Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 149, Section 148: Seize the Day
The soldier's shouts were delivered in a low voice, but that didn't prevent Qin Shi from hearing them clearly.

He sneered, "Be content! The underground palace is currently only lacking people to ram the earth. Although it's laborious, it's not like we can't survive."

"If we were building the Great Wall, and all we did was carry stones, countless people would die every day..."

The laborers responded in hushed tones, offering help, pulling, and finally giving up.

Under the scorching sun, their steps faltered.

The slender frames couldn't support the tattered burlap; some had thick necks, some had bulging eyes and yellow skin, and some had swollen bodies.

Some people who appeared to be of normal build were now hunched over, silently moving forward step by step.

The withered grass on his legs dug deep into his flesh, leaving crisscrossing bruises, clearly indicating that this was not the first time he had been bound.

On their backs, besides a straw mat, there was only an empty knapsack. In this impoverished era when soldiers had to bring their own food and clothing, chapped lips and empty bellies seemed to be the standard features of the lower classes.

These indescribable states flashed through Qin Shi's mind at a glance.

Qin Shi silently closed the window.

The silk gauze window concealed her face, but her heart pounded wildly in her chest, as if countless suggestions were about to be torn out.

Those magnificent palaces she had once praised, the Great Wall that divided the 400-millimeter isohyet and drove back the Xiongnu, and the magnificent architectural complex of Xianyang...

Every brick, stone, and piece of earth and wood has been pressed down on the bones of countless people.

The King of Qin swept across the six kingdoms; how majestic was his tiger-like gaze!

[Beneath the Great Wall, corpses stand as pillars.]

The grand undertaking and the sorrowful people are presented in different verses, and now silence appears in Qin Shi's mind, making her fall into a deep silence.

The carriage moved forward silently.

The carriage gradually quieted down because of her sudden silence and seriousness.

Princess Wen did not care about the lives of ordinary people. The emperor ruled the people, and the people should obey his orders. Besides, her father's plan was for all eternity.

What does a temporary sacrifice matter now?

As citizens of Qin, this was their duty to contribute to the country.

Prince Qian didn't pay any attention either.

He longed to become a hero, whether it was traveling a hundred miles a day or possessing extraordinary skills. Regardless of whether he would have the opportunity to gallop across the battlefield in the future, he was more concerned about such capable and extraordinary people.

Although Yan Cong was also young, he received military training and had accompanied his brothers and father to the battlefield. Even before he reached adulthood, he had already killed several enemy soldiers.

He had seen battlefields before.

There are always sacrifices in war. In siege battles, ladders are erected high, but the city walls are covered with molten gold and hot oil.

The excrement and scalding oil were poured out, the intense heat and stinging pain burning the body, but not killing it immediately...

He also saw veterans who had frozen to death on walls for months in the dead of winter, skin and bones who collapsed in the sweltering heat, and the endless groans of the wounded in the wounded soldiers' camp.

Many people died from high fever and abscesses, and many others took their own lives in agony.

Some people return to their hometowns in their old age, only to find that their wives, children, and elderly parents have all turned to dust, leaving them utterly alone in this vast world.

The sorrow is beyond words.

In comparison, it's already quite good that these people are alive and well.

Qin Shi could tell the three were uninterested without asking any further questions.

But what these people took for granted required her to ignore and not think about, and to force herself to endure it.

But how long must we endure this?
She would wait for her opportunity, waiting for herself to rightfully become queen, gradually gain power, and slowly improve the lives of the people...

But by this time next year, how many of these people will still be alive?
"Does the King of Qin find it unbearable to see the people suffer?"

Yan Cong thoughtfully said, "The carriage is moving faster and will be gone soon."

"If they are truly suffering terribly, just order the soldiers to drive them aside."

"If the King of Qin is kind-hearted, he may reward them with two bushels of grain."

Nowadays, those who perform corvée labor have to bring their own rations, so they would be extremely grateful for such a reward.

The young man she had just praised as upright and gentlemanly now uttered such perfectly reasonable words, yet Qin Shi instantly clenched her fists. She stared intently at the silk gauze curtains on the window:
"If I want to free the people from this kind of corvée labor, what should I do?"

"This……"

Yan Cong was speechless for a moment.

If no one performs corvée labor, how can the necessary construction work be carried out?

But Qin Shi didn't seem to be asking him; rather, it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"I need to have a voice, the freedom to act and make decisions, and a team that obeys my commands..."

Only in this way can these ordinary people who are forced to perform labor be at least able to eat their fill, survive during the forced labor, and even survive like human beings.

Yan Cong was puzzled, but these were the things the Qin ruler hoped for...

When the King of Qin becomes queen in the future, he will naturally be able to obtain it.

As if he had solved a problem for his lord, he said earnestly, "If Your Majesty has any orders, please feel free to send them."

Qin Shi glanced at him, his expression returning to composure:
"In that case, reward them with two bushels of grain and a jar of water."

Kind-hearted nobles often give alms when they travel. Yan Cong was used to it.

He nodded slightly and quickly gave the orders.

Looking at Qin Shi again, she had already quietly gathered up the paper on the table and then laid it out again.

This time, however, the script used in the Qin state was not the seal script, but a very simple script mixed with many distorted and strange foreign symbols.

Prince Qian, however, noticed nothing amiss and asked again, "Lord Qin, the journey has been long. Are there any other stories to tell?"

Qin Shi looked up at him and said, "If the prince is bored, I will have someone send two bamboo scrolls to read."

Prince Qian immediately shook his head: "I'm sleepy, I should go back to the carriage to rest."

After saying that, he turned and left without looking back.

Princess Wen, however, was perceptive and had already noticed that she was not at peace. At that moment, she looked out the window again:
"Qin Qing is overthinking things. The people of Qin have always lived this way. Compared to many tyrannical and incompetent rulers, Father has already brought peace to the land and spared it from the suffering of war."

After saying that, she also got up and went out of the carriage: "It's hot, I'll rest for a while too."

Qin Shi's hands didn't stop moving.

On the huge piece of parchment paper, the mind map roughly planned out everything she needed to do, emphasizing that each step should be taken slowly and patiently.

She gently put down her pen.

With this plan, it will surely perfectly match the ideas of a great emperor like King Heng of Qin.

Her life was simply a matter of proceeding with moderation and composure, a smooth and predictable path ahead.

However, thousands of years later, another great man said the same thing:

So many things, always urgent; the world turns, time presses on.

Ten thousand years is too long; seize the day.

　In this tiny world, a few flies bump into walls.

　　A buzzing sound, a few shrill cries, a few sobs.

　　Ants climbing a locust tree boast of a great nation; how easy is it for a mayfly to shake a tree?

　　A west wind blows, leaves fall in Chang'an, arrows fly and whistle.

　　So many things are urgent; the world turns, and time presses on.

　　ten thousand years is too long, fight for now.

　　The seas are churning with furious clouds and waters; the five continents are shaking with thunder and lightning.

　　We must eliminate all harmful pests and be invincible.

　　I probably don't need to tell you whose poem it is...

　　[This chapter depicts a significant shift in Xiaoshi's psychological rhythm and mindset, so it was written a bit slowly.]

　　(End of this chapter)