The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 130: Gan Luo, the fan of his younger brother, is a punctuation expert. The Prime Minister of Qin mourns the King of Qin, and the Prime Minister of Yan scolds the King of Yan (6300)
Gan Luo, six years old this year, was appointed as the chief secretary of the prime minister.

His great-grandfather Gan Mao once led troops to pacify Shu and served as the left prime minister of Qin. He was both a general and a minister, and was both a civil and military talent.

If the Qin State had not parachuted in a great sage, there was a high possibility that the Prime Minister's Chief Secretary would serve as the next Prime Minister. This position was the position for the Prime Minister to train his successor. Before Lu Buwei was appointed Prime Minister, he was the Prime Minister's Chief Secretary.

Gan Luo was able to become the chief secretary of the prime minister at the age of six, thanks not only to his family background but also to his intelligence.

At first, there were two child prodigies in Xianyang.

The first prince was Cheng Jiao, and the second was Gan Luo.

Less than half a month after the name of the second child prodigy spread, Prince Chengjiao's performance far surpassed Gan Luo.

At the age of five, Gan Luo could recite scriptures, and at the age of six, Prince Chengjiao could interpret scriptures.

The comparison between the two is not to say that there is a world of difference between them, but at least they are incomparable.

So much so that when people mention child prodigies, they will only think of Prince Chengjiao and forget Gan Luo.

Gan Luo has always been interested in Prince Cheng Jiao, who has suppressed him and made it difficult for him to turn over, and he really wants to play with this prince.

Unfortunately, Master Chengjiao didn't seem to be very interested in him.

Gan Luo remembered that when the two first met, Prince Chengjiao was very excited.

I don't know why, but after playing mahjong and poker a few times, they left him to Lu Buwei as a retainer and didn't play with him anymore.

My father said it was because he always beat Master Chengjiao, and Master Chengjiao always lost and was embarrassed.

Let him lose more and win less next time, and Master Chengjiao will take him to play.

He thinks it is not.

Prince Chengjiao was able to interpret the classics and discuss politics, and was much smarter than him.

Mahjong and poker are games that rely more on memory, so wouldn't it be easy for Master Chengjiao to beat him?
He was stupid to begin with, and if he hadn't tried hard to win two more games to appear smart, Master Chengjiao would have stopped playing with him long ago.

"Huh, you found it so quickly?" Lu Buwei was surprised.

After giving Gan Luo his instructions, he went out and asked the clerk to bring in a pot of hot tea.

It's only been a short time since I left, but when I came back I found the desk was piled with bamboo slips, neatly arranged.

Prime Minister Lu knelt on the soft mat made of brocade, resting one arm on the bamboo slips, and turned his head to look at the well-behaved child with a smile.

"Why so fast?"

Gan Luo stood under the bed. He was not as tall as Lü Buwei who was kneeling. He said honestly:
"My Lord, Luo has been looking through Chang'an Jun's files, so he picked out the bamboo slips about Chang'an Jun and put them together."

The little boy has a childish voice and a pair of big eyes that are both serious and innocent.

Lu Buwei had just repaid kindness with enmity in Bashu, causing a bloody storm, and now he came back to test the king with his own life.

It can be said that he was always scheming and scheming. But when he came into contact with the simple Gan Luo, he felt that the dirty heart in his body became much cleaner.

[If it were someone else, they would definitely say that they found it for me earlier...]
Lu Buwei frowned and slapped the bamboo slips with his palm neither lightly nor heavily, making a crisp "pop" sound.

Gan Luo was shocked and didn't know what he had done wrong.

He looked at his master, then at the bamboo slips, and lowered his head with a sense of grievance.

[Is it wrong to search too quickly?]
The soft part in Lu Buwei's heart was touched, but soon became hard.

There is no room for good people in the Qin court, at least not for this generation or the next.

"What did you call me?" Lu Buwei stared.

"My lord..." Gan Luo said weakly.

Lu Buwei slapped the bamboo slips again, and this time the "pop" sound was even louder than the previous one.

