Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 82, Section 81: The Fallen Star in Dongjun
Zhou Ju naturally did not send a message.

Merchants in Qin are currently of low status and strictly controlled. Only one day has passed since she made her request, and those she can summon from Xianyang are mostly low-class small merchants and peddlers.

These merchants probably never left the Xianyang area when they were trading goods. Since Qin Shi specifically mentioned it, Zhou Ju naturally had to do his best.

The summons has already been issued through the Imperial Household Department, and the news has been relayed day and night. If all goes well, after the New Year, Qin Qing will be able to see the most renowned merchants throughout the Qin Dynasty.

And the various tributes they brought.

But after the New Year...

Zhou Julue thought happily: After the New Year, it will not be a noblewoman from Qin who will summon them, but the Queen of Qin.

But now...

He stared at the various dishes brought by the palace chefs, and couldn't help but frown: "Qin Qing hasn't come to Zhangtai Palace today?"

The eunuch bowed and said, "Not yet."

Zhou Ju sighed, gritted his teeth, and turned around, attempting to persuade the King of Qin to rest.

But as soon as they entered Zhangtai Palace, they saw Ji Heng throw a scroll of bamboo slips onto the bluestone slab with a loud "thud".

He sat high up, his expression as cold as ice. His already serious and aloof demeanor became even more chilling, and his long eyes seemed to hold the potential to erupt magma at any moment.

The hall fell silent instantly. The three dukes and nine ministers all bowed down. When Zhou Ju approached quietly, he dared not utter another word.

When the king was young, he was not very good-tempered, but after he took over the reins of government, he had more and more worries about the country, which honed his patience.

When reviewing memorials, thunder and rain are more like a means of showing favor to officials; it's rare for him to lose his temper like this.

But if it happens, it will definitely be a major event with a huge number of people involved.

At that moment, the servants brought the bamboo slips back up from the ground. Zhou Ju stood to the side, glancing at them with slightly raised eyelids. He only saw one sentence, yet his heart pounded with fear—

[...A falling star struck Dongjun, turning into stone upon landing. Some commoners carved on the stone, 'The King of Qin died, and the land was divided'...]

He immediately bowed his head, stepped aside, and dared not utter another word.

Zhangtai Palace remained completely silent.

It wasn't until Ji Heng coldly asked, "What? I've already died and the land has been divided, yet none of you have said anything. Do you want to discuss how to divide it?"

"I dare not!"

Prime Minister Wang Fu and Imperial Censor Wang Xueyuan immediately kowtowed again, their heads hitting the ground with a loud thud.

The other nine ministers were even more trembling with fear, not daring to utter a single word, only cursing the officials of Dongjun a thousand times in their hearts—how could there be such audacious people under their rule?!

If you have the guts, why not rebel and instead carve words on something?
Given the frequent rebellions in the six kingdoms today, even launching a full-scale rebellion is a less serious matter than this [unscrupulous individuals taking advantage of the meteorite's impact to carve treasonous words]!
The memorial was delivered from Dongjun overnight. They had originally discussed politics with the king, and the Imperial Censor Wang Xueyuan had even tried to bring up the queen's affairs several times.

But before they could even open their mouths, such a huge bombshell dropped from top to bottom!

At that moment, his world collapsed!

Moreover, Dongjun has a unique location, situated in the heart of the Central Plains, and has always been a place with a large population and abundant grain.

To be appointed governor of this prefecture must mean he is someone the king greatly trusts. But now, such a colossal calamity has befallen his territory…

But no matter what they thought, Ji Heng's anger was obvious.

After the six kingdoms were first established, the world was not very stable. It was only because he relentlessly suppressed the rebellion that no major chaos occurred.

But the rebels from the six kingdoms were still stirring up trouble, and rebellions could break out anywhere at any moment.

The falling meteorite is already causing widespread anxiety, but to make matters worse, some lawless individuals have carved such blasphemous words on it!
He was now thirty-six years old, and the country still had not established a crown prince—he had been pondering this repeatedly these past two days, and the phrase "When the King of Qin dies, the land will be divided" truly struck a chord with his inner anxieties! How could Ji Heng not be furious!
The three dukes and nine ministers were still kneeling below the steps, not daring to utter a sound, while Ji Heng's chest was filled with layers of rage.

