General Qin

"In the past, I was supervising the army in the north and contracted the cold when supervising the construction of the straight road. Although I was cured later, the root cause of the disease was also left. Every autumn and winter, or when I was stimulated, I was prone to coughing and asthma. Xia Wuqi was very fond of me. He said that this is an old disease that is difficult to eradicate.”

The second emperor was lying on the couch and said to Zhao Tuo helplessly.

Zhao Tuo nodded, he seemed to remember such a thing.

Many years ago, after Governor Fusu returned to Xianyang after building a straight road, he did have a cough that didn't stop for a period of time. It took him more than half a year to drink decoction to cure it. At that time, Zhao Tuo also gave him some ideas to relieve the cough, so he had some impressions.

But later Zhao Tuo led his army to conquer Baiyue and stayed there for several years. With so many affairs, it was natural that he didn't know how Fusu was doing.

In the autumn and winter of the past few years, Fusu did have coughs. Zhao Tuo only thought it was a common cold, after all, many people would have this problem at this time of year.

He didn't pay much attention to it, but he didn't know that drinking a lot of alcohol this time actually caused Fusu's health problems.

"Your Majesty is in the prime of his life and is in good health. He only needs a good rest to recover. Please rest in peace, your Majesty."

Zhao Tuo comforted softly.

He is the same age as Fusu, and they are both forty years old this year. Although they cannot be said to be young at this age, they can be said to be in the prime of life, and their physical fitness should be good.

Fusu nodded weakly and said with a smile: "I think so too. It's an old illness that can be cured after a while. It's just that the war in Liaodong has just started, and there are many affairs in the imperial examination and the school, so the marquis of Zhenguo should pay more attention to it." yes."

Zhao Tuo cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, please rest in peace. I will definitely live up to your Majesty's expectations."

The two talked for a while, and when Fusu looked tired, Zhao Tuo left in time.

Seeing the leaving figure of Marquis Zhen Guo, the smile on the face of the second emperor gradually faded away.

He is very clear about his physical condition.

…

Zhao Tuo, the Marquis of Zhenguo, was appointed by the emperor and was fully responsible for subsequent reforms and school promotion. Although he was restrained by the left prime minister Wang Wan, it did not affect Zhao Tuo's growing authority.

After all, Zhao Tuo's reforms mainly harmed the interests of the Legalist faction, but were of great benefit to other schools of thought. Wang Wan and others supported it in their hearts, making everything Zhao Tuo did go smoothly.

This continued until autumn, when the second emperor's condition suddenly worsened.

Even when the Western Expeditionary Army returned to the court and performed a triumphant ceremony, Fusu did not go there, but sent two prime ministers to preside over it.

A few days later, the emperor issued an edict to establish the emperor's eldest son Qiming as the crown prince, confirming his status as heir apparent.

With such a hasty edict and the changes before and after, at this time, many people had a premonition of the bad outcome.

As expected, in October of the second year, the second emperor urgently summoned the right prime minister Zhao Tuo, the left prime minister Wang Wan, Wentong Marquis Li Yu and others to enter the palace.

In the ward that smelled of medicine, the second emperor lay on the couch with a pale face.

Crown Prince Qiming knelt aside with a sad face.

"Since I came to the throne, with the help of various ministers, I have stopped the Western Expedition, stopped the migration of the people, and changed the cruel laws to be close to the people, so as to stabilize the world. I am very happy with the achievements of the past few years, but... ahem... I am seriously ill now, and I may not be able to govern the Qin State together with the ministers. My son is young and weak, and it is difficult for me to take on a big responsibility. I still hope that the ministers will assist the country and improve the country."

The second emperor finished these words weakly.

Zhao Tuo, Wang Wan, Li Yu and others all cried endlessly.

"Your Majesty, don't worry. I will do my best to assist the prince and make the country stable."

Seeing the three people kowtow and accept their promises, the second emperor's face relaxed slightly, and his eyes fell on Zhao Tuo who was in the front.

He said softly: "I have made an agreement with the marquis of Zhenguo, in order to bring about an end to the evil policies of the Qin Dynasty, so that the people of Guizhou and the whole world can enjoy peace and prosperity. Now that I am leaving on the middle road, you should continue your past ambitions and reform The old evils, let the Qin Dynasty survive forever as the late emperor said."

