Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 232 Eastern Tour
In the 28th year of Emperor Shi Huangdi,
In order to strengthen the submission of the remnants of the six states in Shandong to Qin, the monarch who ruled the world decided to heed the call of the Confucian scholars in Qi and go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to heaven and earth.

The emperor thought that
This action of mine should be supported by my eldest son.

after all,

This is the proposal of Confucian scholars.
Moreover, the myths about "Mount Tai" have always been circulated in the areas of Qi and Lu, and are deeply believed by the people there.

The emperor was willing to go to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices to the heavens.
In fact, it is announcing to these people that

He was willing to accept the culture and doctrines of Qi and Lu.
And demonstrate their determination to unify not only in territory but also in ideology.

This was a very obvious means of appeasement, and it was in line with what Fusu had been proposing before.

But Fusu still expressed his opposition.

He said, "If we want to tour the Qi and Lu regions in the east, then we should just tour them. If we go to Mount Tai, it will definitely waste too much manpower and resources."

"Your Majesty is the most noble person in the world. Can you walk on the narrow mountain paths trampled by common people? This is absolutely not allowed!"

"So, Your Majesty will order the conscription of civilians to build a wide and solid staircase for you, extending from the bottom of the mountain to the top."

"I heard that Mount Tai is so high that it can be connected to the sky. Now your majesty is driving the people to build a ladder to heaven. I really can't imagine how many people will die of exhaustion!"

"And this is just a small thing I did to get your Majesty to climb the mountain!"

"I dare not even imagine the other expenses of offering sacrifices to the gods!"

The emperor was so angry that he scolded Fusu again, and declared that he would not take him to Mount Tai, and confined Fusu to his home.

"Doing this, isn't it a bit hurtful to him?"

When Hei Zhuang heard about this, he came to plead for Fusu.

The emperor said sullenly, "This is an evil creature, you don't need to bother with him!"

He forbad Hei Zhuang to speak any more and only asked him to go back and prepare to accompany him to the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai.

Hei Zhuang was therefore depressed.

He returned home and said to his father, who was already old but still full of energy, "It will always be like this between your majesty and the eldest prince!"

One is heading east.
One is heading west.

One said that one should have the demeanor of a gentleman, “He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world.”

One refuted it by saying, "No one in the world has ever obtained the Mandate of Heaven by using benevolence and righteousness. Even when Tang and Wu abolished the Mandate of Heaven of Xia and Shang, they also experienced the battles of Mingtiao and Muye!"

There are too many things in this world.

This caused conflicts and quarrels between the father and son, who should have had a close relationship.

The old man, who was so old that he had lost all his teeth, laughed and told his son not to worry too much about it.

"But I think your majesty still wants Prince Fusu to be the crown prince, but the father and son have different political views, which is not a good thing for the future!"

Hei Hu said, "That's a matter for the future. Your Majesty is still in good health. Why are you worrying about what will happen decades later?"

"Besides, if Your Majesty does more now, it will be convenient for Prince Fusu to succeed to the throne."

Heihu sighed, supported his knees, and half-lying on the soft mat, enjoying his son's service of massaging his legs.

"Fusu is a kind and friendly person, and he possesses the virtues of a gentleman, which is naturally good."

"But gentlemen have always been able to be deceived."

"So a gentleman cannot be a good emperor."

"If Your Majesty does not solve the extra troubles for your descendants, will Fusu have the determination to eliminate them in the future? I'm afraid it's impossible."

"As for the quarrel?"

Heihu changed his leg and asked his son to continue pinching. "If you are really discouraged, this won't happen!"

Because of the expectation,

Want to change the other person,
That's why I would argue with him and quarrel with him.

otherwise,

Why waste your breath on someone you don't care about?
Did the emperor place Fusu in the court just to make himself angry?
Hei Zhuang then understood a little, but he still asked, "But if you don't bring the eldest son with you to such an important event as Fengshan, won't people misunderstand your majesty's intentions?"

Because the emperor's attitude towards Fusu was really unpredictable, the ministers were not sure who their future leader would be.

You should know that there are more than ten young masters.

Hei Zhuang was worried that this would make people have bad thoughts.

Hei Hu said, "Your Majesty did not bring the eldest son, so did he bring other sons?"

"That's not the case." "Does Your Majesty allow other princes to participate in government affairs?"

“That’s not the case either.”

"That's it!" The heihu raised his leg and hit his son to express his dissatisfaction with his service.

"If neither of them brings it, then the eldest son still has the advantage!"

"Besides, Sha is about to give birth, and she needs a good man to accompany her. Now that the eldest son is staying in Xianyang, this is also a good thing for her!"

纱，
It is the name of Heizhuang’s daughter.

Last year, she fulfilled the marriage contract she had made in her childhood and married Prince Fusu.

The young couple had a very good relationship and the good news soon spread.

Hei Zhuang served the emperor and knew in his heart that although the emperor did not show it, he actually valued his first grandson very much.

During the period of pregnancy,
The emperor gave her many rewards and also specially arranged for Xia Wuqie, a doctor who had made contributions in the "Jing Ke Assassination of Qin" incident, to take care of her.

"...Ah, I hope I can give birth to a boy right away!"

Now that the matter of his daughter was mentioned, Heizhuang was no longer worried about Fusu.

After all, his daughter was a jewel that grew up in his arms, but Fusu belonged to someone else's family.

Especially since she married Prince Fusu, she was destined to be caught up in the vortex within the high walls.

Hei Zhuang only hopes that his daughter can have a better life in the future.

If you can give birth to a boy directly, you won't have to endure the pain of pregnancy in the future, and you will also be protected when you are old.

The birth of the eldest grandson might even improve the twisted relationship between the emperor and Fusu.

"Anyway, I asked someone to read Sha's fortune. Her descendants will definitely be more promising than yours!"

Heihu looked up and spoke condescendingly.

He doesn't care at all. Heizhuang's descendants are actually his descendants.

Hei Zhuang immediately said, "That's not necessarily true!"

If Fusu had not succeeded to the throne, then Sha's descendants would have been just ordinary royal family members.

Because after the emperor ruled the country with counties, he did not even grant fiefdoms to his own sons.

Many princes were kept in captivity in Xianyang and did not live a free life.

Not to mention Gongsun.

But considering the status of the Hei family, who knows, they might produce several generations of important officials who may even become prime ministers in the future!

"And who did you hire to read your fortune that could even predict the future of your unborn baby?"

The black household gave the person away, "It's the Imperial Censor Zhang Cang!"

"He is a very cultured and elegant scholar!"

Hei Zhuang thought about it and found that he had no impression of this censor.

"He won't lie to you!"

Hei Zhuang suspected that Zhang Cang was just saying nice things to his old father to make him happy.

An imperial historian,
Where does the fortune-telling function come from?

"You do not understand!"

Heihu pointed to his old eyes and said proudly, "I'm very good at judging people!"

"Have you lived longer than I have?"

"Do you know as many friends as I do?"

Back then, Lü Buwei angered the emperor because of Zhao Ji's affair. The emperor wanted to exile him, confiscate his property, expel many of his retainers, and destroy the "Lüshi Chunqiu" written by someone hired by Lü Buwei...

But what's the result?
Many people were saved by black households.
The original version of "Lüshi Chunqiu" is even preserved in Hei's family!

of course,

The illegal resident was suspended from work for a year and could only stay at home and beat his children.

Recalling how he was disciplined all day long by his unemployed old father, Hei Zhuang sighed and continued to massage his father's legs.

Ten days later,
The emperor's carriage set off, leaving Xianyang in the east and heading for Mount Tai.

(End of this chapter)