The younger brother of the First Emperor

Chapter 287 The prince's younger brother presents a kidney-tonifying chair, and the Chu scholar brings a crane to Zhangtai

The Palace of the King of Qin, the Central Palace, and the Palace of Observation and Diligence in Learning.

The midday sun was at its peak, its golden rays penetrating the winter mist and illuminating the entire temple.

The hall was filled with the scent of sandalwood incense and the bamboo slips on the desk were neatly arranged, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.

After lunch, King Zheng of Qin walked slowly into the hall, took a quick look, and suddenly stopped.

He frowned slightly, his eyes fell on the chair he usually sat on, his expression obviously turned cold, his voice was low and majestic:
"Who was here just now?"

His chair is gone.

A new chair with a peculiar shape was replaced in the original position.

Someone was able to replace his seat without his knowledge. This time it was the chair he was sitting on, next time will it be imported tea?
Palace Chief, the head of a palace.

Both palace maids and eunuchs can serve in this role.

He ranked below the eunuch Ling and Changyu, and his official rank was three hundred stones.

The head of the Guanzheng Qinxue Hall was named Nuanlin, and she was originally just a palace maid.

Palace maids were engaged in physical labor such as cleaning and washing. They were the lowest-ranking palace maids and received no salary.

Once, King Zheng of Qin met him by chance on the road, stopped him, looked at his appearance, and asked him a few questions.

Five days later, Nuanlin jumped from the lowest-ranking palace maid to the head of a palace, and even the head of the Guanzheng Qinxue Palace where Qin Wang Zheng often stayed.

Nuan Lin is eighteen years old this year, and she was born with a pair of peach blossom eyes. When she looks at people, her eyes automatically move, like spring water rippling.

She had a plump figure, especially big places where they should be big, which seemed too prominent in the Qin people's aesthetic taste.

A few days ago, Chang'an Jun, who often came to observe government affairs in the Qinxue Hall, once joked that he should not be called Nuanlin, but Henrun.

Palace Chief Nuanlin bowed slightly, revealing the back of her snow-white neck, and replied in a voice as gentle as a stream:
"Mr. Chang'an."

"My brother." Qin Wangzheng's face quickly turned from cloudy to sunny, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and a smile flashed across his eyes: "He just changed his chair and left?"

Nuan Lin had two dimples on her cheeks.

Thinking of how Chang'an Jun had just rushed around in the hall, pushing the chair like a chariot, he smiled and responded:
"Yes."

"This brat..." King Zheng of Qin also laughed, and the sleeves of his black robe rippled with his movements.

He walked over to the new chair and ran his fingertips over the carvings on the back.

With just a quick glance, King Zheng of Qin discovered many differences in the new chair.

Ordinary chairs have three or four legs, but the new chairs do not have legs in the usual sense.

Below the seat is a large, thick yellow metal tube with a bright sheen.

The yellow metal tube is connected to the center of the chair seat at the top and to five thin and small black metal tubes at a 30-degree angle to the ground at the bottom.

Five black metal tubes are arranged in a five-pointed star shape, with a yellow metal tube at the top and five at the end...

"Wheels?" Qin Wangzheng tapped the metal wheel with his fingers, and a look of surprise appeared on his brows: "This chair can still move?"

Nuan responded with "yes" again.

Chang'an Jun was pushed in, like a small carriage!

King Zheng of Qin did not hear Nuan Lin's response, his mind was all on the new chair.

He couldn't wait to lift his robe, sit down, and push hard with both feet.

Bone rolling rolling
The chair carrying King Zheng of Qin moved back three steps, and the long shadow of the chair was reflected on the blue brick floor.

King Zheng of Qin patted the gilded armrest and a light laugh escaped from his throat.

Before the laughter even left his throat, his face immediately turned serious:
"I'm used to making useless things!"

Installing wheels on the chair is of no use to King Zheng of Qin. It is just flashy and impractical.

There is no need to move to read the memorials.

[It's quite fun.] The fifteen-year-old Qin Wang Zheng stood up, his sleeves wafting with a slightly reluctant breeze:
"Withdraw."

Losing one's mind by playing with things.

His younger brother can do whatever he wants and play as much as he wants, but he can't.

He is the King of Qin.

The eunuch standing by came forward and moved the chair.

Nuan Lin saw this and became a little anxious.

"Your Majesty." She bowed slightly, attracting the attention of King Zheng of Qin, and her heart skipped a beat.

