The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 42 The situation is tense
Ying Zheng looked at the fossils, a hint of disappointment in his eyes.

Li Si bowed and greeted Prince Fusu and the First Emperor, pondering how to respond.

Another gust of cold wind swept through Zhangtai Palace, and the First Emperor was heard say in a low voice, "Even such a giant beast will die."

Fusu said, "Father, even the most powerful beast will one day turn into a handful of dust."

Ying Zheng picked up a piece of broken stone. The white part of this stone was fossil, and the skeleton was not intact. Then he squeezed it hard, and the white fossil turned into fragments, which floated down in strands.

The emperor was in low spirits, seemingly because of these fossils.

Li Si, standing to the side, noticed the prince's gaze and understood, saying, "Your Majesty, I shall take my leave now. I will consult the classics and be able to identify what kind of behemoth this is."

Ying Zheng nodded slowly.

Before leaving, Li Si glanced at Prince Fusu's expression, and left with a sense of unease.

Ying Zheng was still looking at these fossils. The fragments had just been blown away by a gust of wind and scattered in the air, falling to the ground until they were no longer easily visible to the naked eye.

Ying Zheng turned to look at his son beside him and said in a low voice, "I have heard that there are divine turtles overseas that can live for thousands of years and are incredibly huge."

Fusu said, "Even if it has lived for over a thousand years, it is still livestock, not human."

Hearing his son's words, Ying Zheng was somewhat surprised and said in a deep voice, "What do you think Li Si will do?"

What interested Fusu the most was the half of the relatively complete skull, and he waved to Tian An.

Tian An quickly walked over, bowed, and said, "Young Master."

Fusu straightened up again, shifting his gaze from the rock face, and asked, "How is Jingye County now?"

"I heard that the canal digging has stopped, and the laborers in various counties are waiting for instructions from Xianyang." Tian An paused, then added, "Shusun Tong went to see the Prime Minister first, and then the Prime Minister came to Zhangtai Palace. It was Shusun Tong who gave each laborer an extra bushel of grain as a reward."

Fusu asked, "Why the reward?"

Tian An replied, "They said it's good news."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng said in a low voice, "Is this Shusun Tong a scholar who came to Qin?"

"Father is right, he is indeed one of the scholars from the six states who came to Qin."

"A joyous occasion?" Ying Zheng suddenly smiled and said, "I bestow three hundred gold pieces upon Shusun Tong."

Immediately, palace guards were dispatched to deliver the three hundred taels of gold to Shusun Tong.

Fusu also felt this was certainly a joyous occasion. The canal had to be built, and no matter what kind of giant beasts these fossils were, they could not stop people from building the canal.

How much manpower was spent on opening this canal over the past three years? The three years of hard work cannot be in vain; people have just received a reward from the excavation of the canal.

With thousands of acres of fertile land finally within reach, which could add hundreds of thousands of people to Guanzhong, how could we easily give it up?

Fusu continued, “From now on, his uncle, Shusun Tong, will be a guest of my Gaoquan Palace. If he comes to Xianyang City, we will reserve a room for him in the old residence of the Prime Minister’s mansion. So far, he is the only one there.”

Upon hearing this, Tian An nodded and then instructed the eunuch beside him to give the order.

Immediately, both the First Emperor and his son Fusu rewarded Shusun Tong.

Tian An bowed, his gaze fixed on the First Emperor and Prince Fusu standing on the steps in front of Zhangtai Palace. They were, after all, father and son, while a prime minister like Li Si was ultimately just a subject. Those who could be used should be used to their advantage.

Before long, a palace attendant came quickly and said, "Your Majesty, the Prime Minister said that these remains will be placed in front of Zhangtai Palace, and someone will identify them at the court meeting tomorrow."

Ying Zheng nodded slowly and walked back to Zhangtai Palace.

Tian An stepped forward and asked, "Does the young master have any other instructions?"

"Let them continue digging the canal."

"I'll send someone to deliver the message."

In the Imperial Censorate, Feng Quji recently discovered that the handwriting on many documents was different from the past, but each political view was written in a very special way. For example, when relocating people, people of different ethnic groups and surnames, or people from the former lands of the Six Kingdoms, were reorganized and reorganized.

It was a rare sight to see Zhang Cang at the Censorate, so Feng Quji smiled and asked, "What brings you here?"

Zhang Cang bowed and said, "Today the Prime Minister went to meet His Majesty and the young master, and only had a moment to spare before coming here to pick up a few scrolls."

Feng Quji handed over the scroll in his hand and said, "There happens to be a scroll that describes the relocation policy that you and the Prime Minister are overseeing."

Zhang Cang took the dossier, glanced at it, and then looked at the bookshelf, searching for the dossier he wanted to take with him, while replying, "Relocation requires land."

