bayedsolid Chapter 597 Making a Flag
Chapter 597 Making a Flag
Then, with a "boom," the sound wave erupted.
A new title! A deposed king's title! What does this mean? It means the complete end of the Zhou dynasty, and the beginning of a brand new era!
"Your Majesty is wise!" Ying Wuyou was the first to kneel and bow, his voice clear and bright.
"Your Majesty is wise!" All the officials knelt down in worship, their voices echoing throughout the palace.
The surrendered officials looked at each other, then knelt down in resignation. They knew that from this moment on, they had completely become Qin people. Since even the "King" was changing his title, what was there left for these "old officials" to cling to?
The court assembly ended amidst shouts of "Long live the Emperor!"
But everyone's hearts were still racing. What would the new title be? Emperor? Heavenly Emperor? Thai Emperor? Or a completely new title?
Everyone is speculating, everyone is anticipating.
After the court session, Ying Wuyou was kept behind by the King of Qin.
"Jiayang, sit." The King of Qin gestured to the couch beside him, indicating that his daughter did not need to stand on ceremony.
Ying Wuyou sat down, wondering what her father was going to say. A palace servant served tea and quietly withdrew.
"You saw today's grand court assembly," King Qin said slowly, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. "Wei Jia is sitting, Wei Ji is being appointed as a guest minister, the discussion of the new title... these are all signals."
“Yes, Father,” Ying Wuyou said respectfully. “These signals will reassure the people of the six kingdoms and make them submit. Sitting is more comfortable than kneeling, being a guest minister is more respectable than being a prisoner, and the new system is more novel than the old one—people naturally choose what is beneficial and avoids what is harmful.”
The King of Qin nodded: "But a signal alone is not enough; there must be tangible benefits. A year of tax exemption in Wei and the opening of granaries are benefits for the people. Rewarding surrendered officials is a benefit for the nobles. But that's still not enough."
He looked at his daughter, his gaze deep: "You said that integration takes time and patience. But I don't have much time left. The Yan Kingdom in Liaodong and the Qi Kingdom in the East China Sea must be resolved as soon as possible. Before I become emperor, the unification of the world must be completed."
Ying Wuyou understood his father's meaning. A new emperor's ascension to the throne, with the world still unsettled, was never perfect. The unification of the empire must be completed before he became emperor, and the entire land offered up.
“Father, I have a detailed plan for the matter of Qi,” Ying Wuyou said. “Li You will be sent as an envoy to Qi with three thousand taels of gold, a letter of surrender from Wei Jia, and a ‘Plan for Governing Qi.’ Hou Sheng is greedy and the King of Qi is weak, so the chances of success are very high.”
"What about the State of Yan?"
"The State of Yan..." Ying Wuyou pondered, "King Xi of Yan has fled to Liaodong, and is already at his wit's end. But Liaodong is bitterly cold, and the people are fierce. A direct attack would result in heavy casualties. It would be better to... surround them without attacking, cut off their supply lines, and at the same time send envoys to persuade them to surrender. Among the ministers of the State of Yan, quite a few have already secretly contacted us."
The King of Qin nodded in satisfaction: "Go ahead and do these things. Just allocate whatever you need. I have only one request—the world must be at peace before I ascend the throne."
"Your subject understands." Ying Wuyou bowed solemnly. "I will certainly not fail Father's trust."
It was already afternoon when I left Zhangtai Palace. The sunlight was perfect, shining brightly on the glazed tiles of Xianyang Palace.
Ying Wuyou walked along the palace path, planning her next steps. Qi State, Yan State, the new dynasty, the imperial examination, the three academies... a thousand and one things to consider, but every step had to be taken carefully. She was like playing a grand game of chess, thinking three moves ahead with every move she made.
Just then, Lan'er rushed over, her face flushed: "Princess! Young Master Wei is requesting an audience and is waiting outside the palace. He says he has important matters to report."
Wei Ji? What does he want with me?
Ying Wuyou thought for a moment and said, "Have him wait for me at the princess's residence. I will return to the residence immediately."
