When Xiang Shaolong and his group returned to Xianyang, aside from Fang Zheng who still wore a relaxed and carefree expression, everyone else was grave-faced. Especially Xiang Shaolong, although at first Fang Zheng and his retainers had warned him about Luu Buwei’s ill intentions, Xiang Shaolong still managed to obtain evidence in his own way — after escaping from the Red Pine Forest, he proceeded as originally planned to Yokohama Dragon Ridge to rendezvous with the earlier scattered team.
If Fang Zheng and others’ guess was correct, Luu Buwei was truly the traitor, then when Xiang Shaolong went to Yokohama Dragon Ridge, he would definitely not encounter his own people.
The facts also proved this true.
Although Xiang Shaolong was forewarned, successfully counter-killing the enemy disguised as a companion, he was still troubled by being betrayed by Luu Buwei, uncertain of how to respond.
On the way back to Xianyang, Li Si quietly approached Xiang Shaolong and inquired in a low voice.
"Brother Xiang, how much do you know about that Young Master Fang?"
"You mean Young Master Fang?"
Faced with Li Si’s inquiry, Xiang Shaolong was somewhat surprised, but soon gave a warm introduction.
"This Young Master Fang is truly remarkable, and honestly, I, Xiang Shaolong, have nearly lost my life several times, only to be rescued by him..."
Thinking about it, Xiang Shaolong recalled, noting that the opposite party had indeed saved him many times, initially when he first came to this world to help Tao Fang’s riders fend off bandits, then during his trip with Zhao Qian to the Wei Kingdom facing tens of thousands of bandits, and during their escape, plus now this instance... one could say the opposite party had saved him four times already.
"Do you think this person is trustworthy?"
"Of course, I trust Young Master Fang... Brother Li, do you have any insight?"
Listening to Li Si’s words with nuance, Xiang Shaolong was quite surprised, and Li Si nodded, looking intently at Fang Zheng sitting atop the White Deer.
"If this person truly has a good relationship with you, Brother Xiang, I want to persuade him to join the Qin State, as this person has both intelligence and martial prowess of the first class; with his assistance, trivial Luu Buwei would not be a problem at all."
"You mean to invite Young Master Fang... that seems unlikely, doesn’t he not care about such matters? Perhaps Brother Li you don’t know, earlier the King of the Six Kingdoms had sent people to invite him to the palace for talks, but Young Master Fang unceremoniously kicked them out..."
Despite Li Si’s comment, Xiang Shaolong thought carefully and did not believe Fang Zheng possessed such intentions. In fact, he sometimes envied Fang Zheng for living such a carefree life, yet helplessly made a misstep after misstep, to such a degree now that Xiang Shaolong is shouldering not just his own fate.
"That was the Six Kingdoms, but not our Qin State."
Li Si shook his head.
"Just from the battle at the Red Pine Forest, it can be seen that this person alone can rival ten thousand soldiers, and should he be beside, there’s nothing to worry about."
"So how do you plan to win him over?"
Now curious, Xiang Shaolong asked. Truth be told, he also wished Fang Zheng could stay and help him deal with Luu Buwei, but Fang Zheng was notoriously elusive, making Xiang Shaolong reluctant to ask directly. However, if others had this notion, Xiang Shaolong would be quite interested.
Hearing Xiang Shaolong’s question, Li Si pondered for a moment.
"Generally speaking, to win over external ministers, one would offer power, wealth, and beauties..."
"I don’t think Young Master Fang is interested in power."
Xiang Shaolong shook his head, knowing that if Fang Zheng were interested in such things, he wouldn’t be living this free-spirited life now.
"And what about wealth and beauties?"
"Young Master Fang enjoys slaying bandits everywhere and selling warhorses to various countries... I don’t think money is an issue, as for beauties... I heard Qian’er mention that Talented Lady Ji seems to have feelings for him already."
Current Xiang Shaolong is no longer who he was right after the time travel; it is known that warhorses are a valuable resource in any country. Fang Zheng’s methods are bloodless, killing only the bandits but sparing the warhorses, and he possesses unique horsemanship, a whistle would have hundreds or thousands of warhorses obediently following him, more docile than trained troops.
Thus, each time Fang Zheng ventures out, it is equivalent to returning home with thousands of gold, and the purchasing power of gold in those days was formidable. Moreover, Fang Zheng doesn’t seem to have forces or armies to sustain, living alone, possibly with Ji Yanran and some servants, this wealth would suffice for a very comfortable life.
All of this because of Fang Zheng’s extraordinary strength; with this in mind, Xiang Shaolong invigorated himself, planning to practice diligently the swordsmanship manual left by Fang Zheng. Just by seeing how Fang Zheng comes and goes at will while he faces crisis everywhere shows the gap between their prowess.
Actually, Xiang Shaolong didn’t know that now Fang Zheng could hardly find usable bandits to ’supplement his household.’ The reason is simple: those large-scale bandits were mainly troops disguised as bandits by other countries to disrupt enemy logistics and trade routes. Fang Zheng wiped them out, selling the warhorses back, which upset the Six Kingdoms greatly. If they didn’t buy back, the warhorses, being military supplies, would strengthen the enemy if sold; yet buying them seems nonsensical since they are buying back what was originally theirs.
Thus, after several attempts, the Six Kingdoms abandoned this self-damaging tactic. Presently, aside from a few small groups of bandits who don’t understand the situation, like Gray Beard’s large bandit groups, have nearly disappeared.
After all, cavalry never just appeared out of thin air.