Relying on her status as a direct descendant of King Qin Zheng, she tactfully advised him after he issued the order to move out:

"Chang'an Jun said that this is an ergonomic chair with adjustable head and backrest, which will make it much easier for the king to review memorials."

"Oh?" King Zheng of Qin became interested again.

With a wave of his hand, the two eunuchs who had not yet reached the chair bowed slightly and took small steps back to their seats.

The fabric rubbed against each other, making a rustling sound.

"Review memorials? My brother is good at talking, but I can only flip through them right now." With a self-deprecating smile, King Zheng of Qin sat down for the second time and leaned back slightly.

The back of the chair moved!

The sound of the mechanism snapping together was like a mouse gnawing on a beam.

King Zheng of Qin leaned his body sixty degrees, half lying on the chair, and when he closed his eyes, his eyelashes cast a small shadow under his eyes.

He didn't know if it was a psychological effect, but he felt that lying on this chair was more comfortable than lying on the big bed in the bedroom.

"Chang'an Jun said that the back of this chair is carved according to the curve of Your Majesty's body shape. There is a small cushion under the back of the chair to support Your Majesty's waist. Sitting often can nourish the kidneys." Nuan Lin was a little embarrassed: "The small backrest on the top of the chair is an independent mechanism, specially for the head, and it can also be moved. Your Majesty can try it."

"Replenish the kidneys?!" Qin Wangzheng suddenly opened his eyes and interrupted abruptly, half-believing and half-doubting, "Cheng Jiao is exaggerating, right? What kind of human body chair can replenish the kidneys?"

Palace Chief Nuan Linxing closed her mouth, swallowed the words that were about to come out of her mouth, and turned to answer the king's question:
“Chang’an Jun said that if the king doesn’t believe it, he can summon the imperial physician.

“The ergonomic chair was jointly produced by the workshop and the Imperial Medical Bureau.

"The royal doctor drew the king's skeleton and muscles, and the craftsman is said to have designed a chair."

"Send the order from the imperial physician." Qin Wangzheng tapped the armrests with his fingertips, the sound was fast and frequent.

Call me if you want!
If it was just a chair for enjoyment, King Zheng of Qin would never accept it.

He was a traditional king who held the same view as his father - that ease and comfort would lead to debauchery.

You can enjoy yourself as much as you want in the bedroom, but you must never think of enjoying yourself when you are governing the country.

But if you say it can nourish the kidneys... King Zheng of Qin thinks his father is too old-fashioned.

If the Qin State wants to grow stronger, how can it stay in the old ways? It must learn to accept new things!
While waiting for the imperial physician Li Yue to come, Qin Wangzheng lay down again, tilted his head back, and explored the function of the new chair:

"What has Cheng Jiao been busy with recently?"

Zhao Gao, the chariot officer standing beside Qin Wangzheng, bowed slightly:

"Chang'an Jun has been running to the workshop recently. He has transferred soldiers who have participated in the war in the past fifty years from the Taiwei Mansion, and bought more than a dozen properties in Xianyang..."

"That's enough, that's all. You haven't done anything serious." Qin Wangzheng was indignant. "Bai Ma accused him of treason in front of me, and there are witnesses and evidence. The Supreme Court can make a judgment based on this and punish his entire family. But he doesn't take it seriously at all. At least come to me and explain himself..."

While speaking, King Zheng of Qin seemed to have forgotten that it was he who asked his brother to do whatever he wanted.

I am afraid that my brothers will be unhappy, and I am also afraid that they will be too happy!

As he spoke, his voice gradually became weaker and weaker until it disappeared.

He lay in the chair, staring at the dome in a daze:

[With the Bai family gone, many important positions have become vacant. This is a great opportunity.]
[Before the Bai family is destroyed, I need outside talents, talents who are only loyal to me!]
[My great-grandmother’s people, my mother’s people, my uncle’s people, the people of Bashu…]
[It can be trusted and used, but cannot be fully trusted.]
"The writer of the plaque in the academy." King Zheng of Qin said abruptly without any context.

Zhao Gao was not surprised, as he had long been used to it.

Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. Zhao Gao made a lot of preparations, and Li Si's information was one of them.

He spoke slowly and steadily, like an unrolled scroll:

"Li Si was from Shangcai, Chu State.

"At first he was a minor official in the county, and later he entered the Jixia Academy, where he became a disciple of Xunzi and one of his two most outstanding disciples.