"How many times have I told you that you should be worthy of your official position when governing!"

"My Lord... Prime Minister, this is the first time." Gan Luo felt even more aggrieved.

He has a good memory, and if Xiangbang said something similar to him, he would definitely not forget it.

Inside the room, a rustling sound gradually arose.

Lu Buwei read the bamboo slips word by word.

The little boy stood at the side of the table, his big black eyes following the tip of the brush in his master's hand.

For half a minute, Lu Buwei was still reading the first volume of bamboo slips.

The little boy looked at the calligraphy marked by his master, pouted his lips and wanted to say something, but he didn't dare to say anything when he thought of his master's scary look just now.

So he turned his head to look at his master's face, wanting to see if he was still angry.

The little head turned and the eyes grew bigger.

[The master's face is not as round as before when he came back this time. It is not beautiful anymore.]
If Lü Buwei knew that Gan Luo, the third person he focused on training, had such thoughts in his head, he would definitely teach Gan Luo a lesson and even tell him not to look his superiors directly in the eye.

Now he just thought that Gan Luo was afraid of him and didn't dare to speak.

Knowing that nothing can be accomplished overnight, the prime minister turned his right wrist outward 30 degrees and changed the tip of the pen from close to the bamboo slips to hanging low.

Without even looking at the child, he said calmly:
"What's the matter."

The boy's mind was so focused on his master's appearance that he didn't even notice when his master would put down his pen and wait for someone.

I was a little confused at first, and opened my mouth to say, "Luo is okay."

The words didn't come out of his mouth before his brain realized that something was wrong with him.

"Prime Minister." The little boy called softly, blushing a little, "Regarding the case of Lord Chang'an, Luo Du has copied a copy for personal storage. Would you like to see the bamboo slips that Luo has sorted out? They look better..."

Lu Buwei chuckled in his heart.

[It looks good... or is it just a child's mind? Did you draw some patterns on it?]
[A bamboo slip is only used to carry text. No matter how finely and beautifully it is carved, what use is it?]
"can."

The little child ran out excitedly, very happy.

There is no one else in the room.

Lu Buwei shook his head, raised the corners of his mouth and laughed softly.

Bend over the desk, pick up the pen, and continue browsing.

"Zhao sent Chang'an Jun to Yan and was assassinated at Yishui. The assassin was Zhu Hai, a retainer of Wei Xinling Jun Wei Wuji, and others. They led the army to surround and kill the assassin and captured Zhu Hai alive. Chang'an Jun said that Zhao had received great favors from Xinling Jun and Jun, so he released the assassin..."

In less than a moment, a small figure ran in, sweat all over his head.

She was holding several bamboo scrolls in her hands, her face was rosy and her eyes were bright.

The little boy looked at the bamboo slips on his master's desk, picked out one of the three bamboo slips in his hand and held it up, as if showing off his favorite toy.

"Look, Xiangbang!"

Lu Buwei put down his pen for the second time, glanced over, and then looked back at the table.

The child understood, placed the bamboo slips on the table, and unfolded them bit by bit.

“Mine is actually better looking.

"If the Prime Minister is willing to see it, I will bring all my bamboo slips to you."

Lu Buwei said "hmm" lightly, not wanting to discourage the child's enthusiasm, but in fact he did not agree with it in his heart.

[You are still a child, what’s the use of being good-looking?]
The bamboo slips rolled away on the table with a "clattering" sound.

Lu Buwei glanced at it casually, and it was the volume he had just been reading. He thought to himself that this kid was quite thoughtful.

He looked a little more seriously and planned to criticize the child after reading it for drawing some pretty but useless patterns on the bamboo slips.

After a quick glance at the whole thing, he did not see any decorative patterns or designs, and it seemed to be no different from the bamboo slips he had just seen.

[What's good to see?]
As soon as the doubt arose, it disappeared very quickly as he saw the contents on the bamboo slips.

It looks really good!

