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

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "Where I want to go is none of his business."

Hu Meiren pouted and said, "He's the King of Han, and what about you? Without Han, you're nothing."

Cao Ze didn't explain, but held Hu Meiren's waist and sighed, "What about the King of Han, the King of Qin, or even the Zhou Emperor? After a hundred years, we'll all be nothing but a handful of dust."

Hu Meiren was embraced by Cao Ze, her jade-like face slightly flushed. Her alabaster skin shone brightly in the sunlight streaming through the window, making her look like a snow-white flower, extremely beautiful.

She struggled slightly, lowered her eyes, and her brows and eyes held a hint of spring.

"Who in this world can live forever? No matter how talented you are, you will eventually succumb to the passage of time."

Hu Meiren said with a touch of sadness, “People say that time can never defeat a beauty, but what beauty can withstand the power of time?”

Cao Ze's expression remained unchanged. "Perhaps."

He will definitely come to South Korea again at that time.

The secret of Xuannv Peak is probably not so simple.

Based on the clues he obtained, it would probably require a considerable amount of manpower.

This is why he didn't insist and instead went to the Qin state first.

Compared to the power of nature, the power of an individual is still too insignificant.

Hu Meiren, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz, said softly, "Could you...could you let me go first? I'm suffocating."

Cao Ze suddenly realized that he had subconsciously used force, while Hu Meiren was just a beauty who had not cultivated herself.

"I'm sorry." Cao Ze released his hand and apologized naturally.

This gave Hu Meisheng a unique experience, a subtle and indescribable feeling of being moved.

She leaned slightly towards Cao Ze and chuckled softly, "What are you apologizing for? Do you think I'd eat you?"

Hu Meiren's every move exuded a captivating charm, causing Cao Ze, who was used to seeing beautiful women, to catch his breath and feel a surge of desire.

These sisters-in-law are no pushovers.

"Ahem." Cao Ze said in a serious tone, "Time is limited, let's get down to business first."

"After I leave tomorrow, try your best to get Madam Hu to stay with you. If you need any help, you can go to Yingge and just mention my name."

Hu Meiren's alluring gaze vanished, and she frowned, asking, "My sister...is she in danger?"

Cao Ze shook his head: "It's just taking precautions. Ji Wuye and the King of Han are currently locked in a fierce battle, and they will inevitably clash again soon. Nongyu is safe in Zilan Pavilion, so there's no need to worry about her safety. But your sister is all alone, and if Ji Wuye finds out, things might change. It would be best to let her come to the palace to keep you company."

Hu Meiren was tempted. Ever since Han Fei ascended the throne, she had wanted her sister to come to the palace and live with her.

But her sister declined because of Nongyu.

"Okay, I understand. I will let my sister enter the palace."

Cao Ze gently hugged Hu Meiren and said, "See you another day."

Hu Meiren felt a little awkward and snorted, "Stop being so coy, you big man. If you're going to leave, leave quickly and come back soon."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Okay."

Seeing Cao Ze leave alone, Hu Meiren felt a little melancholy.

My sister is so lucky. I wish she had met Cao Ze first.

Hu Meiren's mind was in turmoil. For some reason, she suddenly hoped that Cao Ze could rise to a high position in Qin and snatch her and her sister away from this boring and suffocating palace.

Outside the hall, Jing Ni held the Jing Ni sword, her clear and gentle eyes sweeping over Cao Ze.

"Are you done talking?"

"That's all."

"Walk?"

"Let's go."

……

Chapter 360 Using Culture

Night fell, the moonlight was like frost, hanging in the sky, and a few stars appeared and disappeared intermittently.

The trees are lush and green, and wisps of smoke and mist swirl among the branches and leaves like a dream. The occasional chirping of insects makes the mountain forest seem even more quiet and desolate.

The rumbling of carts broke the silence of the moonlight.

A convoy of vehicles slowly passed by on a path at the foot of the mountain.

At the beginning of the Shen hour, after Ying Zheng had slept well, Li Si took the opportunity to suggest that he abandon the Qin soldiers beside him and go ahead first to avoid trouble between Han and Luo Wang.

Thus, the scene of traveling under the cover of night came about.

“Wusui is located southwest of Xinzheng, more than 400 li away from here. At our speed, it will take about three days.”

As Ying Zheng's close attendant and personal groom, Gai Nie estimated the time after looking at the map.

If it weren't for Ying Zheng and Li Si, with their strength, they could have made it there in half a day to a day.

Inside the carriage, Ying Zheng grunted in agreement. "Gai Nie, you arrange the route. I trust you."

After saying that, Ying Zheng continued to ask Cao Ze for his understanding of "the system of elder statesmen, the republic, capitalism, and constitutional monarchy" while inside the carriage.

Cao Ze glanced out through the carriage curtain out of the corner of his eye; the night was deep.

Zi Nu was intentionally avoiding him, and he felt somewhat regretful that he couldn't have a long chat with her before leaving.

"The so-called senator system, also known as the head of state system, is a system that my teacher heard about during his travels in the West, and its..."

As the sound of the carriage rolling on the ground filled the air, Cao Ze explained to Ying Zheng, bit by bit, the various systems and the conditions under which these systems came into being.

Ying Zheng listened with great interest and was deeply inspired. Even at dawn the next day, he was still asking Cao Ze for advice with great enthusiasm.

Finally, he sighed and said, "So the impact of productivity is so great and so profound."

"No wonder the seven states are now stronger than the states of the Spring and Autumn Period, and the states of the Spring and Autumn Period were stronger than the Xia and Shang dynasties recorded in history."

"This is something I have always overlooked when reading history books. It was only after meeting you, sir, that I was able to see the light of day."

