Chapter 128 Chapter 5 Planning a Great Cause

Lu Buwei, who was dressed in an official uniform, walked into Zhu Ji's Hall of Mercy with great strides, and Xiang Shaolong hurriedly stood up to salute. Lu Buwei was more energetic than before, his sparkling eyes shot Xiang Shaolong up and down, nodded with a smile, and said happily, "I'm so glad to see Shaolong again." Although it is a common sentence, but it contains a hurtful needle, secretly accusing Xiang Shaolong of leaving without saying goodbye, not paying attention to the court; and insinuating that he still survived! Only then did he salute to Zhu Ji, but he didn't kneel down, obviously he believed that he had a special relationship with Zhu Ji and had a deep relationship, and he didn't consider himself a courtier.

Lu Buwei sat on the table opposite Xiang Shaolong, and said with a smile: "I, Daqin, is in an extraordinary period, shameless people, ready to move, with evil intentions. If Shaolong doesn't have any urgent matters, it's better to stay in Xianyang, I might be useful It's your place." Xiang Shaolong nodded in agreement.But secretly thinking that Lu Buwei really knows how to play tricks, using the crisis as pressure, so that Zhu Ji mother and son have no choice but to rely on him. Lu Buwei turned to Zhu Ji and said, "What are the Empress Dowager and Shaolong talking about so happily?"

It's just that this casual sentence already showed Lu Buwei's arrogant attitude.In terms of superiority and inferiority, how can he, the right prime minister, take care of the Queen Mother's affairs. Zhu Ji showed no displeasure, and said lightly, "Just ask about Shaolong's recent situation!" Anger flashed in Lu Buwei's eyes, and he said coldly: "Shaolong, you retreat for a while, I have important matters to discuss with the Queen Mother." Xiang Shaolong was also furious in his heart, this was clearly showing his power to himself, clearly pointing out that he was not qualified to participate in the secret discussion between him and Zhu Ji.

Just as he was about to retreat, Zhu Ji said: "Shaolong doesn't need to leave, how can Lu Xiang regard Shaolong as an outsider?" Lu Buwei was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "How can I treat Shaolong as an outsider, it's just that he has no intention of governing, so I'm afraid he will be upset!" Zhu Ji said nonchalantly, "Lu Lianlian doesn't have the patience to wait for a while. What is the most important thing?" At this moment, both Lu Buwei and Xiang Shaolong knew that Zhu Ji was losing her temper, and they were clearly on Xiang Shaolong's side.Lu Buwei was not so stupid as to retort, and said with a smile: "The Queen Mother, please don't be offended. This time, the old officials came to visit the Queen Mother to recommend the most suitable candidate for the important position of the commander of the capital, so as to take on the heavy responsibility of the safety of the royal city. .”

This is the commander of the cavalry, which is really the position closest to the royal family outside the commander of the imperial guards, An Guxi. The defense of Xianyang City is mainly in charge of the three major systems, namely the guards guarding the palace, and the two armies responsible for the city defense, the former are cavalry and the latter are infantry. Combining the Commander of the Cavalry and the Commander of the Guards, it is equivalent to Xiang Shaolong's post as the city guard when he was in Handan, but separated the infantry and cavalry. There were 30,000 infantrymen, three times more than the cavalry, but in terms of honor and status, the commander of the cavalry was naturally better than the general of the guard who commanded the infantry.

Zhu Ji said coldly: "Master Lu doesn't need to propose anyone. I have decided to appoint Shaolong as the commander of the capital cavalry. Except for him, no one can make me feel at ease." Lu Buwei didn't expect that Zhu Ji, who always obeyed his advice, would be so resolute in this matter, there was no room for negotiation at all, her expression changed slightly, she looked at Xiang Shaolong in surprise and said, "Did Shaolong change his mind?" Of course Xiang Shaolong understood Zhu Ji's state of mind.She is also an extremely powerful person, and she doesn't want to live in the shadow of Lu Buwei forever. Now that Xiang Shaolong has won the favor of the military, with him as the commander of the capital, he can not only fight against Lu Buwei, but also make him feel scruples and dare not not take her. In the eyes of mother and son, they can also maintain the military through Xiang Shaolong, so that they will not be forced to stand on the same side with Lu Buwei, and there is no room for change.

