Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 494 What you learn is not important, what you do is.
'After setting out, follow the immortal's instructions in everything.'

'The words of the immortal are my words!'

'If anything goes wrong, you will all have to answer to me with your heads!'

Recalling the First Emperor's order before he set off, Meng Yi immediately stood up.

In full view of everyone, he stepped forward and seized Hu Hai.

Zhao Gao had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward.

"Master, save me!"

Hu Hai, who was being carried around like a chick, hurriedly begged for help when he saw Zhao Gao coming over.

This was the teacher that the First Emperor arranged for him.

"Silence!"

With a face as stern as iron, Zhao Gao rebuked, "Any further reckless words will be severely punished!"

If the immortal master truly wants to harm you, not even your grandfather could save you, let alone this old servant.

At this point, what you should do is confess, not make a scene and invite even greater punishment.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hu Hai was dragged outside the courtyard.

The courtyard gate opened, and under the watchful eyes of everyone, Zhao Gao held Hu Hai down, while Meng Yi stepped forward and punched and kicked him.

Those inside and outside the compound had all participated in fights and brawls, so they could tell that Meng Yi was really going all out, and it wasn't a deceptive tactic or trick.

This left them wondering who exactly these people were.

Lin Dao looked curiously at Fu Su, who was standing to the side with his head down and silent.

"What, aren't you going to plead for your brother?"

Given Fusu's weak character, he should have pleaded for mercy.

"Hu Hai's words and actions are dissolute." Fusu shook his head. "He should be punished."

Lin Dao found these words increasingly amusing. Had he been truly provoked into turning evil?
"Young Master Lin~" Liu Ji stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "It was just a slip of the tongue after drinking, there's no need for such formality."

Unexpectedly, it was the person who had wronged them who came to plead for leniency.

"I'm a man of my word," Lin Dao shook his head.

"This~" He had intended to say something to buy some time and let that prodigal son suffer a longer beating.

But Lin Dao's words startled Liu Ji, who quickly advised, "Today is my daughter's 100th day. Please give me face and don't draw blood."

He quickly gave a wink to someone in the courtyard.

The man also stood up, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, "I am Xiao He, the chief clerk of Pei County."

"According to the laws of the Great Qin Dynasty, those who assault and injure others shall be fined 30 days' wages, 2000 yuan, and tattooed as laborers on the city walls."

"Young master, do not disregard the law!"

"See?" Lin Dao gestured to Fusu. "The only thing truly usable in the localities is the law."

"Who has mentioned Confucianism?"

"Yes." Fusu bowed sincerely. "I have learned a lot."

Lin Dao gave him a deep look, then called out towards the outside of the courtyard, "That's enough."

The beating outside the courtyard stopped, and Hu Hai was dragged back like a dead dog.

Lin Dao laughed and scolded, "You dare to flirt with Evil Phoenix? What are you anyway?"

Hu Hai was already speechless, only crying and screaming in pain.

This public beating happened right under his nose, which put Xiao He in a very difficult position.

According to the law, he should be in charge.

These people were dressed in fine clothes and were clearly not ordinary people.

And he spends tens of thousands of coins at a time!
At this moment, one of the people who had been guarding the village entrance came over and whispered a few words in his ear.

Basically, when they entered the village, the identification they provided was from the military.

Xiao He sat down; he didn't want to cause any trouble.

Unexpectedly, Lin Dao took the initiative to approach him.

"Chief Clerk~"

How many people are registered residents of Pei County?

Upon hearing this, Xiao He immediately frowned.

This is not something you can say casually.

"According to the first report of the 28th year of the First Emperor's reign," Fusu said from the side. "Pei County is the top county, with 27,953 households and 137,915 people."

This is just a statistical figure from the household registration system, representing the number of taxes and corvée labor paid.

In addition, there are probably quite a few people who are not registered in the household registration system or are living in hiding.

The Qin Dynasty had strong administrative capabilities, but even later generations couldn't achieve complete statistics, let alone this one.

Lin Dao looked at Fusu and asked, "How many people are there in the entire Qin Dynasty?"

"Thirty-six prefectures, totaling approximately thirty-six million people."

At the end of the Qin Dynasty, the population was thirty to forty million, but by the beginning of the Han Dynasty, Xiao He estimated that only thirteen million people remained in the country.

Even including those hiding in the mountains, lakes, rivers, and islands, the number is only around 15 million.

The world's population has been reduced by more than half due to war.

Lin Dao felt a pang of sadness.

This is also the root cause of his efforts to change the course of the Qin Dynasty and his attempt to send away the remnants of various states.

It's too tragic for our own people to fight each other; we can't let it happen!
If you want to fight, go outside and mess with outsiders!

Xiao He was greatly surprised, because Fusu was absolutely right!
Such confidential data is not something that ordinary people can know.

Lin Dao then asked, "How much land is there in Pei County? Is it enough to support the entire county's population? What is the standard of living like?"

Xiao He was completely at a loss, not knowing what to say.

Fusu opened his mouth to speak, but Lin Dao raised his hand to stop him.

Fusu participated in last year's assessment and was specifically in charge of the county, so he remembers a lot.

But Lin Dao didn't want to listen to him at this moment.

Xiao He hesitated, but after a moment he shook his head.

"This is a secret of the imperial court and must not be leaked."

Lin Dao smiled and nodded, his gaze turning to Liu Ji.