Feng Quji said, "That's for sure."

"That's right. The Prime Minister's relocation of people to guard the border has given them more land than they had in their old places. The canal construction that you are overseeing will also give people land. Once the Jingye Canal is completed, it will provide a large area of ​​fertile land, with thousands of acres of good fields waiting to be cultivated."

Zhang Cang paused for a moment, then continued, "If migrants need to exchange land, where else can they go to increase their acreage?"

Where should we increase the amount of farmland?
Zhang Cang's words poured cold water on Feng Quji's hopes.

“We still have land…” Zhang Cang changed the subject, and said with a smile, “Recently, the young master has been frequently writing to inquire about me.”

"how?"

"The young master asked about things in the west, and also said that in the past, the warring states developed and expanded horizontally on the map."

After a moment's thought, Feng Quji nodded and said, "That's true."

Zhang Cang picked up a bamboo scroll and said, "Young Master believes the opportunity lies in the west, and there may be another large-scale migration to defend the border in the future."

Before Feng Quji could say anything more...

Zhang Cang said calmly, "Decades later."

"As the young master's teacher, would you really discuss matters decades from now with him?"

"Hehe..." Zhang Cang shook his head and laughed, "Does the Right Chancellor underestimate you, young master?"

Feng Quji became increasingly puzzled, and somewhat unconvinced, asked, "What do you mean?"

Zhang Cang said, "Young Master's vision is not so short-sighted. What you care about is not just something that will happen decades from now."

After saying that, Zhang Cang took the files he needed and said, "I have to go see the young master today, so I'll take my leave now."

After the others left, Imperial Censor Cheng Miao brought in some bamboo slips that had been handed over from outside.

Looking at Cheng Miao, who was busy running around, and seeing that everyone in the Censorate was just a bunch of mediocre people, Feng Quji felt a sense of powerlessness rising in his heart for some reason.

The next day, just as the eastern sky began to lighten, the wind in Xianyang was still howling. Winter was approaching, and the winds this year were stronger and lasted longer than in previous years.

Li Si couldn't remember which year it was since he entered Qin. After dressing, he asked, "Did anyone claim illness and not attend today's court meeting?"

The old servant outside the door replied, "Reporting to the Prime Minister, I've sent people to inquire, and those who are supposed to come will all come."

Outside the gate, the old servant instructed several servants to clean the mansion. He hunched over and took a few steps into the courtyard. Then the door opened, and the Prime Minister strode out. In the eyes of the servants, the Prime Minister must be worried about his son who was leading troops in Shu, who might have already marched south with the army.

But the Prime Minister has never asked about it; lately he has only asked about state affairs.

The prime minister still had his own selfish motives, otherwise he wouldn't always place his son in such a crucial position.

Li You was merely organizing troops in Shu and was not on the list of generals for the southern expedition. As long as the southern expedition was successful, Li You would receive a reward; even if it was lost, it would have nothing to do with him.

So many years have passed, and the prime minister has been sending his son to gain experience while also protecting him.

The Prime Minister has recently taken a liking to noodles. I heard that His Majesty bestowed noodles upon him yesterday, and he ate another bowl before going to the court meeting today.

As dawn breaks in the eastern sky, golden sunlight illuminates the eaves of Xianyang Palace.

At this time, the civil and military officials of the Qin Dynasty also entered Xianyang Palace and headed towards Zhangtai Palace.

The court officials all wore black robes, with only a few having other colored knots adorning their belts.

Zhangtai Palace still stood in its original location, the officials continued their footsteps, and most of the people were quiet, with only a few whispering among themselves.

Stepping through the palace gates is like entering another world. The buildings here are magnificent, and it is so quiet that only the sound of each other's footsteps can be heard.

The person at the front suddenly stopped, and the people following behind also stopped one after another.

The dark mass of officials stepped forward, not knowing what had happened or why those in front had stopped.

In front of the usually spacious Zhangtai Palace, a platform has been erected, with stones of varying sizes placed on it.

Cheng Miao was very curious and spoke first, "What is this?"

The Imperial Censor Feng Jie glanced at the crowd without saying a word, then stopped to observe their reactions.

The crowd huddled together, peering closely. If it weren't for the guards protecting them, they would have already reached out to take it.

Someone whispered, "These are skeletons."

Someone else said, "Look at this skull! What kind of behemoth has such a large skull?"

The crowd's discussion grew louder and louder, until one person exclaimed, "Gentlemen! This is a dragon bone! It is an auspicious omen, a protective omen for our Great Qin!"

"Wait!" Chunyu Yue immediately said, "How do you know this is dragon bone?"

The speaker was an imperial censor in the Qin court, and he was clearly a member of Li Si's faction.

