Chapter 292: The Ten Thousand Year Old Turtle Can Really Hold It Back

As soon as Ying Zheng finished speaking, a quarrel broke out in the court.

Even more exaggerated than before.

Cheng Jiao's ears hurt.

It's like being in a children's playground.

At the same time, I don’t understand why Ying Zheng did this.

With Lu Buwei around, it would be impossible for him to be granted a title of nobility easily.

Gai Nie had already analyzed it that day, and even he agreed with it.

Unless Lu Buwei really wanted to die early and be reborn, he would not be given any chance.

Being granted a title of nobility does not only mean having a fiefdom.

But as a member of the royal family, the meaning of being granted a title of nobility is different.

The Qin State conferred titles based on military merit, and all merits, big or small, could be converted into military merit.

Unlike the Qin royal family, who could confer titles of nobility at will, it was just a title anyway.

Therefore, most of those who were granted titles had military power, and the higher the title, the greater the military power.

If Ying Zheng had a royal marquis who fully supported him, it would be no less than having the full support of the royal family.

So, Lu Buwei allowed Cheng Jiao the opportunity to interfere in military power?

Even without Lu Buwei saying anything, ministers came out.

"Your Majesty, you must not do that. Chang'an Jun has indeed made great contributions, but the matter of being granted a title of nobility is of great importance and cannot be done arbitrarily!"

Cheng Jiao curled his lips secretly.

Although it is not easy to be granted a title of nobility, it is not impossible if Zheng Ge is determined.

Otherwise, how did Lao Ai get the title of nobility?
Of course, his situation is different from that of Lao Ai.

At least Lao Ai was granted the title of marquis because he had the full support of that silly woman Zhao Ji, and Lu Buwei acquiesced. Zheng Ge was too lazy to say much to his mother, so he was granted the title of marquis.

The most important thing is that Lu Buwei acquiesced, because it was he who sent Lao Ai into the palace.

As an old minister, Wang Jian felt unhappy when he heard that Ying Zheng wanted to confer the title of marquis on Cheng Jiao.

He has fought in dozens of battles, both large and small, and has won countless military exploits, but he is still only a great commoner, and is far from being eligible for the title of marquis.

Even if Cheng Jiao was a prince of the Qin royal family, he couldn't play like this.

Ying Zheng knew that some people would disagree.

"My dear ministers, can you believe that I proposed to confer the title of marquis on Cheng Jiao because of his invention of paper?"

Seeing that all the officials were silent, Ying Zheng looked at them with an eagle eye and continued, "In the last battle at Yaoshan, Cheng Jiao killed the rebel general Fan Yuqi, and together with the old general Meng Ao, he defeated the Zhao army's chief general Pang Nuan. He has not been rewarded yet. Is this enough?"

Lu Buwei silently said in his heart, it’s not enough.

Changping Jun felt a little embarrassed. It was he who arranged for Fan Yuqi to go there, but unfortunately his brain seemed not to be enough.

Then another minister came, he was one of the Nine Ministers, the Internal Secretary of Grain, who was in charge of grain and goods, and was also one of the officials who was openly close to Lu Buwei.

"Your Majesty, Chang'an Jun has made great contributions and can be granted land, but being granted a title of nobility is related to the fairness of the title. General Wang has made great contributions to the Qin State, but he has not been granted a title of nobility. Even Wu'an Jun, who was famous and defeated the Zhao State, was not granted a title of nobility. If Chang'an Jun is granted a title of nobility at this time, it may cause unrest in the army and shake the foundation of the country."

Cheng Jiao really wanted to complain, why are you, a person in charge of the palace's food, interrupting and showing off?

Wang Jian, who looked rough, had already tasted the flavor at this time.

This is not a matter of whether Cheng Jiao will be granted a title of nobility or not. It is obvious that Ying Zheng wants to go against Lu Buwei.

Actually, what Zhi Su Nei Shi said was a little wrong. At that time, the title system of Wu'an Jun did not have the option of being conferred a title of nobility. How could one be conferred a title of nobility?
With Wu'an Jun's achievements, he would be more than qualified to be granted the title of nobility today.

