Diqin Designer

Chapter 136 Chapter 136 Liu Ji and Lu Zhi are no longer destined to be together

When he was the chief clerk in Pei County, he saw many problems in the Qin Dynasty. Not only were there problems with the Qin laws, but also the problem of Qin swallowing up the six kingdoms too quickly, which led to a shortage of officials.

As a smart man, once he saw the problem, he naturally thought about solutions, and the solution he came up with was to make certain modifications to the existing "Three Elders".

Xiao He immediately presented his method to Ying Zheng. The others in the hall were pondering the feasibility of Xiao He's method, but they heard Liu Ji say, "Your Majesty, this method is feasible, but it has flaws."

If you are appreciated by the King of Qin and appointed as an official, you naturally have to show some of your insights and talents.

Ying Zheng asked: "What are the flaws?"

After getting permission from Ying Zheng, Liu Ji said: "It is indeed feasible to recommend the three elders to assist the county magistrate and educate the people, but it will also make the three elders powerful in the county and the township."

"Before they became the Three Elders, these people were highly respected, but they were no different from other villagers. But after they were elected as the Three Elders and gained power, can they still be highly respected?"

"Even if the three elders can assist the county magistrate, educate the people, and do a good job of sharing the worries of the king, will they change over time?"

"If they use their power to seek personal gain for themselves or their families, wouldn't that bring disaster to the region and harm to the Qin?"

"Moreover, the Three Elders are temporarily elected. Will they be elected by the villagers again in the future? If one family or clan is allowed to serve as the Three Elders all the time, the family or clan will grow rapidly and become a powerful and prestigious clan. This will not only be useless for local governance, but even more harmful."

Liu Ji looked at the "Three Elders" method proposed by Xiao He from a high position and saw the problem with it at a glance.

This method can indeed alleviate the problem of insufficient officials in the Qin Dynasty, but it will allow the three elders to become more powerful and form a local cancer in the future.

Liu Ji continued, "And if this strategy is implemented, the place where it will be implemented will be the original land of the six kingdoms. Who do you think the three veteran generals are who will be recommended for these places?"

This was what Liu Ji really wanted to say, and it struck a chord with many people in the hall: Yes, if this revised version of the Three Elders policy is implemented in the six kingdoms, who will be chosen as the Three Elders?
The answer is obvious, and you can guess it with your toes. It is probably a noble of the six countries or someone related to the nobles of the six countries!

Let these people become the Three Elders, and then make them bigger and stronger in the local area, do you think they will not rebel against Qin after they become strong?

Liu Ji did not know that after he gained the world, he had adopted the policy of the Three Elders and promulgated it to the world, which had a profound impact on the Han Dynasty and China.

Although even if he doesn't issue it, this thing will pop up sooner or later.

There was no other way. In ancient times, communications were backward and transportation was inconvenient, which made it difficult for the imperial power to directly govern the grassroots. The only way was to let the three elders or local gentry and village gentry cooperate in governance.

After listening to Liu Ji's words, Xiao He apologized to Ying Zheng and said, "I didn't expect there would be such a flaw. I was not thoughtful enough. Please punish me, Your Majesty!"

Ying Zheng shook his head and said, "No wonder you are so confused. This is too complicated for even me to solve."

There is only one person who might be able to solve this problem for him, and that is Li Nian.

But thinking of the gap between the Qin Dynasty and the later generations where Li Nian came from, Ying Zheng felt that Li Nian might not be able to solve it.

Although Li Nian came from later times and possessed later knowledge, he could propose solutions from a more distant historical perspective. However, the conditions required for those solutions might not be available in the Qin Dynasty.

No matter how good the method, technology or idea is, it will eventually be restricted by the times!
It was quite good that Xiao He could come up with the idea of ​​revising the Three Elders to solve the problem of shortage of officials in the Qin Dynasty.

Ying Zheng looked at him and said, "You have the talent to help the country, so don't hide your incompetence anymore!"

Xiao He knew that the King of Qin was telling him: If you work hard for me in the future, I will not hold you accountable for your previous problems.

But why did the King of Qin give him a lower evaluation than that of Liu Ji?
When the King of Qin evaluated Liu Ji, he said, "He can stabilize the country in a peaceful era and stabilize the country in a chaotic era." But for him, he only said, "You have the talent to assist the country." Although this evaluation is not low, there is still a gap between "assisting the country" and "stabilizing the country."

