Qin Official

In the thirty-fifth year of Qin Shihuang's reign, it was the first day of the first lunar month (October).

The top of Jieshi Mountain is cylindrical, very much like a bridge pillar reaching into the sky. Although the altitude is not high, it is the best viewing spot on the Bohai Sea. The Eastern Expedition Army's prisoner presentation ceremony was held here.

Qin Shihuang's carriage was still as grand as ever, with thousands of entourages. The emperor did not look sick, but his clothes were thicker than in previous years and there were more and more white strands on his beard. Prince Hu Hai and hundreds of civil and military officials accompanied him, and a screen was specially set up to block the bleak autumn wind. Only the side facing the sea had a wide view.

Looking from here, at the foot of Jieshi Mountain are Fusu and three thousand Qin soldiers, all wearing armor and arranged neatly. Looking further, you can have a panoramic view of the magnificent scene of the sea. The water is so vast, and the islands of different heights stand among them. The autumn wind blows, huge waves surge, and the sterns of the high-rise ships moored on the sea rise and fall...

Even the well-informed Emperor Qin Shihuang was full of praise for this magnificent scene. During this period, he looked back from time to time to take a look at Jieshi Peak, which is said to be frequented by immortals. Unfortunately, the immortals were too noisy and not even a single auspicious cloud came over.

After all, the emperor still wanted to live forever.

Hei Fu was also in the front row among the officials, but neither the person nor the scenery could arouse his interest. While he was here, his thoughts drifted to Xianyang, to the bedside of his father-in-law Ye Teng...

Ye Teng is not young. A person in his sixties has a long life in this era, even among the nobles. Although he was both civil and military, and had led troops to destroy Korea, he was assassinated by a Chu assassin when he was in Nanjun and was seriously injured, leaving hidden dangers.

The last time he went on a tour with the driver, Ye Teng couldn't climb Mount Tai, so he was carried up by a porter in the end. After returning to Xianyang, he had several minor illnesses, but they were not serious. Only this time, he was really seriously ill. He almost failed to save his life. Not only could he not accompany him, but even Tingwei's official duties had to be handled by his deputy.

Ye Teng only has an only daughter, Ye Zijin. The Ye family has sent someone to send the news to Jiaodong and arrived in Jimo about half a month ago. It's just that Heifu went to Haidong, Ye Zijin sent people to Haidong, and he came to Jieshi again, so he knew it a little late.

Just when Yang Juan told him the bad news, a little later, the person who delivered the letter at home finally caught up with Heifu. The letter was written by Ye Zijin herself. Her original beautiful handwriting was a little skewed, which showed how serious the matter was. .

"The imperial doctor Xia Wuji said that it can last up to half a year..."

This was said two months ago.

Heifu couldn't help but think of the song that Brother Tian Heng sang before his death.

"Whose land is there in the wormwood? There is no wise man or fool to gather souls.

Why does Gui Boyi urge me? Human life must be hesitant. "

Death may be the fairest thing in the world. No one, no matter wise or foolish, can escape this disaster. Ye Teng is such a shrewd person, but he cannot deceive Uncle Gui.

It's very helpless. This is what people have to face when they reach middle age. When your career reaches its peak, the previous generation will also come to an end one after another.

Heifu now only hopes to have the opportunity to see Old Man Ye one last time.

"Ye Tingwei will definitely be able to turn the crisis into safety."

At this time, a voice sounded from the side, interrupting Heifu's trance. It was an old minister who was over sixty years old, speaking with a strong Qidi accent...

Hei Fu quickly handed over his hand: "Thank you, Doctor Censor, for your concern."

This person is Mao Jiao, the newly appointed imperial censor of Qin and the third most powerful figure in the court.

This Mao Jiao was a scholar of the Qi State, but like many scholars of the Six Kingdoms, he went to the Qin State to seek development. He became a Langguan at about the same time as Li Si, and he was quite senior.

One of the most famous deeds of this person is that in the tenth year of Qin Shi Huang's reign, after the Lao Ai Rebellion was suppressed, Qin Shi Huang charioted Lao Ai, killed his two brothers, and moved his mother, the Queen Mother Zhao, out of Xianyang and imprisoned in Yongdi.