"Although I was not called a son in the Jixia Academy, I had the knowledge of a son and was called the son without a son.

“He proposed the rat philosophy.

"The granary mice eat rice in peace, while the toilet mice eat dirty food in panic.

“He used mice as a metaphor for people, believing that human ability is secondary, and the most important thing is to choose the environment in which you live.

"He came to our country on his own and was valued by Prime Minister Lu. He is one of the twelve most valued retainers of Lu."

King Zheng of Qin closed his eyes and suddenly raised his hand like a gate to cut off the flood.

Zhao Gao stopped talking at the right time, and his Adam's apple rolled as he swallowed the words he was about to say.

"Call Li Si." Qin Wangzheng put down his hand and said, "Continue speaking."

The two orders did not name anyone.

Palace Chief Nuanlin and Chariot Officer Zhao Gao looked at each other.

The former, holding up her skirt, trotted towards the palace gate, her golden hairpins fluttering at her temples, and told the eunuchs waiting outside to pass on the message to Li Si. The latter bowed at a perfect angle, lowered her head slightly, and continued:

"Li Si has a wife and a son, both of whom are in Shangcai, Chu. He is now Mr. Zhangtai, and is one of the first people to master the new Qin script..."

An hour later.

At the corner of the central palace corridor.

Li Si, who had entered the palace but had not yet met the emperor, met Li Yue, the imperial physician, who had just finished the meeting.

Turn sideways, bend slightly, and avoid.

This day.

Li Si met King Zheng of Qin.

As the night watch sounded in the palace, his Chu accent gradually took on the sonorous sound of Qinqiang.

The curfew is over.

Three days later.

Several letters from Qin to Chu.

The post horses trampled the thin frost on the official road, and the seal mud was faintly scented with the light fragrance of the wooden back of the ergonomic chair.

Nearly a month later.

At Zhangtai Academy, the winter sun shines obliquely on the bluestone steps.

Between the grey tiles, the newly painted black beams and columns exude the delicate fragrance of tung oil.

The snow on the roof of the Wu Palace had not yet melted, and the copper bells on the eaves jingled in the north wind.

In just over a month, this school, which was built in seven days, has undergone tremendous changes.

Originally, there were only 21 teachers and more than a thousand students in Zhangtai Academy.

And now, there are forty-six teachers and three thousand students!
Regional subdivision within the college.

At this time, from the South Garden, which was next to the wall on one side of the gate, a teacher's voice came out:
“Today we are learning The Book of Songs: Xiaoya: Heming.

"I will explain it to you while I read it.

"You should listen attentively and not be distracted."

"Yes!" The clear voice of a child startled the flock of birds foraging under the eaves.

"The cranes are calling in the Jiu Gao (one tone in Gao), and their voices are heard in the wild.

"This sentence means that the cranes are calling in Jiu Gao, and their voices are heard throughout the fields and the sky.

“The moral is that a wise man may be hidden but his name may be known.

"Don't remember the last sentence..."

Nanyuan was turned into an elementary school, enrolling only children, about a thousand in total.

The Imperial Academy was newly established in the East and West Gardens, and at that time there were more than 2,000 students.

Every student entering the Imperial College needed the written approval of Qin Wang Zheng, who was the chief academic officer of the academy.

They were much older than the students in the enlightenment school, came from all over the country, and had some fame in the local area before they entered the school.

However, although he was well versed in the classics, he still had to learn to read again - the New Qin script.

First of all, learning is a must.

Ying Zi teaches him personally, once every three days.

Yingzi had no clan name and his name was Chengjiao.

The only younger brother of King Zheng of Qin, Lord Chang'an.

He was appointed as the chief academic officer of the Imperial College and was in charge of the Imperial Academy.

His reputation spread far and wide, and people all over the world praised Prince Chengjiao as a virtuous man.

The sound of horse hooves came from far away. A single black-covered carriage from the Bashu Horse Company rolled over the thin ice and slowly stopped more than ten steps away from the gate of Zhangtai Academy.

The driver's nose was red from the cold, and he breathed white air as he pulled the reins gently.

After a long sigh, he turned around and smiled flatteringly at the carriage:
"Sir, we have arrived at Zhangtai Academy."

The car curtain moved slightly, and the joints of the outstretched fingers were clearly visible.

A long-bearded man with his hair tied up, a crown, a long robe with wide sleeves, dressed in typical Confucian scholar attire, came out bowing.

