The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 85 The Young Master and My Sincere Heart

When you travel from the rainy season in Sichuan to Guanzhong, and emerge from a mountain path, you'll find yourself in a breathtakingly open field. As far as the eye can see, there are endless fields of grain, with golden grains shining brightly in the sunlight.

People feel a deep sense of happiness when they see fields of grain.

At this moment, the group of people who came out of the mountain path were stunned.

It had been a very long time since they had seen such a vast plain and so much grain.

Some people were grinning foolishly, even forgetting to speak.

One group of people after another emerged from behind, and the small mountain path gradually became crowded.

These thousands of people seemed to have emerged from the clouds and mist of Sichuan and arrived in Guanzhong in the blink of an eye.

The scorching sun was still shining brightly overhead, and everyone finally came to their senses and looked at Du Shuichang.

The fields were vast, but there was no one to be seen.

"We'll rest here for an hour, and then head to Xianyang after noon."

Upon hearing the instructions of the water chief, everyone sat down on the spot and took out their own dry rations in twos and threes.

Then everyone saw that Du Shui Changlu had left.

After waiting there for half an hour, Du Shuichang returned with some garlic. He ate his dry rations while popping garlic into his mouth.

When he was in Sichuan, he heard that people in Guanzhong loved to eat garlic. He went to a nearby village and asked several households before he could exchange two pancakes for half a head of garlic.

At dusk, the group finally made their way to Xianyang City.

After traversing the heart of the Guanzhong Plain, the group traveled for three days and arrived at the city of Xianyang.

Inside Zhangtai Palace, Fusu was reviewing documents from various counties, while Prime Minister Li Si stood beside him.

"Young Master, Prime Minister, the water level has risen."

Upon hearing this, Fusu noticed that Li Si was also looking at him and said, "Please invite him here."

The guards hurriedly went outside the palace.

Li Si stood beside the prince, believing that what the prince wanted most right now was a map of the south, just as the First Emperor did.

The main hall of Zhangtai Palace is still empty, and the prince is handling state affairs here as usual.

Tian An entered the hall, bowed, and asked, "Young Master, is it time for dinner?"

Fusu said, "Someone very important is coming. Let's wait a bit."

Tian An retreated outside the hall.

Before long, Du Shuichang was led into the main hall by the guards. Behind him, the guards carried boxes of bamboo slips, which were Du Shuichang's work records and very important notes.

"Lu pays his respects to the young master and the prime minister."

Fusu stood up and said, "No need for formalities."

Upon hearing this, the water chief finally stood up straight.

Fusu addressed the people outside the palace: "Tian An, bestow upon me a meal."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tian An brought three bowls of cold noodles into the hall and gave one bowl each to the young master, the prime minister, and the head of the waterworks.

Fusu did not start eating first, but instead picked up a bamboo scroll from the box, opened it and looked at it carefully. This scroll contained various records of the Lingqu Canal construction process.

Seeing that the other person was still hesitant to eat the noodles, Fusu said, "What? Three years have passed, don't you recognize me?"

Before the other person could speak, Fusu said, "Sit down and have some noodles."

"Thank you, sir."

Lu slowly sat down to the side, picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of noodles. It wasn't that he didn't recognize him after three years, but seeing the young master now, he realized that he had changed quite a bit.

He then remembered that when he left Guanzhong, the young master was only seventeen years old.

Looking at these documents, Fusu finally found a roll of cloth in the box. Opening the roll revealed a map of the Lingqu Canal and Guilin Prefecture.

Li Si finished the noodles in his bowl in a few bites, put down his chopsticks, and said, "I will now hand this map over to Your Majesty."

Fusu said in a low voice, "Thank you for your help these past three years."

“The Lingqu Canal had to pass through mountains of varying heights during its construction. If it weren’t for your prior instructions, Your Highness, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to prepare so well.”

Fusu said, "The court will arrange rewards for you and the other soldiers. Now you should go home."

"My minister retire."

After Du Shuichang left Zhangtai Palace, Fusu remained seated, looking at the scrolls of records.

There are three boxes full of files on the construction of the Lingqu Canal. Most of them record the names and hometowns of the craftsmen who built the Lingqu Canal, as well as many details about Guilin Prefecture.

Fusu put down the scroll in his hand, sat down, and quietly ate his cold noodles.

A palace maid stood hurriedly outside the hall, unsure whether she should come in or not; she was in a dilemma.

Fusu looked out of the palace. Because the Zhangtai Palace was so large, he could only see a figure outside from inside the palace.

Tian An came in from outside the hall, bowed and said, "Young master, the lady is not feeling well, it seems she is pregnant."

Fusu put down his chopsticks and bowl, and then said, "Send all these files to the Prime Minister's residence."

Tian An nodded and went to make the arrangements.

