The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 65 It doesn't matter who you choose
After the Prime Minister finished speaking about the grain and the harvest, General Meng Wu began to talk about military affairs, mostly related to the war between the North and the South.

Fusu stood to one side, listening to the reports about the war. As these words entered his ears and were compared with the documents he had seen the night before, the current state of the entire country became clear.

What I'm talking about today is pretty much the same as the documents I saw last night.

Today, someone brought up the matter of the eastern tour again, but the First Emperor remained silent. However, the matter was refuted by the Right Chancellor.

Some people supported the eastern tour, while others opposed it, but as long as the First Emperor did not speak up, the eastern tour would most likely not continue.

Afterwards, the First Emperor inquired about the construction of Guilin Prefecture, which was reported by Grand Commandant Meng Wu, who described the recent situation in Guilin Prefecture.

These words were no different from the documents I had seen last night.

The court meeting did not end until noon, and the people left Zhangtai Palace in twos and threes.

Fusu walked at the very back of the crowd, finally able to relax a little.

However, the Prime Minister's office will likely be very busy, as many documents were approved last night and sent to the Prime Minister's office last night, and Prime Minister Li Si has not yet seen those documents.

Wang Ben stood outside the main hall, watching Prince Fusu walk out of the hall. Then, as if nothing had happened, he even bowed politely, smiled, and left.

At this moment, Wang Ben was truly confused.

A palace attendant hurried over and whispered a few words in Wang Ben's ear.

Wang Ben first looked at the other person, then at Prince Fusu who had already walked away. After hesitating for a moment, he followed the eunuch away.

The court meeting ended, just past noon. Fusu was on his way back to Gaoquan Palace, planning to have lunch and then rest for an hour or two.

Before they even reached Gaoquan Palace, Tian An came rushing over, saying, "Young Master, Young Master, someone from the imperial clan has arrived."

Fusu asked curiously, "Who's here?"

Tian An whispered, "It's the clan elder."

To be called a clan elder is to be of a high enough seniority and able to decide important matters in the clan. That is, the current emperor's uncle, and his great-grandfather Ying Xi.

Although Ying Xi was a son of King Xiaowen of Qin by a concubine and not born to the principal wife, his seniority was high enough.

Fusu followed Tian An to the front of Gaoquan Palace, where an old man was sitting, followed by two young men.

The old man had white hair and beard and looked to be over sixty years old. He was holding a cane and sitting upright on a clean stone.

Fusu took two steps closer and noticed that the old man had his eyes closed. He bowed and said, "Grandpa."

Ying Xi opened his eyes slightly, looked up at the young man in front of him, and said, "How many years have passed? You've grown so tall."

The other person's voice sounded very old and lacked strength.

Ying Xi supported himself with one hand on his crutch as he tried to stand up.

Fusu quickly stepped forward to help him up, and said, "Grandpa, you can just sit down."

Ying Xi had no choice but to sit down first. The old man placed his hand on Fusu's shoulder, patted it lightly twice, and said, "Hmm, the imperial clan is weak. You are the best child we've had recently."

Listening to his great-grandfather's words, Fusu felt a pang of emotion. The Qin royal family was indeed very weak now, even ridiculously weak. Too many people had died in the power struggles of the previous two generations of royal relatives.

As a result, the current members of the imperial clan either stay far away or die young.

Fusu then said, "Grandpa, let's eat here first."

Ying Xi glanced at the sky and said, "Alright."

As Tian An began preparing the meal, Gongzi Gao and Yin Man woke up. The two children wanted to help Tian An, but he persuaded them to leave.

Fusu said, "Please don't disturb them."

Hearing his elder brother's words, Gongzi Gao and Yin Man lost their desire to cook for Tian An.

Then Gongzi Gao and Yin Man could still sit blankly to the side, watching Tian An pull noodles, wash vegetables, and cut meat.

Since Tian An learned these skills, whenever he cooks, the area within three feet around the stove is his restricted zone. You can watch from the outside, but you cannot participate in the cooking.

Even if it's meant to help, it would only end up hindering Tian An.

Tian An has his own way of cooking.

Takasen Palace was bustling again, and each palace maid and eunuch had their own tasks to perform.

The place has been restored to cleanliness; Tian An is a person who is almost obsessive about cleanliness.

Fusu kept talking to his great-grandfather, who kept talking about the past, how difficult his father's youth was, and how difficult it was for his father to truly rule.

