The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 112 Power and Benefits

Then, Fusu took out another bamboo scroll and said to Wang Ben, "The 100,000 shi of grain that Duke Pinyang gave us back then is now being returned to the Minister of the Imperial Household."

Wang Ben did not take the bamboo slips, but let the young master place them on the table.

Li Si, sitting on the other side, was also in a difficult position when he saw that the prince had indeed returned the grain.

Ying Zheng was still eating his steamed buns, ignoring Wang Ben and Li Si in front of him.

The downpour subsided in the blink of an eye, and Fusu said, "Your subject will go and prepare provisions."

Ying Zheng nodded.

Fusu bowed and left the main hall of Zhangtai Palace, while Wang Ben and Li Si, who were sitting inside, remained silent.

Especially Wang Ben, this matter was originally an agreement between his own father and Li Si.

Li Si ate his steamed bun with a solemn expression, looking as if he was unwilling to face the situation.

Only when Ying Zheng watched his son's departing figure as he left the palace did the First Emperor's eyes show admiration.

Fusu left Zhangtai Palace and took Tian An all the way to the Prime Minister's residence.

Now that we've decided to go to Mount Tai for the Fengshan ceremony, we need to make arrangements for provisions and accommodations along the way from Xianyang to Mount Tai.

From the end of last year to the beginning of this year, the Emperor left Xianyang for a western tour that lasted for two months, during which he inspected the northwestern border defenses.

Fusu hurried to the Prime Minister's residence. He first glanced at the busy crowd there, and then spoke with Zhang Cang about the transportation of grain and the places to stay along the way.

As night approached, after discussing the matter with the young master, Zhang Cang hurriedly left the Prime Minister's residence.

Everyone in the Qin court knew that Li You and Li Si, father and son, did not get along well. Therefore, Li You usually lived with his wife and children in another residence in Xianyang.

Now that Li You holds the position of Cavalry Commandant, he should still be addressed as Li Shiwei.

Zhang Cang summoned the man and then found a restaurant in Xianyang City for a meal.

Li You said, "Tonight we happen to be off duty, so we can drink wine."

Zhang Cang said, "Young Master has something to instruct you to do."

After speaking, a scroll was placed in front of him. Li You opened it and looked at it, then frowned and said, "I have presided over this during my western tour, so it shouldn't be a difficult matter."

"Young Master, have you considered who would be most suitable to handle this matter? You were in charge of transporting provisions during the western expedition, and we still need to rely on Li Shiwei now."

As he spoke, Zhang Cang was about to bow again.

Li You quickly helped the other man's hand as he bowed and replied, "Imperial Censor Zhang, it's just the transportation of some grain and fodder."

Zhang Cang slowly shook his head again.

Noticing the other person's expression, Li You suddenly felt something was wrong and realized why Zhang Cang was so serious.

He hurriedly opened the bamboo scroll and looked at it carefully. Usually, the number of troops leaving Guanzhong could be determined by the amount of grain transported. When he saw that 100,000 shi of grain had been sent to Luoyang, Li You's expression changed.

The grain alone amounted to 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), so the number of troops on the expedition must have been at least 60,000 to 70,000. This does not even include the fodder for the warhorses, and it is unknown how many days' worth of food that would be provided.

However, upon further reflection, the last time the First Emperor made a western tour, it was also on a similar scale.

For such a large-scale trip to take place... Li You couldn't think of anyone else but the First Emperor, which explains why Zhang Cang was so serious.

Li You closed the bamboo scroll again, bowed, and said, "I will make the arrangements properly."

Zhang Cang held the wine bowl, nodded slowly, and drank a mouthful of wine.

Given their past relationship, everyone could be considered one of the earliest to follow the young master.

Li You's friendship with the young master was longer than Zhang Cang's.

His relationship with Zhang Cang was not deep; at most, they were acquaintances, and both of them were doing things for the young master to varying degrees.

Even when he was a child, Li You only knew that his father had a helper named Zhang Cang, but he had never had much contact with this person.

Li You picked up a slice of mutton and put it in his mouth, chewing it. The mutton was sliced ​​and mixed with bitter greens, and sprinkled with some salt.

Mixing slices of mutton with bitter greens, chewing them, and then taking a sip of strong liquor—the taste is truly delightful.

Zhang Cang said in a low voice, "This matter cannot be made wrong. I hope Li Shiwei will make arrangements as soon as possible."

Li You sighed, "The last western expedition used up a lot of grain and fodder. Fortunately, we left some as instructed by the young master, but..."

Having said that, Zhang Cang, who was about to get up and leave, had no choice but to calm himself down and sit down again.

Li You said, "It would be best to transfer grain after the summer harvest, otherwise it might delay the process."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cang silently breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that it was indeed still a problem of insufficient food.

He stood up and said, "The Cang family will make proper arrangements for 200,000 shi of them."

With 200,000 shi of grain as a safety net, Li You felt more confident and said, "I'll make the arrangements tomorrow."

Zhang Cang bowed and left.

Li You picked up a piece of cloth, poured the bitter vegetables and mutton into it, wrapped it up, finished the wine in the bowl, and went home. Zhang Cang had already paid for the wine and the meat.

