The leisurely life of the Qin people

Chapter 155 Heavy Snow
Seeing Shusun Tong's doubt, Zhang Cang added, "If you don't believe me, take off your shoes and step on it; the mud is warm."

Shusun Tong cleared his throat, took out a scroll of bamboo slips and handed it to him, saying, "This is the grain that the county has recently spent. You will continue to serve as the acting governor of Weinan. This is something I can only discuss with you."

Zhang Cang glanced at it only once before putting it in the cloth bag at his waist, saying, "I will give it to you, young master."

Shusun Tong also brought a few tea eggs, saying, "These are for you."

After saying this, he got back into the donkey cart and slowly drove away.

Accounting has always been Zhang Cang's forte. Besides overseeing the fortifications here, Zhang Cang also had to look at the accounts of Jingye County. He handled two things at once with ease.

Zhang Cang was even able to help Prince Fusu write down the calculation method for the armillary sphere.

In the young master's words, the armillary sphere is actually a calculation tool, an instrument for calculating time and calendar. It can also be used to select stars for positioning, predict solar terms, and verify calendars.

The young master even said he could measure coordinates, but Zhang Cang didn't know what the coordinates he was talking about were. It must be related to Xu Fu's maritime trade.

After writing an algorithm, Zhang Cang had it sent to Xianyang.

The next day, Fusu saw Zhang Cang's letter, which included a scroll of blueprints for an armillary sphere. The armillary sphere made by Qin was extremely complex, using a nested ring structure. It was the most advanced and complex one in later generations.

Fusu wanted to keep it as simple as possible, omitting the coiled dragon supports and cloud patterns.

It was snowing heavily in Guanzhong. Fusu, wearing a cloak, walked towards Zhangtai Palace, with Tian An still following behind him.

This year, Fusu will be twenty-four years old.

Since Fusu began participating in national affairs, he has taken on an increasing number of political tasks.

Upon entering the main hall of Zhangtai Palace, Fusu met his father, who was still reading military reports from the north.

Ying Zheng asked in a deep voice, "How many people are you moving this time?"

"Reporting to Father Emperor, there are a total of 300,000 people. 100,000 were sent to the Hexi Corridor, and the rest were left in Weibei."

Ying Zheng said, "Li Si only mentioned 50,000 households earlier, so 300,000 is not many."

Compared to his teacher's relocation of people to defend the border, Fusu felt that the people he was relocating were really nothing. If each of the 50,000 households sent six people, then each family would only number 300,000.

Judging from the Emperor's words, it seems that even with the Prime Minister's help, it was not a success to only relocate such a small number of people.

Fusu said, "Father, if Guanzhong is truly good enough, the people of Guanzhong will have plenty of food and clothing, the children of Guanzhong will be able to study, and the people of Guanzhong will be able to enter officialdom. In the future, there will be no need to relocate people, and people will continue to enter Guanzhong."

Ying Zheng was already accustomed to writing on paper. He asked, "How many teachers do you have in rural areas?"

"Reporting to Father Emperor, there are now over a thousand people."

Ying Zheng said in a deep voice, "Longxi has increased its grain production by 200,000 shi this year, which is very good."

"It is my duty."

"You are the Junior Steward of the Nine Ministers, and you also oversee the administration of horses. If you have any questions, just ask Li Si. He will help you."

"My son..."

"Don't worry, Li Si will do his best to help you. From now on, you will jointly manage state affairs with the Prime Minister. If there are any important matters, you can report directly to me."

The Emperor's unspoken message was that you don't need to feel ashamed. I have taken care of Li Si before, so let him try to be negligent.

The wind outside the main hall still howled, but the hall remained quiet.

Ying Zheng, pouting as he pieced together the movable type printing mold, looked up at his son, whose chin was already showing signs of stubble, and said in a low voice, "What? You dare not share state affairs with Li Si?"

Fusu was still hesitating about how to reply. He was now both the Minister of the Imperial Household and the Minister of the Imperial Stud, holding two of the nine ministerial positions in the court.

According to my father's words, my position and power as a prince should be equivalent to that of the prime minister.

The Qin Dynasty already had a prime minister and a right prime minister.

Although the emperor did not give him a specific official position, he was still considered to be on par with the prime minister.

Li Si naturally dared not say a word; he might not even have time to offer his support.

Fusu bowed and said, "Your subject obeys."

"Hmm..." Ying Zheng nodded slowly, "Li Si told me he was in Sanchuan County, but Zhang Liang escaped again."

"Your subject has never heard of such a thing."

"Li Si only told me about it; he hasn't told anyone else yet."

Tian An had already cooked a pot of soup outside the hall. He carried the copper pot into the hall and then had someone bring in chopped meat, scallions, and ginger.

The father and son sat inside the hall, eating hot pot.

Outside the hall, Tian An sat in a corner on a small stool and first looked at the emperor and his son eating hot pot inside the hall.

Then Tian An withdrew his gaze and looked at the heavy snow outside, sitting under the eaves of the main hall.

He put some noodles into the hot pot to cook, then added slices of meat, chewing on garlic, before putting the cooked meat into his mouth.

