My son, Fusu, please abdicate the first emperor!

Chapter 660 Crossroads
To be honest, Fusu is now confused again.

While he was standing at a crossroads, the future of the empire was also at a crossroads.

Should we allow Ying Zheng to continue to reign and exercise his power, and let the Legalist group implement his political ideas; or should we allow the benevolent group represented by Fusu to take the interests of the people as the starting point and the end point, and let the Qin Empire establish a new glory.

Although Fusu was still hesitating, the people of the empire seemed to have been oppressed to the extreme.

Wang Wan said to Fusu, "I am actually a Zhao person. My father died in the Battle of Changping."

Fusu was surprised, "How could it be?"

Wang Wan stroked his beard with a smile, "The prince heard the rumors and thought I was a genuine Qin person, right?"

"But aren't you the emperor's master?"

"Can't a Zhao person be the King of Qin's master? This is how the world is, full of loopholes. Many things happen without any reason or logic. Perhaps you yourself have noticed this, Prince, but we can only try our best to make it better."

Fusu raised his head and looked at the furnishings around him. The place was simple and elegant, very suitable for playing the piano and enjoying the snow.

The nobles hold the truth of the world in their hands and monopolize knowledge. They love to talk about philosophy, which has not changed since ancient times.

But Fusu was in a dilemma now. He had no time to discuss the truth of the world with Wang Wan.

Fusu looked around and began to feel restless.

What he wanted was the position of emperor and supreme power. Those world truths were not worth mentioning in front of the position of emperor and supreme power.

Several pieces of snow fell from the eaves, and the civet cat jumped back and forth on the eaves, and finally jumped and stood on the tree. It looked at the young man in yellow robe under the tree, staring at the stranger with its eyes wide open, its front paws stretched out, and its body arched.

Fusu looked at the raccoon cat and wanted to tease it.

Wang Wan saw that Fusu didn't care, so he suddenly took down a cup and slammed it on the table.

The raccoon cat was startled and jumped down from the tree and ran away through the dog hole under the wall.

Fusu was a little shocked.

He is the prince. "Why is the old prime minister like this?"

"Although I am no longer in the court, I would like to say something to the Crown Prince today, relying on my past achievements. The Crown Prince should be patient and listen."

Fusu remembered that when his mother was ill, Wang Wan had found a witch doctor for her. Wang Wan was always concerned about political affairs and did not get involved in the palace. So Fusu always remembered his kindness.

So Fusu brought up the matter again with Wang Wan.

"Today is my way of repaying the favor."

Wang Wan was surprised after hearing this. It was good that the prince, who was in such a high position, knew how to repay his gratitude. But he was too easy to repay his gratitude and looked down on himself.

So Wang Wan kept his thoughts to himself and decided not to praise him, lest he be confused after hearing it.

After all, the prince is now in power, and what he needs is not necessarily cold water, but he should understand the huge responsibility he shoulders. He has to take on the responsibility of safeguarding the current food, clothing, well-being and even the future of the people of a country. This responsibility is very heavy and very difficult.

The difficulties that the prince will face in the future will be no less than those faced by the first emperor in his early days of sweeping across the six kingdoms.

But at the same time, if the prince can do all these things well, he will become an extremely remarkable legendary figure in history.

A king should compare himself with the monarchs of previous dynasties and his gains and losses from history. That is, he should compare himself with his predecessors and successors. He should not be complacent about his power all day long and think that bullying his subjects and the people is nothing.

Wang Wan began his story.

Fusu didn't take it seriously at first. In fact, he had some guesses that it must be some kind of advice or instruction.

However, the story told by Wang Wan was completely inconsistent with what Fusu had in mind.

"When I was seven or eight years old, I didn't like studying. I just wanted to practice martial arts diligently so that I could fight and kill enemies in the future and become a great general."

"The family had a few acres of land, and through hard work, they could have enough food and clothing..."

Fusu became a little impatient because there were too many stories like this.

During the Warring States Period, a time of great contention, the common people's chances of turning their lives around were greatly increased, so almost everyone around Fusu told him this story about their past.

