The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 118 Autumn Rain on Mount Tai
Just then, voices came from outside.

Tian An first looked at the young master, then at Xu Shi, who was kneeling on the ground and now called Xu Fu, before quickly walking outside to ask, "What's wrong?"

"This doctor wishes to see the young master."

"Which doctor are you...?"

Voices came from outside, and Tian An went back inside to report: "Young master, a doctor named Han Zhong requests an audience."

Fusu sat down again and said, "Xu Fu, you can speak while standing."

Upon hearing this, Xu Fu slowly stood up, but dared not raise his head, keeping it lowered and bowing.

Xu Fu was truly guilty in the face of Prince Fusu.

This is because the young master was originally a very upright person. Compared to him, Xu Fu felt that he was just telling stories that he himself could not confirm. As he told them, he even believed them... probably people like that.

Receiving a nod from the young master, Tian An nodded and led the person in.

Fusu said, "You may sit down as well."

Upon hearing this, Xu Fu knelt down again in the spot where he had just been sitting.

The Qi Lu doctor that Tian An led in was also a middle-aged man, about the same age as Xu Fu. He entered the room and bowed very respectfully, saying, "Your subject Han Zhong greets you, young master."

Fusu said, "I know you. You are also one of the people who came to Qin as a sorcerer to serve as a scholar."

Han Zhong said, "I am a disciple of Zou Yan."

Too many people claim to be disciples of Zou Yan of the Yin-Yang School. Lu Sheng also claimed to be one, except that Han Zhong entered Qin much earlier, along with a group of Qi-Lu scholars including Shusun Tong.

The reason why Han Zhong was not sent to Shangjun was because he was a fairly honest person.

Fusu said, "Among the scholars in your Qi region, there are quite a few who studied under Zou Yan. I never expected that the Yin-Yang school of thought would be so widely spread in Qi."

“My lord, it’s not that the Yin-Yang school of thought is widely spread in Qi, but rather that many students at the Jixia Academy have studied the classics of the Yin-Yang school.”

Fusu countered, "Is the pursuit of immortality very prevalent in the Qi region?"

Upon hearing this, Han Zhong remained silent for a moment, unsure how to respond, and looked to Xu Fu for help.

Xu Fu replied, "Young master, the pursuit of immortality is only prevalent among scholars like us and the old aristocracy of yesteryear."

"Tian An, please have some wine."

Upon hearing this, Tian An brought over a wine pot.

Han Zhong found that Prince Fusu was very approachable and that the prince seemed to have a lot of knowledge.

Regarding the matter of seeking immortality, Han Zhong sensed that the young master seemed to have a somewhat disdainful and contemptuous attitude, so he stopped talking about it.

Especially Xu Fu, who was standing beside him, was very cautious when faced with the prince's questions and dared not say much about the East Sea.

Han Zhong didn't know what was going on with this strange atmosphere, but he still forced a smile.

Fusu said, "I think knowledge is good, but first and foremost, knowledge should be useful to the country."

Xu Fu quickly bowed and said, "What you say is absolutely right, young master."

Since the young master had offered them wine, Xu Fu and Han Zhong had no choice but to drink a few more bowls. However, seeing that the young master did not touch a drop of wine, the two dared not say a word.

Only after the young master told them they could leave did the two scholars breathe a sigh of relief as they walked outside the mansion.

In the afternoon, on an autumn day, the wind blowing through Mount Tai can be heard rustling through the forest. There is a type of granite on Mount Tai, and there is a beautiful piece of granite right in front of us. It is said to have been brought down from the top of Mount Tai and made into a stone wall. It is now embedded in the wall and being observed by the Emperor and the Prime Minister.

The stone wall even had a bronze-like luster under the sunlight.

Upon seeing that it was the young master, Li Si stopped speaking and looked at him, asking, "How did your talk with Xu Fu go?"

Fusu explained, "We talked a lot. They mentioned Zou Yan of the Yin-Yang School, the Five Elements and the Nine Provinces, or the Huang-Lao philosophy."

Li Si explained, "I remember that Zou Yan was the teacher of King Zhao of Yan back then."

Ying Zheng kept his gaze fixed on the stone wall and did not speak.

Fusu remembered what his teacher had mentioned about King Zhao of Yan. Zou Yan had a good disciple, King Zhao of Yan. King Zhao of Yan valued Su Qin and Yue Yi, and united several states to attack Qi. He was the ruler who brought Yan to its most prosperous period.

With such a good disciple, Zou Yan's reputation at the Jixia Academy was naturally high.

Perhaps Li Si looked down on the Yin-Yang school of thought.

