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

Goodness, he already has a godson.

I've heard that recognizing a father is a custom in the palace, and there are many rules involved. I wonder which old eunuch was Zhao Gao's godfather.

Cao Ze had been to Ying Zheng's study many times and knew the way very well.

Stop.

A royal guard, clad in full armor and with his face covered in sturdy armor, stepped forward and blocked Cao Ze's path as he attempted to ascend the steps.

"What's the matter?" Cao Ze looked at the Imperial Guard and asked with some doubt.

"Has the king issued a summons?"

The royal guard asked in a very formal and methodical manner.

Cao Ze felt that the Imperial Guard's voice sounded somewhat familiar.

He said, "I have already had the eunuch consult the king."

This was the first time he had encountered such a situation; previously, he had simply climbed the steps without anyone stopping him.

"Is this brother someone who has just been transferred here?"

Cao Ze then asked.

Before the first imperial guard could answer, another imperial guard ran over from a short distance away and said, "Zhang Han, why are you stopping Mr. Cao Ze?"

Zhang Han was slightly taken aback, not expecting that the person in front of him would be Cao Ze.

He quickly clasped his hands in greeting and said, "Sir, please forgive my rudeness."

Cao Ze paused slightly. No wonder the voice sounded familiar. If it weren't for the Qin army's overly luxurious equipment, with their faces covered in armor, he would definitely have recognized them.

"It's alright..." Cao Ze casually asked, "When was General Zhang Han transferred here?"

"I dare not accept such a title. Zhang Han is merely a common soldier. How could I dare to be called a general? Wouldn't that be beneath my dignity?" Zhang Han mistakenly thought Cao Ze was mocking him and hurriedly said, "I was just transferred here the day before yesterday and did not recognize you, sir. I hope you will not take offense."

Cao Ze smiled. He had forgotten that the current Zhang Han was not the Zhang Han of the future. Calling Zhang Han, who held no important position, a general was indeed a bit too much and could easily lead to misunderstandings.

"I misspoke. Brother Zhang Han, please continue to stand guard with your swords."

Cao Ze patted Zhang Han on the shoulder and encouraged him, "I have high hopes for you."

No matter how powerful Zhang Han becomes in the future, or even if he is called the man who almost saved the Qin state, he is currently just a minor character in the royal palace.

What might seem impressive to ordinary people is just commonplace to him.

Cao Ze's words were overheard by some of the imperial guards on duty, who all looked at Zhang Han with envy.

If they had known about this good thing, they would have jumped out to stop Cao Ze long ago.

Ying Zheng remained unchanged, browsing through official documents and letters from various regions in his study.

Gai Nie was sitting upright, constantly copying something onto the blank bamboo slips.

"The gentleman is a little later than usual."

Ying Zheng put down the scroll and said with a smile.

Cao Ze bowed and said, "I was stopped by a guard outside the palace gate, which is why I am a little late."

He then suddenly added, "I believe this man has the talent of a general; Your Majesty should keep an eye on him."

"Oh?" Ying Zheng's interest was piqued; this was the first time Cao Ze had recommended someone to him.

Do you know your name?

Cao Ze said, "His surname is Zhang and his given name is Han. Judging from his accent, he should be from Xianyang."

Ying Zheng asked Gai Nie, "Do you know anything about this Zhang Han?"

As Ying Zheng's chief attendant, Gai Nie was well aware of the guards who came to protect the palace.

“He comes from a respectable family in Xianyang. Three generations of his family have served in the military. His grandfather was once a nobleman, but by Zhang Han’s generation, the family had fallen into decline.”

Ying Zheng nodded. Many of the imperial guards in the palace were from respectable families with clean records and meritorious service to the Qin state. Their descendants were granted entry into the palace through their influence. If Zhang Han's generation did not achieve anything, then the next generation would not have such good fortune.

"Well, since you've spoken, I'll take a good look and see if you can be given an important position and shoulder great responsibilities."

He had great faith in Cao Ze's judgment.

If Zhang Han had the ability, he wouldn't mind making good use of this person who had no ties with any faction and whose family background was clean.

Cao Ze asked, "Your Majesty, how much silver do you have now?"

Ying Zheng said, "I was just about to tell you this. The silver mine has already extracted 20,000 taels of silver. But if so much silver were to circulate among the people as currency, would it cause unrest?"

Cao Ze smiled and said, "Your Majesty need not worry. As I mentioned before, we can first proceed cautiously, choosing one county or city to try it out. We can identify shortcomings, make improvements, and only after it is perfected can we adopt the silver standard to anchor value."

"Alright, I'll leave this matter to you. As for the location..."

Ying Zheng paused for a moment, then said, "Let's make it Chang'an County, Chengjiao's fiefdom."

Cao Ze didn't care about that; he only cared about getting the money and making a cage.

After use, melt down the cage and turn it into silver.

He didn't think about embezzling; it was unnecessary.

As the future president of Daqin Bank and head of silver, he has nothing to lack.

After discussing this matter, Ying Zheng asked, "Lord Changping said that you intend to try something about Lü Buwei. How should you do it?"

