The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 122 The Young Master Views the Sea
The dilapidated Langya Terrace was still under repair. Ying Zheng walked back to Langya Terrace and said as he walked, "Tell me properly about relocating the people."

"I accept your order."

Wang Ben and Li Si responded in unison.

The First Emperor initiated a relocation plan, and groups of soldiers left Langya Terrace.

The waves kept crashing against the shore. At this moment, the ship carrying the young master, Tian An, and Xu Fu was already some distance from the shore, about half a mile away.

Xu Fu lit a clay stove on the boat, and then took out several live fish from a bucket. As he skillfully killed the fish, he said, "The people of Qi call this kind of fish the knife fish."

Fusu asked, "Is this a knife-cut anchovy?"

Xu Fu's face once again showed the embarrassment of being seen through, but in his heart he admired this learned young master even more. He could not lie to such a person as the young master, he could only respect him. If he maintained his respect, he might get the young master's help; otherwise, he would die a terrible death.

Xu Fu knew how to get along with such a learned person. As for Han Zhong, whom he had met in the past, or other scholars from Shandong, they were not worth mentioning.

I am even more grateful that my choice when facing Prince Fusu at the foot of Mount Tai was the right one.

He said, "Young master, you are knowledgeable and well-traveled."

Fusu said, "It's just because I've read too many books."

Xu Fu killed the knife-shaped fish, cleaned it, rubbed salt on both sides of the fish, skewered it with thin wooden skewers, and then hung it on the stove to roast.

Once the fish had turned a golden brown color, Xu Fu took out a pot of wine and poured it over the fish that was being roasted.

As the wine was poured, the flames in the stove burned a little brighter.

Xu Fu poured a bowl of wine and handed it to him.

Fusu accepted the wine but did not drink it in a hurry.

Xu Fu explained, "Most of these anchovies are found at the mouth of the sea, but they are rare at this time of year. They are more abundant in spring and summer. I know the fishermen in the surrounding area, so I asked them to keep an eye out for these fish to catch in the net. I actually found more than twenty of them."

As they were talking, Xu Fu noticed that the young master was still gazing at the distant sea.

Fusu said, "This sea is really beautiful."

The sea breeze was cold, causing the seawater to ripple and the small boat to rock slightly, but this did not prevent the young master from gazing at the sea.

Xu Fu thought that the prince had lived in Guanzhong for a long time and had never seen such a vast and beautiful sea. In fact, it was the same every day, with no change in the seasons.

Fusu was captivated by the scenery, for the sea and sky before him were so clean, as clean as a sapphire, with white clouds dotting the water and sky, the water and sky blending into one color, and there was only this one fishing boat for miles around.

"If people talk about me in the future, they can say that Prince Fusu of the Great Qin Dynasty also rode on a fisherman's boat, went out to sea, and ate the seafood here."

Xu Fu smiled and raised his wine bowl, saying, "Your subject toasts you, sir."

Fusu watched him finish the wine in one gulp and then took a small sip himself.

Xu Fu picked up a roasted anchovy and handed it to him, saying, "Please try it, young master. The bones of this fish are crispy after being roasted. This is the most delicious and fragrant taste I have ever tasted in my life."

Fusu took the fish offered to him but did not eat it in a hurry.

Xu Fu picked up another skewer, took a bite from the fish head in front of the young master, and chewed it with a look of enjoyment, seemingly savoring its crispness. Then he took a sip of wine and said, "This life is enough."

Tian An also took a bite, and then gestured to the young master that he could eat as well.

The three of them drank wine and ate fish. Xu Fu hadn't brought much wine, just enough for each of them to have a bowl.

After finishing the fish and meat, and with the wine jug empty, Fusu asked, "Do you know anything about the Yue people of Yue?"

Xu Fu nodded.

"Father wants to relocate the people."

Xu Fu bowed and asked, "Does the young master have any concerns?"

"That's what you say."

Xu Fu drank a bowl of wine. The wine in Qi wasn't particularly strong. He replied, "The people closest to Langya are the Yue people of Langya. Most of them were once under the rule of King Goujian of Yue. More than two hundred years ago, they were under the rule of King Yi of Yue, the great-grandson of King Goujian. Later, the descendants of King Goujian killed each other..."

Xu Fu began to recount the history of the Yue region, revealing that the descendants of King Goujian of Yue had endured a very cruel period.

But what Xu Fu said all happened a hundred years ago.

The history of this era is still very long. The history of people in each place can be traced back two or three hundred years, such as Qu Yuan or King Goujian of Yue.

The eight hundred years of warring states during the Spring and Autumn Period are filled with countless stories.

Fusu said, "I remember that among the descendants of King Goujian of Yue, there was a group of people who were extremely skilled in swimming and boating. Are those people still alive today?"

Xu Fu lowered his head. That was the skill the Yue people relied on for survival. He naturally knew that Langya Yue was right next to Langya County, and the fishermen there had dealings with those Yue people.

