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墨書 Inktalez
The majestic palace and the city walls of the royal city are in a similar state, lacking renovation funds, resulting in a pervasive sense of historical decay. The peeling palace gates reveal the unseemly wooden boards beneath, making it hard to look at. Fortunately, the former grandeur still lingers, but that is all there is to it...
Perhaps some may not understand how to assess whether a country is prosperous; in fact, one can glean a rough idea from these small details. If the palace, which represents the national image, is in such disrepair, what significance is there in proving one's existence through petty means?
Following King Zhao of Qin, Luzi observed all this with mixed feelings. In his view, it would take only a small contribution from a few feudal lords to restore the former glory of the emperor's city.
However, the reality is quite the opposite. The feudal lords and ministers, who have long regarded luxury and extravagance as commonplace, would never willingly part with their wealth! To them, their fortunes are merely rewards for their contributions; why should they subsidize someone else? If you have the ability, you can do it too! Even if you achieve more, we will not be envious!
King Zhao of Qin had a different perspective on the royal city than Luzi. After all, the palace within the capital of Qin State had not been renovated for a long time. He believed that this lack of royal aura was why such conditions existed. If Ji Yan could disarm the feudal lords and reclaim power, then he could renovate the palace as he wished. This is your realm! Who would dare to speak out?
The old and young each harbored their thoughts as they entered the grand hall and knelt to pay respects to the exalted Zhou Tianzi. This was a deeply ingrained custom; even without thinking, they could perform this set of audience etiquette.
Zhou Tianzi and Ji Yan were still unaware of why this feudal lord had come to Luoyi. They ordered both to rise and inquired about the economic situation in Qin State. After receiving a reply indicating that the citizens were doing reasonably well, they awaited King Zhao of Qin to explain his purpose.
Before coming, King Zhao of Qin had confirmed through Luzi that this Allied Forces operation order was actually issued by King Zhou She. It was precisely for this reason that Qi State could not refuse Wei Wujie's request for Qi Army deployment.
Qi State maintained good relations with several major Feudal States; even its relationship with Qin State was decent despite being unrelated. Due to King Qi's attitude, various lords tacitly accepted the existence of this Neutral Country. It is well known that the 370,000 Qi Army is strong and robust, including 30,000 cavalry and thousands of chariots.
Having one more friend like this is worth a hundred times more than having another enemy! Since you cannot help, not causing trouble is also acceptable. What puzzled King Zhao of Qin back in Hanoi County was precisely this! The sudden change in attitude from Qi State as a Neutral Country must have hidden reasons behind it!
With timely reconnaissance reports from Luzi, King Zhao of Qin's concerns were alleviated. So that's it! The great deity hidden among countless threads turned out to be Zhou Wang Ji Yan, who was unwilling to enjoy peace during the New Year!
What is said here has little relation to Qin State's issues with Luoyi's dilapidated royal city. Regardless of how Qin Army performs, the annual fees required from Qin State remain unchanged. Moreover, as the leader of Qin State, King Zhao of Qin has never behaved like other feudal lords who frequently sought excuses to delay or even avoid payment.
Renovating and maintaining the facilities within the royal city is not a small expense. Moreover, the fees were originally allocated based on the actual conditions of each country and have continued to this day. It is impossible for the Qin State, located in a remote area, to bear this obligation alone. From this perspective, King Zhao of Qin's attitude towards Zhou Tianzi is indeed better than that of other feudal lords.
The news about not paying maintenance fees cannot be hidden, especially since some feudal lords even joke about it. Therefore, it is no wonder that King Zhao of Qin is filled with anger. Those who pay their fees on time every year have become the bad guys in the eyes of the emperor, while those who are well-fed yet complain about being poor are seen as good people.
Is there no justice left in this world? If that is the case, then this year, I, Qin State, will simply stop paying!
King Zhao of Qin, Ying Ji, secretly vowed to himself as he stood up, reminding himself not to explode with anger. Taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, he then bowed and said, "Your Majesty! I have a matter that I do not understand; please enlighten me!"
If King Zhou She initially did not understand Ying Ji's purpose for coming, he could guess the general idea upon seeing this feudal lord. King Zhou She was well aware of how various feudal lords had been treating the emperor over the years.
Even if Qin State was not doing well, it was still reasonable to supply this Above. Qin State has never defaulted on the fees it needs to pay each year and always delivers them ahead of schedule.
Because of this, although there were instances where the Qin Army passed through the royal city without proper etiquette, King Zhou She turned a blind eye to his ministers' criticisms. The military situation was urgent; if they did not dismount from their vehicles, so be it. After all, they had not lost anything significant. If he were to blame King Zhao of Qin and offend Qin State because of this, it would become problematic for their food supply! If this person does not learn to be practical, he might starve without even realizing how it happened!
King Zhou She, who relied on Qin State for food, recalled the conscription order issued some days ago and suddenly felt a bit guilty towards Old King of Qin standing below him. However, it was too late to take back his words now; he could only grant a seat to the white-haired King Zhao of Qin as a gesture of goodwill.
"You and I have been old friends for decades; let's sit down and talk about whatever matters there are!"
Being granted a seat by the emperor is an unparalleled honor that ministers can boast about when they return home. Unexpectedly, King Zhao of Qin showed no gratitude for this and merely performed a slight bow before sitting down in frustration.
Seeing someone with their head down in silence, King Zhou She looked at Lu Ziquan standing behind Ying Ji and intentionally asked, "My dear Ying! This is my first time meeting this Brother; is he your son?"
King Zhao of Qin turned to look at Lu Ziquan and gestured for him to step forward and bow to Zhou Tianzi. "I dare not deceive Your Majesty! He is... he is the Big Shopkeeper of Prosperity Pavilion in my country, Lu Ziquan."
Hearing Ying Ji suddenly stutter, King Zhou She found it amusing. Once Luzi had completed his greeting, he instructed him to rise. "The Big Shopkeeper of Prosperity Pavilion! That should be the intelligence department of Qin, right? There should be an Official Position associated with that, but I wonder what position Lu Ziquan has been granted?"
King Zhao of Qin did not expect the lofty emperor to care about such matters and was momentarily at a loss for words. According to relevant regulations, officials who were conferred certain ranks were required to report to Zhou Tianzi and subsequently be registered. This is known as the conferment.
Once the name of this official was recorded, he would officially become a state employee. If the feudal lords wanted to promote or demote him, they would need the emperor's personal approval before proceeding.
Luzi had not been conferred, which made King Zhao of Qin hesitant to speak freely. If he directly stated that Luzi already held an Official Position, King Zhou She could order an investigation and discover that there was no record of this individual. This would be a grave offense against the emperor and could lead to serious consequences! The intention was to dismantle the Allied Forces; if this were to happen, it would only solidify the Allied Forces further!
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