Just outside the City of Xianyang, Luu Buwei personally led his family servants to greet them. Fang Zheng had no interest in the empty formalities between Luu Buwei and Xiang Shaolong; he simply greeted them and left, heading off to explore the City of Xianyang.
Compared to the capitals of other kingdoms, Xianyang was exceptionally bustling. This wasn’t because the city was built with great opulence, but more due to the lively crowds in the streets. One could glean the rise and fall of a country from such scenes. Fang Zheng had previously visited Handan and Daliang. These ancient cities boasted higher status and longer histories than Xianyang, yet their streets were sparsely populated, a result of the years of wars among the Six Kingdoms, which left the population decimated and devoid of any prosperity or bustle.
Thus, it was evident that Qin State’s success in unifying the realm was indeed no mere stroke of luck.
"Young Master Fang, please wait!"
As Fang Zheng was riding his White Deer and roaming the streets, a shout echoed from behind him. Turning his head, he saw a man galloping on horseback from behind. Upon reaching Fang Zheng, the man promptly dismounted and respectfully presented an invitation.
"I am Luu Meng, a servant of Chancellor Lu. Chancellor Lu has long admired Young Master Fang’s name, and thus specially invites him to the Luu Mansion for a banquet to discuss the ways of governing a country. May I ask if Young Master Fang is available?"
"Luu Buwei?"
Looking at the invitation, Fang Zheng snorted softly.
"What qualifies Luu Buwei, a mere merchant, to discuss the ways of governing a nation? I have zero interest in him. You may leave."
"But......"
"Go."
Fang Zheng cast a silent glance at him, and the man’s expression immediately changed drastically, with cold sweat streaming down. He dared not utter another word and quickly turned to leave.
Fang Zheng had never regarded Luu Buwei highly. He had read the so-called "Luu’s Spring and Autumn Annals" and indeed found it "profoundly insightful."
For instance, phrases like "Yeah, the realm doesn’t belong to a single person; it belongs to everyone." On the surface, this remark seems quite reasonable, but if you consider it alongside other statements in the book, it adopts an entirely different tone. Like "Punish tyrants without seizing their lands; endow the lands to the wise ones, thus achieving the deeds of a king and overlord. Should the king and overlord punish tyrants and keep the lands for themselves, they wouldn’t be deemed fit to be king and overlord."
These statements themselves aren’t problematic, but when Luu Buwei compiled them into one book, it became very problematic. Look, he first asserts that "the realm doesn’t belong to any one person but to everyone," then followed by "slaying tyrants without occupying their territory and granting it to wise persons fulfills the enterprise of kingship and overlordship."
Oh dear, the question arises—who are these wise ones? You claim that the realm belongs to all, so does it mean the wise persons acknowledged by everyone should govern the realm? But how should everyone select such persons?
It must be remembered that was ancient times, not the modern era with extensive internet connectivity. Scholars like Hann Fei could author books and formulate theories without hindrance, but they had no effective means to influence the masses. If the populace were to choose a wise leader, everyone would need to know of these persons’ existence at the very least.
And all this... indeed required money.
Which raises the question: between true scholars and merchants, who has more money?
Is this even a question?
Frankly speaking, "Luu’s Spring and Autumn Annals" was essentially the earliest form of liberal democracy theory, proving that capitalists have been consistently self-serving for thousands of years, waving the banner of public appeal, yet ultimately pursuing their own interests. This caused confusion among people because merchants held control over commerce which greatly affected the common people. You talk about the numerous policies imposed at court, which the common people couldn’t directly relate to. But if you discuss daily necessities such as fuel, rice, oil, salt, clothing, housing, and transportation, merchants are intrinsically linked to these aspects.
Thus, it naturally became a tactic for merchants to rally the lower tier citizens against the government in pursuit of benefits.
Thank goodness Qin Shi Huang showcased great foresight by eradicating Luu Buwei, laying down the core guidance principle of prioritizing agriculture over commerce for future Huaxia. If not, China might have ended up like Europe, disintegrating after the fall of Rome.
Capitalists always portray themselves as advocates for the people’s interests; however, at any given time, the interests of capitalists often collide with those of the lower tier populace. They might be capable of rallying wise individuals and compiling comprehensive discussions like in "Luu’s Spring and Autumn Annals" to confuse the masses, yet history has proven that even substantial capital cannot shield one from being executed by Qin Shi Huang. Attempts to tout liberal democracy have proven futile against pervasive wisdom.
If you are fortunate enough not to have your family and relatives implicated unto extermination, a poison cup ensuring your departure, would you have anything left to complain about?
Regardless of era, capitalists have always been the root of corruption, and should there be issues, blaming them as scapegoats is never wrong.
"Wow!!"
At the moment when Fang Zheng got lost in thought, suddenly a commotion erupted among the crowd in the market ahead. Next, Fang Zheng saw several burly men chasing a young lad, kicking and beating him until he fell to the ground. Beside him, a young and attractive girl tearfully tried to intervene, only to be shoved down by the brutes.
Oh dear, this again.
Witnessing this, Fang Zheng shook his head and sighed. He had encountered similar scenarios numerous times before. Entertainment in the ancient era was exceedingly limited; if this were the modern era, folks could home-stay and watch new anime or play games, but people during that era primarily entertained themselves with performances by beautiful dancers and singers, thus creating conflicts that were more numerous than the clichés in web novels combined......
Nonetheless, it couldn’t be ignored now, could it?
Upon this thought, Fang Zheng gently patted the White Deer under him, then saw a flash of white. In an instant, the White Deer leaped high amid the crowd, landing heavily between the two groups, thereby separating them.

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