"But later, an earthquake occurred in our small place. Now, Your Highness, do you know which county I was born in?"

"Dongjun?" The place where earthquakes frequently occurred in Zhao State in the past was Dongjun.

"That's right. The earth dragon turned over and the whole village was submerged. King Zhao quickly ordered troops to come to the rescue. But what makes me angry is that the grain and grass were not distributed to us disaster victims, but were robbed by bandits on the road."

Fusu thought, Zhao was a country full of chivalrous people, so it was not surprising that there were bandits. Moreover, Dao Zhi was very active in the Daliang area, and bandits also frequently appeared in the Dongjun area.

"But even thieves have their own code of conduct. The bandits would never steal the food from the disaster victims. In fact, the grain was embezzled by the officers and soldiers."

Fusu looked at Wang Wan and asked, "Old Prime Minister, do you want me to rectify the administration of officials?"

"The prince is no more stupid than I am when it comes to politics. He is even more perceptive. The prince does not need me to teach him how to deal with the current situation and atmosphere in the court."

"What I want to tell you is that because those soldiers embezzled food, drought started to happen in my hometown. I have six brothers, and I am the only one left."

“And the people in the village almost all starved to death.”

Wang Wan was originally very serious and tried his best to restrain himself in front of Fusu, but when he recalled the scene where all his relatives starved to death in the dry land, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

"The world is most full of tragedies like this." Fusu was the crown prince, and he knew when earthquakes and droughts occurred across the country, and how many people died each time due to the disasters.

It’s not that Fusu is indifferent, it’s that he has become numb.

"In the face of natural disasters, humans are extremely powerless."

Wang Wan said to Fusu, "But if that batch of food and grass had been delivered, many people would have survived. My brothers wouldn't have all starved to death."

“I always believe that people’s actions can change a lot of things.”

Fusu listened quietly.

The raccoon cat that had escaped came back at some point. It squatted beside Wang Wan, tucked its front legs under its body, and stared at Fusu with squinted eyes.

"From then on, I was determined to become a high-ranking official and a great man. I went to Qi and Lu to study and learn all kinds of knowledge. I would serve anyone who could teach me."

"Until one day, I finally learned everything and returned to Zhao. I wanted to become a general, make military achievements, meet the King of Zhao, and rectify corruption."

"But when I joined the army, the Battle of Changping had already broken out between Qin and Zhao. The whole Zhao State was immersed in an atmosphere of resentment towards the Qin people, and all Zhao people pointed their spearheads at Qin."

"But at that time, I had already begun to doubt our King Zhao. What I learned was that everything was caused by oneself. When Zhao was defeated and 400,000 Zhao soldiers were killed in the Battle of Changping, the Zhao people blamed the Qin people for being shameless, tyrannical and cruel. No one pointed out that it was because the rulers made mistakes in choosing generals or because there was serious corruption within the Zhao court."

Fusu looked at Wang Wan and sighed in his heart, this guy is too awesome. When 400,000 people in Zhao were massacred and everyone was immersed in resentment, he could actually think about the problem like this.

This does not mean that Wang Wan did not love his country. On the contrary, he really loved Zhao and wanted to solve Zhao’s problems, so he went to find the root cause.

"But when I joined the army, I met a general whom I still remember today. He taught me to never forget my responsibilities."

"At that time, Zhao was defeated in the war and was seriously injured. The northern barbarians saw the opportunity and would come south in the autumn and winter to rob Zhao of its food in the north."

Fusu originally thought it was a story about a general teaching redemption to the new soldiers, but what he heard next disappointed him greatly.

"The Hu people have plundered many times, and the general is quite impatient. Previously, the King of Zhao ordered the army to set up camp and station at the Great Wall, waiting for the Hu people to come, saying that they must be stopped from plundering southwards."

"The general received the order, but he was very tired after several hard battles. He told me, Wang Wan, this is the king you want to serve. You work so hard every day, but you think too highly of those high-ranking officials."