Cao Ze nodded slightly and said, "Your Majesty's ability to draw inferences from one instance is indeed correct."

Although the population growth during the Warring States period was not significant compared to that during the Spring and Autumn period, it was due to the tens or even hundreds of thousands of deaths and injuries caused by the constant fighting among the various states.

During the Spring and Autumn Period, there were no such brutal battles. Back then, people viewed things from a futuristic perspective, which was no different from children playing house.

Ying Zheng said, “No wonder you always say that the Seven Kingdoms are small and the world is vast. But no matter how vast the world is, it needs to be measured step by step. Compared to the Seven Kingdoms, the other kingdoms have different languages ​​and writing systems, and their thoughts and beliefs are even more unique. It will not be easy to conquer and unify them and make them my subjects.”

Cao Ze smiled faintly: "Does Your Majesty know the word 'culture'?"

Ying Zheng solemnly replied, "Please instruct me, sir."

He certainly knew the meaning of the word "culture," but he also knew that Cao Ze had other intentions.

"What is 'wen'? The Book of Changes says: 'When things are mixed together, they are called wen.' 'Wen' is also a character, as in the Zuo Zhuan, Duke Zhao, Year 1: 'In the case of wen, the vessel and the insect are called gu.' One aspect of 'wen' is that it uses characters to describe things. When something is mentioned, it becomes 'wen'."

Ying Zheng seemed to understand something, but he didn't quite grasp the meaning.

"And what about 'transformation'?" Ying Zheng asked.

Cao Ze said, “What is ‘transformation’? The Book of Changes, Qian hexagram, says: ‘Goodness without boasting, virtue broad and transformative.’ Although ‘transformation’ still has other meanings, purely in terms of ‘culture,’ ‘transformation’ means ‘education.’ Does Your Majesty understand?”

Ying Zheng frowned in thought: "Does the master mean that I should use my 'cultural' abilities to educate other ethnic groups and nations into becoming my subjects?"

“That’s right, using culture as an analogy, that’s probably the principle.” Cao Ze didn’t explain much or go into too much depth to Ying Zheng.

Compared to later generations who had a comprehensive system for dealing with foreign races, modern countries haven't given this issue much thought.

The actions against other ethnic groups were mostly slaughter, enslavement, and defense, such as the Han and Chu states slaughtering the Baiyue people, and the Qin and Zhao states building the Great Wall to defend against the wolf tribe, etc.

The word "culture" may seem simple, but it carries far too many meanings.

As we have seen in the later Tang Dynasty, An Lushan, who caused the An Lushan Rebellion, was originally from one of the nine mixed non-Han ethnic groups, yet he took pride in being a Tang person and cursed all non-Han people as dog shit, thus highlighting his glory as a Tang person.

Not to mention how many people in modern times idolize foreign things and fawn over foreigners. Even if we become powerful, it won't stop some people from being willing to be free steaks, belittling Chinese men, and playing the double standard to an unparalleled degree.

And this is only what you can see on the surface.

……

Han Fei finished his morning court session.

Wei Zhuang said calmly, "They left last night. Only the Qin soldiers remain in the Qin post station."

Han Fei paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "I really want to keep them all here."

He was only thinking about it; he wouldn't dare take such a big risk before Yan Dan ascended to the throne and before the King of Wei made his stance clear.

He wanted to unite the states of Yan, Zhao, Wei, and Qin against each other, not to use the rise and fall of Han to pave the way for the three states.

Wei Zhuang remained noncommittal.

Seeing that Wei Zhuang remained silent, Han Fei paused, then said, "I'll go see my younger sister. I'll have her and Zhang Liang go to Wei in the next few days. We'll need some time to settle things in Yan. Let's stabilize things here in the Three Jin states first."

After he finished speaking, he added, "Next year, when Yan Dan ascends to the throne and the alliance of the four kingdoms is successfully formed, if I am elected as the leader of the alliance, I plan to propose that each of the four kingdoms send people, preferably some experts from various schools of thought, to reorganize the Iron Blood Alliance, to counter Qin's henchmen and network, and to carry out countermeasures, infiltration, and intelligence gathering against Qin."

"Not going to carry out an assassination?" Wei Zhuang asked with a cold laugh.

Han Fei shook his head repeatedly: "No, no, assassination is only effective for a short time, but it will cause endless harm."

"Oh? Why?" Wei Zhuang asked with interest.

Han Fei sighed, "If assassinations are carried out like the Net, using any means necessary, then why should I rebuild the Iron Blood Alliance? How are we any different from the Net?"

"Furthermore, the backlash from using assassination is severe. While our four-nation alliance is a consensus, it is also relatively fragile. If we become accustomed to assassinating enemies, then assassination methods will be transferred to the alliance itself, causing the alliance to disintegrate from the root. The disadvantages far outweigh the advantages."

"This is something I learned from a little story that Brother Cao once told me. There was an organization that didn't engage in assassinations, bribery, or seduction... It defeated countless powerful enemies by relying on a pure and shared belief. There was another organization that had the same belief, but later relied on assassinations, money, women, and other means, which eventually led to internal corruption, a change in its beliefs, rampant terrorism, and eventual disintegration."

After hearing this, Wei Zhuang was speechless for a moment.

"How come I've never heard him mention that?"

Han Fei chuckled and patted Wei Zhuang on the shoulder, "Brother Wei Zhuang, sometimes you can get unexpected benefits from drinking and bragging with others."

After patting Wei Zhuang on the shoulder, Han Fei turned and slipped away.

He was secretly pleased with himself, having achieved the feat of patting Brother Wei Zhuang on the shoulder.

Wei Zhuang's eyelids twitched slightly, and he finally let out a cold laugh.