The Great Qin Empire---Qin Li

"Zhao Zheng, Zhao Zheng..."

In the dream, the name that annoyed Qin Wang Zheng sounded again.

The year Qin Wang Zheng was born, it was the siege of Handan. The Qin army attacked Handan day and night. At the same time, the people of Zhao surrounded the house where he was born in three layers.

According to his mother, those Zhao people, with the hatred of the 400,000 Zhao people who died in the Battle of Changping, shouted that they wanted to eat him, the evil seed of Qin!

If his mother's family was not a wealthy family in Zhao State and tried their best to protect him, Qin Wang Zheng would definitely not live to grow up. In order to let him survive smoothly in Handan, his mother's family gave him a name without authorization with the intention of pleasing the royal family of Zhao.

"In the past, Qin and Zhao had the same origin, and both had the same ancestor Fei Lian. Qin's great-grandfather E Lai was the son of Fei Lian, who died early and had a son named Nv Fang. Nv Fang gave birth to Pang Gao, who gave birth to Tai Ji, who gave birth to Da Luo, who gave birth to Fei Zi, who was a horse herder for the Zhou Dynasty and held a low position... Therefore, due to the favor of the great ancestor Zao Fu, all the descendants of E Lai were given the Zhaocheng and the surname Zhao. Now Qin has Sun Zheng, who was born in Handan, Zhao, and should also be of the Zhao clan, called Zhao Zheng..."

Many years later, Qin Wang Zheng asked Shao Zongbo, and then he knew that this was an old story.

Shao Zongbo said to him: "The emperor established virtue, and gave surnames to people at birth, and named them after the land they were given. Therefore, surnames have not changed for thousands of years, and surnames can change after being passed down again and again. How can they be kept for hundreds of years?"

Indeed, hundreds of years ago, the ancestors of the Qin State were of humble status after the demise of the Shang Dynasty. As horse herders, they also used Zhao and Zhaocheng to label themselves because they were of the same clan as Zhao Zaofu.

But the times have changed. Since Fei Zi was appreciated by King Xiao of Zhou and was given land as a vassal, and the city was named Qin, the ancestors of Qin began to abandon the Zhao family and take Qin as their surname. The names of Qin Hou, Qin Zhong, and countless ancestors are all clear evidence. When Qin Xianggong was listed as a vassal, he followed the principle of "the monarch of the vassal state takes the country as his surname", and there is also a league oath as evidence.

As for the Zhao family? Not to mention that Qin's status has far surpassed Zhao. Since the Spring and Autumn Period, when the ruling Zhao Xuanzi of Jin State broke his promise and launched the Linghu War, Qin and Zhao have become enemies. In the past hundred years, they have been enemies to the death. How could the royal family of Qin still take Zhao as their surname?

Therefore, King Zheng of Qin has always regarded the name "Zhao Zheng" as a great shame!

When he was young in Handan, those princes and grandsons of Zhao State forced him to dress up as a shepherd boy and drive horses for them in order to humiliate him. The contemptuous names of "Zhao Zheng" and "Western shepherd" were really irritating.

When he was eight years old, he finally got rid of the bitter sea of Handan, took off the Zhao clothes, put on the red and black Qin clothes, and returned to the motherland he had never set foot in, and finally got rid of this title...

But just like he spent more than ten years to get used to the water and soil of Xianyang and disliked the small Xianyang Palace, the King of Qin did not like the title of "Qin Zheng".

So when he succeeded to the throne as queen, when he worshipped the ancestral temple, he made a bold statement that surprised the Great and Junior Masters.

"The emperor has no family name!"

The Zhou Dynasty had perished and the Nine Provinces had no master, but the thirteen-year-old King Zheng of Qin had set a great ambition early on.

This was not only his ambition, but also the wish of the ancestors of the Qin State since Qin Xiaogong!

"Unify the world!"

Since then, the King of Qin was rarely called by his name, let alone "Zhao Zheng".

When was the last time someone called me that?

Was it the hysterical howl before Lao Ai was killed?

