My brother Ying Zheng, who dares to kill me?.

Chapter 984 The Qin monarch and his ministers have changed quietly! Stop repairing the royal mausoleum. I can wait!
Han Cang asked solemnly: "May I ask Lord Chang'an, what is the reason for the reduction in grain production next year?!"

Ying Chengjiao shook his head and said, "I don't know either."

"I only know that this disaster is very serious! If we don't handle it properly, I'm afraid the people will starve!"

Ying Chengjiao hoped that the cause of this "great famine" was the reduction in grain production caused by the earthquake.

Although the earthquake was severe, it was ultimately only a local disaster. Even an earthquake that would destroy all farmland, cause crop failure, and cause starvation among the people in the original Qin Dynasty would only cause so much trouble for the Qin Dynasty, which now occupies one-eighth of the world. The Qin Dynasty could easily transport large quantities of grain and grass from the Guandong region to aid Guanzhong.

However, the reduction in grain production this time concerns the lives of thousands of people and even the war. Ying Chengjiao believes that he should not speak rashly, but must prepare for the worst case scenario!

Han Cang scratched his hair and sighed bitterly: "Why is the heaven so cruel to the people!"

"In recent years, the granaries of the Qin Dynasty have been depleted. It was not until last year that some grain was stored in the granaries."

"Even if the golden juice for curing manure and the Chang'an plow have spread throughout the Qin Empire, it is still almost impossible to store two years' worth of food with only one year's harvest!"

"I think we can suspend the construction of cement roads and canals to save manpower and put more manpower into farming!"

Not only must the war be supported, but also the food supplies for the people of Daqin must be protected, some food must be reserved for disaster relief in the newly annexed territories, and infrastructure construction must continue. The amount of food that Daqin will consume in the next year is terrifying. Even if there is a normal harvest next year, it will only be enough to barely survive.

Now Ying Chengjiao said that not only will there not be a good harvest of grain in Daqin next year, but the yield will decrease instead. This will undoubtedly make the already poor granary of Daqin even worse!

In Han Cang's opinion, under the current circumstances, only by increasing revenue and reducing expenditure can Daqin survive this crisis!
Zhang Han immediately shook his head and said, "As the Minister of the Imperial Household, I know that agriculture is the most important thing for the country."

"So, cement roads, canals and other construction projects were originally started during the slack season, and they were all recruited from nearby laborers, so as not to delay the farming season."

"Even if we stop repairing cement roads and canals and release them from corvée labor, they can only weed the fields and have little help with the autumn harvest!"

Han Cang said as a matter of course: "I know what Minister Zhang said."

"I do not ask the farmers who return home to grow more millet, but only to save the grain for corvée labor."

"Does Minister Zhang know how much food and grass are consumed by hundreds of thousands of corvées and prisoners every month?!"

"If we stop repairing the canals and other constructions, these grains and grass can be stored in the granary until they are ready for use next year!"

Zhang Han retorted: "Next year's disaster in Daidi will be a severe drought. How can Han Shangqing know that the reason for the reduction in grain production in Daqin next year is not a severe drought?"

"If Daqin really suffers a severe drought next year, the canals may help farmers increase production next year, and the benefits will be far greater than the small amount of food and grass saved this year!"

"As for cement roads, they can save a lot of transportation costs. The transportation costs saved by cement roads when our army goes on an expedition are more than the cost itself."

"If we stop repairing cement roads, canals and other infrastructure just to save some corvée food, it would be putting the cart before the horse!"

Han Cang and Zhang Han's endless argument also involved more court officials to join the battlefield. The rest of the officials were frowning and thinking about where they could get some food.

Seeing this, Lu Buwei was a little surprised, but also a little relieved.

He found that none of his colleagues in the court realized that the question raised by Ying Chengjiao was not a problem at all for them in the past.

Will there be a war next year? Will there be a reduction in grain production next year?
Isn't this a coincidence?

The main way for our Great Qin to deal with natural disasters is to fight foreign wars!

