The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 74 Returning to Xianyang

On the way back to Xianyang, we encountered wind and snow again. It snowed heavily last night, and the snow on the roads was very thick, making it difficult for horse-drawn carriages to pass.

The group has just passed through Fufeng County and is now in Wugong County.

Wugong County was originally located south of Qishan Mountain. Now, people are moving further south to the banks of the Wei River, relocating several miles to the south.

When Shang Yang reformed the government, he re-established the prefectures and counties in Guanzhong. At that time, this place was renamed Wugong.

After Shang Yang's reforms, this place was called Wugong County.

Marching in winter is a very arduous task. The soldiers did not suffer too much when they went to Yongcheng, but the snow on the way back was too thick and the carts and horses could not pass, which was particularly arduous.

Looking at the soldiers' exhausted expressions, Fusu seemed to see in their faces what they were thinking: "I really want to go back to Xianyang. If I go back to Xianyang, I can eat hot mutton stew. I don't want to go out for ten days or half a month."

Here, a newly built village has sprung up, and Zhang Cang is in charge of the construction of the three counties here.

But now, with the arrival of winter, construction has been temporarily suspended.

Fortunately, there are large empty houses here for the soldiers to take shelter from the snow.

This place is still sixty li away from Xianyang. If we ride at full speed, we can reach Xianyang in just one day.

But now the group has six horse-drawn carriages and so many armored soldiers on foot, so the situation is quite different.

Wang Ben strode over and said, "Young Master, I have already arranged for people to clear the snow as soon as it stops."

Fusu continued walking, saying, "We've come this far, there's no rush."

"The last general takes orders."

Tian An was wiping his stove, which was his favorite item and a cherished treasure.

Fusu gazed at the beautiful scenery in the distance, looking towards the Wei River and then towards Xianyang City. The procession would arrive in Xianyang after crossing the Xianyang Bridge.

After cleaning the stove, Tian An looked at the Wei River in the wind and snow and said in a low voice, "Young master, since the Xianyang Bridge was repaired, this road has been very lively, and there are many merchants coming and going from here."

Was this road very desolate before?

"Yes, before, to get to Xianyang from this road, you had to go more than ten miles north. Now there are many more merchants and laborers coming and going."

Another benefit of building the Xianyang Bridge was that it made the transportation of grain and fodder smoother, in preparation for future needs.

It is not enough to simply acquire the Hexi Corridor; it is also necessary to govern the Hexi Corridor and strengthen the central government's control over Guanzhong and Longxi. Government orders need to be delivered smoothly, and troop movements need to be swifter.

A nation needs to expand to become strong; expansion brings land and military achievements.

These were the factors that Fusu had considered from the beginning, and also after the First Emperor decided to build the bridge.

Tian An added, "Young Master, it seems that Young Master Wang has something on his mind lately."

Fusu asked, "What's on his mind?"

Tian An replied, "Recently, at night, this Prefect Wang has been wandering around, pacing back and forth, and he will find a soldier and berate him."

After all, it was time to marry off his daughter, Fusu thought to himself.

The two stood under the eaves, their eyes fixed on Wang Ben.

Wang Ben caught two armored soldiers who were dozing off, and as expected, he scolded them severely before making them feed the horses.

Fusu was quite curious; his daughter was about to get married, and his temper was inevitably volatile.

The group was to stay here for a day, and Fusu wandered aimlessly.

The snow didn't last long; it stopped as expected by nightfall.

Fusu returned to the room, where the oil lamp was lit, and he was looking at the books he had brought from Yongcheng.

These books record the deeds of most of the Qin rulers throughout history, and most of them are related to patriarchal clan system and rites.

There are also local gazetteers of Yongcheng, Chencang, and Qishan.

What Fusu found useful were the details about Shanggui County, the terrain of Longxi Commandery, and the history of their interactions with the Western Rong.

Before we knew it, the night had deepened, and the cold wind outside was still howling.

Tian An had fallen asleep by the stove at some point, while his younger brother, Gongzi Gao, and younger sister, Yin Man, were also asleep beside him, covered with cloaks.

Fusu put down the bamboo slips in his hand and walked to the window.

Looking out now, one can see a heavily guarded area with braziers burning nearby. When the cold wind blows, the flames are whipped up by the wind and dim for a moment before returning to their bright state after the wind passes.

Fusu saw Wang Ben standing outside. Just as Tian An had said, this prospective father-in-law was pacing back and forth outside, looking quite anxious.

After watching for a while, Fusu also went to sleep early to rest.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Fusu woke up to the sound of Wang Ben shouting and cursing.

Stepping outside, one hears Wang Ben ordering many people to clear the snow from the road, while others go to feed the horses.