Zhao Tuo burst into tears upon hearing this.

Before Fusu ascended the throne, these two young men of the same age often talked freely about state affairs, discussed the various shortcomings of the country, and discussed the impact of the First Emperor's actions on the people of the world. They agreed that when they were capable in the future, they would These diseases in Qin were eliminated one by one, making the world of Qin a better place.

This is exactly what the second emperor did after he succeeded to the throne.

His trust in Zhao Tuo even exceeded that of his father-in-law Li Si, and all affairs were handed over to Zhao Tuo, becoming the strongest supporter of Zhao Tuo's reforms.

If Li Si hadn't seen at a glance that Fusu was supporting Zhao Tuo behind his back, I'm afraid he wouldn't have easily surrendered to Zhao Tuo, and Zhao Tuo's reform would not have been so smooth.

Now when Fusu is dying, he still has not forgotten the agreement he made with Zhao Tuo. While letting him assist the prince, he hopes that Zhao Tuo can continue to fulfill their common ambition.

Reform the Qin Dynasty and eliminate the old shortcomings of the past!

Such trust moved Zhao Tuo beyond measure.

He knelt on the ground and said to Fusu: "Your Majesty, don't worry. I will never forget to fulfill the promise I made in the past and will never let Your Majesty down."

"Well, I believe what the Lord says."

The second emperor pursed his lips and smiled, and then said to Qiming: "The king is the humerus of the late emperor and me. You should also have trust in him when you succeed to the throne."

Qi Ming said sadly: "My father's teachings, I will remember them."

Fusu nodded, then looked sideways at Zuo Prime Minister Wang Wan and Wentong Marquis Li Yu, and gave them instructions respectively.

He issued an edict on the spot and ordered Wentong Marquis Li Yu to be one of the nine ministers.

"In the past, the old woman said that ministers should not be allowed to hold power alone, otherwise there would be dangers of treachery and regicide. Today I am assisting the country with three ministers. I hope there will be no trouble in the future."

In the eyes of the second emperor, Zhao Tuo was of a separate party, while Wang Wan preferred Confucianism. He and Zhao Tuo had had some unpleasant experiences, so naturally they would not wholeheartedly attach themselves to each other.

Li Su is Qi Ming's maternal uncle and will be the most loyal supporter of the future Young Emperor.

Zhao Tuo, Wang Wan, and Li were his personal assistant ministers.

The three parties check and balance each other, so that there is no fear that one of the ministers will dominate the family and weaken the royal family.

After making arrangements for his death, Fusu felt relieved.

He let the three courtiers leave, and then let his son go, and lay quietly on the couch alone.

Fusu thought a lot.

Especially the memories of the past that he had suppressed in his heart were brought out before he died.

Because the First Emperor was busy with government affairs, he had not been cared for since he was a child. He could only get warmth from the two monarchs of the Chu clan. As a result, he was deeply influenced by the Chu people and was even exploited. He went many times to dissuade the First Emperor from ending the war to destroy the country.

Fusu lost his identity as the son of the Qin Kingdom and often clashed with the First Emperor. The father and son often separated on bad terms.

"Fortunately, Marquis Zhen Guo enlightened me and helped me get out of my confusion. I knew who I was, what I should do, and what I shouldn't do. From then on, I saw the true face of Xiong Qi and others, and truly became The eldest son of the State of Qin. If I were not the Marquis of Zhenguo, given my previous relationship with my father, it might be extremely difficult for me to ascend to the position of emperor."

Fusu sighed softly.

He thought again of what he had done with the assistance of Zhao Tuo after he ascended the throne.

Although it may conflict with the First Emperor's policy of governing the country, it actually made Qin more prosperous and powerful.

"I can also explain to my father when I get underground."

Fusu smiled and closed his eyes.

In October, the eighth year of Emperor Qin II's reign.

The emperor died in Xianyang Palace.

There is another chapter tonight, and the finale should be tomorrow. It will be written in one big chapter.

After reading everyone’s comments, I can only say that no one has guessed the ending yet.