My son, Fusu, please abdicate the first emperor!

Chapter 728 How should I choose?

Lu Ze felt very confused.

He actually became the Weiwei.

The ghost trees that used to be so dense and eerie are now sprouting new green leaves, and the tender green leaves now look slightly yellow.

In autumn and winter, the trees are so dark and mysterious that no one dares to approach them. Everyone hangs out under the camphor and nanmu trees.

But in spring, the ghost tree always drops a lot of red, insect-like things.

Fusu's younger brothers, his sons, uncles and nephews were playing with these red toys under the tree.

Nature’s gifts are abundant. In the eyes of children, these red, insect-like things are full of a certain vitality.

They can use this product of tree growth and metabolism to play competitive games. They would tie a hair rope into a circle with two pieces of wood, and then put a worm on each side. They would hit it with a stone and use the vibration force to make the worm move forward.

All spring long, the children lay on the shady green grass, listening to the gurgling stream by the river and testing the temperature of the water with their bare feet.

The spring scenery is so beautiful. The young Weiwei is also wandering under the woods. He comes to Gui Palace for patrol.

The emperor had not made a public announcement of his promotion, but the document had been stamped and the seal had been issued.

Seeing that Xiahou Ying became the target of public criticism, while he was the only one who was safe and sound in the palace, Lu Ze knew that this was the emperor's protection for him.

He was a new official and no one in the palace knew him yet.

How interesting you say.

Since the emperor chose not to expose him first, Lu Ze also followed the emperor's wishes and went on a "secret visit" to check it out first.

It wouldn't matter if he didn't check it, but once he did, Lu Ze became very angry.

In the past, he worked as a minor official in his hometown, Shanfu County, for a period of time.

The fact that Lu Gong was able to be on good terms with the magistrate of Pei County showed that he was either rich or noble.

When Lu Ze was young, he naturally worked as a government official for a period of time under the arrangement of his father, and also served as a clerk.

But even with a father like Lu Gong, Lu Ze experienced many unfair things in the official system when he was young.

Lu Ze never expected that the palace, which he had always thought was solemn and dignified, was actually filled with corruption, hypocrisy, snobbery, and indifference.

Before, he always followed Fusu and was only responsible for guarding Hengyang Palace and Zhangtai Palace, but now it is different.

His area of ​​management expanded.

What on earth did he see that made him feel unhappy?

At the gate of Gui Palace, many of the guards were men ten years older than him, and had just been promoted to soldiers guarding the palace gate.

China is the real fighting nation.

Wars and the rise and fall of dynasties went hand in hand, and the military system developed quite maturely.

During the Zhou Dynasty, the hierarchy in the army developed further. Soldiers recruited from the sons of princes and nobles were used as the personal guards of the emperor and princes, and were called Huben.

The chariot soldiers were recruited from the free people, that is, the "countrymen". The Huben and chariot soldiers were also called armored soldiers and were the main combat forces.

Those recruited from the common people were infantry, also known as foot soldiers, who were the auxiliary combat forces of the chariot soldiers.

The lowest rank was the servants, who were recruited from various slaves other than agricultural workers and were engaged in military logistics and heavy chores.

The Qin Dynasty was a vassal of the Zhou Emperor, and because of its geographical location, most of its etiquette was inherited from the Zhou Dynasty.

The Huben Guards also inherited the Great Zhou.

Carrying such a beautiful and resounding title, the name of this unit was originally different.

However, with the evolution of the country and the system, by the time of the Qin Dynasty, the Huben Guard was still a powerful team in name, but in reality its members had long since become the children of royal aristocrats and even relatives of ministers and wealthy businessmen.

Some come here to make a living, some come here to gild themselves and get promoted, and some come here for their family.

When Lu Ze first took office, the accompanying officer introduced to him the duties of the garrison guards at each palace gate.

Among these high-ranking samurai, only those responsible for defending the Daijoden are truly capable. Sometimes, to judge a person's strength, you only need to look at his eyes.

But it’s different for other palaces.

Basically, they come here to get some treatment. It is said that the guards at some palace gates have been passed down from father to son for three generations.

Most of the guards in the palace are basically just for show, they are just there to put on an act.

If the emperor had arrived and they had received the news in advance, they would maintain the queue formation; if the emperor had not arrived, they would just stand up and guard reluctantly, report the situation to them, and exchange a few words of greeting.

But when there is no patrol, there are twenty-five days in a month when there is no patrol, which means that they will sit in the yard and be lazy with the palace maids.

