Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 298, Section 297: The Hen Crows at Dawn
"Ridiculous."

Qin Shi pushed the papers in his hand aside and looked at the middle-aged man standing proudly below him, offering a casual comment.

This was Mr. Wutong, the headmaster of the Guanzhong Wutong Academy, who had come to Susu Village voluntarily after receiving the recruitment order from Wen Xun. But his first words upon entering and paying his respects were—

"Throughout history, those who recruit talent have always been kings, nobles, generals, and ministers. But the queen is recruiting talent in a farm like this, accepting all sorts of odds and ends..."

"I have come today not for fame, but to ask the Queen, do you know that when a hen crows at dawn, only the family perishes?"

The other person raised his chin slightly and stood tall with his chest puffed out. He stood there with an air of pride, clearly very confident that he would receive a reply from Qin Shi.

He wasn't wrong.

Qin Shi suppressed his smile and said, "When King Wu attacked King Zhou, he swore an oath: 'A hen does not crow at dawn. If a hen crows at dawn, the house will be ruined.'"

"What, do you think King Qin is as tyrannical as King Zhou of Shang, and that I am comparable to Daji?"

In this era, there was little to no constraint on women. Widows could remarry, chastity did not determine life or death, and women were required to perform labor, but in return, they also had the opportunity to establish their own households.

With such a promising future, Qin Shi will absolutely not allow anyone to show any bad signs!

Even someone as powerful as Ji Heng isn't afraid of her dividing power, yet this man in front of her, who doesn't even hold an official position, dares to make such bold comments, stepping on her reputation to increase his own value?!
If she humbly accepts advice now, won't someone else jump out in the future and loudly proclaim, "The empress dowager must not interfere in politics"?

"Ridiculous."

Proving oneself is the resentment of the weak, but she only needs to give orders to those around her:
“Drag him away and give him ten strokes of the cane as a minor punishment to serve as a warning to him for his disrespect towards the king and me.”

"After you've finished beating him, send him back to the Wutong Academy. And pass on my order: unless His Majesty grants a special pardon, the Qin state will not employ anyone from this man's three generations of relatives and his direct disciples."

After Qin Shi finished giving his orders, he saw the other person's eyes widen and their face gradually turn pale. He didn't even give the other person a chance to speak, but then he was slightly puzzled:
"What's your name?"

But she quickly added, "Never mind, it's not important—let's just drag it out."

With his strong hand on the hilt of his long sword, he stood three zhang away from the queen, his eyes fixed straight ahead.

Behind him, two soldiers quickly stepped forward, grabbing his arms on either side and dragging him away with remarkable ease.

The middle-aged man finally reacted, frantically kicking his robes and shouting loudly—

"You call it a recruitment drive for talented people, yet you can't even humbly accept advice! Now that I've directly pointed out the Queen's faults, why is the Queen..."

Before he could finish speaking, a soldier covered his mouth, and the dragging sound faded into the distance.

Only the guards and servants remained in the hall.

At this moment, the maid beside him frowned and spoke boldly:

"What right does such an arrogant person have to claim to offer advice? Why should the Queen be so lenient and speak of a minor punishment as a warning..."

She said this without the slightest guilt, as if the Queen had only given the other party ten light strokes, without mentioning that her family and disciples would no longer be employed.

Qin Shi sighed, a sense of compassion welling up within him:

"Anyone who can directly point out the faults of this Queen will receive a top reward."

"Unfortunately, he didn't stab me in the face for my faults, but for my merits—so naturally I should be punished."

"They are scholars who came here voluntarily. What if we beat them too badly and scare others away?"

Despite saying that, the maid carefully looked up and saw that the queen looked relaxed and at ease, clearly not caring at all about frightening her.

For Qin Shi, what she lacks now is capable people, but not so much scholars.

Especially those bookish people who only know how to spout such nonsense.

Since it's useless, it can only be used as a expendable tool to make an example of others.

She was busy writing a letter to the king, and at that moment she wrote this down in great detail, adding with extreme pity:

[Their comparison of Your Majesty to King Zhou of Shang infuriates me! Your Majesty is so talented and valiant, how dare these scholars fabricate such nonsense!]

However, if I were to be compared to Daji... Your Majesty, am I truly that beautiful?