At Gaoquan Palace, Fusu entered the hall and saw a woman asking him questions.

Wang Tang'er was a little nervous when she was asked the question, and she frowned and remained silent. When she saw that it was the young master, she bowed and said, "This is the old lady from Pinyang."

The old woman said, "Congratulations, young master, your wife is pregnant."

The old woman added, "The pregnancy isn't showing yet, but it will be more certain in a couple of months."

Fusu said, "Thank you."

The old woman waved her hand and said, "Young master, there's no need for thanks. This is a message from Lord Pinyang, asking me to visit your wife."

Seeing that the person was about to leave, Fusu said to Tian An, "See Grandma off."

With a broad smile, Tian An even pulled out a bag of gold beans from somewhere and gave it to the old woman.

The old woman initially refused to accept it, but after Tian An repeatedly asked her, she finally accepted it.

Wang Tang'er said, "I wasn't feeling particularly unwell. I was just delivering a letter to my grandfather, and he sent someone over."

Fusu asked, "What would you like to eat tonight?"

She smiled and said, "It would be good if there was plum juice, and even better if there were pickled radishes."

……

Late at night, Fusu looked at his wife, who was fast asleep beside him, for a while, then got up and went outside.

The night breeze was a bit cool in the summer night, and I don't know if it was because I was too happy.

The Lingqu Canal was indeed completed, and his wife became pregnant.

Fusu sat on the steps of the sleeping quarters, looking up at the starry sky.

It was late at night when Fusu heard faint voices.

Fusu stood up and took a few steps closer, discovering the source of the voice and noting that it sounded somewhat like a sob.

The memorial tablet of Empress Dowager Huayang was still brightly lit, while Tian An knelt beside it, sobbing and talking to the tablet.

Fusu withdrew his gaze and left. Tian An was an old man who was easily moved to tears. However, his tendency to cry did not prevent him from being a strict eunuch who was also strict with himself and others.

The night wind blew across Xianyang, heading all the way to the northern suburbs of the city.

In the northern suburbs, inside the Lin Guang Palace, it was late at night, and many of the palace servants were fast asleep.

Inside the main hall of Lin Guang Palace, candles were still lit. Ying Zheng stood in the hall, repeatedly looking at the map in his hand, and asked, "Has Fusu met him?"

Li Si bowed and said, "Your Highness has already met with the Chief of Waterways." Ying Zheng said, "Chief of Waterways? I remember he was introduced by Feng Quji."

Hearing the First Emperor's deep voice, Li Si maintained his bow and replied, "Indeed."

Ying Zheng placed the map on the table. He expected that two more maps would be delivered later: one of Tu Ju's Xiang Commandery and the other of Zhao Tuo's Nanhai Commandery.

Ying Zheng asked, "How do you think I should reward him?"

Li Si bowed and said, "I believe he should be granted a title, just as Zheng Guo did when he built the canal."

The hall remained quiet for a long time.

Li Si waited for the First Emperor to speak.

Ying Zheng said in a low voice: "Grant him the title of Grand Master of the Fifth Rank, a fief, land and houses, and three thousand gold pieces. Also, exempt his direct descendants from three generations of corvée labor."

Li Si bowed and said, "Your subject will make the arrangements immediately."

"Wait a minute."

Li Si bowed once more.

Ying Zheng took out a scroll of bamboo slips and handed it to him, saying, "Take a look."

Li Si took the bamboo slip with both hands, opened it, looked at it for a moment, and asked, "This is..."

"This is the book taught in Jingye County."

Li Si saw one of the sentences: "The sage does not seek to emulate the ancients, nor does he follow the established rules." These were words left behind by Han Fei.

This means that we must always be vigilant and correct laws that are outdated and detrimental to the current situation.

Han Fei advocated for reforms that kept pace with the times, emphasizing that any reform must be appropriate for the present situation.

Then there's more: "The law does not favor the powerful, and the rope does not bend..." This means that the law must not show favoritism to the powerful and wealthy...

"Fusu taught these words to the children in Jingye County."

Li Si hurriedly replied, "I learned years ago that Prince Fusu is a great lover of Han Fei's books."

Ying Zheng said, "It seems that Fusu truly regards Han Fei as his teacher."

Upon hearing this, Li Si's expression became somewhat uneasy.

Ying Zheng then asked, "Do you think this is a good thing?"

Li Si said, "In my opinion, this is a good thing."

"Hmm." Ying Zheng responded with his back to Li Si, waving his hand to indicate that he could leave.

Li Si walked outside the hall and was greeted by a gust of cold wind, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

On the way back to Xianyang, Li Si sat in the carriage, thinking about the First Emperor's words.

Prince Fusu loved reading Han Fei's books since he was a child. He once said that although he had never met Han Fei, he had long regarded Han Fei as his teacher.