He chewed on the piping hot slices of meat, exhaled a breath of hot air, and then scooped out the noodles from the pot and ate them. The palace guards on duty nearby watched, swallowing hard. Eating such hot food in the dead of winter was incredibly satisfying.

After Tian An finished eating, the emperor and his son in the hall also finished eating.

The emperor was still talking to the prince, but the voices were muffled from outside the palace, and it was impossible to tell what the prince was saying.

Seeing the young master walk out of the main hall, Tian An hurriedly followed.

The two eunuchs following behind Tian An each carried a pot back to Gaoquan Palace. The young master especially valued the things in the palace. He cherished every single thing in his house. For him, there could only be more things in the house than less. If even one thing was missing, he would throw a tantrum.

Whenever the young master throws a tantrum, the madam only needs to glare at him, and he will behave.

Just thinking about the young master's angry appearance would unconsciously bring a smile to Tian An's face. Because the young master looked exactly like Prince Fusu when he was a child, sometimes when he looked at him, he would think of Empress Dowager Huayang and inexplicably shed tears.

"Grandpa Tian, ​​why are you crying again?"

Before he knew it, he had arrived at Gaoquan Palace. Tian An heard voices. This child started speaking a little later than other children, so his speech was a little unclear and he seemed to have some difficulty pronouncing words. He would be fine when he grew up a bit.

Tian An squatted down, looked at the young man dressed in a golden silk robe, and said with a smile, "When you get old, you start to cry."

Gongzi Heng raised his head and said, "The pot has been returned. We'll have hot pot today."

The young master had already entered the hall. Tian An held the young master's hand, smiling with narrowed eyes. He couldn't be happier. He doted on the young master and said, "Alright, young master, eat whatever you want."

Heng nodded in satisfaction.

Tian An is already quite old. Fu Su knows that Tian An loves this child more than anyone else. Since he is already so old, he lets him spoil the child.

Gongzi Heng was like a ray of light in Tian Anping's peaceful life, illuminating his almost withered heart.

Even Fusu had never seen the old man smile so happily.

Gongzi Heng sat on the wooden horse, which swayed back and forth, while Tian An stood guard beside him.

However, when he had to leave, Tian An would still follow behind.

As for other times at Takasen Palace, he would always accompany Heng.

Fusu produced an imperial edict, in which his father bestowed upon him a large tract of palaces behind Gaoquan Palace.

Opening a map reveals the entire Xianyang Palace. To highlight the majesty of Xianyang Palace, every handful of rammed earth in the palace has symbolized the highest power in the world since Qin unified the country.

Xianyang Palace was built to embrace the Wei River, with its covered walkways and covered corridors intersecting.

To the east of the palace, in the area where the Purple Palace is located, is where the Emperor's father lived.

The central axis of the imperial palace, behind the Zhangtai Palace, is the Ji Temple, the place for ancestral worship.

The emperor bestowed upon them a large palace complex to the west of Takasen Palace.

These palaces have been vacant for many years and are almost deserted.

The Xianyang Palace was far too large; in fact, the living quarters only occupied a small portion of it. Fusu calculated that all the books and furniture in his home could be stored in the several halls on the west side.

After giving the order, Fusu looked at the heavy snow outside.

Wang Tang'er walked to her husband's side and asked, "Is something on your mind?"

Fusu nodded and said, "I'll be twenty-four next year. That's not exactly young anymore, is it?"

Wang Tang'er said, "Of course."

Outside, young people in their twenties can call themselves "old men," as if people in this world age very quickly. By the age of thirty-four, their temples are already gray, and those over forty may already have a full head of white hair.

It's probably true that people age very quickly, and that old age accompanies people for a long time in their lives.

"I saw my father's white hair today; strands of white hair were hidden under his crown."

Wang Tang'er thought of her father, whose hair and beard had long since turned white, and whispered, "Everyone goes through this."

Fusu looked at Feixue and said, "Yes, we will all have this day, it's just a matter of time."

It was the time of Major Snow in the twenty-four solar terms. It snowed for five consecutive days in Guanzhong, and the heavy snow buried villages one after another.

The Guanzhong Plain was covered in snow. In the distance, one could see a few lights on the snowdrifts, indicating that there was a house there and people lived there.

Today, the snow stopped, and Fusu took his wife and children out for a stroll to enjoy the snow scenery.

The carriage was traveling on a straight road. Further on, a fork in the straight road was built, leading to Shangyan Mountain. Ever since paper was invented in Jingye County, the emperor had issued an edict to build a straight road that led directly to Xianyang, which could transport grain and paper.

Before the invention of paper, the Qin people were still accustomed to using bamboo slips. When paper first entered the palace, the prime minister and many clerks were still used to the heavy bamboo slips. However, after using paper for a period of time, they could not do without it when processing documents.

Paper was only used within the Qin court and not supplied to the outside world. In official correspondence, paper was sent out, while documents sent from various places were still on bamboo slips.

People needed time to adapt, and the widespread use of paper required enormous productivity. In an era when productivity was still at a primitive level, Fusu had to proceed with extreme caution.

(End of this chapter)