Ying Zheng was not angry and glanced at Gai Nie.

Gai Nie understood immediately and knew that Ying Zheng wanted him to remember this person.

"Do all of you think that Cheng Jiao's contribution is not enough?"

After saying that, Ying Zheng glanced at Lu Buwei.

What a bastard, he can really hold it in for a long time.

He remained silent.

Changping Jun actually didn't want Cheng Jiao to be made a marquis, he hadn't been made a marquis yet...

But you can't go against your brother-in-law and nephew.

"Your Majesty, if Chang'an Jun can do something that benefits the country and the people of Qin again, I think he can be made a marquis."

There were many discussions in the court, some agreed, some denied, and some criticized Cheng Jiao for being too young, saying that if he was granted a title of nobility, it would be unacceptable. There was a vague accusation that Cheng Jiao had evil intentions.

Ying Zheng is not in a hurry, he still has a backup plan and a killer move.

The ultimate purpose of helping Cheng Jiao to be conferred the title of nobility was to let all officials see how he, Ying Zheng, had torn apart Lu Buwei.

At the same time, it also made all officials realize who has the final say in the future of the Qin State!

"What do you think of what Lord Changping said?"

Lu Buwei said calmly: "Whether Chang'an Jun can be made a marquis is up to the officials and the people to judge for themselves. I hope the king will consider it carefully."

Gai Nie held the sword, no wonder Lu Buwei had such a high opinion of him from his teacher.

He was called a "capable minister".

He simply left the assessment of whether Cheng Jiao could be granted the title of nobility to the officials and common people, bypassing the King of Qin while making it blameless.

but--

His teacher even shook his head and sighed afterwards, saying that Lu Buwei would have a miserable end.

Will follow in the footsteps of Wu'an Jun.

He had asked why.

The teacher said a word that Guiguzi must learn - decisiveness.

He still hasn't figured out what the teacher meant.

It means that Lu Buwei did not retreat at the right time and hand over his power as prime minister.

Or did Lu Buwei not resort to any means to control the palace?

Ying Zheng cursed the old fox in his heart.

Still smiling calmly on the surface.

"What the Prime Minister said makes sense. If Cheng Jiao wants to be conferred a title of nobility, he must convince all officials and common people. Cheng Jiao, what do you think?"

Cheng Jiao really wanted to say, I don’t think so!

"Everything is as Brother Wang said."

Ying Zheng clapped his hands and laughed again.

"Good. Cheng Jiao cares about the people of Qin and privately donates 200,000 gold coins to the national treasury to build a school, popularize paper, and benefit the people!"

Cheng Jiao's invention of the word "sponsorship" was brilliant. It reminded him of how the wealthy merchants and nobles in Qin sponsored.

I couldn't help but admire my own wit.

He looked at Cheng Jiao with a smile in disbelief and thought to himself, with my brother here, I guarantee you will be made a marquis.

Cheng Jiao’s eyes widened.

Two hundred thousand gold coins?
sponsor?

Brother, didn’t we agree at that time that we would borrow 100,000 gold coins?

Changping Jun opened his mouth subconsciously. His future son-in-law was so rich? Two hundred thousand gold coins? Just took it out like that?

Wang Jian, who had previously been quite dissatisfied with Cheng Jiao's title of nobility, had to accept it at this time.

Two hundred thousand gold coins, take it now.

This is enough to fight a national war with more than 100,000 people.

It's still the kind of national war where you don't need to save and can spend as you like.

As a former businessman, Lu Buwei felt a twitch in his heart.

Two hundred thousand gold coins?
He had a fiefdom and was dependent on 100,000 households, but his savings till now only amounted to this amount.

He knew that Cheng Jiao received a lot of money from South Korea, but he didn't know exactly how much.

I never expected to get 200,000 gold coins.

No wonder Cheng Jiao went straight to South Korea years ago.

South Korea is so fucking rich!
Last time, I gave Cheng Jiao a hundred miles of land and made him a king.

This time he was given another 200,000 gold coins to make him a marquis?

At this time, Lao Lu wanted to destroy South Korea as soon as he left the court! It was too bullying!
How much money was there in the Qin treasury at that time?

