The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 86 The Herd of Deer
Outside the Linguang Palace in the northern suburbs of Xianyang, Wang Jian was helped down from his carriage by his servants.

Wang Jian walked slowly toward Lin Guang Palace, leaning on his cane and supported by a servant.

Later, news spread that the First Emperor and the Duke of Pinyang had a very pleasant conversation, and that the Duke's wife was pregnant, which was a great joy. The Duke of Pinyang and the First Emperor both drank wine.

According to rumors, none of the other grandchildren of Duke Pinyang Wang Jian were as happy as he was when they had children.

After the young master's wife became pregnant, the Duke of Pinyang was so happy that he got drunk.

Wang Jian even repeatedly mentioned that during the war, he always thought about Guanzhong.

Wang Jian said that when he was attacking the State of Chu, he was always concerned about Guanzhong. He said that with so many troops, he was worried that the fields in Guanzhong would be left uncultivated.

They worried whether there was no one to harvest the grain in Guanzhong, whether the children in Guanzhong would go hungry, and whether the Xiongnu had moved south.

When leading troops in the field, General Wang Jian often couldn't sleep well, night after night.

The many palace maids and eunuchs standing outside the palace could all hear what Duke Pinyang was saying.

The First Emperor and the Duke of Pinyang drank themselves into a stupor in the palace, almost forgetting the time.

It wasn't until the morning of three days later that Duke Pinyang left the northern suburbs.

Then it was rumored that after returning to his hometown of Pinyang, Duke Pinyang once again declared that he would close his doors to visitors and would never go out again.

It is likely that Duke Pinyang said this as early as after Prince Fusu's marriage, and now he has said it again.

Later, rumors circulated that Duke Pinyang's health was deteriorating day by day.

That morning, Wang Ben returned to his hometown in Pinyang and saw his father eating noodles.

The old man was always in good health, and Wang Ben had long been used to his father's behavior, always pretending to be very old in public or in front of the First Emperor or Prince Fusu.

In fact, my father has always been in good health.

Upon seeing that it was his son, Wang Jian asked, "Has the wheat been harvested this year? Has anyone been sent to prepare it?"

Wang Ben replied, "I came home for these matters. The county and all the townships have given instructions, and we follow the old rules with each family."

Almost all of the fields in Pinyang were Wang Jian's fiefdom.

Moreover, the people from Pinyang were among the first to follow Wang Jian through thick and thin, including the now-aging veterans of the Qin army in Pinyang, whose sons and grandsons had all fought alongside Wang Jian.

Therefore, although Wang Jian controlled the fief of Pinyang, nothing really changed there.

Wang Jian treated his old friends in Pinyang with special care; he would even send some food to any family that was short of it.

Wang Jian recalled the agreement he made with Li Si over the Jingye Canal and laughed, "100,000 shi of grain, haha... This is the second year already. If you, my lord, can return 100,000 shi to Li Si, would Li Si dare to accept it?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ben sighed inwardly that his father was actually a very vengeful person.

Although Li Si was the prime minister of Qin, his father still looked down on him to some extent.

My father still remembers being tricked by Li Si back then.

Wang Jian waved for the servants to leave, leaving only the father and son in the room.

"Is the young master now serving as the Vice Minister of the Imperial Household?"

Wang Ben nodded.

Wang Jian said with a stern face, "Li Si is teaching Prince Fusu, yet he places Prince Fusu under your command, the Junior Chamberlain. What is Li Si's intention?"

"The appointment of the young master as the Vice Minister of the Imperial Treasury was arranged by the First Emperor."

Wang Jian sneered, "That was Li Si's suggestion to the First Emperor. The First Emperor has always been like this. When he was still the King of Qin, how many people did he kill in Xianyang? The First Emperor will consider the Wang family, but he won't consider the Wang family too much."

Wang Ben sat cross-legged, listening quietly to his father's words. His father knew the First Emperor's shrewdness well, which was why he gave so many admonitions.

Changing the subject, Wang Jian sneered, "That Li Si... Heh, others may not know what Li Si is thinking, but how could I not know? Li Si hopes that Prince Fusu can sit in the position of Shaofu and be ranked among the Nine Ministers."

Wang Jian scooped out a bowl of noodles from the earthenware pot and said, "Now Li Si hopes that Prince Fusu can sit in the position of Junior Chamberlain. Before long, Li Si will put Prince Fusu in the position of Junior Chamberlain, and before long, Li Si will put Prince Fusu in an even higher position."

At this point, Wang Jian looked at his son, whose temples were already gray, and said, "Let's give in if we should. With Tang'er here, Young Master Fusu will always treat our Wang family well. Young Master Fusu is a man of his word and a man of his word."

Wang Ben nodded.

Even sitting at home, Wang Ben could feel the undercurrents in Xianyang and the pressure from the First Emperor.

Was the two days that Father and the First Emperor spent in the northern suburbs truly harmonious?

I heard that my father went on an outing with the First Emperor, but the only one who actually went on and enjoyed the outing was the First Emperor.

When my father led a large army to attack the State of Chu, before he returned to Hangu Pass, the First Emperor was like a mountain weighing on the hearts of the whole family.