"In fact, if only one of them was willing to come and see the battle situation in person, or if they didn't skimp on weapons and food, this defensive battle wouldn't be that difficult."

Later, the general was dismissed from his post and taken away for saying such things.

Fusu was very surprised, "The person you are talking about, is it General Li Mu?"

Wang Wan twirled his beard and said, "You didn't expect that, did you? I used to be a warrior."

"What happened next? Did the defense win?"

Wang Wan shook his head with a painful look on his face.

"The general was replaced and a nobleman came. When he arrived at the border, the first thing he did was to order all the soldiers to build a huge fortress for him. He wanted to live in it and command the soldiers."

"When some soldiers objected, he killed them. At that time, I actually wanted to leave him and follow General Li Mu."

Fusu laughed, "But you didn't. You are more responsible than anyone else." Wang Wan shook his head, "After all, the prince is still too young and has lost too little."

"Three days after that royal family member General Zhao arrived at the border, scouts sent an urgent report saying that the Hu people would attack southward the next day."

"The general was furious and ordered all the soldiers to get ready. He wanted to personally go into battle to meet the enemy. He wanted to lead us across the Great Wall and fight against the Hu people in the Gobi Desert."

"At that time, I had tolerated him for a long time."

Wang Wan still omitted many things, such as the noble general ordering him to prepare water for washing his feet, and directing his brothers to wash clothes for his beautiful concubine and so on.

For a warrior, there is nothing more insulting than this.

In that era, if someone insulted the other party in the territory of Zhao State, the other party would either kill him to vent his anger or commit suicide.

But Wang Wan and his brothers could only swallow their anger at the time.

Besides, we are all smart people. If he died for such a small matter, what would happen to his wife and children?

"I told the general that if we go to the front of the Great Wall, we will be giving up the strategic high ground, and the power of our bows and crossbows will be reduced."

If nothing else, the accident is going to happen.

"The general naturally punished me and ordered me not to board the chariot. At that time, I was responsible for commanding the team with the flag. After I was replaced, I followed behind the chariot."

"In the Gobi Desert, the Hu people saw us driving towards them and thought we were provoking them, so they called in the entire tribe to fight us."

"That noble general, seeing the barbarians coming aggressively and the battle situation being different from what he imagined, ordered his soldiers to drive their cars to escape at the critical moment."

"At that moment, I jumped on the chariot and killed him."

"Then I drove the chariot and told the soldiers that I had killed the general. I told everyone to follow my command."

"When the soldiers heard that the nobles were dead, they woke up and encouraged themselves. Under my command, the situation turned around quickly. We fought for two days and one night. Five hundred of the three thousand men died. Finally, the Hu people fled."

"We killed more than a thousand of their tribe of five thousand people."

“From then on, I became famous in the army.”

Fusu looked at Wang Wan and swallowed involuntarily.

Is he sure he isn't bragging or making up stories?
As a result, Wang Wan got so excited that he tore off his clothes, revealing countless hideous scars. He pointed at his arm and said, "I was hit by an arrow here, and my arm was almost broken."

Fusu looked at the scars all over his chest and closed his mouth.

Fusu originally thought that Wang Wan was being taught by others, but it turned out that Wang Wan was teaching others.

"Since then, I have become famous in the army. The area north of Qin and Zhao is known for my reputation as Wang Wan. But I later learned that the person I killed was the nephew of the nephew of the empress dowager. They told me that if I returned to the court, I would be executed."

"Finally, I left Zhao State."

"Many people say it's because I offended Queen Mother Zhao, but that's not the case."

"Because when I led the soldiers to fight off the Hu people, I remembered the soldiers who transported food and grass more than ten years ago."

“I knew from a young age that I was destined to do great things. But when I found out that my actions could help many people, I realized the responsibility behind power.”

"Prince, do you know? To this day, I have been imagining how many innocent Zhao people would have died on the battlefield if I had not killed that noble general that day."

"When the general escapes, the army will inevitably be in chaos. Our thousands of troops may all be slaughtered by that tribe in the Gobi Desert."

