still refused and rewarded them with large amounts of wealth, treasures, and beauties.

It was not until he submitted his resignation for the third time that Ying Zheng finally agreed with tears in his eyes and great reluctance.

Then he once again rewarded the emperor with large amounts of wealth, treasures, slaves and beauties.

And they were not allowed to leave the capital in a hurry, and were forced to stay for a while.

Every three to five days, Ying Zheng would invite old and important ministers who had already resigned to a banquet, where they would enjoy dancing and music. They would not talk about state affairs but only about leisure and old times. When they got emotional, Ying Zheng and his ministers would choke up with sobs and become speechless.

And they often gave more rewards, and the scene was full of warmth and reluctance.

These old ministers who wanted to resign were forced to stay by Ying Zheng for three months, and finally, Ying Zheng personally saw them off and they left the capital city and returned to their hometown.

When they left, the team was huge, carrying countless rewards and goods, as well as many slaves and beauties. The carriages in all directions of the capital stretched for dozens of miles, and the scene was extremely spectacular.

When Ying Zheng saw them off, he held the hands of his old ministers and earnestly asked them to come back to the capital when they had time and opportunity, and to come back to see him more often. His eyes were full of reluctance, and his longing was beyond words. He was so moved that he even choked up.

Ying Zheng did not keep all of them in the capital. It might not be a good thing to keep them. It would be better for them to disperse and go home.

Firstly, these old ministers came from all over the world and it would be difficult for them to be connected together after being dispersed. In this way, nothing would happen and they would not pose a threat to Ying Zheng's rule.

Secondly, to prevent them from being dragged into the complicated dispute over the crown prince in the power center of the Divine Capital. Once involved, it would be too disgraceful and detrimental to their own reputation and the stability of the Qin Dynasty.

Third, if they do not stay in the capital, it will be very difficult for them to influence the personnel transfer of the central government. Without the emperor's eyes, their political influence will be greatly reduced, and their influence will be limited to the place where they retire. Letting old officials leave the center of power can reduce the possibility of them forming cliques and interfering in government affairs in the capital.

The king, his ministers and his assistants were a perfect match for each other and had been together for many years. Ying Zheng was not a devil and had some feelings for them. In the end, Ying Zheng really didn't want to end up in an undignified manner.

Fourthly, with the help of these old ministers scattered around to help consolidate the stability of the Qin Dynasty, if they stay in the Divine Capital, there will only be political struggles, but if they are dispersed to various places, they will be the pillars of the local area. It seems that they are just enjoying their old age at home and doing nothing, but it is enough to deter the villains.

You know, each of these people is a world-famous person. A man's reputation is like the shadow of a tree. Just by staying at home, they are enough to make those who have evil intentions in many counties near their hometown give up their fantasies.

Fifth, they returned to their hometown. With their own prestige and wealth, they were the largest family in their hometown, enough to suppress the local old power families. Moreover, they could also play a certain monitoring role, so that the local situation could be fed back to the court of Daqin in a timely manner.

Sixth, the rewards and honors given to them by Emperor Qin Shi Huang were also a kind of real publicity. This could publicize Emperor Qin Shi Huang's virtue and grace, reflect the court's courtesy to meritorious officials, and encourage local officials and people to be more loyal and make contributions to the prosperity and stability of the Qin Dynasty.

Seventh, these old ministers who had gained both fame and fortune were all thinking about the big pie that Ying Zheng had painted for their ultimate fame. In order to successfully enter the Temple of Sages and leave a good name for eternity, they did not dare to act recklessly.

When they return to their hometown, they will also actively educate the people, develop the local area, and build their hometown.

The resources they brought back are also extremely valuable for local development.

No matter what kind of officials or nobles they are, there is no reason for them to harm their hometown. For the sake of their own reputation, they must also build their hometown well and keep an eye on the local officials to prevent them from doing anything wrong.

No matter how you look at it, it's better to let them go back to their hometown.

Win Ma!

(End of this chapter)