My son, Fusu, please abdicate the first emperor!

Chapter 736 Qin State Cannot Open Up Commerce
Liao didn't want to quarrel with Feng Quji at all, and he didn't stay to quarrel with Feng Quji.

"I heard that Feng Xiang is also a reader of the Book of Changes. He should know that the essence of the Book of Changes lies in the changing of words."

Feng Quji said firmly, "Wrong. The essence of the Book of Changes lies in the word 'firm heart'."

"One thing for another. I mean that the situation has changed now, and Your Majesty has ascended the throne. The world will implement a policy of benevolence and righteousness. As a minister, I must also change with the times and make timely adjustments to meet the needs of Your Majesty's reforms."

"There's no need to treat things differently. Especially at times like this, a gentleman should more than ever uphold his integrity." When Feng Quji said this, he inexplicably felt a surge of righteousness in his body, and the tall crown inlaid with turquoise on his head was shining.

"How can the rules of our ancestors be changed so easily?"

"I have experienced five generations of Qin kings. Except for Your Majesty, the first four kings all followed the rules set by their ancestors, and thus were able to maintain the prosperity of the country and allow the common people to live a well-fed and well-clothed life."

Feng Quji's words made perfect sense, but Fusu felt that he was just making up his mind and wanted to cover his ears.

Do you think you, Feng Quji, are the only powerful one? I am from the 21st century and have read three thousand years of history. Who cares about your experience? It is not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth.

Just like that, slowly, Fusu narrowed his eyes slightly in his seat to hide his inner thoughts.

This trick really works.

Feng Quji subconsciously thought that Fusu was thinking seriously about his words, which made Feng Quji feel that he still had a lot of weight in the emperor's mind and that the emperor still valued him very much.

Liao naturally felt that Feng Quji was being unreasonable. Is this how Jianxin was supposed to be used?

The old venerable in purple robes rolled his eyes quickly at this time. "Trees can only grow taller and taller, and bigger and bigger. But the growth of trees also has a limit."

“Like a towering tree, if it only knows how to grow upwards, then it will stop growing when it reaches its limit, because it becomes increasingly difficult to transport nutrients from the ground.”

"If you are not careful, you will become a rotten wood. This is all because you don't know how to adapt and only know how to stick to your so-called original intention."

Feng Quji was so angry that his tongue was trembling. "You...are you saying that I'm corrupt?"

"You are just pedantic, not corrupt."

Feng Quji had lived a life of luxury for too long. This was the first time that someone confronted him so openly. He felt as if his chest was choked with anger. He just stared at Liao for a long time without being able to utter a word.

"What do you know? You are a person who only knows how to study the affairs of the outside world. You know nothing about the affairs of the human world."

Liao Zhensheng said, "The Prime Minister may not know more than me, and I may not know less than the Prime Minister."

"It's just that I never cared about power and fame in the past. Over the years, I have witnessed how wise men in the court were squeezed out."

"Most of the wise men left because they saw no hope for Qin to change its national policy."

"Ridiculous. What big talk!" Feng Quji laughed. "Who in the court doesn't know you? Who doesn't know me? If you can become the prime minister and make all the officials obey you, I will take off my robes and let you sit on them."

"What a joke. I just don't want to argue with you." Liao became more and more excited as he spoke.

The other ministers were also dumbfounded.

Chen Ping watched the prime minister and the captain arguing, and couldn't help wondering in his heart, what was the difference between this and the old men arguing over a game of chess on the street.

It's a huge joke that he is still the prime minister and the national commander.

From this perspective, I will be able to sit in the position of prime minister in the future.

When a person in a high position inadvertently reveals his true character, it will lead to fatal mistakes. Just like anyone can make a tree a fifth-rank official, but Qin Shihuang could not.

Because other people just say it for fun, and their words don't count, so they can say whatever they want. But Qin Shihuang is different, because he really has the power.

The fact that the prime minister and the lieutenant of the empire quarreled to such an extent over a state affair was seen by other ministers as a sign of their incompetence.

why?
Because the supreme status and power they symbolized were eclipsed at that moment.

These two people are just two real old men, old men with shortcomings.

There were at least four people present who were fighting for the positions of Prime Minister Feng Quji and Lieutenant Liao.

The two of them became more and more excited as they talked, and all the things they disliked about each other in the past now came out at once.

Do you think it is a good thing to show the breath of life and living people in the court?

no way.

Once you sit in certain positions, you will become an extremely important tool for the country. You must try your best to ensure that you do not make mistakes, otherwise it will cause fatal damage to the country.

Yes, that is to treat yourself as a machine, a machine without emotion. You cannot show any personal emotions, once you do, you will expose your weaknesses.

The emperor above felt a buzzing in his ears, and the ministers below were making so much noise that their faces turned red.

"Stop."

