"I, Liu Ji, pay my respects to Your Majesty."
This was the first time Liu Ji was summoned by the Emperor after he came to Xianyang.
These days, he had been living in the courtyard that His Majesty had bestowed upon him, and his heart was filled with anxiety.
As the saying went, one should not receive rewards without merit. He had not made any size contributions, but he had received many rewards from the Emperor.
Everything in Xianyang was like heaven to Liu Ji. After taking root here, he never wanted to leave again.
Regardless of whether it was for himself or for his descendants, Liu Ji was determined to gain a foothold in Xianyang City even if he had to use all his strength.
Back in Fengyang, what was he?
He was just a small pavilion chief who had nothing to do all day. He looked glorious, but in fact, he was extremely down and out.
This Xianyang City was the place where he could display his strength and the Shallow Dragon Rising Abyss.
Ying Zheng stood with his hands behind his back, standing at the highest point of Xianyang Palace, near the fence of the Stargazing Pavilion, staring up at the stars in the sky, lost in thought.
"No need to be so polite. Are you used to living in Xianyang?”
Ying Zheng's voice was gentle. He did not turn around, but continued to look up at the Milky Way.
Liu Ji heaved a sigh of relief and carefully stood at the side. Then, he said with a smile,"Your Majesty is so kind to me. Everything is fine in Xianyang. It's just that I don't have size. I feel deeply ashamed to meet Your Majesty.”
Ying Zheng smiled without saying anything, then suddenly said,""Looking at the night sky, what do you see?”
Liu Ji was stunned. He raised his head and looked at the starry night sky, then at the brightly lit Xianyang City.
What did His Majesty mean?
The night sky in Xianyang seemed to be no different from the night sky in Fengyang.
"The night sky is enchanting, and the stars are like bright pearls, shining on each other. This is the prosperity of the country and the atmosphere of the king.”
Although Liu Ji felt that the night sky here was no different from his hometown, since the Emperor had asked, he could not give such a simple answer.
Therefore, Liu Ji could only show off his cleverness and praise the night sky of Xianyang. There was no lack of flattery in his words.
"I feel that the stars in the sky are like all living beings. It is precisely because the brilliant light of each star interwove together to light up the dark night sky, making the lonely night sky no longer so cold.”
"Because Great Qin has all kinds of living beings, and every living being is contributing their own power, Great Qin is able to give off a vibrant life force and gradually become stronger.”
Looking at the starry sky, Ying Zheng seemed to be chatting with a good friend whom he had not seen for many years.
Liu Ji was immediately shocked. Soon, an idea flashed in his mind and he hurriedly said,"All living beings are the stars, and Your Majesty is the bright moon. It is precisely because of Your Majesty that the Great Qin Empire can shine brightly and bless all living things in the world.”
Ying Zheng smiled. He naturally understood Liu Ji's words.
In other words, the stars were fleeting, but the bright moon was the only one.
Ever since Ying Zheng took the throne, he had heard many compliments, so he did not take them to heart.
"I heard that you are from Chu?"
Ying Zheng turned around and sized up Liu Jidao.
"Your Majesty, I am a descendant of the Yan and Huang dynasties, a descendant of the Chinese, and a citizen of the Qin country.”
"If we trace back to the origin, I can only be considered a person who perished the Zhou Dynasty and not a remnant of the Chu Dynasty.”
Liu Ji blurted out without hesitation.
One had to know that even the Emperor's ancestors were from the Zhou Dynasty. The current Qin, Chu, Yan, Zhao, Wei, Qi, and Han were all once from the Zhou Dynasty. They had the same ancestor, the same blood flowing in their bodies, and they worshipped the same ancestor.
"You are a very quick-witted person. I like smart people, but I hate fools who think they are smart.”
"Kong Qiu once said, investigate things, obtain knowledge, correct one's heart, be sincere, cultivate one's moral character, regulate one's family, govern the country, and pacify the world.”
"Which do you think is more important?”
Ying Zheng asked casually.
Liu Ji's heart was suddenly filled with a myriad of thoughts. This seemingly casual question could actually be considered as His Majesty's test for him, right?
Almost subconsciously, Liu Ji wanted to blurt out a bunch of beautiful words about being loyal to the country and putting life and death at risk.
However, he quickly felt that it was inappropriate and swallowed these words back.
These flowery words might be able to coax the vast majority of people in the world, but who was this person in front of him?
No words of praise in the world would be used on him.
"Your Majesty, governing the country and pacifying the world, this subject does not understand.”
"However, not only do I want to serve my country with passion, but I also want to let myself and my family live a better life. I don't want to suffer the cold eyes of the world and be bullied by others.”
Liu Ji cupped his hands and said firmly.
"If I had the heart to devote myself to the country, how could I be stingy with wealth and splendor?”
Ying Zheng patted Liu Ji's shoulder and said with a smile.