From his words, Fusu could tell that his great-grandfather probably loathed Lü Buwei.

After Lü Buwei's death, the eldest grandfather emerged from his former despondency and began to reorganize the imperial clan.

But so many generations have passed, and since King Xiaowen of Qin, the royal family of Qin has become increasingly weak, and the remaining members dare not attach themselves to it.

And now, the First Emperor's family and the imperial clan are all supported by this great-grandfather.

Tian An poured the stewed mutton from the earthenware pot into a basin, then took out several earthenware bowls, poured out bowls of mutton soup, sprinkled some salt, and added some bitter greens and chopped green onions to the soup.

Then, Tian An took out the baked flatbread from the oven and scooped out noodles from the pot.

Smelling the aroma of flatbread and mutton, as well as the clear mutton soup glistening with oil, both Gongzi Gao and Yin Man swallowed hard.

The tables at Takasen-gyu Palace are quite tall, so Tian An brought out tables and chairs, and lunch was ready.

Fusu said, "Grandpa, let's eat first."

Ying Xi chuckled and said, "Li Si and the others often say how wonderful the food is here, young master, that even this old man can have a bite."

Seeing the old man sit down, I picked up a pancake and took a bite. The outside of the pancake was slightly crispy, and after taking a bite, the pale yellow inside was revealed, and it was still steaming hot.

After the old man took the first bite.

Fusu noticed the look in his younger brother and sister's eyes and slowly nodded, indicating that they could eat.

Gongzi Gao and Yin Man then began to eat heartily. Despite being small children, the siblings ate quite a lot.

Tian An sat alone by his stove, watching the fire as he ate his noodles, occasionally popping garlic into his mouth, thoroughly enjoying his meal.

Ying Xi took a sip of mutton soup and said, "This is the best meat soup I have ever drunk in my life."

Fusu said, "If you like, you can stay here and drink here often."

Ying Xi slowly shook his head, indicating his refusal.

Fusu could probably guess the reason why his great-grandfather refused. It was probably because during the reign of King Xiaowen of Qin, there had been internal conflicts among them over the succession, and the Empress Dowager Huayang and King Xiaowen of Qin did not choose his great-grandfather to succeed as King of Qin.

That incident back then must have been related to Lü Buwei.

Although I don't know how my great-grandfather viewed Empress Dowager Huayang, he lost to Lü Buwei, an outsider, in the internal power struggles of Qin.

Fusu even suspected that his great-grandfather had laughed so happily after Lü Buwei's death that he had resolved the resentment his great-grandfather had accumulated for more than twenty years.

Who could have imagined that the Prime Minister of Qin would perish at the hands of the King of Qin twenty years later?

After all, in a sense, it was after the emperor took power that Lü Buwei was put to death.

After Lü Buwei's death, the emperor also received full support from Ying Xi and the Qin royal family.

These thoughts flashed through Fusu's mind after his great-grandfather took a bite of the pancake.

Ying Xi took a bite of the pancake and said, "Young Master's pancake is indeed very good, and the soup is also very good."

Fusu reached out and picked up a piece of mutton from the table, saying, "Don't worry, Grandpa, this mutton is cooked just right, and it won't get stuck in your teeth."

Ying Xi took the piece of mutton handed to him by the young master, put it in his mouth and chewed it carefully. Suddenly he smiled and said, "Good, this mutton is indeed well stewed."

Gongzi Gao and Yin Man ate a lot and ate quickly.

Fusu and his great-grandfather talked for a while, but he didn't eat much.

After Gao and Yinman finished eating, they returned to Gaoquan Palace.

Ying Xi asked, "This old man would like to ask you a question, young master."

"Please speak, Grandpa."

Ying Xi asked, "I've heard that your future wife comes from which family, and that you chose her yourself?"

"My father told me to choose."

As soon as Fusu said this, he realized that his great-grandfather looked troubled. Perhaps his great-grandfather was thinking, "One really dares to let his son choose, and the other really dares to choose."
However, in Fusu's view, that was indeed a choice he dared to make, so why wouldn't he dare to make a choice?

Ying Xi put down his bowl, placed his hands on his knees, and said in a low voice, "Why doesn't the young master choose someone from the old Chu state?"

Fusu said, "Grandpa, in the past, Chu and Qin arranged marriages too frequently."

