Chapter 88 The first section of the dark night heavy palace

Shang Yang finally got busy with his own affairs. After returning from the cemetery, Shang Yang's heart was empty.For the first time, he felt frustrated and depressed, shutting himself in the study and weeping silently.Xiaogong's death in his prime was a blow to his heart!Apart from the rare friendship between monarchs and ministers in the world, apart from the tacit understanding of one heart and one mind, the most distressing thing is that their great cause of helping each other has been abandoned halfway.Qin Xiaogong's anger and resentment at Hangu Pass are Shang Yang's most painful wounds.If there are another twenty years, how brilliant will their achievements be?Only then can it be said that Shang Yang's legalist theory has won a complete victory... Now that Duke Qin has gone, Shang Yang suddenly felt that he was alone and felt how important Qin Xiaogong was as the pillar behind him.With his stern and stern personality and unparalleled talent, only a monarch like Qin Xiaogong can let him let him go.The solid and solid Qin Xiaogong was never afraid that Shang Yang's light would overwhelm him, and he always worked hard without hesitation to remove all obstacles for him.Even if someone rumored, "The people of the state of Qin only know the 'order' of the king of Shang, but not the 'book' of the king." Qin Xiaogong also smiled slightly and ignored it.Now that Qin Xiaogong is gone, can he still meet such a rare monarch?Not anymore, never ever.Since ancient times, Mingjun and Qiangchen have never been able to meet each other!

Deeper in the silence, Shang Yang calmed down.He finished writing his letter of resignation and prepared to submit it solemnly when the new king ascends the throne tomorrow.He has already handed over the enthronement ceremony to Che Ying, Jing Jian, so he doesn't have to handle it himself.What he has to do is to deal with the aftermath as soon as possible, sort out the official documents to be handed over, and gather his own classics and volumes in preparation for further study after resigning.In other words, all his affairs are concentrated in the study, and he does not need to worry about the aftermath outside the study.Yingyu felt that he was in a hurry. His nephew had just ascended the throne, and his uncle, Lord Shang, was about to resign, which was a bit inappropriate.Shang Yang just smiled and didn't say much, just busy in the study.

What Shang Yang didn't like to tell Ying Yuming was his own abnormal feeling. Since Ying Si returned to Xianyang, Shang Yang felt the prince was alienated and unfamiliar with himself, even though the prince respected him very much, and when he saw him, he respected him even more than ordinary officials.But it was this kind of "respect" that made Shang Yang feel "far away" in his heart.Although Shang Yang is not good at dealing with people from a small place, he is good at treating people from a big place.For example, when dealing with the prince, Shang Yang has been unable to heal the wound between him and the young Ying Si in the past twenty years.According to common sense, young Ying Si broke the law and suffered a wrong. Shang Yang only needs to get in touch with him more and enlighten him, give Ying Si some care and comfort in the "exile", and rely on Ying Si's comprehension to repent, this kind of wound should not be difficult to heal.But Shang Yang never thought of doing this.His sternness, his self-respect, his concentration, his impartiality, would not allow him to do so.In Shang Yang's view, it would be inconceivable for a person who has done something wrong to care about the person who punished him!It would be inconceivable for a famous legalist with lofty aspirations to go back and comfort the sinners dealt with according to the law!Even if this "sinner" has the most special status, it is impossible for him to change his true colors.More than 20 years later, when Shang Yang was keenly aware of this "respectful distance", this wound has become a gap that is difficult to fill.

Shang Yang's insight into people's feelings and affairs is unparalleled, and he can see this kind of gap very clearly.Shang Yang's excellence is that he will not lose himself in the overall situation.Staying in the country, being in harmony with the new monarch, and not agreeing with each other, how can he create a great cause again?What's more, the new king, Ying Si, has fully matured, and it would be inconvenient for him, the "lord of the town", to stay in the country.More importantly, Qin Xiaogong's entrustment before his death-Ying Si can help him if he can, and if he can't help him, Shang Jun will establish himself as Qin Gong-put Shang Yang in a delicate and embarrassing position.This entrustment was said in public, and the ministers all knew it, and Shang Yang also thought it was Qin Xiaogong's heartfelt words.In terms of ability, strength, prestige, and public opinion, Shang Yang can abolish Yingsi and stand on his own.According to Shang Yang's true character, he would never scruple the world's criticism and the scolding of the old nobles.If Ying Si was really overwhelmed by the heavy responsibility, Shang Yang would have done that, and without hesitation, he would have done it neatly.