"From that time on, I knew how important a leader's actions were. Later, I came to the Qin State, and no matter what position I was in, I always remembered this."

"The number of people under my management also increased from dozens to hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, and tens of millions."

"As I rise in position, I realize that a small decision I make can affect the lives of countless people. If an emergency report is handled a little later, many people will die."

"If something is handled incorrectly, it will cause countless people to suffer."

"Prince, do you know how many lives your next decision will affect?"

Fusu was listening with great interest. He felt his heart surging, as if he was walking on clouds.

As a result, Wang Wan made a comeback and returned to Fusu.

"Me? I've always known it. Have I ever made any wrong decision?" Fusu has always been known for his prudence.

"Prince, you haven't understood what I mean. His Majesty is now at ninety-six, and you, the prince, are at ninety-four."

Fusu was stunned for a moment and looked at Wang Wan.

"I support you. I once killed the general who led me. I will not blindly worship a man just because of his power, nor will I obey him just because he promoted me."

"I have always believed that the vitality of the people is the most valuable, and power exists to protect the interests of the people, not as a tool for personal display of power."

Wang Wan's distinct attitude towards Ying Zheng is exactly how the loyal group of Ying Zheng's former subordinates viewed him. How could Ying Zheng, who had lost the support of the gentlemen, not be considered a lonely king?

Of course, Wang Wan’s words also completely dispelled Fusu’s last bit of worry.

Yes, if he had acted a little later, countless people would have been dragged into the battlefield, countless people would have become "criminals", and countless people would have been dragged into the Mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang.

However, Wang Wan did not come to instigate Fusu to rebel. It was just that Fusu himself misunderstood. Because once an idea sprouts, it cannot disappear. Now Fusu's mind is full of this thing.

He regarded Wang Wan's advice to him as a kind of support and encouragement for his rebellion.

Wang Wan was speaking his mind, while Fusu was thinking about the important things in his mind.

Immediately, Wang Wan revealed the real purpose of his visit.

He mentioned to Fusu the current important matters concerning the national treasury.

Fusu was originally a very calm person, but when he heard Wang Wan say that Ying Zheng had ordered an increase in the currency, his face gradually turned pale.

The main reason is that Ying Zheng has already spent too much money before, and now he is issuing more currency. Isn't this an unlimited overdraft of the empire's monetary credit?

"The economy is the foundation of civil affairs and a major issue for people's livelihood. How to mint currency, how much to mint, how to set the price, how to realize its value, how to circulate, every link is related to people's daily life."

Wang Wan spoke very enthusiastically to Fusu. He had very deep insights into the imperial economy and had more than ten years of practical experience.

But Fusu only regarded this as a kind of declaration from Wang Wan to him.

"The situation is now critical. Someone must come out to stop it."

Fusu kept responding, "Yes, yes, someone should have stood up long ago."

How can you spend my money?

Fusu had always wanted to overthrow Ying Zheng and do something big to run the empire himself.

Hearing that Wang Wan also "supported" him to do this, he suddenly felt extremely confident.

Wang Wan talked with Fusu for a whole day, and it was not until the evening that he returned to Xiong Rou's parents' home.

After Xiong Rou and Fusu returned to the palace together, Chen Ping was still waiting for Fusu in the palace.

Chen Ping likes to pursue his career. He would not go home even if he had the chance. He would stay on duty in the main hall every day, either managing relationships or handling affairs.

"Prince, your Majesty already knows that you do not want to go to the South Vietnam area and insist on going on an eastern tour with His Majesty."

"What! How do you do things?"

Chen Ping was also innocent. "Your Majesty probably saw through your actions, Prince. Moreover, I asked someone to intercede for you, but your Majesty actually asked directly whether it was you, Prince, who asked them to come."

Fusu was shocked. His father has become so smart recently.

Could it be that he discovered what I was thinking? Then I have to act quickly.

"Who did you invite?"

"The minister Mao Jiao, the senior minister Zheng Guo."

"Okay. I got it."

(End of this chapter)