People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 567, Prioritizing the Overall Situation
"Lord Zhaoming, what exactly are you plotting with the King?"

Lord Weiyang looked at Xu Qing with a heart full of doubt and asked.

Although his talents were not particularly outstanding, he still possessed a basic political instinct. Xu Qing knew in advance that Zheng Guo was a spy, but he remained silent and did not act on it, even when someone deliberately used this matter to provoke dissatisfaction among the royal family.

This made Lord Weiyang realize that Xu Qing was definitely playing a big game behind the scenes.

Before answering your question, I have a question I'd like to ask you: what do you think are the real destabilizing factors within the Qin state?

Xu Qing put away her smile and asked calmly.

The real destabilizing factor?

Lord Weiyang was taken aback at first, then his brows furrowed. Although Xu Qing’s tone was very calm, he still felt an invisible pressure.

"Scholars?" Lord Weiyang said in a deep voice.

Although it was somewhat inappropriate to say that scholars were an unstable factor in front of Xu Qing, who was the new leader of the scholars, Lord Weiyang still chose to follow his heart.

"The reason you think the scholars are an unstable factor is simply because you believe they are not loyal to Qin, but rather outsiders who come to Qin for fame and fortune. Once they lose their fame and fortune, they will abandon Qin and leave."

"In addition, the court was filled with retainers of Marquis Wenxin, Lü Buwei, and these retainers, though Qin officials, were even more loyal to their lord because of their status as retainers."

"Are these the two main reasons why the imperial family was hostile to the scholar-official faction?"

Xu Qing sat upright at the table, staring intently at Wei Yangjun, as if a sharp blade had sliced ​​open the other man's chest, revealing his truest thoughts.

Lord Weiyang's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, feeling embarrassed that Xu Qing had seen through his thoughts so easily.

His opposition to the scholar-officials was not because he felt that power should rightfully be in the hands of the imperial clan, but because the scholar-officials were not loyal enough. Therefore, the power must be in the hands of the imperial clan, even if the members of the imperial clan were of poor quality and completely incapable of handling state affairs.

However, compared to the Qin state becoming a second Jiang Qi, the temporary decline in national strength seems insignificant.

“Yes, that is indeed what I think,” Lord Weiyang said in a deep voice.

"Actually, you are worrying too much about these two questions. People are all driven by profit and fame. Even if you are not a scholar from one of the six states, aren't you here to serve as an official for fame and fortune? How many members of the royal family can put the greater good of Qin above fame and fortune?"

Xu Qing looked at Lord Weiyang, whose expression had changed slightly, and continued...

"The words 'fame and fortune' can tempt people, but they can also hold them back. At present, the Qin state is the strongest in the world, and its momentum to unify the world by expanding eastward is evident. Although not all the scholars of the six states are intelligent, most of them know how to seek good fortune and avoid misfortune."

"With a powerful nation serving us, why should we compromise with a weak one? Besides, the world will eventually belong to Qin. No matter how much these scholars change their minds, where can they go?"

"It's just that their selfishness outweighs their public good. But Qin has laws and the people have morality, which is enough to extinguish most people's improper thoughts. Even if they do, we can use systems and methods to eliminate these parasites."

"As for the issue of retainers, why do retainers exist? It is because the world has been in chaos for a long time, and countries have been fighting each other endlessly. In order to strengthen the country, they recruited talents, and thus the practice of cultivating retainers came about."

"If in the future only the Qin state remains in the world, and the only ruler of the world is the current king, and there are no other feudal lords, then even if there are 'retainers,' they will still have to be loyal to the king."

Listening to Xu Qing's explanation, Lord Weiyang knew that what he said made sense, but how could his understanding, formed over many years, be changed by a few words from Xu Qing? "Do you really believe these scholars so much?" Lord Weiyang asked.

"It's not about trusting them, but about their abilities being worthy of Qin's trust. The loyalty or treachery, the wisdom or incompetence of a subject are not determined by the subject himself, but by the king," Xu Qing said with a sigh.

Truly selfless people are a tiny minority. Most people have their own selfish desires, especially when they have power, they will unconsciously lean towards their selfish desires.

Therefore, this requires both the monarch's skill in managing people and the legal system to nip problems in the bud.

As for retainers, once the Qin state unified China and centralized power, the retainer system naturally declined and they were replaced by advisors.

“I naturally trust Your Majesty’s ability to manage people,” Lord Weiyang said, looking at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing looked at Lord Weiyang in front of him. He knew that the other party had listened to his words, but the reasons he gave were not enough to move the other party.

It seems he has no choice but to come up with his last excuse; he originally planned to wait until the conflict erupted before using it.

"In the past, the Qin state sought to strengthen its borders, and Duke Mu of Qin sought out wise men to strengthen the state. He obtained You Yu from the Western Rong, Baili Xi from Wan, Jian Shu from Song, and Pi Bao from Jin."

"King Zhaoxiang obtained Fan Ju, deposed Marquis Rang, exiled Lord Huayang, strengthened state power, eliminated powerful families, and gradually encroached on the other states, enabling Qin to achieve imperial power. All four of these rulers relied on the merits of their guest ministers."

"Without guest advisors, could Qin truly have achieved its current prosperity and strength? It is a fact that Qin's culture and virtue are lacking, and its royal family is a mixed bag. Does Qin intend to ignore the readily available capable people and instead use mediocre ones?"

Xu Qing's tone suddenly became serious, and he spoke with intonation.

Faced with Xu Qing's sharp words, Lord Weiyang was speechless. He knew that what the other party said was true, and he was powerless to refute it.

"So, after all you've said, if the unstable factor in Qin is the scholar-official, then what is it?" Lord Weiyang changed the subject.

"Don't you think the power of the Qin's maternal relatives is too great now? The scholars of the six states come from various states, but most of them are of commoner origin or from a few clans. As for the maternal relatives, you should know their backgrounds, right?" Xu Qing said.

Lord Weiyang's expression darkened. He naturally understood what Xu Qing was talking about. At present, the only people in Qin who could be called relatives of the emperor were relatives of the Chu people.

The foreign relatives of Chu were not like those of Han and Zhao in the past. The latter were called foreign relatives, but they were also groups of scholars. However, the foreign relatives of Chu were different. They were composed of the Mi clan.

Especially after the accumulation of power by King Huiwen, King Wu, and King Zhaoxiang, the Mi surname became integrated with the Qin royal family through bloodline.

Even though King Zhaoxiang abolished the Four Nobles and suppressed the Chu foreign relatives in his later years, the Chu foreign relatives still followed him like a shadow and could not be completely driven out of Qin. Now, in just over a decade, the Chu foreign relatives have become powerful again.

"Are you and the King dealing with the foreign relatives of Chu?" Lord Weiyang asked, frowning.

"No single faction in the court should be too powerful. I control the scholars, and there is a distinction between scholars from various schools of thought and commoners, so there is no need to worry. The royal family is of one mind with Your Majesty, so there is no need to worry. The native Qin faction is not strong enough, so we can support them."

"Only the foreign relatives of Chu are mostly from the Mi clan, branches of the Chu royal family, and we must be wary of them."

Xu Qing nodded slightly and began to explain.

(End of this chapter)