Chapter 154: Winning the Horse's Marriage

  Early autumn.

  After being busy for many days, he finally had a moment of leisure and placed a pot of hot wine in the pavilion, looking down at the majestic and vast Qin River mountains. This was one of his few hobbies during his spare time.

  The fierce wind howled, making people's faces ache. A man in black stood at the railing, like a towering and majestic solitary pine tree.

  Wu Shan hastily rushed over and stood at the entrance of the pavilion, looking at that forever straight back, wanting to speak but fearing to disturb his rare tranquility.

  After a brief pause, Wu Shan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, an envoy from Wei has arrived."

  "Hmm." Ying Ju put down the wine jug and turned around to wrap his large cloak around him.

  Wu Shan continued to report: "Lord Jingjian said that the envoy has just arrived in Xianyang and asked when he will be summoned by Your Majesty."

  "Get the message out first."

  The relationship between Qin and Wei has never eased, and the diplomatic relations between the two countries have never been harmonious. At a time when various forces in Qin are eager to move, suddenly an envoy comes, no matter what the reason is, it is enough to make all people in Qin from top to bottom be on guard.

  "Who is the messenger?" asked Yíng Yuè as he stepped down from the stone stairs.

  "It is said that he is the newly appointed Foreign Minister of Wei State, Huizi." Wu Shan replied.

  Huizi, also known as Huishi. As for Yongzi, he had only heard of his name, but if Song Zhongzi were here, he would certainly be able to tell us about his character and all his views, likes and dislikes in detail.

  Hui Shi was a close friend of Zhuangzi, also famous in various countries like Zhuangzi, but his image is not as vivid as the free and easy Zhuangzi. Many people put him in the same category as Mencius. However, Mencius' reputation for virtue far surpasses his, causing him to be neglected for a long time.

  In recent years, the state of Wei has been widely recruiting talents. Among them was a scholar named Tian Xiu who was highly learned and had gained the favor of the King of Wei. This Tian Xiu happened to be a close friend of Hui Shi. Due to his friend's strong recommendation, the King of Wei attached great importance to this matter and specially sent someone to invite Hui Shi. After meeting him in person, he felt that he was indeed as Tian Xiu had said, a man whose learning was not inferior to that of Mengzi or Zhuangzi. However, unlike them, Hui Shi's Mohist ideas were very practical and more applicable than those of the Confucian and Daoist schools. The King of Wei was delighted to have obtained such a talent and immediately appointed him as an "Outer Minister".

  So-called "Outer Prime Minister". As the name suggests, although it belongs to the same level as the Grand Chancellor, it basically receives the same treatment, but there is a clear distinction between "inside and outside", and the closeness and distance are obvious.

  Wing Cheuk had already received news of Hui Shi being appointed as the Foreign Minister of Wei State, but he did not expect him to be sent to Qin State so soon.

  Wu Shan saw that Wengui seemed to have collected his thoughts, and spoke carefully. "I heard that Huizi is also from the Song State, and is a close friend of Zhuangzi's. He may even be familiar with Master Huajin."

  It was originally a casual remark, but unexpectedly it really guessed the fact. Ying Ju also thought it was very likely. His long eyebrows slightly raised, and he hummed an ambiguous "en" sound.

  Wu Shan received a faint response from Ying Xi, and his heart was filled with joy. However, he also understood Ying Xi's temperament, so he didn't continue and followed him back to the study room.

  "Call Jing Jian over." said Ying Zuo after he sat down.

  "Yes." Wu Shan led the way out.

  Ying Ju looked at half a scroll of bamboo slips and then had a maid announce that Jing Jian had arrived.

  "See you later, Your Highness." Jing Jian bowed and said.

  "Sit." Weng Xi threw the bamboo slips in his hand to one side, looked at him as he knelt down and sat, and asked "What is the purpose of Hui Zi's mission to Qin?"

  Jing Jian still had some secret agents in his hands.

