Daqin: My weak and virtuous minister

Chapter 165 The First Emperor

When Hou Sheng arrived in Qin, the country was busy with the autumn harvest.

Having heard that Qin State had a very high grain yield, Hou Sheng was not in a hurry to travel. He walked and stopped along the way and truly witnessed the high grain yield of Qin State.

Even though the crops had not been fully harvested, Hou Sheng could guess the lives of the Qin people by looking at the heavy ears of corn and the smiles on their faces.

Hou Sheng silently watched the bountiful harvest along the way, as well as the colleges in Qin State.

By the time they arrived in Xianyang, Qin had already completed the autumn harvest.

Hou Sheng stayed at the Xianyang Posthouse, and the next day, the King of Qin summoned Hou Sheng.

"Meet the King of Qin."

"Prime Minister Qi, please stand up."

"Thank you, King Qin."

"Your Majesty, I have come all this way and witnessed the prosperity of the Qin State and the prosperity of its people. I deeply admire you."

"My king knows he lacks the ability, so he is willing to surrender to Qin and return the territory of Qi to Qin."

"I wonder if the King of Qin is willing to treat the people of Qi like the people of Qin?"

"If the King of Qi sincerely submits to the State of Qi, then the people of Qi will naturally also be the people of Qin."

"Since you are a citizen of Qin, I will naturally treat you as an equal."

The King of Qin, who was sitting at the top, spoke in a calm tone and did not show any joy at Qi's voluntary surrender, which made Hou Sheng feel emotional.

"King Qin, since my king has sent me here, it naturally represents my king's sincerity."

"I wonder how the King of Qin intends to treat my king?"

After hearing this, Ying Zheng did not answer, but asked the ministers.

"What do you think, sir?"

"Your Majesty, I think you could grant me a house and bring the King of Qi to Xianyang for resettlement."

After hearing this, Li Si bowed and made some suggestions.

Many court officials nodded in agreement.

Hou Sheng looked at the thin man in the first place.

"King Qin, I wonder what status King Qin has given me?"

The court officials whispered to each other that this King of Qi was different from the previous hostages.

It is not good to give a status that is too high, and it is not appropriate to give a status that is too low either.

"Your Majesty, I think you can grant the King of Qi the title of Marquis of Guannei, Qin State. He will not be involved in government affairs, but can enjoy the treatment of a noble."

After Zhang Yuanqing finished speaking, the court officials began to discuss the matter. Even Hou Sheng looked at Zhang Yuanqing in surprise.

I didn't expect that the Prime Minister of Qin would actually advise the King of Qin to give my king such a high title.

"However, if a title is passed down to a descendant, it must be demoted three ranks per generation."

"Of course, if the descendants of King Qi are talented and willing to serve my king, my king can also offer them according to their merits."

In other words, the King of Qi was the Marquis of Guannei, his son was demoted to Dashangzao, and his grandson was demoted to Zhonggeng, which was not unacceptable.

"Your Majesty, I second the motion."

"I second the proposal."

Ying Zheng was satisfied and asked, "What do you think, Prime Minister Qi?"

Hou Sheng glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and said, "King Qin, can you please allow me to go back and discuss this with my king?"

"can."

As the morning court ended, Hou Sheng left Xianyang City soon.

When the King of Qi heard that the King of Qin only gave him the title of Marquis of Guannei, he felt dissatisfied.

"I voluntarily surrendered to Qin, but the King of Qin was only willing to grant me the title of Marquis of Guannei and even reduce the titles of my descendants."

"That makes no sense."

The Qi court officials were also dissatisfied with the Qin King's arrangements.

Then Sheng spoke up: "Your Majesty, there are only a handful of Marquises of Guannei in Qin State. Currently, only the Right Prime Minister of Qin State has the title of Marquis of Guannei."

Hou Sheng felt that the title was not low.

Haven’t you seen that several generals of the Qin State destroyed other countries for the King of Qin, and now they are not honored as Guannei Hou?

"How can I be compared with him, the Prime Minister?"

Hou Sheng was helpless, "Your Majesty, this is a different time."

After hearing this, the King of Qi remained silent for a long time.

"According to you, the King of Qin has not treated me unfairly?"

Hou Sheng nodded.