Since we have already decided to send troops after the autumn harvest next year, why bother thinking about how to deal with natural disasters? Hasn't the best solution been decided? The right thing to do is to quickly move on to the next topic!
When no one realized it, Ying Chengjiao had already quietly changed the thinking patterns and ideas of governing the people of the Qin officials with the skyrocketing productivity!

But Lu Buwei also knew that even if all the important officials in the court had their minds changed by Ying Chengjiao, Ying Zheng's thoughts would not be easily changed.

Under Lü Buwei's slightly worried gaze, Ying Zheng finally interrupted the ministers' argument and said in a deep voice: "What Han Shangqing said is very true!"

"At this time when natural disasters are approaching and wars are about to begin, we should not plan for the future, but for the next few years."

"If we save hundreds of thousands of shi of grain and grass from corvée labor, we can add hundreds of thousands of shi of grain and grass to the crisis next year, which may help to solve the crisis!"

Han Cang showed joy on his face and bowed: "Your Majesty is wise!"

Zhang Han and Zhao Cheng were somewhat anxious and wanted to continue to make suggestions.

Without waiting for them to speak, Ying Zheng continued, "What Minister Zhang said also makes sense!"

“Creations such as canals and concrete roads are not only beneficial for future generations, but also for the present.”

"Even if we take two years as the limit, continuing to build canals and cement roads during the slack season will still have more benefits than disadvantages."

"Therefore, the construction of water channels, cement roads and other structures cannot stop!"

When these words came out, all the officials on both sides were stunned.

The advice from Han Cang and Zhang Han is a direct conflict of interest, but Your Majesty, you say that both sides have their reasons?
Your Majesty, you are not a king who would compromise with others!
Facing a pair of puzzled looks, Ying Zheng said in a deep voice: "That's why, I give the order."

"Stop building my mausoleum to save the cost of corvée labor!"

As soon as these words were spoken, it exploded like a thunder in the imperial study!
Stop repairing the royal mausoleum?!
Although there was not even one rule in the Zhou rituals that required the king to build a royal tomb in advance, the Zhou rituals even hoped that the king would not plant trees around the tomb, not build a tomb mound, and bury the dead simply, emphasizing the integration of man and nature. However, Confucius, who had considerable say in interpreting the Zhou rituals, set a precedent of building tomb mounds, which led later generations to follow suit.

Duke Su of Zhao's massive construction of royal mausoleums pushed the Chinese funeral rituals to a higher peak, making the royal mausoleums even more luxurious and complicated.

Today, the king's mausoleum is no longer just a cemetery, but also carries a strong political significance. Even if the king is sidelined, his ministers will start building a mausoleum for him from the day he ascends the throne. The construction of Ying Zheng's mausoleum began when he was thirteen years old, and it has been more than ten years since then!
How can we stop the construction just like that? If outsiders saw this, they would think that our Great Qin is so poor that it can't even afford to build the royal mausoleum!
Han Cang moved his lips as if to persuade him, and court officials such as Zhao Cheng, Zhang Han, and Ying Le stood up unconsciously.

But since it was a matter of life and death for Ying Zheng, even if they wanted to advise him, they did not dare to say a single word.

Only Lü Buwei cried out anxiously: "Your Majesty, no!"

"Xunzi said: Treat the dead as if they were alive; this is courtesy!"

"It's just that the harvest has decreased and it's the time of war. We, the ministers, will do more work. How can we stop repairing the king's mausoleum?"

"I think that the king's order is inappropriate!"

"Your Majesty will complete an unprecedented feat. The repair of Your Majesty's mausoleum should not be stopped. Instead, more manpower should be added to repair it!"

Seeing the anxiety and distress in Lu Buwei's eyes, Ying Zheng felt warm in his heart and his voice became a little gentler: "Don't worry, Prime Minister. I don't take matters of life and death lightly. I just think that things have their priorities."

"Next year's grain production will decrease, and the matter of Qin's unification is more urgent, but I, Wang Ling, do not need to rush."

"Now that our Great Qin's national strength is limited, we should invest our national strength in more urgent undertakings rather than making more preparations for the distant future."

