Daqin: My weak and virtuous minister

A few days later, news came from the State of Chu again.

Zhangtai Palace

"King Han of Chu has passed away, and now Fuchu has succeeded him. He will soon send the Prime Minister of Chu, Changjing, to sue for peace. What do you think?"

At the morning court, Ying Zheng talked about the changes in the State of Chu today.

Zhang Yuanqing was surprised after hearing this.

Fu Chu succeeded to the throne so soon?

As expected of King Fu Chu of Chu, even if history has changed now, he can still find a way to sit on the throne.

But now the State of Chu has lost half of its land to Qin. It seems that the State of Chu will be destroyed in a few years. What is the point of being the King of Chu?

Become the king of a fallen country?

Fu Chu had no idea about Zhang Yuanqing's complaints. If he knew, he would probably get angry.

"Your Majesty, since Chu has requested peace, we can naturally grant it. However, Chu must send a hostage to Qin."

Li Si spoke.

"Your Majesty, I believe that our Qin army should seize this victory and pursue the Chu army directly to Shouchun."

Feng Jie has a different opinion.

He believed that now that Qin had many soldiers and generals, it was a good time to pursue the victory.

If you miss this opportunity, you may have to wait for a few more years.

For a time, the court officials were divided into two factions, some advocating war and some advocating peace, and they argued endlessly.

"Your Majesty, I believe we should grant Chu the right to temporarily suspend its military action."

Seeing the two factions arguing endlessly, Changping Jun also joined in.

The generals also wanted to say that if they were allowed to attack Chu, they would definitely take down Chu in one fell swoop.

But they were not good at speaking, and the few who joined the fight were scolded in the face and dared not speak again.

I can't scold him anymore, I really can't scold him anymore.

They're not familiar with this business, so let's leave it to someone who knows. They'll just wait until the results are in. Anyway, the king will need them when he goes to war.

Zhang Yuanqing stood in the crowd, separated by the two factions that were almost fighting, and watched with great interest and fascination.

Fusu noticed that the gentleman was watching the fun and felt amused.

Only sir can do this at a time like this.

It was also interesting to look at those ministers who were clamoring and ready to take action.

As expected, ministers quarrel differently from ordinary people. If you listen carefully, you can learn a lot.

"quiet."

Ying Zheng was annoyed by the noise and said in a deep voice.

"Zhang Qing, what do you think?"

Zhang Yuanqing, who was being called out for eating melons, was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Majesty, I think we should agree to Chu's request for peace."

"Your Majesty, Chu's territory is vast. Even if we were to capture Shouchun in one fell swoop, we wouldn't be able to pacify the people of Chu in such a short time. The Chu nobles would surely rebel, and Qin would have to send troops to suppress them. The gains would simply outweigh the losses."

"Furthermore, Zhao has just been ceded to Qin. Qin has to appease the people of Zhao while also taking care of Chu. We are overwhelmed. It would be better to postpone military action and first govern our current territory. Once the people are settled, we can then attack Chu. That way, we will achieve twice the result with half the effort."

"Furthermore, King Fuchu of Chu is not a man of talent. If he is allowed to rule for two years, the people of Chu will surely be oppressed. If Qin then attacks Chu, it will save the people from disaster."

"As long as the people support us, our Qin army will be invincible."

After Zhang Yuanqing finished speaking, no minister in the court spoke for a long time.

The mouths that were noisy just now like firing a bow and crossbow are now shut.

"Your Majesty, I second the motion."

Just then, a voice rang out, breaking the silence.

The court officials looked over one by one and found that it was Li Si.

Then there is no more.

"I second the proposal."

"I second the proposal."

"Okay, then let's wait for the Chu envoy to arrive."

Ying Zheng agreed.

Now that the Qin State is growing stronger, Ying Zheng is no longer in a hurry to unify the six states. The right approach is to take it step by step. If you act too hastily, there will inevitably be omissions.

He believed that with the current development of Qin, it would unify the six kingdoms within eight years.