When the father went to meet the First Emperor again and went on an outing with him, most of the Wang family members couldn't sleep all night.

Tang'er was pregnant, and the Wang family could not remain silent. That's why her father personally went to the northern suburbs to inform the First Emperor, who was taking refuge from the summer heat.

Fortunately, when Prince Fusu went to Hangu Pass to welcome my father back, the Wang family felt much less pressure.

The Wang family needs to survive, and they need Prince Fusu.

Prince Fusu's ambition to become the future Qin emperor depended on the support of the Wang family, Li Si, the Meng family, and the people of Guanzhong.

Wang Ben knew everything, including that Prince Fusu wanted to become the next Qin emperor.

The young master practically wore his thoughts on his face and consistently put them into action.

The events in Weinan reveal that the young master desires both popular support and power.

The former prince was just a child, but the current prince, Fusu, has built canals, reclaimed wasteland, and won the hearts of the people.

Prince Fusu is a man of his word, fair in rewarding and punishing, sincere in his dealings with others, capable, and farsighted. Naturally, people will continue to come to serve him.

Furthermore, Li Si is assisting Prince Fusu.

They are giving the young master power.

……

In the Xianyang Palace today, there is a rumor, and this rumor is related to deer.

After the First Emperor went to the northern suburbs to escape the summer heat, the deer kept in the rear hall of Zhangtai Palace were left unattended.

During the sweltering heat, these deer went to Takasen-gu Shrine, where there were many people. These deer are friendly and intelligent; they know where there are many people, and people will take care of them wherever there are many people.

When these deer arrived at Takasen Palace, they were kept by the young master and his wife and raised there.

Among the herd of deer, one of the female deer is the alpha female.

The Guanzi once said that the deer herd is led by the ruler and minister.

The Book of Rites states: "Mount Linheng is home to many deer." Tian An read the letter sent by his great-grandfather Ying Xi, a member of the royal family, and said, "It is precisely because the child of the prince and his wife possesses such auspicious signs that Mount Linheng is home to many deer."

Fusu and his wife Tang'er listened quietly. The so-called Linheng Mountain is full of deer, which means that if there are many deer guarding a mountain, then there must be auspicious things in that mountain. The deer are there to protect the auspiciousness.

It is also said that deer herds often encounter auspicious omens.

When the young master's wife became pregnant, these deer came to Gaoquan Palace to protect the child she was carrying.

Fusu thought his great-grandfather's words were quite mysterious, and the more mysterious something was, the more easily people in this era would believe it.

After reading the letter from the imperial clan, Tian An asked, "Will the young master reply?"

Fusu shook his head and said, "Grandfather doesn't like being disturbed too much. His letter was just a blessing. Let's not reply to him yet. Let's reply to him after the child is born."

Tian An nodded in agreement.

Wang Tang'er walked to the edge of the fishpond and sat down. A deer came over and stood beside her, looking up at her.

Wang Tang'er reached out and stroked its head with a smile.

After having breakfast, Fusu began his day's work, with documents laid out before him. In fact, the Prime Minister had already taken care of many matters.

Once the documents have been reviewed again and both the Prime Minister and the Prime Minister have reached a consensus on the matter, they will be issued.

In fact, many of the documents approved by the Prime Minister were without problems.

After reading the documents in front of me, it was already past noon.

In the afternoon, Fusu began to reward the craftsmen who had built the Lingqu Canal.

Du Shuichanglu was granted the title of Wudaifu, which was a title that could be granted to people who had not made military achievements, in addition to the military merit system.

The Gaoquan Palace was very quiet. A deer was sleeping by the bookshelf, and Wang Tang'er was also quietly reading a book. Nowadays, she often reads the young master's books.

Many of the books here were written by Prince Fusu in recent years. Wang Tang'er frowned as she looked at them. She considered herself to be fairly knowledgeable, but reading the prince's books, she found his insights into the works of various philosophers quite interesting.

This broadened Wang Tang'er's horizons and understanding.

Fusu looked at the names one by one. These were all craftsmen who had participated in the construction of the Lingqu Canal. He needed to arrange rewards for them, and this task fell to him and the Prime Minister.

Three thousand of the craftsmen who built the Lingqu Canal remained in Guilin and Sichuan. They settled down in the south and started families. According to the Prime Minister's wishes, one thousand of them were promoted to chief engineers, which is equivalent to technical supervisors.

The remaining laborers were all granted land and houses, and the land, bronzeware, gold and silver obtained during the southern expedition were all given to the soldiers as rewards for their military achievements.

Even before heading south, Chancellor Li Si and Duke Pinyang had already agreed on the overall plan for the southward campaign, which was essentially a reward based on military merit.

The rewards were clearly priced. The military merits of the Qin Dynasty remained unchanged. As originally agreed, each decapitation would be rewarded with a new rank, and military achievements would be exchanged for land and houses. The bronze and treasures obtained would be distributed to the soldiers according to their merits, thus serving as an incentive.

Furthermore, after sending troops, they would pacify the Xi'ou and Luoyue along the way, and bring the official seals of the Yue people's leaders to Qin. If they submitted, they would be allowed to govern themselves.