Less than 100,000 gold coins!

It's already so tight, and I don't know if it can withstand the canal construction.

Thinking of building a canal, Lu Buwei had an idea.

It seems that the person in charge of building the canal was Zheng Guo, a Korean recommended by South Korea. It is said that Zheng Guo had a good relationship with Han Fei, the son of the King of Han and the current representative of the Legalists.

And Luowang intelligence shows that Han Fei and Cheng Jiao have a good relationship...

Lu Buwei thought with some pain, could it be that Zheng Guo was also having an affair with Cheng Jiao?

The court was once again in an uproar.

Unlike before, those who opposed Cheng Jiao's title of nobility were almost unanimous.

At this time, there were many people who supported Cheng Jiao's title of nobility.

Lu Buwei took a deep breath. He couldn't hold it in any longer, otherwise he would be in big trouble.

If he didn't speak up to stop it, Cheng Jiao might really become a marquis of the same level as him.

"Kings,"

As Lu Buwei spoke, the court gradually became quiet.

Ying Zheng was very unhappy when he saw this scene. He thought that even speaking out himself might not be so effective.

"Chang'an Jun has made great contributions to the Qin State, and deserves recognition. However, the Qin State ultimately relies on military achievements. Although Chang'an Jun defeated the Zhao army last time with General Meng Ao, his military achievements are still a little lacking and not enough to convince the soldiers. Therefore, I beg the king to postpone the issue of Chang'an Jun's title of nobility."

At this moment, Cheng Jiao really wanted to praise Lu Buwei, saying, "Well done!"

He didn't want to spend two hundred thousand gold coins to buy some crappy marquis.

We finally got so much money back from South Korea, and we haven't spent much of it yet. Who would be willing to confiscate it?

Even in this era, especially in the eyes of the Qin people, being able to buy a marquis with 200,000 gold coins was a huge profit.

What is money!
Is it good to have a fiefdom? Is it useful to have power?

I guess any wealthy businessman who can come up with this much money would be trembling with fear.

Ying Zheng narrowed his eyes slightly.

He knew that his uncle, the Prime Minister who had once been his teacher, was not an easy person to deal with.

If Lu Buwei were to delay this time, it would be a long time before Cheng Jiao could be granted a title of nobility because he was well prepared.

It was also a blow to his own prestige.

He could never accept it.

"What the Prime Minister means is that if Cheng Jiao can achieve the same military merit, he will agree with my proposal?"

Lu Buwei's heart skipped a beat, for he knew his former student.

If you are not sure, you won't speak easily.

But at this moment, in front of all the officials, the words had already been spoken, and he had to bite the bullet.

"Minister, it is true as you said. If Lord Chang'an can conquer cities and plunder land for the Qin State, he can be made a marquis."

Lu Buwei knew that Cheng Jiao was not familiar with military affairs, so he quickly made a patch.

Ying Zheng laughed “haha”.

Let Cheng Jiao lead the troops to fight?
Does he have to send Gai Nie over as his deputy?

He ignored Lü Buwei's words and said, "Three years ago, Gangcheng Jun Cai Ze was sent as an envoy to Yan State. Now Yan State has sent Prince Dan to Qin State, intending to join forces with Qin State to attack Zhao State. What do you think?"

Lu Buwei had no idea what Ying Zheng was up to.

I had to remain silent.

"Your Majesty, this matter has been discussed before, but the commander who will attack Zhao has not yet been determined."

Changping Jun immediately said that he had already privately agreed with Li Xin that he would fully support him in obtaining the position of commander-in-chief this time.

In return, Li Xin also told him that he would stand on his side from now on.

Li Xin, who had been standing among the generals, opened his eyes at this moment, his eyes shining with brilliance.

He didn't care whether Cheng Jiao could be granted a title of nobility, but he cared a lot whether he could be appointed as a general.

He has already placed his bets on the Qin King's faction and is confident that Changping Jun will be able to become the next prime minister.

It can be seen from the situation in the court just now that Lu Buwei is already old, and the days when he had the final say in the court are over.