However, the soldier who was scolded looked aggrieved and was still holding a bundle of hay in his arms.

Finally, Wang Ben got tired of scolding him and told him to go back to feeding the horses.

The morning air was chilly. Fusu exhaled and walked to his future father-in-law's side, saying, "This place is not far from Xianyang, there's no need to rush."

Wang Ben said, "Don't worry, young master, we will definitely arrive in Xianyang after nightfall."

After saying this, the prospective father-in-law began to issue orders, and the previously loosely organized soldiers were once again gathered together.

Fusu sat in the carriage, gazing at the distant scenery through the small window.

The team set off again, and much of the snow on the straight road had been cleared.

The armored soldiers walked on both sides of the carriage. Some of them kept breathing hot air into their hands, while others held their long spears to their chests and hunched their necks in the cold wind.

Looking out, all that could be seen on the distant plains was a blanket of white snow, and there was no one around.

As night fell, the procession traveled for a while longer. Fusu, who was resting with his eyes closed, heard people talking. He opened his eyes and looked out of the carriage. He saw that there were many more pedestrians on the straight road.

Noticing the young master's gaze, Wang Ben rode up beside him and said, "Young master, Xianyang Bridge is just ahead."

Fusu nodded, his gaze still fixed on Xianyang Bridge. At the end of the bridge, there were still many merchants and laborers carrying loads on shoulder poles, and pedestrians carrying bundles walking in the cold wind.

Squads of armored soldiers had already run towards Xianyang Bridge. After they cleared the entire bridge and drove away all the pedestrians, they stood on both sides of the bridge to prevent unauthorized personnel from approaching.

Wang Ben led his troops forward once more, their horses' hooves landing on the bridge.

Fusu, sitting in the carriage, only knew that the carriage stopped for a moment and then continued up Xianyang Bridge. The noisy crowd also fell silent, and the bustling Xianyang Bridge was left with only quiet.

Sitting inside the carriage, Fusu could still hear the sound of the carriage wheels rubbing against the bridge surface.

Looking back now, one can still see the calm waters of the West Wei River in the dead of winter. Winter is the dry season for the Wei River, and the surface is very still. Looking up, one can also see the bright moon in the night sky. There is still a short distance to Xianyang City, and a fast horseman is approaching from the direction of Xianyang.

The man who arrived was Li You. He said loudly, "The Imperial Physician has ordered me to come and escort you back to Zhangtai Palace, young master."

After exchanging a few words with Wang Ben, Li You joined the ranks and led the troops to continue their journey to Xianyang.

Seeing Li You ride his warhorse to the carriage, Fusu asked, "Are you currently working under the Physician?"

The Imperial Physician is also one of the Nine Ministers, mainly in charge of the defense of the imperial city. Currently, this position is concurrently held by General Meng Wu.

In the past, the position of Langzhongling, one of the Nine Ministers, should have belonged to Meng Tian. It is possible that General Meng felt that Meng Tian's merits were not enough, so he sent Meng Tian to Shangjun to earn military merits.

Originally, the position of Langzhongling, one of the Nine Ministers, was reserved for the Meng family and would not be given to outsiders. It was appropriate for Meng Wu to concurrently hold the position.

Moreover, the Wang family also holds a position among the Nine Ministers.

Li You explained, "The Grand Commandant said that I had made meritorious contributions in guarding Shu and coordinating troops and provisions, so he appointed me as the Commandant of the Guards, still as a Colonel."

"This is most likely arranged by the teacher again."

Li You, still on horseback, nodded and said, "It was arranged by Father."

Although both are military officers, they belong to different departments. Li You is still a minor officer, but he is directly under the central government of the capital. His treatment is vastly different from before, and he is on duty at the palace gate, which is very close to his home.

"When you were in Yongcheng, you said your father only wanted a grandson and wanted to drive you away, but now he still left you in Xianyang."

Li You said, "Father, there's no need to send me away. After winter, I will volunteer to go and guard Shangjun."

Fusu repeatedly told himself that it was someone else's family matter and he shouldn't meddle, even though Li Si was his teacher and Li You was his good friend.

After repeatedly reassuring himself, Fusu calmed down, and the group arrived at the gates of Xianyang.

Wang Ben went to the army camp to report first. Tian An saw that the young master was still sitting in the carriage and showed no intention of getting off.

Even the carriage carrying Prince Gao and Princess Yinman in the back was the same, quiet in the night, especially so.

This kind of performance is what puts the generals in the army at ease. The battle-hardened soldiers know when and what actions are most dangerous.

After the city's garrison commander confirmed the situation, Fusu heard many soldiers dismounting, followed by conversations.