However, now that Ying Si is fully capable of taking on important responsibilities, and is dedicated to defending the new law, how can he take issue with Ying Si because he "does not agree" with him?If Shang Yang is a person who regards power as his first life, perhaps it is precisely this "disagreement" that is the biggest reason for attacking.However, what Shang Yang pursued all his life was merit, not power.After the achievements are completed, how can we talk about a celebrity who is indomitable if he just fights to maintain power?Now that Ying Si has been approved, we should clear the way for him and let him do it freely.Once the emperor and the courtiers, is the Ming emperor afraid that he will not be able to find a talented assistant?Staying in the country, Ying Si will be restless, and criticisms will come one after another, which is not good for him, but it will cause rifts and internal turmoil.

Another factor in Shang Yang's resignation was that he wanted to draw out those mysterious shadows. Except for Gongsun Jia who was secretly acting, Shang Yang always felt strange about the deaths of Yingqian and Qianlong, especially after knowing the true intention of Qin Xiaogong's "elder banquet" at that time, he was even more suspicious.If none of these "damn" people died, they obviously pinned their hopes on Ying Xi.Did these people discover something?Are you sure that Ying Si will support them?If so, Shang Yang would like to see what they are going to do.His own resignation will undoubtedly attract them to come out as soon as possible. If something happens, he will have time to clean it up.

In the early morning of the next day, just after Ying Si's enthronement ceremony was held, Shang Yang handed over his resignation letter to the governor of the country, Shi. As soon as the ceremony was over, Ying Si went back to the study without meeting any ministers.He is not in a hurry to discuss the affairs of the country with anyone, he wants to see what is going on, because he smells a strange smell - last night, an unnamed "Request for Remnants" suddenly appeared on his desk!Just now, Chang Shi presented Shangjun's "Letter of Resignation".He felt that he should think carefully and never act lightly.

The palace was empty and deserted.None of the father-in-law's old men, Ying Si, is useless.Ying Si felt uneasy about old people like Uncle Hei, because their old love for their father-in-law was too deep.Uncle Hei suddenly aged after the funeral of his father-in-law, his white hair was like frost, he was bent into a ball, wandering around the palace in a daze, and was sent by Ying Si to the old queen of Zhongnan Mountain.The rest of the old people are all gathered in the father-in-law's yard, waiting for reassignment.The dozen or so servants that Ying Si brought from the Prince's Mansion were scattered in the huge palace without making a sound.Fortunately, Ying Xi is used to being lonely and deserted, and thinks there is nothing wrong with this, if you want to be smooth, you have to adjust slowly, impatience can only be a bad thing.

It was late spring and early summer, and although the days were much longer, the sky was still getting dark unknowingly.Ying Si sorted out her thoughts, sat under the lamp and opened the mysterious volume of anonymous letter. At the beginning of the volume there were five large characters——please cite the letter of survivors! Ministers and others who were convicted in the past went to the Duke of the State: The foundation of a country lies in the family.The ministers and other old scholars of the old Qin Dynasty followed the Duke of Qin in the past dynasties, bathed in blood on the battlefield, shrouded in horse leather, and there were many martyrs.The first emperor reformed the law, and the ministers did not slack off.However, when Shang Yang was in power, he regarded his ministers and others as his heart's troubles, and made petty crimes, degraded and killed them, punished them carefully, and tortured and humiliated them.The family of the Qin State was wronged and hated, and their descendants withered, and they were completely devastated!The family is in decline, and the national line does not exist. How can the prince rest in peace?At this time, Shang Yang's power is in the hands of the government and the people, and his ambition is full of ambitions. He must kill the king and stand on his own feet!The ministers and others are lonely and loyal, please let me, Wang Xingmie, continue to exterminate, and make a large-scale remnant, rely on the bloodshed family to overcome the difficulties of Jingguo, protect the new law of Qin State and revive the great cause.

