Chapter 113 Chapter 2 Helpless

On the way home, Xiang Shaolong felt refreshed. The dead are dead, and everyone who is still alive must live strong and cope with the endless challenges in life.One day he will die in this ancient Warring States era, and no one knows that he came from a human being more than two thousand years later. Seeing that his mood improved, Ji Yanran took the opportunity to say: "The clansmen who came with Yanran are all good swordsmiths and bowsmiths, can Shaolong make arrangements for them to continue to develop in this respect?" Xiang Shaolong recalled that she and her family all came from the extinct Yue Kingdom. In this era, the Yue Kingdom's casting skills were world-famous. It's a pity, he nodded and said: "This bag is on me, and I will propose it to my father-in-law immediately after returning. The ranch is so big that mining can be done, there should be no problem."

Ji Yanran thanked her with great joy, and said coquettishly: "You are also a brilliant craftsman, Shaolong. If you think of any sharp weapon, just hand it over to them to make it. Would you like to talk to Uncle Qing, his family has been the best in our country for generations. Craftsman!" Xiang Shaolong's heart skipped a beat, and he remembered that he had taken basic courses on gunpowder manufacturing in the past. Although he had forgotten most of them, he still had a vague impression that it was impossible to make a gun, but he only needed to express his thoughts, such as Ideas such as synthesizing metals might be able to create a blade stronger than Ganjiang and Moxie. He said happily: "You find Uncle Qing to see me tonight, and let me have a good talk with him."

Ji Yanran smiled like a flower and shouted: "Shaolong! You are so kind to others, Yanran loves you so much." Xiang Shaolong summoned up his willpower that had been depressed and lost for nearly half a month, and led the way to the Yinlong Courtyard. During dinner, laughter was heard in the main hall of the other courtyard for the first time in more than ten days. Teng Yi, Wu Zhuo, Wu Guo and Tao Fang also attended. Xiang Shaolong first told Tao Fang about Ji Yanran's proposal, and asked him to handle it. When asked about Jing Jun, Teng Yi smiled and said, "This kid loves to hang out with people from Xiangguo's mansion, and Lu Xiang's mansion has become a strange person in the world now." The Paradise of the Stranger attracts people to vote every day, and the number of people has already exceeded 4,000, and this situation will continue."

Xiang Shaolong secretly sighed in his heart, how could Lu Buwei's practice of constantly soliciting outsiders not arouse the jealousy of the Qin people, without the support of King Zhuang Xiang, he might not be able to continue for a day. At this time, Tian's sisters came to pour wine for him. Xiang Shaolong put his arm around Tian Zhen's waist, and asked, "Are you used to the environment here?" Tian Zhen nodded shyly and said: "This place is quiet and beautiful, and ladies and gentlemen love this little maid very much, it's very good... Zhenzhen is really good."

Chun Ying, who was serving Tao Fang over there, said with a smile: "Zhenzhen just learned how to ride a horse, so I don't know how much fun she had!" Xiang Shaolong suddenly thought of Tingfang's family again, but fortunately Tao Fang interrupted his train of thought just at this moment, and said: "My master told you, when Shaolong is in better spirits, you will go back to Xianyang City. Your Majesty and Prime Minister Lu both want to see you." And you." Xiang Shaolong agreed with a wry smile, after dinner, everyone dispersed.When Xiang Shaolong returned to the inner house, Ji Yanran was chatting with Uncle Qing, and after introducing the two to get to know each other better, he deliberately left, leaving only the two of them to talk in detail.

An hour later, when Ji Yanran came back, Uncle Qing was stunned and asked, "Then how to process this thing called 'chromium' into the sword body?" Xiang Shaolong frowned and said: "It will take a special thing to cooperate with it, but it can still be done, and then I will do it!" Ji Yanran said in surprise, "Shaolong, you are really surprising, I have never seen Uncle Qing like this." Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that it's fortunate that the younger brother just said it accommodatingly, otherwise he might have frightened this skillful craftsman into a faint.