Xiang Shaolong knew that although Lu Buwei seemed to be caring on the surface, he was actually just secretly forcing him to reject the appointment, so he could plausibly recommend the candidate in his heart.He smiled and said: "As Lu Xiang said, our Daqin is in an extraordinary period, so Shaolong has no choice but to put personal matters aside and face a difficult task." Anger flashed in Lu Buwei's eyes, and he smiled again, he said: "That's the best, it's rare that the Queen Mother appreciates you so much, don't let her down!" Zhu Ji said indifferently: "What else is there urgently for Prime Minister Lu?"

Although Lu Buwei was furious in his heart, he didn't dare to confront Zhu Ji. He also knew that his attitude of speaking was a bit too much, so he said with a smile: "Qi Prime Minister Tian Dan, uncle Li Yuan of Chu State, and General Zhao Pang Nuan arrived in Xianyang yesterday. Before the funeral of the late king, I would like to send my greetings to the Queen Mother and Prince Chu.” Zhu Ji said coldly: "The widow is in filial obedience, what is there to see, let's talk about it after the king is buried in peace!" It was the first time for Lu Buwei to see Zhu Ji treat him with such an attitude, and he knew that the problem was Xiang Shaolong.He was very deep in the city, he didn't show his heart at all, and after a few more sentences, he said goodbye and left.

There was silence in the Hall of Mercy. After a long time, Zhu Ji sighed and said: "I have strictly ordered all those who saw what you said to the king not to spread the matter, and those who disobeyed the order will be executed. Buwei should not have known about it yet." Xiang Shaolong said gratefully: "Thank you Queen Mother!" Zhu Ji said dejectedly: "Shaolong! I'm very tired, so what now? Why can't I be happy?" Xiang Shaolong knew that she was forcing himself to comfort her in another way, and sighed: "The empress dowager must cheer up, the prince still needs your guidance and care."

Under such circumstances, the more he could not bring up the matter of Lao Ai.First of all, it is difficult for him to explain why the prophet Lai Ai will come to seduce her, and what's more, if Zhu Ji wants him to replace this "future" Lai Ai, he will have a headache even more.It can be seen that history cannot be changed at all. After Zhu Ji was silent for a while, she said softly: "You have to be careful of Pang Nuan of Zhao State. He was pulled out by Han Jing with one hand. Po, Li Muwai is now the most prestigious general in the Zhao Kingdom. He came to Qin just to find out our reality. Alas! I really don’t know what Buwei’s intentions are, and suddenly he is called brother and brother with the six countries, as if nothing happened the way it used to be."

