The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 345: The Stars Fall in Western Qin, Xun Kuang's Last Journey.

This is the question that Fu Qiubo was waiting for.

All the words the teacher said tonight were for this last question.

Junior Brother Li is in Qin, and Junior Brother Han is also in Qin. For the time being, they are both working under the command of the man who is called a hypocrite by their commander.

Fu Qiubo had a lot of words in his heart, but he pursed his lips and did not answer immediately.

Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and the evening breeze blew them to the ground.

Fu Qiubo's cautious and restrained face was reflected in the crystal sweat beads falling from the air.

He was Xunzi's first disciple and the eldest senior brother of the Xunzi school.

His decision concerns his teacher Xunzi and the Xunzi School, which has a huge influence in the world and has a large number of disciples.

When Xunzi was the chief priest of Jixia Academy, the students of Jixia Academy were also called Xunzi's disciples. The Jixia Academy was the school of Xunzi for as long as Xunzi was the chief priest of Jixia Academy.

In terms of talent reserves, Xunzi alone is equivalent to an entire school. Xunzi, who believed that he was the true inheritor of Confucius' thoughts, actually had more disciples than Confucian students.

Many people who do not consider themselves as disciples of Confucianism consider themselves as disciples of Xunzi.

Xunzi looked back and raised his hand to press:

“Relax and meditate.

“It’s not that difficult for you to ask this question.

"I'll know when you come back."

The fact that Fuqiu Bo returned to Chu from Qin after such a long time and came to invite the commander to Qin had already made his position clear.

Among Xunzi's disciples, Fuqiubo was the most outstanding.

Xunzi turned his head back and looked up at the sky.

Today is a cloudless day, the moonlight is dim, and the stars begin to shine.

Heaven and earth are the same.

The moon disappears in the sky and the stars appear.

There is no king in the world, and princes are rising up everywhere.

Xunzi sighed:
“When I heard the news of Zou Zi’s death and that hypocrite was appointed as the chief priest of Jixia Academy, I knew that he was the one chosen by Zou Zi.

"Zou Zi, who knows yin and yang, has never made a mistake in judging people. His ability is far superior to mine.

"well.

"Zou Zi spent his whole life selecting people, so what right do I, Xun Kuang, have to make a comment?

“Not to mention, all the scholars in Jixia chose him.

"Bo, I made the choice for your teacher long before you entered Qin.

“I once thought that Chunshen Jun was a great ruler, that the King of Chu would unify the world under his assistance, and that the world would regain the glory of Yao and Shun under his governance.

"I overestimated Chunshen Jun's talent, overestimated Chunshen Jun's character, and overestimated Chunshen Jun's character.

"He faked it until the year before last, but he couldn't do it any longer.

“He doesn’t want to be the Duke of Zhou, he wants to be the Three Jins.

“I also underestimated the nobility of Chu. This land is far more xenophobic than I thought.

"Donghuang is truly a powerful god. He has never appeared in the world, but he has so many fans (dun three times).

"The reason why I didn't leave Lanling, and the reason why I knew that Chang'an Jun was the choice of the scholars but didn't go to Qin, is that I am old.

"I, Xun Kuang, only have one chance to choose."

"Disciple understands." Fu Qiubo had tears in his eyes.

Don’t talk about the future.

Given the commander's advanced age, it was a blessing for him to be able to endure the tiring journey from Chu to Qin and arrive in Xianyang alive.

In this day and age, for an elder to travel far away is a matter of life and death.

"Chang'an Jun, it is hope." Fu Qiu Bo lowered his head, hesitated for a moment, and added: "My disciple cannot sense his falsehood, but can only feel his truth."

Xunzi's body shook and he turned so fast that his clothes fell to the ground.

"That's impossible." The old man said firmly, his words full of doubt: "He can't be a true gentleman. The evil of people is the fake good. No matter how much education is acquired, it is to restrain nature and cannot be changed."

Fu Qiubo looked embarrassed. As Xunzi's first disciple, he understood Xunzi's philosophy very clearly.

He said that Li Si and Han Fei did not get the complete ideas of Xunzi precisely because he was standing at a high position and fully accepted Xunzi's ideas.

In the areas where the two junior brothers are good at, he is not as good as them. But in terms of completely inheriting the master's ideas, the two junior brothers who have long been famous are not as good as him, the eldest brother.

His evaluation of Chang'an Jun broke Xunzi's idea that human nature is evil, which is a primary principle of Xunzi's philosophy.

He organized his words, trying to find a balance between his teacher and the truth. This was a skill he had learned after serving as an official in the Qin State:
“When Chang’an Jun was born, his temperament was evil.

"Now, disciples, watching this, it is already a good thing."

Xunzi had three forehead wrinkles between his eyebrows:

"Bo, nature cannot be changed, just as a person will die if he does not eat."

Fu Qiubo, who loved his teacher and the truth, bowed and said:

"Master, I will persist."