Reaching into his arms, he saw three copper coins gleaming green in the morning light.

Under the eager gaze of the driver, the scholar picked up one coin, handed it to the driver, and put the rest of the money back into his arms.

The driver nodded and smiled, taking it with both hands.

He glanced at the Confucian scholar putting the other two copper coins into his arms, and the corners of his mouth twitched.

Did you put any of the money you took out back into the account?

Before he pulled the scholar, he looked at his appearance and clothes, thinking that he would definitely get a reward this time, and maybe even some gold beans.

But who would have thought that this Confucian scholar who came all the way from the State of Chu only paid one penny for the fare, not a penny more.

The driver turned around and put away his smile, driving the carriage back to the carriage company in a unhappy mood, hoping that the next employer would be more generous.

The carriage returned along the same route, and the wheels left two winding tracks in the snow.

The scholar walked in confidently until he reached the two black lacquered doors that were over ten feet tall. He looked up at the plaque and was slightly startled:
"What is this text?"

He was proficient in ten languages, one of which was Qinwen. But he didn't recognize any of these four characters.

He knew that the words on the plaque were most likely "Zhangtai Academy", so he looked at the four large characters intently, trying to find the connection based on their shapes and meanings.

Can't find it.

"Why can these four words be pronounced 'Zhangtai Academy'?" the Confucian scholar murmured to himself.

He couldn't find the basis.

This is not in line with the Qin culture, nor with the culture of Xia, Shang and Zhou, nor with the culture of any country in the Central Plains today.

[Could it be that this character is the language of the Hu people? The Zhao people wore Hu clothing and rode and shot, and the Qin people could read and recognize Hu characters?] The Confucian scholar found joy in the midst of hardship.

Even though he already knew the answer, he couldn't even work out the reverse process.

I haven't even entered the door yet, and my already low spirits are almost gone.

After a moment, he sighed and stopped dwelling on the matter.

"That's it. At least we've come to the right place."

Although he did not recognize the characters, he recognized the handwriting, as it was written by his junior fellow apprentice Li Si.

He shook his robe lightly, and the sword at his waist swung.

The north wind blew up the corners of his robe, revealing the fabric at his knees that was worn away by the long journey.

He stepped up the steps, bowed to the guard on the right side of the academy gate, and said gently:
"Please tell Li Si and Bo Fuqiu to come and see me."

Fuqiubo was Xunzi's first disciple.

The guard on the right looked at Fu Qiubo's sword and the jade pendant on his waist for a moment, and asked Fu Qiubo to show his ID card.

Photo sticker, Qin ID card.

Soon, the guards confirmed that the photo was not forged and the portrait on it was of the original person.

He nodded in response, called for the reserve guards to take over his duty temporarily, and ran towards the academy.

I had just run about ten steps when I heard a colleague exclaim from behind, and also heard a "fluttering" sound.

[What happened?] He was suspicious. Ordinary things would not make them, who had crawled out of a pile of dead bodies, scream out in surprise.

He looked back and couldn't help but let out a cry of surprise.

Two white cranes flew down from the clouds, their snowy feathers shining in the sunlight and their red crowns looking like they were dotted with cinnabar.

When they folded their wings and landed beside Fuqiu Bo, the wind they created swirled up crystal chips all over the ground.

The thin scholar, who had originally had a solemn expression on his face, smiled slightly and stroked the crane's neck feathers with his skinny fingers.

When he raised his arms, his sleeves fluttered like clouds, his clothes fluttered, and he exuded an air of transcendence.

The white crane that he stroked was very happy, rubbing its feathers and poking its head out. Its long beak accidentally hooked the belt around Fuqiubo's waist, and it stretched its neck and cried loudly.

The sound is high-pitched and long, one after another.

When the third crane cry pierced the sky, the red doors of the Xianyang government office opened one after another, and officials in red robes hurried out of the office to see what was happening.

But I saw a man and a crane walking together in front of the gate of the academy, as if they were immortals in a painting.

At that time, from the West Garden of the Imperial Academy came the clear sound of children reciting in unison:
"The cranes are calling in the nine ridges, and their voices are heard in the wild..."

The tender voices of children and the clear cries of white cranes mixed together, startling the last handful of snow on the roof of the veranda.

The first year of the reign of Qin Shi Huangdi, January, ninth day.

Fuqiu Bo brought a crane to Zhangtai.

(End of this chapter)