Xiang Shaolong didn't take this Pang Nuan whom he had never heard of very seriously, if it wasn't for the fact that Guo Kai and Zhu Ji had an ambiguous relationship and it was not appropriate to come in person, it probably wouldn't be this person's turn. At this moment, neither of them knew what to say.After rambling a few words, Xiang Shaolong bid farewell and left. Although Zhu Ji was unwilling, she was afraid of people's gossip, so she had to let him go. After stepping out of the Empress Dowager's Palace, An Guxi came up to meet her and said, "The Chu Jun wants to see the Grand Tutor." Xiang Shaolong followed him to the uterus. The chief of the imperial guards said in a low voice: "After the Taifu has met the prince, can you go to Lu Gong's general's mansion for a while?" Xiang Shaolong understood in his heart, nodding his head should be good. An Guxi didn't speak any more, sent him to the bookstore in the Taiwo's palace, and left on his own. Xiao Pan sat on the dragon cushion at the north end of the bookstore, with a gloomy face, and exempted him from the ceremony of a monarch and minister, ordered Xiang Shaolong to sit on the lower head, and said ruthlessly: "Teacher! I want to kill Lu Buwei! " Xiang Shaolong was taken aback, and lost his voice: "What?" Xiao Pan lowered his voice and said: "This person has a violent personality, he doesn't think of the kindness of the king's father, he is more vicious than a jackal, and he considers himself a hero who founded the country, and secretly pretends that I am his son. Exercising the royal power smoothly." Xiang Shaolong intended to join forces with Xiao Pan, Li Si, Wang Jian and others to fight Lu Buwei.Unexpectedly, Xiao Pan's idea went a few blocks further than him, which made him hesitate again, and pondered: "Have the Prince Chu and the Queen Mother talked about this?" Xiao Pan said: "The Empress Dowager has always had a deep affection for Lu Buwei, and she told her that she would only teach her a lesson. Grand Tutor! With your peerless swordsmanship and wisdom, it shouldn't be too difficult to kill him!" Thinking of Guan Zhongxie, Xiang Shaolong thought to himself that you think highly of me, but of course he couldn't say that, and sighed, "The question is, if you kill him suddenly, what will be the consequences?" Xiao Pan showed a thoughtfulness beyond his age, and said: "So I will first appoint the Taifu as the commander of the capital, and then select a few people to take up important positions in the court. As long as I consolidate the royal power in my hand, will I This thief is not a problem anymore. I am afraid that my mother will object, if she joins forces with Lu Buwei, it will be very difficult for me to deal with." Xiang Shaolong asked: "Does the prince love the queen mother?" Xiaopan sighed dejectedly, and nodded. Perhaps only Xiang Shaolong understands his state of mind, at this moment Xiao Pan has already transferred his feelings for Mrs. Ni to Zhu Ji. What Xiao Pan said was right, Zhu Ji knew that King Zhuang Xiang was killed by Lu Buwei, but she still just wanted to show Lu Buwei some color and let it go. Xiang Shaolong said: "I want to get rid of this old thief more than you. I think Chu Jun should have guessed that Princess Qian was killed by him, right? But we haven't established a strong strength for a day, so we must not act rashly, especially the Qin military system. It is complicated, the direction is unpredictable, and there is an established system that is conspiring against the law, in this situation, we have to be patient for a while." Xiao Pan cheered up and said: "So, the Taifu is willing to take on the position of commander of all cavalry." Xiang Shaolong smiled wryly, "I just accepted your mother's queen!" Xiao Pan was overjoyed and said, "With Master by my side, I feel relieved." At this moment, he turned back to the child he was before. Then he showed a contemplative look, and said: "The vision of the Prime Minister is really unparalleled in the world. Mr. Tingwei Li Si is the best example. His ideas and insights are different. With great strength and courageous forge ahead, you can eventually rule the world. Therefore, I must not allow Lu Buwei, a wolf-hearted person, to control the political situation and affect my great career." It was only then that Xiang Shaolong realized how great Li Si's influence on Xiao Pan was, no matter how hard it was for him to treat Xiao Pan as an ignorant child. Infected by the atmosphere of the Qin Palace, he transformed into another person completely, and it will be him who will build a powerful China in the future. Xiao Pan asked coldly again: "How long do I have to wait?" Xiang Shaolong said calmly: "When the crown prince is twenty-one