People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

Ying Zheng's hawk-like eyes narrowed slightly. "Is this true?"

Lü Buwei resolutely replied, "If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may personally review the records."

Ying Zheng pondered for a long time, "He's just an assassin..."

For someone as talented as him, simply turning one of the assassins from the Luo Wang organization against him is not enough to make him give up.

Lü Buwei said slowly, "Your Majesty has never met Cao Ze and does not know whether he is good or bad, friend or foe."

"Couldn't Your Majesty consider why Cao Ze would try to win over a top assassin from the Luo Wang organization? Why did he choose to join Zhao after entering Guanzhong? And why did he present the 'On the Six States' and 'Centralization of Power' to the King of Zhao?"

"Does Cao Ze not even have the slightest thought of serving the State of Zhao?"

He didn't choose to directly smear Cao Ze, as that would be too low-level. Instead, he gradually guided others to think what he wanted them to think, which would make the other party more convinced of his point of view.

Ying Zheng subconsciously said, "He has been in Zhao for a long time, but he still hasn't entered the Zhao court. Instead, he chooses to lecture at the Hundred Schools Forum every day..."

Lü Buwei sneered, "Is Your Majesty certain that this man is not merely seeking fame and fortune, but plotting something even greater?"

He knows this script very well.

His ancestors were known for fishing, and more recently, he was known for his ability to profit from rare commodities.

Do they really think he, the prime minister, fell from the sky?

Ying Zheng fell into deep thought.

Although he tended to believe that Cao Ze's ambitions lay not in Zhao, which is why he did not enter the Zhao court but chose to teach in the countryside.

But despite this, just as Zhongfu said, he ultimately did not understand Cao Ze.

All I know is what I've learned through intelligence.

Unfortunately, Cao Ze was in Handan, the capital of Zhao. If he were in Xinzheng, the capital of Han, he would have had to risk meeting him.

Alas, alas...

Only then did Ying Zheng completely abandon the idea of ​​going to Zhao to see Cao Ze.

It was both worthwhile and not worthwhile to go to Zhao for this person.

It is worth risking the future of the Qin state for the sake of its eternal prosperity, but not worth sacrificing the foundation of the Qin state for a single possibility.

“Uncle, I have learned a lot.”

Lu Buwei smiled with satisfaction, but secretly thought to himself that once Yan Ri had fully recovered from his injuries, he would have him eliminate the traitor.

Whether Jing Ni lives or dies is unimportant; Cao Ze must die.

He suppressed his smile and said, "Your Majesty, let's continue with the topic we discussed some time ago—the discussion of the law."

Lü Buwei had not forgotten his ultimate goal.

Before Ying Zheng came of age and assumed personal rule in the spring of the following year, he changed Ying Zheng's ideas and promoted his own thoughts from "Lüshi Chunqiu" throughout the Qin state.

He dared to guarantee that if the Qin state fully implemented his theoretical ideas, it would definitely be able to unify the seven states and build a foundation for an everlasting dynasty.

Ying Zheng stopped thinking about Cao Ze.

He hasn't taken full power yet; he's chosen to wait and see how Cao Ze behaves in the Zhao state.

Should he continue lecturing outside the government, or seize the opportunity to enter Zhao Ting and rise to power?

“Yesterday, my father said, ‘If there is no law in governing a country, it will be in chaos; if one adheres to the law without changing it, it will be perverse; and if there is perverse chaos, one cannot maintain a country.’ He also said, ‘If there are no punishments in a country, the people will immediately begin to harm each other.’ These words demonstrate that the law is the foundation of a country, and I deeply agree with them.”

Upon hearing Ying Zheng mention his words in the "Mengqiu Ji: Dangbing" chapter, Lü Buwei laughed and said, "It's just old news."

"Today, this old minister will speak to Your Majesty about 'following the example of Queen Dowager'."

Ying Zheng straightened his posture and said, "Uncle, please speak."

Lü Buwei said: "In the chapter 'Shen Da Lan: Cha Jin', I once said, 'Why does Your Majesty not follow the laws of the former kings? It is not because you are not wise, but because it is impossible to follow them.'"

"Therefore, regardless of the size of the law, it is necessary to keep pace with the times and change according to the circumstances. Otherwise, it will become a laughing stock like 'marking the boat to find the sword'."

Ying Zheng nodded slightly and said, "The 'Five Vermin' mentions, 'If someone were to construct wood and drill fire in the Xia Dynasty, they would surely be laughed at by Gun and Yu; if someone were to dredge rivers in the Yin and Zhou Dynasties, they would surely be laughed at by Tang and Wu. Therefore, if someone were to praise the ways of Yao, Shun, Tang, Wu, and Yu in the present age, they would surely be laughed at by the new sage.'"

"Han Feizi advocates 'not following the ancient ways, nor adhering to the constant rules,' which is similar in principle to Zhongfu's saying 'marking the boat to find the sword.'"

"I think this is why Uncle Zhong wanted to promote the theory of 'righteous army' in the country."

Lu Buwei was secretly pleased and couldn't help but laugh, saying, "Exactly."

He knew that it was impossible to instantly transform Ying Zheng into the person he wanted, so he chose to proceed gradually.

His "Theory of Righteous Army" is one of his achievements.

