Xiang Shaolong said: "I'll set up a big pot here now, boil the oil, Your Majesty let them come, just put your hands in it." ”

The First Emperor also made Xiang Shaolong suspicious, for fear of being deceived, it doesn't matter if he cheats some money, the main thing is that his dream has collapsed, and now there are not many things worth pursuing by the First Emperor.

While the First Emperor ordered people to serve the oil pot, he summoned the two monks.

The oil also boiled, and the people arrived.

The First Emperor first introduced and said to Xiang Shaolong: "These two are the immortal chiefs I said can find immortals, this is Hou Sheng, and this is Lu Sheng." ”

He introduced Xiang Shaolong to these two and said, "This is my Royal Highness the King of Great Qin and Jin, Xiang Shaolong." ”

When Xiang Shaolong heard it, there was no Xu Fu, the most famous monk should be Xu Fu, maybe he hadn't gone out of the mountain yet.

Xiang Shaolong clenched his fists and said, "The two immortal elders are polite. I was very surprised when I heard His Majesty mention the supernatural powers of the two immortal elders, and I wanted to see it with my own eyes, and I hope that the two immortal elders will not blame me for being presumptuous. He pointed to the pan of oil.

A panicked look suddenly appeared on the faces of these two people, and although it was fleeting, they were still discovered by the First Emperor.

From the moment they appeared, the First Emperor had been staring at them, and it could be said that the First Emperor was also very nervous, afraid that the dream of immortality would be shattered.

The two of them calmed down instantly, and Lu Sheng opened his mouth and smiled: "Doesn't His Royal Highness King Jin trust us?" Your Majesty wants to live forever, but he doesn't trust us in his heart, and his heart is not sincere, how can he live forever? "A sanctimonious and out-of-the-world person.

Xiang Shaolong said: "Don't misunderstand the two immortal elders, I have been traveling south and north for many years, and I have never seen such magical powers, I can't help but feel sorry in my heart, please let the two immortal elders fulfill my little wish." ”

Lu Sheng said to the First Emperor: "Your Majesty doesn't trust us, I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve immortality!" ”

The First Emperor had always been very respectful to them, and he wanted to intimidate the First Emperor with his greed for immortality.

However, the First Emperor was already a suspicious person, and seeing that they had the intention of shirking, his doubts were even worse, and he had begun to be irritable. In the past, he didn't suspect him, so he was naturally very respectful, and he gave whatever he wanted, but now he has doubts, he is already domineering, and he is already impatient, and he is also anxious to know whether they have magical powers.

The First Emperor said in a deep voice: "Please don't shirk the two immortal elders, and show it again for me today." There was no respect in his tone.

Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng glanced at each other, scared in their hearts, not knowing how to end today.

Lu Sheng opened his mouth and said: "Divine powers can't be displayed casually, and they require a lot of preparation. ”

The First Emperor said, "Okay, you can start preparing now, I am waiting here." ”

Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng saw that it was difficult to get out today, and their hearts became more and more flustered, and they looked at each other.

Xiang Shaolong smiled slightly, and did not urge, he ordered someone to bring a large piece of raw meat, and suddenly threw it into the boiling oil pot.

The First Emperor's heart was cold, and the last glimmer of hope was shattered, his face sank like water, staring at the two of them viciously.

The two of them fell to the ground in panic and begged, "Your Majesty spare your life!" ”。

The First Emperor was even more disappointed in his heart, and shouted angrily: "Come on, drag these two liars down, the car will crack!" ”

The shout was filled with disappointment and loss of face.

Xiang Shaolong didn't want to say anything cool, and he was a little reluctant to break the illusion of the First Emperor, and indeed swept away the First Emperor's interest.

Fortunately, the relationship between the two was extraordinary, and the first emperor was deceived in front of Xiang Shaolong, and it was not difficult to accept, but he was still indignant in his heart.

After a long while, the First Emperor said dejectedly: "I forgot to ask just now, I don't know how they managed to put their hands in the boiling hot oil." ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "Although I don't know how they did it, it should be that there are other substances in the oil that are insoluble in oil and have a low boiling temperature, so in fact, this substance boils when the temperature is low, and we think it is oil boiling." ”

The First Emperor said angrily: "This group of alchemists is so hateful, I will issue an order to kill all these warlocks." ”

Xiang Shaolong hurriedly stopped and said, "Your Majesty, no!" They were killed because they deceived the king, and they deserved it, and the others were not guilty. ”

The First Emperor said: "Is the liar still innocent? ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "Of course, it is a crime to cheat, but the crime is not death. I, Daqin, rule the country by law, and people must commit crimes before they can be punished. ”