years old and holds the coronation ceremony, it is the time for the prince to start." You can't go wrong, because that's history. Xiao Pan was stunned and said: "Then don't we have to wait for eight years? Isn't Lu Buwei even more difficult to control?" Xiang Shaolong said: "During this period of time, we can use two approaches. On the one hand, we can use Lu Buwei to deal with those who want to shake the crown prince's position; on the other hand, we can cultivate the crown prince's team. In other words, we are weakening Lu Buwei's influence." After a pause, he said with emphasis: "In terms of government affairs, the prince can let Lu Buwei do whatever he wants, but Xu Xian must check and balance him, and try his best to win over the generals of the military. That is, Lu Buwei will do bad things, and we will do our best. Be a good person. As long as you hold on to the military power firmly, Ren Lu Buwei has three heads and six arms, and in the end he will not be able to escape the five fingers of the prince. Only the barrel of a gun can give power, this is an eternal truth." Xiao Pan was shocked, and murmured, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." The barrel of the gun he thought of was naturally the barrel of a knife and gun, not the barrel of an automatic machine gun. Xiang Shaolong secretly blamed himself for being unscrupulous, and continued: "There are two people who can be promoted in front of us, they are Wang Jian and Wang Ben's father and son. These two are peerless generals that any monarch can only dream of. If you have them to help you conquer the world, Why be afraid of a mere Lu Buwei." Xiao Pan was stunned and said, "Then what about you?" Xiang Shaolong said: "Of course I will do my best to help you, but I am still an outsider. If you want to strengthen the Qin army, you must rely on their talents as the main force." Xiao Pan frowned and said, "But now Lu Buwei is promoting Meng Ao, and appointed his two sons, Meng Wu and Meng Tian, ​​as partial generals, so that he can follow Meng Ao to conquer the north and south, how should I deal with it?" Xiang Shaolong said: "This is exactly one of the reasons why Lu Buwei was eager to get rid of me. If Meng Ao knew that his two sons were almost killed by this old thief, how would he feel? Meng Ao The two Wu brothers will eventually come to us, you can use your plan and use these two again, so that Lu Buwei will not be suspicious." Xiao Pan became excited and said: "There is no one better than Tai Tu, I know how to do it." After the two discussed many more details, Xiang Shaolong resigned and left. ◇◇◇◇◇◇ Arriving at Duke Lu's, which is next to the Qin Palace, facing the General's Mansion where Lu Buwei is starting to build a new mansion, Duke Lu invites Xiang Shaolong to the quiet inner hall, and after the servants offer fragrant tea and leave, Duke Lu smiles and says : "I heard that you are a descendant of the Qin people, but I have never heard of this surname in Da Qin. I don't know which clan you are from?" Xiang Shaolong groaned in his heart, and made nonsense: "My surname comes from my mother, not to mention the family, I don't even know who my father is, but I only know that he is a soldier from the Great Qin, alas ! It's a muddled account." Lu Gong, the "Great Qinist", nodded and said, "Zhao people are rarely born as majestic and mighty as you. Taifu's body shape is rare even among my Daqin people. It should be of a different species. I am the most Good-natured person, hey! The first time I saw you that day, I knew you were a loyal person." Xiang Shaolong gradually figured out his character, smiled secretly in his heart, and said, "Mr. Lu really has a sharp eye, and he can't hide anything from you." Lu Gong sighed and said: "It would be fine if I really can't hide anything from me, but I still missed many things. I didn't expect the former king to be so short-lived, alas!" Xiang Shaolong fell silent. Lu Xin stared and shot a sharp light, but his tone was quite calm, and he said slowly: "What is the relationship between Shaolong and Lu Buwei?" Xiang Shaolong didn't expect him to ask such a straightforward question, and he asked in astonishment, "Why did Mr. Lu say such a thing?" Lu Gong said indifferently: "You don't need to lie to me, Shaolong. You and Lu Buwei are by no means as harmonious as they appear on the surface, otherwise the Wu family would not have to hide in the pasture outside Xianyang all day long. Don't worry! As far as we are concerned, we must not be compared with outsiders like Lu Buwei." Xiang Shaolong has been in Xianyang for so long, and this is the first time he has directly experienced the xenophobic racism of the Qin people. He sighed and said, "This matter