The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 99 Duke Pinyang

The older brother said, "The children at home are crying loudly, so I'll head back first."

Wang Jian said, "Walk slowly."

The older brother chuckled as he carried the lamb leg home.

A cold wind blew by, making Wang Jian's white beard flutter as he watched the procession approaching.

Before long, Wang Jian's smiling expression turned into a frown as he first noticed his son, Wang Ben.

When the carriage arrived, Fusu helped his wife down from the carriage.

Wang Jian, leaning on his cane and with someone supporting his other arm, said, "Young Master."

Fusu said, "Duke of Pinyang."

Wang Jian sighed, "It's been many years since I've seen you, young master."

"My granddaughter has only been married for a short time, why does Grandpa feel like we haven't seen each other for years?" Wang Tang'er said with displeasure.

"Oh dear..." Wang Jian bowed again and said, "I am old and my memory is not good."

Fusu said, "My father asked me to bring tofu."

Wang Jian said, "Tofu? I've heard that there's such a thing in Weinan."

Tian An had someone carry a bucket of tofu into Pinyang County.

Wang Jian looked at the young master with a smile. The young master Fusu was only twenty-one years old. What a wonderful age! This was the most radiant age of his life.

Wang Jian's residence was very large, occupying almost half of the village, and it had pavilions, waterside terraces, ponds and corridors.

Fusu came to Wang Jian's house again. The last time he came was to get married, but this time he came to pay a visit.

As Fusu walked along, he discovered that even the pond had an extravagant boardwalk, and all the timber used was the kind used to build palaces.

Wang Jian led Prince Fusu across the pier, leading them to a waterside pavilion.

The pavilion is covered with white gauze. If the moonlight is good enough at night, a lamp can be lit here and its light can be seen flickering. This is an extremely luxurious decoration.

In short, most Qin people were frugal, except for General Wang Jian, whose home was extravagantly luxurious.

Wang Jian said, "I heard that Li Si gave a county in Guanzhong to you, my lord, as your private property."

"That's what happened."

Fusu did not deny it.

Wang Jian slowly said, "I've thought about it. My grandson is useless. Who should inherit this family business? Wang Ben is my son, but he's almost as old as me. I had a dream last night."

Fusu asked, "What dream did the old general have?"

Wang Jian said, "I dreamt that this mansion was burned down by a great fire, alas..."

As he spoke, the old man reached out and stroked the pillar of the waterside pavilion. He said, "When Tang'er married the young master, she did not receive any dowry. Qin Fachang taught people to be frugal and to prohibit extravagance. I dare not give this mansion to Tang'er, for fear that the young master and his wife will be gossiped about. After I die, I will give this mansion to the young master and Tang'er's child. The child is too young to understand the ways of the world, so I will entrust it to the young master to manage."

Wang Ben stood at the back without saying a word.

Fusu had heard from his teacher that because Wang Li was sent to Shangjun, Wang Ben had initially refused to let his son be sent to Shangjun, and Wang Jian had threatened Wang Ben at Hangu Pass.

Only then did Wang Ben send Wang Li to Shangjun, and only then did General Wang Jian consider entering the pass.

It wasn't that the old general was stubborn due to his age, but rather that he understood perfectly well how to ensure the Wang family's survival after returning to Xianyang.

Fusu gazed at the luxurious mansion before him.

The fact that they were able to own this residence was a gift from the First Emperor after he conquered the State of Chu.

Only with the permission of the First Emperor could Wang Jian have such a luxurious residence.

In other words, Wang Jian's decision to give this mansion to his unborn child is also for the sake of the Wang family's survival.

Of course, Fusu could also hear the old general's entrustment, that he wanted to entrust the entire Wang family to his Qin prince, and that he truly loved his granddaughter.

Fusu had planned to visit the Duke of Pinyang in Pinyang County and also make a trip to Tongguan to meet with Qingbi, a local official.

"Alright, Fusu will not refuse."

"Good, good, good!" Wang Jian said three times in a row, not even looking at his own granddaughter, and pulled Prince Fusu to walk to the other end of the courtyard.

On the north side of the mansion, there was a large room. Wang Jian opened the door and said, "Young master, please."

Fusu entered the room, which was somewhat dim. It was only after opening the window that the room became brighter.

Wang Jian picked up half a skull and said, "This is a wine vessel that was taken from the Chu King's palace and used to hold wine. It is rumored to be related to Zhao Xiangzi."

Fusu took the object and thought to himself: This skull must be very old, and I even suspect that it is a fake.

Of course, I'm not saying the old general was an imposter; it's just that the items in the Chu King's palace might not be genuine.

Wang Jian then took out another sword and said, "This is Li Mu's sword."