Was it the curse blurted out in fear and anger by Yan Taizi Dan, my only friend in Handan, when he was sent to Xianyang as a hostage and learned of his ambition to wipe out the six kingdoms?

Or was it the cry of "Zhao Zheng, you damned one!" said by my mother before she died, with hatred for his killing of two brothers from the same mother with his sac?

Tonight, the dead ghosts came back again, Lü Buwei, my mother, Lao Ai, Yan Taizi Dan, Fan Yuqi, Cheng Qiao, and Changping Jun.

Their faces were covered in blood, flying in the air, shouting "Zhao Zheng, Zhao Zheng" and entangled.

But Qin Wang Zheng was not afraid at all. Those who failed and betrayed him were not worth being afraid of.

He was the Son of Heaven, holding Tai'a, swinging his sword to cut through the clouds, and all the princes came to the west!

Now, with just a flick of his sleeve, the dead souls will be scattered!

After a while, the King of Qin opened his eyes slightly, breathed calmly, and stared at the top of the magnificent palace.

Without looking around, he knew that there was no one on the huge couch except himself.

The King of Qin had many women, including Han women, Zhao women, Chu women, Wei women, Yan women, Qi women, and even Hu women and Yue women from foreign countries. How many were there? Thousands? Nearly ten thousand? He himself couldn't count them, but they were all just for the sake of luck. Except for the dead Hu Qizi, he had no true feelings for his concubines, and never stayed in the bed of any woman overnight.

They were just tools for him to give birth to his offspring. He never believed in the idea of mutual affection. His mother's skillful dancing between three men left a deep impression on him, which is still indelible.

This deep distrust of women, or anyone, even prompted him to build a sky bridge to connect many palaces in Xianyang Palace. He also ordered all palaces to play ancient music every day, whether he came or not, so no one knew which palace the King of Qin would stay in except Zhao Gao, the Minister of the Central Chariot House, who stayed by his side day and night.

But the King of Qin had a habit that everyone knew, that is, he got up at the crowing of the cock every day, dressed neatly under the service of the palace servants, looked at the newly delivered memorials early in the morning, and hurriedly ate breakfast, and then asked someone to summon Shao Zongbo.

At this time, the sky was just getting light.

Shao Zongbo, also known as "Xiao Zongbo", was the adjutant of Da Zongbo, an official who managed the sacrifices of the clan members and was in charge of the ceremony of the ancestral temple. However, Shao Zongbo was not young at all, but an old man, leaning on a dove stick, and walking tremblingly in the empty palace.

He is also a member of the royal family. It is said that he is of the same generation as Qin Wangzheng's great-grandfather, Qin Xiaowen Wang, so Qin Wang has always respected him.

He is the only one who, with the permission of Qin Wang, does not call him "King Zheng of Qin" but "Your Majesty"!

And he has to shout it every morning when he wakes up!

"Qin Wangzheng, have you forgotten the great wish of the Qin ancestors to unify the world!?" At this time every day, more than ten steps away, Shao Zongbo's hoarse voice will reach Qin Wang's ears.

It's as if many years ago, Fuchai had people standing in front of the door, and every time he went in and out, he would shout: "Fuchai! Have you forgotten that Goujian killed your father?" Generally.

Qin Wang would also bow solemnly in response at this time.

"Zheng, I dare not forget it for a day!"

But today, Shao Zongbo did not shout loudly with a cane as in the past, but walked to Qin Wang without saying a word and performed a very heavy kowtow to him.

"The King of Qi came to the court last month. So far, the six kingdoms have been destroyed. Your Majesty has finally realized the great wish of the Qin ancestors to unify the world. The duty of this old minister has also come to an end..."

When he raised his head, tears were streaming down his face: "Duke Mu, Duke Xian, Duke Xiao, King Huiwen, King Wu, King Zhaoxiang, King Xiaowen, King Zhuangxiang, if they saw the scene today, they would definitely feel relieved!"

Yes, the King of Qin also breathed a sigh of relief. Following the legacy of the six generations, he fought for more than ten years and finally wiped out the six kingdoms. The world was unified. His ambition was finally realized!