He was greatly gratified to see that Ying Zheng was gradually accepting the methods he had proposed.

This move was not a mistake.

Ying Zheng did indeed favor Han Fei, or more precisely, he favored the 'law'.

He approached the issue with the concept of 'law,' which indeed made Ying Zheng different from before, creating a conflict of ideas between them.

However, Ying Zheng's shrewdness made him somewhat uneasy.

I don't know if I can deceive everyone and leave no trace, like a wild goose leaving its footprints in the snow, so as not to arouse Ying Zheng's vigilance or alarm.

"It seems Your Majesty has come to understand that the law is the foundation of the state. Then this old minister will continue to explain to Your Majesty how the Qin state governs according to law."

After Lü Buwei uttered the words "rule of law," he couldn't help but tense up and stared at Ying Zheng without moving.

Ying Zheng seemed oblivious to anything amiss, and smiled at Lü Buwei, saying, "It seems Uncle Zhong is about to serve the main course."

Lu Buwei was not wary when he saw Ying Zheng, realizing that he was somewhat overreacting because of the previous ideological conflict with Ying Zheng.

He was, after all, the King of Qin's uncle, and had devoted himself to assisting Ying Yiren.

Even though Ying Zheng knew about the rumors between him and Zhao Ji, he still respected him as his "uncle".

He shouldn't have the idea of ​​treating Ying Zheng as an enemy.

Thinking of this, Lü Buwei's heart stirred.

At this critical juncture, he absolutely could not allow any more bad rumors to spread about him and Zhao Ji, otherwise it would cause Ying Zheng to develop a dislike for him, and it would be difficult for him to change Ying Zheng's opinion.

Thinking of Zhao Ji's capricious nature, coupled with his own declining health year by year, Lü Buwei had a headache.

He couldn't help but wonder if he should find someone to replace him.

"Father Zhong, Father Zhong..."

"Ah, Your Majesty..."

When Ying Zheng saw Lü Buwei come back to his senses, he asked, "What are you thinking about, Uncle? Why are you so lost in thought?"

Lü Buwei twitched the corner of his mouth, bowed to Ying Zheng, and said with a smile, "I was just thinking about how to talk to Your Majesty about 'rule of law' and I was a little distracted. Please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Ying Zheng waved his hand and said, "It's alright. We have been ruler and subject for many years, so there's no need to be so formal."

“Let’s continue explaining how to ‘rule the country according to law’.”

"Very well, this old minister will now speak."

……

Cao Ze hummed a little tune as he walked through the slowly melting snow in the inner city of Handan.

The Snow Woman is quite easy to coax.

However, the thought of Xue Nu's promise to leave with him when he left Zhao gave him a headache.

If this girl saw Li Wu and Jing Ni holding Xiao Yan'er, she would immediately become a jealous vortex.

Never mind, we'll see when the time comes.

there's always a solution to any problem.

Since things have come to this, let's go home and feed our baby salamanders first.

Hopefully, Princess Yafei will lend a hand.

Chapter 174 Achieving "One Rule" through "Rectification of Names"

Cao Ze returned to Qingping Residence.

Li Wu was teasing Xiao Yan'er with her finger in the courtyard.

Xiao Yan'er was wrapped up tightly, looking like a caterpillar.

Faced with Li Wu's pointing fingers, Xiao Yan'er babbled and lay on her back, as if she wanted to fight Li Wu to the death.

Cao Ze withdrew his gaze and stealthily walked into the inner room.

Li Wu didn't even glance at Cao Ze, who was trying to slip away from behind her, and casually tossed a small bundle containing items behind her.

Cao Ze took it, opened it, and exclaimed in surprise, "This is... a golden robe?"

How many hours has it been?

Wang Dachui then pulled the gold into threads and found the Sun family shop to make the gold-threaded garment.

Li Wu picked up Xiao Yan'er, who was lying on her back, and said to Cao Ze, "What golden thread robe? This is a golden silkworm robe, made of silk spun by a special kind of golden silkworm."

Cao Ze weighed it in his hand; it was very light, so it was definitely not sewn with gold thread.

He asked in surprise, "Where did it come from?"

Li Wu rolled her eyes at Cao Ze and said, "Jing Ni made it."

"Now that you're a celebrity, she was worried you might be assassinated and accidentally die out there, so she spent the last three or four months meticulously sewing this up. The golden silkworm silk was personally nurtured by Jing Ni with her inner strength for a period of time, making it even more resilient than other golden silkworm silk."

Cao Ze was taken aback, and recalling Jing Ni's experience of learning needlework on the grasslands, he suddenly understood.

Thinking back to how I used to tease Jingni for being clumsy, I couldn't help but feel ashamed.

For the past few months, he hadn't paid attention to what Jingni had been doing, assuming she was just making clothes for Xiaoyan'er.

Seeing that he was stunned, Li Wu continued, "Don't be too careless. This thing has limited defensive capabilities. At most, it can block some hidden weapons. It's not very useful in a head-on confrontation."

"Yes, that's enough."

Cao Ze nodded and looked at Jing Ni, who was sewing spring clothes by the dim light of the daylight by the wooden window in the inner room.

Her beautiful face exuded tranquility, seemingly radiating a magical power that gradually calmed the mind.