"Even if we temporarily stop the construction of the royal mausoleum for two or three years, when our Great Qin has more people and more money and grain, it will only take two or three years to catch up with the progress that has fallen behind, and it will not affect the construction of my royal mausoleum."

Now that Ying Zheng has said this, what else can the ministers say?
If I refute Ying Zheng again, wouldn’t that be cursing Ying Zheng to die early?

Li Si immediately cupped his hands and shouted: "Your Majesty, may your life be blessed and long-lived. With the help of the twelve immortals, you will surely live a long and prosperous life!"

"My lord, second the motion!"

However, before the ministers could agree, Lu Buwei refuted in a deep voice: "Life and death are matters decided by heaven!"

"I think we don't need to avoid talking about life and death, but we should prepare in advance."

"No matter what happens in the Qin Empire, nothing is more important than the King's business!"

"I refute the king's order again!"

Li Si was so numb that he even unconsciously took two steps away from Lu Buwei.

This former benefactor of yours was a little too brave!
He is really not afraid of death!
However, the scene of Ying Zheng's rage that Li Si had expected did not appear. Instead, he saw Ying Zheng smiling: "I have never been shy about matters of life and death, and I will also prepare in advance."

"However, I still have a long life ahead of me, so there is no need to be so anxious."

Lu Buwei frowned even deeper and was about to refute immediately.

However, Lu Buwei saw Ying Zheng looking at Ying Chengjiao and asked, "My brother, do you think this is correct?"

Lu Buwei was stunned and suddenly turned to look at Ying Chengjiao.

Ying Chengjiao was speechless upon hearing this.

Ying Chengjiao could not understand why Ying Zheng, as soon as he found out that he had only twenty years left to live, was so impatient to tell his ministers that he still had a long life ahead of him, and he could not even hold back for a day.

But since Ying Zheng asked, Ying Chengjiao could only nod and say, "Indeed."

"It's just a two to three year suspension. Once Daqin recovers its national strength, we can catch up with the progress by working harder for another two to three years."

"There is no need to rush the King's Mausoleum."

"The Prime Minister can rest assured."

"The king can wait."

Every court official, even the minister who was accompanying him from a distance and the eunuch who was squatting on the ground picking up hair, all unconsciously held their breath and looked at Ying Chengjiao with fiery eyes.

Lü Buwei even whispered eagerly, "My king, can you wait?"

"Even if we stop repairs for two or three years and speed up the work for another two or three years, can Your Majesty wait?"

"This is a matter of great importance to the world, Lord Chang'an must not speak carelessly!"

Ying Zheng was very worried about his own life span, but Lu Buwei was even more worried than Ying Zheng!
How many years had Ying Zheng known Ying Yiren? How many words did Ying Zheng and Ying Yiren say to each other? How much psychological trauma did Ying Yiren's death cause to Ying Zheng?

Lu Buwei was the person who had known Ying Yiren the longest, had the deepest cooperation with Ying Yiren, understood Ying Yiren the best, had the most trust from Ying Yiren, and had the deepest interests tied to Ying Yiren.

Lu Buwei invested his entire life's efforts and finally supported Ying Yiren to ascend the throne as king, and Ying Yiren did not let Lu Buwei down and promoted Lu Buwei to be prime minister. Lu Buwei had just begun to fantasize about the beautiful dream of the monarch and his subject working together to create a great cause, but in the end.

Ying Yiren collapsed!
Lu Buwei had to raise Ying Zheng. Seeing that Lu Buwei and Ying Zheng began to work together to create a great cause, how could Lu Buwei not worry that Ying Zheng would die just like Ying Yiren, just a few years after taking power?
But now, what did Ying Chengjiao say?
Ying Zheng can afford to stop repairs for two or three years and speed up the work for two or three years. Doesn’t that mean Ying Zheng can live at least another six years?
Six years! Although it’s not that long, it’s already as long as two Ying Yiren!

Ying Zheng laughed heartily and said, "It's only six years. Even if it's longer, I can wait!"

"Do you think, Lord Chang'an, that what I said is false?!"

(End of this chapter)