"Zhao sent Chang'an Jun to Yan, and was assassinated at Yishui. The assassins were Zhu Hai and others, who were retainers of Wei Xinling Jun Wei Wuji. Le Cheng arrived and led his army to surround them, killing the assassins and capturing Zhu Hai alive. Chang'an Jun said: 'Zhao has received great favors from Xinling Jun and you.' So he released the people..."

[This good-looking does not mean beautiful, but easy to see...]
Lu Buwei was troubled and looked sideways.

Gan Luo looked like he was expecting praise.

"Doesn't it look good?"

"It looks good." Lü Buwei gave a positive answer: "Did you make it?"

The little boy smiled happily and shook his head.

“Changan Jun taught me.

"I am too stupid. I can't punctuate the sentences when reading, and I always have difficulty understanding the meaning.

"Changan Jun used punctuation marks to help me break sentences and taught me how to use punctuation.

"Tell me to read the punctuation marks first when reading a book, and it will be easier to read later."

Lu Buwei was slightly shocked.

[These were originally called punctuation marks... Sir... what else have you done...]
He closed the bamboo slips on the table, stood up and called out:
"Somebody come!"

The clerk in the outer room of the marquis stood respectfully before the door.

"Lord Xiangbang."

"Prepare the car, I want to meet you!"

"Yes!" The clerk left.

Lu Buwei picked up the two bamboo slips that Gan Luo had placed at the foot of the table, spread them out and saw that they both had punctuation marks.

Nod.

"Gan Luo."

"Prime Minister...Sir." The little boy followed suit.

If it were before, Lu Buwei would have felt that the boy was teachable.

But now, the prime minister of Qin State is not concerned about these details at all and is completely unaware of them.

"Bring all your punctuation books here so I can meet you together."

The Central Palace, the Council Hall.

Lu Buwei took the lead and walked in front.

Gan Luo lagged behind his master by half a body length, with half of his body almost hidden behind him, and he was still a little nervous.

The child has been like this since he entered the palace.

The King of Qin is the most terrifying and formidable existence to almost everyone in this world.

An ordinary person who can stand up naturally when knowing that the person in front of him is the King of Qin is already far more courageous than his peers.

Inside the hall, Prince Chu of Qin knelt on an ordinary straw mat at the upper seat.

At the hour of Mao, he sent the crown prince to the nearby Observation Hall, and then he entered the Council Hall to summon ministers and discuss state affairs.

Zhao won and Yan lost, and Chu destroyed Lu.

The disaster victims in Guanzhong died in the wild, and the yellow earth was everywhere eating living people.

More has happened in the last few months than in previous years.

The pressure on Prince Chu of Qin was growing, and he was busy until 2:30 am last night.

A storm is coming and the sky is pressing down on us. Dark clouds are pressing down on the city and are about to destroy it.

The King of Qin, who had been informed by the attendant and had left time for Lü Buwei, stepped forward and sighed:
"Sir, you've been traveling so long, why don't you take a rest?

"Political affairs are important, but how can they be as important as your health? I cannot live without you.

"Sir, you can't work like this anymore."

I just ordered Ying Bai to investigate Lu Buwei last night. If he finds anything wrong, he can be killed on the spot. So he treated him warmly today.

Qin Wang Zichu did not show the slightest bit of unnaturalness. His thin face was full of heartache and he took the initiative to support her with his hands.

"I have something on my mind that I cannot rest or rest." Lü Buwei held up the King of Qin's hand and said, "Your Majesty should take care of yourself. Judging from your expression, you probably didn't get enough sleep for three hours yesterday. What will happen if this continues? Even if your Majesty doesn't think about yourself, you should think about the Qin State. With your wise and capable king here, the Qin State will be the hegemon of the world."

The two of them supported each other, expressed their true feelings to each other.

Gan Luo behind Lu Buwei: "..."

The little boy lowered his head, looked at his master's heels, and followed in small steps. His awe of the King of Qin slowly decreased.

He thought that adults were really boring, and the King of Qin was almost the same as his father.

Ever since I could remember, my father always greeted everyone who came to the mansion in black official uniform with a smile and asked about their well-being.