Li You bowed and said, "Young master, you may enter the city now."

"Okay, let's go into town."

Tian An continued driving the carriage. At this time, Xianyang City was under curfew, so it was very quiet.

The carriage traveled along the wide streets, heading towards Xianyang City.

Upon entering the palace gates, Fusu said, "Let my younger siblings go and rest first. I'll go see Father Emperor."

Tian An nodded, got off the carriage, and led Prince Gao and Princess Yin Man to Gaoquan Palace to rest.

Fusu also stepped down from the carriage, straightened his clothes, and stood in front of the palace gate, looking up at the brightly lit Zhangtai Palace at the end of his vision.

Li You had to continue guarding the palace gate, so Fusu headed towards Zhangtai Palace.

Inside the Zhangtai Palace at this moment, Ying Zheng was eating a bowl of noodles, his eyes fixed on the documents he was reading.

As Fusu ascended the high steps in front of Zhangtai Palace, it seemed that the First Emperor had given prior instructions, and without needing to report, an attendant led the prince into the main hall.

Upon entering the warm hall, Fusu walked up to his father and saw several bamboo scrolls scattered on the ground, looking quite messy.

Before his father could speak, Fusu naturally picked up the bamboo slips on the ground and then neatly arranged them again.

Ying Zheng put down his chopsticks and picked up his pen again, ready to attend to state affairs. He then asked, "Was the coming-of-age ceremony successful?"

Fusu said, "It went very smoothly."

“You’ve been away from Xianyang these past few days, and the construction in Weinan has been quite successful. You should go and take a look.”

"Now that I'm back, I'll naturally go see it when I have some free time."

Ying Zheng nodded and said, "Sit down."

Fusu sat down to one side, and then picked up the bamboo slips next to him and began to read them. The bamboo slips contained a record of Zhang Liang from an old noble family in Han, and it recorded Zhang Liang's activities over the past three years.

"I have ordered Li Si to investigate this person. He was highly regarded in Han back then, but he has run away and there is no news of him now. There are not many people that even Li Si cannot find."

Fusu saw what was written on the bamboo slips: this Zhang Liang had been to Yan, Qi, and Chu, and had met several former nobles of the six states.

However, judging from the records, Zhang Liang was not one to stay in one place for long, and he would not even stay for more than a month.

His most recent visit was to Luoyang, where he stayed for only three days. There, he met a former nobleman and asked him if he wanted to overthrow the Qin dynasty and restore his country.

However, this old nobleman did not refuse Zhang Liang on the spot. Instead, he invited Zhang Liang to rest afterward and secretly sent someone to find the county magistrate, asking him to bring troops to arrest Zhang Liang.

However, it seemed as if Zhang Liang knew in advance that the other party would do this. By the time the county magistrate arrived, Zhang Liang had already climbed out of the inn window and left. The local county magistrate searched for a month but could not find Zhang Liang.

The date of the incident was the day Yongcheng was to hold his coming-of-age ceremony.

This might be a matter of moderate importance to the Emperor, probably because Zhang Liang's repeated escapes from the Qin army's pursuit had piqued the curiosity of the Emperor and the Prime Minister.

Fusu picked up another scroll of documents, looked at it carefully, and said in a low voice, "Father."

Ying Zheng was writing on the bamboo slips, not replying immediately.

"Your subject wishes to send Li You to the Western Rong territory."

Upon hearing this, Ying Zheng paused briefly in his writing and asked, "Why?"

Fusu said, "Your subject wishes to send Li You as an envoy to see the current situation of the people of the Western Rong."

Ying Zheng said in a low voice, "Did Li You request this himself?"

Fusu then said, "No."

Ying Zheng continued writing, his brow furrowed as he wrote on the bamboo slips.

"It is because I see that Li You and my teacher are not on good terms and I am worried that something bad might happen. Although it is my teacher's family matter and I should not interfere, if we can meet Li You's condition that he does not want to stay in Xianyang, and we cannot let my teacher be distracted by family matters in his political affairs, it would be good to let Li You leave Xianyang."

Ying Zheng said in a low voice, "Do you think that if Li You leaves Xianyang, Li Si will be able to devote himself more wholeheartedly to the affairs of the country?"

Fusu nodded.

Everyone has selfish motives. Ying Zheng believed that Fusu spoke up for the sake of his friend Li You, and even tried to defend himself on the matter.

Only then does it feel like Fusu really is a young man, and this son is more human.

Ying Zheng said, "Li Si's grandson will not be able to eat any thin porridge until next year. He still needs to be fed now. Let's wait until next year. I will discuss the matter of the Western Rong with the Grand Commandant."

(End of this chapter)