But is this the end? The King of Qin thought it was not enough. The six kings came to the court one after another, and were either killed or moved, but he could not feel the enjoyment of being a winner.

Especially his title of "King", which was a little petty.

The King of Qin was a man who liked to overthrow traditions, so he said to Shao Zongbo: "I once talked with Shao Zongbo about the debate between the Mohists and the School of Names. Shao Zongbo told me that both the School of Names and the Mohists fell into the sophistry of name and reality. In the final analysis, name is the guest of reality. Great reality must be matched with great name, so that it can be justified. Is it true?"

Shao Zongbo said yes, and the King of Qin continued: "Since the Spring and Autumn Period, the princes have been fighting in chaos, and the nobles have usurped the throne, so strange words have arisen and the name and reality are confused. Now that the world is unified, we should also correct the name and reality, and the rectification of the name should be started by me!"

After speaking, the King of Qin looked at the officials and close ministers who had entered the palace to be summoned: "Where is Zhao Gao? Draft an edict for me!"

Zhao Gao, the commander of the Central Chariot House, was a man of both civil and military talents. He was not only a good chariot driver, but also a master of calligraphy. He immediately stepped forward, spread out the silk book on the table, dipped his pen into the best ink in the world, and wrote the edict according to the King of Qin's oral instructions, using the top three calligraphy styles in the world.

"In the future, the King of Han offered his land and seal, and asked to be a vassal. Later, he broke the agreement and joined forces with Zhao and Wei to rebel against Qin. Therefore, we raised troops to punish him and captured his king."

"The King of Zhao sent his prime minister Li Mu to negotiate an alliance, so we returned his hostage. Later, he broke the agreement and rebelled against our Taiyuan. Therefore, we raised troops to punish him and captured his king. Prince Jia of Zhao established himself as the King of Dai, so we raised troops to destroy him."

"The King of Wei initially agreed to submit to Qin, but later he conspired with Han and Zhao to attack Qin. Qin soldiers and officials killed him and defeated him."

"The King of Jing offered the land west of Qingyang, but later he broke the agreement and attacked our Nanjun. Therefore, we sent troops to punish him, captured his king, and then settled Jing."

"The King of Yan was confused and chaotic, and his prince Dan secretly ordered Jing Ke to be a traitor. The soldiers and officials killed him and destroyed his country."

"The King of Qi used Hou Sheng's plan to cut off Qin's envoys and wanted to cause chaos. The soldiers and officials killed him, captured his king, and pacified Qi."

After recounting the reasons and process of Qin's conquest of the six kingdoms, the King of Qin paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and finally began the main text:

"With my humble body, I raised an army to punish the rebellion. Thanks to the spirits of the ancestral temple, the six kings all confessed their guilt and the world was settled."

"The ancients said that the name is the guest of the reality! Now I am the emperor, the guest of the nine states, and the rule of the world. The title of king is not enough. Therefore, if the name is not changed, there is no way to claim success and pass it on to future generations. Now I order the prime minister, the imperial censor, and the counselors to discuss the title of emperor!"

Yes, just like when he was alive, he would never want to be called, let alone call himself "Zhao Zheng". This great achievement of ending the chaos and the vast territory of the nine states also needs a greater name to set off!

Then, pass it down for eternity!

…

In the second month of the second year of the reign of Qin Shi Huang, this edict ordering the ministers to "discuss the title of emperor" caused a great uproar in the court and the public in Xianyang City.

Prime Minister Wei Zhuang, Wang Wan, Imperial Censor Feng Quji and others were the first to bear the brunt of the discussion, and Li Si, the court judge, also gathered his staff and held meetings all day to discuss the matter.

A copy of this edict was also sent to the Langzhong Lingguan Office outside the Xianyang Palace, where it was circulated among the Langguan. Finally, it was finally passed to the desk of a newly appointed Liubaishi Yilang with a dark face...

Hei Fu stared at the beautiful small seals on the copy of the edict and said to himself, "I never thought that I would encounter this incident on the second day after I took office!"

A test paper was handed down, and when everyone was thinking hard and speculating, you already knew the correct answer. At this time, what should you do?