The two people in front have already walked to the table.

Lu Buwei spread the bamboo slips on the table and pointed at the comma between the two words: "Your Majesty, please look!
"This is called punctuation, a magical tool created by the young master for Gan Luo!
“Using punctuation can make the classics from difficult to easy, so that even a naughty child can understand them!
"It will make documents easier to read and save a lot of time for reviewing. It should be distributed throughout the country immediately!"

Prince Chu of Qin looked at it carefully, and after scanning a few lines of words, he understood the mystery, and his eyes lit up.

The characters on the current bamboo slips are all written next to each other.

There is no space between the first and last word.

Each bamboo strip is filled from top to bottom, and reading requires punctuation (dou, fourth tone), which is time-consuming and laborious. (Note 1)
Using this punctuation mark saves time on sentence reading and greatly increases efficiency.

Qin Wang Zichu pondered in his mind.

With his reading speed and processing ability, if all memorials submitted in the future use punctuation marks, he will be able to review the memorials that now take three hours in one hour.

"This bastard finally made something useful, not some fancy and gimmicky thing like a table or chair." Qin Wang Zichu scolded with a smile, leaning over to look at the bamboo slips: "Sir, you are exaggerating. This is just something to separate sentences. How can a dot or a hook be considered a magical tool? This thing is simple and easy to understand. Anyone can understand it at a glance. It's just that I took it out first. This bastard is not knowledgeable, but he is lazy and has many ideas."

Lu Buwei shook his head.

He really meant to exaggerate.

He considers himself not a flatterer, but he is used to saying nice things and flattering others.

But this time, he didn't think he was exaggerating.

This is already huge and does not need to be exaggerated.

[The king probably only thought about reviewing memorials, but not about educating people.]
He pulled the boy over and pointed at the "Analects of Confucius" on the table.

“Isn’t it a pleasure to learn and practice what you have learned?
“Isn’t it a pleasure to have friends coming from afar?

"If one does not get angry when people do not know him, is that not the way of a gentleman?
"what for."

The little boy could feel the King of Qin looking at him, and felt a little pressured. He didn't dare to look up, and said timidly:
“Isn’t it a pleasure to learn something and use it at some point? (Note 2)
“Isn’t it a joy to have like-minded people coming from far away?
“If you don’t get angry when others don’t understand you, isn’t that the behavior of a gentleman?” (Note 3)
Lu Buwei said in a deep voice:

“The power of punctuation lies not in the difficulty of making it, but in its use.

"Last year, Gan Luo could recite the scriptures but could not interpret them, and he lost the reputation of a child prodigy.

“This year, with the guidance of the Second Young Master, I have used his punctuation marks and can now interpret the scriptures.

"Your Majesty, do you understand? The cultural context that my Qin State lacks has been completed by the Second Young Master!
"Originally, our Qin State only knew military affairs, but not civil affairs, so we needed to seek wise officials from outside to serve in the government.

"Looking at the history of the Qin Dynasty.

"Shang Yang was from Wei, Zhang Yi was from Wei, Gan Mao was from Chu, Wei Ran was from Chu, Fan Ju was from Wei, Cai Ze was from Yan, and I am from Wei.

“The prime minister of Qin is not a Qin person, this is because our Qin is not well educated.

"But with these punctuation marks, the children of Qin will be able to understand the classics much faster than those of other countries!
"Your Majesty, you can build a university in Xianyang to teach everyone!
“In 70 years at most, we will surely surpass the Jixia Academy and become a new holy place for scholars all over the world!

"By then, not only will the Qin Kingdom be prosperous in martial arts, but also in literature.

"By then, wise men will come to Qin!
"The days when our Qin State sought for talents are gone forever!
“Your Majesty said that anyone who sees punctuation knows its function, and that punctuation is simple, and I do not deny that.

“But think about it, Your Majesty.

"Since this object is so simple, it has been three thousand years since Cangjie created characters. There have been so many talented and wise officials in the past, who don't know that punctuation is inconvenient? Why is it that only the second young master can come up with it?
"This is because knowledge can be acquired, but imagination is innate!"