For the next five days, Xiang Shaolong put aside everything and traveled around the mountains and rivers with his wife and maidservants all day long, enjoying everything to the fullest, and when he left the ranch, although he still felt melancholy, his spirit was quite different. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ On the second night after returning to Xianyang, Lu Buwei hosted a banquet in honor of them at the prime minister's mansion. Wu Yingyuan, Teng Yi, Jing Jun and Ji Yanran all attended.Accompanying them were Meng Ao and his two sons, Tu Xian, Xiao Yuetan and Zou Yan who was visiting there. Beautiful women are always the most popular, not to mention a peerless beauty like Ji Yanran, whose talents are famous among all living beings. As soon as she stepped into the hall, she became the object of courtship from Lu Buwei and others, occupying the high seat.

Meng Ao's two sons, Meng Wu and Meng Tian, ​​are a little younger than Jing Jun, and they were both strong-backed and majestic. After drinking for three rounds, Meng Ao suddenly ordered his two sons to come out and fight with real swords for fun. He saw dragons leaping and tigers leaping, and the sword energy was cold. They separated, saluted everyone at the table with their swords, and returned to father's table without flushing and panting. The crowd applauded loudly, Jing Jun was used to them, so he shouted even louder. When Xiang Shaolong remembered that Meng Tian was a famous general in the Qin family after Wang Jian and Wang Ben and his son, he paid special attention to it.

Lu Buwei, who was sitting opposite Ji Yanran, smiled and said, "Shaolong sees that these two boys are okay?" Xiang Shaolong praised sincerely: "The two young masters of General Meng are outstanding in martial arts, and they will definitely succeed the general in the future and become a generation of famous generals. Shaolong dares to use the head of the general to protect him." Meng Ao was overjoyed and shouted to his son: "You two still don't thank the Grand Tutor!" Meng Ao and Mengtian came out immediately, kowtowed in front of Xiang Shaolong's table, and left the table in a hurry to support the two, feeling in his heart that the matter was not so simple.

After returning to the table and sitting down, Lu Buwei said: "These two boys have been marching with General Meng since they were thirteen years old. They entrust Shaolong to discipline them." Meng Ao said sincerely: "I have seen tens of thousands of people, but I have never met someone as extraordinary as the Tai Tuo. If you don't give up, the Tai Tuo will go to the six countries this time, let the children be your followers." Knowing that he couldn't refuse, Xiang Shaolong said with a smile: "Because of the great love of the general, how dare Shaolong disobey his orders?" At the same time, he thought that Lu Buwei was trying his best to cultivate talents, obviously it was not as simple as just wanting to be a prime minister.