Xun Kuang stared at his eldest disciple for a long while, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth:
"Get ready to go. This is the last time. We are going to Qin."

He would lose his life on this trip.

"Yes." Fu Qiubo responded, with only worry in his voice, no excitement or joy.

He already knew the outcome of this trip.

The teacher didn't have time to observe the second person, and he had no choice.

Qin State, Xianyang.

The two brothers, King Zheng of Qin and Ying Chengjiao, who were still unaware of all this, temporarily put the matter of rectifying the officialdom on hold.

Until there are enough talented people to safely replace the Qin officialdom, the old Qin nobles cannot move.

On the surface, everything seemed to be back to normal.

The top officials in the Qin State were all outsiders, while the middle and high-level officials were all old Qin aristocrats.

Everyone fought overtly and secretly, but they also cooperated tacitly and jointly ruled the huge Qin State. Outsiders made policies, and the old Qin nobles implemented them, and both sides benefited.

Yet, something was different after all.

The Zhangtai Academy, the only academy in Qin State and the only academy in Xianyang, was built to compete with the Jixia Academy in Qi State. However, it was not like the Jixia Academy in that it trained scholars to work for the nobles.

The Imperial College in the Zhangtai Academy and the emperor's disciples in the Imperial College could actually directly replace the old Qin nobles and enter the officialdom directly.

The fact that untouchables without titles enjoyed aristocratic privileges and entered officialdom directly made the Qin nobles collectively angry.

Isn’t it because they have this or that privilege that they are in a high position? Isn’t it because they monopolize the Qin officialdom?

Even the talented Mr. Shan who wanted to be an official in Qin could only work hard for the Wang family. How could the opportunity to become an official, which is a natural opportunity for the children of the Wang family, be so easily obtained by a group of untouchables?

This is absolutely not allowed.

I didn't cause any trouble before because the official affairs were not resolved and I didn't have time.

Now that the official business has been done, it is time to clean up this group of untouchables.

The counterattack of the old Qin nobles was simple. They began to recruit the emperor's disciples from the Imperial Academy. As the capital of Qin and the first city in the world, Xianyang had too many tempting places.

The beauties in the towers, the fine wines in the taverns, the cooked dishes in the restaurants... Although those who could study in Qin were not so poor that they could not survive in Xianyang, they all had some savings.

But this savings could only provide them with enough food and clothing in Xianyang, but not enough for them to enjoy themselves.

There are not only financial restrictions, but also identity restrictions.

For example, the top rooms in the Bashu Tower were not open to the public and only received Qin officials.

The nobles of the old Qin Dynasty tempted these disciples of the emperor who were used to a poor life with wealth and fame. How could they handle the sudden wealth and glory?

They all joined the ranks of the old Qin nobles, and one by one they became guests of honor in the major old Qin families of the Qin State.

King Zheng of Qin and Lord Chang'an turned a blind eye to this.

Zhangtai Academy.

Yingzi, the chief academician of the Imperial College, finished teaching a class and ran out of the classroom quickly as usual.

"Yingzi, Yingzi." Liu Ji chased after him and shouted repeatedly.

"What's the matter?" Ying Chengjiao stopped reluctantly, looking displeased.

"Ji has questions." Liu Bang ran to Ying Zi.

"Didn't I tell you not to look for me after class? Keep it with me and ask me next time in class." After saying this, Ying Chengjiao quickened his pace and was about to run away again.

"Yingzi." Liu Bang grabbed Yingzi's arm in a familiar manner and said with a smile, "You can't ask this question in class. These people are not interested in the academy, but are talking about the beauties and food that the master gave them. Ji Cai, this is not what Yingzi wants to see, right?"

"Why wouldn't I want to see it?" Ying Chengjiao's eyes widened. "What does this have to do with me? Isn't it human nature to pursue beautiful things? Don't you want beautiful women, don't you want to eat delicious food, don't you like to have fun?"

Liu Bang laughed, wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth, and winked:
"My Lord, do you mean Ji too?"

Ying Chengjiao pushed Liu Bang's hand away, took two steps back, and said, "Don't come near me."

"Who is your master?"

He never explicitly said that he accepted Liu Bang as his retainer.

Liu Bang’s eyes widened.

He had always thought that Yingzi didn't look for him because he wanted him to do something big, but he didn't expect Yingzi to deny it at all! This is too shameless!

"My Lord!" Liu Bang shouted, and rushed forward to hug Ying Chengjiao's thigh: "How can you say that? Have you forgotten what you said last time that I would help you?"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Ying Chengjiao interrupted, shaking his legs vigorously to try to shake off Liu Bang: "Isn't it normal for classmates to help each other? I didn't promise that if you help your classmates, I will accept you as my retainer."

Liu Bang wrapped his hands tightly around Ying Chengjiao's thighs, clinging to them like a piece of gummy candy, and sat on the ground wailing:

"My Lord, you cannot do this! You are a gentleman! I, Liu Bang, am your retainer in life and I will remain your retainer in death!"