Geng Geng this heart, only God can express. Ying Si weighed his words carefully, savored them carefully, and realized that this heart-wrenching text was definitely typed out with great pains. The paper only mentions Shang Yang’s punishment and execution, but avoids Shang Yang’s reform, and describes the well-known Shang Yang’s reform as “the first emperor’s reform”. It does not intend to overturn the intent of the new law.With a single purpose, it is easy to get his sympathy and approval.Of course, behind this strategy, it is obvious that Ying Xi also has hatred and fear of Shang Yang.The anonymous document also faintly reveals the coercion towards him, "If the national line does not exist, how can the Duke rest in peace?" Really well-intentioned!What's even more strange is that they did not have anonymity, and they actually adopted the assassin's ranger-style secret submission, which was clearly a preliminary test, and if he miscalculated, he, the new king, would not be able to take the initiative to attack.

After pondering for a long time, Ying Si didn't put this special "Sign Letter" into the official file, but put it in an iron box that only he could open.He felt that he had to wait and see, the situation was unclear, and he would never make a decision lightly.After pacing for a while, he suddenly remembered the Shang Jun's letter from Chang Shi, and immediately sat in front of the lamp and turned it on. The title of the frontispiece made his heart skip a beat—please resign from office to study! The minister Wei Yang wrote to the emperor: When the martingale failed to achieve his ambitions, he heard the "Decree of Seeking Talents" from the first emperor, leaving Wei and entering Qin.Tasting the time when the first emperor seeks change and seeks to become stronger, he considers many aspects, discusses politics and aspirations, and entrusts ministers with the important task of governing the country.The minister has been in power for more than 20 years. He has been vigilant and self-motivated, and has never slacked off in implementing reforms.Martingale, a commoner man, has to meet his ancestors and know each other through life and death. If he can show what he has learned, this life is enough!Now that the Lord has passed away, the subject is unable to extricate himself from the grief, drifting like a big dream, lingering in his heart, feeling extremely tired, feeling that old age is coming, and unable to concentrate on state affairs.Kuang Xinjun is sharp, talented, and has a plan.A minister who is ignorant of being in power is not beneficial to the country, but detrimental to the affairs.I implore Yun Zhunchen to resign and retire to study in the mountains and forests.In this way, the country will prosper and the hearts of the ministers will be at ease. Ying Si sighed, her heart trembling slightly. In Ying Si's mind, Shang Yang is like a rock on the top of a mountain, always cold.Reading this letter of resignation today made me cry. Ying Xi could hardly believe that it was written by the cold Shang Yang.With emotion and reason, Ying Si believes that what Shang Jun said is true.Once again, Uncle Hei's hunchbacked figure lost his soul flashed before his eyes.The relationship between these veterans and father-in-law is too deep!Once the father-in-law died, they were like mourning concubines.The last doctor, Jing Jian, was ill. On the day of the funeral, Che Ying, the captain of the state, cried and passed out in front of her father-in-law's tomb. There was also the Xianyang magistrate Wang Shi, who beat his chest and stomped his feet to guard the tomb for his father-in-law.Not to mention a large number of county magistrates who rushed over, all of them were crying to death, and the funeral was dragged into darkness!Ying Si fully understands the sorrow of Aunt Yingyu and Xuanqi's new mother, and even the sorrow of common people.Only the sadness of these old ministers made Ying Xi feel very at a loss.The father-in-law didn't give these people special benefits and powers. Why do you think the sky will collapse after the father-in-law dies?Thinking about it carefully, Ying Xi thinks that her father-in-law is really incredible, to be able to gather people's hearts so deeply on her!No wonder he never felt the "threat" from Shang Yang.Can you do it yourself?Can it be so deeply rooted?Ying Si really has no bottom in her heart... Now Shang Yang wants to resign from office for the same reason, "I can't extricate myself from the grief, erratic like a big dream, caressing about it, feeling tired, feeling that