"Your Majesty, it is not easy to be promoted in the Qin Kingdom. The King of Qin is already a generous and benevolent ruler for granting you the title of Marquis of Guannei."

"This, this is not a demotion."

"Your Majesty, if you teach your sons well, you won't have to worry about your rank not rising."

Surviving under someone else's command, Hou Sheng thought that having a lower title would be safer.

However, the King of Qi did not see through this.

Fortunately, the King of Qi listened to the advice. After Hou Sheng spoke earnestly for a long time, the King of Qi finally agreed.

According to Qin history records: In the 18th year of King Zheng of Qin, Qi surrendered to Qin and the world was unified.

King Zheng of Qin proclaimed himself emperor in Xianyang, the First Emperor, and called himself "Zhan".

The First Emperor abolished the feudal system and established the county system.

The Qin people unified the writing system and all used official script.

The Qin people unified their currency and all used the Qin Banliang.

Unify the measures, weights and scales. Within the territory of Qin, all measures, weights and scales used by Qin people shall be the standard, and no other measures or scales may be used.

The First Emperor's decrees were sent to all counties and prefectures across the country, thus ending the conflict among the Seven Kingdoms and bringing stability to the people of the world.

Xianyang Palace

"I want to build the Afang Palace. Who can I hire?"

Since Your Majesty became emperor, your majesty has become even more majestic. Now, no one dares to refute Your Majesty's decision.

The court officials looked at each other, and finally, their eyes fell on the right prime minister.

Zhang Yuanqing lived up to everyone's expectations: "Your Majesty, I think this is inappropriate."

The court officials looked at the right prime minister nervously, not daring to breathe.

Now, only the Right Prime Minister dares to refute His Majesty's decree.

Li Si and others looked at the thin man nervously.

"Your Majesty, the country has just been unified. Years of war have made the people suffer terribly. If we start large-scale construction at this time, it will undoubtedly increase the burden on the people, hindering their rest and recuperation, and hindering the stability of the country."

"I believe that the Qin State should first allow its people to rest and recuperate. The construction of the Afang Palace can be postponed for a few years."

Perhaps the sentence was too long, and Zhang Yuanqing couldn't stop coughing after he finished speaking.

No courtiers in the hall spoke, only the heart-wrenching cough of the right prime minister could be heard.

Ying Zheng frowned slightly.

The unpleasantness of being contradicted was dissipated by the coughs.

"Send, doctor."

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I've caught a cold these past few days, but it's nothing serious."

Because of coughing, Zhang Yuanqing's face turned a little red. He raised his hand and stopped Shi Yi from leaving.

"Right Prime Minister, please take care of yourself and don't indulge in the cold."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty's kindness is so great that I would repay you with my life."

Standing up, Zhang Yuanqing bowed to the First Emperor.

"Right Prime Minister, please stand up. You and I, the ruler and our subject, do not need to do this."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"What the Right Prime Minister said is very true. The matter of Afang Palace will be put on hold for now."

Fusu breathed a sigh of relief.

As expected of a teacher.

The court officials also breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the right prime minister with admiration.

He is worthy of being the Right Prime Minister.

Afterwards, the emperor and his ministers discussed some more government affairs, and today's morning court session ended smoothly.

After returning to Zhangtai Palace, Ying Zheng handed over the government affairs to Fusu and sat alone in his seat thinking for a long time.

Then he stood up and left Xianyang Palace.

"Master Hou."

After Zhang Yuanqing came back in the carriage, he went straight to the study, and Qingque brought in the pastries that had been prepared earlier.

"Qingque, go and make a batch of the cold-relieving medicine the doctor prescribed."

"My Lord, are you feeling unwell? I will call a doctor right away."

Qingque turned and left, but was stopped by Zhang Yuanqing.

"No need to call a doctor, I'm fine, just go and make me some medicine."

"Don't worry, go ahead."

It was rare to see the Marquis so serious, Qingque didn't dare to say much and left the study.

"The First Emperor has arrived."

In front of the Prime Minister's Mansion, the First Emperor's carriage was approaching from afar, and the guards at the gate saluted one after another.

Another guard hurried to notify the Prime Minister to come out and greet him.

"No need to inform your Prime Minister, I will go in by myself."