At night, Zhang Cang returned to his residence in Xianyang. The residence was not large, but it was comfortable to live in, and it was also close to the court meeting in the morning.

But as soon as Zhang Cang reached his doorstep, he saw the prime minister's servant waiting there.

"Censor Zhang."

Zhang Cang had no choice but to turn around and follow the servant toward the Prime Minister's residence.

Opposite to Lü Buwei's old residence was the Prime Minister's mansion. Zhang Cang followed the servant into the house.

In a study, Li Si had someone bring Zhang Cang some hot steamed buns and dumplings.

Seeing the food in front of him, Zhang Cang said, "Young Master gave me some of this before."

Li Si sat upright, holding a scroll in his hand, stroking his beard with one hand, his whole body turned to the side of the oil lamp, trying to use the light of the oil lamp to see the book in his hand more clearly.

"You went to see Li You?"

"Before nightfall, Cang and Li Shiwei drank together."

Li Si asked in a deep voice, "Did the young master send you to find Li You?"

"No."

Facing the Prime Minister, Zhang Cang sat upright with a serious expression, and dared not casually touch the steaming buns placed in front of him.

Li Si said in a low voice, "After the summer harvest, we will go to Mount Tai. This matter will most likely be handled by you, young master. Grand Commandant Meng is getting old, and the emperor plans to have him retire. You have married Wang Ben's daughter..."

At this point, Zhang Cang took over, lowering his voice to say, "Young Master will help Wang Ben become the next Grand Commandant, and then Young Master will be able to take charge of the Imperial Household Department."

Li Si said, "With your exceptional talent, young master, you should naturally be in the position of Minister of the Imperial Household."

From Weinan and Xianyang Bridge, from Tongguan to present-day Longxi, Prince Fusu certainly had the talent for land management, which led to several increases in grain production in Guanzhong over the years.

If you, my lord, were to take up the post of Minister of the Imperial Household, your influence would extend beyond Guanzhong; it might even lead to increased grain production throughout the entire country.

Taking advantage of Grand Commandant Meng's advanced age, Prince Fusu helped his father-in-law ascend to the position of Grand Commandant, and the main strength of the Qin Dynasty lay in agriculture and warfare.

If Wang Ben becomes Grand Commandant, then he will control the army on behalf of the First Emperor. If Prince Fusu becomes Minister of the Imperial Treasury, then he can control the farmland of the realm.

Thus, the battle was fought by Wang Ben, while the farming was done by the prince.

The thought that if these two joined forces, the affairs of the state would likely fall into the hands of the young master was a misconception. But then again, it didn't seem right. The Qin court wasn't like that; there was also the Imperial Censor and the Prime Minister present.

The First Emperor was a man of great stature; how could he not see through Prince Fusu's thoughts?

Prince Fusu was the First Emperor's most beloved child, so it was only natural for such a prince to hold power, especially since he was indeed capable.

Furthermore, Zhang Cang frowned in thought. He saw the light of the oil lamp shining on the Prime Minister's face. Could it be that... the Prime Minister was worried that his daughter had not married Prince Fusu?

As Prince Fusu gradually gains power and is about to become one of the Nine Ministers, it should be noted that the prince is only twenty-two years old this year.

Prime Minister, there's no need to rush.

Li Si said, "Please deliver a gift to Grand Commandant Meng on my behalf."

"Cang, go first thing tomorrow morning."

"You should help the young master more; take the 100,000 shi of wheat outside Xianyang City."

The Prime Minister also hoped that Prince Fusu would become the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, therefore the Prime Minister also hoped that Grand Commandant Meng would step down.
Zhang Cang encountered a group of armored soldiers on night patrol after leaving the Prime Minister's residence.

Upon seeing Zhang Cang emerge from the Prime Minister's residence, the patrolling soldiers naturally dared not cause him any trouble. When they saw that Zhang Cang had produced the imperial censor's bronze badge, the patrolling soldiers respectfully departed.

Zhang Cang walked on the quiet streets of Xianyang, thinking about the Prime Minister's words that evening. Upon closer reflection, he seemed to have overlooked something, and then pondered it further.

Zhang Cang suddenly stopped in his tracks. He thought of something: Longxi.

Prince Fusu once proposed a policy of relocating people to populate the border regions. This policy was similar to the Prime Minister's policy of relocating people, but there were still some differences.

The Prime Minister's relocation of people was for the border region, while Prince Fusu's relocation was for Longxi.

Longxi, Longxi... Du Shui Changlu has planted winter wheat in Longxi, and Prince Fusu has been plotting against the Western Rong people's valley for many years.

The young master said that place was called the Hexi Corridor. Zhang Cang felt that, to the young master, that valley was like a beautiful woman, and he was trying every means to possess her.

The next day, Zhang Cang left home early. He should have been going to the court meeting at this time, but he was very busy today and went to Wang Ben's residence as soon as he left.

After waiting for half an hour in front of Wang Ben's residence, someone came out and told Zhang Cang some things. Then, Zhang Cang took a letter and a message that Wang Ben had sent and headed out of Xianyang City.