The sound was extremely loud and miserable.

Ying Chengjiao had not run far from the school gate when he was stopped by Liu Bang. Such a short distance could not hinder the spread of Liu Bang's loud voice.

Many students walked out of the school and began to watch, pointing and talking at Ying Chengjiao and Liu Bang. Many of them looked at Liu Bang with contempt.

The corner of Ying Chengjiao's mouth twitched.

He thought that Emperor Taizu of Han was shameless, but he didn't expect him to be so shameless. In public, he hugged his thighs and sat on the ground crying.

His clothes were covered in dust and his face was in a disarray.

Is this guy really the tough guy who destroyed the Qin Dynasty and founded the Han Dynasty? Isn't this too shameless?
"Bang." Ying Chengjiao bent down and whispered, "Is there no one in the academy that you care about? Is there no one in Xianyang that you care about?"

Ying Chengjiao was very famous, and Liu Bang was also quite famous among the students of the Imperial Academy.

Such an image of Liu Bang would spread throughout the Zhangtai Academy within five hours, and within two days it would spread throughout Xianyang by the emperor's disciples who were guests of honor of major families.

Everyone knows how miserable Liu Bang was.

"For this city, I only care about you, my lord!" Liu Bang howled even louder.

[If I wasn’t thirteen years old now and my character wasn’t good enough to cry, I would cry too and scare you to death!] Ying Chengjiao complained in his heart.

His medical teacher was considered blind by King Xiaowen of Qin because he did not recognize him. He had his eyes gouged out and was forced to do forced labor.

Seven or eight years ago, if anyone made him cry, King Xiaowen of Qin knew that he could take that person's family tree and kill him.

Thirteen years old, not good at crying, Chang'an Jun, who is known throughout the world for his virtue, lowered his head and said in a gentle voice:
“Get up and shut up.

"If you make trouble again, I will behead you."

Liu Ji: “…”

How can a mouth with a temperature of 37 degrees utter such cold words? What kind of gentleman is he?

Liu Ji, with tears streaming down his face, stood up and jumped away in the blink of an eye, wiped his face carelessly, bowed and said:

"The disciple respectfully bids farewell to the master."

Ying Chengjiao returned the gift seriously, his movements were meticulous, and his face was warmer than the sun:
"get out."

More and more students gathered around, who could not hear Yingzi's words but could see his face, sighed that Jijiu was indeed a gentleman, as he did not get angry at Liu Ji, who was so lazy and such a rogue.

Liu Ji, the only one who knew what Ying Chengjiao said, smiled bitterly.

This was the first time that his tricks against a gentleman didn't work. If it were Xinling Jun, he would definitely be embarrassed.

[Yingzi is definitely not a gentleman.] Liu Ji responded with a "Yes", and before Yingzi stood up, he asked again:

"Yingzi, if Ji can solve the problem of all his classmates being recruited by nobles, can you accept Ji as your retainer?"

"The purpose of retainers is to help their lords solve their problems." Ying Chengjiao stood up and responded, his face remained warm: "Go, I believe in you."

Yingzi left.

Liu Bang looked at Ying Zi's back, but he was not very happy when he got the response.

Although even an ordinary person who doesn't know the intrigues could tell from this conversation that Yingzi agreed, Yingzi also said something similar last time.

Liu Bang smiled bitterly again and again.

Strictly speaking, this is not a positive response.

According to what Yingzi taught, Yingzi was only talking about the relationship between the retainer and the lord, not making a promise.

Liu Bang, who had conducted in-depth research on Ying Zi, saw the debater side of Ying Zi but failed to see the gentleman side of him.

Ying Chengjiao, who had casually drawn a pie in the sky, returned to his residence in the academy and met a man at the door, a man who used to be his little fan and later wanted to kill him.

Gan Luo was the person whom Lu Buwei saved out of affection.

Gan Luo, who was younger than him, had a cold face and hatred flashed in his eyes from time to time.

"I'm here." Ying Chengjiao called out casually, as if he had made an appointment with Gan Luo long ago, and pushed open the door: "Come in and talk."

Ying Chengjiao walked into the room first, leaving the door open.

Gan Luo was standing outside, emitting a cold aura, like a wandering ghost that accidentally appeared in the daytime.

After dozens of breaths.

Gan Luo suddenly entered the room and slammed the door shut. He gritted his teeth and said to Ying Chengjiao, who had ignored him as soon as he entered the room:
"You bastard! Are you just going to watch the academy that your master has worked so hard to build be destroyed?"

Zhangtai Academy was founded by Lu Buwei in order to enlighten the people and break the monopoly of the aristocracy. Now the emperor's disciples are all employed by the aristocracy, and when they enter officialdom, they also bear the mark of aristocracy.

"What can I do? I am helpless too." Ying Chengjiao poured tea for Gan Luo and sighed, "I have no choice."

After pouring most of the tea and letting its fragrance spread, Ying Chengjiao put down the teapot:

"How about you teach me?"

(End of this chapter)