As for those shameful cases of adultery, childbirth, transporting children out of the palace, and murders of passion, they are numerous.

This is reality.

The darkest side can only be seen in the harem of Xianyang Palace.

The gloomy palace life made Lu Ze, a "wooden man", a little sad.

Because he realized that it wasn't the way it was now, it had always been the way it was.

The question facing Lu Ze now is, will it continue to be like this in the future?

What's the reason?
Why should you not have to work hard just because you have connections?

You know, there are only so many tasks to do. If some people choose not to do it, then the others will have to do more.

When the work rewards are divided, it depends on the opinions of the people with connections. When the work is divided, people without connections get more tasks, while people with connections get less or no tasks.

However, when it comes to giving out rewards, people with connections get more rewards, while people without connections get no rewards.

When it comes to promotion, the superiors will promote those with connections with a shady conscience, while they will turn a blind eye to the truly outstanding people who work as diligently as an old ox, and then order them around.

Because those people hold power.

If something like this happened in the imperial palace, its impact would quickly spread throughout the world within just a few years.

Because Xianyang Palace is the center of power. Power is a network, and Xianyang Palace is the radiating center.

People who come out of the palace have only learned this set of patterns, and when they go outside, they will naturally only use this set of patterns.

The hierarchical relationship of power is equivalent to the relationship between father and son.

This is what the father does. If the son follows suit, will he do better?

Lu Ze didn't have the chance to think so much. He didn't have such a big vision, nor such a high vision.

He just saw Guo Wei Liao when he passed by, and Liao gave him a half-smile.

At that time, Lu Ze, who was patrolling the entire Xianyang Palace in disguise, had a face as black as iron.

Liao naturally knew something about Fusu's actions.

Liao was very optimistic about the young man Lu Ze. Although he was not very educated and not very spiritual, his strength lay in his character. He could always remain calm and unmoved. After spending a few days walking around, his expression remained the same as usual. It was not simple.

After inspecting the palace, Lu Ze didn't want to talk anymore.

To be honest, although people have eyes, everyone sees some things, but a large number of people will think that these things are normal after seeing them because of habit.

But some people see these things and they won't.

Has it always been this way?

Although there are many rules in the palace, it is not as outsiders think. The function of the entire palace is not only to provide a residence for the emperor and his concubines, but more importantly to serve as a central office agency.

The emperor and many leaders handle major affairs here.

Lu Ze couldn't imagine that the Xianyang Palace, which he usually thought was the highest place in the world, was actually so rotten behind the scenes.

What about other places in the world?

In this way, thinking of his background and family influence, Lu Ze became more cautious and steady.

He knew that although he, who had become one of the Nine Ministers at such a young age, did not need to attend court meetings, such an important position symbolized that he was the emperor's confidant and was also the commander of the Tiger Guards.

What will he do in the future?
Was it because of his impartiality that he caused conflicts with some of the noble relatives in Xianyang?
Or should we turn a blind eye and fool around? But would we be worthy of the emperor if we did that?
The emperor trusts me so much and protects me so much, should I do this?
Lu Ze was in great pain.

Before his identity was revealed, he took the initiative to share some of the responsibilities for Fusu, but ended up encountering chronic problems left over from the previous generation and the generation before that.

Should we deal with it or not?
Lu Ze doesn't think that he is a capable person, it's just that he doesn't have any bad habits.

Don't be greedy for alcohol, don't be lustful, don't gossip about others, and don't bully the weak and flatter the strong.

But there are many such people in the world.

He felt very honored that an ordinary person like himself could serve as the emperor's personal guard.

But the emperor gave him such an important task as the Weiwei, and Lu Ze felt embarrassed and didn't know what to do.

When they were young, their father hired a teacher to teach them how to read. The teacher told them, "Eat as much as you want and do as much as you want. That way you can live with your conscience. Don't worry about the changes in the outside world. This is how people have lived for thousands of years. The key is to stick to your own heart."

But when standing at such a high position, Lu Ze has reached a whole new level - he can no longer do things simply according to his conscience.

Lu Ze was depressed for several days. On a spring day when flowers were blooming, he took the initiative to meet Qin II.

"Your Majesty, I don't have any great talents. My wisdom is not even one ten-thousandth of Chen Ping's, my knowledge is not as broad as Shao Ping's, my arithmetic is not as good as Yu Shi Cang's, and as for judging cases impartially, I can't compare with Court Justice Xiao He."

"But your majesty thinks highly of me and has appointed me as the military commander and a high-ranking official. Why is that?"