old age is approaching, and unable to concentrate on state affairs"!Ying Si knew very well that these were Shang Yang's words from the bottom of his heart, not false. But, can Shang Yang leave?Of course not!The will of the father-in-law, the situation of state affairs, and the hearts of the ruling and wild people are not allowed.However, the strange thing is, thinking that Shang Yang is going to leave, Ying Si felt an inexplicable sense of relief from the bottom of his heart.Why?Ying Si herself can't explain clearly... It's a big matter, so let's think it through. For ten days, there was no movement in Xianyang Palace! When the new king came to the throne, he did not see his ministers for more than ten days, and ignored state affairs. Not only was this unheard of in Qin, but it was also unique in the world.In the peaceful and silent Xianyang alleys, various mysterious rumors gradually floated out, saying that the Lord Shang and the new Lord were at odds, and that the secret had gone to Shang Yu;Although the new law of the Qin State strictly prohibited the spread of rumors, the rumors still spread. On this day, Ying Si received a secret report that Shang Yang went to Shang Yu's fiefdom! Ying Si was surprised, the letter of resignation was not approved, it must not be a private resignation and leaving the country, and Shang Yang is not the kind of person who is not open.What is state affairs?It is also impossible. According to Shang Yang's resignation letter, why is Shang Yang in the mood to deal with state affairs?Even if you are serious about dealing with state affairs, you will report to go out at this moment. How can you go without telling?Not private, not public, what's the matter?Ying Si really felt uncertain. On the willow shoots under the moon, Xianyang Palace is quiet and empty, and the shimmering Nanchi reflects the Qin Tower on all sides. The intermittent Xiao sound from the upstairs makes the layered palace city erratic and mysterious like a canyon.Ying Si was strolling by the South Pond, when he heard Xiao's sobs in the distance, he couldn't help looking up at the moon and sighing softly. "Report to the Duke, the Taimiao ordered Du Zhi to ask for an audience." Du Zhi?Ying Xi's heart skipped a beat—someone finally couldn't help it!He remembered that this Du Zhi was a Chinese doctor and a student of Qianlong back then, and later he was appointed as the imperial edict, so he didn't care about state affairs anymore.Among all the deposed old ministers, he became the only legal incumbent, and the only one who could test anonymous documents!Ying Si smiled slightly, "Please ask the order of the Taimiao to come in." A tall, slightly hunchbacked man walked forward.Judging from his gait, Ying Si felt that he was still young, but when he got closer, he was already an old man with gray beard and hair. "Criminal Du Zhi, see the Duke." The visitor fell to the ground and bowed down. "The Taimiao order lives in Anran, what is the crime?" "The old minister neglected state affairs for decades, and I feel deeply guilty, please punish the Duke of the country, oh-ho-!" Du Zhi burst into tears. Ying Sidan said indifferently: "Even if the order of the Taimiao has been wronged, why is this? Please stand up and speak." Du Zhi choked up and stood up, "The old minister's sorrow is not for himself, but for the Duke, for Qin." "What's the matter with the country that makes the Taimiao so sad?" "Show the Duke of the State, the state is in danger, and it will come soon. The old minister is sad." Ying Si sneered slightly, "Isn't the order of the Taimiao afraid of gossip?" Du Zhikang said in a loud voice: "The old minister knows how to be loyal to the Duke, why is he afraid of being framed by traitors? Shang Yang never resigned and returned to the fiefdom, so the Duke knows what his intentions are?" Seeing that Ying Si did not answer, Du Zhi said in a low voice: "Friend, old minister. When Fang returned from Shang Yu, he saw Shang Yang enter the secret valley and mobilize his troops. The old minister was very worried." "It's a coincidence that Taimiao Ling has such a friend, where is it?" Ying Si teased coldly. Unexpectedly, Du Zhi suddenly turned around, clapped his hands "snap!", "Please tell me, old friend." As soon as the voice fell, a masked man stood in front of him, as if emerging from the ground! Ying Si didn't panic at all, instead she smiled coldly, "Aren't you a businessman from Chu State and a friend of Heimao?" The masked man bowed deeply, "Qin Gonghui's eyesight is perfect, I have no business trips, and I am