my grandfather was qin shi huang

Marquis Wucheng Wang Jian, Lord Weiyang Ying Xi, Right Prime Minister Feng Quji, Left Prime Minister Li Si and others, who had been paying close attention to the condition of this rare plant, couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

As long as that strange plant is still alive.

Then there is hope.

Li Si, Feng Quji and Meng Yi worked overtime to sort out the achievements of the sages of the Qin Dynasty. After all, who would be included in the Martyrs' Shrine was an extremely serious issue.

The others were fine, but the selection of two people caused huge controversy.

Gongsun Yang and Bai Qi!

Gongsun Yang is a true genius.

He presided over reforms in the Qin State. The Qin Dynasty's household registration system, military titles, land system, administrative divisions, and even taxation, weights and measures, as well as folk customs and practices were all his work.

Emphasize agriculture and suppress commerce, reward farming and warfare!

His reforms were the foundation of the Qin Dynasty's strength. Since then, the Qin Dynasty has gradually become rich and powerful, rising from the Yongliang area and becoming a powerful Qin that the six states in Shandong fear. Even until now, many of the Qin Dynasty's fundamental policies are inseparable from Gongsun Yang's shadow.

Not only that, this person's military achievements are also outstanding.

He once personally led the Qin army and recovered the Hexi area.

He overcame all obstacles, forged ahead with determination, and with a fearless spirit, he blazed a trail for the Qin Dynasty. There is no dispute that such a person should be inducted into the Martyrs' Shrine.

But the interesting thing about history is that such a person was finally forced to rebel, and in the end, even his corpse was torn apart by a chariot.

The leader, King Huiwen of Qin, Ying Si!

That is the ancestor of Qin Shihuang.

The key is that this Ying Si was not stupid. He used Gongsun Yang's head to eliminate the resentment of the royal family and the court, while retaining the results of Shang Yang's reform. During his reign, he conquered Yiqu in the north, pacified Bashu in the west, went through Hangu Pass in the east, and went south to Shangyu, laying a solid foundation for Qin to unify China.

How great was the contribution of Gongsun Yang, also known as Shang Yang?
However, inviting Shang Yang to the Martyrs' Shrine would be a denial of King Huiwen of Qin!
But this time, the Legalists represented by Li Si were very resolute in their attitude. People kept standing up and arguing, requesting the court to consider Shang Yang's indelible contribution to the Qin Dynasty, pardon Shang Yang's sins, and allow Shang Yang to enter the Martyrs' Shrine.

The current emperor is obviously not the First Emperor. Although he has not said so, his selection of talents and governance of the country have already shown signs of letting a hundred flowers bloom and drawing on many schools of thought.

For the first time since Shang Yang, the Legalists’ living space was threatened.

Now, the court and Your Majesty are going to build a martyrs' monument and a shrine to heroes. Naturally, they want to take this opportunity to clear the name of the Legalists.

As for Bai Qi.

It's almost such a tricky problem.

Later generations who knew Bai Qi mostly remembered his Battle of Changping, where he killed 400,000 Zhao soldiers who surrendered in one battle, and considered him a killing god. In fact, this is only a one-sided perception.

During Bai Qi's entire life, he served as the commander-in-chief of the Qin army for more than 30 years.

He was able to predict the enemy's situation like a god, and was almost invincible. He conquered more than 70 cities and terrified the six kingdoms. His name could stop children from crying at night. As another outstanding military commander after Sun Wu and Wu Qi in Chinese history, he was known as one of the four famous generals of the Warring States Period along with Lian Po, Li Mu and Wang Jian. His contributions were even greater than those of Wang Jian and his son.

But he died of disobedience.

After his advice was rejected, he repeatedly refused the call of King Zhaoxiang of Qin, and was ordered to be executed in Duyou by King Zhaoxiang of Qin.

King Zhaoxiang of Qin was the son of King Huiwen of Qin, the great-grandfather of Emperor Qin Shi Huangdi, and the ancestor of Emperor Qin II, Zhao Ying.

This is a historical issue.

No one dared to mention it at the time, and no one wanted to mention it afterwards, and later on -

There is no point in mentioning Bai Qi.

Today, a martyrs' monument and a heroes' shrine have once again drawn everyone's attention back to decades ago. After all, if one were to discuss military exploits or list the wise men of the Qin Dynasty, Bai Qi would be a topic that cannot be avoided.

Fortunately, the First Emperor remembered Bai Qi's contributions and granted his son Bai Zhong the title of Marquis of Taiyuan.

This can be regarded as an explanation for this unsolved case.

This was also the premise for Wang Jian and the group of people in the Qin army to stand up and support Bai Qi after the descendants of the Bai family entered Xianyang overnight and knelt down to plead with tears and blood. But the problem is that the first emperor's posthumous title to his son has nothing to do with the first emperor's pardon of Bai Qi himself.

The posthumous title conferred on his son was a way for the imperial court to remember his past merits and to show the people of the world that they did not forget their roots.

But inviting Bai Qi to be included in the Shrine of Heroes is a complete reversal of the verdict.

Especially at this point in time, when the Qin Dynasty unified the world, the issue of Bai Qi killing 400,000 soldiers was once again brought to the fore, touching the sensitive nerves of many people in Zhao.

But at this point, it is no longer a question of commemorating his contributions, inviting him to the Temple of Heroes, or taking into account the feelings of the people of Zhao, but to make a final judgment on Bai Qi!
Because, considering the feelings of the people of Zhao and refusing to include Bai Qi in the Martyrs' Shrine is a complete denial of Bai Qi.

In short, one stone stirs up a thousand waves.