"How is life in the county? Are people able to get enough to eat?"

"A full meal?" Liu Ji laughed. "Young master, you jest."

"It's good enough to have something to eat, who dares to hope for a full stomach?"

"The imperial court's taxes are heavy, and the corvée labor is endless."

"Even farming is difficult, let alone having enough to eat."

"Starting this month, corvée labor has been exempted, taxes have been reduced, and even the prohibition on alcohol has been lifted."

"Only then did we have hope for the future."

Lin Dao didn't speak, but Fu Su, standing to the side, had a gleam in his eyes and nodded repeatedly.

Clearly, he hasn't completely turned to the dark side yet. Turning his gaze away, Lin Dao nodded again. "Have you thought about it?"

"Each household was allocated several thousand acres of land, and they raised herds of cattle and sheep, which they could never finish eating?"

Upon hearing this, the courtyard fell silent.

A moment later, everyone burst into laughter.
Many people even laughed through their tears.

"Young master, you're joking." Liu Ji laughed while wiping away his tears. "Thousands of acres of land? A family is lucky if they have a dozen or so acres."

“We are commoners, not dukes or marquises, so why should we have thousands of acres of land?”

"Young master, you've only had a few drinks, and you're already drunk?"

The laughter continued for quite a while before gradually subsiding.

Once everyone had finally quieted down, Lin Dao slowly stood up.

His gaze swept over the crowd as if it were tangible.

"Why?"

"Why shouldn't the people of the Central Plains deserve to own thousands of acres, or even more, of land?"

"Why should a dozen acres of land be enough?"

"Why should those herders have thousands of acres of playground, but we can't?"

"Why is it that they can drive around with herds of cattle and horses, while the common people of the Central Plains can only be treated like cattle and horses?"

"Why should the people of the Central Plains have to endure this generation after generation!"

He focused his energy in his dantian, and his voice was as loud as a bell.

"Why!!!"

"The most tragic suffering will be borne by the people of the Central Plains."

"The most difficult sacrifices were made by the people of the Central Plains."

"The most arduous labor is done by the people of the Central Plains, who risk their lives!"

"Why is it that the people of the Central Plains only give and receive nothing in return?"

He raised his hand, his fingers sweeping across the crowd.

Tell me, on what grounds?

Everyone remained silent.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the courtyard was oppressive, like a low-pressure system swirling around.

Wow~~~

The silence was broken by the cry of the infant in Lü Zhi's arms.

The atmosphere finally eased.

Lü Zhi got up, took the child, and went back into the house.

Lin Dao also sat down.

He turned his head to look at Fusu and said, "Whether you believe in Confucianism or Legalism, it doesn't matter."

"First, you need to understand the significance of the existence of the Hundred Schools of Thought."

"If you think it's purely for the sake of maintaining the rule of the Great Qin, then pretend I said nothing."

Fusu hurriedly stood up and bowed.

"I wouldn't dare!"

"Please enlighten me, sir."

"I have nothing to teach you." Lin Dao raised his hand and swept it over the people in the courtyard. "Let them, and all the common people in the world, live a good life with thousands or tens of thousands of acres of land and countless cattle and sheep."

"This is what people all over the world should truly be doing."

A collective gasp filled the courtyard.

Some intelligent people have already made some guesses.

Fusu's face turned pale and then red, and his body trembled.

A moment later, he prostrated himself on the ground, touching the ground with his hands and his forehead, bowing deeply.

"Please teach me, sir!"

"What you study isn't important." Lin Dao stood up and walked out of the courtyard. "What matters is what you do."

"Well done, you will be admired for all time."

"Can't do it well~"

"The people of the world will tell you."

"Are kings and nobles born with a special destiny?"

The sky darkened, and the bright moon gradually rose.

In Liu Ji's courtyard, a group of people gathered together, whispering among themselves.

Before long, Cao Can ran back to report, "Those people moved into the village head's house and drove the village head and his family out."

Everyone was shocked.

"What a grand display of power." Liu Ji narrowed his eyes. "Truly, he is of extraordinary status."

Cao Can, panting heavily, said, "They gave the village head's family a single coin, saying they wanted to stay the night."

Liu Ji rolled his eyes in exasperation.

Next time you speak, finish your sentence in one go!
There's a world of difference between forcibly seizing territory and paying money, or even paying in-game currency.

Not long after, footsteps sounded again outside the door.

Fan Kuai came running back, panting, to report.

"There is a large army stationed less than ten miles outside the village, right by the Pao River!"

"The joint ventures stretch as far as the eye can see, numbering at least in the tens of thousands!"

“I was chased by scouts all the way, and only when I ran into the village did the pursuers turn back.”

“These people,” Xiao He spoke first from the silence, “have extraordinary origins.”

That's obvious.

Speech, behavior, clothing, and demeanor.

And there was a large army following behind.

Not only is he of extraordinary origin, he is clearly a true young master!

If it weren't for the discrepancy in age and demeanor, they would have even suspected that it was the First Emperor himself who had come.

Everyone felt depressed.

After all, those were elite Qin soldiers. If they were to massacre the city, not a single person in Pei County, especially those trapped in the villages, would escape.

The most puzzled person was Liu Ji.

"I really don't understand."

"Why did these people come to Pei County?"

"And why~"

"You've come looking for me, Liu Ji!"

(End of this chapter)