Although the Qin State was governed by the Legalists, it also advocated filial piety. The ministers thought that although the Queen Mother Zhao had a fault, she treated her biological mother as a prisoner, which was detrimental to the image of the Qin State. They successively remonstrated. The young King of Qin at that time was furious and ordered: "Anyone who dares to remonstrate with the Queen Mother will be killed." So everyone fell silent.

Only Mao Jiao, a Langguan, resolutely remonstrated. He said: "Even if the king wants to cook me, he still has to wait for the water to boil while the water is still warm. Why not listen to Mao Jiao?"

So Mao Jiao advised: "Qin is interested in the world, and the king has the reputation of moving his mother to the queen mother. I'm afraid that the princes will hear about it and double Qin's power."

He reminded Qin Shihuang that in order to take revenge on Zhao Ji, was it worth it to affect Qin's unification cause?

The King of Qin came to his senses and welcomed the Queen Mother into Yongzong into Xianyang and returned to Ganquan Palace.

Since then, Mao Jiao has been famous as an "upright man" and "a minister who dares to remonstrate".

However, when Hei Fu entered Xianyang, he overturned the boat because of his uprightness. He repeatedly suggested that Qin Shi Huang should "establish a prince early". He was disgusted and was released as a local official, so Hei Fu could not be seen.

In the years when Wang Ben first settled in Qidi, Mao Jiao, a native of Qi, served as the guard of Linzi for several years. Later, he resigned and returned to the court, which happened to be the same as Heifu who went to Jiaodong...

However, in recent years, the old officials of the Qin Dynasty have withered badly. Wang Jian, Wei Zhuang, etc. have passed away one after another. Wang Ben, in his prime, suffered from an old injury and was ill at home. The left prime minister, Wang Wan, was implicated by a Confucian scholar, so he resigned and was replaced by Feng Chang, who was in charge of etiquette.

As a result, the temples of the Qin Dynasty experienced another major reshuffle:

Li Si was still the prime minister on the right, the head of the hundred officials, and Feng Quji was promoted to the prime minister on the left.

As for the vacant Censor's Mansion, Qin Shihuang thought of Mao Jiao, an old minister who dared to tell the truth. It would be a good idea to be the Censor's doctor who supervises all officials. In the past few years, the official ranks have become extremely corrupt. Not only the local officials, but also Xianyang is also in a state of smog. It’s time to give it a try...

This time, Mao Jiao accompanied him and inspected Yan and Zhao officials all the way, which caused a lot of confusion in Youji's officialdom. Today was the first time that he met Hei Fu, but he behaved particularly friendly.

"Although His Majesty wants to follow the customs of the country, can this be achieved overnight? The most important thing in governing a place is to adapt to local conditions. The Governor Wei governs according to the customs and manages Jiaodong prosperously, which is a clear proof!"

Mao Jiao believed that Heifu used the method most suitable for the people of Qi to govern Jiaodong, so that all the people, including scholars, farmers, industry and merchants, became the backbone of the county. As a Qi people, he was very pleased with this...

But Heifu felt that Mao Jiao deliberately got close to him in public, and it might be more than that.

The two of them were still chatting about Ye Teng's condition. Mao Jiao kept lamenting the pity, and finally said: "You know, the governor of Wei County, that Ye Jun is seriously ill now. Who will take care of the affairs of the imperial office?"

Heifu responded cautiously: "The boy is at the seaside and has little information. I don't know."

Mao Jiao touched his beard and said with a smile: "It's Meng Yi!"

Meng brothers, one martial and one literary, Meng Yi was very good at breaking prisons. He almost sentenced Zhao Gao to death that year. Later, he was appointed by Qin Shihuang as the supervisor of the Hexi Army, and he cooperated with Li Xin tacitly. In the past few years, Li Xin destroyed the Yuezhi and surrendered to the countries in the Western Regions. Half of the countries in the South Road have surrendered to Qin. The road to the Kunlun Mountains has been opened. It is only a matter of time before the North Road in the Western Regions is conquered. Li Xin was granted the title of Marquis for his meritorious service, and Meng Yi also benefited from it. He was promoted to two levels of nobility, and was transferred back to the court to serve as Ye Teng's deputy.