After Meng Wu and Meng Tian kowtowed, the matter was settled. Lu Buwei was about to speak, when suddenly a family member hurried in and said a few words into Lu Buwei's ear, which attracted everyone's attention. Lu Buwei couldn't help being moved, and lost his voice: "King Zhao Xiaocheng died of illness!" For a moment, the hall was extremely quiet. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ After everyone returned to Wufu that night, Zou Yan who came back with them asked Xiang Shaolong to talk. In the quiet side hall, after a few words of gossip, Zou Yan said: "Lu Buwei now relies heavily on Shaolong, what is Shaolong's plan?" Xiang Shaolong knew that he studied heaven and man, his eyesight was so high that he would not think second to others, and there must be a reason for what he said. He pondered for a while, and sighed: "I am also very contradictory... Oh! It's snowing." The snowflakes are flying in the dark night outside the window, which is indescribably gentle and elegant.Zou Yan stood up, walked to the window, and admired the belated first snow with his hands behind his back, like a fairy.When Xiang Shaolong came to him, Zou Yan got very excited and proposed to enjoy the snow in the small pavilion in the garden. Facing Xue Xu, the two arrived at the small pavilion and stood side by side. Zou Yan let out a long breath, and said: "In the past seven or eight days, Lu Buwei has been teasing the old man, asking about luck, and hoping that the old man will find a place to bury the remains of his late father. This man has great ambitions, Shaolong be careful Less is better." Xiang Shaolong admired him from the bottom of his heart. Needless to say, Lu Buwei's thousands of words to Zou Yan were just to know whether he was the real son of heaven, and Zou Yan saw that he was just a fake dragon, so he gave this warning, fearing that he would be implicated by him in the future. Zou Yan said without hesitation: "Lu Buwei asked me to preside over the compilation of his "Lushi Chunqiu" several times, but the old man refused with grandiose excuses. Does Shaolong know the reason?" Shaolong knew that the wise man was trying to wake himself up by insinuating, so he said modestly, "Godfather, please tell me." Zou Yan said with a smile: "It's the first time to take the initiative to call me a godfather, will it be a bit uncomfortable?" When Xiang Shaolong smiled awkwardly, Zou Yan continued: "Lu Buwei is definitely not a person who is willing to listen to others. Although he looks like a virtuous corporal, in fact everyone is just a tool for him to fulfill the dream in his heart. Take "Lu's Spring and Autumn" For example, he just wanted to reflect a personal opinion." Although Xiang Shaolong had heard Li Si say about the content of this ancient encyclopedia for Xiao Pan's reference, but it was too hard to remember, so he asked casually: "Does his method work? ?” Zou Yan said disdainfully: "It's not Confucius' unrealistic way of 'government by virtue and benevolence' supplemented by 'punishment and reward'. It's retrogression, not progress. Only progress can stand out. The Qin State Since Shang Yang, advocating the rule of law and military exploits is completely different from Lu Buwei's, and there will definitely be problems in the future, Shaolong be careful." Xiang Shaolong said in a low voice: "Godfather is really farsighted, if my prediction is not bad, there will be troubles in the future for Lu Buwei, and he will die badly." Zou Yan's body trembled violently, he looked towards him, and said in a deep voice: "It turns out that Shaolong has already seen this point, the old man is worried for nothing." Xiang Shaolong secretly sighed, it was precisely because he knew the future development that he could not enjoy the wealth and glory in front of him, it is better not to know the fate. The snow is getting heavier and heavier. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ The next morning Lu Buwei summoned him to Xiangguo's mansion, met him in the book, and immediately said: "Shaolong and I will meet the king in the palace later. Alas! I have been putting off for you for more than ten days, and I almost complained to Queen Ji." Dead." Then he said solemnly: "Even though Empress Ji has feelings for you, remember not to get half of her finger on her, otherwise I won't be able to protect you." Xiang Shaolong smiled wryly: "Xiangguo, don't worry!" Lu Bu nodded and said: "I also believe that you can hold it. It's just because you care about it that you can't help but mention it!" After pondering for a while, he said: "I decided to go to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty myself, with Meng Ao as the deputy general. When Shaolong arrived in Han, the Eastern Zhou Dynasty should have disappeared, and the rule of the Zhou Dynasty had officially ended. From this moment on, it will be a situation of warring for supremacy. .” After a pause, he continued: "When Xiaocheng died, the power of Zhao State fell into the hands of Han Jing and Guo Kai, and the political situation was unstable. I want to redeploy my strategy to seize this opportunity. The day when Lord Yangquan confers the head is the day when my Daqin will start its hegemony. Time, so Shaolong must stabilize the six countries for me before then, if the six countries join forces because of the destruction of Zhou, it will be very disadvantageous to me." Xiang Shaolong sighed secretly, if it's bad for Lu Buwei in front of him, then if it's bad for him, for the time being, he and the Wu family's fate has been linked with Lu Buwei, if something bad happens, he will be imprisoned.If Mr. Yangquan can successfully transform into Chengxu, even Zhu Ji and Xiao Pan will die, so he just nodded and agreed.Let's think about it, who in the ruling class of the six countries is not selfish and selfish at the expense of others, and speaking of benevolence and justice with them is just asking for a loss. Lu Buwei's eyes flashed sharply, and he thought about it: "Except for the person who had a mask to cover his appearance last time, all new people must be replaced, otherwise as long as one person is recognized, it