Lu Buwei spoke passionately, and from these dots one could truly see the future of Qin, which would transform from a hegemon to a king and get rid of its reputation for violence.

He thought the king would also be inexplicably excited.

Although the king would probably not show it on the surface, as a person who had risen from humble beginnings following Prince Chu of Qin, he was confident that he could feel the king's true intentions.

For example, last night he felt that the king wanted to kill him.

But this time, he felt nothing...

The king smiled faintly, and felt the same way.

Qin Wang Zichu looked at the little boy, touched his head, and said with a smile:
"This is Gan Xiang's grandson, so smart.

"In my opinion, whether these punctuation marks are met or not, he is a child prodigy.

"Grow up quickly with the Prime Minister, and I will grant you the position of Shangqing in advance."

Gan Luo raised his head and saw that the King of Qin was even thinner than his master, much thinner.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"Good boy." Qin Zichu praised him and said, "One day your slave will sit at the same table with you. Will you be happy?"

"I'm not happy." The little boy said innocently, "They are lowly and unworthy."

"You are so good." The King of Qin praised him and looked at Lu Buwei: "Sir, do you understand? Even cattle and horses cannot eat with people, let alone slaves?"

Lu Buwei swallowed his saliva and spoke with difficulty:
“Not slaves, but common people, human beings.

"The academy will not accept slaves. The minimum amount is 100."

"Same." Before Lü Buwei could finish, Prince Chu of Qin interrupted him and looked at Gan Luo with a smile: "If I let you study with the butcher's son, would you be happy?"

Lu Buwei stared at Gan Luo intently, his heart beating wildly.

The little boy seemed to sense his master's nervousness and wanted to look back.

Qin Wang Zichu put his big hand on the back of the child's head, blocking the child's sight, and urged:

"Happy?"

The boy had no instructions from his master, so he could only tell the truth:

“Not happy.”

The King of Qin asked:

"Why?"

"Isn't it a shame to study in the same classroom with the son of a butcher?"

The King of Qin looked at the Prime Minister.

Lu Buwei, who came from a merchant family, bowed respectfully:

"Your Majesty... understands..." His voice was both difficult and hoarse.

"Haha." Qin Wang Zichu hugged his confidant's shoulder and said, "Since the academy cannot be established, the government must inform the public. I will draft an edict and order the officials to add punctuation when writing memorials. This way, both you and I can feel much more relaxed!"

Yan State, Ji, and the Palace of the King of Yan.

King Xi of Yan was very angry when he learned that Le Jian had secretly run away to Zhao State.

He had just held a grand banquet for the great sage Chang'an Jun at the Golden Terrace, and was waiting for the wise men from all over the world to flock to the event to restore the glory of Dayan during the reign of King Zhao.

You, Lejian, are running away from the State of Yan at this time. Isn't this a slap in the face of King Xi of Yan?

He called a court meeting and was furious in the court.

"Take away Le Jian's title! Destroy the palace of Lord Changguo! Kill, kill, kill, kill!"

Five consecutive words of "kill" fully express the King of Yan's anger.

The idea of ​​Prince Dan of Yan to advise was killed, and the intention of those who were friendly with Le Jian to advise was killed.

When all the ministers were silent and dared not speak, a child stood up.

Yan Xiangbang Ying Chengjiao stood up from his chair and shouted angrily:

"My Yan State's Shangqing Le Yi is in Zhao State's Handan.

"Lord Changguo went to Zhao just to see his father, what crime did he commit?
"Is it an unforgivable sin to see one's parents? Doesn't the king have parents?"

King Xi of Yan, who was furious, immediately ordered the removal of Ying Chengjiao from his position as prime minister and put him in prison.

When Xiang Xiaoyan was dragged away, he remained unyielding and incorruptible, and kept cursing the tyrant.

Before the court meeting was over, soldiers from the State of Yan broke into the palace of the Lord of Changguo.

Kill anyone you see, regardless of age.