Just when everyone thought they could leave the court, Wei Zhuang suddenly spoke.

"Your Majesty, I am old and no longer able to handle state affairs. Please allow me to resign and rest."

Wei Zhuang's words were like a pause button, leaving Ying Zheng and the court officials stunned.

"Prime Minister, my Qin State is in need of manpower right now, and I still need your help."

Ying Zheng tried to persuade him to stay.

However, Wei Zhuang had made up his mind.

"Your Majesty, it's not that I'm unwilling to continue to share your worries, but I'm now old and lacking in energy. Furthermore, I recently caught a cold and haven't recovered for several days. I can't continue to work on state affairs."

"Nowadays, our Qin State is full of talented people, and I am relieved."

As he spoke, Wei Zhuang couldn't help coughing. Changping Jun, who was standing next to Wei Zhuang, saw that Wei Zhuang was shaking and reached out to support him.

"Your Majesty, I beg you to grant me the grace to resign from the position of Prime Minister."

Seeing Wei's condition, Ying Zheng thought for a long time before speaking: "The Prime Minister has toiled for Qin for half his life. Now, despite his illness, he is still worried about state affairs. I am heartbroken."

"I am now permitted to resign my position as Prime Minister and return home to recuperate. I hope you take good care of your health and join me in witnessing the unification of the Qin State."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Wei Zhuang bowed deeply, his eyes moist.

"Your Majesty, our Qin State is full of talented people. Your Majesty is wise and benevolent. The unification of the six kingdoms is just around the corner. I will take good care of my health and watch our Qin State unify the nations and achieve hegemony."

"Your Majesty, I have a candidate in mind for the position of Right Prime Minister."

"Prime Minister, please speak."

"Your Majesty, I believe that Court Justice Zhang Yuanqing is the most suitable."

In the past, Wei Zhuang would have recommended Changping Jun to be the right prime minister, but now Changping Jun might be in trouble, so Wei Zhuang naturally would not recommend him again.

Looking at the entire court, Zhang Yuanqing is the only person with such talent that he can trust.

After Wei Zhuang finished speaking, the court officials began to discuss with each other again.

Right Prime Minister, who doesn’t want to be one?

It's just that they know their own limitations. Now that Wei Zhuang recommended Zhang Yuanqing, it wasn't because they were unwilling, but because this person was promoted too quickly and they couldn't help but feel jealous.

Zhang Yuanqing was also shocked.

Looking at Wei Zhuang, I forgot to speak.

Why did you recommend me? Where is Wang Wan? Where is Li Si?

Aren’t they the future left and right prime ministers?

Then he thought about the system tasks he still had. If he became the right prime minister, wouldn’t that bring him one step closer to completing the task?

"Do you have any objections, sir?"

Ying Zheng looked at the people below who were talking and asked.

Fusu stood aside and rubbed his hands excitedly. That's great! With your talent, it's enough for you to be the right prime minister.

If the master became the right prime minister, Fusu would go to the master again and ask him to accept him as his disciple, thus confirming their master-disciple relationship.

Thinking of this, Fusu was so happy that he almost laughed out loud.

The historian quickly noticed Fusu's expression and began to write it down with great tact.

In the spring of the twelfth year of the reign of Qin Shi Huang, the Right Prime Minister, Wei Zhuang, resigned due to old age, and the king agreed. However, the Right Prime Minister recommended Zhang Yuanqing, Marquis of Guannei, for his services. Upon hearing this, Prince Fusu was overjoyed in the palace, unable to control his emotions.

At this time, Fusu didn't know what the historian had just written, and was looking at Ying Zheng expectantly.

Father, please agree quickly, please agree quickly.

"I have no objection."

It’s this guy again!

Li Si was also envious and jealous, but so what? How could they compare with Zhang Yuanqing's talent?

Moreover, even if it wasn't Zhang Yuanqing, it definitely wouldn't be him, Li Si.

It would be better for Zhang Yuanqing to hold the position of Right Prime Minister than for anyone else to do so.