As everyone was discussing this, someone suddenly shouted, "The Prime Minister is here! Quickly, invite the Prime Minister to come and see him!"

Chunyu Yue first glanced at the sky. It was still early before the court meeting. He turned to look at the Prime Minister who was walking towards him, his mind filled with doubts. Li Si usually wouldn't come this early; he should be half an hour late.

"What are you doing?"

Li Si was pulled along with a smile, and he said in a very friendly manner, "Don't delay the time for the court meeting."

The crowd pulled him to the front of the stage and asked, "Prime Minister, do you know the origin of these skeletons?"

“This…” Li Si looked up and was startled when he saw the fossils. Then he stroked his beard and began to think very seriously.

Chunyu Yue looked around at the people around him and felt that the atmosphere was more or less strange.

Li Si finally spoke, smiling as he said, "I admit my knowledge is shallow and I do not know the origin of this bone. I hope you will enlighten me."

The Prime Minister of Qin was so humble that everyone smiled knowingly.

One of them said, "Prime Minister, this is an auspicious omen."

"Oh?" Li Si asked again, "What auspicious omen?"

"This item came from the underground canal of Shangyan Mountain. Yesterday, I personally saw the laborers there dig out these bones and present them to Xianyang Palace. Moreover, after digging it out, Shusun Tong said that this item was an auspicious dragon bone that would protect the fields in Guanzhong and ensure a good harvest. He also rewarded each of the laborers who were working on digging the canal with a peck of rice."

"Is this really happening?"

"Of course, Shusun Tong was a scholar in Qin and a disciple of Kong Fu. How could his knowledge and insight be wrong? Moreover, once this bone appeared, the wind and snow stopped. How miraculous!"

Chunyu Yue felt increasingly uneasy; their coordinated actions seemed rather obvious.

Li Si then said seriously, "It's getting late, we should hurry into the palace."

The group then began to walk towards the main hall in twos and threes, but Prince Fusu did not attend today's court meeting.

When the First Emperor arrived, the crowd bowed and shouted, and the court meeting began.

The court discussion continued, revolving around the pile of bones at Zhangtai Palace.

The crowd gradually came to agree that it was an auspicious dragon bone.

Chunyu Yue's expression grew increasingly solemn. He kept a close eye on Li Si's expression. Everyone was so in agreement, yet Li Si still pretended to be suspicious. He was truly an old fox.

Chunyu Yue stepped forward from the court and said, "Now that auspicious objects have been unearthed, would it be disrespectful to continue digging the canal?"

Whenever this happens, there will always be someone to spoil the fun. There are only a few such people, and Chunyu Yue is always one of them.

Li Si immediately said, "I will have the laborers bypass the excavation site and continue digging the canal."

Chunyu Yue suddenly gave a cold laugh, thinking: Bypass? How much to bypass is up to you, Li Si.

Ying Zheng said, "Since this item was discovered by Shusun Tong and Zhang Han, Shusun Tong shall be appointed as Chief Clerk, and Zhang Han shall be appointed as Commandant for his meritorious service in supervising the construction of the canal."

Previously, Chunyu Yue had some doubts, but now that he heard about Shusun Tong, he suddenly understood that it was all arranged by Li Si. What kind of bone it was, what kind of auspicious omen it was, was all up to Li Si.

Until the court meeting ended, people heard that the First Emperor had obtained the auspicious dragon bone. The First Emperor was very happy. The Qin Dynasty remained peaceful and safe, and the Guanzhong Plain continued to enjoy favorable weather. People's lives continued as usual. Even the people of Jingye County continued to dig canals as usual.

After the court meeting ended, Fusu went to Zhangtai Palace.

Ying Zheng looked at the bamboo slips in his hand and said, "Some people say that since I have obtained this auspicious object, I should reduce or exempt taxes."

As Fusu took off his shoes and entered the hall, he bowed and replied, "Father is wise."

Ying Zheng was surprised that his son did not object, and said, "Sit down."

"Thank you, Father."

“You are Li Si’s disciple and Zhang Cang’s student. You have read Han Fei’s classics and seven or eight tenths of the Legalist classics. You should understand that tax policies should not be changed lightly.”

"Your Majesty, I am still learning too little. I am sorry to have made you laugh at me." After saying this, Fusu added, "I will consult the Prime Minister more often in the future."

Ying Zheng stopped asking questions and put down the bamboo slips in his hand without paying any more attention. If it were Han Fei or Li Si, they would have definitely rejected the tax reduction policy at this moment.

Inside the hall, Fusu suddenly said, "Farmers rely on the land to grow grain, and all they have left is grain. Reducing taxes is not impossible, but reducing taxes is just a simple matter. Who will benefit? That remains to be discussed."

(End of this chapter)