The wavering public sentiment and the disruption of his rule made his mind both hot and calm, and he immediately issued an order:
"This matter will be fully handled by the Court of Justice, Xin Wan. Within three days, I will order the Prefect of Dongjun, the Commandant, and the Supervisor to investigate and report back, and have this person torn apart by five horses as a warning to others."

The Minister of Justice, Xin Wan, immediately responded, but his face showed a bitter expression.

The governor of Dongjun couldn't possibly be unaware of the king's fury upon receiving such a memorial, yet he still submitted it in this manner, proving that they hadn't investigated anything at all...

That being the case——

He quickly knelt down and crawled two steps, then took the memorial and kowtowed again:
"In that case, if there is indeed someone covering it up or if no clues can be found, I implore Your Majesty to order the execution of all the common people near the meteorite."

Xin Wan was a serious-looking middle-aged man, not tall, and even somewhat thin.

Yet this thin, unassuming man is now in charge of all criminal cases in Qin's imperial prisons. He is a high-ranking official with real power, comparable to the Three Dukes.

Now, kneeling on the ground, huddled within the wide sleeves of his robe, his voice was unusually serious and earnest.

"Our Great Qin has unified the world, and the people are of one heart with Your Majesty. We must not allow such words that sow discord to spread throughout our great Qin."

Ji Heng sat firmly on the high platform and said in a cold voice:
"can."

……

After such a major incident, Zhangtai Palace was deathly silent, and no one dared to say anything more.

Zhou Ju was even more agitated. Under the pretext of changing clothes, he lingered in the side hall, unsure whether he should tell Qin Qing and calm the king's anger.

But she was also afraid that the other party might do something foolish, causing her seemingly certain position as queen to vanish.

He paced back and forth, and when he looked up again, he saw a man among the servants in the corridor who looked very familiar!
He was overjoyed and immediately summoned them:

"Did you come from Lanchi Palace?"

The other party knelt down and said, "Reporting to the Lord, I am indeed a servant of Lanchi Palace."

"By order of the Nobleman, I have brought the newly sprouted bean sprouts from the kitchen—which the Nobleman also calls 'bean sprouts'—to Zhangtai for His Majesty to enjoy this evening."

Nowadays, palace chefs have already been making bean sprouts, so it's not unusual. But ever since Qin Qing made the iron wok, stir-frying has become extremely popular.

Bean sprouts are the same; soybean sprouts can be stewed with meat, while mung bean sprouts can be stir-fried, vinegared, or served cold... There are so many ways to eat them, each with its own unique flavor.

Now that the bean sprouts that were supposed to sprout a few days ago have sprouted, and the palace kitchen served them at noon, Qin Shi immediately thought of Ji Heng, which led to this arrangement.

Zhou Ju was only stunned for a moment before exclaiming with delight, "Excellent! It really is a treasure!"

He waved the other man away, then immediately summoned a eunuch: "Go to Lanchi Palace immediately. Tell him that Prefect Zhou privately inquired whether there was anything gained from yesterday's trip to the Ironworks."

If you have gained anything—whether you have gained anything or not—it would be best to report it to the King!

Let's also help calm the king's anger!
Although he seemed to have recovered after giving Xin Wan his instructions, Zhou Ju, who had served him for a long time, knew—

The King will not let up his anger even a little bit until everything is over!
My throat is inflamed and my lymph nodes are swollen and painful. Tonight, on the second day of taking medication, I started having diarrhea halfway through writing this…

My fragile body. Hours! I really gave you the best cheat code!!!

According to the Records of the Grand Historian, in the 31st year of Qin Shi Huang's reign (218 BC), "a falling star fell in Dongjun, and upon landing, it turned into a stone. Some common people carved on the stone the words 'The First Emperor died and the land was divided.'"

The Court of Justice is equivalent to the head of the Supreme Court.

There are records of people being killed in the vicinity of the meteorite.