They said I shouldn't have come to recruit talent, that it wasn't my job... but when I asked them to do it, they didn't produce any results!

They were neither generals nor prime ministers, nor did they lead their regions to prosperity. They didn't even know how to grow millet in the fields. When Your Majesty unified the six kingdoms, they didn't contribute a single ounce of effort; all they had were their rotten mouths chattering away...

[Like master, like disciple. Just look at this headmaster's magnanimity; one can tell that most of his disciples are the same. I was just angry and said those words about not hiring him; I wonder if that will affect His Majesty's selection of talent?] [With His Majesty not by my side, I have no one to confide in when I have questions or troubles. And His Majesty single-handedly supported the Qin state, unifying the world—what a magnificent achievement that is!]

Thinking about it this way, I felt my heart surge with emotion, overwhelmed with emotion beyond words.

"Your Majesty is truly remarkable! It's a pity I'm far away in Guanzhong and cannot visit you again at Zhangtai Palace..."

Subtly weaving such sentiments into the text, Qin Shi wrote it in one swift stroke, as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.

After all, people dare to say anything on the internet.

But nowadays...

“I remember your name is Huang Li? You do indeed have a sweet voice. Go and apologize to Mr. Wen for me, saying that you have failed his good intentions, and explain in detail what happened today.”

Wen Xun is currently the most renowned among her subordinates. Misunderstandings often arise from the reluctance of either side to speak, therefore, even though the matter is minor, Qin Shi still needs to demonstrate sincerity.

She didn't look down on scholars; if everyone were as capable and magnanimous as Mr. Wen, that would be exactly what she wanted.

Unfortunately, most scholars in the world have only read half a classic before they start to talk big and apply it mechanically, which is really useless.

Wutong Academy...

She was actually really looking forward to it.

……

Wen Xun is still busy working outside.

Under the Queen's command, he encountered many unusual theories and saw even more unusual objects.

Now, leading his disciples, he is passionate about integrating theory and practice, and tirelessly travels around every day.

The words on the recruitment notice were shockingly simple, yet this esteemed and talented man went so far as to offer a bowl of millet or a bowl of hot salt water to the common people, which was truly remarkable.

Naturally, the maid named Huang Li went out but couldn't find anyone.

But the recruitment drive continues.

The farmland renovation and zoning in Susuzhuang, as well as the deep plowing experiments with waterwheels and curved plows, are all in full swing.

Although the head of the village didn't quite understand the Queen's overly detailed composting concept, he was overjoyed to see the yellow oxen in the village pulling the curved plow so deep and easily turning over the land!

The deeper the soil is tilled, the better the millet harvest will be the following year.

The queen has a waterwheel that can automatically deliver water for irrigation, a curved plow, and other things like wheelbarrows and seed drills. Could it be that there really is a secret method for growing millet?

He was itching unbearably.

If the Queen hadn't already instructed that a comparison be made, I really would have wanted to ask them to try out the various secret methods as well!
He couldn't help but feel jealous of the Bai family.

These powerful figures were quick to seize the opportunity. Now, with just one year's use of tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, they can obtain this farming method for free, as well as future high-quality seeds...

hateful!

Zhuang Tou sighed inwardly, regretting why the king didn't also bestow the surrounding, more extensive lands and forests upon the queen.
Nowadays, planting medicinal herbs and fruit trees on the mountain sounds like a pretty good idea!
There was also a thick stack of secret records about chickens and ducks, and a pig castrator specially sent by the Imperial Household Department...

Those who passed the initial selection have not yet undergone further screening, but they have not been idle either.

The mountain resort is undergoing a complete transformation, from the mountains and forests to the land, and there are many things to be done, so we are short of manpower.

They do familiar farm work, and as long as they follow orders, they can have three full meals a day and millet as wages.

Who wouldn't envy this kind of life?
Later on, people no longer came simply for a bowl of millet; instead, they tried every means to be selected and have the opportunity to work like this...

Two more days passed in Qin Shi's busy schedule.

It was only ten o'clock in the morning when a servant came to report:

"Your Majesty, a letter has arrived from Xianyang Palace—written by the King himself."

He paused, then continued, "His Majesty has decreed that the Queen has been working hard and suffering injustice, so he will reward her with a nearby mountain forest to comfort her."

　They're here!!!
　　(End of this chapter)