"Li Mu?"

Wang Jian sighed, "It's a pity that Li Mu was killed when I invaded Zhao back then. What a tragedy!"

Fusu held the heavy sword in his hand, slightly pulled open the scabbard, and saw that the sword was intact and had no rust.

Wang Jian then picked up a bamboo scroll and handed it over, saying, "Young master, this is a military treatise that I found in Li Mu's house. Unfortunately, not many have survived. I only found this one."

Fusu was holding a wine vessel in one hand and a sword in the other. He also accepted a scroll of military strategy that was handed to him. He couldn't carry any more, so he simply put it aside.

It turns out that the room was filled with spoils of war that the old general had obtained from the war between the six kingdoms.

Fusu listened patiently as Wang Jian recounted how he obtained each spoil of war, noting that the details and outcomes of some battles differed from the military reports from Xianyang.

Back then, Fusu spent a whole year reading through the files at the Imperial Censorate. Every battle that General Wang Jian fought was recorded in those files. Listening to him say this today, there seems to be some exaggeration involved.

Fusu will stay in Pinyang County for some time. Firstly, it will allow his wife to visit her relatives more often, and secondly, returning home for a while at this time will be good for her mood.

Fusu stayed here for two or three days, and usually spent most of his time with the Duke of Pinyang, or walking around Pinyang County.

While traveling through Pinyang County, Fusu listened to the old general recount how much land he owned, how he had more grain than he could eat each year, and how worried the old man was.

Fusu shook his head and smiled bitterly.

Wang Tang'er needs to stay in Pinyang for a while longer, with her grandmother taking care of her.

Moreover, Fusu noticed that his wife's mood had improved considerably after returning to Pinyang.

Tian An has prepared the horses; Fusu will be going to Tongguan today.

Wang Ben personally escorted them as always, with dozens of riders guarding them from the front and back.

As the horse was traveling on the straight road, Wang Ben suddenly said, "I hope you will not refuse my father's kindness, my residence in Xianyang is sufficient for me."

Fusu, of course, did not intend to refuse, and replied, "From now on, we are family, so there's no need to say such things."

Wang Ben's expression hardened, and he said, "Your subject obeys."

It was early morning, and the winter wind was still biting, stinging people's skin. Fusu rode his warhorse along the straight road. On both sides of the official road were the unique field scenery of the Guanzhong Plain. There was still a lot of snow in the fields that had not yet melted, and thin ice still covered the soil.

The construction of Tongguan City proceeded smoothly, and Xin Sheng would occasionally send news to Xianyang City. As the Vice Minister of the Imperial Household Department, Fusu was able to obtain first-hand information on the construction progress.

The Nine Ministers have always been in charge of national governance, and the construction of cities, land allocation, and land reclamation are all the responsibilities of the Lesser Treasury.

If it weren't for the First Emperor ordering Meng Tian to build the Great Wall in Shangjun, and the task of building the Great Wall being overseen by the current Grand Commandant Meng Wu, the task of building the Great Wall would have been the responsibility of the Imperial Household Department.

Entering Weinan from Pinyang, the scenery is desolate. Even if Weinan is humid, it won't be humid in winter; once winter arrives, people have to stop production.

If you go to Jingye County at this time of year, you'll most likely still see this person working.

People today also take breaks according to the four seasons. Throughout history, the Qin kings would order all counties to rest and recuperate during the winter.

However, Fusu felt that in the future, the people of Weinan would probably no longer be able to rest according to the seasons.

Perhaps some people will point to Guanzhong and curse the tyrannical Qin Dynasty, which did not even allow people to rest and recuperate in the winter.

Fusu didn't care at all about this.

The cavalryman rode along the official road. It was the dead of winter, and there was no one else on the road.

Every year is the same; once winter arrives, the entire Guanzhong Plain appears deserted.

The Wei River was right in front of them. The group rode their horses across the bridge, passed through Huayin County, and headed towards Tongguan.

When Fusu arrived at the small house where he had lived in Tongguan years ago, nothing had changed. There were still a few soldiers watching over it, and the gate was open.

The person living here is General Xin.

Xin Sheng smiled and said, "Young Master!"

Fusu bowed and said, "Old General."

"Hahaha!" Xin Sheng said, "This humble general has finally tasted tofu! This dish is truly delicious when cooked with mutton."

Tian An said, "No matter how exquisite the food is, it's a waste in your mouth."

Hearing the complaint, Xin Sheng added, "This stuff really wastes a lot of beans."

Tian An largely agreed.

Fusu walked towards Tongguan City, climbed up a high slope, and saw a city wall. The city wall was gray-black, and there were some soldiers walking on the city tower and the city wall.