Even though the Yue Kingdom perished and Goujian died, the ship-making skills of that time had long since become a survival skill passed down from generation to generation.

Xu Fu said, "So, these are the people you want, young master."

Fusu said, "There will also be Yue people from Dongyue and Yue people from Huyi Mountain. How much do you know about them?"

Xu Fu sat on a small stool, feeling extremely uncomfortable once again in front of the young master. The young master's questions were very tricky, always getting to the heart of the matter with a single sentence. Xu Fu had only heard about many things concerning the Yue people and did not know much about them.

Not to mention the Yue people of Dongyue and Huyi Mountain.

Xu Fu had previously wanted to rely on the exceptional shipbuilding skills of the Langya Yue people to sail to the eastern seas, but they had always refused, citing the extreme danger of going to sea.

Xu Fu took a deep breath and told Prince Fusu everything he knew, including what he knew and what he didn't.

After saying this, the young master had already instructed Tian An to row back.

"I have said a lot. If you cannot remember it, I will write it down and give it to you."

"No need, I have a good memory," Fusu said casually.

"Please, young master, do not make things difficult for the Yue people of Langya. I had conflicts with them before. When I was young, I tried several times to ask them to take me overseas, but they drove me away. I was just ignorant back then..."

"Alright." Fusu interrupted him and said in a low voice, "I will use what I can, and I will work with Father and the Prime Minister to appease those who need to be appeased."

When the ship reached the beach, Xu Fu bowed once again.

Langya was a key location for the Wu state's northward expansion during the Spring and Autumn Period, which must have been 370 years ago when the Wu state attacked Qi.

Back then, King Fuchai of Wu joined forces with the State of Lu to attack the State of Qi. Wu won that battle, but the following year, in the Battle of Langya Terrace, Wu was defeated by Qi. It was a large-scale naval battle.

Xu Fu said that when he was a child, he was a fisherman here. He loved to swim and could see weapons that sank into the sea during the naval battles of that time, and even salvage some of them.

However, the Yue people at that time had rules. Whenever Xu Fu, who was a child, retrieved weapons, he would be beaten up and then thrown back into the sea.

The story of King Fuchai of Wu also involves Wu Zixu and King Goujian of Yue.

In the end, the capital of Wu was captured by the humiliating King of Yue, Fuchai committed suicide, and the state of Wu perished, thus giving rise to the story that has been passed down through the ages.

The later King Goujian of Yue inherited all the legacies of the State of Wu, as well as the navy left behind by King Fuchai. This navy became the people of Yue under King Goujian, and their legacy continues to this day.

Fusu heard Xu Fu mention the exceptional shipbuilding skills of the Yue people, and perhaps in the original history, the boatmen who helped Xu Fu cross the sea to the east were those skilled Yue people. As night fell, Fusu returned to Langya Terrace with his family. After his wife and children had rested, he went to see his father, the Emperor.

The palaces at Langya Terrace are old and dilapidated.

"The emperor dislikes the Qi-style decorations here; remove them all immediately."

"How come there are still Qi people's writings? Burn them all."

"Replace them all with our Xianyang-style kui-patterned roof tiles!"

As Fusu walked toward the main hall of Langya Terrace, he overheard several eunuchs talking.

They noticed the young master walking by, and they all stopped talking and bowed.

Fusu walked past without showing any emotion. From the conversations of these people, it was clear that his father, the Emperor, disliked the Langya Terrace, which had a Qi-style design.

Inside the main hall, Wang Ben and Li Si were still there.

Upon seeing his father, the Emperor, seated at the head of the table, Fusu bowed respectfully.

Ying Zheng gestured for his son to sit down and continue the discussion with Li Si and Wang Ben.

Here, Fusu heard about a more complete relocation plan. These Yue people who migrated would become the new citizens of Langya, including salt porters, convicts who worked in the fields, and Yue women could marry Qin soldiers, but they would all need to become part of the Qin people.

Fusu overheard Li Si and the First Emperor's more important plans for the Langya region.

First, the saltworks, which produce 100,000 zhong (a unit of volume) of salt annually, should be expanded to produce 300,000 zhong annually. This task should be mainly entrusted to the convicts who have been transferred here.

Furthermore, another important group of migrants, the Yue people, were artisans. All workshops that could privately forge weapons were dismantled and destroyed, and all were brought under the jurisdiction of Langya County.

When Li Si issued the "Yu Shu" (a book on language) to teach the Yue people to learn the Qin language, he solemnly advised the First Emperor to have the Yue people write in small seal script, emphasizing that the standardization of writing should be carried out from the written language to the spoken language.

Furthermore, Li Si and Wang Ben discussed a very important coastal control plan centered on Langya Terrace. In their plan, Langya Terrace would serve as a fulcrum to control the shipping networks of the Yellow Sea, the East China Sea, and the South China Sea.

