The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 107 A Heavy Heart

In the northern suburbs of Xianyang, north of Lingguang Palace, there is an open area. This is the starting point of the straight road. On weekdays, troops are often stationed here, and every time grain is transported from Guanzhong to the north, it departs from here.

Moreover, deep ruts could be seen here. Fusu gazed at the road in the distance, remaining silent for a long time, pondering the current situation. Just like the southern expedition back then, his father was the First Emperor, and he was no one else.

Because he was the First Emperor, once preparations for a northern expedition were made, a northern expedition was bound to take place.

Throughout history, people have used the Great Wall to demarcate the boundary between agricultural and nomadic civilizations.

Eight hundred years have passed since the Spring and Autumn Period, and now that the world is unified, a great war between agricultural civilization and the north is about to begin.

In Fusu's memory, in another ten years or so... the Xiongnu people in the north would launch a large-scale southward invasion.

Two hours later, officials from Xianyang also arrived in the northern suburbs. Court ministers came in twos and threes. From a distance, there were quite a few people, some old and some young, some tall and some short and some fat and thin... In short, it looked like a huge, dark mass.

Cheng Miao hurried over, bowed, and said, "Young Master, everyone has arrived."

Fusu nodded, facing north.

Wu Gong rode up again and reported, "It's still three li away."

Zhang Cang looked up at the sky; it was already past noon.

Fusu finally understood another reason why the Prime Minister would keep Wu Gong by his side, even though Wu Gong was somewhat clumsy: sometimes having an honest person by your side makes you feel at ease.

However, if it is a very important matter, it is best not to let Master Wu handle it.

Another hour passed, and everyone was getting tired of standing.

Zhang Cang glanced at the officials behind him, then at Prince Fusu, who stood ramrod straight in front of him, and then at the sky, which was already nearing dusk.

Fusu stood at the very front and finally saw the procession at the end of the straight road. Cavalrymen holding black flags were in front, followed by armored soldiers.

As the procession drew closer, the officials behind them could see the massive army—a seemingly endless column of armored soldiers, their black banners fluttering in the wind, approaching with solemn solemnity.

Fusu stood on one side of the official road, while the officials stood on both sides.

When the First Emperor's carriage approached, Fusu took the lead and led everyone to bow in respect.

The First Emperor's carriage slowly passed by, and the procession behind it did not stop even as it passed by. The carriage passed the Lin Guang Palace and headed towards Xianyang City.

Before long, a fast horse came, and the rider was Li You.

"The Emperor has decreed that all of you return to Xianyang for a court meeting tomorrow."

It seems that even the First Emperor felt weary from the journey. Fusu heard the discussions coming from behind and instructed Wu Gong beside him, "Let everyone go back."

Wu Gong nodded.

There was still snow piled up along the straight road, and after dusk, the wind blowing from the north became even colder.

After everyone had left, Fusu returned to Gaoquan Palace.

Wang Tang'er was standing under the plum tree, looking at the plum blossoms in full bloom.

Fusu said, "Tian An always says that these two trees never bloom according to the season."

Wang Tang'er, supporting her waist, laughed and said, "There aren't many plum blossoms in Guanzhong. I saw plum blossoms in Luoyang when I was a child. Actually, it's not late for these flowers to bloom at this time of year."

Fusu hesitated and said, "Actually, its flowering season is correct?"

His wife's words inspired Fusu and also resolved Tian An's long-standing confusion.

The climate will not change. The reason why Tian An felt that the flowering season was wrong was because he had never seen plum blossoms in other places.

In fact, it was the plum blossoms that kept reminding Tian An that it would definitely bloom when the time came.

Wang Tang'er whispered, "Should we tell Grandpa Tian?"

Fusu shook his head and said, "There's no need to tell him. If he can't scold these two trees anymore, then he'll have less fun in life."

Wang Tang'er nodded.

Fusu led his wife back into the palace. Besides being busy with state affairs, he also frequently checked the calendar and solar terms. The Qin calendar and solar terms were different from those of later generations.

Fusu took a scroll of bamboo slips from the bookshelf. The Qin solar terms were divided into eight, including the Beginning of Spring, the Beginning of Summer, and so on. There were four beginnings, but only two divisions, namely the Spring Equinox and the Autumn Equinox. The so-called four beginnings and two divisions and two solstices... there were also the Summer Solstice and the Winter Solstice.

According to Fusu, as agricultural civilization developed, there were twenty-four solar terms in later generations, and their names were also beautiful, such as White Dew, Frost's Descent, and Grain in Ear.

However, the Qin people's solar terms were related to their agricultural and military system. For example, the three Geng days after the summer solstice were the period of "Fu", during which the dog god was worshipped to avoid war. This refers to the Qin army's truce during the Fu period.

Or it could mean prohibiting logging on the day of Lichun (the beginning of spring) and prohibiting burning of wasteland on the day of Li

For example, Fusu also recalled a folk saying from later generations: "Plant melons and beans around Qingming Festival."