Ying Xi asked again, "Although Wang Jian conquered the State of Chu and your father established prefectures and counties, I have heard that the people's hearts in Chu are still not very good."

Fusu nodded.

"Even for the sake of stabilizing the hearts of the people in Chu, you are unwilling to marry a woman from the old Chu region?"

Fusu replied, "Back then, the states waged wars and formed marriage alliances, but in the end, all these marriages became the price of power struggles between the states. Does Grandfather really think that as long as Fusu forms another marriage alliance with the Mi clan of Chu, the hearts of the people of Chu will not waver?"

Ying Xi wanted to say something more, but didn't know how to refute it.

Yes, even if we were to form another marriage alliance with the Mi clan, would the people of Chu be at peace?
Ying Xi reached out and gently patted Fusu's back, whispering, "You really look like your father." "Fusu is worried that Grandfather will be angry."

Ying Xi finally smiled and said, "I have given you three candidates. I hope you will choose one of them. It doesn't matter who you choose, I will be at ease."

Fusu nodded.

Ying Xi stood up, leaning on his cane, and said in a low voice, "It's all good. The remaining two families are not a loss. It's just a marriage."

Fusu quickly stood up to see him off.

The old man didn't walk fast. He waved his hand and said, "Young master, there's no need to see me off. I have people to take care of me."

As he spoke, the great-grandfather pointed to the two young men who had come with him; they were probably also junior members of the royal family.

Fusu still saw his great-grandfather off at the palace gate. Judging from the two young men beside his great-grandfather, they should also be members of the imperial family.

Upon returning to Gaoquan Palace, Fusu encountered another rather troublesome matter.

Tian An stood in the hall with a troubled expression, while Prince Gao and Princess Yin Man were packing their belongings.

Fusu asked, "What are you doing?"

Gao Xingli said, "Brother, I want to leave Xianyang and go to Weinan."

Yin Man said, "My sister will go too."

"Why?"

Gao's expression was firm. He said, "Brother, what I can gain from books is ultimately limited. I want to go out and see the world, just as you said in the books, to apply what I have learned."

Fusu said, "Weinan is currently under construction, and it's very busy there."

Yin Man replied, "My sister is willing to learn."

Fusu looked at Tian An beside him.

Tian An stood to the side with his head down, saying nothing.

Fusu then said, "Let Prefect Wang lead his troops on a trip."

Tian An said, "Prefect Wang has been mobilizing troops recently..."

"He will help; he will arrange for someone to take care of my younger siblings."

Tian An nodded and went to give the instructions.

After his younger brother Gao and younger sister Yinman left, Fusu sat down and looked at the still somewhat messy Gaoquan Palace, where palace maids and eunuchs were tidying up.

After the court meeting, Wang Ben went to see the First Emperor and had lunch with him.

Now that he has just returned to the Grand Commandant's residence, he has begun to prepare for the deployment of troops. Fortunately, the matter of the young master's marriage was not mentioned in today's court meeting, and fortunately, the Prime Minister did not ask any further questions.

Even as he opened the military report and read its contents, Wang Ben couldn't help but think of the First Emperor's words.

At present, the First Emperor's decree has not yet been issued, but the First Emperor has already made a promise regarding the marriage between the Wang family and Prince Fusu during today's meal. Prince Fusu will marry a woman of suitable age from the Wang family.

Once the First Emperor issues his edict, the whole world will know about this matter.

People are only talking about unfounded rumors now, and Wang Ben feels he can simply ignore them.

"Young Master Wang, I've heard that your daughter is betrothed to your son?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ben raised his foot to kick the subordinate general, but the man quickly dodged and missed. He then picked up the military report in his hand and threw it at the man, saying, "Three thousand shi of grain have been transferred from Shu. You are to deliver it to Shangjun."

"The last general takes orders."

Wang Ben sat down again, looking displeased.

"Young Master Wang?"

Then I heard voices again.

Upon hearing this, Wang Ben glared, his temper about to flare up again, when he looked up and saw that it was Tian An, the eunuch beside Prince Fusu.

Wang Ben immediately dropped his imposing manner and asked politely with a smile, "Does the young master have any instructions?"

Tian An looked at the young master and princess following behind him and said with a smile, "The young master said that he needs Wang Shaofu's help with something."

"please say."

Tian An recounted the entire story of Gaoquan Palace, and Wang Ben finally understood the reason behind it.