He takes this matter very seriously. Whether he can successfully reclaim power after he comes of age and assumes personal rule next year depends on whether he can successfully deal with Lü Buwei.

Cao Ze pondered for a moment and said, "Before we begin, I would like to ask Your Majesty whether Lü Buwei should be killed or not."

Ying Zheng was momentarily stunned, inexplicably recalling his youth when Lü Buwei taught him to read, helped him stabilize the Qin state, and resisted alliances of other states; the scenes of their relationship, like that of father and son, between ruler and subject...

Should he kill him...? When Cao Ze presented him with this question, he fell silent.

Cao Ze was very patient and remained silent, waiting for Ying Zheng to speak.

He believed that Ying Zheng would make the decision befitting an emperor, even though he was still young.

At this moment, Gai Nie put down his pen and looked at the young king just like Cao Ze.

"If a ruler treats his subjects like his own hands and feet, then the subjects will treat the ruler like their own heart and soul; if a ruler treats his subjects like dogs and horses, then the subjects will treat the ruler like a stranger; if a ruler treats his subjects like dirt and weeds, then the subjects will treat the ruler like an enemy..."

After a long while, Ying Zheng seemed to be talking to himself, or explaining, as he recited a passage from Mencius, Book 4, Part 2.

"vice versa."

Ying Zheng stared at Cao Ze and gave his choice.

"He deserves to die! He must die!"

Cao Ze cupped his hands and said, "Your subject understands."

Ying Zheng did not disappoint him; or rather, this is what a qualified king should be like.

Anyone who dares to obstruct the ruler's rule is an enemy.

Moreover, Lü Buwei had attempted assassination multiple times, so it was impossible for him to be let go easily.

Ying Zheng took a deep breath. "Give him some face."

Is that why you gave him a cup of poisoned wine...? Cao Ze should step down.

He ordered his men to deliver all the silver to his residence.

It's a pity that these silver coins no longer have monetary value; otherwise, he would have become incredibly wealthy.

Cao Ze put the silver away and went directly to the best blacksmith shop in Xianyang.

After the conversation, Cao Ze felt a little numb.

Silver is difficult to draw into threads. Even if everyone in the blacksmith shop did nothing, according to his requirements, it would probably take until the end of the year to finish drawing the threads.

Cao Ze left the blacksmith shop silently.

It won't be finished until the end of the year. By then, he'll be able to break through to the half-step Grandmaster level on his own. Why would he need this thing?

I never expected to stumble at this step.

Although silver is more malleable than copper, the smelting techniques during the Warring States period were all based on copper and modified from it.

Just as Cao Ze was pondering a solution, he saw several Mohist disciples dressed in black and white robes enter an inn.

"The Mohist school...mechanical arts..."

"Mechanical arts... Gongshu Chou..."

Cao Ze's eyes lit up. How could he have forgotten that the Gongshu family was still in Xianyang?

This isn't Handan; it's hard to find someone who understands mechanical arts here.

You're the one, husband loses!

……

Chapter 416 Han Fei's Reforms

The Gongshu family's headquarters were located in the Xianyang Armory.

The Xianyang Arsenal was not located within the city of Xianyang, but rather in an unnamed village on a northwestern highland near Xianyang.

Besides the artisans who forge iron and smelt copper to make swords, spears, halberds, armor, bows, and crossbows, the town is also home to a thousand elite soldiers from the Lantian Camp, known as the Qin Elite Warriors, the Black Iron Armor Army.

Like the Wei Wuzu, Qi Jiji, Zhao Bianqi, and Han Jinnu, they were renowned throughout the seven kingdoms.

In terms of combat effectiveness, the elite and well-trained Black Iron Armor Army was not particularly outstanding among Qin's elite armies. It was inferior to the Dragon Tiger Cavalry and even slightly inferior to the Pingyang Heavy Armor Army.

However, in terms of overall strength, the Black Ironclad Army, numbering 100,000, was undoubtedly the Qin State's first elite legion. Elite armies stronger than the Black Ironclad Army were far fewer in number, while armies with more men were not as strong as the Black Ironclad Army.

In recent years, the Black Ironclad Army's most glorious achievement was during the Five States Alliance's attack on Qin. Facing Pang Nuan's long and circuitous attack on Xianyang, the old general Meng Ao, with only 10,000 Black Ironclad Army soldiers and more than 30,000 ordinary Qin soldiers in Zuicheng, managed to hold off Pang Nuan's 150,000-strong army for more than eight days, while suffering losses of less than one-tenth of his own.

Cao Ze went alone to the Xianyang Armory, which was known as the largest arsenal in the Qin state.

The reason he dared to come here directly was because this place did not belong to Lü Buwei's territory.

Instead, it was managed by Lord Changping, which was also the source of Lord Changping's confidence in his secret rivalry with Lü Buwei, and it could basically eliminate the possibility of Lü Buwei interfering.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have ventured into this place so easily.

Cao Ze arrived outside the armory and was stopped by a small squad of scouts from the Black Iron Armor Army.