Diqin Designer

Chapter 68 Now that the war is over, life will get better, right?
The people sent to various places in the six countries to investigate naturally did not bring back news so quickly, but the people who went to Qin to investigate had already sent back some news.

Ying Zheng was reading at this time.

But the more he read, the heavier his mood became. It was not because the bamboo slips recorded that the old Qin people were planning a rebellion and were very dissatisfied with him and the Qin Dynasty that made him feel heavy.

On the contrary, these bamboo slips are full of praise for him, praising him as a wise and capable king who made the Qin Dynasty so powerful. Although there are occasional complaints in them, they are generally praising him and the Qin Dynasty.

But Ying Zheng was not happy about the praise on the bamboo slips, but felt heavy instead.

Because these praises were made by the old Qin people in Guanzhong who felt that the world was unified, the endless wars were over, and their lives should be getting better. They were made by the elders and folks in Guanzhong who believed that under his governance, their lives would get better and better.

Every time Ying Zheng saw a word of praise, he felt a little heavier in his heart.

Because every sentence represents the most simple wish of an old Qin man, who does not want to continue fighting and hopes that life will get better and better.

Reading the words recorded on the bamboo slips, Ying Zheng seemed to see:

In a village in Daqin, when the good news that Qi had been destroyed and the world was unified came, the farmers who were working in the fields suddenly looked up. Among them was an elderly couple who looked towards the east with tears in their eyes.

The war is over, so their son should be back by now, right?
In the village, a young woman heard the good news and leaned against the door with joy.

The war is over. Is it time for him to come back and keep his promise and marry her?

A group of children in the village heard the good news and looked towards the village entrance.

Now that the war is over, will their fathers, brothers, uncles and aunts be able to come back to be with them?
Corresponding to these, Ying Zheng seemed to see such a picture:
Under the campfire at night, a group of Qin soldiers sat on the ground. Their faces still showed fatigue after the battle, but they also had joy that they could not hide.

A Qin soldier asked his comrades: The war is over, what are you going to do?
A Qin soldier replied: Of course I should go home to honor my parents and repay them for their kindness in raising me. My parents are old and as their son, how can I not be by their side?

Another young Qin soldier chuckled twice and said with beautiful expectations: Of course, to marry a virtuous wife, I will farm the fields and she will weave clothes, and it would be best if we have a few more children.

When these words were spoken, several other Qin soldiers started to laugh at him.

The young Qin soldier didn't care. He just scratched his head and grinned, imagining his bright future.

An elderly Qin soldier looked nostalgic and expectant: "Of course I want to go home to see my son. I left not long after he was born. He should be this tall now, right? No, he should be this tall!"

As he spoke, the older Qin soldier gestured with his hands to show his comrades how tall his penis had grown.

A Qin soldier sitting next to him laughed and said, "Your son grew up in the wind, didn't he? Which one-year-old child is so tall? You must be missing your son so much that you are crazy!"
The older Qin soldier didn't care. He just looked longing and wished he could go home and reunite with his wife immediately. He held his son who had already learned to walk and pointed at himself: Son, your father is back!

Another Qin soldier said: The war is over. The king is so wise. Everyone will definitely live a good life after returning home.

A Qin soldier looked at the dark night sky and said uncertainly: Will there really be good days?

The other Qin soldiers were stunned for a moment, and then said affirmatively: Yes, definitely!

No matter which picture it is, it means that people feel that the future will be better, and they believe in him, the king, and that the Qin Dynasty can give them a better life. The words on these bamboo slips embody people's wishes. What will happen if they are ignored or even thrown into the mud and trampled?
Ying Zheng, who had always been confident and proud, could not help but fall silent. The bamboo slips in his hands became heavy, as if they were no longer bamboo slips, but sharp arrows that could be shot at the Qin Dynasty.

Perhaps heavier punishments could be used to scare everyone away, or perhaps all those who resist could be killed.

But these bamboo slips came from Guanzhong, not the other six countries, but the words spoken by the old Qin people in Guanzhong.

His soldiers were the fathers, brothers and loved ones of these people. Now he asked them to turn around and massacre their own relatives?
Using heavier punishments to scare everyone might have been able to temporarily suppress the situation while he was alive, but what the final outcome would be has been given by the history told by Li Nian - for fear that Pei Gong would not become the King of Qin, he provided Pei Gong's army with food and drink because of a three-article agreement.

Punishment can indeed make people afraid, but it can also make people resentful.

With so much dissatisfaction and resentment accumulating, the old Qin people will eventually become discouraged and alienated from the Qin State and the King of Qin.

Anyway, they won't have a good life whether they win or lose, so it doesn't matter who rules, right?

Maybe if they had a new king, their lives would be better than they are now.

If he lost the support of the old Qin people, he might not even be able to keep his identity as King of Qin, let alone become the ruler of the world.

Ying Zheng sighed deeply in his heart. The Legalists could cure the body but not the human heart. The Legalists also had their shortcomings. The Qin Dynasty really needed to change. If it did not, it would perish.

Why didn’t the historical self that Li Nian mentioned notice it?
After a little thought, Ying Zheng understood that the historical self had never met Li Nian. He destroyed the six kingdoms and unified the world. Such an unprecedented feat was accomplished in his hands. How proud he was!
Under this circumstance, can he still see these and is willing to see these?

Even if someone gave him correct advice, it would not be easy for him to listen to it, right?
The historical figure was extremely confident and arrogant. He felt that under his governance, no one in the world dared to rebel or disobey him, so naturally there was no need to change.

The people of the world are afraid of Qin's laws and of him, so they will temporarily endure them and live according to his ideas. This will deepen his self-confidence, making him unable to see the real situation in the world and unable to listen to correct advice. He only knows that the whole world is obedient and I am the emperor!
Li Nian said that he was one of the main reasons for the demise of the Qin Dynasty, which is really true!
While Ying Zheng was thinking, a eunuch came in and reported: "Your Majesty, something has been delivered from Liuying Palace!"

What has Li Nian done again?
Ying Zheng suppressed his thoughts and asked, "What is it?"

The eunuch said, "It is a new food invented by Master Li Nian, called 'tofu', made from beans, and there are also two bamboo scrolls."

Tofu? Made from beans?

Remembered.

A few days ago, when Li Nian was talking to him about food in the future, he told him that some of them could be made in Daqin, and tofu was one of them.

Ying Zheng put down the bamboo slips and said, "Present them!"

Two eunuchs walked into the hall, each holding a tray. One of the trays was covered with a rattan cover, and the other tray contained two scrolls of bamboo slips.

Meng Yi stepped forward and lifted the cover. Ying Zheng saw that on the tray was a dish he didn't recognize, with a dish of sauce next to it.

(End of this chapter)