Fusu frowned as he looked at the records and various names, recording each one individually.

As night deepened, Wang Tang'er helped her husband tidy up the bamboo slips he had just written on. The couple worked together in perfect harmony, silently sorting the boxes of bamboo slips and having them delivered to the Prime Minister's residence.

After Fusu finished reading all the files in front of him, he saw his wife sleeping beside him, leaning against a recliner, covered with a cloak.

Fusu picked her up and then went back to rest.

The next day, just as dawn broke, Tian An instructed the palace servants of Gaoquan Palace to clean the place.

"Grandpa Tian, ​​I heard that the Prime Minister's mansion was lit up all night last night."

Someone else said, "Last night, five large boxes of bamboo slips were sent from Gaoquan Palace to the Prime Minister's residence. How could the Prime Minister's residence not be brightly lit up all night?"

Tian An glared at the two palace maids, and the two girls lowered their heads in shame.

As the day was almost fully bright, the old woman who had previously examined the young master's wife came again, saying that she had been sent by the Duke of Pinyang to take care of the lady.

Seeing that Tang'er was close to her and was a member of the Wang family in Pinyang County, which was considered his wife's family, and that Tang'er wanted to learn some medical skills, Fusu agreed.

Tian An also felt that his wife needed an elder with medical knowledge to take care of her.

Early in the morning, the climate in Guanzhong was already tinged with summer heat. This summer seemed endless, and autumn never came. Even though it was already August, the sweltering heat persisted.

Fusu sent Tian An to the Prime Minister's residence with a bundle of bamboo slips.

The Prime Minister's residence was in a mess in the early morning, with boxes of bamboo slips still lying on the ground.

When Fusu arrived, Wang Ben, the Minister of the Imperial Household Department, also arrived.

Upon seeing the visitor, Fusu said, "I happen to have some matters to discuss with Prefect Wang."

Wang Ben said, "Yesterday, I went to Taicang. I heard that you were busy until late last night. It was my oversight, and I am ashamed."

The Taicang granary in Xianyang was the emperor's granary, and managing the granary was also the responsibility of the Shaofu Ling (Minister of the Imperial Household).

Fusu said, "It's alright. I just finished organizing and listed a lot of things. It will take Wang Shaofu and the Prime Minister to decide."

The two entered the Prime Minister's residence together and found that the Prime Minister had not yet arrived. There were three or five minor officials sleeping on bamboo slips, probably because they had been too busy last night and had all slept here.

Before the Prime Minister arrived, Fusu and Wang Ben discussed the military merits and rewards. The eight thousand men who returned with the Chief of Waterways all needed to be rewarded, and this matter had already been delayed for three days.

In the past, a delay of three days would not have bothered Wang Ben, but the young master clearly cared a lot.

As for why the young master cared so much, Wang Ben deliberately considered that it was the young master and the prime minister's ulterior motives, whether it was to gain more popular support or not. Of course, the young master's ambition was a good thing.

Wang Ben painfully endured Li Si's schemes, while as the father-in-law of Prince Fusu, he also had the intention to show compassion and support for his son-in-law.

Having heard my father's words before, I realized that even if my father and Li Si were at odds, and even if Li Si had designs on the Wang family, none of that mattered.

In other words, as the son's father-in-law, Wang Ben naturally had to hand over the position of Shaofu Ling to his son-in-law. Even if his son-in-law wanted to become the Qin Emperor, he would use all the power of the Wang family to support his son's ascension.

"Ahem..." Wang Ben cleared his throat, took the young master's bamboo slip with a serious expression, and then opened it. What came into view was a series of densely packed characters.

This made Wang Ben feel a wave of dizziness wash over him again...

The many minor officials in the Prime Minister's residence awoke, and upon waking, they first came to pay their respects to the young master.

A little over half an hour later, Li Si also arrived at the Prime Minister's residence.

……

Note: Soldiers and immigrants who went south could retain the customs and traditions of the Central Plains, while the sons of the Yue people's "chieftains" were required to learn Qin laws. This comes from modern archaeological records: the Qin bamboo slips from Shuihudi, "Yu Shu": "Correct the people's hearts and remove their evil and perverse ways."

The surrendered leaders of Xiou and Luoyue retained their status as "chieftains" and were nominally incorporated into the Qin official system. This was taken from the "Huainanzi: Human Affairs" which states, "The commander Tu Sui was ordered to lead troops to dig canals, and the Yue people all entered the thickets, none of them willing to become Qin captives. They appointed each other's best men as generals."

Granting land and housing: In the newly established prefectures and counties in Lingnan, soldiers who went south could be allocated local land and settled in Guilin Prefecture. This is based on modern archaeological records: (Liye Qin bamboo slips record "Soldiers stationed in Dongting Prefecture reclaimed land in Lingnan".)

Exemption from taxes and corvée labor: The families of soldiers stationed in Lingnan were exempt from taxes. This comes from the "Book of Lord Shang: Within the Territory" which states, "Those who capture the head of the enemy will have their families restored."

(End of this chapter)