is really hard to explain. After I proposed to the late king that General Xu should be our chancellor, Lu Xiangguo and I It’s quite a grudge.” Lu Gong smiled and said: "How could it be so simple? In Xianyang City, the person Lu Buwei hates the most is you. I don't need to explain this kind of thing!" Then there was a thoughtful look in his eyes, and he said slowly: "For a long time, there have been rumors that the prince is not the king's flesh and blood, but Lu Buwei's. We didn't really believe this, we just thought it was someone with evil intentions who slandered Lu Buwei And the empress dowager's backstabbing, but now that the former king died suddenly and unexplainably when he was in his prime, we can no longer ignore it indifferently." Xiang Shaolong's head was as big as a fight when he heard that Duke Lu is a highly respected person in the Qin State's army, his words can be said to represent the heart of Qin State's most important general.If they regard Xiao Pan as Lu Buwei's fake wild species, and instead help Cheng Li, then both Lu Buwei and Xiao Pan will die together. Lu Gong said again: "But we must investigate this matter clearly before we can decide on the next move. Just as we didn't know the relationship between Shaolong and Lu Buwei, so we jointly signed a letter, asking Chu Jun to appoint you as the commander of the capital. To test Lu Buwei's reaction, who would have guessed that he would try it out, because Lu Buwei was the only one who opposed it." Only then did Xiang Shaolong realize how complicated politics is. When he first heard about it, he thought Lu Gong and the others thought highly of him, but there was another reason and purpose behind it. Lu Gong shook his head and smiled wryly: "Speaking of which, except for the person involved, it is really very difficult to prove that kind of thing, but it is not impossible, it is just very difficult to do." Xiang Shaolong felt stunned, and said: "Is there any good way?" But he wondered in his heart, he could be said to belong to Zhu Ji and Chu Jun, wouldn't he protect them?Why did Mr. Lu want to discuss this matter with himself? Lu Gong said: "Half of this matter depends on Shaolong's help." Xiang Shaolong looked at him in astonishment, and suddenly remembered Zhu Ji's words, and suddenly said, "You guys are going to use blood to recognize your relatives, right?" Lu Gong Su Rong said: "This is the only way to make us feel at ease, as long as the two people's blood is dripped into the special medicinal liquid in a sterling silver bowl, the authenticity will be judged, and the response will be repeated." Suddenly, Xiang Shaolong's high-hanging heart was relieved, relaxed as if he was in space, nodded and said: "The drop of Chu Jun's blood can be wrapped on my body, but Lu Gong had better send witnesses to see me with his own eyes. If you take blood from your body, then no one will be able to cheat." This time it was Lu Gong's turn to startle. He came to discuss with Xiang Shaolong this time, because he knew that he was Zhu Ji's closest person besides Lu Buwei, and he was the one who rescued their mother and son from Handan alone, so he should know more or less the relationship between Zhu Ji's mother and son and Lu Buwei. Relationship. If he pushes back and forth and rejects the method of acknowledging relatives with this drop of blood, it will prove that there must be something ulterior in it, then Duke Lu will certainly know how to choose between the two princes. How did he know that Xiang Shaolong readily agreed, and even asked someone to monitor him for not cheating, which was beyond his expectation. After the two of them stared blankly for a while, Duke Lu said decisively: "Okay! We will figure out what to do about that drop of Lu Buwei's blood. But if it is proved that the prince is really Lu Buwei's, how will you deal with yourself, Shaolong?" Xiang Shaolong said indifferently: "I firmly believe that the prince is the genuine flesh and blood of the late king, and the facts will prove everything." Suddenly, the thing that caused him the most headache was solved like this. Of course, Dripping Blood "couldn't recognize relatives", so Qin's generals headed by Duke Lu at that time would give full support to Xiao Pan, and the situation is naturally different from what it is now. However, due to Zhu Ji's relationship, Lu Buwei can continue to expand his power and manipulate the government. Now Xiang Shaolong is worried that this ancient method of identifying the blood relationship between father and son is not effective, but after thinking about it, he feels that this is unfounded worry. History has already shown that Xiao Pan will be the first emperor who will rule the world in the future.