96: Chapter 96 Wang Jian's Worries: How Should the First Emperor and Zhao Fusu, Two Powerful Figures, Get Along?

Wang Xia told General Wang Jian very certainly that Prince Fusu had not been replaced by someone else.

General Wang Jian did not doubt Wang Xia's words.

She was Prince Fusu's bedfellow; whether Prince Fusu had been replaced was something Wang Xia would know better than anyone.

However, General Wang Jian did not dispel his suspicions regarding Zhao Fusu.

He asked Wang Xia again why Prince Fusu's temperament had changed so drastically after returning from Shangjun.

If the man didn't look exactly like Prince Fusu, General Wang Jian wouldn't have recognized him as such at all.

Wang Xia said, "Grandfather, Xiaer also had her doubts once."

"Xiaer asked General Meng Tian about it."

"General Meng Tian told Xiaer that when a person suffers a massive blow, their temperament can change significantly."

"My husband and General Meng Tian spent years in Shangjun, building the Straight Road and the Great Wall, working conscientiously for Great Qin, only to be ordered to commit suicide."

"Under such a massive blow..."

Is that so?

General Wang Jian expressed doubt toward this explanation. A drastic change in temperament could be explained by a massive blow.

But with Zhao Fusu's current talent and methods, Prince Fusu wouldn't even be fit to carry his shoes; it was truly difficult for him to connect the two.

The reason General Wang Jian had left the military was that he currently didn't even hold a military rank.

The only reason he could attend meetings at court was entirely due to his merit in conquering nations. Even without a military post, he was still a General.

Unlike Meng Tian, General Wang Jian had not been branded with a Thought Steel Seal by Zhao Fusu.

Meng Tian had automatically convinced himself that Zhao Fusu was Prince Fusu, and had even managed to fool Wang Xia.

But General Wang Jian did not believe Meng Tian's explanation.

However, General Wang Jian's brilliance lay in the fact that he did not voice any opinions; he continued to act as a non-entity.

Whether at the Collective Representative Assembly or any other meeting, he tried his best not to speak if he could help it.

General Wang Jian believed that if even he could see it, it was impossible for the First Emperor not to.

The fact that the First Emperor had not appeared yet suggested that the First Emperor was betting on Zhao Fusu.

The First Emperor likely believed that Zhao Fusu was the one who could save the foundations of Qin and prevent the destruction of a legacy nearly seven hundred years in the making.

Until the First Emperor showed himself, he did not plan to expose Zhao Fusu.

Besides, would exposing Zhao Fusu even be useful?

General Wang Jian shook his head; he was now just a retired old man.

What he truly worried about was how the First Emperor and Zhao Fusu would get along when the time came.

Zhao Fusu had already placed restrictions on the Emperor. Even if the First Emperor returned and ascended the throne, he would be a mere figurehead.

Actual control remained in Zhao Fusu's hands.

Would the First Emperor willingly be controlled by Zhao Fusu?

One must remember, the First Emperor was the eternal emperor!

Both Zhao Fusu and the First Emperor were powerful men.

One mountain cannot hold two tigers.

How would this conflict be resolved when the time came?

General Wang Jian didn't dare imagine what would happen.

Would the First Emperor be killed by Zhao Fusu, or would Zhao Fusu be killed by the First Emperor's Black Ice Platform Shadow Guards?

General Wang Jian observed that Zhao Fusu was always accompanied by a large number of soldiers when moving about. It was said he wouldn't even eat until his soldiers had tasted the food first; he was cautious to the extreme.

It seemed the man also knew his current power was seized by force and built upon strong military might.

No one could kill him through military strength, so they could only resort to assassination; that was likely why he was so wary of potential dangers.

General Wang Jian had one doubt: how could Zhao Fusu be so certain these soldiers were truly loyal to him and wouldn't betray him?

He saw that Zhao Fusu didn't seem worried at all that the soldiers might harm him.

He couldn't understand it, simply couldn't understand it.

General Wang Jian shook his head.

He had never read 'The Three-Body Problem' and didn't know how ridiculous the Thought Steel Seal was.

If the content of a Thought Steel Seal was that water is poisonous, then those branded with it would rather die of thirst than drink water, fearing they would be poisoned to death.

"General Wang? General?"

"General?"

"General Wang Jian!"

Seeing General Wang Jian spacing out, Wei Liao tried several different forms of address.

"I hear you, I hear you."

General Wang Jian rolled his eyes at him.

At his age, why did the man insist on getting a response?

General Wang Jian glanced around Xianyang Palace and saw everyone pulling out tissues with looks of amazement on their faces.

Seeing that the nobles were highly receptive to the tissues, Zhao Fusu knew the tissue business was secure.

He began to announce the end of the banquet.

Musicians began to play ritual music to see the guests off.

In ancient times, attending court involved ritual music.

It was like background music; as soon as the music played, the corresponding figure would appear.

The more noble the status, the louder the background music.

Since the collapse of rites and music, and the feudal lords' misuse of background music led to chaos under heaven, ritual music was rarely heard during court sessions anymore.

However, the exit music was still preserved, and it was that same familiar tune.

After all, while the entrance had strict rules, the exit did not.

Zhao Fusu watched the nobles leave Xianyang Palace clutching their Magic Box Napkins like precious treasures, and he began to calculate how much money he could make by selling them.

The consumption rate of office paper was nowhere near as fast as that of napkins and toilet paper.

This was why Zhao Fusu hadn't advertised office paper, but had instead designed a clever and creative advertisement for the napkins.

Tissues would be a major source of his revenue!

Zhao Fusu didn't have the habit of sleeping early.

Instead, he became more energetic at night.

He simply picked up a map of the territory Inside the Pass and began planning future developments.

He was currently investing a large amount of capital into the Industrial Zone.

Cui Wenzi's team was already building a steel mill in the Industrial Zone.

Once the Industrial Zone had a steel mill, it could follow the previously established blueprint.

The entire Industrial Zone would center around the steel mill, with the produced steel used for both military and civilian purposes.

Civilian factories would include a steam thresher factory and a steam rotary tiller factory.

After the steel mill produced steel and manufactured various parts for the steam threshers and steam rotary tillers, they would be sent to the steam thresher factory for workers to assemble on an assembly line.

Zhao Fusu would maintain a tight grip on the steel mill.

He knew very well that the steel mill was the foundation of Great Qin's heavy industry and had to be guarded by soldiers he had branded with the Thought Steel Seal.

He would not allow outsiders to control the steel mill.

Heavy industry had to be firmly held in his own hands!

Even for the nobles, Zhao Fusu would not allow them to get their hands on it.

At most, when the industries multiplied, a metal processing plant could be spun off from the steel mill to process the metal parts needed by various industries.

The nobles would only be allowed to do the assembly work.

As for light industry, that could be completely opened up.

Zhao Fusu controlled it this way because he knew heavy industry could directly produce planes, tanks, and cannons.

Light industry, on the other hand, was nothing more than producing military uniforms.

As long as heavy industry was in his hands, the nobles would be nothing to fear.

Zhao Fusu looked at the location of the Industrial Zone.

It was relatively far from Xianyang City but close to Changan Township.

Zhao Fusu wondered if he should rely on the Industrial Zone to build Changan Township into a new city.