This is equivalent to Liu Ji being able to establish a country and become a king in troubled times, while he could only assist Liu Ji and become a prime minister. But how is this possible?

Although he felt that Liu Ji was extraordinary and that he would make a name for himself sooner or later, he did not think that he was far superior to him and had the talent to found a country and become king.

Puzzled, Xiao He assured Ying Zheng: "I will do my best to serve the king!"

Ying Zheng said: "The same goes for you. I won't grant you an official position for now. You will observe government affairs in the court first!"

Xiao He was the future prime minister of the Qin Dynasty chosen by Ying Zheng.

According to the history provided by Li Nian, they can be used for at least several decades. Where can we find such high-quality cattle and horses?
Wang Wan was old, and he didn't want Li Si to become prime minister, so there were not many people he could choose from.

Xiao He was the first meritorious minister in the founding of the Han Dynasty and the first prime minister. There was no doubt about his ability and he was definitely able to govern the Qin Dynasty.

Of course, he would not let Xiao He enter the court as prime minister directly, but would send him to govern the local areas first, both to allow him to accumulate qualifications and also to use Xiao He to govern some places for him.

Xiao He thanked him and sat down. The other people who came from Pei County thought that Ying Zheng would treat them the same way he treated Liu Ji and Xiao He, but they didn't expect that Ying Zheng just chatted with them briefly.

Although he was also ordered by Ying Zheng to observe government affairs in Xianyang and had a bright future, the other people in Pei County could see the difference: Liu Ji and Xiao He were somewhat special in the eyes of the King of Qin, especially Liu Ji.

The meeting ended and Liu Ji, Xiao He and others left.

Inside the Zhangtai Palace, Ying Zheng was listening to Jiao Li's report, asking him to report to Ying Zheng certain things Liu Ji, Xiao He and others had done and certain words they had said on the way to Xianyang.

When he heard that Liu Ji had taken a fancy to a woman in a carriage when he entered Xianyang, and even asked Jiao Li about her background, Ying Zheng couldn't help but ask curiously, "Do you know who this woman is from?"

Jiao Li replied cautiously: "My king, it is Lü Zhi from Shanfu County, Dang County!"

If possible, Jiao Li didn't want to answer this question.

Because he also thought that Lu Zhi was very likely to enter the palace. If Liu Ji fell in love with Lu Zhi, wouldn't that mean he was almost competing with the king for a woman?

He had a good impression of Liu Ji and didn't want him to lose his life because of this!

After hearing Jiao Li's answer, Ying Zheng asked, "Are you saying that Lü Zhi and Liu Ji met? And Liu Ji also took a fancy to Lü Zhi and wanted to marry her?"

Jiao Li said, "That is true, but Liu Ji no longer had this thought after he learned that Lu Zhi was invited by the king."

Ying Zheng glanced at Jiao Li. This Liu Ji was truly extraordinary. It had only been a short time and yet even the envoys he had sent out began to speak for him.

However, it was a coincidence that Liu Ji and Lu Zhi met when entering Xianyang, but this time, Liu Ji could not marry Lu Zhi again, unless he died and the Qin Dynasty was destroyed!

He invited Lü Zhi and her family to Xianyang. In addition to being curious about Lü Zhi, the first queen in history, he also had other plans:

He did not plan to take Lu Zhi into the harem, but wanted her to be his daughter-in-law. He was just considering which son he should let Lu Zhi marry.

In a room in Xianyang, Lü Shi, who lived in the same room with Lü Zhi, asked in a low voice: "Sister, why hasn't that person taken you into the palace yet?"

Lu Zhi did not answer her sister's question, but fell into deep thought. She originally thought that the King of Qin invited her family to Xianyang because of her.

But after entering Xianyang, although there were people to receive them, there was no news of entering the palace, which made her doubt that her original guess might be wrong: Could it be that the King of Qin did not want her to enter the palace as a concubine, and they were just overthinking?
Thinking of the fact that she had once fantasized about entering the palace to serve the King of Qin, Lu Zhi couldn't help feeling ashamed and annoyed. It was really too embarrassing. However, she also felt a little disappointed that she might not be able to enter the palace to serve the King of Qin.

(End of this chapter)