will be associated with you." Dong Ma is crazy, it only makes things more complicated. Fortunately, manpower is not a problem. I will send a group of loyal and swordsman masters from my family to accompany you, accompanied by a team of thousands of elite cavalry. It is enough to deal with the dangers of the journey. Xiao Yuetan will also take care of it for you." Xiang Shaolong felt stunned, from a certain point of view, these confidantes from Lu Buwei also became his eyeliners.His heart moved: "May Lu Xiang add Mr. Li Si to the list of entourage?" Lu Buwei glanced at him strangely, hesitated for a moment before saying: "Since Shaolong has this proposal, please do as you please! Alright! Now let's enter the palace to meet the king!" Although nothing could be seen on the surface, but judging from his slightly hesitant attitude, Lu Buwei was actually unhappy. As to whether the reason is that he doesn't like Li Si, or Xiang Shaolong's own opinion, it's hard to say for sure. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ Through the car window, Xianyang has become a pure white beautiful world, and the snowflakes are still falling endlessly. The first snowfall always makes people happy, and the weather is still not too cold. Some children ran to the street to play in the snow. When they turned into the avenue of Xianyang Palace, they saw a group of young women throwing snowballs for fun. The situation of not leaving the boudoir in three steps is completely useless in this era.But after Confucianism was worshiped in the Han Dynasty, women were further suppressed by selfish men.And in the Warring States period, in terms of the degree of openness, Qin, which had just got rid of its status as a barbarian, was the most powerful. Lu Buwei became silent, and the two of them thought about each other. Xiang Shaolong suddenly thought that Lu Buwei sent troops at this time, it really had a lot of meaning. Wind and snow was originally a taboo in military operations, but it had two advantages in dealing with a weak country like the Eastern Zhou Dynasty. First of all, it is unexpected. Due to the cover of wind and snow, the Lord of Zhou may not know what is going on until the soldiers are approaching the city. Secondly, in the midst of winter, travel disappeared, and if the news was cut off, by the time the six countries knew about it, it would have been a thing of the past.Even if he heard the news earlier, it would be difficult for him to help. Judging from this strategy alone, Lu Buwei is both bold and prone to taking risks. If we turn against each other in the future, we must pay attention to his character, otherwise we will suffer a lot. When Lu Buwei arrived at the Qin Palace, he went straight to the inner court as if he had returned to his own home.He got off the car when he arrived at the imperial garden between the inner and outer courts, and walked towards the harem in a swaggering manner, surrounded by more than a dozen sturdy personal guards, without using a pass to lead the way. Compared with when Xiang Shaolong left Qin for Zhao more than half a year ago, Lu Buwei's status in the Qin palace has been greatly improved. It is impossible for King Zhuang Xiang's character of emphasizing righteousness and love to meet Lu Buwei, an ambitious man with ulterior motives, not to be controlled by him. The sound of wooden swords clashing faintly came from the front of the corridor. A gratified smile appeared on Lu Buwei's face, and he said, "The prince is practicing sword again." Looking at his expression, Xiang Shaolong really wanted to tell him that Xiao Pan was not his son, so let's see how he would react. At the end of the corridor, it suddenly became clear. Between the buildings of the two palaces, on a small square, under the rain and snow, Xiao Pan was fighting with another child of the same age with a wooden sword. Apart from King Zhuangxiang and Zhu Ji, Mrs. Xiuli and Prince Chengyu were watching the battle. In addition, there were more than a dozen palace servants, two warriors who seemed to be swordsmanship instructors, and a handsome civil servant.There are still guards all around, and the atmosphere is solemn and solemn. Before King Zhuang Xiang and the others saw the two, Lu Buwei said to Xiang Shaolong in a low voice: "The one who practiced sword with the prince is Wang Jian's son Wang Ben. Among the children of the same age in the palace, no one is his opponent." Xiang Shaolong's heart skipped a beat, and he looked carefully at the future invincible general. It turned out that he was very thick and strong, with a spirited appearance, a bit like Wang Jian.There is a sense of proportion in the advance and retreat of actions, and there is room for everything. If three years old can be determined to be eighty, then the child of twelve or thirteen years old will have the air of a general at this time. He still doesn't understand the situation in the palace, such as why Wang Ben has the honor to practice martial arts with Xiao Pan, but this matter should come from Lu Buwei's idea, it is his way to win over Wang Jian, a new generation of famous generals. At this time, King Zhuang Xiang saw them and happily called them over. Seeing King Zhuang Xiang's happy expression, Xiang Shaolong was touched, will good people always suffer?King Zhuang Xiang treated this great benefactor wholeheartedly and generously, who made him the lord of the country, did he ever think that he was breeding tigers?But at this moment, he had no time to think, so he calmed down and walked towards King Zhuang Xiang. With a sound of "Puff!", Xiao Pan's wooden sword was swung away by Xiao Wang Ben, revealing his empty door. Xiao Wang Ben withdrew his sword and retreated quickly, knelt down on the ground and shouted: "Prince Zheng, forgive Xiao Ben for his recklessness." Seeing Xiang Shaolong, Xiao Pan didn't have any interest in fighting, he actually knew how to support Xiao Ben first, and whispered affectionately in his ear, but he didn't know what he was talking about. Xiang Shaolong didn't know whether he should be happy or disappointed, this minor Qin Shihuang already knew how to buy people's hearts.