The First Emperor said, "Could it be that I can't help them?" ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "These two liars who deceived the monarch have been torn apart by His Majesty's car, how can they say that they can't do anything." In fact, these alchemists were born from the five elements of yin and yang and the Huang Lao doctrine, and they were indeed pursuing immortality. They tried to refine the elixir, and they could live forever after eating it, and in the process of alchemy, through experiments, they discovered the properties of some substances, as well as the reactions produced. They summed up their experience and kept it secret, because others did not understand the mysteries, and some unscrupulous practitioners took advantage of these to defraud money. Their tricks are actually the same as my brewing process and paper-making technology, I can sell my sake at a high price because others don't know my technical secrets, and once I disclose my brewing process, anyone can make my fine sake. It's just that I don't describe these technologies as supernatural phenomena that I can do that others can't. ”

The First Emperor was still a little angry, and it was a little difficult not to kill some people, and he was resentful in his heart.

Xiang Shaolong saw that the First Emperor was still murderous, and continued to persuade: "These people are not useless, if these discoveries of theirs are formed into a system and studied into a single discipline, at least in medicine, there are still some contributions." It's just that they like to use this knowledge to pretend to be a ghost and deceive. In fact, everything cannot surpass nature, and we look unbelievable because we don't know enough about nature, and these means are the process of our human understanding of nature. ”

The First Emperor said: "They also have bad intentions in covering up these discoveries, and this can't cure them?" ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "How can this punish crimes? Wouldn't it be a sin not to disclose my brewing and papermaking skills? These are just so-called unique skills, or housekeeping skills. We can't legislate that those who have stunts are guilty. Whether it is legislation or law enforcement, there is a certain lag, but since we insist on the rule of law, we must act strictly according to law, their crime is to deceive, not their discoveries, as long as they do not deceive, they are innocent. ”

The First Emperor was persuaded by Xiang Shaolong, but he was still a little unhappy and asked, "Is there any way to cure them?" ”

Xiang Shaolong asked, "How does Your Majesty want to treat them?" ”

The First Emperor said: "It's just that they can't deceive adults." ”

Xiang Shaolong thought to himself: "Liars are an ancient industry, and they keep pace with the times, even in the 21st century, there are still many of them, and they cannot be eliminated at all." People will be fooled, and deception will come second, mainly because of greed. But there is something that can be done about it. ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "There are some ways to try. First of all, we must open up the wisdom of the people, if the common people can master this knowledge, they will naturally not be able to deceive. ”

The First Emperor said: "Even I don't know about this, how can the common people understand." ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "There is no stunt that must not be passed on." Since they have mastered this knowledge, His Majesty can let them come out publicly, of course, they can't be forced, the so-called stunts are just a means of making a living, and there is always something worth exchanging for them. No matter how precious it is, it has its value. ”

The First Emperor said, "Do I still reward them?" ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "If Your Majesty doesn't want to reward them, we can invest in the country, set up our own research institute, study these scientific problems, produce results, and then publish them to the world." But it is necessary to popularize education so that ordinary people can read and write. We now have papermaking, printing, and we can do it on a technical level. ”

The First Emperor hesitated a little and asked: "The common people have culture, and they will offend the interests of the aristocracy, won't the society be chaotic?" ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "It is to limit the power of the nobles." If the disciples of the poor sect can really read good books, we can provide them with a way to be promoted, which can also break the disadvantages of the family's monopoly on the government. The three major families of Chu Guoqu, Jing, and Zhao controlled the government, causing talents like Li Si to come to my Great Qin. Now even the royal family cannot be divided, and their power must be limited, but these nobles can spread all over the court and influence the government because of their monopoly of knowledge. His Majesty is the most powerful person in the world, but the royal family is not necessarily the most powerful family in the world. ”

The First Emperor was taken aback and asked: "I remember that when the little princess of Chu came to marry, you were most afraid of the royal family, why are you afraid of these nobles now?" ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "I was not afraid of the royal family back then, but judged their position based on their identity. In terms of the hostility of the time, the royal family was a mortal enemy, while their nobility was a force that could be united. This also shows that even if the dynasty is changed, the interests of the nobility are not greatly affected. Look at the current fate of the royal families, and then look at the fate of those nobles, they are still big families that monopolize knowledge. Even when the royal family was weak, these nobles themselves could ascend to the throne, and Tian Chen Daiqi was the best example. ”

The First Emperor had never thought of it that way, and he was shocked. Due to the influence of Xiang Shaolong, the First Emperor has always paid attention to the people's livelihood, prevented the people's uprising, and at the same time prevented the restoration of the royal family, and has always ignored these families. Directly eradicate these families? ”

Xiang Shaolong said: "Violent eradication will cause chaos in the world, and they monopolize knowledge and eradicate them, who will be the official?" ”