Diqin Designer

Chapter 54: Is the First Emperor going to give me a wife?

Li Nian said: "I have not yet married!"

The First Emperor was surprised and asked, "You haven't married yet?"

In the eyes of the First Emperor, Li Nian was already 26 years old and should have married and had children. At least when he and Li Nian were the same age, his eldest son Fusu was already able to read some classics.

Moreover, after Li Nian arrived in Daqin, he was quite polite to the palace maids who served him. He never touched them or flirted with them verbally, which made the First Emperor think that he was concerned about his wife in the afterlife and did not want to touch other women.

Therefore, he never asked about Li Nian's marital status. He didn't expect that this guy was still unmarried. In the Qin Dynasty, he was considered an older unmarried young person and would be punished according to Qin law.

Is there something wrong with this person?
A strange idea came into the mind of the First Emperor. As far as he knew, some people were not interested in women but liked men. The story between King Wei and Lord Longyang was recorded in "Strategies of the Warring States".

Li Nian sighed, "It's not that I don't want to marry, it's just that I am honest and upright. How dare I miss such a beautiful woman? In short, I am poor in the future and cannot afford to marry a wife!"

The First Emperor was surprised and asked, "In the future, will it cost a lot of money to marry a wife?"

Li Nian nodded and said, "In the future, if a man wants to marry, he must have a dowry, a car, and a house. These three things alone can empty the man's family's savings for many years, and even put the man's family in debt for decades. Some women ask for more, and the cost is even greater!"

Although he didn't know how much it would cost, from Li Nian's tone, the First Emperor knew that it was definitely not a small number. He frowned and asked, "The woman's family will not return the gift?"

Li Nian said: "It depends on the place. Some places will give equal dowry, but most places will not."

The First Emperor said, "In this case, wouldn't marrying off a daughter be like selling a daughter, and marrying a wife be like buying a wife? And the imperial court in the future won't interfere?"

Marriage involves population and is also a national event. For example, in the Qin Dynasty, if a woman did not marry at the appropriate age, or a man did not marry at the appropriate age, both would be punished.

If neither of you wants to marry and I don't want to marry, how can the population of Daqin grow and develop?

Without waiting for Li Nian's answer, the First Emperor remembered that Li Nian had said that China would have 1.4 billion people in the future, and said, "The population in the future will be large, so it doesn't have to be the same as that of the Qin Dynasty."

After hearing what the First Emperor said, Li Nian was silent for a moment. He didn't know how to explain to the First Emperor that he was actually anxious. After all, if he continued like this, there would not be enough oxen and horses to tighten the screws.

The First Emperor looked at Li Nian and changed the subject, saying, "Do you want to get married?"

Is the First Emperor really going to give away a princess?

Li Nian said helplessly: "I am also a normal man. Of course I don't want to marry a wife. It's just that in the future, I can't afford it."

The implication of this statement is that I cannot afford to marry a wife in the future, but I can marry one in the Qin Dynasty...

But the First Emperor did not respond and continued talking about getting married. Instead, he chatted with Li Nian about other things in later generations, making Li Nian unable to understand what the First Emperor was thinking.

After the meal, it was already dark and lights were lit in the Zhangtai Palace. Under the light, Li Nian continued to tell the First Emperor about the solution to the Qin problem.

"The problem of your Majesty not appointing a crown prince in time seems to be easy to solve. All you need to do is issue an order to appoint a certain prince as crown prince. However, what really embarrasses your Majesty is: who to appoint? Which prince can inherit the throne and rule this unprecedented empire?" "It can be seen from the history books that your Majesty favored Prince Fusu, but he never officially appointed him as crown prince. Your Majesty wanted to choose the most satisfactory heir for the Qin Dynasty, but Prince Fusu did not completely satisfy your Majesty."

The First Emperor admitted frankly: "I do value Fusu, but unfortunately Fusu does not know himself. He does not know that he is a prince and can be the ruler of the Qin Dynasty in the future. Moreover, he is stupid and corrupt. How can I trust him to be the ruler of the Qin Dynasty?"

As he spoke, the First Emperor looked at Li Nian and asked a question that most ministers would avoid: "Who do you think can inherit the throne among my sons?"

Li Nian knew he couldn't avoid this question, so he didn't try to avoid it. He said, "I think among the current princes, no one can inherit the throne."

This was an answer that the First Emperor did not expect. He originally thought that Li Nian would say Fusu, or Prince Gao, Prince Jianglu, or any prince except Hu Hai. Unexpectedly, Li Nian thought that there was no one.

The First Emperor asked, "What if I insist that you choose one?"

Li Nian replied very straightforwardly: "Of course it is Prince Fusu. Prince Fusu has the most records in history books, and most of them record that he is a kind person. Under Prince Fusu's rule, the Qin Dynasty may not be able to reach its peak, but it will not perish in the second generation."

The First Emperor nodded. He also believed that Fusu's generosity could prevent the demise of the Second Qin Emperor. He then asked, "You said, 'Among the current princes, no one can inherit the throne.' Does that mean that in the future there may be someone you think can inherit the throne?"

Li Nian said: "Humans are one of the creatures in the world and are also changing. Age, environment, knowledge and understanding will all cause people to change. For example, what the king thought when he was young is still the same as what he thinks today?"

The First Emperor narrowed his eyes and recalled some bad memories.

When he was young, he lived in Handan. At that time, he only wanted to live a better life and not be bullied. But today, he sits high on the throne, overlooking the whole world, and all he thinks about is how to show his royal power and how to govern the Qin Dynasty well.

Without waiting for the First Emperor to answer, but silence itself was an answer, Li Nian continued: "The same is true for the king's sons. They can also be changed and have the opportunity to grow into the crown prince that the king wants. The reason why Prince Fusu is so convinced of benevolent governance and does not understand the king is that he has not yet correctly understood himself and does not understand the difficulty of governing a country."

The First Emperor asked, "What do you have in mind?"

Li Nian said: "Words are not as good as actions, and actions are not as good as environment. The reason why Master Fusu is what he is today is closely related to the learning and growth environment that the king has given him. If you want Master Fusu to change, it is difficult to convince him with words alone, and it may even cause resistance from him."

"This was later called 'rebellious psychology' and was common between father and son, and between master and apprentice."

The First Emperor nodded silently. This was the situation between him and Fusu. He could not convince Fusu, and Fusu could not convince him either. Even after being scolded by him, Fusu would become more radical the next time he advised him. Not only did he not change, but the symptoms got worse, as if he was deliberately going against him.

"In this case, if you want Master Fusu to change, you must take him out of his current study and living environment and put him in another environment. Let him understand and think for himself whether what he originally knew and thought was correct. Only then will he change."

Li Nian's idea was to create a Qin version of Metamorphosis, allowing Prince Fusu to personally feel the reality of the human world and experience the various aspects of the Qin Dynasty.

"During this process, Master Fusu must keep his real name secret and not use his identity as a young master. It is very difficult to change someone of Master Fusu's age unless he is willing to do so."

If Prince Fusu fails to recognize his own problems and always thinks that he is not wrong, then no one can change him, not even the First Emperor, nor Li Nian.

　Thanks to "风风雨同舟下" for 1 monthly ticket, "渊海成卷" for 1 monthly ticket, "胖胖的鼠子" for 1 monthly ticket, and "你丑你先更" for 2 monthly tickets. Thank you!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)