Li Si looked out through the small window of the carriage. Dawn was breaking on the horizon, and before he knew it, daylight was approaching.

It is certainly good for the young master to read Han Fei's books, Li Si thought of what happened back then.

At that time, the First Emperor wanted to use Han Fei, but he was wary of Han Fei's status, as Qin was then launching an eastern expedition against the six states.

Now, if Prince Fusu were to implement Han Fei's ideas, everything would seem perfectly appropriate and without any contradictions.

Li Si was even happy for the prince and the First Emperor.

As Han Fei once said, "Clever deceit is not as good as clumsy sincerity." Being good at crafting words or deceiving is not as good as being clumsy and sincere. Sincerity is more important than clever words.

In fact, over the years, the young master has been surrounded by people like Meng Tian, ​​Zhang Han, Xin Sheng, Wang Ben, Zhang Cang, and Cheng Miao.

Upon closer inspection, Li Si's expression became more enlightened. The people the young master employed were all honest and sincere; they were all genuinely sincere individuals.

There are no flatterers around the young master, nor are there any cunning people.

It turns out that year after year, the young master's principles and methods of conduct all had hidden reasons.

How perfectly it aligns with the sincerity and honesty advocated by Han Fei!

As they were pondering this, the carriage arrived in Xianyang City, and the morning sun was already bright on the horizon.

As Li Si stepped off the carriage, a cold wind blew through him. Standing there, his expression thoughtful, he headed towards Xianyang City.

At this moment in Pinyang County, an old woman was brought before Wang Jian, the Duke of Pinyang, by a servant of the Wang family.

This old woman was the one who treated Prince Fusu back then.

After hearing what the other party said, Wang Jian asked, "Is it true?"

The old woman bowed and said, "I dare not hide it from you, Lord Pinyang. I have delivered hundreds of babies and have been working on this for many years. Your wife is pregnant, there is no mistake. But it is still early for her to become pregnant. I will go and inquire again next month."

Wang Jian spread his arms and let the servants around him help him put on his outer robe. He looked at the old woman who was bowing and standing there, and asked, "Does the First Emperor know about this?"

"I only told Prince Fusu about this." She held up a cloth bag with both hands and said, "This was a gift from Gaoquan Palace, and I dared not touch a single bit of it."

Wang Jian glanced at the bag and saw that it was full of glittering gold. He said in a low voice, "Since it's a gift for you, then take it."

The old woman then took the bag back.

Wang Jian asked, "How far along is this pregnancy?"

"It has been two months since I reported to Lord Pinyang."

Wang Jian nodded slightly and said, "Prepare the carriage; this old man is going to the northern suburbs to see the First Emperor."

Upon hearing this, the servants in the household all went to make preparations.

In the mornings of Pinyang County, people leave their homes early to work in the fields. There are already quite a few people in the fields at this time, as it is early August and the harvest season is in full swing.

Bundles of grain were being loaded onto trucks, and people were about to transport the grain home.

As soon as someone straightened up from the field and looked around, they saw a carriage leaving the Wang family's mansion.

An old man said, "Oh dear, where is this Lord Pinyang going so early in the morning?"

"Is this the carriage of Duke Pinyang?" someone asked.

"Of course, his carriage was made by the old man, how could the old man not know that?"

Since Tang'er got married, Duke Pinyang has lived a secluded life, and it is said that he would not go out even for the most important matters. There are even rumors that he would not go out even if his grandson died.

However, in the eyes and discussions of many county residents, this Duke of Pinyang will still go out as usual, and no matter how loudly he spoke back then, it doesn't matter at all.

The fact that Lord Pinyang lived a secluded life was probably just because he was too lazy to go out.

This incident quickly became a laughing stock among the residents of Pinyang County.

People are still busy in the fields, and groups of three or five households leave their homes and head towards the fields.

Sitting in the carriage, Wang Jian said, "Let's go to Jingye County first."

The driver pulled on the horse's reins, and with a pull, the horse changed direction at the fork in the road, heading towards Jingye County.

The servant, not understanding what he meant, asked again, "General, aren't you going to Xianyang?"

As the carriage passed along the straight road, Wang Jian saw that the people of Jingye County were still harvesting grain as usual. He felt relieved, which meant that not many people knew that Tang'er was pregnant. He, an old man, still had time to congratulate the First Emperor.

If the people of Jingye County are already celebrating, it means that many people already know about this. You should think carefully about how to speak before you go.

Having made up his mind, Wang Jian instructed, "Go to the northern suburbs of Xianyang."

The coachman then spurred the horses toward Xianyang.

Wang Jian, sitting impatiently in the car, said, "Hurry up!"

Upon hearing this, the driver lashed out with his whip.

(End of this chapter)