However, Li Si always respected political experts. In those days when the states were in turmoil, King Zhao of Yan was able to make good use of Su Qin and Yue Yi, and make Yan strong in the struggle between the states. King Zhao of Yan was worthy of Li Si's respect.

Fusu said nothing more, nor did he mention the immortal mountain again.

The Emperor gazed intently at the stone wall of Mount Tai before him, lost in thought, most likely contemplating the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Fusu thought this was fine; there was no Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng to preach immortality to the First Emperor, and Xu Fu did not request the First Emperor to go to sea to seek immortality.

As for the remaining scholars from Qilu, Fusu felt they were not a concern.

"The soldiers have come a long way and have worked hard."

The First Emperor's deep voice came through.

Li Si and Fusu bowed together.

Ying Zheng then said, "Fusu, arrange for the soldiers to rest well. You don't need to report to me about anything they need; you can make the arrangements yourself."

"My son, take your orders."

"Lee Si."

"The minister is here."

"Tell those Shandong scholars that I will give them at most half a month to return to Mount Tai to attend the ceremony."

Li Si said, "Your subject obeys."

Xu Fu and Han Zhong returned to the caravan. When the caravan arrived at this place, many Qi and Lu doctors left. Whether they were visiting relatives, friends, or searching for doctors willing to serve Qin, these doctors did not return for several days after they left.

The current team of Qilu PhDs is not very active; only about ten people are sitting here.

Xu Fu looked up and saw that these scholars had all been well-behaved when they were at the Doctors' Residence, but after arriving here, each of them had their own thoughts.

Compared to Li Si and the ministers under the First Emperor, as well as those under Prince Fusu, it seems that those who were given important positions all had the same goal: they were able to work together to fight for Qin.

And these PhDs, to varying degrees, all had their own interests on their minds.

Xu Fu chuckled self-deprecatingly. Wasn't what he said to the emperor back then for his own selfish reasons?

Then she looked at Han Zhong, who was in a good mood beside her. Back when they all worked together at the Doctor's Mansion, Han Zhong was an extremely good person at reading people's expressions.

As a result, Han was particularly isolated among the other Shandong scholars.

Unlike the other states during the Warring States period, when Qin invited scholars from the six states to Xianyang, it did not consider their background or origins, but only what they could do and what they were good at.

Xu Fu said, "From now on, you must not speak of seeking immortality or the path to eternal life to the young master or the emperor." Han Zhong lowered his voice and whispered, "Do you still remember Hou Sheng and Lu Sheng, who were sent to Shangjun, escaped, and were then punished by military law?"

Xu Fu nodded slightly.

Han Zhong whispered, "I heard that these two died a terrible death. When you mentioned seeking immortality, I remembered that I used to be a sorcerer with them in Qi. These two were quite obsessed with this practice."

Xu Fu looked at the remaining Qilu doctors and said in a low voice, "From now on, we will do whatever the young master tells us to do. What these Qilu doctors do is none of my business."

Han Zhong whispered, "Should we help the young master deal with them?"

"As you command, young master."

After saying this, Xu Fu sat down to the side and remained silent.

Han Zhong pressed further, "Just what kind of person is Prince Fusu?"

Xu Fu said, "Young master is a man of exceptional learning."

Regarding the breadth of knowledge, Xu Fu speculated that perhaps the prince knew everything he knew.

Even more so, if it's something I don't understand, the young master might be able to provide the answer.

When the prince mentioned the Kuroshio Current and the islands in the East China Sea, Xu Fu no longer had the courage to face him.

When it came to crossing the sea, Xu Fu only knew some celestial phenomena and the relationship between the seasons and ocean currents; that was all he knew.

This isn't some mysterious magic; it's just a warm current and celestial phenomenon that inevitably occurs every year when the solar term arrives.

It would be very easy for Prince Fusu to expose himself.

Perhaps the young master disdained to do such a thing, which made Xu Fu even more afraid to offend him and not to be presumptuous.

Or, as the young master once said, knowledge should be useful to the state.

Meals have started in the army. This time, each person gets a flatbread. As for meat, they either have to find it themselves or eat the dried meat they brought. The flatbread has some scallions and salt in it. This is what we've been eating all along the way.

Compared to the past, the soldiers in the army now have cakes to eat, which is considered a very good food.

As Xu Fu ate his cake, he saw several scholars from Qi and Lu packing up what appeared to be bamboo slips and books, but they were stopped by the Qin army.

Xu Fu looked at these people indifferently. He should have joined these scholars from Qi and Lu in opposing the First Emperor's prefecture-county system.

Now, Xu Fu should think about himself.

At night, Fusu sat with his wife, while their son lay in the stroller that Tian An had made. Grandma Wang especially liked the stroller, believing it to be a truly beneficial thing for the country.