Fusu was just handling government affairs in a normal manner. Promoting the steady and reliable Lu Ze was something he had planned long ago.

Seeing that Lu Ze was almost on the verge of tears in the audience, Fusu was silent for a long time.

"I don't know either."

Lu Ze just looked at Fusu quietly. I don't know what he was thinking about. Lu Ze suddenly felt ashamed. "Your Majesty, I will take my leave."

Lu Ze was mainly thinking that the emperor was so good to him, but he asked the emperor why he was so good to him. Isn't this a blatant suspicion of the purpose of others treating him well?
After Lu Ze left, he felt even more guilty towards Fusu.

After Lu Ze said goodbye and left, Fusu felt that Lu Ze's reaction and performance today were completely inexplicable.

For some reason, after becoming emperor, Fusu clearly felt that the people around him were getting further and further away from him, and they could no longer trust each other as they did in the past.

Or was it just his illusion? Logically speaking, as he was the emperor and had greater power in his hands, they should have been more loyal to him.

However, Fusu could not be disturbed by these trivial matters, and there were too many of them. He had to deal with countless ministers every day. If he kept thinking about what they were thinking, he would have no energy to handle government affairs.

The re-census in Guanzhong was done quite well this time. A large number of new people emerged in many places. They only wanted to get local land to cultivate and houses to live in.

This all needs to be arranged.
-
After leaving Zhangtai Palace, Lu Ze realized that his pain was probably unique to him.

Even if we ask the Emperor of Heaven to come down to earth, the problem cannot be solved. The key still depends on what choice he makes.

Of course, Lu Ze thought, let it be an offense. He really wanted to help or follow Qin II to create a more orderly and relatively fair era.

But he was also worried that by doing so, would it bring danger to his family?

As he walked, Lu Ze, who held great power and had a badge, came to his sister's palace.

"Why are you so haggard?"

Lü Zhi asked in surprise, "Is there?"

After all, Lu Ze was a man and had a wife. When he saw Lu Zhi's haggard and sallow appearance, he guessed what had happened.

"Isn't this a solution?"

Lu Zhi shook her head. She had originally thought of wearing more revealing clothes in an attempt to win the emperor's favor.

But after seeing Han Ji and Yu Yue's looks as soon as she went out, Lu Zhi gave up the idea.

Because she was not tall enough, her face was too round and small, and her temperament was not outstanding. Although she had studied, the books made her more rational, and the outer dress was not revealing.

Lu Zhi ran back on her own and vowed never to do such a thing again.

Of course, Lu Zhi would not tell these things to her brother.

"In fact, I heard that your majesty and Han Ji grew up together and were childhood sweethearts. How can I, a latecomer, interfere with their relationship? What's more, your majesty also has the queen and Madam Xiong."

"Mrs. Bear? What did she do to you? I've always been worried about what she might do."

Lu Zhi shook her head, "Why don't you like her?"

"Mrs. Xiong is too arrogant and domineering. Naturally, we men don't like her."

Lu Zhi shook her head when she heard this. She stroked her hair and said, "I am not favored and I look so safe. Why does she bully me?"

"That's good. But I see you seem to like Mrs. Bear very much."

"To you men, a woman's pride is arrogant and domineering, which cannot be tolerated by heaven and earth. But for us women, except for the time when we were children and could hold our heads high under our father's lap, we can no longer do so after we get married and become wives."

"I admire and respect people like Mrs. Xiong because she lives the life a woman should live."

"Whoever holds power is right. It doesn't matter whether they are men or women. What's more, her heart is bigger than mine. No matter what others say about her, she has a strong heart. It has never changed over the years. She has always been herself."

"On the other hand, we always have to do things against our will. Don't you admire her?"

Lu Ze was speechless for a moment. Yes, he couldn't find the words.

He knew very well that if his family had a strong family background, he would not be in such a difficult situation now, and he would not need to worry about the future of his family members and brothers and sisters.

If he had a powerful family background, he could also be free to be himself like Xiong Rou.

"Yes, sometimes I am not as good as a woman. No wonder His Majesty favors Madam Xiong. In fact, people like Madam Xiong are real people."

Lu Ze thought of something and quickly asked, "It's just that, sister, you have such insight. You can have such unique insights about a woman that everyone in the palace hates, and even think of things that I can't think of."

"Sister, you are so smart, why don't you go to see His Majesty with your own opinions and eloquence? Moreover, a woman's use of beauty to serve a man is only temporary. If sister can prove her worth in front of His Majesty, with His Majesty's love for talent, sister should be able to escape from the predicament."

(End of this chapter)