Fusu suddenly spoke. Feng Quji and Liao looked up at Fusu and each pulled back the mat that had accidentally moved forward three inches.

Zhang Han was annoyed. If he were the prime minister, how could he allow a fat man like Liao who didn't know etiquette to be so presumptuous in the court? Feng Quji was just too tolerant. If it were him, would Liao, this fat man, still be alive today to argue with him?
Meng Tian also felt that it was a bit hard to bear, he felt that Liao and Feng Quji had already entered old age. In fact, as they got older, many of the decisions they made and the words they said had changed.

No longer seem so wise.

Zhao Tuo was also watching with fear. He was worried that the old Feng Quji might accidentally spit out his teeth, or that the national commander might accidentally sprain his waist while fighting.

However, Feng Quji and Liao were still completely unaware of these things.

After the two of them sat down properly, Fusu glanced at Chen Ping.

Chen Ping stood up and said, "According to the Qin system, all men of Qin age, that is, men between 17 and 60 years old, must serve in the military for two years."

"One year they stayed in the county, those who served as infantry were called material officers, those who served as chariot and cavalry were called knights, and those who served as naval officers were called ship officers; the other year they were sent to the garrison in Xianyang or the border. Those in the capital were called guards, and those on the border were called garrison soldiers."

"These are regular soldiers. In addition, they have to perform military labor for one month every year in their county, such as road construction and transportation. When the term is up, they will be replaced, and thus named as soldiers."

However, there was no salary for corvée labor in the Qin Dynasty.

The corvée system of the Qin Dynasty basically followed the regulations of the Warring States Period.

According to the Qin Law, able-bodied men were forcibly conscripted to build various projects, including cities, roads, palaces, canals, etc., among which large-scale projects such as the Afang Palace and the Qin Straight Road were the main ones.

These able-bodied men often need to provide their own food and tools, while the government provides accommodation and a certain amount of food supply.

Although the corvée system of the Qin Dynasty did not provide wages, the government would give certain rewards, such as granting titles, pardoning crimes, etc.

However, in this era of extreme scarcity of productivity, men are born into extremely miserable lives. Their hands are always digging in the soil, but the fruits of their labor will never fall into their hands, let alone be enjoyed by them.

You work from morning till night, from youth till old age, but in the end, when you die, all you get is a few pottery jars in your grave.

This is Daqin.

The Iron-Blooded Empire, the Iron-Blooded Qin, in fact, the reason behind its reputation is sin! Oppression and exploitation.

This is probably why the crime rate in Qin was so high, and why the people of the six states hated and were disgusted by a country like Qin.

If such a country does not change its system, it is no wonder that people like Chen Sheng and Wu Guang were forced to emerge.

Chen Sheng and Wu Guang did not want to rebel just because a mission was delayed. In fact, they had been living under oppression for a long time, and the last string of their spirit was broken when faced with the delay of a mission.

When Chen Ping was talking about the current situation of Daqin, Fusu was thinking about the blood and tears behind the name Daqin.

Throughout the history of China, the Qin Dynasty was one of the most oppressive dynasties in terms of its oppression of the common people.

Even a child who traveled back from two thousand years later would point at the emperor of the Qin Dynasty and curse him. How could such a country not perish?

Why wouldn’t such a dynasty disappear?

If the history of the Qin Dynasty does not end, it would be unjust.

Chen Ping was also very angry in his heart, but he still tried his best to keep himself calm and make his voice sound steady.

"..."

"..."

The Qin system combined labor service with military service, and soldiers with agriculture. When in service, they were soldiers, and when they were done with service, they were farmers.

Second, soldiers had to provide their own clothes and food. So there was no such thing as having clothes to wear during a war. The battlefield was basically covered in colorful clothes. Some soldiers had no clothes to wear and might even freeze to death on the battlefield.

It's just so cruel.

Third, because the service period was short, soldiers were mostly deployed nearby, and there was no need to go to distant places. However, large-scale deployment and dispatch led to small-scale migration of people every day in the country, causing chaos in public security.

"That is to say, as long as you are born in Qin, after a man reaches adulthood, he must work for the state for free until he dies of old age."

"It has not been that long since the Qin Dynasty succeeded the Zhou Dynasty. It can be said that in today's Great Qin Empire, the people of the original six kingdoms have always regarded themselves as the people of the six kingdoms."

"The people of Qin themselves are unwilling to continue living this way, and the people of the six states are naturally even more unwilling to live this way without pay."

"To continue to implement the past policies, that is, to match all the national livelihood and political policies with the military merit system, is actually dragging the Qin State into the abyss."

Chen Ping's opinion was actually the emperor's opinion.

As an eunuch, even though his position is low, the person who supports him is the emperor.

When Feng Quji listened to Chen Ping's words, his eyes suddenly felt a little sore. The things that he had deliberately avoided paying attention to were now laid out on the table by Chen Ping.