Behind Wang Jian, Wang Ben, who was as burly as Wang Jian, also showed his desire. He was only one step away from becoming a general, but this step would require considerable military merit to achieve.

If they ally with Yan to attack Zhao, victory is a sure thing and military merit will be within their grasp. How could he give up?

Wang Jian just glanced at his son indifferently.

The situation in the court at this time was not good for their Wang family.

Lu Buwei took the initiative to speak well of them and even intended to have Wang Li marry his only daughter Lu Niangrong.

Even though he tried his best to reduce the impact, rumors still spread in the city.

It is said that the Wang family wants to be bound to Lu Buwei.

What would he think if he were the King of Qin?

One is in the army and the other is in the court. Do they want to rebel?
For the King of Qin, the alliance between the Wang family and Lu Buwei was even more terrifying than Wu'an Jun.

After all, it is highly unlikely that Wu'an Jun would rebel, but it is hard to say about Lu Buwei who has a criminal record.

If someone dares to assassinate the king and kill him, and has the ability to rebel, he must do it with all his might.

With Wang Jian's political wisdom, how could he not see that Lu Buwei was on the decline and had no future.

It is impossible to risk the future and destiny of the Wang family by accompanying Lu Buwei in making trouble.

Therefore, no matter how much he doted on his grandson, no matter how much Wang Li liked the little girl Lu Niangrong, he would firmly disagree.

However, he hesitated about whether Wang Ben could be appointed as the general.

If he cooperated with Lu Buwei, he was confident that he could help Wang Ben take the position of commander this time.

but……

Wang Jian couldn't help but close his eyes and began to calculate the benefits and risks.

Ying Zheng looked through the crown tassels at Lu Buwei, Wang Jian, Wang Ben, Li Xin, Changping Jun and the somewhat absent-minded Cheng Jiao.

"Before deciding on the candidate to attack Zhao, does anyone who is sent to Yan have any recommendations?"

Lu Buwei had already made a plan.

"Your Majesty, looking throughout the Qin State, there is only one person with such qualifications, Zhang Tang. He is suitable to enter Yan."

Zhang Tang, who was twirling his beard and resting with his eyes closed, opened his eyes when he heard Lu Buwei mention him.

What the hell? You want me to go to Yan State?

I have worked so hard to get to this position and was ready to become a salted fish, but you still want me to go far away. This is outrageous!

Um? wrong!

Zhang Tang suddenly thought that to go to Yan State, he would have to pass through Zhao State.

The State of Zhao hated him so much that it offered a very generous reward.

If I go on a diplomatic mission to the State of Yan, wouldn't that be asking for my death?
No, you can’t go!

Does this scoundrel Lu Buwei want me to die?
Ying Zheng looked at Zhang Tang with a smile and said, "General Zhang, are you willing to represent Qin as an envoy to Yan?"

Zhang Tang said firmly: "I am old and weak, I am afraid I can't accomplish anything, I hope the king can choose another talented person."

Cheng Jiao looked at the burly, strong and majestic Zhang Tang, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

He knew that if Zhang Tang refused, he would have to come out...

Seeing that Ying Zheng was still calm, it seemed as if he had expected it.

Lu Buwei's face changed slightly. Why did Zhang Tang refuse such a good thing?
You can gain military merit by just going back and forth, so why not go?
"In that case, please take good care of your health, General Zhang. The Qin State has always treated people who have made contributions well."

Changping Jun spoke up at this time: "General Zhang has reasons that prevent him from entering Yan. It would be better to ask the king to order Chang'an Jun to enter Yan."

Ying Zheng smiled and said, "Yan sent Prince Dan to Qin, and Qin sent Lord Chang'an to Yan. This is a good talk. Cheng Jiao, are you willing?"

Cheng Jiao really wanted to shrug and say, hasn’t this been agreed upon long ago? Is it okay if he says he doesn’t want to?

"I, your humble servant, will help you solve your problems."

Lu Buwei's heart sank. This was Ying Zheng's back-up plan. No wonder he avoided talking about Cheng Jiao's title of nobility just now.

It's bad luck!
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(End of this chapter)