"What's the hurry? So impatient and short-tempered." Meng Yuan calmly pulled on the fishing rod, and the fish fled.
"Teacher, you're not in a hurry. But she's already made a move on my Bai family!" Bai Jiayi said anxiously, "I heard that she has already sent someone to investigate the matter of the Old Master Bai turning into an evil cultivator."
At the mention of this, Meng Yuan snorted coldly and said, "The seven kingdoms will not tolerate demonic arts and evil arts! You still have the nerve to mention this matter!"
"I didn't know about it either!" Bai Jiayi quickly shifted the blame away from himself. He continued, "Although the old man is my senior in name, we have no contact. How would I know that he will become evil after his burial? Someone must have set us up!"
"Since you did something wrong, you should be punished. Her Highness should punish you. It is the law." Meng Yuan still acted as if this matter had nothing to do with him.
"Yes, yes, yes. I should be punished." Bai Jiayi responded. However, he inwardly retorted, "You're still pretending, you old fart. The Meng family is the biggest power in the old clans. If Ying Yiren wants to deal with the old clans, she will deal with you sooner or later. And you still blame my Bai family for using evil arts? When I saw you twenty years ago, you looked like you were half dead. In the end, you managed to survive two monarchs, and now you're still alive and kicking. I heard that you can sleep with several women at night. Even a ghost wouldn't believe it if you said that you didn't have some skill!"
Seeing that Bai Jiayi had admitted his mistake, Meng Yuan said, "There are some things that can not be rushed. The new empress has just ascended the throne, so she naturally has to display her authority. We'll just watch for now."
"But-" Meng Yuan's tone changed as he said, "This is a crucial issue. We can't give in."
"Teacher, are you saying... The matter of establishing a national policy?" Xi Qiming asked.
After a ruler ascended the throne, they would 'establish a national policy'. That was to formulate the strategic direction of the country's future development. This decision would determine the fate of the entire country.
According to tradition, Ying Yiren should have made the national policies right after she took over the position.
However, Ying Yiren used the complicated matters of the kingdom as an excuse to drag it out for so long.
Bai Jiayi said, "Ying Yiren appointed Zhang Beichen, so I'm afraid she doesn't want to follow the rules of her ancestors! She's trying to reform the kingdom!"
"Her Highness is young. It is understandable that she wants to change some things," Meng Yuan said, "However, old officials like us have to keep a good eye on Her Highness. We can't let Her Highness listen to the words of a lowly person and affect the state affairs!"
"She's the monarch after all. I'm afraid it's not appropriate for us to oppose her directly." Xi Qiming had an idea and said, "Not long ago, the monarch issued a recruitment notice. Many scholars came to Kingdom Qin to offer their suggestions. They would also be participating in the making of the kingdom's policies. Why don't we rope them in and let them come forward? Her Highness won't be able to say anything!"
Meng Yuan nodded slightly and said, "You've made some progress."
"If we can get Zhang Beichen to join us, then we'll be sure to win!" Xi Qiming said.
"Zhang Beichen, he's the one who killed my Bai family's people!" Bai Jiayi was a little indignant.
"Brother Bai!" Xi Qiming consoled, "I understand you. But in the face of a major event, don't be calculative about such things."
"You and I both have to think for our clans!"
...
Zhang Beichen stayed in Baiyang County for another ten days to deal with the county affairs.
Labor management, land division, population registration, water conservancy projects, and other aspects were all implemented. Now, Baiyang County's affairs would be in good order. With the 'order to cultivate grass', even if Zhang Beichen left his post, his successor would be able to easily manage the county.
After doing all this, he packed up his luggage and headed to the capital of Kingdom Qin, Liyang.
Before Ying Yiren left, she asked Che Yang to give Zhang Beichen a precious horse with the bloodline of a demon beast. It could travel a thousand miles in a day, and Zhang Beichen arrived at Liyang in a day.
The current Liyang City was much cleaner and more orderly than it had been a month ago. He had heard that Ying Yiren had already ordered people to manage the refugees and had them scattered to various counties.
Zhang Beichen was about to go to the Qin Palace to pay a visit, but he was stopped on the street.
"Sir, are you the Baiyang County Magistrate, Lord Zhang Beichen?" The one who stopped him was a man dressed as a servant.
Yes, what's the matter?" Zhang Beichen asked.
"My master would like to invite you to his residence as a guest, please do not decline," said the servant.
"Who is your master?" Zhang Beichen was puzzled. He had only been in Liyang City for a short time, and this person already knew that he had arrived in Liyang. It seemed like this man had a lot of power.
"My master is Xi Qiming, a physician of Kingdom Qin," said the bailiff.
Xi Qiming? Zhang Beichen naturally knew who he was. He was the current head of the Xi family. His ancestor had once followed the first king of the Kingdom Qin to conquer the world. His outstanding military achievements had been passed down to this day.
This was the backbone of the old clan, and the invitation at this time was either to warn him or to rope him in.
"I'm sorry, I'm tired from the journey and need to rest," Zhang Beichen directly refused.
"Lord Zhang, are you really not going to think about it?"
"No."
"Alright," said the servant. He continued, "Then my master has another word for you. He hopes that you will seriously think about the matter of establishing a national policy. Since ancient times, 80% to 90% of those who changed the law did not have a good end!"
...
Zhang Beichen stayed in the capital for a few days. He stayed in the recruitment hall. This used to be a residence under the name of the empress of Kingdom Qin. Ying Yiren paid for this out of her own pocket. She paid for the land and provided manpower. She publicized it and attracted some traveling scholars to come to Kingdom Qin.