also an old friend of the Taimiao Order." Ying Si didn't want to pursue the details of the masked man here, so he asked calmly, "Why did you meet by chance?" "Report to Duke Qin that I was transporting goods to the Wuming Valley of Shang Mountain at night, and found that the Shang Lord entered the valley. The villain originally thought that the rich businessman was hiding his treasure, so he followed and scouted, planning to rob and steal treasure in the future. Unexpectedly, he followed into the valley and found out that it was a secret military camp! I fled back in a hurry. I didn’t take it seriously at first, but the Taimiao order said that this is a national calamity, so I insisted on bringing me to testify.” The masked man really sounded like a businessman who was trying to greed for money, and he was surprised and exploded, vividly. "You? Know Lord Shang?" "I have met Lord Shang many times, all in broad daylight on the execution ground, and I will never forget it." "Do you remember that valley?" "The Tao of Shangshan is well known to me." "Come here." Ying Si solemnly ordered, "Send two special officers to accompany this gentleman to Shangshan to investigate immediately. No matter whether there is a serious matter or not, this person is not allowed to leave!" "Follow the king's order!" The newly promoted Minister of Internal Affairs, who was promoted from the head of the Prince's Mansion, hurried away with the masked man. "Please go back to Taimiao Ling." Ying Si said coldly, turned and left. Half an hour later, a caravan with curtains on all sides drove out of Miyagi rapidly. The caravan arrived in front of the lonely courtyard in the open area of ​​Xianyang Commercial City, and instead of stopping at the carriage and horse farm in front of the main entrance, it briskly drove to the hidden backyard door.As soon as the carriages and horses came to a complete stop, the heavy iron-clad wooden door opened silently.A white-haired old man stared at the man in black who got off the caravan, bowed deeply, and without saying a word, let the person in, and then closed the door. The white-haired old man led the man in black through several halls and into a barren garden.The wild grass in the garden stretches up to the waist, and the rockery pool is also desolate and cold with uneven grass and trees.Under the moonlight, a dark shadow under the stone pavilion on the top of the mountain could be faintly seen, as if a stone pillar stood there solidified.The white-haired old man pointed to Shi Ting and left silently. "Nephew Ying Si, see the uncle." The man in black approached the dirt hill and bowed in the wild grass. The black shadow in the pavilion suddenly turned around, but there was a long silence, only heavy breathing.The man in black walked up to the stone pavilion, and bowed again under the corridor, "Uncle, are you here all right?" The black shadow in the pavilion sighed heavily, "Duke, how do you know I'm not dead?" "A mysterious sleeve arrow told me that if I have any questions, I can go to my uncle. Someone must have told my uncle that I am coming." Ying Si walked into the stone pavilion. "Yingqian is guilty, isolated from the world, and exhausted, how can he seek the country?" "The uncle is tenacious, and he will definitely not lose his will in one sentence. The door is closed, but the uncle is avoiding the storm. Now that the storm has calmed down, why refuse my nephew thousands of miles away?" Yingqian let out a long sigh, "Si'er, you have not tempered yourself in vain. You are worthy of the descendants of the Ying family. Tell me, what is the difficulty?" "First, the true identity of that mysterious person?" "This person is the Crown Prince Youfu, Gongsun Jia. He escaped from prison and left the country. He has encountered many adventures." "Secondly, where do these elders and ministers, the survivors of the family, want to go?" Yingqian pondered for a while, "Since Gongsun Jia showed up, I have carefully figured out his plot. It seems that they have two goals, one is revenge, and the other is restoration." "They didn't mention restoration, but swore to uphold Qin's new law. Which one is true and which one is false?" Yingqian sneered and said: "It's just a conspiracy. The first step is to only talk about revenge; the second step is to talk about restoration. This is a step-by-step plan, and the intentions are so sinister." "Gongsun Jia has this strategy, so he is reborn." "Gongsun Jia is educated and ignorant, how can he have such a plan? This is undoubtedly the plan of old Qianlong. Only