"Yes!" Lan'er turned and ran, her skirt fluttering in the wind.
Ying Wuyou watched her retreating figure and smiled slightly. This girl, always so energetic and impulsive.
The Princess's Residence, Study.
Wei Ji stood by the window, gazing at the plum tree in the courtyard. It was mid-February, yet the plum blossoms were still in bloom, their red petals contrasting beautifully with the remaining snow. But he had no heart to appreciate them. The scenes from today's grand court assembly were still replaying in his mind: his father sitting and listening to the court proceedings, him being appointed a guest minister, the King of Qin announcing the abolition of the royal title…
Everything happened too fast, too unreal.
A month ago, he was still the Crown Prince of Wei, studying in Xianyang, living a life of luxury and surrounded by attendants. A month later, he became a guest minister of Qin, dressed in simple blue robes, all alone.
"Young Master Wei, you've kept us waiting." Ying Wuyou's voice came from the doorway.
Wei Ji quickly turned around and bowed, saying, "Greetings, Princess."
"No need for formalities, please sit down." Ying Wuyou sat down behind the desk, gesturing for Wei Ji to sit as well. "Did you need something from me?"
Wei Ji sat down, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "I was granted the title of Guest Minister at today's grand court assembly, and I have come here to express my gratitude to the princess."
"Why thank me? That was Father's decision." Ying Wuyou waved his hand, signaling Cui'er to serve tea.
"But without the princess's recommendation, how would Your Majesty have noticed me?" Wei Ji smiled bitterly. "It's simply a fantasy for a crown prince of a fallen kingdom to be appointed as a guest minister in Qin. Wei Ji knows this well, and will repay this favor."
Ying Wuyou looked at him, picked up her teacup and took a sip: "So you came to see me not just to thank me, right?"
Wei Ji took a deep breath and finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind: "Your Highness, please understand. I... I want to know, why did you help me? Why did the Qin state appoint me to such an important position?"
This was a question that had always puzzled him. Normally, members of the royal family of a fallen state should be monitored, placed under house arrest, or even secretly executed. Yet Qin not only allowed him to continue his studies but also gave him a future. Why? Was it truly because of "benevolence"?
Ying Wuyou did not answer directly, but instead asked, "What do you think is the most important thing for the Great Qin to unify the world?"
Wei Ji thought for a moment: "Military force? The Qin army's elite soldiers are invincible."
“Force can only conquer land, not hearts.” Ying Wuyou shook his head. “To truly unify the world, two things are needed: a system and the hearts of the people.”
She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the old plum tree in the courtyard: "Qin's system is more advanced than that of the other six states. The prefecture-county system is more efficient than the enfeoffment system, the imperial examination system is fairer than the hereditary system, and Qin's laws are more complete than those of the other six states. But having a system is not enough; you also need people's hearts. You need to get the people of the other six states to accept Qin's system, identify with Qin's system, and ultimately identify themselves as Qin people."
“So…” Wei Ji seemed to understand something.
“So you are very important.” Ying Wuyou turned to look at him, her gaze clear and sharp. “You are the Crown Prince of Wei. If you can accept the Qin system and gain a future in Qin, what will the other people of Wei think? What will the people of the other six states think?”
Wei Ji suddenly realized. He had become a symbol, a role model. Qin's appointment of him was a way of showing the world that anyone who sincerely submitted could find a place in the new dynasty. This was politics, and also strategy.
"Then... what does the princess want me to do?" he asked.
“Be yourself,” Ying Wuyou said. “Study hard at the Great Qin Academy and work diligently at the Newspaper Department. In the future, you can participate in the revision of laws—there are many valuable aspects in the Wei laws that can be incorporated into the Qin laws. You can also write articles to tell about the Qin state as you see it and the benefits of unification.”
She paused, then said seriously, "But most importantly, you must live a life of integrity. You must let the world see that Wei Ji is doing well in Qin and has a bright future. Only then will those people from the other six states who are still hesitating decide to submit."
Wei Ji remained silent for a long time before finally nodding: "I understand. I will."