Several craftsmen were polishing the eaves of the city tower.

As Qingbi said, the city tower and city wall were completed in winter.

Along with Qingbi, a group of craftsmen, as well as Lou Jing and Mao Heng, came out of the city to welcome him.

Outside the city walls, vendors were already hawking their wares, foreshadowing the bustling scene that would unfold here in the future.

The entire Tongguan city is built against the mountain, bordered by the Yellow River to the north and Hangu Pass to the east.

Fusu walked into the city, which was still empty except for a row of sheds with livestock inside.

There were also some rather dilapidated houses. There were not many people in the city, mostly craftsmen and laborers.

Fusu met a boy here, who asked if future residents of Tongguan could live in the city.

Fusu promised the child that all the people of Tongguan could live in the city.

Since it was already noon when Prince Fusu arrived at Tongguan, Qingbi had prepared wine and meat.

There was no tofu at this meal. Qingbi was an old Qin man from Guanzhong, and his favorite foods were strong liquor and mutton from Guanzhong.

Today, Fusu ate neither noodles nor flatbread, but instead drank strong liquor and ate stewed mutton with Qingbi and the other craftsmen.

We drank on and off from noon until night.

Bonfires were lit throughout the city.

As they were drinking, and the alcohol took effect, Qingbi started talking about how he had originally planned to come to Tongguan.

At that time, Prince Fusu allowed many craftsmen to bring their families to Tongguan and promised that they could live in Tongguan in the future.

At that time, some craftsmen were delayed for a long time due to family matters.

They were even worried that Prince Fusu would punish them, but to their surprise, the prince not only did not blame them, but also gave them farmland.

Many craftsmen still vividly remember what happened back then.

Tian An sat to the side listening to their conversation, his eyes fixed on the roasting flatbread, which was the young master's staple food.

When Tian An looked up again, he saw Qingbi leading his family to bow to Prince Fusu.

The many craftsmen here promised that after Tongguan City is completed, wherever the young master wants to build a city in the future, these twenty-odd craftsmen are willing to serve him.

At times like these, Tian An could really understand the feelings of Qingbi and the other craftsmen.

Prince Fusu is a man of his word, and they are willing to entrust their families to him if they can obtain his promise.

It is excellent that the young master has such a good reputation.

Now that there are those with blue arms, even more people will be willing to pledge allegiance to Prince Fusu in the future.

The young master was precocious from a young age, and he understood that keeping his word was of utmost importance to him.

Tian An was always happy to see someone willing to serve Prince Fusu.

As night deepened, when Fusu left, all the craftsmen of Tongguan City came to see him off.

Wang Ben was surprised to see that Prince Fusu had so many artisans supporting him. These people were not laborers, but artisans, numbering more than twenty.

If you gather a group of laborers and have these craftsmen forge weapons, the young master could even field an armored army.

Wang Ben only thought about it for a moment; of course, he knew that the young master would not do such a thing.

When passing through Weinan, Fusu visited his younger siblings in Jingye County. Since it was late at night when he arrived, his younger siblings were already asleep.

Fusu confirmed that none of his sleeping younger siblings were missing before leaving the place.

It was late at night when we returned to Pinyang County.

But upon learning that Prince Fusu had returned, the mansion, which had previously only had a few lights, suddenly became brightly lit, and more and more lights were lit.

Duke Pinyang, Wang Jian, remained seated in the front hall. Fusu asked, "Aren't you asleep yet, so late?"

Wang Jian said, "I am old and sleep lightly. Lately, I have been having many dreams."

The servant kneeling beside him was actually a servant of the Duke of Pinyang, who slept very well every night. He was sitting here because he had given prior instructions to report to Prince Fusu when he returned.

If he comes back at night, tell him in advance to wake him up.

If he doesn't come back tonight, then don't bother him.

Pin Yang Gong had already taken a nap; he was just pretending to be tired.

The servant even felt a little sorry for Prince Fusu. What a fine young man Prince Fusu was! He was polite and knew how to behave properly. He was gentle yet maintained the dignity of the First Emperor's son. Every word and action of his was dignified.

It is truly regrettable and worthy of sympathy that Prince Fusu has been deceived by the Duke of Pinyang to this day.

When he took off his cloak, Fusu even smelled the alcohol on his body.

Wang Jian said, "Prepare hot water so that the young master can take a bath."

Just as Fusu was about to express his gratitude, the old man said, "I am old and cannot fall asleep without washing with hot water."

Thus, late at night, Fusu and Wang Jian each sat in a tub, the hot water in the tubs steaming.

"Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his old ministers also bathed in this way back then."

(End of this chapter)