this old owl has such insight." "Qianlong?" Ying Si was very surprised, "That old man who is dying?" Yingqian sneered, "Si'er, you only heard Qianlong talk about the book once, and then he ran away as a young man. How can you see through this old owl? This man is fickle and hides his secrets. He is as cunning as a thousand-year-old fox. He is as vicious as an old owl in the mountains and forests. Only he is the soul of the survivors of the family. Your father-in-law was the first to guard against him. In all honesty, Qian Long was born at a bad time, but he happened to meet heroes like your father-in-law and Shang Yang Master Qiangchen, otherwise, he will turn the tide in any country. I have sent someone to find out, it was this old owl who was behind the disaster that caused you!" "Ah?!" Ying Si couldn't help trembling. For so many years, that nightmare has been haunting him—why would a well-behaved feudal family send gravel to humiliate him?In order to get rid of this nightmare, he stubbornly lived in Bai Village, Mei County for three years, met the descendants of the Bai clan who was killed by him that year, learned of their grievances, and also knew that they were looking for this black hand.Since then, Ying Si has fully understood her guilt towards the common people in the fief, and half of the nightmare has been resolved.That is, from then on, he secretly swore in his heart that he must find out this black hand, eat its flesh and lay waste its skin!Juvenile hatred has accumulated into an iceberg, but it has never melted or lost.Hearing what his uncle said at this time, his impulse was uncontrollable and about to explode.But he still restrained himself tenaciously—since this old owl had appeared in front of him, he took it easy and stabbed him one by one!He let out a deep breath and sat slumped on the stone bench. Yingqian slowly told about Qianlong's conspiracy back then: Ganlong's eldest son, Gan Cheng, secretly selected a dozen farmers from his own family to help relatives in Baicun, playing field during the day and watching the field at night.On the summer night when the peasants were snoring, they secretly exchanged the sealed rations.At dawn, when the ox cart was on the road, they said their goodbyes and left Baicun... Later, these dozen or so farmers all died inexplicably within three to five years. "It's easy, isn't it?" Yingqian said indifferently: "But it's the hardest to detect. Qianlong is very clever. First, he chose the right target of the conspiracy, you and Baicun. This is more than half of the success. Second, his The method is very simple, far away from the vision of the power of the government. Looking at the results, this conspiracy has changed the power structure of the Qin State in one fell swoop. Not only split the power and weaken the monarch, but also planted the seeds of revenge and restoration in the future, forcing all those who were reformed The eliminated resentful officials and old clans, including us, all stand with him, how old-fashioned!" Ying Si has calmed down, and admires the former Prince General Fu very much—his tenacity, insight, meticulousness, calmness, and wisdom are all enough to compete with Qianlong.Moreover, he has an advantage that Qianlong does not have. He is a famous Qin general of royal blood who once commanded the six armies!The most important thing is that he used to be a powerful backer of Shang Yang's reform, not a restored old family.All of this determines that he will become the pillar of his stable overall situation. With this in mind, Ying Si asked, "Uncle, what do you think we should do?" "Two swords and one side, the trick is the trick." Yingqian didn't think about it. "Two swords and one side? Just plan?" Although Ying Si couldn't understand the strategy that Yingqian was contemplating, but he also understood the mystery of it, and couldn't help shaking slightly. "Ying Si," Ying Qian's voice was flat and indifferent like stagnant water in a pool, "With Shang Yang around, you can do nothing. With the survivors of the family, you can do nothing. You can decide for yourself where to go." Ying Si bowed deeply, "Uncle, please allow Huamei to stay with me for a while." Yingqian pondered for a moment, "Let her go, but you must strictly control yourself and not be reckless." "I understand." Ying Si walked out of the stone pavilion and strode across the grass. After a while, the two men in black came out the back door and got into the caravan.There was a slight sound of wheels, and the caravan had been lost in the darkness of the fourth watch.