Fusu drew many tables and wrote many records at Gaoquan Palace, as well as records of the moon's phases. Finding a leap month was difficult and laborious, so he needed to observe the moon every day.

Looking at a scroll, Wang Tang'er asked, "Young Master, are you calculating the calendar?"

Fusu closed his eyes, relaxed them, and rubbed his temples, saying, "Yes."

Wang Tang'er said, "People who can calculate the calendar are very capable. Back when my grandfather went out to fight, he would always ask about the solar terms before leaving Hangu Pass."

Reading by candlelight is tiring; if you're too close, it gets hot and burning, and if you're too far away, the light isn't bright enough, which hurts your eyes.

Now Fusu tries to do these things during the day, leaving very few things for the night.

Fusu tried to revise the calendar, and he would do these things in his spare time, which was also a way for him to find a hobby.

Suddenly it occurred to me that my hobby as the young master of Qin is also a benefit to the country.

"We will teach these skills to our children in the future."

Wang Tang'er nodded and said, "Yes."

The couple went to bed early.

When Fusu woke up early, Wang's mother-in-law said that the child should be born around April, with mid-April being the best.

After listening to Granny Wang's report and having breakfast, Fusu arrived at the Prime Minister's residence early. He tidied up the place by himself before going to the Zhangtai Palace for the meeting.

Looking east from Zhangtai Palace, when the sun fully rises from the lowest eaves, it is time for the morning court meeting.

Many ministers were heading to Zhangtai Palace at this moment, and Fusu walked among them without making a sound.

Everyone bowed to Prince Fusu.

Upon arriving at the Zhangtai Palace, Fusu saw Zhang Cang standing outside the palace.

Zhang Cang whispered, "Young Master, no matter what the Prime Minister says today, do not interrupt."

Fusu glanced at the Qilu scholars who were entering Zhangtai Palace and said in a low voice, "What, is the Prime Minister going to have a life-or-death struggle with these Qilu scholars today?"

After speaking, he noticed Zhang Cang's worried look.

Fusu compromised, saying, "Don't worry, teacher."

Zhang Cang took off his shoes and walked into the main hall with the others.

When everyone arrived in the main hall and stood still, Fusu glanced at them. Some of them were full of energy, while others were drowsy.

It was a time of winter when court was closed, but what was remarkable was that the First Emperor, after his western tour, held a court meeting the very next day.

For the First Emperor to issue such an edict during what should have been a time of rest, it must have been something very important. Fusu stopped and took a deep breath, then noticed his teacher Zhang Cang, who was talking quietly with Cheng Miao. He remembered that before entering the palace, his teacher had been waiting for him outside, just to offer a word of advice.

At the eunuch's loud shout, the First Emperor entered the main hall, and the officials bowed in greeting.

Fusu stood with his eyes closed on one side of the court officials. Even before the court meeting began, he could feel a very strange atmosphere.

Grand Commandant Meng Wu recounted recent military deployments. After he finished speaking, Feng Quji reported on the day's criminal cases.

As time ticked by, it seemed as if the court debate was about to end.

After Wang Ben and the other ministers of the Nine Ministers finished recounting their respective affairs of state, someone stepped forward from the court and spoke about the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Then, Chancellor Li Si stepped out of the court and suddenly said, "Your Majesty, I request that you perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai."

After he finished speaking, the hall erupted in chaos.

The Fengshan ceremony, a major event that has been the subject of much controversy since last year, was brought up once again by the Prime Minister.

Afterwards, many people came forward to ask the First Emperor to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

But the murmurs continued. Chunyu Yue stepped forward from the court and said loudly, "King Huiwen of Qin was also a vassal king appointed by the Zhou emperor. Li Si! How dare you speak of performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai?"

Upon hearing this, Li Si immediately retorted, "During the eight hundred years of the Zhou Dynasty, no one ascended Mount Tai to perform the Fengshan ceremony, yet during those eight hundred years, no one unified the six kingdoms or the south. How can we not perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai?"

Then a scholar from Shandong Province spoke up loudly: "Li Si! Qin was a fiefdom of the Zhou emperor, how dare you defy the Zhou emperor!"

"Li Si, how dare you!"

"I beg the Emperor to execute Li Si by cutting him in half at the waist!"

Upon hearing this, Li Si, who was standing still, suddenly smiled through gritted teeth.

Fusu understood Zhang Cang's intention; so this was the plan.

The Minister of Justice, Feng Jie, immediately stepped forward and loudly proclaimed, "The Qin court has treated you all well!"

Then someone else stood up and shouted, "How dare you cut the Prime Minister in half at the waist!"

On one side were native Qin officials and ministers who had come from the six states to serve the Qin court. They had served the Qin court for many years and were the staunch supporters of Li Si after Wang Wan left Xianyang.

The group arguing with them was led by Dr. Qi Lu.