If there is anything wrong with Ye Teng, in the absence of a more suitable candidate, Meng Yi may become a "fake court captain". After working for a few more years to gain enough qualifications, it is only a matter of time before he becomes a regular...

Meng Yi was Heifu's old boss when he was Lang Wei. He sincerely praised Meng Yi for his strict law enforcement.

Mao Jiao said: "Your Majesty not only reuses our old ministers, but also promotes young officials to join the court. It is like an endless supply of living water. This is a good thing."

For Hei Fu, it is indeed a good thing. Zhao Gao's holy love will not fade away, but not only Hei Fu has a bad relationship with him, but Meng Yi is also an enemy. This incident alone is enough to keep Zhao Gao awake all night...

After saying this, Mao Jiao handed over his hands, returned to his seat, and started chatting with others again. What he just said seemed to be just greetings and comfort.

But Heifu heard the reminder.

"Mao Jiao is hinting that I will soon be transferred back to the court by His Majesty..."

The imperial censor is in charge of the assessment of hundreds of officials. Generally speaking, the emperor will consult his opinions on personnel transfers in important positions.

Qin Shihuang likes to play balance the most. He can promote Meng Yi over the top. If Heifu returns, with his achievements in Jiaodong and Haidong, he will definitely be promoted even if he is not directly made a marquis. One of the Nine Qings may not be able to escape. Lose.

"Fengchang is Wang Wan, Tingwei is probably Meng Yi, Zongzheng must be from the public clan, the imperial servant has recently been divided into two, no longer responsible for the emperor's horses, only responsible for the national livestock and horse administration, Wushi Luo will serve as As his deputy, Zhao Gao is responsible for managing the affairs of state, horses and chariots, and is directly responsible for the emperor's orders."

"The remaining five are Lang Zhongling in charge of the guards, Wei Wei in charge of Xianyang's defense, Dian Ke in charge of barbarians and diplomacy, Zhi Su Neishi in charge of the treasury, Shaofu in charge of the emperor's small treasury..."

It just so happens that these ladies, whether they are old or sick, can all be laid off and give way to their positions.

After thinking about it carefully, Heifu found that he was suitable for all of them!

He scratched his face: "Military, diplomacy, economics, before I know it, I am an all-rounder!"

Heifu was thinking about the pros and cons of these five ministers, when he heard the drums beating at the foot of Jieshi Mountain, and a four-horse carriage galloping over. The general on the car was handsome, with bright armor and a mink tail on his head.

The car stopped at the foot of the mountain. Young Master Fusu was given special permission to step forward with his sword, passed by Mr. Hei and others, and bowed to Qin Shihuang:

"I, Fusu, were ordered by Your Majesty to raise an army and conquer the sea. Thanks to Your Majesty's wisdom, the soldiers obeyed the orders and returned to the city. They sacrificed prisoners and killed them at Jieshi Mountain!"

Fusu swept away his impression of being young and weak, and became so powerful that Qin Shihuang and his ministers were all impressed!

Heifu no longer cares about his future position. Now the civil and military officials in the court are most concerned about whether Qin Shihuang is still satisfied with Fusu after the experience of this expedition.

Will he be officially crowned prince?

Heifu looked at Fusu, then secretly glanced at Qin Shihuang, who was sitting high on the throne, and at the young master Hu Hai, who had been standing under the emperor...

Mao Jiao secretly reminded Hei Fu that his intention was self-evident.

More than ten years ago, Mao Jiao was kicked out of Xianyang by Qin Shihuang for suggesting that he should "establish a prince early". However, this person has always been stubborn and his views may not change...

Hei Fu was a little helpless and wailed in his heart:

"In Mao Jiao's eyes, am I already a member of the 'princeling party'? What are you trying to do, dragging me along to fight for the foundation of the country?"