So far, no one has spoken to the common people. Almost no one has spoken to the nobles like Chen Ping, who has spoken to the nobles and said, "We all remember that you bullied us. We all know it."

Beads of sweat broke out on Feng Quji's forehead.

This old nobleman is not a mean and ungrateful bad person. His family will transform from a noble family to a family of nobles in the future, and its prosperity will last for hundreds of years.

He is a man of integrity, not a villain.

After hearing the words of Chen Ping, the poor scholar, Feng Quji was not moved by Chen Ping, but he woke up in time and realized this extremely serious problem.

As people who had read the books of sages, Feng Quji also understood that if the people were dissatisfied, the king's position would be threatened.

Power comes from the bottom up.

Guo Wei Liao looked at Chen Ping with admiration. This young man would achieve great things in the future, but he was a man with deep thoughts.

And according to what people in the palace say about him, this person doesn't care about the means, he only cares about achieving the goal.

This is his only flaw. In order to achieve his goals, he does not hesitate to use some despicable means, but in the end, he still ends up destroying himself.

After hearing what Chen Ping said, the other ministers also understood that the emperor was still considering the people at the bottom of society.

In this case, they have nothing to say.

After all, Fusu has no selfish motives and is not doing it for himself.

On the contrary, such an emperor made all the ministers admire him very much.

As a man, he is born with an extremely strong desire for power and beauty, especially those in high positions, most of whom are overwhelmed by desire.

They know they have done a lot of wrong things, and they dare not face themselves in the dead of night.

On the surface, they seem calm, but in fact, they are panicking. Do you think they don't understand that they are eating cakes made with the blood and sweat of others?
No, it’s because I already know that I’m in too deep and I don’t dare to face it.

In this situation, people like Fusu who can control their desires have become the supreme strong man, a true strong man, a terrifying existence that these slaves of desires feel.

This is what it means to be strong without desire.

There is nothing to be afraid of about Fusu.

In this way, the villains who fear power will be afraid that the sword of power in Fusu's hand will be swung at their necks, and the gentlemen who respect virtue will also bow down at Fusu's feet.

Feng Quji is not a villain.

"Hey--"

Feng Quji let out a long sigh. He had to compromise on this important matter.

He had already anticipated this when he promised to help Fusu fulfill this ambition.

However, Feng Quji had something else to say.

"Since your majesty has made up his mind, I have nothing to say. I think your majesty intends to abolish the military merit system and stop the people from having to kill people to earn a living."

"But since ancient times, there have been only a few ways to eat, which is nothing more than growing your own crops and producing your own food."

"Your Majesty, if you ask the people to go back to farming, many people will inevitably be dissatisfied. Human desires are inexhaustible. Once you have an acre of land, you will think about selling it to do business; once you have a house, you will think about pawning it to do bigger business."

"Your Majesty is unwilling to allow people to ascend to higher ranks through killing. I am afraid that in the future, the tradition of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce will be broken in Qin. In the future, Your Majesty will definitely open up commerce in Qin."

"All merchants are dishonest. Once the trade is liberalized, goods that originally cost one cent will have to be raised to two cents in order to make a profit."

"As long as buying and selling is allowed, deception will follow, followed by breach of contract and fraud. The credibility of society will be completely consumed."

"Your Majesty said that he wanted to restore trust between people, but the results of liberalizing business are the opposite of what Your Majesty expected."

Fusu was gloomy. "The state will definitely control business. But I think the jobs I want to create for the people are not in business. I want the people to work in industry, so that half of the country can engage in industrial manufacturing."

【This chapter ends here.】

What follows is a short fictional romance story that is free and does not count towards the VIP word count for each chapter.

Once upon a time, a man and a woman agreed to be husband and wife in the next life. Later, the man and woman reincarnated as expected and came to the human world.

Men and women who have lost their memories are busy in the world.

The little girl grew up to be a woman, and suddenly she learned from the prophecy that she had a destined other half.

She chose to believe in the prophecy and believed that her significant other was also looking for her. For this, she made a lot of sacrifices and rejected the pursuit of many people.

She remained firm in her belief and kept waiting for the man, rejecting the pursuit of many people, and persistently believed that such a person really existed.

But the woman waited and waited until she was exhausted, almost reaching the limit of her body and mind. No one understood her, and there were too many things she couldn't tell others, so she could only bear it all by herself.

But on the agreed day, the man never showed up.

Is it that the man doesn’t know the prophecy yet; or is it that he knows everything and observes everything about the woman, but chooses not to show up and watches the woman suffer?
The answer lies only in the man himself.

I don't think anyone has the patience to wait forever, let alone wait for someone who is cold-blooded, selfish, and attaches so much importance to money and status.

Perhaps the so-called true love is just a girl's fantasy, and as time goes by, reality will make this fantasy disappear forever like a bubble. 】

(End of this chapter)