"Brother Zhang, we're going to establish the national policy soon! Brother Zhang, are you ready?" Asked a dark-skinned, refined man in the recruitment hall.
He was Ying Yiren's trusted aide, Jing Ping. In the earlier simulation, Zhang Beichen had sought refuge with him and became his hanger-on.
"Almost ready." Zhang Beichen was very confident. He had the simulated memory and the knowledge from his previous life, so there should be no problem.
"Brother Zhang, you have to be careful," Jing Ping reminded him, "The old clans will definitely not agree with the reform. I've heard that many scholars of the recruitment hall have been in contact with them recently."
"These people are from the Hundred Schools of Thought, and there is no lack of powerful people. Now that Her Highness wants to use you, you've naturally become a thorn in their side. They're probably going to make things difficult for you!"
"Thank you for the reminder," Zhang Beichen nodded. In fact, he had already felt the hostility of the scholars around him during his stay in the recruitment hall.
...
Zhang Beichen stayed for a few more days and it was finally the day of the establishment of Kingdom Qin's national policy.
On this day, the officials of Kingdom Qin and the scholars of the recruitment hall all went to the palace to participate in the court meeting on the setting of the national policy.
Ying Yiren took a bath and burned some incense. She put on the black and red robe of the Qin Emperor and went to the ancestral temple to worship her ancestors according to the rules before going to court.
In the main hall of the royal palace, Ying Yiren sat on the golden jade throne, looking down at the officials with a cold expression.
Her eyes swept across the ministers until she saw Zhang Beichen standing below. Her eyes stopped at him for a few seconds.
Ying Yiren knew that today's decision wouldn't be a peaceful one. She had already asked Jing Ping to convey her intention to Zhang Beichen. She wanted to establish a national policy of reform to strengthen the kingdom.
For this, it wasn't enough to rely on her alone. Zhang Beichen had to put in some effort.
The white-haired and bearded Meng Yuan recited in an old voice, "When the new king is in power, he should make a national policy to rule the country. Monarch, please summon the black bird!"
Ying Yiren stood up and drew her sword. The blade gently cut her palm, and blood dripped onto the sword, causing it to emit a buzzing sound!
Then, a black bird's shadow flew over from the distance and hovered in the center of the hall. It was the totem black bird, the symbol of Kingdom Qin.
Zhang Beichen looked at the black bird. He had already learned the process of making the national policy from Jing Ping.
First, everyone would discuss and decide on the national policy. Then, they would give it to the monarch and the black bird to evaluate. If the national policy could enhance national destiny, then heaven and earth would give emit strange signs and auspicious signs to enhance Kingdom Qin's national destiny.
If not, there wouldn't be any strange phenomenon. However, it was very difficult to strengthen a country based on national policies. In most cases, in order to prevent any changes, the new monarch would follow the previous national policies. Although there were no surprises, no major mistakes would be made.
As soon as the black bird appeared, Ying Yiren said to the officials, "My dear subjects, what are your thoughts on the national policy of Kingdom Qin?"
All the officials glanced at each other, and Xi Qiming immediately said, "I think we should follow the tradition of Kingdom Qin, a military rule."
Military rule was Kingdom Qin's tradition. They would strengthen their army and kingdom by conquering other kingdoms.
"Doctor Xi is right, we should use the military to rule the country!" The generals all agreed, and so did the old clansmen.
Ying Yiren looked at them, feeling frustrated. The people in front of her were all people with vested interests in the old system of Kingdom Qin, so they were naturally unwilling to reform.
However, Ying Yiren knew that Kingdom Qin was getting weaker and weaker year by year. Her father had even lost a third of Kingdom Qin's territory. If this continued, Kingdom Qin would probably be destroyed!
Ying Yiren said, "I don't think the old system is worth the while to implement. Kingdom Qin is in decline. If we continue with the old system, the kingdom will be in danger of being destroyed!"
Seeing that the monarch was against their suggestion, the officials did not say anything. Instead, they all looked at Meng Yuan.
Meng Yuan cleared his throat and said, "Your Highness's words are too serious. Since the establishment of Kingdom Qin, we have been using military rule to rule the country. All the previous Qin kings were like this! The late Emperor has taught me many times that the rules of the ancestors can not be violated!"
"This Meng Yuan is using the ancestral system to pressure me!" Ying Yiren cursed inwardly. If it was in the past, she really couldn't find a reason to retort.
However, after several simulations, Ying Yiren was also very experienced.
She asked Meng Yuan, "Prime Minister Meng, you said that we can't go against our ancestors 'rules'. Then whose ancestral system should we imitate? Is it the ancestor's system of the previous king or my grandfather's system? Or was it the ancestral system of the founding monarch? As far as I know, although their policy is a military rule, they are all different!"
Meng Yuan naturally wouldn't be defeated by a single sentence. He said, "Of course, it's the late king's policy!"
"The late king's policy?" Ying Yiren asked, "All of you have followed my father and carried out the policy of the late king. Has Kingdom Qin become stronger or weaker?"
"This..." Everyone was embarrassed. Everyone knew that Kingdom Qin had become weak.
"Kingdom Qin has become weak. Isn't that because you guys didn't carry out your national policy well? Or is there a problem with the national policy?"
The officials were speechless again. They naturally couldn't admit that they didn't carry out the national policy well. However, if they did admit that there was a problem with the national policy, wouldn't that be giving Ying Yiren an excuse to reform?