When he saw a beautiful woman alone, he raped her and then killed her.

Starting from Yue Yi, the Yue family prospered from King Zhao of Yan to King Xi of Yan, and lasted for four generations of Kings of Yan until its demise.

Among the ministers of Yan State, some were happy and some were worried.

In the evening, King Xi of Yan pardoned Ying Chengjiao and restored him to his position as prime minister.

There were gusts of cold wind and a howling chill.

The Yan Xiang Ying Chengjiao, who regained his freedom, stood on the steps of Changguo Jun's Mansion, and with trembling hands, he pushed open the door that was half stained with blood.

This opening was like opening the gate to hell.

In the corner, there was a beautiful woman with her hair loose and naked body, with dark red ice beneath her.

Seven or eight naked bodies were piled together in the yard, and the intestines that had flowed out of their stomachs had frozen into a lump.

Three steps diagonally in front of him, two children who were about the same height as Ying Chengjiao were lying together. They seemed to have been knocked to the ground during a chase, and they were also naked.

Clothes are also money.

The emperor and his ministers looked down on it, but the soldiers fought for it.

The young man raised his feet with difficulty, stepped on the red ice, and walked inward.

Snow fell again, falling on the boy's head and shoulders.

In the courtyard, under the old tree.

An old man with white hair and white clothes was sitting there, quietly looking at the young man in the wind and snow.

The old man was lying among the dead in the Changguo Palace, motionless and silent, as if he was also a dead man.

The boy didn't notice the old man.

Gai Nie, who was secretly protecting the young man, did not notice the old man either.

Palace of Prince Yan, Pleasure Hall.

Snow was falling outside the palace and heat was rising inside.

In the hall, Prince Xi of Yan sat on a chair, put the wine he had drunk on the corner of the table, and threw out a jade card.

"Nine cakes!"

The table was in the center of the hall, with beauties all around it.

The beauties were plump and thin, each holding a copper tube, swinging their sleeves and taking off their clothes with seductive smiles.

Less than a month had passed since Lian Po withdrew his troops, and the Yan State's high-ranking officials were already enjoying themselves, and were all praising the Prime Minister.

The next day, King Yan just woke up.

He had just sat up, his arm still on the breast of the beauty beside him, and the eunuch ordered him to report hurriedly.

"Prime Minister Ying resigned and left, and his whereabouts are unknown!"

King Xi of Yan was shocked and panicked, a hundred times more than he was the day before when he learned that Le Jian had left.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Damn it!"

He went from panic to anger and cut off the eunuch's order with a sword.

The eunuch ordered him to die with his eyes open.

He had received the news a long time ago, but because the Changguo Palace had been raided and executed, he was afraid of disturbing the king's rest and getting killed, so he did not dare to wake the king up.

Even if you are extremely cautious, you still cannot escape death.

King Xi of Yan raised his sword and immediately gave the order:

"Move all the horses in Jizhong to chase after Xiangbang! Block all checkpoints in the country! Bring Xiangbang back at all costs!"

He can live without Lejian, but he cannot live without Xiaoyan!
[Note 1: The word "judu" comes from Han Yu's "On Teachers" in the Tang Dynasty. It can be roughly understood as a sentence break. I looked up the meaning of the two words and think that they may have appeared in an early period.]

【Note 2: The first explanation I learned for this sentence was - learning and reviewing often, isn't it very happy? I personally disagree with this, because learning is not a happy thing, and reviewing is even less happy. People who can get happiness from learning are really rare. I consulted the ancient Chinese dictionary and combined it with Confucius' teaching students in accordance with their aptitude, and gave the explanation in the text. The knowledge learned can be used at a certain moment, and that moment is happiness. I thought it was my original idea, but after checking, I found that scholars had already proposed it. 】

【Note 3: This sentence may be difficult to understand. Let me give you an example. For example, you are leading the game, but your teammates say that you can do nothing but steal kills and criticize you for playing badly. Would you be angry? If you are not angry at this time, you are a gentleman.】

　Resume updates.

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(End of this chapter)