The letter's meaning was simple: to take charge of his 100,000 shi of grain.

The First Emperor planned to perform the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai after the summer harvest, but only a few people knew this news. There were still two months until the summer harvest.

Zhang Cang made preparations first. He led the officials of the Prime Minister's Office and walked quickly through the bustling city of Xianyang. He walked all the way to the city gate, explained his purpose to the soldiers guarding the city, and then waited for Li You there.

“Li Shiwei, this is 100,000 shi of wheat.”

These wheat were originally intended by Prince Fusu to be returned to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister, of course, did not lack the 100,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), so he ordered the grain to be transported out first.

Li You, holding bamboo slips in his hand, wrote down the information and asked, "Where are the other 100,000 shi?"

"Li Shiwei, come with me."

Zhang Cang led Li You to the northern suburbs of Xianyang City, where another 100,000 shi of wheat were stored, all of which were sent from Longxi.

While everyone was busy moving the grain, Zhang Cang stood next to Li You and asked in a low voice, "Has Li Shiwei gone to see Longxi?"

Li You nodded.

Zhang Cang said, "The Prime Minister hopes that Prince Fusu can become the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, and Wang Ben probably thinks so too."

Zhang Cang is the young master's teacher, but he is ultimately a member of Prime Minister Li Si's faction. After fulfilling the young master's instructions in advance, he will consider the Prime Minister's interests more.

The reason I'm telling Li You these things now is so that the Prime Minister can consider things more carefully.

Zhang Cang knew that the father and son did not get along, and Li You had even moved out with his wife and children to live separately, but a father and son are still a father and son.

Li You said, "Is the young master about to become the Junior Treasurer?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Cang wondered whether Li You truly didn't know, was pretending not to know, or was simply good at playing dumb. He sighed and said, "I previously thought that the Prime Minister was only trying to help the young master, but given the young master's achievements in Weinan, if we were to place them in Longxi, and add the Hexi Corridor, what the Prime Minister and the young master are after is the entire Longxi and even the entire Hexi Corridor. That would be a great achievement involving millions of acres of land and hundreds of thousands of people."

Li You scratched his head upon hearing this.

Zhang Cang looked at the grain transport team and said in a low voice, "In short, only if Wang Ben becomes Grand Commandant and the young master becomes Minister of the Imperial Treasury can we take over the Hexi Corridor."

Li You said, "So, from the moment you sent Du Shui Changlu to Longxi, you were already plotting to seize the Hexi Corridor?"

Zhang Cang said, "No, it should be many years ago, the year you built the Xianyang Bridge. That year, a group of merchants from Wusun came and you bought garlic from them. From then on, you knew about that valley."

Li You was quite shocked. He said, "Young Master has a very deep plan."

Zhang Cang added, "Hehe... Don't think that the young master only wants to get there. The young master is plotting to take over the Hexi Corridor in order to deal with the Xiongnu."

Seizing power, vying for power, maximizing profits—for the sake of a grand plan, Prince Fusu wants to promote his father-in-law to Grand Commandant…

Beneath the tranquil surface of the Qin court, such a thing was hidden.

Li You only felt that Zhang Cang was very powerful, and the young master was also very powerful.

Zhang Cang patted Li You on the shoulder and instructed, "This grain transport is of utmost importance; Li Shiwei must not make any mistakes."

"Don't worry, Imperial Censor Zhang."

"Well, Cang will figure out a way to get the rest of the grain and fodder."

Zhang Cang left with a worried expression.

Every year when the grain harvest was almost here, Fusu would leave Xianyang to see how the wheat fields were in various counties. Looking up into the distance, the vast Guanzhong Plain was filled with beautiful waves of wheat undulating in the wind.

This scenery is endlessly captivating.

Tian An, who was driving the carriage, said, "Young master, Shangyan Mountain has planted a lot of beans this year."

"That's right. Uncle Sun Tong loves tofu and bean curd, so the mountain must be planted with plenty of beans to feed him."

"Young master, are you going to see Shusun Tong?"

"No need, let's go take a look at the arid plateau in the north."

The young master's voice came from inside the carriage, and Tian An ordered the horses to head north.

The scenery to the north is rather desolate. After leaving Xianyang City, we headed towards Longshouyuan.

Xianyang City is not actually very close to Longshouyuan, but geographically speaking, it is a very suitable place to build a palace. Looking west from here, you can see Xianyang City built to embrace the Wei River.

Tian An said, "It is said that both Lord Shang and Duke Xiao considered whether to build Xianyang City here."

Fusu nodded. This plan was definitely rejected because the current Xianyang city was not located here.

"Back then, the Qin people had to resist the Yiqu people. Lord Shang chose the upper reaches of the Wei River and built a straight road behind Xianyang City to resist the Yiqu people. So many years have passed... Most of the former Yiqu people have become Qin people. In the blink of an eye, that was hundreds of years ago."

Tian An was a very knowledgeable eunuch.

At the same time, because he was very knowledgeable, he also seemed very old, often talking about rumors from hundreds of years ago.

(End of this chapter)