Liu Ji heaved a sigh of relief. It seemed that he had made the right bet.
His Majesty's words were undoubtedly telling him that anyone who used their lives to serve Great Qin would be rewarded handsomely.
"We have never cared about the intentions of the civil and military officials in serving Great Qin. We only care about what they have done for Great Qin.”
"The moon has its phases, and no one is perfect."
"Everyone in the world has their own preferences. Some are greedy for money, some are lecherous, some are power-hungry, and some cherish fame.”
"Some people are not afraid of death, while others are as timid as mice. In my opinion, these shortcomings are just a side of human nature, not a flaw.”
"Those who are not afraid of death should go to the battlefield to kill the enemy and make contributions. Those who are as timid as mice can work in the rear.”
"Make the best use of people and things. As long as there are talented people, I will give them whatever they like. Only then will they sell their lives for me.”
"What do you think you can do for the empire?”
Ying Zheng looked at Liu Jidao calmly.
"This subject has already promised the country.”
"As for what I can do, it's all up to Your Majesty.”
Liu Ji smiled obsequiously.
"You are smarter than I imagined. The smart people in this world know what to do and what not to do.”
"Only an angry man would disregard the consequences and spill blood three steps away. This kind of impulsive and violent person had very limited achievements and was not a material that could be molded.”
Ying Zheng said calmly and meaningfully.
"Your Majesty is wise."
Liu Ji smiled apologetically.
"Do you think the current Great Qin Empire is better than the old Chu?”
Ying Zheng and Liu Ji were chatting casually. He seemed to be in a good mood, so he asked again.
"Your Majesty lives in the imperial court. In terms of understanding of the people, before I came to Xianyang, I was the chief of the Sishui River Pavilion. Therefore, compared to Your Majesty, I know more.”
When Liu Ji heard the Emperor ask him about the affairs of the people, he immediately perked up.
This was his strength. He was far from being the Emperor's match when it came to discussing the feelings of the country and the country.
If they were to talk about folk customs, the Emperor was high and mighty, and naturally could not compare to him, a small official who experienced all the flavors of life.
"Although I've toured the world, what I've heard and seen are mostly illusions.”
Ying Zheng was not a narrow-minded king, but he said frankly and decisively.
"The laws of the Imperium are strict, and rewards and punishments are clear. They cover almost every aspect of life.”
"The Chu Country has always had a valiant folk customs. If there's a disagreement, it's no longer strange for swords to be used against each other.”
"But now that Great Qin has unified the four seas, this kind of thing can no longer be seen in Chu. At the very least, in these past few years, this subject has not seen a single one.”
"However, it's better to go too far than to go too far.”
"When I was a pavilion chief, there was a very interesting case. I wonder if Your Majesty is interested in hearing about it.”
Liu Jigong respectfully said with a smile.
"Speak! I want to know how interesting it is."
Ying Zheng smiled, turned around, walked to the wooden table in the Stargazing Pavilion, and sat down cross-legged.
He poured himself a cup of wine and took a sip.
"When I first became the chief of the pavilion, it happened that there were evil people in the market.”
"According to the laws of the Great Qin Dynasty, within a hundred steps, if a pedestrian does not lend a helping hand, they will be given a reward of two thousand yuan.”
"Coincidentally, an elder from the village passed by here. However, because he was old and was already in his old age, his movements were slow. He wanted to save her, but he was unable to.”
"After the culprit killed the victim, he left. The elder was sentenced to two years of property because he did not rescue him in time.”
"However, a set of light armor requires an ordinary family's harvest of about a month. How could the elder afford to pay for it? In the end, because he owed the government a second grade, after converting it into money, he was sentenced to service to repay the debt.”
"According to the laws of the Great Qin Dynasty, the daily salary of the corvee is eight coins. The elderly are punished to serve for four months due to their old age and weak body.”
"But the elder didn't even last four days before he died at the city walls.”
"Does Your Majesty find it interesting that the officials have lost all their wealth?”
Liu Ji saw that the Emperor's expression gradually darkened and did not dare to continue. He directly ended the topic.
"Who adjudicated this case?"
Ying Zheng's voice was low and cold.
"Pei County Magistrate Xu Mu."
Liu Ji answered honestly.
"Bastard, when did the Great Qin laws become so unreasonable?”
"You call this interesting?"
"This is blatant murder, bringing disaster to the country.”
Ying Zheng's face turned ashen as he shouted angrily.
According to the laws of the Great Qin Dynasty, not providing aid within a hundred paces was indeed a waste of money.
However, laws were dead, but people were alive.
All of Great Qin's laws had precedents, and the old, the weak, women, children, the disabled, and the sick were not punished.
Had these dogs already reached such an arrogant level?
Wanting to distort Great Qin's laws was extremely detestable.
At this moment, Ying Zheng seemed to have understood why the once powerful Great Qin Empire would suddenly collapse after his death.
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