Gongzi Gao bowed and said, "And my younger brother Huhai, Jianglu..."

Listening to Gongzi Gao reciting each name, Wang Ben finally understood, and he reported to Grand Commandant Meng Wu.

Meng Wu glanced at Wang Ben's embarrassed expression with a smile. They hadn't even become in-laws yet, and all sorts of things were already coming their way. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Young Master Wang, please go ahead. Military affairs won't be delayed. I'll keep an eye on things."

Wang Ben bowed once more and left in a hurry.

Tian An was a very capable person. He made several trips and arranged for many young masters and princesses to be taken care of by Wang Ben.

Apart from his younger siblings who were under five years old and still very young, the rest of them went to Weinan with Gongzi Gao to learn skills.

In Weinan there were Zhang Han, Shusun Tong, the old general Xin Sheng, and Fu Sheng, and later there would be Mao Heng and Lou Jing.

Younger siblings can choose these people to be their teachers.

Gongzi Gao is twelve years old and very sensible, so Fusu is quite at ease about him, especially with Wang Ben looking after him.

Tian An completed the matter in just two hours and reported back, "Young Master Wang plans to build a residence in Dali County to take care of the young master and princesses."

Fusu asked, "Has General Zhang Han sent any news?"

"A message has been sent, and the palace has arranged for three hundred eunuchs and maids to take care of the young master and the princess."

Fusu nodded slightly.

Today, the court and the people are very busy. Fusu has only rested for two hours. He is in the palace. Looking out from here, he can see people hurrying along, carrying scrolls of documents to Zhangtai Palace. The country is still running.

Even as dusk fell, everyone in the Prime Minister's residence was still busy.

Li Si frowned as he looked at a scroll of documents, which contained many words of replies.

Feeling curious, Li Si looked up at the people still sitting in the Prime Minister's residence, all of whom were busy with their own affairs.

Li Si weighed the bamboo slip in his hand and continued to look at the annotations on it. It was actually the handwriting of Prince Fusu, not the First Emperor.

Rebuild the abandoned hill, develop the three counties of Wugong, Fufeng, and Xingping, re-establish household registration, and relocate the population.

"Zhang Cang".

Li Si called out.

But no one responded. Looking up, I saw Zhang Cang writing on a document.

At this moment, Zhang Cang was also writing plans on documents. He knew that these were not approved by the First Emperor, but by Prince Fusu.

The young master is good at breaking down a matter into smaller parts, thus dissecting it into its components.

For example, when Zhuoxian County was flooded, the young master's reply was very simple: relocate the people.

But relocation means reconstruction, and reconstruction requires manpower. The young master's idea is to relocate to Shangjun.

"Zhang Cang!"

Upon hearing the Prime Minister's call, Zhang Cang put down his pen and quickly looked up, saying, "Prime Minister."

Li Si handed him the document and said, "Take a look."

Zhang Cang took the scroll with both hands, frowned as he looked at its contents, and hesitated, saying, "This is..."

Li Si nodded slightly, implying that it was written by Prince Fusu.

The two of them knew the truth, so there was no need to say it outright.

Zhang Cang stared at the contents of the scroll for a long time without speaking.

Having just finished developing Weinan, they now have to rebuild three more counties west of Xianyang Bridge. Just imagine how much work that will take…

The documents approved by the First Emperor were orders, and the duty of the Prime Minister's office was to carry out those orders.

Before the previous document could be issued, this one arrived, leaving Zhang Cang feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Li Si patted Zhang Cang on the shoulder and said, "I will go and have a talk with Prince Fusu."

Zhang Cang looked at the sky outside; it was clearly getting dark. He whispered, "The palace gates are closed."

Li Si was speechless again, almost as if he didn't know what to do.

Zhang Cang reluctantly lit the oil lamp beside him, and after lighting one, he lit another on the Prime Minister's desk. Without saying a word, the meaning was clear: let's stay up all night together.

Li Si nodded in understanding, probably resigning himself to his fate, and ordered, "Summon the Minister of the Imperial Household and the Palace Attendant."

However, as soon as he said it, Li Si realized belatedly that the position of Palace Attendant had always been held by Zhang Cang, the position of Junior Treasurer was held by Wang Ben, and the position of Junior Treasurer Assistant was held by Prince Fusu.

(End of this chapter)