  After the death of Duke Xiao, Jing Shou's position was very embarrassing. Although King Hui did not rely on him as much as Duke Xiao did, he still maintained a certain degree of trust and reuse. One major reason for this was that apart from having been trusted by the previous ruler, he had no other background or power.

  Ying Ju saw Jing Jian and hesitated for a moment, but didn't urge him. He picked up his teacup and took a sip instead.

  Jing Jian also counted as having watched Wu Zilong grow up, and was quite familiar with his temperament. Knowing that he couldn't delay any further, he said, "It's about the Emperor's marriage."

  "Hmm?" A soft hum escaped from Ying's nasal cavity as he leaned against the armrest, adjusting to a comfortable position.

  "The King of Wei had a daughter, who was only 28 years old, with a beautiful and elegant appearance, and was virtuous and gentle." Jing Jian glanced at Ying Ji quickly "Wei wants to form an alliance with Qin through marriage."

  Remained silent for a long time.

  Jing Jian thought for a moment and asked, "What is your intention?"

  "What does Jingjian think?" asked Ying Zou in response.

  "I think it's possible," Jingjian replied succinctly.

  Winning slightly tilted his head to one side, raised his hand to support his head "Tell me about it."

  This attitude made Jing Jian feel that he didn't seem to care much about the alliance, so he just treated it as a national affair. "Now the Great Qin seems calm and peaceful, but in fact, I don't need to elaborate. At this time, if we can reach a mutual non-aggression agreement with Wei State, even if only for three to five years, it would be enough."

  "Three or five loads, ah, Jing Jian can't help but overestimate a woman's value." Yíng Niǎn said calmly.

  Jing Jian knew that Ying Yu said was a fact, and added in his heart that even if it took a year or two, it would still be beneficial.

  "Retreat." Weng Xi closed his eyes.

  "Yes." Jing Jian stood up, bowed his body and retreated from the study.

  Outside, the moon is bright and the stars are sparse. The moonlight is like a thin layer of gauze, covering everything in a pale, cold light. The face of Jingjian, with its white beard and eyebrows, appears somewhat desolate. His life has already reached its end. Although his life has not yet expired, with the passing away of Xiaogong and Shangjun one after another, his passion has also been completely exhausted.

  Things have changed and people have gone their separate ways; everything has come to an end.

  Jing Jian lightly exhaled, and the mist was instantly blown away by the wind. The era of Xiao Gong and Shang Jun was gradually fading away, and the era of Ying Ji had arrived. He would live on to witness the great Qin dynasty sweeping across the land, achieving its dominance, just as those people of that generation had devoted their lives to building it. This is what Jing Jian thought.

  The wind gradually rose, and in the second half of the night, it suddenly snowed. The news of Wei Guo's coming envoy and marriage spread throughout Xianyang City like the first snow overnight.

  The next morning, the imperial court was like a boiling pot, and the monarch's marriage, which had been neglected due to the new and old laws, was suddenly put on the agenda, becoming the most urgent matter in the entire Qin state.

  The Lao clan reacted the most strongly, almost all of the Lao clan could not accept that the future empress would be Wei Zifu. They also began to look for a more suitable candidate.

  The whole country is talking about marriage at this moment.

  Marrying someone is no longer just a matter of personal preference for him, but rather a responsibility he must fulfill as the ruler of the country.

  The first snow of Xianyang only lasted for half a time, but the wind became even colder and more fierce, bringing the news to the six nations of the Central Plains with the rough and heroic northwest wind sweeping across the vast land of Longxi. Qin and Wei have been sworn enemies for generations, but suddenly they want to form an alliance through marriage, causing a huge stir among the various nations.

  Ten days later, Song Chu Yi's cavalry had already entered the territory of Chu State. As soon as they came out of the mountain pass, news of Qin and Wei's intended alliance poured in like a landslide.

  Gao Jing's temper flared up, and as a native of Qin, he was outraged when he heard the news. "How could our great King of Qin marry a woman from Wei?!"