And these things, including rebuilding Langya Terrace, will ultimately fall on my shoulders as the Junior Steward of the Imperial Household Department.

Fusu felt that even if he could become the next Qin emperor, before that... regardless of the reform of Guanzhong or the affairs here, under the grand ideals and magnificent narrative of the First Emperor.

Fusu felt that he would never finish all these things in his lifetime...

Finally, in the conversation between the Emperor and Li Si, the reconstruction plan for Langya Terrace was confirmed. This was exactly as Fusu had expected, and there were no surprises at all. The task was handed over to the Minister of the Imperial Household Department.

Li You led his troops to guard the foot of Langya Terrace, where the pile of books that had been seized from Qi was stacked up. Since they were brought here, Prince Fusu had ignored them.

The prefect of Qi Commandery was still asking, "Li Shiwei, does the young master want the books from Qi Commandery or not?"

Li You had just swallowed a mouthful of water when he choked and coughed twice.

Seeing this, the prefect of Qi Commandery seemed to understand. He instructed the clerk beside him, "Go and bring all the books from Qi Commandery! The young master enjoys reading."

Li You was about to reprimand the prefect when someone rushed over and said, "Young Master is to inspect the fishermen of Yue on behalf of the Emperor and has ordered Li Shiwei to protect them."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Li You replied, and led his troops away. As for the Qi scrolls left behind, no one paid them any attention.

The Yue people of Langya County lived three miles away from Langya Terrace. After crossing two high slopes, they reached another beach. With Xu Fu leading the way, everything went much more smoothly.

Communication in Vietnamese is difficult, and before the Prime Minister's relocation plan can begin, Fusu needs to find artisans first.

Xu Fu said, "Young master, the Yue people here are somewhat xenophobic. Please don't take offense."

He was actually saying this to Li You. If Li You took action because of the other party's rudeness, it would provoke resistance from the Yue people, and things would get very bad. Xu Fu would then be out of business here.

Xu Fu said, "The old clan chief of the Yue people here is said to be a descendant of King Goujian of Yue."

Fusu hesitated and asked, "Really?"

"Don't take it seriously," Xu Fu added with a smile.

Fusu frowned as he looked at the people here. Their eyes were full of vigilance. The women were protecting their children. When they saw the armored soldiers, the women covered the children's eyes. The strong men held wooden harpoons and stood in front of the children and women.

The deeper one goes into the dwellings of these Vietnamese people, the more and more Vietnamese people one encounters.

Amid the wary presence of many young Vietnamese men, Fusu and his entourage arrived at an old wooden house.

Fusu did not meet the old clan chief of the Yue people, who was the descendant of King Goujian of Yue that Xu Fu mentioned.

Looking at the tightly closed door, Fusu handed over a piece of jade as a gift.

A man took the jade, opened the wooden door a crack, and brought it into the room.

After Qingyu was handed over, there was no response for a long time, nor was it returned.

It seems the other party accepted it quite readily, and it seems they also know that Prince Fusu of Qin came here to ask for a favor.

However, Fusu and Xu Fu did not receive a response while standing outside the house.

Li You was about to step forward and question him when he saw a man running towards him. This man was dressed in Yue people's clothes and straw sandals, and a group of children were playing behind him.

"Son!"

The newcomer was none other than Lang, who was surrounded by Vietnamese children.

It had been three years since Lang left Guanzhong. He smiled and said, "Lang greets you, young master."

Fusu recognized this young man; he remembered every student who graduated from Shusun Tong's tutelage.

Xu Fu looked at the Yue man speaking the Guanzhong dialect in surprise, then at Prince Fusu, and was dumbfounded.

With Lang here, he was able to get along well with the Yue people. Fusu felt that his work had found a breakthrough. He was right that to become emperor, he needed more supporters.

Lang said with shame, "Our teacher instructed us to teach outside the region for three years, and then bring our disciples back to Guanzhong. I have failed in my duty, and to this day, I have not been able to bring any disciples back to Guanzhong, not a single one."

He felt that these three years had been a failure, a complete failure.

Fusu smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "As expected. Take things one step at a time. He's doing very well in Luoyang. He can bring five hundred students into Guanzhong this year."

Lang was so excited he almost bit his tongue, exclaiming in surprise, "He can lead five hundred students all by himself?"

Fusu said, "You'll know when you get back to Guanzhong. I only recently received the news myself. Tell me about what's happening here first."

Lang sighed and began to recount his observations of the place…

In reality, the people here don't live well. They have the best seafaring skills, and they always return from their voyages with full loads, yet they still live in poverty.

They were even more miserable than the people of Langya County. Back then, the Yue people here longed for a peaceful place to live under the rule of the King of Qi.

They needed to present pearls to the Qi royal family every year before the royal family would allow them to continue living there.

When Fusu asked how many pearls he wanted, Lang replied, "One hundred bushels a year."

(End of this chapter)