The two sides argued fiercely in the main hall, and Fusu even saw the spittle spitting out of the mouth of the Minister of Justice, Feng Jie, as he cursed loudly in the hall.

Chunyu Yue said loudly, "If the emperor wishes to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, please perform the rites of the Zhou emperor, implement the Zhou emperor's policy of enfeoffment, restore the six fiefdoms of the Zhou emperor, and restore the royal families of the six kingdoms."

No sooner had this person finished speaking than a man from the Prime Minister's side shouted, "Don't even think about it!"

"Who says that the Qin dynasty could not perform the Fengshan ceremony?"

"To restore the six states... all those generations of Qin fought for nothing! All those generations of blood were shed in vain?"

Seeing that a fight was about to break out in the hall and that the court discussion could not continue, the First Emperor shook his head and left the hall.

Squads of palace guards entered the hall and separated the two sides of ministers who were about to fight.

Fusu left the noisy hall first and was surprised to find that Zhang Cang and Cheng Miao had come out sometime earlier. He thought to himself that the two of them were fast.

However, at this moment, another person also walked out of the main hall.

This man, dressed in the court robes of a scholar from Qilu, was none other than Xu Shi.

Xu Shi looked quite young, about the same age as Zhang Cang.

He only glanced at this person once more, and as more and more people walked out of the main hall, Fusu led Zhang Cang and Cheng Miao.

Zhang Cang said in a low voice, "The Prime Minister said that without performing the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, we cannot unite the people of the former territories of the Six Kingdoms to attack the Xiongnu."

According to Fusu's understanding, the significance of the Fengshan ceremony for the present Qin Dynasty lies in the change of the Mandate of Heaven, and also in informing future generations that the era of the Zhou emperor has ended, and the era of warring states has also ended.

Of course, in Fusu's view, one emperor after another would ascend Mount Tai, and the vast majority of these emperors would use their achievements and the unified state to offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth.

The First Emperor set an example of unification, and no matter how later generations evaluate him, later emperors will compare his achievements with their own achievements in governing the country.

When the group returned to the Prime Minister's residence, they found cartloads of bamboo slips, silk scrolls, and documents being brought in, with boxes of bamboo slips and stacks of documents placed on the ground.

The Prime Minister's residence, which Fusu had previously tidied up, now looked messy again.

Zhang Cang picked up one of the scrolls and looked at it carefully. He discovered that it was a record of the First Emperor's westward tour.

Cheng Miao also read several volumes; what he read were the records of the border garrison forces in the north kept by the First Emperor.

Fusu sighed and put down a scroll. His father was very diligent in his duties. Even when he was on a western tour, he did not forget the affairs of state.

With a soft sigh, Fusu thought to himself: Father's tours are not entirely for relaxation; he still has to work every day while on tour.

As more and more officials from the Prime Minister's residence arrived, a palace attendant reported that the First Emperor had invited Prince Fusu to the Zhangtai Palace.

After exchanging a few words with Fusu and Zhang Cang, Cheng Miao followed the eunuch to Zhangtai Palace.

As they walked, Fusu saw the group of Qilu scholars who had just left Zhangtai Palace. The faces of the group were not very good, and Chunyu Yue was among them.

Upon seeing that it was Prince Fusu, all the scholars from Qi and Lu bowed respectfully, including Chunyu Yue.

Fusu walked up the steps and quickly arrived at Zhangtai Palace. He saw Prime Minister Li Si, who was still standing there with a calm expression. His father, the Emperor, was not present at the moment.

Only Prime Minister Li Si and three eunuchs stood in the empty hall.

Li Si first bowed and said, "Young Master."

Fusu said, "I went back to the Prime Minister's residence and saw the scrolls and silk scrolls that Father Emperor had sent. I had Zhang Cang and Cheng Miao organize them."

"I apologize for what happened earlier, young master."

"It's alright, it's good that the teacher is alright."

"The logistics of supplies during the two months of the western tour have been well managed, all thanks to your leadership, young master."

"Teacher, there's no need for further words; it is Fusu's duty."

Li Si continued, "After those scholars from Qi and Lu returned to their residences..."

Fusu said, "It will definitely be a verbal and written attack."

Li Si said, "What a fine verbal attack! I am not afraid of them. As for the Fengshan ceremony, I will not back down an inch."

Bowls of dishes were brought into the hall, indicating that it was lunchtime. Today's meal consisted of stewed mutton and flatbread.

While eating, Fusu saw his father, the Emperor, walk from the back hall into the main hall.

Just as Li Si was about to bow, Ying Zheng gestured for him to sit down and said in a deep voice, "Sit down and eat."

Li Si bowed and sat down to eat the flatbread and stewed mutton.

Ying Zheng chewed on a biscuit, his gaze fixed on the outside of the palace.

Fusu noticed that his father was very preoccupied. How could he not be preoccupied with the task of governing such a large country?

(End of this chapter)