This issue has caused controversy among countless people. Many old Qin people have argued with others until their faces turned red. If it were not for the strict laws of the Qin Dynasty, no one would dare to fight in Xianyang City. If they couldn't speak out, they would be beaten to a bloody pulp.

The problem was finally put before Zhao Ying.

Zhao Ying sat in the hall, looking around at everyone with deep eyes, and finally, his eyes fell on Li Si who was standing with his head bowed. "General Bai Qi, you attacked cities and killed Zhao soldiers. Are you doing this for personal gain? When two armies are fighting, if you attack cities and kill the enemy to win, it is considered a crime. Then, who among you sitting here is not a sinner?"

Having said that, Zhao Ying glanced at Wang Jian, who remained expressionless.

"If General Bai Qi is refused entry into the Martyrs' Shrine on the grounds that he massacred Zhao soldiers because Zhao was already part of Qin, then are General Wang and his son, and even myself, also listed as criminals?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall felt nervous, especially the Confucian students and officials from Zhao who had previously strongly opposed Bai Qi's inclusion in the Shrine of Heroes. They all bowed.

"I dare not--"

Zhao Ying glanced at them calmly, his voice clear and clear, without any hint of joy or anger.

"If General Bai Qi cannot enter the temple, my dear ministers, who can guarantee that they will not become criminals of the court in a few years? Even for the sages who entered the Martyrs' Shrine today, who can guarantee that they will not be cleared out of the hall in the future..."

Having said that, Zhao Ying took a deep breath, his tone filled with some inexplicable emotion.

"Heroes are heroes of their time. How can we judge the past by today's standards? At that time, they expanded the territory, resisted foreign humiliation, served their kings loyally, and died for their country. They were heroes! We must not forget the contributions of our predecessors just because the times have changed and the world has become one..."

In the hall, you can hear a pin drop.

This is Your Majesty’s attitude towards meritorious officials!

Everyone was filled with emotion, especially those ministers who used to be military generals, and court officials who had worked tirelessly and tried every means to unify the Qin Dynasty. They all tried to straighten their backs and looked at the heroic figure in the hall with fanatical eyes.

Zhao Ying looked around at everyone.

"I have decided to build a monument to martyrs and a shrine to heroes, not only to wish for the loyal and brave ministers of the Qin Dynasty to enjoy the blood and incense forever, but also to show the loyal and brave ministers who fought for their king and country one after another and died for them, so that people in the world and future generations will remember the principles of loyalty, filial piety, chastity and righteousness, and cultivate their own integrity..."

Having said this, Zhao Ying paused slightly.

"Like Lian Po and Li Mu of Zhao, and Qu Yuan of Chu, who were dedicated to their kings and the country without caring about their own fortunes and honors, they may not be deprived of the right to be included in the Martyrs' Shrine. I hope you can broaden your horizons and get rid of the old ideas about the disputes in the world..."

"Yes! Your Majesty is wise—"

Feng Quji rushed forward and bowed in agreement.

Li Si looked at this shameless old man and couldn't help but twitching his lips slightly, then he stepped forward and bowed.

"Your Majesty is wise. I am enlightened by your words. All of a sudden, my mind is opened..."

After saying that, he looked at Zhao Ying expectantly.

Your Majesty even allowed a killing god like Bai Qi to be enshrined in the Martyrs' Shrine, let alone people like Shang Yang who laid the foundation for the Qin Dynasty's prosperity.

Then, he heard Zhao Ying's voice, which expressed neither joy nor anger.

"As for what you are saying about Lord Shang, I think it is inappropriate. In the past, King Zhaoxiang of Qin ordered Bai Qi to die. Although General Bai Qi felt wronged, he did not dare to disobey the king's order. He was fulfilling his loyalty and duty as a minister. However, when Lord Shang heard that the king wanted to punish him, he first fled in a hurry, and then rebelled, gathered troops, attacked local areas, and opposed the king. Is this the way of a minister?"

Having said that, Zhao Ying looked past Li Si, whose face changed drastically, and looked at the Legalist disciples who had changed their expressions sternly.

"This man is nothing compared to General Bai Qi. If such a traitor is included in the Martyrs' Shrine, how can we repay those ancestors who were loyal and patriotic and served their king wholeheartedly? How can we teach future generations..."

No one dared to respond to Zhao Ying's words.

……

The issue of whether Bai Qi and Shang Yang should be included in the Shrine of Heroes was settled with Zhao Ying's positive response.

Although the disciples of the Legalists were upset, they could not find any reason to oppose the current emperor. After all, no matter what, the fact that Shang Yang had rebelled could not be changed.

No matter how much injustice he has suffered or how many reasons he has to go through, it cannot change the fact that he is like this.

The Legalists suffered this head-on blow and felt quite depressed.

However, some people in the Confucian School and Zhao were unwilling to give in. Just when they were thinking about how to organize their forces and argue with His Majesty, a sudden piece of news made them completely quiet down.

King Xie of Zhao was caught!

Also accompanying him were Chen Yu and Zhang Er, who were also on the Qin wanted list.

Now, the six nations have surrendered.

The fugitive King Xie of Zhao has become the only one who dares to oppose the court in secret.

To say that he was in confrontation is a bit of a flattery. In fact, ever since he escaped from Xianyang, he has been hiding here and there like a rat, avoiding the court's pursuit.

At this critical juncture, who would dare to speak out in the name of speaking for the people of Zhao?

Even Chunyu Yue, the Confucian scholar who had always been the most critical of Bai Qi's killing of prisoners and was always known for his stubbornness, and now the Minister of Rites, had to choose to shut up.

The current situation of Confucianism is hard-won, and we cannot completely anger His Majesty because of this. (End of this chapter)