With a fire burning in front of him, Fusu asked, "Are there any extra bamboo?"

Tian An polished the edge of the stroller and said again, "Yes."

"Prepare more bamboo; I want to make umbrellas."

"umbrella……"

After thinking for a moment, Tian An sent someone to fetch bamboo.

If it's something the young master orders, the bamboo must be brought overnight, without waiting until the next day.

Recently, Fusu has been researching waterproof materials. He also thought about his previous life. Making an umbrella is not difficult, but for the prince of Qin to make an umbrella, it would require a huge amount of manpower and resources.

Now, Fusu also wants to give the First Emperor an umbrella, and to the people of today.

I've heard that the umbrella was invented by Lu Ban, and there are even records of it in ancient texts. It's reasonable for Fusu to follow suit. Surely, Lu Ban, in his spirit, wouldn't be wrong about this.

Five days later, the scholars from Qi and Lu returned one after another, and even Chunyu Yue followed them back to the group. However, none of them were summoned by the First Emperor.

But something happened today: the emperor sent troops to the mountain, seemingly preparing to climb it.

Xu Fu looked at the sky and realized that it was the rainy season.

But when Xu Fu hurriedly went to find the prince, he heard from Grand Commandant Wang Ben that the prince, the emperor, and the prime minister were walking around on Mount Tai. Today was not a formal ascent of Mount Tai, but just a stroll on the mountain.

Xu Fu looked up at Mount Tai, intending to tell the young master that it was the rainy season and that it was going to rain that day.

More than an hour passed, and the prince and the emperor still hadn't come down the mountain. Just as Xu Fu had feared, his worst fears came true; the sky was now covered with dark clouds.

On the path leading up Mount Tai, there is a grove of ginkgo trees. Whenever the wind blows, the fallen leaves fall like rain.

Ying Zheng stopped beside his son and prime minister and said, "It's going to rain."

The autumn rain has just stopped, and the clouds drift over the southern gate of Mount Tai. This is a description of the autumn rain on Mount Tai.

A few raindrops fell, and you could still feel their coolness on your palm.

Li Si looked around, trying to find a place to shelter from the rain, but all he could see were armored guards all around him, and he couldn't find a place to take shelter from the rain.

However, Fusu calmly took the bamboo pole from Tian An behind him and gave it to his father and prime minister, who were standing to the side.

Then Fusu opened the mechanism of the bamboo pole, and an umbrella appeared.

Ying Zheng and Li Si each opened their umbrellas, and finally Tian An also opened his umbrella. The four umbrellas were open on the mountain path.

Just then, the autumn rain began to fall, and the raindrops landed on the umbrella.

Fusu said, “I learned this umbrella from the Lu Ban Classics. I often think about making it when I have nothing to do. Someone once recorded in the classics that Lu Ban often went out to work. He split bamboo into thin strips and made a rain shelter. It is said that it can be folded up like a stick and opened like a canopy. However, these are all rumors. I made this thing according to the rumors recorded in the classics.”

Tian An knew that this umbrella was actually very ingenious, and that the young master had done a remarkable job in terms of water separation and waterproofing.

Ying Zheng held an umbrella in one hand, listening to the sound of heavy rain falling on the umbrella surface. The rainwater flowed down the edge of the umbrella and fell in front of his eyes, forming a water curtain.

Heavy rain covered the entire Mount Tai, but on this mountain path, four pitch-black umbrellas stood in the rain.

Standing under the umbrella, Ying Zheng stepped down the mountain along the path, only the hem of his robe was slightly wet.

Fusu was quite satisfied with the umbrella he made, even though it was a bit heavy and big. But it was good that it was heavy and big, because who would have thought that the autumn rain on Mount Tai would be so heavy.

As the First Emperor began to descend the mountain, the armored soldiers around him also followed suit.

As they walked up the stone steps, Ying Zheng asked, "Has the road up the mountain been repaired?"

Li Si replied, "When the sacrificial vessels were sent up Mount Tai, a section of the road was repaired. Now that the vessels are on the mountain, I'm afraid the newly repaired road will be destroyed again after this heavy rain. I will arrange for people to go up the mountain to repair it."

Ying Zheng said, "Once the rainy season is over, we will climb the mountain to perform the Fengshan ceremony."

"I accept your order."

The group walked down the mountain along a small path. Just as they reached the foot of the mountain, an imperial attendant hurried over, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the scholars have returned."

Ying Zheng nodded and walked straight toward the residence not far away.

Standing by the roadside, Xu Fu, soaked in the rain, stood there in a daze. When he saw the First Emperor strolling leisurely in the rain with a black umbrella, he felt a deep sense of respect and bowed in the rain.

(End of this chapter)